The bells rang, and the ambassadors of every nation immediately returned to their places. Only a few "severely wounded" men were missing. The worst off was Franz Eichmann, Prussia's foreign minister: someone had stuffed a live fish into the old man's mouth, and his eyes had rolled back.
The injured were carried off for treatment at once. The doctors on standby at the Confederation headquarters had long since grown accustomed to these bizarre injuries.
"The French can't be taken at their word. Diplomacy always involves negotiation. Anything short of a matter of principle is open for discussion. If Louis Napoleon wants to protect the immigrants and their property, then he'll have to give us some compensation.
"If the French can't afford the price, that's their problem. Why should we worry? And those Texans are free to choose whether they want to be citizens of the French Second Republic or something else."
Franz's meaning was simple: he was kicking the ball back to the French, turning a passive position into an active one. What he hadn't said outright was that Texans could be citizens of the French Second Republic, or Alsatians-Lorrainers, or even Fribourgers.
Louis Napoleon wanted to get under Franz's skin, and Franz could do the same to Louis Napoleon.
Prince Metternich was very skilled at negotiations. As soon as he received his country's response, he summoned the French ambassador.
"We understand that your country wants to repatriate the Texan refugees, and we're willing to provide humanitarian assistance."
Alexis de Tocqueville, France's foreign minister, was overjoyed.
"When can we begin the repatriation?"
Prince Metternich smiled.
"Don't be in such a hurry. We're willing to provide humanitarian assistance, but we'll still need to settle the account. There are nearly two hundred thousand French people in Texas, and the property in their