r　the　sake　of　illustration；　and　not　to　tease　you；　Finot。　Well；　it　is　a　fact；　he　belonged　to　the　Faubourg　Saint…Germain。
  〃Beaudenord　is　the　first　pigeon　that　I　will　bring　on　the　scene。　And；　in　the　first　place；　his　name　was　Godefroid　de　Beaudenord；　neither　Finot；　nor　Blondet；　nor　Couture；　nor　I　am　likely　to　undervalue　such　an　advantage　as　that！　After　a　ball；　when　a　score　of　pretty　women　stand　behooded　waiting　for　their　carriages；　with　their　husbands　and　adorers　at　their　sides；　Beaudenord　could　hear　his　people　called　without　a　pang　of　mortification。　In　the　second　place；　he　rejoiced　in　the　full　complement　of　limbs；　he　was　whole　and　sound；　had　no　mote　in　his　eyes；　no　false　hair；　no　artificial　calves；　he　was　neither　knock…kneed　nor　bandy…legged；　his　dorsal　column　was　straight；　his　waist　slender；　his　hands　white　and　shapely。　His　hair　was　black；　he　was　of　a　complexion　neither　too　pink；　like　a　grocer's　assistant；　nor　yet　too　brown；　like　a　Calabrese。　Finally；　and　this　is　an　essential　point；　Beaudenord　was　not　too　handsome；　like　some　of　our　friends　that　look　rather　too　much　of　professional　beauties　to　be　anything　else；　but　no　more　of　that；　we　have　said　it；　it　is　shocking！　Well；　he　was　a　crack　shot；　and　sat　a　horse　to　admiration；　he　had　fought　a　duel　for　a　trifle；　and　had　not　killed　his　man。
  〃If　you　wish　to　know　in　what　pure；　complete；　and　unadulterated　happiness　consists　in　this　Nineteenth　Century　in　Paristhe　happiness；　that　is　to　say；　of　a　young　man　of　twenty…sixdo　you　realize　that　you　must　enter　into　the　infinitely　small　details　of　existence？　Beaudenord's　bootmaker　had　precisely　hit　off　his　style　of　foot；　he　was　well　shod；　his　tailor　loved　to　clothe　him。　Godefroid　neither　rolled　his　r's；　nor　lapsed　into　Normanisms　nor　Gascon；　he　spoke　pure　and　correct　French；　and　tied　his　cravat　correctly　（like　Finot）。　He　had　neither　father　nor　mothersuch　luck　had　he！and　his　guardian　was　the　Marquis　d'Aiglemont；　his　cousin　by　marriage。　He　could　go　among　city　people　as　he　chose；　and　the　Faubourg　Saint…Germain　could　make　no　objection；　for；　fortunately；　a　young　bachelor　is　allowed　to　make　his　own　pleasure　his　sole　rule　of　life；　he　is　at　liberty　to　betake　himself　wherever　amusement　is　to　be　found；　and　to　shun　the　gloomy　places　where　cares　flourish　and　multiply。　Finally；　he　had　been　vaccinated　（you　know　what　I　mean；　Blondet）。
  〃And　yet；　in　spite　of　all　these　virtues；〃　continued　Bixiou；　〃he　might　very　well　have　been　a　very　unhappy　young　man。　Eh！　eh！　that　word　happiness；　unhappily；　seems　to　us　to　mean　something　absolute；　a　delusion　which　sets　so　many　wiseacres　inquiring　what　happiness　is。　A　very　clever　woman　said　that　'Happiness　was　where　you　chose　to　put　it。'　〃
  〃She　formulated　a　dismal　truth；〃　said　Blondet。
  〃And　a　moral；〃　added　Finot。
  〃Double　distilled；〃　said　Blondet。　〃Happiness；　like　Good；　like　Evil；　is　relative。　Wherefore　La　Fontaine　used　to　hope　that　in　the　course　of　time　the　damned　would　feel　as　much　at　home　in　hell　as　a　fish　in　water。〃
  〃La　Fontaine's　sayings　are　known　in　Philistia！〃　put　in　Bixiou。
