who hoped for an heir-presumptive.

Bianchon and Monsieur de Clagny went off to register the child at the
Mayor's office as the son of Monsieur and Madame de la Baudraye, unknown
to Etienne, who, on his part, rushed off to a printer's to have this
circular set up:

_"Madame la Baronne de la Baudraye is happily delivered of a son._

_"Monsieur Etienne Lousteau has the pleasure of informing you of
the fact._

_"The mother and child are doing well."_

Lousteau had already sent out sixty of these announcements when Monsieur
de Clagny, on coming to make inquiries, happened to see the list of
persons at Sancerre to whom Lousteau proposed to send this amazing
notice, written below the names of the persons in Paris to whom it was
already gone. The lawyer confiscated the list and the remainder of the
circulars, showed them to Madame Piedefer, begging her on no account to
allow Lousteau to carry on this atrocious jest, and jumped into a
cab. The devoted friend then ordered from the same printer another
announcement in the following words:

_"Madame la Baronne de la Baudraye is happily delivered of a son._

_"Monsieur le Baron de la Baudraye has the honor of informing you
of the fact._

_"Mother and child are doing well."_

After seeing the proofs destroyed, the form of type, everything that
could bear witness to the existence of the former document, Monsieur de
Clagny set to work to intercept those that had been sent; in many cases
he changed them at the porter's lodge, he got back thirty into his
own hands, and at last, after three days of hard work, only one of the
original notes existed, that, namely sent to Nathan.

Five times had the lawyer called on the great man without finding
him. By the time Monsieur de Clagny was admitted, after requesting an
interview, the story of the announcement was known to all Paris. Some
persons regarded it as one of those waggish calumnies, a sort of stab to
which every reputation, even the most ephemeral, is exposed; others
said they had read the paper and returned it to some friend of the
La Baudraye family; a great many declaimed against the immorality of
journalists; in short, this last remaining specimen was regarded as a
curiosity. Florine, with whom Nathan was living, had shown it about,
stamped in the post as paid, and addressed in Etienne's hand. So, as
soon as the judge spoke of the announcement, Nathan began to smile.

"Give up that monument of recklessne