The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-05 00:00:00

Tlih SON. LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 5, 1863.

BRITISH. POSSESSIONS.
• Closing
than aailways Paid. Price. Business don
100
ot 1 a nti ca
dSat&c
I:aewnrteinneut all 63 G 5 62
rn. tk B 1061 1071 1061
( Gu. 5 per cent..
20 Do. New
20 Do. E. Shares..
40i Buffalo and Laxelluroi) all 6* 61
10 Do. Preference
Bullalo,BrantaGodriell 100 10v
6 p. ct. bds. Aug. 1, 1872
100 Do. do. July 1, 187:: 100
100 Do. do. June 1, 187,1 100
et ,lcutta.aB.liastn. (Lin 100 lt 5 107
st Cape Town &Dock Seri] 100 114 106 104
Stock Eastn. Bengal gu. sp. 100 108 109
stock East Indian. gu. sp. C. 100 108 100 104 8a 71
20 Do. do. G Ext lO 1
20 Do. do. H do. .. 10 1* 101,
stock Grand Trunk of Canada 100 22 121
100 Do. Ist I'ref. Bonds all 76 78 76
100 Do. co. deferred— all 62 64
100 Do. 2d Pref. Bonus.. all 70 72 71
100 Do. do. deferred...... all 54 57
100 Do. 3d fief. stock ... all 52 54 51*
100 Do. do. deferred.-- all 41 43
100 Do. 4th Pref. stock... all 31 33 301
100 Do. do. deferred...... all 25 27
stook Gt. IndliaPenin.gua.sp.c. 100 1081 1003 109 *
20 Do. New gua. 5p.0. •. 12 1* lip
20 Do. January, 1862 .. 8 1.1
stook Gt. South.of India (Lim;
guaranteed 5 per cent 100 106 107
201 Gt. W. of Canada Sharer all 101 101
201 Do. New
100 Do. 6 p.o. '73 wfth't opt all 96 98
100 Do. 51 p. o. do. '77-8.... all 87 89
10 Indian Branch Limited 2 fi ip
stock Madras. guar., sp. o. 100 1061 1071 106 51 6*
stock Do. 4i p. 0. Extension 100 101 102
stock De. 4#, do —.. 100 18 100
20 Do. Fifth Extension. 2 --
stook llelb.Corp. 6p. o. Buds. 100
50 Melb. & Hobson's Bay. all 58 60 58*
100 Do. 7p. c. 61or tg,. Bds. all
20 iewßr unsmok a Candi,
Class A. and B all 3 5 •
N. Itl.C'das pc Is., pi bds 100 52 84
stook Soinde (100 1061 1071 107
tat Do. Delhi 10) 106 107
Do. do •ir 2 ti)
20 Do. Punjaub .... all ——p
st Do. Do. , , 100 106 107
took Do. lndns.St. Flo.) !k10) 102 104

