KECOLLECTTONS TO 1890. 65 



any ; and there had been one in which I acted a very 

 important part in, I reconciliating two of the best men 

 (every one in his way) I have ever seen or known and 

 I have done it unknown to them, until done but not how; 

 the matter between them was of a very delicate nature 

 and the parties more sensitive yet. I had to use a great 

 deal of diplomacy or maybe of vice ! according to my no- 

 tions (etymological) for I did not think I could practice 

 diplomacy, which expression conveys to my mind the 

 fanciful idea of " double maker " of mischief as it has 

 done often in international affairs causing bloody wars 

 between two friendly nations and all that caused by 

 diplomatists set at work by miserable wretches not 

 worth the ROPE or the AXE they ought to have been dis- 

 patched to hell with such as that ne plus ultra debased 

 scoundrel, Napoleon the Third, that arrant, nefarious 

 "beastly human being, sustained by such worthies as 

 " Bazaine" and "tutti quanti" of the same breed. 

 Excuse me this onslaught on venomous wild or rather 

 civilized wild beasts. I could not refrain making this 

 explosion of my bile choler .... 



Let us return to our litigation of our friends again ! 

 and more intimate than ever before, until one of them de- 

 parted, the one who stuck his preference on the " Spec- 

 tabile " and Madame Phanerogyne's punch flavored 

 with cherry bounce the one ever ready to plan an ex- 

 5 



