M. Myriel was one of the ninety-five bishops who attended it.
But he was present only at one sitting and at three or four private conferences. Bishop of a mountain diocese, living so very close to nature, in rusticity and deprivation, it appeared that he imported among these eminent personages, ideas which altered the temperature of the assembly.
He very soon returned to D---- He was interrogated as to this speedy return, and he replied:
"I embarrassed them. The outside air penetrated to them through me.
I produced on them the effect of an open door."
On another occasion he said, "What would you have?
Those gentlemen are princes.
I am only a poor peasant bishop."
The fact is that he displeased them.
Among other strange things, it is said that he chanced to remark one evening, when he found himself at the house of one of his most notable colleagues:
"What beautiful clocks!
What beautiful carpets!
What beautiful liveries! They must be a great trouble.
I would not have all those superfluities, crying incessantly in my ears:
`There are people who are hungry! There are people who are cold!
There are poor people!
There are poor people!'"
Let us remark, by the way, that the hatred of luxury is not an intelligent hatred.
This hatred would involve the hatred of the arts.
Nevertheless, in churchmen, luxury is wrong, except in connection with representations and ceremonies.