In Paris, there are ears on the steps, mouths on the doors, eyes on the windows, and the most dangerous thing is to speak at the doorstep. The last few words said as people leave are like a postscript on a letter, the secrets leaked are as dangerous to the listener as to the speaker.
—Balzac
To rise to great heights, there are two ways to achieve it: one must be like an eagle or like a reptile. Certainly, a few rare individuals can ascend to the highest places by a third means, such as Sir Arthur Hastings, the fellow from across the channel who seems like an eagle on the surface, but that's only because he calls his creeping manner flying.
What's even more surprising is that neither Queen Victoria, Viscount Palmerston, Lord Russell, Gladstone, Disraeli, nor other major figures in British politics have any objection to this. Moreover, praise for Sir Arthur Hastings is not limited to Britain; it's the same in France.
