lves has not arrived. It seems to me very doubtful whether the
spectators would not be constantly thinking of scenes enacted in other
spots than behind the footlights. And in such moments, when they might
concentrate the whole of their attention on the pleasant fiction enacted
before them, the sound of the cannon thundering in the distance would
more than once recall them to the reality."

The ice was virtually broken, and on Sunday, the 23rd of October, the
Cirque National opened its doors for a concert. During the last five
years, as my readers will perceive by the almost involuntary break in
these notes, I had not been so assiduous a frequenter of the theatre and
the concert hall as I used to be, and though I was during the siege
overburdened with business, on the nature of which I need not dwell
here, I felt that I wanted some amusement. The evenings were becoming
chilly, one of my cherished companions was doing his duty with General
Vinoy, and, though I had practically unlimited means at my command for
my necessities, and am by no means sparing of money at any time, I
grudged the price of fuel. As yet, wood only cost six francs the
hundredweight, but it was such wood! If the ancient proverb-coiner had
been seated in front of the hearth in which it was trying to burn, he
might have hesitated to write that "there is no smoke without a fire."
The friendly chats by the fireside, which I had enjoyed for many years,
had almost entirely ceased. Nearly all my familiars were "on duty," and
the few hours they could snatch were either spent in bed, to rest from
the fatigue and discomforts of the night, or else at the cafes and
restaurants, where the news, mostly of an anecdotal kind, was
circulating freely. In fact, the cafes and restaurants, as long as there
was fuel and light, were more amusing during the siege than I had known
them to be at any time. Perhaps the most amusing feature of these
nightly gatherings was the presentation of the bill after dinner. The
prices charged at the Cafe de Paris in its palmiest days were child's
play compared to the actual ones. I have preserved the note of a
breakfast for two at Durand's.

frs.
Hors d'Oeuvres (Radishes and Sausage) 10
Entree (Navarin aux Pommes) 18
Filet de Boeuf aux Champignons 24
Omelette Sucree (3 oeufs) 12
Cafe 1
1 Bo