liberate falsehood; secondly, because I heard it confirmed
many years afterwards in substance by two persons who were more or less
directly concerned in it.

In the latter end of 1863 one of the sons of Baron James de Rothschild
died; I believe it was the youngest of the four, but I am not certain.
The old baron, who was generosity itself when it came to endowing
charitable institutions, was absolutely opposed to any waste of money.
Amidst the terrible grief at his loss, he was still the careful
administrator, and sent to M. Emile Perrin, the then director of the
Grand Opera, and subsequently the director of the Comedie-Francaise,
asking him to dispose of his box on the grand tier, under the express
condition that it should revert to him after a twelvemonth. It was the
very thing M. Perrin was not empowered to do. Though nominally the
director, he was virtually the manager under Comte Bacciochi, the
superintendent of the Imperial theatres; that is, the theatres which
received a subsidy from the Emperor's civil list. The subscriber who
wished to relinquish his box or seat, for however short a time--of
course without continuing to pay for it--forfeited all subsequent claim
to it. In this instance, though, apart from the position of Baron James,
the cause which prompted the application warranted an exception being
made; still M. Perrin did not wish to act upon his own responsibility,
and referred the matter to Comte Bacciochi, telling him at the same time
that Comte Walewski would be glad to take the box during the interim.
The latter had but recently resigned the Ministry of State by reason of
an unexpected difficulty in the "Roman Question;"[53] the ministerial
box went, as a matter of course, with the appointment, and Comte
Walewski regretted the loss of the former, which was one of the best in
the house, more than the loss of the latter, and had asked his
protege--M. Perrin owed his position at the Opera to him--to get him as
good a one as soon as possible.

[Footnote 53: If Comte Walewski ruled Napoleon III., the second
Comtesse Walewska, who was an Italian by birth and very
handsome, absolutely ruled her husband. The first Comtesse
Walewska was Lord Sandwich's daughter.--EDITOR.]

It so happened that Comte Bacciochi had a grudge against Walewski for
having questioned certain of his prerogatives connected with the
superintendence of the Opera. The moment he heard of Walewski's wis