  〃Happiness　at　six…and…twenty　in　Paris　is　not　the　happiness　of　six…and…　twenty　atsay　Blois；〃　continued　Blondet；　taking　no　notice　of　the　interruption。　〃And　those　that　proceed　from　this　text　to　rail　at　the　instability　of　opinion　are　either　knaves　or　fools　for　their　pains。　Modern　medicine；　which　passed　（it　is　its　fairest　title　to　glory）　from　a　hypothetical　to　a　positive　science；　through　the　influence　of　the　great　analytical　school　of　Paris；　has　proved　beyond　a　doubt　that　a　man　is　periodically　renewed　throughout〃
  〃New　haft；　new　blade；　like　Jeannot's　knife；　and　yet　you　think　that　he　is　still　the　same　man；〃　broke　in　Bixiou。　〃So　there　are　several　lozenges　in　the　harlequin's　coat　that　we　call　happiness；　andwell；　there　was　neither　hole　nor　stain　in　this　Godefroid's　costume。　A　young　man　of　six…and…twenty；　who　would　be　happy　in　love；　who　would　be　loved；　that　is　to　say；　not　for　his　blossoming　youth；　nor　for　his　wit；　nor　for　his　figure；　but　spontaneously；　and　not　even　merely　in　return　for　his　own　love；　a　young　man；　I　say；　who　has　found　love　in　the　abstract；　to　quote　Royer…Collard；　might　yet　very　possibly　find　never　a　farthing　in　the　purse　which　She；　loving　and　beloved；　embroidered　for　him；　he　might　owe　rent　to　his　landlord；　he　might　be　unable　to　pay　the　bootmaker　before　mentioned；　his　very　tailor；　like　France　herself；　might　at　last　show　signs　of　disaffection。　In　short；　he　might　have　love　and　yet　be　poor。　And　poverty　spoils　a　young　man's　happiness；　unless　he　holds　our　transcendental　views　of　the　fusion　of　interests。　I　know　nothing　more　wearing　than　happiness　within　combined　with　adversity　without。　It　is　as　if　you　had　one　leg　freezing　in　the　draught　from　the　door；　and　the　other　half…roasted　by　a　brazieras　I　have　at　this　moment。　I　hope　to　be　understood。　Comes　there　an　echo　from　thy　waistcoat…pocket；　Blondet？　Between　ourselves；　let　the　heart　alone；　it　spoils　the　intellect。
  〃Let　us　resume。　Godefroid　de　Beaudenord　was　respected　by　his　tradespeople；　for　they　were　paid　with　tolerable　regularity。　The　witty　woman　before　quotedI　cannot　give　her　name；　for　she　is　still　living；　thanks　to　her　want　of　heart〃
  〃Who　is　this？〃
  〃The　Marquise　d'Espard。　She　said　that　a　young　man　ought　to　live　on　an　entresol；　there　should　be　no　sign　of　domesticity　about　the　place；　no　cook；　no　kitchen；　an　old　manservant　to　wait　upon　him；　and　no　pretence　of　permanence。　In　her　opinion；　any　other　sort　of　establishment　is　bad　form。　Godefroid　de　Beaudenord；　faithful　to　this　programme；　lodged　on　an　entresol　on　the　Quai　Malaquais；　he　had；　however；　been　obliged　to　have　this　much　in　common　with　married　couples；　he　had　put　a　bedstead　in　his　room；　though　for　that　matter　it　was　so　narrow　that　he　seldom　slept　in　it。　An　Englishwoman　might　have　visited　his　rooms　and　found　nothing　'improper'　there。　Finot；　you　have　yet　to　learn　the　great　law　of　the　'Improper'　that　rules　Britain。　But；　for　the　sake　of　the　bond　between　usthat　bill　for　a　thousand　francsI　will　just　give　you　some　idea　of　it。　I　have　been　in　England　myself。I　will　give　him　wit　enough　for　a　couple　of　thousand；〃　he　added　in　an　aside　to　Blondet。
