The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-25

The scene was brought to n farcical climax
when the driver, impatient at last beyond endur-
ance, turned around in his seat and mumbled in
that tone of suppressed rage common to the
French and English subordinate when angry
''Ah ca! UouS m'en,betez q la tiar'-"Come
now you poster me, ut last"
This mild protest against the punches and the
reiterated dllez Mr. Field did not take the pains
to notice, If he even understood.
When he was just on the point of receiving
the concession, Mr.. Field discovered that mis-
take had been made in date, purposelyas 1t al
terward appeared.
'The date is wrong" said honest Mr.. Field.
81 cannot sign petition which states that |
shall be in Paris on that date
II know that you will be gone, Monsieur
said the Official blandly, but as matter of
form it was necessary that the date should be
thus
But I shall be on the ocean at that time
81 id Mr.. Field.
"Whcre YOU will " rejoined the official shrug-
ging his shoulders. Il does not matter. Sign,
all the same
NO" said the American gentleman, with
noble simplicity. Il cannot sign. Who knows
but may be lost at sea on this trip2 In that
case | could not bear the thought that almost
my last act in Europe was to mdorse false
hood
The concession was obtained at last, however,
and Mr.. Field proved the feasibility OF his
scheme.
Among the numerous applicants for another
kind of iavor-the obtaining of a cOntract-was
person who now enjoys Il somewhat nenyi-
able reputation from having had price set on
his head by the American government Just after
the death of Lincoln. ! allude to Mr.. Beverly
Tucker, whose term of Office us United States
Consul at Liverpool had just expired, and who
was now in Paris for the purpose of working
what he jOyously but enormously quoted as his
gold mine
In other words, he hoped to obtain a contract
Tor supplying beef to that portion of the French
army then operating in China.
A bnr l. 4
the volublc SouthcmGr to implore my assistance
in the matter. In n weak moment | consented,
and writing to VI. MOCquard obtained a letter OF
audience for myself and (alas, for French ignO-
rance OF u patrOnymic so Distinguished for my
pro tenn. prOtege, VI. Beverly 'Gullc.
To make my folly complete | had consented to
act on this occasion in the somewhat undigniied
capacity of interprctcr,as Mr.. Tucker was unable
to master more than half dozen words of
French.
On the day appointed for the audience we
drove to the Tulcries, and were admitted TO the
presence of the chef du cabinet.
] could not have conceived it possible that
man of Beverly fuckers years,-onc who had
so recently held a somewhat important post in
England. person of considerable consequence,
no doubt in the South, would be so completely
oyerthrown by the august presence Of NJ. Moe
guard.
Royalty itself never should have abashed an
American gentleman thus; and MOcquard, inn
pOrtant a. he was. was not royalty ut least
Tucker'- self-possession Immediately deserted
him. and during the entire interview he never
once recovered it. Naturally Of ilOrid COM
pleXion, with sandy hair and fiery red beard, his
tinge now decpencd into a gorgeous scarlet. |
was almost frightened myself when / looked at
him-now that / was awed by Mocquard but
that | feared Tucker would presently fall into
an apOplectic fit.
Mocquards cabinet was Immediately contigu-
Gus to that of the emperor, on the ground floor
of the Palace of the Tuileres, looking out upon
the English Garden which the emperor had re-
Gently cut of from the public nclOsure for the
exclusive use of the imperial family,-an act, by
the way, much to the annoyance OF the Paris
ians, who looked upon the Tuilcries every
square foot of it, the natural playground Of
the children of France, the rendezvous of the
becappcd bOnne with hersoldier-spark, the home
of the coco-yendor the land of the nIarchatde
de pLdiSjrs
Gazing out upon the floral beauties which
smiled thus ut our feet staring amazodly at the
antique glories of upholstery and fresco which
the room afforded, my companion, for the first
time in my acquaintance with him. became thor
oughly obliyious of his "gold mine and Of the
presence of the person whose capital of inilu-
ence-nUt mOney-Was to work the treasure.
1t was not until l recalled him to a sense of
where he was, by repeatedly prOnouncing the
sccretarys name that he became conscious of
the great breach of etiquette he was committing
by his qditcbc and ObliViOus manner.
Then began the embarrassment and the red
ness: and ON the part of the secretary an impa-
tience and dislike Of this beefy-loolling man
whom he evidently considered a boOr, which
showed me | had Il delicate part to play
The matter of the gold mine explained NJ.
Mocquard answered that it was something which
did not come within his province and that all he
could do for Mr.. Tucker was to give him letters
of Introduction to the head officials of those
MHiStereS who occupied themselves" with con-
tracts and shipments OF stores.
This in itself was n great favor, and when
explained it to Mr.. Tucker he was so very CRATE
full for it that he took upon himself to use four
out of the six French words he knew.
They were these dropped slowly, and with
dire emphasis on the last One:-
'Jc-yrmoTcic-rOt rOtre-crceLjcRce' thank
your cecucy).
Here was a bit of nsolent ignorance!
Mocquard, the lifelong friend OF the cmpe-
TOr the last and bCst-bclOycd lover of his
| mother. Queen Hortense, the pet OF the en-
| press Commander i'm the order OF the Legion of
HOnor-cbet of the cabinet, to whom the empe-
ror had offered every title from duke to baron,
and who had refused all TO retain the simple,
| illustrious, and, as he thought, World-kuOwn
name of Mocquard, to be addressed by the Jandi
and mediocre title of "eXcclleucy," by an un-
face.
1t was like a slur thrown on the device of the
ROhans
Roy ne pUis. King, I cannot.
Prince ne daigne. Prince, / degu not.
RObGH, Jc SuiS! ROhan, ] am.
Again came the fatal phrase, "Je--reWercje
! -COtrc-CrCcUeHce'
TEL him / am no 'eXcellency.'' said the in
Il Aty.... 4