nificent entertainment of the year. The _elite_ of the
_faubourg_ Saint-Germain and the capital were assembled, and all retired
delighted with the reception extended to them by the illustrious
strangers. The Duke sent ten thousand francs to the poor of his
arrondissement, to make up a subscription which could not otherwise be
completed."

A few months after, the Duke was appointed ambassador of Naples to the
court of France, and in honor of his sovereign's birthday prepared the
magnificent entertainment which created such disorder in the _faubourg_
St. Honore. The new position of the Duke of Palma, his diplomatic
character, and the rumor of the beauty and elegance of the Duchess had
silenced all complaints, and all now were anxious to be received at the
Neapolitan Embassy.

A circumstance, however, of which the world was entirely ignorant, had
within a few months made an altogether different woman of the Duchess,
who had previously been gay and happy. An air of sadness reigned over
her features, and her eyes assumed not unfrequently a wild glare, which
could be removed only by tears. Some unknown sorrow had made great
inroads even upon her beauty. Always kind and considerate to the Duke
and those who surrounded her, she yet seemed to fulfil her requisitions
of duty alone in complying with the observances of her rank. She seemed
anxious to seclude herself from the world, and to seek to drown her
grief in the solitude she had formerly avoided. Whether sorrow had
assumed too deep an empire over her heart, or from some other cause, all
were struck at the change so suddenly worked in her moral organization
and in her beauty. Far, however, from making any opposition to this
splendid entertainment, or exhibiting any indifference to its
preparations, all were surprised to see the Duchess devote herself to it
so fully. Nothing escaped her care; her refined taste neglected nothing
which could contribute to the brilliancy of the entertainment. The Duke,
delighted at the apparent revival of the Duchess's taste for the
pleasures of the world, which she had long disdained, aided her with
all his power, and spared no expense to gratify her. The invitations
were numerous, and on this occasion there were no refusals; for the most
noble persons were anxious to be entertained by the Neapolitan minister.
The Duke hesitated only in relation to one of the many persons who were
to be invited. This person was the Count Monte-Leone. The secret