ents of their nobles, will you not give me leave to think they are
too soon restored?

Miss Tunno is very intimate with Mdme. Moreau and a cousin of hers. All
her accounts have been conformable with yours.

_Lady Louisa Clinton to her sister, Lady Maria Stanley._

To-day I sat an hour with Cat. Fanshawe, and was highly amused by the
account she gave of Mme. de Stael bolting up to her while standing
speaking to Lord Lansdowne and some others at Mrs. Marcet's,[23] and
saying, "I want to be acquainted with you. They say you have written a
minuet. I am not a judge of English poetry, but those who are told me
it is very good. Is it printed?" This intolerable impertinence, which,
however, she probably meant for condescension, so utterly overset Cat.,
that she could find not a word to say, and treated the overture so
coldly that nothing more came of it.

I exhort Cat. to recollect that the woman was so notorious for excessive
ill-breeding, that no particular affront was intended, and hoped she
would not continue coy, as I long to hear something of this Lioness from
one who can judge.

Hitherto I have had no such luck. I hear the most exaggerated statements
of the Baroness's absurdities, or of the necessity of her being one of
every literary party.

_Letter from Miss Catherine Fanshawe, after meeting Lord Byron and Mme
de Stael at Sir Humphry and Lady Davy's._

_Early Spring, 1814._

I have just stayed in London long enough to get a sight of the last
imported lion,[24] Mme de Stael; but it was worth twenty peeps through
ordinary show-boxes, being the longest and most entertaining dinner at
which I ever in my life was present. The party being very small, her
conversation was for the benefit of all who had ears to hear, and even
my imperfect organ lost little of the discourse--happy if memory had
served me with as much fidelity; for, had the whole discourse been
written without one syllable of correction, it would be difficult to
name a dialogue so full of eloquence and wit. Eloquence is a great word,
but not too big for her. She speaks as she writes; and upon this
occasion she was inspired by indignation, finding herself between two
opposite spirits, who gave full play to all her energies. She was
astonished to hear that this pure and perfect constitution was in need
of radical reform; that the only safety for Ireland was to open wide the
doors which had been locked and barred by the glorious revolution; and
that G