rincipally by
the fathers of these maidens; and thus it comes to pass that these
little flirtations at the baths, cause no disturbance in the
arrangement which has been made concerning their marriage.

"We had the honour of an invitation from the minister, he invited us to
a dinner with many ladies. Among others were two Mademoiselles S----,
from Schaffhausen, daughters of good families. One of them has wounded
more than one cavalier. There was much good entertainment that day;
nay, there was even some table plate won in a lottery. The ambassador
found Mademoiselle S---- charming, and held her on his knee almost the
whole evening of the ball, though he was suffering with his foot. The
dance had one effect on the demoiselles which astonished us much. When
they had danced very vigorously, and were very warm, lice made their
appearance on the locks of their beautiful hair. That was rather
unpleasant; but the maidens had such beautiful skins that it became
quite a pleasure to take off the vermin as soon as they became visible.
The waters of Baden have the effect of producing these with young
people; therefore the Germans apply powder after powder but without
combing themselves properly.

"These demoiselles were not the only beauties of this ball; there were
many pretty women there with their husbands and adorers. The Zurich
ladies also would gladly have been there, but they were not allowed to
visit the house of the French Ambassador, as their canton was averse to
the renewal of the alliance with the King; nay, it was a transgression
for a Zuricher even to enter the French hotel, therefore their wives
and daughters only took a walk in the Ambassador's garden, who did not
fail to betake himself there in an arm-chair on account of his bad
foot. Every one on entering made him a reverence, and that procured him
the pleasure of giving a kiss to each of these pretty city ladies, both
mothers and daughters."

Here we conclude the narrative. These insipid and absurd proceedings
ceased gradually towards the end of the last century. Even before the
fever of the French revolution had seized the nations of Europe, the
forms of social intercourse had changed, and still more so the feelings
of men. The burgher life was still insipid, stiff, and _phillistroes_;
but the need of new ideas and deeper excitement had become general.
Even the adventurers and cavaliers could no longer impose upon the
credulity of their cotemporaries, by their