ons of secretary, as is customary. M. de
Montalembert wanted to spare him the trouble. "No," said the prince, "it
is my duty." He took the urn and, as secretary, went the round of the
table to collect the votes.

At the close of the session of January 21, 1847, at which the Chamber
of Peers discussed Cracow and kept silent concerning the frontier of the
Rhine, I descended the grand staircase of the Chamber in company with M.
de Chastellux. M. Decazes stopped me and asked:

"Well, what have you been doing during the session?"

"I have been writing to Mme. Dorval." (I held the letter in my hand.)

"What a fine disdain! Why did you not speak?"

"On account of the old proverb: 'He whose opinion is not shared by
anybody else should think, and say nothing.'

"Did your opinion, then, differ from that of the others?"

"Yes, from that of the whole Chamber."

"What did you want then?"

"The Rhine."

"Whew! the devil!"

"I should have protested and spoken without finding any echo to my
words; I preferred to say nothing."

"Ah! the Rhine! To have the Rhine! Yes, that is a fine idea. Poetry!
poetry!"

"Poetry that our fathers made with cannon and that we shall make again
with ideas!"

"My dear colleague," went on M. Decazes, "we must wait. I, too, want
the Rhine. Thirty years ago I said to Louis XVIII.: 'Sire, I should be
inconsolable if I thought I should die without seeing France mistress of
the left bank of the Rhine. But before we can talk about that, before we
can think of it even, we must beget children.'"

"Well," I replied, "that was thirty years ago. We have begotten the
children."

April 23, 1847.

The Chamber of Peers is discussing a pretty bad bill on substitutions
for army service. To-day the principal article of the measure was before
the House.

M. de Nemours was present. There are eighty lieutenant-generals in the
Chamber. The majority considered the article to be a bad one. Under the
eye of the Duke de Nemours, who seemed to be counting them, all rose to
vote in favour of it.

The magistrates, the members of the Institute and the ambassadors voted
against it.

I remarked to President Franck-Carre, who was seated next to me: "It is
a struggle between civil courage and military poltroonery."

The article was adopted.

June 22, 1847.

The Girardin* affair was before the Chamber of Peers to-day. Acquittal.
The vote was taken by means of balls, white ones for condemnation,