St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-29

figure of the diplomat, leaned back in
his chair In the most desponding at
titude
AT last the king, overcome by
cupidity in his eagerness to secure the
profitable bargain offered to him, push.
Ing the contract across the table to the
envoy, exclaimed in loud, imperative
tone: 1.-THE reduction of price must
be accepted. The terms are too oner.
Gus. Seven millions of reals is my
offer, or else the contract must be
thrown into the fire."
Talleyrand was about to speak; he
had stretched forth his hand to seize
the paper in order to bring forward his
usually mild interposition against haste
or violence in discussion, but he was
interrupted by the strange behavior
OF Campuzano, who starting to his
feet with such force that the chair ON,
which he had been seated fell backs
ward, rattling against the marble cons
sole, and stretching his whole body
over the table With a forgetfulness
of the place and presence in which he
stood, gathered up hastily the double
fragments of the contract, twisting
them together in his grasp. Then,
looking the king full in the face, he ex-.
claimed: "Your. majesty is in the
right; the contract is worthless, and
only fit to be thrown into the fire.
Without another word he strobe
across the carpet and flung the paper
between the burning logs upon the
hearth, beating it down with the tongs
until it was entirely consumed.
The effect of the scene upon those
who yVitnacSo6 iS ho
king was thunderstruck, and as on sim
liar occasions, he had recourse to his
snuffboX, his faithful ally and COM
forter on all occasions of difficulty.
Pinch after pinch was used to bring
about comprehension of the indignant
movement of which the envoy had
been guilty. Prince Talleyrand, who
afterward owned that in all his diplo-
matte experience he had never wit
messed such a spontaneous ebulition of
wrath in the presence of his majesty,
remained silent, awaiting patiently the
result. Aguado stood for moment
aghast, then rushed to the fireplace in
the vain hope of being able to rescue
the fragments Of the paper which few
moments before had represented to
him the acquisition of many millions of
francs. Inc princes b secretary, whose
straightforward mind sympathiZed to
the full with the patriotic manifesto
ton of the Spanish envoy, turned to
the window to hide the expression of
approval which he feared to betray.
Meanwhile CampuZano, trembling in
every limb with indignant passion,
stood by the chimney, silent and mo-
tionless, offering no apology, seeking
no excuse for the unseemly movement
of which he had been guilty; and by
the time he had recovered his self-pos-
session, the other parties engaged had
reached the door, and were departing
without the smallest observance of any
usual ceremony Of courtly dismissal
or leave-takins.
Thus was the Spanish throne rescued
from the greatest danger, the peace
of Europe secured, and even the dread
ed wrath of Lord Palmerston avoided
by the over-exacting cupidity of the
king.
The only loss sustained by the failure
of the attempt at spoliatio was that
incurred by Aguado through the patrl-
otic impulse displayed by Campuzano,
through whose energy and courage
Cuba has been preserved to the Span
ish crown until now.