as lady of
honor. M. de Genlis cared little about it, and declared that he would
not consent to let me have the place, unless he was attached to the
court himself. He therefore asked and obtained the post of captain of
the guards of the Duke of Chartres, a station worth six thousand
francs, while mine, was worth four. The society of the Palais Royal
was then the most brilliant and witty in Paris. There was also no want
of books, and I made constant additions to my knowledge of French
literature and history. I served also as the secretary of the Duchess
of Chartres. I continued to write comedies, and cultivated music with
the same ardor as before. I was constantly in the habit of making
extracts, in small paper books, of conversations with persons that
were entertaining and instructive. I had made, when I left the Palais
Royal, a selection of poetry, of one thousand verses, of various
authors, some being of very ancient date.

"One day, when I was in the Garden of Plants, I had the good fortune
to meet M. de Buffon, who received me with great cordiality and
simplicity. I afterwards met him frequently, and we spoke of nothing
but literature.

"In 1774, Louis XV. died, and the unfortunate Louis XVI. mounted the
throne. In the course of a journey which I took on account of ill
health the next year, I went to Ferney to visit M. de Voltaire. All
the busts and portraits I have seen of him are exceedingly like him;
but no artist has fully expressed the eyes. They were the liveliest I
ever saw; but they also had something indescribably soft and tender in
their expression. His laugh and bitter smile greatly altered the
expression of his face. When neither religion nor his enemies were
spoken of, his conversation was simple and pleasing; but when he was
opposed in the least, his manner became warm and bitter.

"About this time, I wrote many little comedies for my daughters to
perform, which were very successful. I received complimentary letters
from M. d'Alembert and M. de Marmontel. Some time afterwards, I had
rather an intimate acquaintance with M. Gibbon, author of the 'Decline
and Fall of the Roman Empire.' M. de Voltaire came to Paris soon after
this period. I went to see him, but found him quite broken down and
dejected. He died in 1778.

"The time I passed at the Palais Royal was at once the most brilliant
and unhappy part of my life; I was in the zenith of my talents, and at
the age when a woman joins to the freshnes