The Two Brothers

of the painter's trade;-in the minds of the two widows, the art of painting was nothing but a trade. With the feeling and ardor of his vocation, the lad himself arranged his humble atelier. Madame

so that her son might be able to work at home, without, h

ed it. Several conspiracies were brewing. Philippe, who dabbled in them, was arrested, and then released for want of proof; but the minister of war cut short his half-pay by putting him on the active list,-a step

me Bridau's staircase, finding the two widows ready and waiting, and hearing from them all the news of their day, ever to break up the habit of coming to the green salon for their game of cards. The ministry of the interior, though purged of its former employes in 1816, had retained Claparon, one of those cautious m

disposition, will be certain to fall a victim in som

d Du Bruel, in a low voice, looking cautiously about him; "and he m

is health,"

here are plenty of private offices to be had. I am going as head of

uld not like to be any thing

have the sense to

ried the widow. "Oh! I will

e Duc de Navarreins. The Bourbons are very good to those who are sincere in ra

alry. Philippe would never rise to b

nd put himself at the service of some foreign power who, she

ation!" cried Phil

d her son wi

all over!" s

proud of her heroes to let them be heroic

By the end of 1817, she had accustomed herself to live on the six hundred francs a year which remained to her from her property in the Funds; then, by a lucky chance, she made a good investment of the ten thousand francs she still kept of her savings, from which she obtained an interest of seven per cent. Joseph wished to emulate his mother's devotion. He dr

aid Joseph Bridau in after-years, relating his t

y for a struggle which, from the day when he first exhibited in the Salon, has never ceased. It was a terrible year. Roguin, the notary of Madame Descoings and Madame Bridau, absconded with the moneys held back for seven years from Madame Descoings's annuity, which by that time were producing two thousand francs a year. Three days after this disaster, a bill

ied the poor mother, eager to

on many such journeys," said t

the little that remained in the Funds. They talked of pawning their silver and part of the linen, and even the needless pieces of furniture. Joseph, alarmed at these suggestions, went to see Gerard and told him their circumstances. The great painter obtained an order from the household of the king for two copies of a portrait of Louis XVIII., at five hundred francs each. Though not naturally generous, Gros took his pupil to an artist-furnishing house and fitted him out with the necessary materials. But the tho

shall have finished my copies by that

, then, poor persecuted fellow? He is indeed our glory and our hope for the future. So youn

hing," cried Joseph, overjoyed to have won h

ut one person in the world, and that person was Colonel Philippe. His misfortunes in Texas, his stay in New York,-a place where speculation and individualism are carried to the highest pitch, where the brutality of self-interest attains to cynicism, where man, essentially isolated, is compelled to push his way for himself and by himself, where politeness does not exist,-in fact, even the minor events of Philippe's journey had developed in him the worst traits of an old campaigner: he had grown brutal, selfish, rude; he drank and smoked to excess; physical hardships and poverty had depraved him. Moreover, he considered himself persecuted; and the eff

t people to believe. If, unfortunately, some one refused to accept the explanations with which he justified the contradictions between his conduct and his professions, the colonel, who was a good shot and could defy the most adroit fencing-master, and possessed the coolness of one to whom life is indifferent, was quite ready to demand satisfaction for the first sharp word; and when a man shows himself prepared for violence there is little more to be said. His im

s sums, but gave nothing when it came to recovering empire. Household managers like Agathe have a plain common-sense which enables them to perceive such political chicane: the poor woman saw the truth through the lines of her son's tale; for she had read, in the exile's interests, all the pompous editorials of the constitutional journals, and watched the management of the famous subscription, which produced barely one hundred and fifty thousand francs when it ought to have yielded five or six millions. The Liberal leaders soon found out that they were playing into the hands of Louis XVIII. by exporting the glorious remnants of our grand army, and they promptly abandoned to their fate the most devoted, the most ardent, the most enthusiastic of its heroes,-those, in short, who had gone in the advance. Agathe was never able, however, to make her son see that he

hispered the Descoings to Joseph, as they all emb

ting the colonel bestowed on the old woman whom Jo

for a hackney-coach," sa

What a splendid color Philippe has tur

aid Philippe. "But as for you, you

and Madame Descoings; but she hastened to tell them of Philippe's sufferings in exile, and so lessened it. Madame Descoings, wishing to make a festival of the return of the prodigal, as she called him under her breath, had prepared one of her good dinners, to which old Claparon and the elder Desroches were invited. All the family friends were to come, and did come, in the evening. Joseph had invited Leon Giraud, d'Arthez, Michel Chrestien, Fulgence Ridal, and Horace Bianchon, his friends of the fraternity. Madame Descoings had promised Bi

intend to mak

ed, "but he is determined

the army, he can't be readily got into government employ," said old Du Bruel. "And you have

anxious Philippe's future made her; they all kept silence. The exile himself, Bixio

no money to play with," whisper

nd to Bixiou. The racket and the disputes at the ecarte table resounded more than once in the ears of the more peaceful boston players, who were watching Philippe surreptitiously. The exile showed such signs of bad temper that in his final dispute with the younger Desroches, who was none too amiable himself, the elder Desroches joined in, and though his son was deci

