amid a growing fever, broken down as he was
in body, and with his mind full of all the painting he had just seen. It
was the usual winding up of their visit to the Salon, though this year
they were more impassioned on account of the liberal measure of the
Emperor.

'Well, and what of it, if the public does laugh?' cried Claude. 'We must
educate the public, that's all. In reality it's a victory. Take away two
hundred grotesque canvases, and our Salon beats theirs. We have courage
and audacity--we are the future. Yes, yes, you'll see it later on; we
shall kill their Salon. We shall enter it as conquerors, by dint of
producing masterpieces. Laugh, laugh, you big stupid Paris--laugh until
you fall on your knees before us!'

And stopping short, he pointed prophetically to the triumphal avenue,
where the luxury and happiness of the city went rolling by in the
sunlight. His arms stretched out till they embraced even the Place de
la Concorde, which could be seen slantwise from where they sat under the
trees--the Place de la Concorde, with the plashing water of one of its
fountains, a strip of balustrade, and two of its statues--Rouen, with
the gigantic bosom, and Lille, thrusting forward her huge bare foot.

'"In the open air"--it amuses them, eh?' he resumed. 'All right, since
they are bent on it, the "open air" then, the school of the "open air!"
Eh! it was a thing strictly between us, it didn't exist yesterday beyond
the circle of a few painters. But now they throw the word upon the
winds, and they found the school. Oh! I'm agreeable. Let it be the
school of the "open air!"'

Jory slapped his thighs.

'Didn't I tell you? I felt sure of making them bite with those articles
of mine, the idiots that they are. Ah! how we'll plague them now.'

Mahoudeau also was singing victory, constantly dragging in his
'Vintaging Girl,' the daring points of which he explained to the silent
Chaine, the only one who listened to him; while Gagniere, with the
sternness of a timid man waxing wroth over questions of pure theory,
spoke of guillotining the Institute; and Sandoz, with the glowing
sympathy of a hard worker, and Dubuche, giving way to the contagion
of revolutionary friendship, became exasperated, and struck the table,
swallowing up Paris with each draught of beer. Fagerolles, very calm,
retained his usual smile. He had accompanied them for the sake of
amusement, for the singular pleasure which he found in urging his
comrades into