Evening star., 1909-04-11

hension within their inmost souls. "Paoli
Is gone they will say. "Who will hence
forth protect JUS when we go to France?
Who will be the first to greet US. the
last to bid us farewell? Who will attend
US i'll cHl walks abroad and watch over
us Wien we sleep? In whom can we
put cur trust as we did in Paoli?"
For upward OF thirty years no SOW
ereig', has set foot on the hospitabe
shores of France without being COM
menced to NJ. Paoli's especial care. On
their arrival they never failed to find the
dapper little ''commissaire special"
courteous and self-possessed, but keen
and alert withal, waiting to receive them.
My dear Monsieur Paoli," said the King
of the Beigians to him one day, you
are the protector Of sovereigns." And
King Leopold's happy phrase hit the nail
on the head NJ. Paoli has ever since
been known as lie protecteur des SOU
yerains'
The list of crowned heads confided to
the care of this indefatigable little man
is indeed on imposing one. He reckons
among his proteges. past and present.
the czar and czarina, Queen Victoria.
King Leopold, King Oscar and King
Gustaf of Sweden, King Edward VII and
Queen Alexandra, the Empress of Aus
tria. King Alfonso and Queen Victoria
Eugenie of Spain, the kings and queens
Of Italy. Norway and Denmark; King
Carlos. the Shah OF Persia, the King OF
Siam, King Sissovath of Cambodia and
the ex xEmpress Eugene.
There is not single frontier station
in France which NJ. Paoli does not know
thoroughly. or where a royal or ipl-
perial tam has not pulled up merely to
take Up or set down the amiable little
special conmissary. And his functions
are b" 10 means a sinecure. They de-
mard boundless tact and incessant Wig
ilance, but vigilance which. while it is
severe. must be discreet, and not i'm
perfume or hamper the august object of 1t.
Many times has Nj. Paoli had to travel
from end 10 end of France without res:
pite, his eye and ear iEcessantly on the
alert. In one and the same week he
has had to accompany the King of Greece
from Aix-les- Bains to Calais, then rush
off TO meet Alfonso on the Spanish from
tier and escort him to the German from
tier. whence he has had to speed away
to Jeumont, on the Belgian frontier. and
take King Leopold the whole length OF
France to Cap-Ferrat, in the Alpes Mari
times,
In all those years never did SO much
a singie untoward incident mar the
happy relations Of the protector and his
proteges. Well might King Edward VII
then Prince of Wales-exclaim, when
the youth Spido attempted to kill him.
at the Care du Nord at Brussels:
II Paoli had been here, that youngster
would have been arrested before he could
even have fired a single shot!'
Not every sovereign. however. seems to
have reposed such vast confidence in Pa
oils omniscient watchfulness; at any
rate. not at the outset Take. for in
stance, the amusing meeting between his
Siamese majesty. Chulalongkorn, and the
special commissary in 1896. The Asiatic
monarch had paid official visits to Rus
sia, Denmark. Holland and Belgium
and was on his way TO be the guest OF
the republic. At the Franco-B Belgian
frontier the royal train stopped to take
up NJ. Paoli who was presented TO his
majesty by the Siamese minister In Paris.
Chuialongkorn surveyed the little man In
q frock coat and tall hat with undis-
guised amazement. rs it you, monsieur,