ispered Agathe in Phili

iou, grinning, when Madame Bridau

, and take Agathe's parlor for her chamber, making the other room a sitting-room and dining-room for the family. In this way they could save seven hundred francs a year; which would enable them to give Philippe fifty francs a month until he could find something to do. Agathe accepted the sacrifice. When the colonel came down and his mother had asked how he liked his little bedroom, the two widows explained to him the situation of the family. Madame Descoings and Agathe poss

l. "I'll find a situation and put you to no expens

the Palais-Royal, where he consumed regularly two glasses of brandy while reading the newspapers,-an occupation which employed him till midday; after that he sauntered along the rue Vivienne to the cafe Minerve, where the Liberals congregated, and where he played at billiards with a number of old comrades. While winning and losing, Philippe swallowed four or five more glasses of divers liquors, and smoked ten or a dozen cigars in going and coming, and idling along the streets. In the evening, after consuming a few pipes at the Hollandais smoking-rooms, he would go to some gambling-place towards ten o'clock at night. The waiter handed him a card and a

ar mother," he said, towards the end of J

on the building of a submarine vessel, expected to bring about the deliverance of the Emperor. Among these former comrades, Philippe particularly liked an old captain of the dragoons of the Guard, named Giroudeau, in whose c

ample overcoats with square collars, buttoned to the chin and coming down to their heels, and decorated with the rosette of the Legion of honor; and they carried malacca canes with loaded knobs, which they held by strings of braided leather. The late troopers had just (to use one of their own expressions) "made a bout of it," and were mutually unbo

o know how far her good graces go for

the traditions of our glorious uniform. I have

hilippe, putting a fi

deal. To-morrow, in a couple of lines, we shall advise the managers to let Mademoiselle F

ht years, a big stomach, a face like a ploughman, and a nose like a potato, can get a ballet-girl,

a month at the theatre," added Giroudeau, "but she is very prettily set up, than

xclaimed the je

roudeau; "true

to Mademoiselle Florentine's appartement, which

't the means to pay for one, so the worthy woman is really her own mother. She used to be

een himself at this period, did not think his pupil sufficiently trained to risk the introduction. The ambitious girl did, in the end, make her pseudonym of Mariette famous; and the motive of her ambition, it must be said, was praiseworthy. She had a brother, a clerk in Derville's law office. Left orphans and very poor, and devoted to each other, the brother and sister had seen life such as it is in Paris. The one wished to be a lawyer that he might support his siste

ttes and the quest of beauty in misfortune, as she trotted past them with mincing step, mounted on iron pattens. Philippe fell in love with Mariette. To Mariette, Philippe was commander of the dragoons of the Guard, a staff-officer of the Emperor, a young man of twenty-seven, and above all, the means of proving herself superior to Florentine by the evident superiority of Philippe

ime I shall have said a word for you to my nephew. Before long you'll have a place on some journal or other. Mariette, who is taking you at this moment (don't deceive yourself) because she literally has nothing, no engagement, no chance of appearing on the stage, and I have told her that you are going on a newspaper like myself,-Mariette will try to make you believe she

table, two little chairs, and some little logs of wood. This establishment bore the magic words, SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE, painted on the door in black letters, and the word "Cashier," written by hand and fastened to the gra

In the name of thunder! what are you doing here, you who charg

wspaper," said Giroudeau, settling his black silk skull-cap. "Moreover, I'm the

, I'm obliged to stamp it

. "You are in presence of a hero who carried t

That's were I lost my

er the den. I'm going

age, they found a young man with a cold light eye, lying on a dirty sofa. The representati

d humble tone, "this is the gallant cavalry offic

who, like Giroudeau, lost all his assur

ing to pose as an uncle, "the colo

Champ d'Asile, were you? Seems to me you were

rer, a splendid image of Napoleon and his heroes, which afterwards made its appearance on the stage in vaudevilles. That idea, however, obtained a national subscription; and we still f

e, and twelve thousand francs to boot," a

ond of the Emper

," answered P

re a L

anuel! oh Laffitte! what men they are! They'll rid us of these others

farthing of the national subscription, did you? Well, then you hold a fine position: demand an account of that subscription. I'll tell you how you can do it. A new Opposition journal is just starting, under the auspices of the deputies of the Left; you shall be the cashier, with a sal

steps before him, and then he turned back to say to his nephew, "Well

year," said Finot. "I've go

ol, that nephew of yours. I never once thought of m

y, which had raised subscriptions, sent heroes to Texas, talked hypocritically of Soldier-laborers, and

ubscription for the Champ d'Asile," he said to one of the frequen

ld her of his forthcoming appointment on a newspaper with ten thousand

y had just been assassinated. The colonel came home a few minutes after breakfast; and when h

he Duc de Berry is dead, is he?-well, so much the better! that's one the less, at any rate. As for me, I am to be cash

sible?" cr

thousand francs; you need only deposit your shares i

inflexible Desroches were unanimous; they all advised Madame Bridau to go security for her son. The new journal, which fortunately was started before the assassination of the Duc de Berry, just escaped the blow which Monsieur Decazes then launched at the press. Madame Bridau's shares in the Funds, representing thirteen

just to him

other in generosity, resolved to pay