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It must be confessed, that flattery comes mighty
easily to one's mouth in the presence of royalty.
—Letters of Stephen Montague.
'Tis he.—How came he thence—what doth he here?
—Lara.
I had received for that evening (my last at Paris) an invitation from theDuchesse de B—. I knew that the party was to be small, and that very fewbesides the royal family would compose it. I had owed the honour of thisinvitation to my intimacy with the _____s, the great friends of theduchesse, and I promised myself some pleasure in the engagement.
There were but eight or nine persons present when I entered the royalchamber. The most distingue of these I recognized immediately as the—.He came forward with much grace as I approached, and expressed hispleasure at seeing me.
"You were presented, I think, about a month ago," added the—, with asmile of singular fascination; "I remember it well."
I bowed low to this compliment.
"Do you propose staying long at Paris?" continued the—.
"I protracted," I replied, "my departure solely for the honour thisevening affords me. In so doing, please your—, I have followed the wisemaxim of keeping the greatest pleasure to the last."
The royal chevalier bowed to my answer with a smile still sweeter thanbefore, and began a conversation with me which lasted for severalminutes. I was much struck with the—'s air and bearing. They possessgreat dignity, without any affectation of its assumption. He speakspeculiarly good English, and the compliment of addressing me in thatlanguage was therefore as judicious as delicate. His observations owedlittle to his rank; they would have struck you as appropriate, and theair which accompanied them pleased you as graceful, even in a simpleindividual. Judge, then, if they charmed me in the—. The upper part ofhis countenance is prominent and handsome, and his eyes have muchsoftness of expression. His figure is slight and particularly well knit;perhaps he is altogether more adapted to strike in private than in publiceffect. Upon the whole, he is one of those very few persons of great rankwhom you would have had pride in knowing as an equal, and have pleasurein acknowledging as a superior.
As the—paused, and turned with great courtesy to the Duc de—, I bowedmy way to the Duchesse de B—. That personage, whose liveliness andpiquancy of manner always make one wish for one's own sake that her rankwas less exalted, was speaking with great volubility to a tall, stupidlooking man, one of the ministers, and smiled most graciously upon me asI drew near. She spoke to me of our national amusements. "You are not,"said she, "so fond of dancing as we are."
"We have not the same exalted example to be at once our motive and ourmodel," said I, in allusion to the duchesse's well known attachment tothat accomplishment. The Duchesse D'A—came up as I said this, and theconversation flowed on evenly enough till the—'s whist party was formed.His partner was Madame de la R—, the heroine of La Vendee. She was atall and very stout woman, singularly lively and entertaining, andappeared to possess both the moral and the physical energy to accomplishfeats still more noble than those she performed.
I soon saw that it would not do for me to stay very long. I had alreadymade a favourable impression, and, in such cases, it is my constant ruleimmediately to re