nd accompanied by remarks insulting to the
Permanent Secretary and to the whole Society.

Furious was the indignant outcry against the impudence of the journalist
and the folly of Astier-Rehu, which had brought this upon them. The
Academie has not been accustomed to such attacks, since it has prudently
opened its doors to 'gentlemen of the Press.' The fiery Laniboire,
familiar with every kind of 'sport.' talked of cutting off the
gentleman's ears, and it took two or three colleagues to restrain his
ardour.

'Come, Laniboire; we wear the sword, but we do not draw it Why, it's
your own epigram, confound you, though adopted by the Institute.'

'Gentlemen, you remember that Pliny the Elder, in the thirteenth book of
his "Natural History"'--here arrived Gazan, who came in puffing with his
elephantine trot--'is one of the first writers who mentions counterfeit
autographs; amongst others, a false letter of Priam's on papyrus'--

'Monsieur Gazan has not signed the list,' cried Picheral's sharp
falsetto.

'Oh, I beg your pardon.' And the fat man went off to sign, still
discoursing about papyrus and King Priam, though unheard for the hubbub
of angry voices, in which the only word that could be distinguished was
'Academie.' They all talked about the Academie as if it were an actual
live person, whose real view each man believed himself alone to know and
to express. Suddenly the exclamations ceased, as Astier-Rehu entered,
signed his name, and quietly deposited at his place as Permanent
Secretary the ensign of his office, carried under his arm. Then moving
towards his colleagues he said:

'Gentlemen, I have bad news for you. I sent to the Library to be tested
the twelve or fifteen thousand documents which made what I called my
collection. Well, gentlemen, all are forgeries. The Academie of Florence
stated the truth. I am the victim of a stupendous hoax.'

As he wiped from his brow the great drops of sweat wrung out by the
strain of his confession, some one asked in an insolent tone:

'Well, and _so_, Mr. Secretary'--

'So, M. Danjou, I had no other choice but to bring an action--which
is what I have done. There was a general protest, all declaring that a
lawsuit was out of the question and would bring ridicule upon the whole
Society, to which he answered that he was exceedingly sorry to disoblige
his colleagues, but his mind was made up. 'Besides, the man is in prison
and the proceedings have commenced.'

Never had the