ord Bolingbroke," said he, sauntering up to us; "how are
you?--delighted to see you again. Do look at Madame la Duchesse
d'Orleans! Saw you ever such a creature? Whither are you moving, my
Lord? Ah! see him, Count, see him, gliding off to that pretty duchess,
of course; well, he has a beautiful bow, it must be owned; why, you are
not going too?--what would the world say if Count Anthony Hamilton were
seen left to himself? No, no, come and sit down by Madame de Cornuel:
she longs to be introduced to you, and is one of the wittiest women in
Europe."

"With all my heart! provided she employs her wit ill-naturedly, and uses
it in ridiculing other people, not praising herself."

"Oh! nobody can be more satirical; indeed, what difference is there
between wit and satire? Come, Count!"

And Hamilton introduced me forthwith to Madame de Cornuel. She received
me very politely; and, turning to two or three people who formed the
circle round her, said, with the greatest composure, "Messieurs, oblige
me by seeking some other object of attraction; I wish to have a private
conference with my new friend."

"I may stay?" said Hamilton.

"Ah! certainly; you are never in the way."

"In that respect, Madame," said Hamilton, taking snuff, and bowing very
low, "in that respect, I must strongly remind you of your excellent
husband."

"Fie!" cried Madame de Cornuel; then, turning to me, she said, "Ah!
Monsieur, if you _could_ have come to Paris some years ago, you would
have been enchanted with us: we are sadly changed. Imagine the fine old
King thinking it wicked not to hear plays, but to hear _players_ act
them, and so making the royal family a company of comedians. _Mon
Dieu!_ how villanously they perform! but do you know why I wished to be
introduced to you?"

"Yes! in order to have a new listener: old listeners must be almost as
tedious as old news."

"Very shrewdly said, and not far from the truth. The fact is, that I
wanted to talk about all these fine people present to some one for whose
ear my anecdotes would have the charm of novelty. Let us begin with
Louis Armand, Prince of Conti; you see him."

"What, that short-sighted, stout, and rather handsome man, with a
cast of countenance somewhat like the pictures of Henri Quatre, who is
laughing so merrily?"

"_O Ciel_! how droll! No! that handsome man is no less a person than
the Duc d'Orleans. You see a little ugly thing like an anatomized
ape,--there, see,--he has just t