Litchfield enquirer., 1872-04-25

perpetual cOups-d St0t and amid constans 1 panics, you gentleman, who would make | up two legislative chambers, should seascs | periodically the most eminent man amoAl8 you to govern the country tor so maly years according to your dlrectaons. 1L:s sure that under such system as tnass ! that ia. with febnblieaninm put nnqeF 1 the safeguard of birth and genius, the i fussy aeitators who are now the hlgh priests of the party, would be reduced 70 making themselves Royalists to attract public attention. - Essss
 The debate which grew more and more | one-sided and more and more convincing | to the one who played the passive part init, was prolonged during few minutes nIl- til interrupted by Mile. Lucie; who energ- ing from behind the sofa with the cat Minette in her arms, took it up to the count and laid it on his knees, saying with becoming seriousness, ''Dis moi, IS ne aussi blanc que this, your cat Pr1tr
 ssWhat does Lticie mean by your cat Prit ?'' asked Mime. de Claire, amused.
 The count explained, laughing, to what uses he had put the clerical name of Pritchard and then taking of his watch chain completely, he wound it two or three times round Mile. Lucie's plump and pink little wrist: it made pretty bracelet.
 1 'I have no further use for it now" he said 'and you must keep it, Lucie, as o souvenir of what your mamma did for an incorrigible idler,-taught him that we are here to work, and not always to please 2 ourselves" ...s.ss ,ss,,. ..z- I ''Then I shall next hear from you at l Versailles, observed Mime. Claire, with an expression of pardonab1e pleasure at the success her arguments had wrought.
 Mlle Lucie, one is compelled to state, had vanished behind the sofa, with 8 1 forefnger in her mouth and her eyes fix l ed upon her trinket, as if she apprehend- ed being bidden to return it.
 ''I am like knight you will have'armed for the fray, answered the count, rising to ge. 'I have both sword and banner"
 "And am certain you will distinguish yourself in the lists" she rejoined kindly.
 q could not but act well, D he said, eff had always ct hand an adviser like your self
 His voice was somewhat earnest as he bowed.
 She blushed very slightly, and he took his leave. On his way from Beaupre to his own park, and thence, an hour later, to the railway station, John, the groom, noticed that he handled his horses with much greater tenderness than he had done that morning. As for M. Narcisse, the valet, he noticed nothing for having heard from the counts lips that it was his intention to accept the seat in the cabinet offered him, that excellent ser want was wrapped in meditation as to whether it would not be more polite, be- fore urging the claims of his relatives on the Government, to solicit of that power Gin his masters person. something for him. self, say snug Bureau de Tabac in a good quarter of Paris, or place on cus- toms with furnished house, salary of three thousand francs @ year, and per quisites?
 When the appointment of M. le Comte de Ris to the ministership of the Cochin l China colonies became an authentic fact | duly notified to the world in the columns of the Journal Officiel, the event gave rise ! to much discussion. It was Q critical mo- ment, when the public mind, uncertain as l to whether the Government were leaning 1 towards monarchy or the opposite extreme, looked anxiously for the first appoint ment which should furnish precise in- dcation. AS it was, the appointment furnished nothing, and was consequently, from the official point ofview, an extreme ly clever move. Half the journals in Paris were convinced that the count was | Monarchist the other half were equal persuaded that he was 0 Republican. Controversies of great bitterness, and in which much irony was lavished, was wag- ed on this subject between rival prints; and then the newspapers of each lnimical section took to fighting pleasantly among themselves as to which exact shade of monarchism or republicanism the new minister belonged to. This lasted week, during which the illustrated sheets pub lished portrait engravings of him, and the photographers stuck his cGrtes-de-vi8ite in their windows at one franc apiece. Provincial and foreign journalists also called to beg for biographical details; and an town correspondent" from New York appeared one morning at breakfast time, to interview him through the nose, and | ask whether he were any relation to Count de Ris, who had fought under Lafayette, and either beaten or been beaten by the English. Then, this inaugurative hub- bub over, the public folded its arms, and waited patiently to see the Cochin China minister at work.
 This work was of necessity, at first oc- cult. As the Assembly was not sitting, no opportunity existed for a public dis play; and after the count had received his portfolio at the hands of the president, made his bow to Mme. Thiers, and ex- changed visits with all his colleagues in the Cabinet, be had nothing important to | do but to take formal possession of his l two official residences at Versailles and in Paris. A certain degree of solemnity tis- ually attends these installations, and the count found the whole staff of his office marshalled in dress-coats and white tiest receive him. Truth to say, he was not in very good spirits. He had felt sad on leaving his luxurious rooms on the Boule- yard Malesherbes for the bleak apart ments which the nation put at his dispos- al in the Palace of Versailles and though M. Narcisse had assured him with some elation that no less person than Louis XV. had once slept in the chamber where he was going to rest, this piece of glory 1 had cheered him but slightly. Then Q sigh had escaped him at beholding on the wall, as he drove along, the .Gynlndse playbil announcing the Visite de NOces.s He had not yet seen this last play of Du-, mas and if it had not been for his official dignity he should have been going to L me snugly at the Cafe Anglais that night, then afterwards to the GyH1nGse, and be- tween the acts he should have gone be- hind the scenes to compliment Mile. Des- clee, and have quarter of an hours chat | with Miles. Pierson and Massin. He was. further, painfully impressed by the awe stricken look which fell on the counte- l nance of the sentry who saluted him as he alighted. He was not accustomed to ! see people 80 horribly frightened as this at his approach. ss However, state is state, and the clerks I in the reception room looked very stately There were clerks of every shape, magni- tude, and denomination, ,- head clerks. first clerks, second clerks, third clerks, assistant clerks, supernumerary clerks, copying clerks; in short, more than the pen can enumerate and all these clerks bowed like one clerk as he dawned mag isterially upon their eyesight. To his left walked the under-secretary of state for l the Cochin-C China depaftment middle