cely one of those present whose mind was not floundering
by this time in the delights of chaos, where every spark of intelligence
is quenched, and the body, set free from its tyranny, gives itself up
to the frenetic joys of liberty. Some who had arrived at the apogee of
intoxication were dejected, as they painfully tried to arrest a single
thought which might assure them of their own existence; others, deep in
the heavy morasses of indigestion, denied the possibility of movement.
The noisy and the silent were oddly assorted.

For all that, when new joys were announced to them by the stentorian
tones of the servant, who spoke on his master's behalf, they all rose,
leaning upon, dragging or carrying one another. But on the threshold
of the room the entire crew paused for a moment, motionless, as if
fascinated. The intemperate pleasures of the banquet seemed to fade away
at this titillating spectacle, prepared by their amphitryon to appeal to
the most sensual of their instincts.

Beneath the shining wax-lights in a golden chandelier, round about a
table inlaid with gilded metal, a group of women, whose eyes shone
like diamonds, suddenly met the stupefied stare of the revelers. Their
toilettes were splendid, but less magnificent than their beauty, which
eclipsed the other marvels of this palace. A light shone from their
eyes, bewitching as those of sirens, more brilliant and ardent than the
blaze that streamed down upon the snowy marble, the delicately carved
surfaces of bronze, and lit up the satin sheen of the tapestry. The
contrasts of their attitudes and the slight movements of their heads,
each differing in character and nature of attraction, set the heart
afire. It was like a thicket, where blossoms mingled with rubies,
sapphires, and coral; a combination of gossamer scarves that flickered
like beacon-lights; of black ribbons about snowy throats; of gorgeous
turbans and demurely enticing apparel. It was a seraglio that appealed
to every eye, and fulfilled every fancy. Each form posed to admiration
was scarcely concealed by the folds of cashmere, and half hidden, half
revealed by transparent gauze and diaphanous silk. The little slender
feet were eloquent, though the fresh red lips uttered no sound.

Demure and fragile-looking girls, pictures of maidenly innocence, with
a semblance of conventional unction about their heads, were there like
apparitions that a breath might dissipate. Aristocratic beauties with
haughty