ve his son appointed to the Garde?'

'And who is M. Lescour?'

'I 'll tell you what he is, which is more to the purpose: he himself
would be puzzled to say who. M. Lescour is a fermier-general--very rich,
doubtless, but of an origin the lowest.'

'And his son?'

'His son! What do I know about his son? I conclude he resembles his
father: at all events, he cannot be one of us.'

'Pardon me if I am not able to see why,' said Gerald calmly. 'There is
nothing in the station of a fermier-general that should not have opened
to his son the approach to the very highest order of education, all that
liberal means could bestow----'

'But, _mon cher_, what do we care for all that? We want good blood and
good names among our comrades; we want to know that our friendships and
our intimacies are with those whose fathers were the associates of our
fathers. Ask the Duke here, how he would fancy companionship with the
descendants of the rabble. Ask yourself, is it from such a class you
would select your bosom friends?'

'Grant all you say to be correct: is not the king himself a good judge
of those to whom he would intrust the guardianship of his person?'
interposed Gerald. 'The annals of the world have shown that loyalty and
courage are not peculiar to a class.'

'A'nt they--_parbleu!_' cried Maurepas. 'Why, those sentiments are
worthy of the Rue Montmartre. Messieurs,' added he, rising, and
addressing the others, scattered in groups through the room,
'congratulate yourselves that the enlightened opinions of the age have
penetrated the darkness of our benighted corps. Here is the Chevalier de
Fitzgerald enunciating opinions that the most advanced democracy would
be proud of.'

The company thus addressed rose from their several places and came
crowding around the table where the three were seated. Gerald knew not
very accurately the words he had just uttered, and turned from one
face to the other of those around to catch something like sympathy
or encouragement in this moment of trial, but none such was there.
Astonishment and surprise were, perhaps, the most favourable among the
expressions of those who now regarded him.

'I was telling the Duc de Bourguignon of the danger that impended
our corps,' began Maurepas, addressing the company generally. 'I was
alluding to what rumour has been threatening us with some time back,
the introduction into the Garde of men of ignoble birth. I mentioned
specifically one case, which, if ca