COLONIAL GOVERNMENT SECURITIES.
‘,ac.tiov. 6p.c.J &Jl.ll.
1877•54
i Do. p. c. Feb. & Aug. 100 11(2 104
Do. 6p. c. Mar. & Sept. 100 ilO2 104
' Do. sp. c. Jan.&July. 100 !93 94
I Do. 5 Inscribed stock 100 92 94
,Cape G.Flopc, 6p c,187Z. 100 108 110
; Do.Ap &Oct. 188 t 100 ilO9 111
Do. 189( 100 1109 111
- Do. Jan. & July, 1891.. 100 1113 115
Ceylon, N0v.1878, 6p c 100 1113 116
Mauritius 6 per cent .. 100 1107 108 108
'Natal Gov. 6 per cont. 100 'O7 100
IN.B.Gov.6p.o.da.&Jul) 100 (04 1(6
- Do. 6p. o.Ap. & Oct. 100
I
N. S.W. Gov. p c., 18ot 100 1016 1026
- I Du. sp. c.,181t to LI( 100 102 103
- Do. d0.,1888 &upwde 100 1025 103 1021
New Zealand 6 p cent 100 109 111
'Nova Scotia Gov. 6p. c.
I sterling, 1875. . . ..... 100 104 106
Queensland Gcv. 6p. c. 100 111 113
- S. Aus Citip.c.lB7&& up.. 100 112 114
Vto.Gov. 6p.c. Ja.&July 100 108 110
'Do. to 6 n.c. An.&Oot. 100 1105 111611101
BRITISH MINES.
2 'Cambrian Consol. Gold 1 f fd
(Afford Amalgamated.. 375 384
Devon G. Con.. (Tavist., 1 545 055 550
East Bassett (Mogan).. 30 65 ;0
1 East Clogau Gold Ltd. 63. scl par
East Caradon ...... 264 275 264
East Cam Brea.. . . 3.4.0 775
W'l Russel (Tavistk., 8.6.6 445 44
Gam.&St.Autlyn(Gwen.: t 8 I 13 15
Great South Tolgus..., 178 41 65
G. Wheal Vor (Holston 40 10 11
'Grenville ... . ......... 6.16.4 55 8
ilercd's-Foot •• 8.12 13 85
Li ingston D0wn5....., 4.'8.0 11 25
Lady Bertha ....
Margaret (lJny Lelant tft, 20 22
Marke Valley.. .. ... 4.3.0 65 61
4 llyndy Iron Oro (Lim.! 25 15 1 d
New Setun l9l 95 105
• North Downs 4 15 2
--•Wh '1 Basset (Mogan 3 1.0 26 3
North Wheal Crotty 2.6.9 54 61
far Consols (51. Blazey,
20 Providence (Uny Lelnt.) 10.6.7 44 46
'South Caradon(St.Cleer 15 415 425
S. Cara Brea (Mogan)._
...,.Wheal Fran. (Illogan, la.l a.g 60 65
Stray Park ......
5 Pin ranaar Sil & Lead lin
Crotty .. .. . • .... .
West Basset (Illogan). 159 1
09 5
1 20
191
W 5
C: radon (Liskeard; 5 19 21
West Seton
Wheal Basset (Mogan; 6i 774 826
Wheal Buller(itedruth) 5 225 275
Wheal Kitty (U.Lelant; 2.0.6 -
-
"T ' i
e
alLmuadrcyoAttnn.., m..... :2en.) 8
.10.8 11 25 1
Wheal 1
115 125
Wheal &ton ....... .. . 585 175 185
- , Wheal Treiawney (Lis.)i 7 20 22
Wheal Uni0n.......... 1 3.17 26 3

PREFERENCE SHARES.
West Midland, Oxford, Ist guaranteed stock, 129
Midland 41 per cent. pf. stk. rd., 103 i
Midland, Leicester and Hitchin 4 per ct., 95

PREFEttENCE SHARES AND STOCKS.
Kcnt Coast, 6 per cent. pref. B, 71

LINES LEASED AT FIXED RENTALS.
Buckinghamshire, 97
London, Tilbury, and Southend, 101 1001
Nottingham and Grantham R. & G, 96

FOREIGN RAILWAYS.
Recife and San Francisco (lim), gua. 7 per cent., 171
Sambre and Meuse, 91
ban Paulo (Rm.), gua. 7 per cent., 9
Ditto (all), 22i 2

_
FOREIGN MINES.
United Mexican (lim;, 61
JOINT-STOCK RANIcs,
Alliance Bank of London and Liverpool (linen.), 441 I
Ditto, new, 24i
English, Scotch, and Australian Chartered, 21
Hindustan, China, and Japan (lim.), 71.
Imperial Bank (Rm.), 231 3i
Imperial Ottoman, 17)
London Chartered Bank of Australia, 30,1
London and County, 54}
London Joint Stock, 304
London and Northern (lim.), 10
National Provincial of England.

Ditto, new, 274
Scinde, Punjaub, and Delhi (11m,), 5i
Union of London, 304

DOCKS.

PUNCH.

(From the Temple Bar 31aga:ine)

