"Oh! I am altogether ignorant in such matters," he replied.

"Ask Monsieur Habert, who is so well informed." "For my part," responded the _attache_, "I simply know what is known to all the embassies here, the matters which are the subject of common report.

With respect to the receipts there is, first of all, the treasure left by Pius IX, some twenty millions, invested in various ways and formerly yielding about a million a year in interest.

But, as I said before, a disaster happened, and there must then have been a falling off in the income.

Still, nowadays it is reported that nearly all deficiencies have been made good.