on. I fancy that
to-morrow the 'Echo de la Bievre' will be strongly attacked by the other
papers."

"Parbleu!" cried Thuillier, "that's what we are hoping for; and if the
government would only do us the favor to seize us--"

"No, thank you," said Fleury, whom Thuillier had also brought home to
dinner, "I don't want to enter upon those functions at first."

"Seized!" said Dutocq, "oh, you won't be seized; but I think the
ministerial journals will fire a broadside at you."

The next day Thuillier was at the office as early as eight o'clock, in
order to be the first to receive that formidable salvo. After looking
through every morning paper he was forced to admit that there was no
more mention of the "Echo de la Bievre" than if it didn't exist. When la
Peyrade arrived he found his unhappy friend in a state of consternation.

"Does that surprise you?" said the Provencal, tranquilly. "I let you
enjoy yesterday your hopes of a hot engagement with the press; but I
knew myself that in all probability there wouldn't be the slightest
mention of us in to-day's papers. Against every paper which makes its
debut with some distinction, there's always a two weeks', sometimes a
two months' conspiracy of silence."

"Conspiracy of silence!" echoed Thuillier, with admiration.

He did not know what it meant, but the words had a grandeur and a
_something_ that appealed to his imagination. After la Peyrade had
explained to him that by "conspiracy of silence" was meant the agreement
of existing journals to make no mention of new-comers lest such notice
should serve to advertise them, Thuillier's mind was hardly better
satisfied than it had been by the pompous flow of the words. The
bourgeois is born so; words are coins which he takes and passes without
question. For a word, he will excite himself or calm down, insult
or applaud. With a word, he can be brought to make a revolution and
overturn a government of his own choice.

The paper, however, was only a means; the object was Thuillier's
election. This was insinuated rather than stated in the first numbers.
But one morning, in the columns of the "Echo," appeared a letter from
several electors thanking their delegate to the municipal council for
the firm and frankly liberal attitude in which he had taken on all
questions of local interests. "This firmness," said the letter, "had
brought down upon him the persecution of the government, which, towed
at the heels of foreigners, had sacri