onore, and stopped at the door of the hotel of the Duke of
Palma. The Duchess sat in her most remote drawing-room, dressed with
extreme simplicity, beautiful without adornment, and waited for the
guests, whom an usher at the door of the first drawing-room announced.
As each one saluted her, she arose, and thanked them for their visit.
This reception, far from gratifying the majority of her guests, seemed
to offend them. They fancied they had met on neutral ground, in a room
appropriated to charity, and not to wait on a lady who did the honors of
her own house. The latter, however, was the case. Multiplying her cares
for and attention to her guests, appearing to notice neither the cold
politeness of the one nor the rudeness of the other, the Duchess
increased her amiability and politeness to all who approached her. The
ice was broken. The men could not resist her charms, and many women
followed their example. The dazzling luxury of the hotel, the admirable
pictures, the majestic beauty of the Duchess, produced such an effect on
this society, composed of the most illustrious persons of Paris, and of
all who were famous at the epoch, that the success of La Felina was
complete. The great feature of the entertainment was impatiently waited
for. The concert which the Duchess had announced did not begin, and it
was growing late. The artistes, it was said, had not yet come, and all
were as impatient as possible, when an excellent orchestra was heard. A
few young people, forgetting why they had come, and utterly reckless of
the opposition they would give rise to, hurried to the great ball-room,
and whiled away the time _before the concert_ in dancing.

About midnight a report was circulated among the guests that the Duchess
was fatigued at the reception of so many persons, and the _habitues_
said that her efforts to make her guests happy had been so great that
she would not sing, and the entertainment would conclude with a ball.
Nothing could equal the vexation and anger which appeared on certain
faces, and which were augmented by the fact that La Felina made no
apology, but in the kindest terms thanked them for the pleasure she had
received from them, and which she feared she could not enjoy again for a
long time, her health demanding the most complete solitude. Thus Felina
turned a concert into a ball, and forced all Paris to visit her.

The next day the journals said: "Yesterday the Duke and Duchess of Palma
gave the most mag