Comic Literature, if we may judge trom the abundance
of the supply, is at the present time in great demand. In-
deed, comic publications have become almost as great a
nuisance as the organs. They stare you in the face from
every stationer's window ; they are fluttered about you at
every street-corner : they are pushed under your nose in
every public vehicle; and even when you take train, and
leave London hundreds of miles behind you, their names
are bawled at you through the carriage window at every
stoppage on the way. They are everywhere; plentiful as
blackberries, and cheap as--dirt.
This was not wont to be. There were happier times a
very few years ago. Until the lively sixties came in, re-
peated trials proved the fact that there was no room for
more than one comic publication. Rivals to Punch sprang
up one after another, but only to sink into an early grave
after a few,weeks or months of feeble existence. Some of
them were not so clover but that they might have lived;
but in their swaddling-days the nourishment of public
support was denied to them, and so they pined and died
before they got a grasp of life. It was said that they were
not wanted ; that there were not readers for them ; that
one comic paper was enough fur the public requirement;
and there seemed to be valid evidence in support of this
conclusion. Of every other kind of publication there was
a variety of the comic, but one single permanent example.
This certainly seemed to argue that the public which sup-
ported the purely comic was a very limited one.
But, presto I we have changed all this in a twinkling. It
is only two or three years since comic literature was at a
discount, and now it is at a high premium. Punch has now
two rivals, Fun and the Comic News ; and there seems to
be ample room for all three. As the price of the two latter
is "only a penny," they must, if they pay expenses, count
their purchasers by tens of thousands. How comes this I'
The distinguished theologian Barrow, who discoursed of
wit and humour in his sermons, laid it down as a dictum
that witty and humorous writing could only flourish in a
refined and highly educated community. Are we to con-
clude then that the march of intellect has done it—that three
comic papers are the natural results of education-grants, the
repeat of the taxes on knowledge, and middle-class exami-
nations ?

