antinople, a rickety table covered with books and papers and faded
bouquets, and an old worm-eaten arm-chair." Our abbe's purse was no
better garnished than his lodgings; and so well-known was this fact in
the world, that Senac de Meilhan tells us, that "when the Abbe de Bernis
supped out some one of the party always gave him a crown to pay his
coach-hire. At first this gift had been invented as a pleasantry, on the
abbe invariably refusing to stay to supper, alleging as an excuse that he
had no carriage; but it was a pleasantry which continued for some time."

In society, however, De Bernis was a general favorite, and was everywhere
Welcomed with open arms. They doated on Bernard, and they doated also on
on Bernis. Voltaire wrote in verse to both, Duclos spoke of their wit,
Helvetius gave them suppers, and the women did their best to spoil them.

From Cardinal de Fleury, however, our abbe received a rebuff. Having, in
order to humor his relative the Princess de Rohan, who had lately taken
him by the hand, applied to the minster for a convent, the latter sternly
replied,--

"Monsieur l'Abbe, your debaucheries render you unworthy of the favors of
the church. As long as I remain in power you shall obtain nothing."

"Well, Monseigneur," replied De Bernis, "I'll wait."

This repartee was an event; it was repeated and applauded everywhere
until it reached the ears of royalty itself.

On Madame de Pompadour coming to power, the Princess de Rohan deigned to
write to her in behalf of her dear abbe. "Madame la Marquis," she wrote,
"you have not forgotten M. l'Abbe de Bernis; you will deign, I trust, to
do something for him, he is worthy of your favors." Apropos of this
letter, Madame de Pompadour wrote the following to some minister of the
day: "I forgot, my dear Nigaud, to ask you what you have done for the
Abbe de Bernis; write me word, I beg of you, as I shall see him on
Sunday." Like Voltaire, Madame de Pompadour had the mania of nicknaming
her friends and acquaintances; even the king himself figured more than
once in her grotesque vocabulary.[B]

[Footnote B: She always called De Bernis her _pigeon pattu_
(splay-footedpigeon--on account of his large feet and his love-songs).
Voltaire had previously nicknamed him _Babet le bouquetiere_, at first
because the abbe always introduced flowers into his poetry; afterward, on
account of the resemblance he bore to a flower girl who used to sell
bouquets at the doors of the Op