ng seated between two
pretty girls. I made him take my place, and he began to entertain them as
if to the manner born; and though the girls were laughing at him, he was
not in the least disconcerted. He thought he was amusing them, and on
watching his expression I saw that his self-esteem prevented him seeing
that he was making a fool of himself; but I did not guess that I might
make the same mistake at his age.

Wretched is the old man who will not recognize his old age; wretched
unless he learn that the sex whom he seduced so often when he was young
will despise him now if he still attempts to gain their favour.

My fair Therese, with her husband and my son, was the last to arrive. I
kissed Therese and then my son, and sat down between them, whispering to
Therese that such a dear mysterious trinity must not be parted; at which
Therese smiled sweetly. The abbe sat down between Redegonde and the
Corticelli, and amused us all the time by his agreeable conversation.

I laughed internally when I observed how respectfully my new footman
changed his sister's plate, who appeared vain of honours to which her
brother could lay no claim. She was not kind; she whispered to me, so
that he could not hear,--

"He is a good fellow, but unfortunately he is rather stupid."

I had put in my pocket a superb gold snuff-box, richly enamelled and
adorned with a perfect likeness of myself. I had had it made at Paris,
with the intention of giving it to Madame d'Urfe, and I had not done so
because the painter had made me too young. I had filled it with some
excellent Havana snuff which M. de Chavigny had given me, and of which
Therese was very fond; I was waiting for her to ask me for a pinch before
I drew it out of my pocket.

The Abbe Gama, who had some exceedingly good snuff in an Origonela box,
sent a pinch to Therese, and she sent him her snuff in a tortoise-shell
box encrusted with gold in arabesques--an exquisite piece of workmanship.
Gama criticised Therese's snuff, while I said that I found it delicious
but that I thought I had some better myself. I took out my snuff-box, and
opening it offered her a pinch. She did not notice the portrait, but she
agreed that my snuff was vastly superior to hers.

"Well, would you like to make an exchange?" said I. "Certainly, give me
some paper."

"That is not requisite; we will exchange the snuff and the snuff-boxes."

So saying, I put Therese's box in my pocket and gave her mine shut. When