From a weekly acquaintance with these publications—
which I have been unable to avoid—l am compelled to
answer this question in the negative. Indeed I should be
inclined to say quite the contrary. I can conscientiously
lay my hand on my heart and declare that, for many weeks
past, I have not met with anything in Punch, Fun, or the
Comic News which could in any way be supposed to appeal
either to education or refinement. The wit, humour, and
pointed sarcasm of former years—that golden age of comic
literature when Hood, Jerrold, and Thackeray contributed
to it —have degenerated into nonsense—sheer, wilful non-
sense. This sort of nonsense which consists of wild exag-
geration, vulgar anti-climax, and outrageous punning, or
rather word- twisting, is now the prevailing form of comic
literature. It is utterly without idea or purpose ; it has no
subtlety of meaning—often no meaning at all; is has no
foundation in thought or reflection ; and it appeals only to
the sense of humour which takes delight in upsetting an
old barrow-woman, or sending a poor dog scudding Meng
with a tin-kettle tied to its tail. To a man of thought,
intellect, and refinement, it is an insult and an offence.
Before I proceed to make good these words by an exami-
nation of the publications in question, I must charge the
degradation into which this species of literature has fallen
mainly upon the head of the conductors of Punch. For
many years that publication enjoyed a well-deserved repu-
tation for humorous and witty writing of the highest class.
many of the pieces contributed to its pages by the three
writers above named are now enrolled among the English
classics. Mr. Hood is known by nothing so widely as
by his "Song of the Shirt," which he contributed to
punch. Mr. Jerrold and Mr. Thackeray might well be
content to rest their reputation solely on their con-
tributions to the same periodical. In the whole range of
humorous writing there is, perhaps, nothing equal to tha
latter gentleman's " Jearnes's Diary," " Imitations of Eng-
lish Authors," and "Irish Ballads." The " Battle of
Limerick" is as familiar in every memory as the " Needy
Knife-grinder." But a time came when Punch, bereft of
and deserted by these brilliant contributors, became insuf-
ferably dull and stupid, and elected to remain so. It lived
upon its past reputation, and the attraction of Mr. Leech
and Mr. Doyle's incomparable sketches. But destitute as
-r, ho resolutely shut his door
against nowthe foundweathofilimwitseifthat was rising around him. He
shut his door, and the ponderous weight of dullness that
was left him firmly set his back against it. "No smart
young man wanted here" was the notice permanently
posted over the office in Fleet-street. The joke-loving
public might starve first. So the smart young men, who
might have recovered and sustained the reputation of the
paper, were driven to start organs for themselves. Readers
of this class of literature will remember the Alan in the
Moon, Diogenes, and the Comic limes. In everything but
the pictorial department these publications were superior to
Punch. Had the young wits, whose lively fancy sparkled in
their columns, been associated with Mr. Leech, Mr. Doyle,
and Mr. Tenniel, comic literature might have been saved
from sinking into the slough of degradation in which it
now wallows. Punch, however, held his citadel of dulness
against all corners, and the smart young men—they ought
to be thankful now—found a healthier outlet for their
talent in the cheap magazines and newspapers which sprang
up on the repeal of the paper duty. Comic literature had now
become so contempttiblelentthcaart ietdz ensurnoilvherismaalleylfdiensptihseed.No
g man ranks
of any a
of writers who inspired no feeling save that of
young
a n
set
pity and contempt. The very name of the comic writer
had become synonymous with weakness and imbecility.
Thus comic writing drivelled on in a narrow channel
until a great revival took place—a revival originated and
fostered by the degradation of the public taste. The
two great agents that had been, at work in this direc-
tion were the theatres and the music-halls. The theatres
popularised burlesques, and the music halls comic songs.
These new agents of civilisation had hard work at first ;
but they succeeded in the end. Puns and parodies and the
"Cure's dance" awoke a dull and sluggish generation to the
appreciation of true wit and humour. With the assistance
of gin and pipes and saucy female legs, the leaven worked,
until even grave and solemn judges on the bench began to
talk of the fascinating Nancy who resided in a second-
floor in the Strand. The author of " Nancy " achieved a
popularity exceeding even that of the Laureate; and it is
said that " Nanc yT" broughtThep
p t
üblic him
thu a s horsemiu ca
educated, and
dg
ei gm,
demanded
dthat
he rode while the author of the " Idylls of the King "
walkedied. on
to foot.
itsot.
comic literature, and the demand was sup-
plied. Appreciation was so widely awakened, that one
addition was not enough—there was room for two ; and poor
additionl
old Funch, to keep pace with the progress of the age, was
obliged to unbolt his door, and take a smart young man of
the time into partnership to save the firm from bankruptcy.
That must have been a bitter day for the remnant of the old
crew—the poor battered veterans with one eye and one arm
and one leg—the Von Joels, who, on account of their long
services, were always to be retained on the establishment so
long as they could give farmyard imitations and play tunes
upon a walking-stick.
Punch's envy and covetousness were excited by a new
and highly successful kind of wit, which was first intro-
duced in the columns of Fun. It was downright nonsense;
but lively nonsense is better than dull nonsense. and Punch
was glad to take a leaf out of the new book. This was the
style of thing which Punch was driven to substitute for the
rich humour of Hood, the keen wit of Jerrold, and the
brilliant sarcasm of Thackeray
" A FACT NOT GENERALLY KNOWN.—Many people
wonder why the sun sets. Nothing, however, is more easy
of explanation; when tired with its day's journey, what
more natural than it should set ?"
DIARY :—First Sunday in the month ; teetotalers may
therefore feel firsty it inclined."
._Grand race for the championship of light
ando
in thee yH
Aartcohhb i s(t
noho p
owfOiFohrrtkisd.aTt wneeen course Com Coill mmissioner obnee r Fno
c froma
private residence of C.
rounds
willby be fought
special trainn n
o ttoeMsciro ;orneasley
Hurst, where a few roud
after which the brave fellows will each eat fifteen slack-
bakedev ever a tea ryw at
or d
" If your garden is limited good
ia-
crease it is as follows :—Place the four fingers of your right
apple-dumplings,
alldlinveexh taepnpti l ye
t home fschool is cr-
u,s rom p
(by this means you can't go wrong) hand into the crack of
a door , get some one—a boy j
haps best—to shut the door violently. You will then at
once have four achers ; and what more is wanted ?"
" How TO PREPARE A FARM-YARD FOR THE RECE
ekes
thi
"shmsome
milk of human kindness, if you can get it, thoug g.
TION OF CATTLE,—First strew well with broken glass and
rusty nails, after which chop plenty of logic (
excellent dry food for digestion), and garnish with
elle.
a ~
the utter-
The wit of this is suppposed to lie in its likeness to
ofan
rally it is very scarce; finally, be cheerful, and sing 1111-A •
idiot ?
,t Mad Wriggle:
ances of a lunatic. Is it not more like the utterance

