w of my
new visitors deigned to tell me who or what they were, and as they had
neither read nor cast their eye over my works, nor had their researches
and mine been directed to the same objects, I knew not what to speak to
them upon: I waited for what they had to say, because it was for them to
know and tell me the purpose of their visit. It will naturally be
imagined this did not produce conversations very interesting to me,
although they, perhaps, were so to my visitors, according to the
information they might wish to acquire; for as I was without suspicion,
I answered without reserve, to every question they thought proper to ask
me, and they commonly went away as well informed as myself of the
particulars of my situation.

I was, for example, visited in this manner by M. de Feins, equerry to the
queen, and captain of cavalry, who had the patience to pass several days
at Motiers, and to follow me on foot even to La Ferriere, leading his
horse by the bridle, without having with me any point of union, except
our acquaintance with Mademoiselle Fel, and that we both played at
'bilboquet'. [A kind of cup and ball.]

Before this I had received another visit much more extraordinary. Two
men arrived on foot, each leading a mule loaded with his little baggage,
lodging at the inn, taking care of their mules and asking to see me. By
the equipage of these muleteers they were taken for smugglers, and the
news that smugglers were come to see me was instantly spread. Their
manner of addressing me sufficiently showed they were persons of another
description; but without being smugglers they might be adventurers, and
this doubt kept me for some time on my guard. They soon removed my
apprehensions. One was M. de Montauban, who had the title of Comte de la
Tour du Pin, gentleman to the dauphin; the other, M. Dastier de
Carpentras, an old officer who had his cross of St. Louis in his pocket,
because he could not display it. These gentlemen, both very amiable,
were men of sense, and their manner of travelling, so much to my own
taste, and but little like that of French gentlemen, in some measure
gained them my attachment, which an intercourse with them served to
improve. Our acquaintance did not end with the visit; it is still kept
up, and they have since been several times to see me, not on foot, that
was very well for the first time; but the more I have seen of these
gentlemen the less similarity have I found between their tas