Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-04-22

den underneath many other things. 1t
is true that the ministers of the crown
have sold titles Of honor-places in the
courts. Justice, the thing for which
your colony is now crying to England
this has been impossible to the poor,
the low The rich buy it. Paris laughs
and does not care! There the wits lam
poon the dignitaries, the young bishops
sneer at God and the abbcs are become
elegant to kiss the hands of painted
countesses. But the poor, the oppressed.
the people. monsieur, what of thcm?"
lie let his gaze wander. a dreamy
light was in his eyes.
"Ah, monsieur, they have watched.
They have been waiting. They are
ignorant They were never taught.
But all this time one mantle eXiled.
the glorious he has been writing.
He has taught that the unnoble are
not field beasts, that they are men;
that the noble and the peasant are all
one; that the poor must not be trodden
on"
"Voltaire," Cary said in a low voice.
France" Armand went on, "has
been reading this one. The smith and
the plowman talk of what he has said
in the rows and at the forge. 1t is not
only the poor, the low, monsieur. No
bles who wear coroneted swords also
think these things. They, loving liber-
ty, would give their lives for their
king. There is in Paris Il club
He paused abruptly. When he began
again it was in a voice tinged with sad
ness.
Louis XIV. is dead. Louis XVI.
reigns."
Cary's glance flashed into his.
Louis XVI. is young and ambitious.
He hates England. An there were war
here 'twould advantage him to aid the
colonies"
'Monsieur," declared the other, at
might ruin him. Listen, His own poo
pie are worse foes to the king of France
than England, monsieur. And aiding
the colonies here is putting two edged
sword into their hands! Even now
they have the wish TO redeem France.
But they know not how. They have
never seen such a thing. Power is all
last forever. SO it is, monsieur, that
these nobles-these of better blood
who love first of all their France-I
could tell names-a Mirabeau, q La
fayette-they would have their king
aid America. They have Joined hands
with men of lower birth like Beau
marchais and made courtiers of them
to the same end"
But" reflected Cary, puzzled, you
say to help our colonies might ruin
Louis. Why, then, would these mobiles
push the plan? Have they such hate
of EnglandY
mo, no. Not because they hate Eng
land as Louis does, but because they
love France better than Louis, and to
save her they must even risk to ruin
him. There is more than one French
king at stake-there is dynasty!
These are not the middle ages, mon
sieur. In these days the peoples are
awaking. France, if she lives, must
open her eyes. These men l tell you of
would jolt her wide awake. They
would have her smiths and her plow-
men stop their toll to listen across the
seas-to hear the guns of a people who
would not be oppressed, to see royal
mercenaries driven into the sea just
by people like them. Then their MUIR
muir would be roar. They would say,
so can we do alsov Then the corrupt
court would stand terror stricken. And
then at last there would be an end of
the selling of titles. of the elegant bish-
ops and the painted countesses. France
would put on purity again, and her
king and her mobiles would rule justly,
and poverty would not stalk every
where. These mobiles of which l speak
are loyal, monsieur. They love first
France and then their king"
Gentlemen" rose Jarrat's voice, "the