The Parisians, for all their quick intelligence, are children. 'The
Empress Frederick has been staying in Paris a few days, partly to purchase fine furniture for her newly purchased Castle of K6nigstein, and partly to convey the German Emperor's hope that the artists of France would exhibit their works in the forthcoming Art Exhibition in Berlin. Purchases and mission were alike successful, and Parisians at first seemed pleased, though they were guilty of the English vulgarity of hunting the great lady down with eager reporters anxious to describe her pocket-handkerchief. Unluckily, the Empress went to see Versailles, where her husband had lived during the siege, and the Parisians chose to imagine that she went to gloat over the misfortunes of France. They accordingly growled at her in a hundred newspapers, telling her she had stayed too long ; they applauded M. Deroulede, the Boulangist, who stumped the city, calling on the people to shout, " Alsace ! " whenever the Empress appeared ; end they induced M. de Blowitz to send a solemn telegram to the Times, full of mysterious warning, clearly intended to be read at Windsor. The artists who had promised to exhibit are recalling their promises, and the widow of Meissonier proudly declares that from the day of the siege no German was ever suffered to cross her husband's threshold A newspaper calls this the boycotting of the Empress; but that is precisely what it is not. The Irish do sacrifice profit to spite ; but every Parisian is ready to sell the Empress everything, and even to take German gold coin in exchange. It is a contemptible affair.
