My plans were soon decided upon.  I resolved to remain only long enough in Paris to provide myself with a comfortable travelling carriage—­secure a good courier—­and start for Baden; when I trusted that my pretensions, whatever favour they might have been once received with, would certainly now, at least, be listened to with more prospect of being successful.

I opened the Galignani’s paper of the day, to direct me in my search, and had scarcely read a few lines before a paragraph caught my eye, which not a little amused me; it was headed—­Serious riot at the Salon des Etrangers, and attempt to rob the Bank:—­

“Last evening, among the persons who presented themselves at the table of this fashionable resort, were certain individuals, who, by their names and dress bespoke any thing rather than the rank and condition of those who usually resort there, and whose admission is still unexplained, notwithstanding the efforts of the police to unravel the mystery.  The proprietors of the bank did not fail to remark these persons; but scrupled, from fear of disturbing the propriety of the salon, to take the necessary steps for their exclusion—­reserving their attention to the adoption of precautions against such intrusion in future—­unfortunately, as it turned out eventually, for, towards eleven o’clock, one of these individuals, having lost a considerable sum at play, proceeded in a very violent and outrageous manner to denounce the bank, and went so far as to accuse the croupier of cheating.  This language having failed to excite the disturbance it was evidently intended to promote, was soon followed up by a most dreadful personal attack upon the banquier, in which he was thrown from his seat, and the cassette, containing several thousand francs in gold and notes, immediately laid hold of.  The confusion now became considerable, and it was apparent, that the whole had been a pre-concerted scheme.  Several persons, leaping upon the table, attempted to extinguish the great lustre of the salon, in which bold attempt, they were most spiritedly resisted by some of the other players and the gens-d’arme, who had by this time arrived in force.  The riot was quelled after a prolonged and desperate resistance, and the rioters, with the exception of two, were captured, and conveyed to prison, where they await the result of a judicial investigation—­of which we shall not fail to lay the particulars before our readers.

“Since our going to press, we have learned that one of the ringleaders in this vile scheme is a noted English escroc—­a swindler, who was already arrest at C____ for travelling with a false passport; but who contrives, by some collusion with another of the gang, to evade the local authorities.  If this be the case, we trust he will speedily be detected and brought to punishment.”

Whatever amusement I had found in reading the commencing portion of this ridiculous misstatement, the allusion in the latter part by no means afforded me equal pleasure; and I saw, in one rapid glance, how much annoyance, and how many delays and impediments—­a charge even of this ridiculous nature, might give rise to in my present circumstances.  My passport, however, will settle all—­thought I—­as I thrust my hand towards my pocket, in which I had placed it along with some letters.