tance, he would ask me,
'What does the Chevalier do of a morning?'

'He goes to church regularly' (he was very religious), 'and after
hearing mass comes home to breakfast. Then he takes an airing in his
chariot till dinner, which is served at noon. After dinner he writes his
letters, if he have any letters to write: but he has very little to
do in this way. His letters are to the Austrian envoy, with whom he
corresponds, but who does not acknowledge him; and being written in
English, of course I look over his shoulder. He generally writes for
money. He says he wants it to bribe the secretaries of the Treasury,
in order to find out really where the alloyed ducats come from; but,
in fact, he wants it to play of evenings, when he makes his party with
Calsabigi, the lottery-contractor, the Russian attaches, two from the
English embassy, my Lords Deuceace and Punter, who play a jeu d'enfer,
and a few more. The same set meet every night at supper: there are
seldom any ladies; those who come are chiefly French ladies, members of
the corps de ballet. He wins often, but not always. Lord Deuceace is a
very fine player. The Chevalier Elliot, the English Minister, sometimes
comes, on which occasion the secretaries do not play. Monsieur de
Balibari dines at the missions, but en petit comite, not on grand days
of reception. Calsabigi, I think, is his confederate at play. He has
won lately; but the week before last he pledged his solitaire for four
hundred ducats.'

'Do he and the English attaches talk together in their own language?'

'Yes; he and the envoy spoke yesterday for half-an-hour about the new
danseuse and the American troubles: chiefly about the new danseuse.'

It will be seen that the information I gave was very minute and
accurate, though not very important. But such as it was, it was carried
to the ears of that famous hero and warrior the Philosopher of Sans
Souci; and there was not a stranger who entered the capital but his
actions were similarly spied and related to Frederick the Great.

As long as the play was confined to the young men of the different
embassies, His Majesty did not care to prevent it; nay, he encouraged
play at all the missions, knowing full well that a man in difficulties
can be made to speak, and that a timely rouleau of Frederics would
often get him a secret worth many thousands. He got some papers from
the French house in this way: and I have no doubt that my Lord Deuceace
would have suppli