e pleasures which awaited me in Paris, none gave me more sincere
satisfaction than the renewal of my acquaintance with De Minerale, who,
however, could never believe that my good fortune was other than some
lucky accident of my African campaign.

"Come, out with it," he would say. "You robbed a 'Smala,' you pillaged
a 'Deira,' or something of the sort. Tell me frankly how it was, and, on
my honor, I 'll never print it till you 're dead and gone. In fact, if
you persist in refusing, I 'll give you to the world, with name in full.
I 'll describe you as a fellow that picked up a treasure in some small
island of the Mediterranean, and turned millionnaire after being a
pirate."

"Put me down for fifty copies of the book," said I, laughing; "I'm rich
enough now to encourage the small-fry of literature."

Thus did we often jest with each other, and we met continually; for
when not invited out myself, I gave entertainments at home, at which
I assembled various members of that artistic set in which I had once
moved,--a very different order of society from that in which I mixed in
Naples, and, I am free to own, with far less claim to real agreeability.
The "wits by profession" were not only less natural than the smart
people of society, but they wearied you by the exactions of their
drollery. Not to laugh at the sorriest jest was to discredit the
jester, and the omission became a serious thing when it touched a man's
livelihood. In fact, from first to last, in whatever country I
have lived, I have ever found that the best--that is, the highest
society--was always the most agreeable as well as the most profitable.
Its forms were not alone regulated upon the surest basis of comfort, but
its tone ever tended to promote whatever was pleasurable, and exclude
everything that could hurt or offend. So is it, your great aristocrats
are very democratic in a drawing-room,--professing and practising
the most perfect equality; while your "rights of man" and "popular
sovereignty advocate" insists upon always being the king of his company.
Forgive this digression, my dear reader, if for nothing else than
because it shall be the last time of my offending.

I had now enjoyed myself at Paris about two months, or thereabouts,
in which, having most satisfactorily arranged all my monetary matters,
and--besides having a considerable sum in the English funds--found
myself down in the "Grand Livre" for a couple of million of francs,--a
feature which