s, were allowed to retain their honours and
pensions; but, even before the fall of the Bourbons, the
distinction had lost much of its prestige. After the Battle of
Navarino, Admiral de Rigny, soliciting rewards for his officers
who had distinguished themselves, tacitly ignored the order of
Saint-Louis in favour of that of the Legion of Honour. The
order, as founded by Louis XIV. in 1693, was only available to
officers and Catholics. Several modifications were introduced
afterwards in its statutes. The Order of Saint-Louis and that
of "Military Merit" were the only two recognized by the
Constituent Assembly of 1789; but the Convention suppressed the
former, only leaving the latter.--EDITOR.]

"I'll see to that," said Balzac. "Pray go on. What is the next part of
the house?"

"Orchestra stalls."

"Nothing but peers of France there."

"But the orchestra stalls will not hold them all, Monsieur de Balzac."

"Those who cannot find room in the house will have to stand in the
lobbies," said Balzac, imperturbably.

"Stage boxes?" continued Lireux.

"They will be reserved for the Court."

"Stage boxes on the first tier?"

"For the ambassadors and plenipotentiaries."

"The open boxes on the ground floor?"

"For the wives and families of the ambassadors."

"Upper circle?" enumerated Lireux, not a muscle of his face moving.

"For the deputies and grand officers of State."

"Third circle?" enumerated Lireux.

"The heads of the great banking and financial establishments."

"The galleries and amphitheatre?"

"A carefully selected, but varied, bourgeoisie," wound up Balzac.

Lireux, who was a capital mimic, re-enacted the scene for us
four-and-twenty hours after it had been enacted in his own room, and
while he was still under the impression that it was merely a huge joke
on Balzac's part. He soon discovered, however, that the latter was
terribly in earnest, when, a few days later, Balzac claimed the whole of
the seats for the first three nights, on the penalty of withdrawing his
piece there and then. Lireux foolishly submitted, the box office was
closed; every one applying for tickets was referred to Balzac himself,
or rather to the shady individual who had egged him on to this
speculation. The latter, at the first application, had run up the
prices; the public felt disgusted, and when the curtain rose upon "Les
Res