.___
" ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENTS.—* -
We don't know in what oratorios there is *horns begin-
ning Whack row-de- dow fol-de 7 iddle-i-do ; but we are
quite sure that the song For he's a Jolly Good fellow is
not in Judas liaccabeus."
" ' A Lover of Order,' arks, ' Can I knock down and
trample on my wife without fear of legal pbut to afford
unidament ?'
Certainly--what else is the Stamp Act for
facility tor amusements of this nature ?"
" ' Mixed Pickles' wantw how to keep his hair
bright. Get some plate powder,, hich place carefully on
the required spot, and tlaen—now, attend to this—there's
the rub."
Lest any one should conceive it impossible that the above
could ever have been deliberately printed and offered to the
public for wit, I beg to refer the reader to Fun, No. 104,
13.
fun,
259. This sort of thing is now the staple of Punch's f
The modus operandi is to be traced in every department of
the publication, so that either the young hand writes the
whole of the paper, or the old hands have learnt to imitate
him. But there seems to be a mslignantinfluence in the
and the dash-
ingnot keep in that
quarter. It grows rapidly flat. brain atmosphere of that corner near St. Brides
church; an it
f lue no cf e
treetendi
spirits.ng
t o t hßresi
Brisk
t eynoiuu
young
o ft he b
wit
does The peculiar manner im-
ported from a region a few door
more to the west has lost
s
of
fUtche much of
choiceitsviet
paliiatryaiminathaeti iciew -
soil.
morsels found
which are to be
y paLrettollf sTeuxnacmhi:a l
" ANTIQUARIAN,—The monks of old were famous for
baking. Among the
" LADA'ssE vast celebrated of their productions
is the roll of Battle Abbey;,—Atneng t'her fashionable announcements,

we read that Count M. G. do Wezle has left Eaton-square
for Norfolk. Pop goes de Wezele."
One might have hoped that the weasel had gone to sleep
lorg ago.
The Comic News, the youngest of the three jokers, jokes
on a principle entirely its own, The editor, Mr. Henry
Byron, may congratulate himself—and perhaps pride him-
self—upon having created his own public. Before the era
of perennial burlesques not one in a thousand would have
seen the fun of the jokes in the Comic _News. That they see
it now is entirely owing to Mr. Byron's successful teaching
at the Strand and the Adelphi. The wit of the Comic _New
consists almost exclusively in the twisting and distorting
of words from their ordinary and proper meaning to mean
nothing at all. This is carried to such an extent in ail de-
partments of the paper, that you are not sure whether the
imprint, the advertisements, and the announcements of the
publisher es to the monthly parts and the cases for binding,
are intended for jokes or not. The design is to copy the
features of a newspaper, and to give a comic aspect to all
the affairs of life—to politics, science, literature, art, com-
merce, law, mac:crime, scarcely stopping short of comic births
and deaths. One would imagine Mr. Byron to be the
happiest man alive. He views all things through the same
inedimn. Tho politics that involves the lives of millions
are to him but the occasion for a pun; the science which is
destined to inaugurate a new era of civilisation, the theme
for a jest; the literature:idesigned to elevate and !instruct
the age, the subject for a parody; the crime which makes
all men else shudder, the matter for a right merry conceit.
As you read, you wonder if this unsparing and non-inter-
mittent joker makes puns in his prayers, if he discovers
jokes in the Bible, and sees fun in the Burial Service.
The writers in the Comic News are not ecllectics. It never
occurs to them that there are certain affairs of life which
are serious and do not admit of being joked about. To
adopt one of their pet phrases, they " go the whole hog."
As an earnest that they will stick at nothing, the heading
of the paper exhibits a comic pictorial parody of the royal
arms, the motto of the most honourable Order of the Garter
being facetiously rendered, " On His Walk he Madly
Puns ;" and the legend, " Dieu et mon Droit," finds its
comic equivalent in " Due a Monday," referring, as it
appears, to the day on which the Comic News is published.

Visit of M, Alexandre Dumas to Sanson, thQ

French Executioner,

In the Indipendente of Naples M. Alexandre
Dumas has just published, under the title of " Me-
moires de Monsieur de Paris,' a curious recital,
which we subjoin :—" I had read," says that writer,
" in many narratives of the deati:‘ of Louis XVI.
that he refused to ascend the scaffold, that it was
necessary to use force, and that a struggle took
place between him and the executiour's assistants.
The incident seemed to me so contrary to the cha-
racter of the King that I was anxious to ascertain
e truth, if possib!e, and, for that purpo:3ll, resolved
to apply to Monsieur de Paris, who was the son of
Sanson, who guillotined Louis XVI.; he 'was only
twelve or fourteen years old at the time, and, as
lie was Present on the scaffold he must certainly
remember all that took place
on that memorable
occasion. But I wanted some excuse for call-
einvgeninogn I went to Sansosilol'ls cishoOZO
t o
him, Which foundpur
c; h
assoe a
poo n et
of the ointment Which he
pains, and which, a 7 as a cure for rheumatic
o:as lingto popular report, was
made of human fat. introduced to M. Sanson's
business room, and found
him engaged in looking
over accounts, and in an adjoin
piano played with considerable sb room I heard a
skill.
rose on my entrance, and haliveidn
wanted, he told his servant to fetch the -r
I asked the price, and he rep
on circumstances, as he gave it grgathtiahatetaio:ridtOdhee:Vtentn:trdl. poor,
and sold it for 10f. to those who could afford to pay
for it. I gave him the money, and Was hesitatinga
how to introduce the subject which was the real
cause of my visit, when Sanson, perceiving that I
had something more to say, remarked :
hardly dare ask you to take a seat.' To Which
I replied that I would willingly do so, and at
once sat down, and said, M. Sanson, I see that
you suspect the pot of ointment to be only a pre-
text, and that you Wish me to explain what more I
have to say.' You want to ask me something, I
suppose, sir. If so, speak ; for the happiest days cf
my life are those in which men of the world do me
the honour to converse with me.' I then told him

