al friend of the president, a distinguished
man of letters, and an old Orleanist converted to Republicanism. The
opposing candidate was M. Barodet, a Radical of extreme opinions.
The Monarchists also brought forward their candidate. He had only
twenty-seven thousand votes; but these succeeded in defeating M.
de Remusat, who had one hundred and thirty-five thousand, while
the Radicals voted solidly for Barodet, giving him one hundred
and fifty-five thousand.

The blame of this defeat was thrown on M. Thiers. The Monarchists,
who had once called him "that illustrious statesman," now spoke of
him as "a fatal old man." They attacked him in the Assembly; the
Radicals supported them. M. Thiers was defeated on some measure
that he wished should pass, and sent in his resignation. It was
accepted by three hundred and sixty-two votes against three hundred
and forty-eight. He had fallen; and yet a _plebiscite_ throughout
the country would have given a large popular vote in favor of the man
"who had found France defeated, her richest provinces occupied, her
capital in the hands of savages, and had concluded peace and restored
order, and found the stupendous sum required for the liberation and
organization of the country, founding the Republic, and bringing
order and prosperity back once more." Indeed, the peasants even
credited him with their good harvests and the revival of spirit
in the army, till they almost felt for him a sentiment of personal
loyalty.

Expelled from power when seventy-eight years of age, M. Thiers
retired to a little sunny, dusty _entresol_ on the Boulevard
Malesherbes, where the noise and glare greatly disturbed him. At
Tours, in the lull of events before the surrender of Paris, he had
collected books and studied botany. As soon as he was installed
on the Boulevard Malesherbes he asked Leverrier, the astronomer, to
continue with him the astronomical studies with which at Versailles
he had indulged himself in brief moments of leisure, remarking
that he had seen a good deal of the perversity of mankind, and
that he now wished to refresh himself with the orderly works of
God.

Shortly after this he removed to better quarters, where his rooms
opened on a garden. In this garden he received his friends on Sunday
mornings from seven to nine, attired in a wadded, brown cashmere
dressing-gown, a broad-brimmed hat, a black cravat, patent-leather
shoes, and black gaiters. As he talked, he held his magnifying-glass