Show BERTHELOT AND BJSISAJf l Berthelot the new French minister minis-ter of foreign affairs is close upon 70 but the last time I saw him about three years ago he might have easily passed for a man of 45 whose health had been more or less impaired by overwork In fact during tne decade before that he had constantly complained com-plained of being i of being too ill to undertake an important task in connection con-nection with his chemical researches to which remark his friend Renan frequently fre-quently replied No doubt no doubt and if I venture to give you a piece of advice I should say relinquish work altogether The air of the Luxembourg Luxem-bourg by which Renan meant the senate and not the gardensis eminently emi-nently conducive to repose the armchairs arm-chairs are most comfortable and your colleagues are not likely to disturb your rest by violent discussions Or else ask for leave of absence and go to Algiers Al-giers or Nice for six months to recruit re-cruit 11 Berthelots rejoinder was invariably the same He would shake his head draw himself up to his full heIghthe is rather tall but stoops stroke his handsome mustache and exclaim I am not so ill as all that besides who is to finish my work for me Renan smiled it was exactly and generally what he had expected generaly wound up with Odry mon ami Odry For the benefit of the English reader read-er I may explain that Odry was a clever clev-er French actor whom one never met without being told that he had just recovered I re-covered from a mortal Illness His I appearance at such times being altogether j I alto-gether at variance with the statement his interlocutor of course did not fall I to point out the incompatibility between be-tween the two True dear boy perfectly I per-fectly true said the comedian airily nevertheless I have but it is a fact a mortal illness every year but I feel I I I I all temporary the better Review for It afterwards Con |