the Empire would have done."

"What a deputy Minard would make!" cried Zelie, naively. "He practises
speechifying at home. You'll help us to get him elected, won't you,
Thuillier?"

"We won't talk politics now," replied Thuillier. "Come at five."

"Will that little Vinet be there?" asked Minard; "he comes, no doubt,
for Celeste."

"Then he may go into mourning," replied Thuillier. "Brigitte won't
hear of him."

Zelie and Minard exchanged a smile of satisfaction.

"To think that we must hob-nob with such common people, all for the
sake of our son!" cried Zelie, when Thuillier was safely down the
staircase, to which the mayor had accompanied him.

"Ha! he thinks to be deputy!" thought Thuillier, as he walked away.
"These grocers! nothing satisfies them. Heavens! what would Napoleon
say if he could see the government in the hands of such people! I'm a
trained administrator, at any rate. What a competitor, to be sure! I
wonder what la Peyrade will say?"

The ambitious ex-beau now went to invite the whole Laudigeois family
for the evening, after which he went to the Collevilles', to make sure
that Celeste should wear a becoming gown. He found Flavie rather
pensive. She hesitated about coming, but Thuillier overcame her