0,000,000 pounds and in
1860 exceeded 223,000,000; that the manufactories of the said product at
the present time numbered 394; that in France its production exceeded
25,000,000 kilograms, etc.,--they did not seem so appropriate. His whole
discourse was reduced to this: quantities, dates, facts. The deputies,
with more or less dissimulation, began to desert the salon, one after
the other.

"This orator is an air-pump," said one reporter. "At this rate there
will soon be a perfect vacuum."

The jokes and flings in the press-gallery became general. Miguel, who
knew what he had to expect from his friend's genius, listened with
disgust to their raillery of him: he was anxious, and somewhat inclined
to cut short their jests peremptorily; but, as in that tribunal of
Liberty, comment on the speeches was traditional, he did his best to
restrain himself. The best thing that occurred to him, in order to avoid
being compromised, was to make a hurried visit home and find out how his
wife was. When he returned, the orator was still speaking.

"Now, Congress is about to see the most curious thing of all," said the
worthy Brutandor.

And, on turning round to gather up from his desk the papers on which it
was written, he showed the seat of his trousers! But no one noticed this
graceful _quid pro quo_ except Miguel and a shorthand reporter, who
could not help laughing.

The joking continued among the reporters; the observations, however,
were made more with the purpose of causing a laugh than of hurting the
feelings of the orator, whom almost all knew or were intimate with. Only
one, the editor of a Carlist daily, from time to time got off serious
criticisms in bad taste, as though he had some personal ill-will against
Mendoza. Miguel had already looked at this man two or three times in an
aggressive manner, without the other taking any notice of it. At last,
accosting him, Miguel said:--

"See here, friend; I am not surprised that the numbers of _El Universo_
are so stupid! You evidently take pains to waste all your wit here."

"What you just said to me seems to me an intentional insult, sir!"

"Perhaps."

"You will immediately give me an apology," said the journalist, very
much disturbed.

"No; I should much prefer to give you some unpleasantness by and by,"
replied Miguel, with a smile.

Then the editor of _El Universo_ took his hat and went out in great
indignation. In a short time, two Catholic, deputies made their
a