whilst the illustrious Borel, of the Rocher de Cancaile, named new
dishes after the famous Hungarian. Hunyady's luck for a long time was
prodigious: no bank could resist his attacks; and at one time he must
have been a winner of nearly two millions of francs. His manners were
particularly calm and gentlemanlike; he sat apparently unmoved, with
his right hand in the breast of his coat, whilst thousands depended
upon the turning of a card or the hazard of a die. His valet, however,
confided to some indiscreet friend that his nerves were not of such
iron temper as he would have made people believe, and that the count
bore in the morning the bloody marks of his nails, which he had pressed
into his chest in the agony of an unsuccessful turn of fortune. The
streets of Paris were at that time not very safe; consequently the
Count was usually attended to his residence by two gensdarmes, in order
to prevent his being attacked by robbers. Hunyady was not wise enough
(what gamblers are?) to leave Paris with his large winnings, but
continued as usual to play day and night. A run of bad luck set in
against him, and he lost not only the whole of the money he had won,
but a very large portion of his own fortune. He actually borrowed 50L.
of the well-known Tommy Garth--who was himself generally more in the
borrowing than the lending line--to take him back to Hungary.

THE DUCHESS DE BERRI AT MASS AT THE CHAPELLE ROYALE

I had the honour of being invited to an evening party at the Tuileries
in the winter of 1816, and was in conversation with the Countess de
l'Espinasse, when the Duchess did me the honour to ask me if I intended
going to St. Germain to hunt. I replied in the negative, not having
received an invitation; upon which the Duchess graciously observed that
if I would attend mass the following morning in the Royal Chapel, she
would manage it. Accordingly I presented myself there dressed in a
black coat and trousers and white neckcloth; but at the entrance, a
huge Swiss told me I could not enter the chapel without knee-buckles.
At that moment Alexandre Gerardin, the grand veneur, came to my
assistance; he spoke to the Duchess, who immediately gave instructions
that Mr. Gronow was to be admitted "sans culottes." The card for the
hunt came; but the time to get the uniform was so short, that I was
prevented going to St. Germain. At that time the fascinating Duchess
de Berri was the theme of admiration of everyone.