Both were dressed after the fashion of the Bonapartist officers who now belonged to the Constitutional Opposition; they wore ample overcoats with square collars, buttoned to the chin and coming down to their heels, and decorated with the rosette of the Legion of honor; and they carried malacca canes with loaded knobs, which they held by strings of braided leather.

The late troopers had just (to use one of their own expressions) "made a bout of it," and were mutually unbosoming their hearts as they entered the box.

Through the fumes of a certain number of bottles and various glasses of various liquors, Giroudeau pointed out to Philippe a plump and agile little ballet-girl whom he called Florentine, whose good graces and affection, together with the box, belonged to him as the representative of an all-powerful journal.
"But," said Philippe, "I should like to know how far her good graces go for such an iron-gray old trooper as you." "Thank God," replied Giroudeau, "I've stuck to the traditions of our glorious uniform.

I have never wasted a farthing upon a woman in my life." "What's that ?" said Philippe, putting a finger on his left eye.
"That is so," answered Giroudeau.

"But, between ourselves, the newspaper counts for a good deal.