Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1856-08-22
A Romance OF Cr,no1Ine.

While we are upon the sub bject of crinoline, it may
be as we'll to tell you the adventure which is forming
the chief amusement of the Court at this moment,
and which happened day or two ago at St. Cloud.
The Duchess de P, one of the most crinolned of all
the laiies about the Empress, being in the fullest
feather for the dinner to whIc she had been invited
ny her imperial mistress, was led into the sale a
mauger by the little Count de M, man of great re-
nown, but OF very small stature. The Duchess Of a
tall commanding figure. and is besides, particularly
liberal Of crmOline. which size is accused of exag
gerating most inconvenent proportions The doors
at st, Cloud not of the mighty dimensions
as those at the Tuillees and although the two bat
tdHS were thrown wide open, it was with some dis
may the little Count beheld the work before him,
when he compared the width of the door with that of
thu crnolIne of the lady on his arm Just at the
awful moment of the passage, however, the lady
consciously dropped her fan-the Count forgetful of
his perilous position confined between the doorway,
having other fear before his eyes but that of
ing to be deficient in gallanlry and good manners,
lmprndenty stopped to pick il mp. At that moment,
he Duchess was actually passing through the door
IN order 10 accomplish this difficult feat she just
IN the act OF giving that peculiar swing to the left
which the dsproporton OF The dress of the present
day with our domestic economy renders necessary,
when, to the utter ilsmay and CONSERVATION of the
whole assembly, The little Count missed, and the
Duchess remained struggling with some unseen OBJ
stace which prevented her advancing.
The ogre crnoline had swallowed up the kniglh
for no trace of his former existence visible The
company following in pairs was stopped as matter
Of coursethose who had gone on before had already
reached their seats at the table, and turned in won
der to behold the strange scene which enactng
at the door, where the TALL ma estic, and unusually
dgnifed Duchess de P. was caperng and caracoIing
with scared and terrified countenance and the rest
of the company pressing forward to behold what
the matter. The confusion and dismay were at their
height when the little crept out on his hands
and knees from beneath the mountain of crnolnc and
founces in which he had been enveoped, all flushed
and discounted, but little disposed 10 smile, although
the tterlng of the company broke into hearty
laugh, when the Empress, unable TO restrain her
mrth, gave the signal of genuine outburst of mer-
rlment, which enliVened the whole repast, and rem.
dered ii Of the gayest which had taken place since
the departure of the Emperor Of course, this adven
ture has given rise to epigrams and quolbets without
end, and the poor little count has become better
known within The last week in the annals of The
court than by the three years good and honest ser
vice which he has passed at the TuleTies. The
Duchess, meanwhile. towers more maj jescally than
ever over her fellows the incident not a wh
diminished the insolence OF her crinoline, which
growing more prodigious every day, completely ex
tnguIshes all the ridicue which the adventure Of the
little Count de ". would otherwise have heaped upon
her.-PariS Correspondence Of the Court Journal