Year: 1878

|


evening, and was told that the most


aristocratic place of resort was the


Jardine Mabille. I tooksa cab and


proceeded thither. Izfound myself


in beautiful garden brilliantly


lighted. There was a crowd of gen.


tlemen and ladies. fine band was
playing, and a quadrilIe was form.


ing. While I was gazing about, a


gentleman asked me if I wished to


dance. | said that I would like to,


but that / was stranger and not


acquainted with any of the nobility


present. He smiled, and said that


the French nobility was exceedingly


affable and obliging. and that be


would be pleased to introduce me to
lady of high rank and varied ac-
complishments, who would dance
with me If I wished. Then he pre-
sented me to the young Duchess d
Assafetida Chats as near as ( could
catch the name). / had never stood
face TO face with a duchess before,
and therefore felt difident and i'll
at ease. This graceful creature un-
derstood my case at once, and with
in two or three minutes made me
feel perfectly at home-more than
at Iiome, / may say. / never met
lady so easy to get acquainted with
as she was. It must require high
cultivation, only to be obtained in
the upper ranks of society, TO give
one such self-possession as hers.
This duchess smiled on me in the
most encouraging way, and tapped
me on my shoulder with her fan;
then she looked up in my face and
charmed away all my embarrassment
with burst of CHEEKY laughter that
was full Of happiness and garlic.
Next she took my arm, beating time
to the music with her fan, and still
uttering that fragrant laughter Aud
next she put her arm around my
neck. This was quite unexpected,
| must say, 1t made me feel bliss
fully uncomfortable. | enjoyed it,
but, at the same time, was afraid
it might attract attention. init
mated, as gently as could, that the
duke, her father, might be in the
crowd somewhere; but she only
laughed mere odorously than ever.
I feared that the paternaI duke might
invite me to breakfast on pistols and
coffee. r like coffee, but 1 don't
consider it improves it to mix it
with hardware. This 1 limited to the
duchess, and she received it with one
Of those peculiar laughs of hers that
was perfectly smothering. Just then
the music struck up furiously, the
duchess exclaimed "come ~ and
dashed away with me. The crowd
closed up to our set and walled as
in on every side. had never be.
fore seen so much curiosity display
ed in a mere quadrille by distin-
guished parties. Dukes and duch-
esses began to prance to and fro in
the dance with wild energy Of pur-
pose and extravaganza Of gesture.
began to get interested. I glanc-
ed across, my partner was just turn
ing. She miscalculated the length
of her limbs and lifted ner dress &C.
leerdingly. She came prancing over,
sailed forth to meet her, and when
we were within yard of each other,
I wish I may never be believed again
if she didn't kick the hat off my
head / stopped to pick up my hat
and anoble aristocrat fell over me +;
others followed him-both ladies and
gentlemen-and [ never saw such a
chaos of struggling limbs and fran
tic drapery since the benches broke
down at the circus when / was a boy.
It was pure COED fortune that no.
body got hurt. When / got out,
went Go my place az the head OF the
quadrille, and staid there. Talost
confidence; this dance was too high
toned for me. It had peculiarities
aoout it that were new and unex.
pected to me. T had seen plenty of
quadriiIes, but I had never seen one
with the variations before. The
duchess resumed her mad career, and
the rest of the nobility danced just
as she did. Each sex seemed to
have but one object in view-to out.
do its opposite in violence of action
and eccentricity of conduct. These
French people are very Frenchy. If
4 had not known that these French
people were the flower of the French
nobility. / should have thought that
they began their education in q gym
nasinm and graduated in a circus.
The first time the duchess halted by
my side for moment, Isswhispered
to her to calm her gushing spirits,
not 60 meddle with her dress, and
for public opinions sake not 10 step
SO high. i said she could get over
just as much ground at moderate
gait; and, besides. the noble grand
duke. her father, might happen along
at any moment. / might just an well
have talked to the wind. She only
laughed that characteristic laugh of
hers--that silvery laugh that I could
recognize anywhere, if II were 10 lee
ward !; and then bending little. she
grabbed up the sides Of her apparel


with both hands, began to jerk it to
and fro in a violent manner, threw
her magnificent head back and skip