the day. Mme. d'Epinay made her reputation not so much through her
_esprit_, intelligence, or beauty, possibly, as through the strength
of her affection. Timid, irresolute, and highly impressionable,
and amiable in disposition, she was constantly influenced by
circumstances--a quality which led her on to the two principal
occupations of her later life, education and philosophy. To-day,
her name is recalled principally for its association with that of
Rousseau, whose mistress and benefactress she was; it is to her that
the world owes his famous _Nouvelle Heloise_.

The last of the great literary and social leaders of the eighteenth
century was Mme. de Genlis, a prodigy in every respect, an amateur
performer upon nearly every instrument, an authority on intellectual
matters as well, a fine story teller, a consummate artist,
entertainer, and general charmer. Authoress, governess of
Louis-Philippe, councillor of Bonaparte, her success as a social
leader established her reputation and places her in the file of great
women, although she was not a salon leader such as Mme. Geoffrin or
Mme. du Deffand.

She was born in 1746, and at a very early age showed a remarkable
talent for music, but her general education was much neglected. At the
age of about seventeen she was married to a Comte de Genlis, who
had fallen in love with her on seeing her portrait. As his relatives
refused to welcome the young girl, she was placed in the convent of
Origny, where she remained until 1764, after which her husband took
her to his brother's estate, where they lived happily for a short
time. When, in 1765, she became a mother, her husband's family became
reconciled to his union, and, later on, took her to court.

Before her marriage, upon the departure of her father to San Domingo
to retrieve his fortunes, her mother had found an asylum for her at
the elegant home of the farmer-general M. de La Popeliniere. This
occurred at the time that Paris was theatre mad, and when great actors
and actresses were the heroes and heroines of society. At this house
the young girl became the central figure in the theatrical and musical
entertainments. After passing through this schooling, she stood the
test of the court without any difficulty, and completely won the favor
of her husband's family, as well as that of the court ladies and
the members of the other distinguished households where she was
introduced. With an insatiable appetite for frolics, quite in