And the playful wit of her lover made
Therese marvel. She never could have imagined the infallible taste which
he exercised naturally in joyful caprice and in familiar fantasy. At
first he had displayed only the monotony of passionate ardor. That alone
had captured her. But since then she had discovered in him a gay mind,
well stored and diverse, as well as the gift of agreeable flattery.

"To assemble a homogeneous ministry," exclaimed Garain, "is easily said.
Yet one must be guided by the tendencies of the various factions of the
Chamber."

He was uneasy. He saw himself surrounded by as many snares as those which
he had laid. Even his collaborators became hostile to him.

Count Martin wished the new ministry to satisfy the aspirations of the
new men.

"Your list is formed of personalities essentially different in origin and
in tendency," he said. "Yet the most important fact in the political
history of recent years is the possibility, I should say the necessity,
to introduce unity of views in the government of the republic. These are
ideas which you, my dear Garin, have expressed with rare eloquence."

M. Berthier-d'Eyzelles kept silence.

Senator Loyer rolled crumbs with his fingers. He had been formerly a
frequenter of beer-halls, and while moulding crumbs or cutting corks he
found ideas. He raised his red face. And, looking at Garain with wrinkled
eyes wherein red fire sparkled, he said:

"I said it, and nobody would believe it. The annihilation of the
monarchical Right was for the chiefs of the Republican party an
irreparable misfortune. We governed formerly against it. The real support
of a government is the Opposition. The Empire governed against the
Orleanists and against us; MacMahon governed against the Republicans.
More fortunate, we governed against the Right. The Right--what a
magnificent Opposition it was! It threatened, was candid, powerless,
great, honest, unpopular! We should have nursed it. We did not know how
to do that. And then, of course, everything wears out. Yet it is always
necessary to govern against something. There are to-day only Socialists
to give us the support which the Right lent us fifteen years ago with so
constant a generosity. But they are too weak. We should reenforce them,
make of them a political party. To do this at the present hour is the
first duty of a State minister."

Garain, who was not cynical, made no answer.

"Garain, do you not yet know," asked Count Martin,