Also, I hear that the 'senatorial cardinals' don't please the peasants, who hate the priesthood as much as they hate the 'Cossacks.' On the other hand, Montalembert was certainly in bed the other day with vexation, because 'nobody could do anything with Louis Napoleon--he was obstinate;' 'nous nous en lavons les mains,' and that fact gives me hope that not too much indulgence is intended to the Church.

There's to be a ball at the Tuileries with 'court dresses,' which is 'un peu fort' for a republic.

By the way, rumour (with apparent authority justifying it) says, that a black woman opened her mouth and prophesied to him at Ham, 'he should be the head of the French nation, and be assassinated in a ball-room.' I was assured that he believes the prophecy firmly, 'being in all things too superstitious' and fatalistical.
I was interrupted in this letter yesterday.

Meantime comes out the decree against the Orleans property, which I disapprove of altogether.
It's the worst thing yet done, to my mind.

Yet the Bourse stands fast, and the decree is likely enough to be popular with the ouvrier class.
There are rumours of tremendously wild financial measures, only I believe in no rumours just now, and apparently the Bourse is as incredulous on this particular point.