sses; and if folks still smiled at seeing his dark,
turbulent, and scraggy figure amidst that framework of family portraits
which proclaimed the mighty ancestry of the Buongiovannis, they none the
less worshipped him as the personification of the new power, the
democratic force which was confusedly rising even from the old Roman soil
where the _patriziato_ lay in ruins.

"What a crowd!" muttered Pierre. "Who are all these people?"

"Oh!" replied Narcisse, "it is a regular mixture. These people belong
neither to the black nor the white world; they form a grey world as it
were. The evolution was certain; a man like Cardinal Boccanera may retain
an uncompromising attitude, but a whole city, a nation can't. The Pope
alone will always say no and remain immutable. But everything around him
progresses and undergoes transformation, so that in spite of all
resistance, Rome will become Italian in a few years' time. Even now,
whenever a prince has two sons only one of them remains on the side of
the Vatican, the other goes over to the Quirinal. People must live, you
see; and the great families threatened with annihilation have not
sufficient heroism to carry obstinacy to the point of suicide. And I have
already told you that we are here on neutral ground, for Prince
Buongiovanni was one of the first to realise the necessity of
conciliation. He feels that his fortune is perishing, he does not care to
risk it either in industry or in speculation, and already sees it
portioned out among his five children, by whose descendants it will be
yet further divided; and this is why he prudently makes advances to the
King without, however, breaking with the Pope. In this _salon_,
therefore, you see a perfect picture of the _debacle_, the confusion
which reigns in the Prince's ideas and opinions." Narcisse paused, and
then began to name some of the persons who were coming in. "There's a
general," said he, "who has become very popular since his last campaign
in Africa. There will be a great many military men here this evening, for
all Attilio's superiors have been invited, so as to give the young man an
_entourage_ of glory. Ah! and there's the German ambassador. I fancy that
nearly all the Corps Diplomatique will come on account of their
Majesties' presence. But, by way of contrast, just look at that stout
fellow yonder. He's a very influential deputy, a _parvenu_ of the new
middle class. Thirty years ago he was merely one of Prince Albertini's