me the second one."

In 1826 Thiers began to attract public notice as a clever and somewhat
turbulent opponent of the priest party under Charles X. He got his
first journalistic employment from the editor of a leading paper
in Paris, the "Constitutionnel." He had a letter of introduction to
the editor, who, nowise impressed by his appearance, and wishing
to get rid of him, politely said he had no work vacant on the paper
except that of criticising the pictures in the Salon, which he
presumed M. Thiers' could not undertake. On the contrary, Thiers
felt sure he could do the work, which the editor, confident of his
failure, allowed him to try. The result was a review that startled
all Paris, and Thiers was at once engaged on the "Constitutionnel" as
literary, dramatic, and artistic critic. He proved to have a perfect
genius for journalism, and all his life he considered newspaper
work his profession. Before long he aspired to take part in the
management of his paper, and to that end saved and scraped together
every cent in his power, assisted by a German bookseller named
Schubert, the original of Schmuke, in Balzac's "Cousin Pons." The
"Constitutionnel" grew more and more popular and more and more
powerful; but still Thiers' means were very small, and he was bent
on saving all he could to establish a new newspaper, the "National."
He was engaged to be married to a young lady at Aix, whose father
thought he was neglecting her, and came up to Paris to see about
it. Thiers pleaded for delay. He had not money enough, he said,
to set up housekeeping. A second time the impatient father came
to Paris on the same errand, and on receiving the same answer,
assaulted Thiers publicly and challenged him. The duel took place.
Thiers fired in the air, and his adversary's ball passed between
his little legs. Nobody was hurt, but the match was broken off,
and the young lady died of the disappointment. Thiers kept every
memorial he had of her sacredly to the day of his death, and in
the time of his power sought out and provided for the members of
her family.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about M. Thiers was the unusual
care he took to prepare himself fully before writing or speaking.
He had every subject clearly and fully in his own mind before he put
pen to paper, and when he began to write, he did so with extraordinary
rapidity; nor would he write any account of anything, either in
a newspaper or in his history, till he had visit