onsummation
might not come in time for him. The handsome Marquis de -- and the
ladies, yet handsomer than he, looked conviction and delight.

But two men there were, seated next to each other, who joined not in
the general talk: the one a stranger newly arrived in Paris, where
his wealth, his person, and his accomplishments, had already made
him remarked and courted; the other, an old man, somewhere about
seventy,--the witty and virtuous, brave, and still light-hearted
Cazotte, the author of "Le Diable Amoureux."

These two conversed familiarly, and apart from the rest, and only by an
occasional smile testified their attention to the general conversation.

"Yes," said the stranger,--"yes, we have met before."

"I thought I could not forget your countenance; yet I task in vain my
recollections of the past."

"I will assist you. Recall the time when, led by curiosity, or
perhaps the nobler desire of knowledge, you sought initiation into the
mysterious order of Martines de Pasqualis."

(It is so recorded of Cazotte. Of Martines de Pasqualis little is known;
even the country to which he belonged is matter of conjecture. Equally
so the rites, ceremonies, and nature of the cabalistic order he
established. St. Martin was a disciple of the school, and that, at
least, is in its favour; for in spite of his mysticism, no man more
beneficent, generous, pure, and virtuous than St. Martin adorned the
last century. Above all, no man more distinguished himself from the herd
of sceptical philosophers by the gallantry and fervour with which he
combated materialism, and vindicated the necessity of faith amidst a
chaos of unbelief. It may also be observed, that Cazotte, whatever
else he learned of the brotherhood of Martines, learned nothing that
diminished the excellence of his life and the sincerity of his religion.
At once gentle and brave, he never ceased to oppose the excesses of
the Revolution. To the last, unlike the Liberals of his time, he was a
devout and sincere Christian. Before his execution, he demanded a pen
and paper to write these words: "Ma femme, mes enfans, ne me pleurez
pas; ne m'oubliez pas, mais souvenez-vous surtout de ne jamais offenser
Dieu." ("My wife, my children, weep not for me; forget me not, but
remember above everything never to offend God.)--Ed.)

"Ah, is it possible! You are one of that theurgic brotherhood?"

"Nay, I attended their ceremonies but to see how vainly they sought to
revive the ancie