Page:The life and writings of Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) (IA lifewritingsofal00spurrich).pdf/196

 "I could have wished a less mournful reason for clasping your hand once more. You will see me to-morrow, and with the first glance which we exchange, you will know that you did wrong ever to doubt me.

"You were right in counting on me. It is a return to a state of noble trust worthy of you, and of me."

It is a matter of history that after the coup d'état Hugo went into exile. The other soon followed his friend to Brussels, and we have already spoken of their intimacy during this period. On his return to Paris, Dumas proclaimed his admiration for Hugo in the very first number of his Mousquetaire—a bold thing to do, when one remembers that the author of "The History of a Crime" was anathema to the soul of "Napoleon the Little." The following year our author dedicated his play of "La Conscience" to Hugo as "a proof of a friendship which has survived exile, and which will, I hope, outlive even death." The compliment is acknowledged in the fifth book of the poet's "Contemplations," in which Hugo recalls their parting on the quay at Antwerp, and adds:

When Mademoiselle Augustine Brohan attacked