to them!

How delicious is it to shut out all this weariness, and with a book, or
a few rationally minded friends, indulge in an interchange of ideas!
But the too frequent indulgence of this sensible mode of existence
exposes one to the sarcasms of the frivolous who are avoided.

One is deemed a pedant--a terrible charge at Paris!--or a _bas bleu_,
which is still worse, however free the individual may be from any
pretensions to merit such charges.

Paid a visit to the justly celebrated Mademoiselle Mars yesterday, at
her beautiful hotel in the Rue de la Tour des Dames. I have entertained
a wish ever since my return from Italy, to become acquainted with this
remarkable woman; and Mr. Young was the medium of accomplishing it.

Mademoiselle Mars is even more attractive off the stage than on; for
her countenance beams with intelligence, and her manners are at once so
animated, yet gentle; so kind, yet dignified; and there is such an
inexpressible charm in the tones of her voice, that no one can approach
without being delighted with her.

Her conversation is highly interesting, marked by a good sense and good
taste that render her knowledge always available, but never obtrusive.
Her features are regular and delicate; her figure, though inclined to
_embonpoint_, is very graceful, and her smile, like the tones of her
voice, is irresistibly sweet, and reveals teeth of rare beauty.
Mademoiselle Mars, off the stage, owes none of her attractions to the
artful aid of ornament; wearing her own dark hair simply arranged, and
her clear brown complexion free from any artificial tinge. In her air
and manner is the rare and happy mixture of _la grande dame et la femme
aimable_, without the slightest shade of affectation.

Mademoiselle Mars' hotel is the prettiest imaginable. It stands in a
court yard, wholly shut in from the street; and, though not vast, it
has all the elegance, if not the splendour, of a fine house. Nothing
can evince a purer taste than this dwelling, with its decorations and
furniture. It contains all that elegance and comfort can require,
without any thing meretricious or gaudy, and is a temple worthy of the
goddess to whom it is dedicated.

It has been well observed, that a just notion of the character of a
person can always be formed by the style of his or her dwelling. Who
can be deceived in the house of a _nouveau riche_? Every piece of
furniture in it vouches, not only for the wealth of its owner, but tha