But the Parisians, who saw through the
farce, remained perfectly indifferent.
The decision turned out as had been expected; the huge majority in Paris
was _against_, the provincial population voted _for_, the Emperor.
XVI.
On July 5th I saw John Stuart Mill for the first time. He had arrived in
Paris the night before, passing through from Avignon, and paid a visit
to me, unannounced, in my room in the Rue Mazarine; he stayed two hours
and won my affections completely. I was a little ashamed to receive so
great a man in so poor a place, but more proud of his thinking it worth
his while to make my acquaintance. None of the French savants had ever
had an opportunity of conversing with him; a few days before, Renan had
lamented to me that he had never seen him. As Mill had no personal
acquaintances in Paris, I was the only person he called upon.
To talk to him was a new experience. The first characteristic that
struck me was that whereas the French writers were all assertive, he
listened attentively to counter-arguments; it was only when his attitude
in the woman question was broached that he would not brook contradiction
and overwhelmed his adversaries with contempt.
At that time Mill was without any doubt, among Europe's distinguished
men, the greatest admirer of French history and French intellectual life
to be found outside of France; but he was of quite a different type from
the French, even from those I esteemed most highly.
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