"Our friends dropped him," put in Bixiou.

"They left him to his fate at last, and he wallowed in the mire,"
continued Desroches. "In 1833 he went into partnership with one
Cerizet--"

"What! he that promoted a joint-stock company so nicely that the Sixth
Chamber cut short his career with a couple of years in jail?" asked
the lorette.

"The same. Under the Restoration, between 1823 and 1827, Cerizet's
occupation consisted in first putting his name intrepidly to various
paragraphs, on which the public prosecutor fastened with avidity, and
subsequently marching off to prison. A man could make a name for
himself with small expense in those days. The Liberal party called
their provincial champion 'the courageous Cerizet,' and towards 1828
so much zeal received its reward in 'general interest.'

"'General interest' is a kind of civic crown bestowed on the
deserving by the daily press. Cerizet tried to discount the 'general
interest' taken in him. He came to Paris, and, with some help from
capitalists in the Opposition, started as a broker, and conducted
financial operations to some extent, the capital being found by a man
in hiding, a skilful gambler who overreached himself, and in
consequence, in July 1830, his capital foundered in the shipwreck of
the Government."

"Oh! it was he whom we used to call the System," cried Bixiou.