PARIS, _Tuesday night_, _July 20, 1859_.
You alone give me resignation to accept peace. It may have been
necessary; but we ought not to have commenced so bravely, only to end by
getting things into a worse muddle than they were in the beginning.
After all, why should we concern ourselves in the liberty of a pack of
bricklayers and musicians?
To-night we listened to that which you will read in the _Moniteur_.[20]
It was finely delivered, and its tenor was one of nobility, frankness,
and sincerity. The address was full of good sense and truth. The
returning officers say that the Italians are a set of brawlers and
cowards, and that the Piedmontese alone can fight, but pretend that we
interfere with them and that without us they would have been more
successful.
The empress asked me, in Spanish, how I liked the address; from which I
infer that she did not like it. I replied, in order to reconcile
court-flattery and truth, “_Muy necessario._” To tell the truth, it
pleased me, for it takes a brave man to say, “Do you believe that it has
not cost me?” etc.
When I make you a proposition I am always perfectly serious about it.
All depends on you. I am invited to visit in Scotland and England. If
you return to Paris, I shall not budge a step. I shall be under an
extraordinary obligation to you, and if you had any idea of the pleasure
you would give me, I can not believe that you would hesitate. I shall
await your decision.
I had a horrible fright this morning. There came to see me a man,
dressed in black, with an abundance of white linen and an attractive
manner. He had an unusually handsome and noble face. He said he was a
lawyer. After taking a seat, he told me that he was inspired by God,
whose unworthy instrument he was, and whom he obeyed in all things. He
had been accused of attempting to kill his porter with a dagger, but he
had only shown him a crucifix. This devil of a man rolled his eyes in
the most terrible way, and held me truly spellbound. While speaking, he
kept his hand constantly in the pocket of his coat, and I expected to
see him draw out a dagger. Unluckily, he had only to select one on my
table. I had no weapon but a Turkish pipe, and I was calculating the
moment when prudence would indicate that I should break it over his
head. At last he drew from his terrible pocket a rosary, and fell at my
knees. I preserved a glacial composure, but I was afraid, for how can
one protect himself against a madman?
He then left, making many apologies, and thanking me for the interest I
had manifested in him. Notwithstanding my terror, inspired by the sight
of the animal’s brilliant eyes--frightful, I assure you, and
penetrating--I made a curious observation. I asked him if he was quite
certain that he was inspired, and if he had made any experiments which
would give him assurance on this point. I reminded him that Gideon, when
called of God, had taken the precaution to require a few trifling
miracles as a test.
“Do you understand Russian?” I asked him.
“No.”
“Very well. I am going to write two Russian sentences on these slips of
paper. One of these sentences contains an impious thought. From what you
have told me, one of these papers will horrify you. Will you make the
test?”
He accepted. I wrote the sentences. He kneeled down and prayed; then
suddenly he exclaimed:
“My God is unwilling to accept a frivolous experiment. It would have to
be something of serious importance.”
Do you not admire the prudence of this poor lunatic, who feared that,
unknowingly, the experiment would not turn out favourably?
Good-bye. I await a prompt reply.