Castles in the Air

make so bold as to say that not even my worst enemy would

ed the Empire, and was secret factotum to our great Napoléon; I have served King Louis-with a brief interval of one hundred days- for the past two years, and I can on

these years, and would-but for a happy circumstance of which I hope anon to tell you-have left me just as I was, in th

urniture being very dear in those days-but there were a couple of chairs and a table in the outer office, and a cupboard wherein I kept the frugal repast which served me during the course of a long and laborious day. In the inner office there were more chairs and another table, littered with papers: letters and packets all tied up with pink tape (which cost three

rse, there

of the gutter! No! no! I do not mean this figuratively! I mean that, actually and in the flesh, I took him up by the collar of his tattered coat and dragged him out of the gutter in the Rue Blanche, where he was grubbing for trifles out of the slime and mud. He was frozen, Sir

him, clothed him, housed him, gave him the post of secretary in my intricate, delicate, immensely important business-a

the kingdom of France, and generally prove himself efficient, useful and loyal-all of which qualities he assured me, my dear Sir, he possessed to the fullest degree. And I believed him, Sir; I nurtured the scorpion in my over-sensitive bosom! I promised him ten per cent. on all the profits of my business, and all the remnants from my own humble repasts-bread, the skins of luscious sausages, the bones from savoury cutlets, the gravy from the tasty carrots and onions. You would have thought that his gratitude would become boundless, that he would almost worship the benefactor w

antaloons and three sous to get his hair cut, thus making a man of him. And yet, you would scarce

, my d

is. But I actually lodged in Passy-being fond of country pursuits and addicted to fresh air-in a humble hostelry under the sign of the "Grey Cat"; and here, too, Theodore had a

h the day might bring forth, when, suddenly, an ill-dressed, dour-looking individual entered the room without so much as saying, "By your leave," and after having pushed Theodore-who stood by like a lout-most unceremoniously to one side. Before I had time to recover from my surprise at this unseemly intru

ride, he leaned his elbows over the back and

I want your assistance in a matter which requires

he literally threw the next words at me: "N

Charles Saurez had the means wherewith to repay my valuable services? By way of a rejoinder he took out from the inner pocket of his coat a greasy letter-case, an

will undertake the work I want you to do; and I will double

price I would have named, but it was vary good, these hard times. You unde

eans business. I pushed aside the litter of papers in front of me, lean

s Saurez,

e closer and dropped his

ie of the Ministry of Fo

tly," I

vate office? He is chief sec

d, "but I c

the service staircase, and at the end of the l

nd, then,"

e corridor which leads to the main staircase. M. de Marsan, in all probability, will come out of his room to see what the disturbance is about. Will you undertake to be ready at that precise mo

risky,"

do it myself, and not pay you fou

claimed, with w

m caught, it means penal serv

undred francs. Take it or leave it, as you please, but be quick about it. I have no time t

ittle time for reflection. My uncouth client was standing, as it were, with a pistol to my throat-with a pistol and four hundred francs! The police might perhaps give me half a louis for my pains, or they might possibly remember

d two hundred francs in my pocket, with the prospect of two hundred more during the next four and twenty hours. I was to have a free hand in conduct