ts precious precincts numbers of
the legitimate aristocracy, creates a great fluttering among that of a
more doubtful hue, who seek it and worship it as the idol of their
ambition. It always reminded me of birds with weak minds permitting
themselves to be charmed by snakes. However, be this as it may, the
knowing ones of York State (Bolt was a three-quarter blood Dutchman,
and from that State!) declared it no scandal, when they said his great
popularity with the ladies more than made up for his lack of law
knowledge. Honester people said, if his mind was not exactly
Websterian, there could not be a doubt that nature had intended him
for the profession of diplomacy rather than one requiring more
profound thought. His make-up was unexceptionable, his smile
exquisite. Then he had dark moustaches, which he would gracefully
finger into such an exact curve; and he had his small whiskers so
neatly combed, and every hair on his head lay in unexceptional
smoothness. The legation was not a little proud of Bolt, and on
drawing-room days, when he blazed out in his gold lace and sword,
would delight in watching the many dark, languishing eyes that would
ogle him over the down of gorgeous fans. Bolt was not dead to this
admiration, for we learned, from the constant wandering of his eye,
that he rather appreciated his own popularity. For a lady to say she
did not admire Mr. Secretary Bolt, was strong evidence of her want of
taste. I do not choose to enlighten the world as to how Bolt came to
be Secretary of Legation!' Here the old man would make a desperate
flourish with his crutch, by which I was led to believe that the means
were none of the cleanest; in fact that they were of a character very
similar to those used at this day, and to which may be traced the
cause of certain of Mr. Pierce's diplomatists having so distinguished
themselves in Europe. 'Zounds!' the old man would continue, testily
making a cross on the floor with his crutch, 'a desperate set was soon
made on our Bolt by that little world of fashion and intrigue which,
lizard-like, crawls about our Legations, and did more particularly so
about the one he honored with his handsome person. The Countess of
Longblower, very distinguished (according to the gossip of the
kitchen), and wife of the celebrated Earl of that name, took him at
once into the velvet of her good graces. Here, after a little ripening
at the hands of Samuel, the polite footman in ordinary, he shone out
t