fficers with medals of honour round
their necks, and special recommendations to promotion in their hands.
They hoped to become Marshals of France in no time. Pauvres diables!
they were soon glad to hide their decorations, and cease bragging about
street-fighting and barricades, for the regulars relished neither their
swaggering stories nor the notion of being set aside by such parvenus;
and they got so quizzed, snubbed, and tormented, that they were happy at
last to slide into their places as simple soldats, and trust to the
ordinary course for promotion."

* * * * *

As for Panpan, his street wanderings terminated in his finding employment
in a lace manufactory, and it soon became evident that his natural talent
here found a congenial occupation. He came by degrees to be happy in his
new position of a workman. Then occurred the serious love passage of his
life--his meeting with Louise, now Madame Panpan. It was the simplest
matter in the world: Panpan, to whom life was nothing without the Sunday
quadrille at the barriere, having resolved to figure on the next occasion
in a pair of bottes vernis, waited upon his bootmaker--every Parisian has
his bootmaker--to issue his mandates concerning their length, shape, and
general construction. He entered the boutique of Mons. Cuire, when, lo!
he beheld in the little back parlour, the most delicate little foot that
ever graced a shoe, or tripped to measure on the grass. He would say
nothing of the owner of this miracle; of her face--which was full of
intelligence; of her figure--which was gentille toute a fait--but for
that dear, chaste, ravishing model of a foot! so modestly pose upon the
cushion. Heaven!--and Panpan unconsciously heaved a long sigh, and
brought with it from the very bottom of his heart a vow to become its
possessor. There was no necessity for anything very rash or very
desperate in the case, as it happened, for the evident admiration of
Panpan had inspired Louise with an impromptu interest in his favour, and
he being besides gentil garcon, their chance rencontre was but the
commencement of a friendship which ripened into love,--and so the old
story over again, with marriage at the end of it.

Well! said M. Panpan, time rolled on, and little Louis was born. This
might have been a blessing, but while family cares and expenses were
growing upon them, Panpan's strength and energies were withering away.
He suffered little p