Page 203 - les-miserables

Flower-Market.
They had begun to feel anxious at the Naval Department,
on account of the lack of news from that fatal frigate, The
Medusa, which was destined to cover Chaumareix with in-
famy and Gericault with glory. Colonel Selves was going to
Egypt to become Soliman-Pasha. The palace of Thermes,
in the Rue de La Harpe, served as a shop for a cooper. On
the platform of the octagonal tower of the Hotel de Cluny,
the little shed of boards, which had served as an observa-
tory to Messier, the naval astronomer under Louis XVI.,
was still to be seen. The Duchesse de Duras read to three
or four friends her unpublished Ourika, in her boudoir fur-
nished by X. in sky-blue satin. The N’s were scratched off
the Louvre. The bridge of Austerlitz had abdicated, and was
entitled the bridge of the King’s Garden [du Jardin du Roi],
a double enigma, which disguised the bridge of Auster-
litz and the Jardin des Plantes at one stroke. Louis XVIII.,
much preoccupied while annotating Horace with the cor-
ner of his finger-nail, heroes who have become emperors,
and makers of wooden shoes who have become dauphins,
had two anxieties,—Napoleon and Mathurin Bruneau. The
French Academy had given for its prize subject, The Hap-
piness procured through Study. M. Bellart was officially
eloquent. In his shadow could be seen germinating that fu-
ture advocate-general of Broe, dedicated to the sarcasms
of Paul-Louis Courier. There was a false Chateaubriand,
named Marchangy, in the interim, until there should be a
false Marchangy, named d’Arlincourt. Claire d’Albe and
Malek-Adel were masterpieces; Madame Cottin was pro-

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