And then he gave me his arm, and we returned towards the Inn. Fred laughed and talked; but somehow I felt so vexed: yes, I could have cried; and still Fred was so cool—so very cool.
Another Change in France.
Every liberal-minded person will be glad to hear that Louis Napoleon is about establishing baths and washhouses in Paris. The cause of order in France has been threatened chiefly by the unwashed; and the Emperor will promote the peace of society by causing that dangerous class to disappear.
THE BREAKSPEARE TESTIMONIAL.
According to the Athenæum, a Cardinal's hat is about to go round—in obedience, however, to no new force or principle. Our learned contemporary says:—
"There has been only one English Pope, and of him there has been hitherto no public monument in the city over which he ruled. The omission is now, it seems, to be rectified. A committee has been formed with a view to collect subscriptions; Pio Nono has given his blessing, Cardinal Altieri his countenance, and Cardinal Wiseman has received instructions to collect the money in this country.... The sum named for the monument is £6,000 ... A magnificent memorial is to be erected to him in St. Peter's. The attempt to elicit such a declaration in England at such a time is a clever trick enough; and in order to its success, one of the grounds of appeal to the pockets of Englishmen shows a profound knowledge of the weak side of our national character. Wherever John Bull wanders, it has been observed that he carries with him a passion for recording his autograph. The Browns, and Smiths, and Joneses write their names on the Pantheon and Pyramids, temple and tomb. The Cardinals have had the wit to make a direct appeal to this passion; they offer to inscribe the name of every donor of £60—which they are willing to receive in monthly instalments of 20s.—on the base of the monument of Pope Nicholas Breakspeare."
Under Pope Nicholas Breakspeare, alias Adrian IV, Arnold of Brescia was burned alive—having first, we believe, had his nose wrung off with red hot pincers. Who will indorse the sentence upon Arnold by causing his name to be carved on the monument of Nicholas?
As nearly seven centuries have elapsed since the time when this mild and beneficent Pontiff flourished, there may perhaps be no portrait in existence to afford any idea of his venerable physiognomy. With what sort of a face to represent him, then, may be a difficulty: unless the problem should be solved by a special miracle. Failing that, the best plan would be to give him the features of somebody likely to resemble him. Nero might do for the model: but Nero's is not an English face. Under these circumstances Greenacre might be suggested: but as Adrian IV was a man of some force of character, perhaps, on the whole, it would be better to choose Rush.