  〃In　England；　Finot；　you　grow　extremely　intimate　with　a　woman　in　the　course　of　an　evening；　at　a　ball　or　wherever　it　is；　next　day　you　meet　her　in　the　street　and　look　as　though　you　knew　her　again'improper。'　At　dinner　you　discover　a　delightful　man　beneath　your　left…hand　neighbor's　dresscoat；　a　clever　man；　no　high　mightiness；　no　constraint；　nothing　of　an　Englishman　about　him。　In　accordance　with　the　tradition　of　French　breeding；　so　urbane；　so　gracious　as　they　are；　you　address　your　neighbor'improper。'At　a　ball　you　walk　up　to　a　pretty　woman　to　ask　her　to　dance'improper。'　You　wax　enthusiastic；　you　argue；　laugh；　and　give　yourself　out；　you　fling　yourself　heart　and　soul　into　the　conversation；　you　give　expression　to　your　real　feelings；　you　play　when　you　are　at　the　card…table；　chat　while　you　chat；　eat　while　you　eat　'improper！　improper！　improper！'　Stendhal；　one　of　the　cleverest　and　profoundest　minds　of　the　age；　hit　off　the　'improper'　excellently　well　when　he　said　that　such…and…such　a　British　peer　did　not　dare　to　cross　his　legs　when　he　sat　alone　before　his　own　hearth　for　fear　of　being　improper。　An　English　gentlewoman；　were　she　one　of　the　rabid　'Saints'　that　most　straitest　sect　of　Protestants　that　would　leave　their　whole　family　to　starve　if　the　said　family　did　anything　'improper'may　play　the　deuce's　own　delight　in　her　own　bedroom；　and　need　not　be　'improper；'　but　she　would　look　on　herself　as　lost　if　she　received　a　visit　from　a　man　of　her　acquaintance　in　the　aforesaid　room。　Thanks　to　propriety；　London　and　its　inhabitants　will　be　found　petrified　some　of　these　days。〃
  〃And　to　think　that　there　are　asses　here　in　France　that　want　to　import　the　solemn　tomfoolery　that　the　English　keep　up　among　themselves　with　that　admirable　self…possession　which　you　know！〃　added　Blondet。　〃It　is　enough　to　make　any　man　shudder　if　he　has　seen　the　English　at　home；　and　recollects　the　charming；　gracious　French　manners。　Sir　Walter　Scott　was　afraid　to　paint　women　as　they　are　for　fear　of　being　'improper'；　and　at　the　close　of　his　life　repented　of　the　creation　of　the　great　character　of　Effie　in　The　Heart　of　Midlothian。〃
  〃Do　you　wish　not　to　be　'improper'　in　England？〃　asked　Bixiou；　addressing　Finot。
  〃Well？〃
  〃Go　to　the　Tuileries　and　look　at　a　figure　there；　something　like　a　fireman　carved　in　marble　（'Themistocles；'　the　statuary　calls　it）；　try　to　walk　like　the　Commandant's　statue；　and　you　will　never　be　'improper。'　It　was　through　strict　observance　of　the　great　law　of　the　IMproper　that　Godefroid's　happiness　became　complete。　There　is　the　story：
  〃Beaudenord　had　a　tiger；　not　a　'groom；'　as　they　write　that　know　nothing　of　society。　The　tiger；　a　diminutive　Irish　page　called　Paddy；　Toby；　Joby　（which　you　please）；　was　three　feet　in　height　by　twenty　inches　in　breadth；　a　weasel…faced　infant；　with　nerves　of　steel　tempered　in　fire…water；　and　agile　as　a　squirrel。　He　drove　a　landau　with　a　skill　never　yet　at　fault　in　London　or　Paris。　He　had　a　lizard's　eye；　as　sharp　as　my　own；　and　he　could　mount　a　horse　like　the　elder　Franconi。　With　the　rosy　cheeks　and　yellow　hair　of　one　of　Rubens'　Madonnas　he　was　double…faced　as　a　prince；　and　as　knowing　as　an　old　attorney；　in　short；　at　the