so far
forgotten himself as to be seen speaking to any one outside 'his
circle.' You may occasionally be invited to the houses of these exalted
personages, but there is always an implied condescension in their
attitude which tends to negative the effect of their good intentions.
And all this is a great pity, because these people must be tired of
each other, and would find quite as much intelligence outside as inside
their circle. Besides, there are charming people among them who would
ornament any society, but their ill-acted airs of 'brief authority'
quite spoil them, and make them, as I said, bores to themselves and to
those who would be their friends.

I will, in proof of what I say, relate a short anecdote as to what
occurred in the house of a friend of mine.

This friend gave a very large fancy dress ball, at which two or three
hundred people were present. The ball was in every way a success, but as
the giver did not belong to the 'sacred circle,' the members of that
body only condescended to go for a short time. I have no doubt (for
there are lots of jolly people among them) that they would have liked to
have stopped much longer, but it was not thought 'dignified.' So, after
a short time, most of the 'sacred circle' sneaked away. One of them who
had two charming daughters, devoted to dancing, not having noticed the
departure of the great people till that moment, came hurriedly to my
friend and said, 'Goodnight, I _must go_, every one is gone.' 'Every
one?' said my friend, 'why, look at the rooms, there are at least two
hundred people dancing and amusing themselves.' 'Yes, I see,' said the
diplomat (he was rather a small one), 'but I mean the ambassadors and
their parties, are gone, so I _must_ go; but for once, to please you,
I'll leave my daughters.' I believe my friend answered, 'You may go to
the d----l.' This is a fact, and shows the unfortunate system that ruins
to a great extent the sociability of society in Pera.

Now it is true that all these people are called barons, counts,
viscounts, &c., but my friend belongs to a right good family, and would
have been more than the equal of many of them had they met in Paris,
London, St. Petersburg, Berlin, or Vienna. The title of baron, &c.,
seems to me to be always given to a diplomat _ex-officio_. However,
barons or no barons, the rule of exclusiveness laid down by the 'sacred
circle' at Constantinople is to be deplored as it injures society sadly.
Few large pa