in eclipses the
Boulevard Sebastopol. By the way, Duplessis, a Boulevard de Berlin will
be a good speculation--better than the Rue de Louvier. Ah! is not that
my English friend, Grarm Varn?" here, quitting the arm of Duplessis,
Lemercier stopped a gentleman who was about to pass him unnoticing. "Bon
jour, mon ami! how long have you been at Paris?"

"I only arrived last evening," answered Graham, "and my stay will be so
short that it is a piece of good luck, my dear Lemercier, to meet with
you, and exchange a cordial shake of the hand."

"We are just going to breakfast at the Trois Freres--Duplessis and
I--pray join us."

"With great pleasure--ah, M. Duplessis, I shall be glad to hear from
you that the Emperor will be firm enough to check the advances of that
martial fever which, to judge by the persons I meet, seems to threaten
delirium."

Duplessis looked very keenly at Graham's face, as he replied slowly:
"The English, at least, ought to know that when the Emperor by his last
reforms resigned his personal authority for constitutional monarchy, it
ceased to be a question whether he could or could not be firm in
matters that belonged to the Cabinet and the Chambers. I presume that
if Monsieur Gladstone advised Queen Victoria to declare war upon the
Emperor of Russia, backed by a vast majority in Parliament, you would
think me very ignorant of constitutional monarchy and Parliamentary
government if I said, 'I hope Queen Victoria will resist that martial
fever.'"

"You rebuke me very fairly, M. Duplessis, if you can show me that the
two cases are analogous; but we do not understand in England that,
despite his last reforms, the Emperor has so abnegated his individual
ascendency, that his will, clearly and resolutely expressed, would not
prevail in his Council and silence opposition in the Chambers. Is it so?
I ask for information."

The three men were walking on towards the Palais Royal side by side
while this conversation proceeded.

"That all depends," replied Duplessis, "upon what may be the increase
of popular excitement at Paris. If it slackens, the Emperor, no doubt,
could turn to wise account that favourable pause in the fever. But if
it continues to swell, and Paris cries, 'War,' in a voice as loud as
it cried to Louis Philippe 'Revolution,' do you think that the Emperor
could impose on his ministers the wisdom of peace? His ministers would
be too terrified by the clamour to undertake the responsibility o