laugh, and all the lovers
of laughter are on his side."

"Count Gregory Erdey," Fanny noted down, "a dear silly."

"Let us proceed. Count Karvay Louis, a true man of the world _a la
Talleyrand_. He observes every one, and is very particular that every
one should observe him. He only puts a question to you in order to
discover how far you are unable to answer him--it is a positive trap,
the consequences of which you cannot possibly foresee. Then he has a
trick of sulking for a whole year without saying why; the merest trifle,
a letter to him misdirected, is sufficient to upset him till his dying
day. If any one comes to see you when he is with you, and this somebody
should be lower in rank than himself, and you should sin against the
rules of etiquette by rising from your seat instead of merely
bowing--Louis will lose his temper, and say that you have insulted him.
And yet he will never give any one a hint as to what is likely to offend
him and what not."

"Well, let us write under his name, 'a prickly gentleman.'"

"And now comes Count Sarosdy, the _foispan._ He is a worthy,
good-natured man, but a frightful aristocrat. It delights him to do good
to the peasants and the poor, but don't ask him to make the acquaintance
of his fellow-men. No tenantry in the whole of Hungary is better off
than his, but he will not have a non-noble person in his service even as
a clerk. You will find he will be a little stiff towards you at first,
but fortunately he has a good heart, and there are always keys wherewith
to open a good heart. It will be no easy matter to win him over to more
liberal sentiments, but if we both combine against him, victory will be
assured.

"And now we come to the young originals."

"Oh," said Fanny, "I shall understand that class better than you do! I
know more about them already than I like."

"Last of all come the fine gentlemen. I need not tell you about them
either; so we can pass on to the ladies."

"Oh yes, let us discuss the ladies by all means!"

"First of all comes the wife of the aristocratic _foispan_. She is a
cockered, discontented dame, who has swooned as many times as other
women have sighed. You might stand upon burning embers more comfortably
than before her; for you may be sure that she will not approve of
anything you may say, do, or even think. If any one crosses his legs in
her presence, she faints; if a cat strays into the room, she will have
convulsions; if a knife is put acro