who I was, and, after an exclamation of surprise, he

eagerly requested to know what he could do to
oblige me. ' You can &ear up,' I said, an histori-
cal doubt. You were present a' the execution of
Louis XVI. ?" I was.' And you remember it
perfectly ?" I do.' Well, sir, some historians say
that, at the foot of the scaffold, Louis XVI. shrank
from death; that he struggled with the executioners,
and was in a manner lifted on to the scaffold. For
my part, I do not believe the statement, as it was
contrary to his character and temperament.'
'There is, nevertheless, some truth in it. ;' re-
plied the other, Louis XVI. did struggle
violently for a moment with my father's assistants,
and for the reason lam about to explain. You are
aware that Louis XVI. was conveyed to the place
of execution in his own carriage, and without being
pinioned. Before he ascended the steps the execu-
tioner's assistants, fearing he might struggle at the
last moment, wished to bind his hands with a cord ;
but this indignity roused all the pride still remain-
ing in the unhappy monarch, and he resisted, ex.
claiming " No, no, I will never submit to that The
men were about to use force, when my father stepped
forward, and taking from his pocket a handkerchief,
said in a tremulous voice and with tearful eyes,
With this handkerchief, Sire P" Louis XVI. had
not heard himself called Sire for six months before.
He looked at my father, saw his tears, and at once
held out his hands, which my father tied with
the handkerchief. The rest passed as re-

lated by the historians.' Having obtained
Sanson's permission to ask a few other questions, 1
requested to know whether it was true that the
office he held was hereditary and obligatory in his
family. 'No, sir,' he replied, but in the absence
of a positive law, there is the law of proprieties.
What profession but his father's can the son of an
executioner follow ? I await your other questions.'
My next inquiry was whether it was true that he
could not have a carriage, except on condition that
his name should be inscribed on the doors. aerie
is no obligation,' replied he; but such is the cus-
tom. Should you like to see how we elude it in
practice ?' Having answered in the affirmative, he
said that ho would take me down to see the car-
riaze, and accordingly ordered the servant to
bring a lantern. While the man was gone,
Sanson said that his daughter would never
forgive him if he allowed me to leave
without her seeing me, and was about to fetch
her when I remarked that I would rather go to
her in the drawing-room. He seemed pleased with
my proposal, and we went there. On entering the
room we found her seated at the piano. She was
a fair girl of about 19, with blue eyes, and a rather
melancholy expression of countenance. My dear,'
said Sanson, ' here is a gentleman whom you think
much of ; knowing all your admiration for him,
could not let him leave without doing you the
honour to embrace him.' She looked embarrassed
and blushed quite red. First of all, father,' said
she with some confusion,' I wish to know the gen-
tleman'sHo replied, You shall know it
afte,rwardsn,amfoe:
for I told you first, it is you that
would embrace him.' 010. father r she exclaimed
in a tone of reproach. I then embraced her,
after which she looked inquiringly at her
father, who said, Well, he is 111. Alexandre
Dumas.' She then dropped on a chair, and sat
looking at me as if amazed. Look at him well,
girl,' said the father with that melancholy accent
which was habitual to him, fur it is probably the
first and the last time you will ever behold him !'
This little scene made such an impression on me that
fifteen years later I attempted
_toreproduce it in the
novel of Margot.' V
La Reine
coach-house, in which were twlooer wentthre edocwarnriteogtehse.
Sanson took me to the handsomest, and showed me
the escutcheon on the door; it presented a broken bell
argent on a red ground, and under it es a motto
were the two words SANS SON, being pun on
the
a
family name. Having learned all I wished to know,
I now expressed my thanks to M. Sanson, and took,
my leave.''