The return of the Government has made very little difference to the prevailing dullness of Paris. Except on the boulevards, the streets are still dimly lighted' The only concession the authorities have made towards gaiety is that restaurants may keep open until ten o'clock and theatres may give performances they are over before eleven. Needless to say, the Intter concession has attracted no enthusiasm, seeing that there are no public conveyances, except cabs, after ten, and the dark and dismal appearance of the streets does not tempt people out.
A few music halls, however, are making heroic efforts to combat the prevailing gloom, the Comédie Francaise gives Sunday and Thur day matinees devoted to such classical masterpieces as "Horace" and "Lo Cid'""—reserved in normal times for audiences of school-girls and other young persons—the Onérn Comique, gives "La Fille clu Régi-ment," "La Vivandibre" ete., and there are timid attempts at concerts, so that Paris can no longer be said to be a city without music, Tam inclined to. think that the amusements now provided, few as they are. suffice for the demand. No doubt there are thousands of resi dents who would welcome relief from the daily obsession of war, but very few have any money to spend on anything except necessaries, The temper of the public is to hold on grimly, saving every penny, in which process the French have nothing to learn from anybody. The country is spending about thirty million francs a day on the war, and yet, when the time comes to provide the money, I am convinced that, as in 1871, there will be a wonderful resurrection of "old stockings" and hidden hoards.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.