iss Edgeworth was also an able
listener, and hence her society was much sought after, while the beauty,
intelligence and excellent dressing of her sisters caused them also to
be regarded as acquisitions in days when the Continent was not swamped
with tourists, as it is now, and natives were therefore able to open
their doors. A galaxy of brilliant and historical names pass across the
pages of Miss Edgeworth's letters, and many a reminiscence she has
preserved of them. Her accounts of the various parties to which they
went are so vivacious and graphic that those for whom they were written
must have felt as if they had been present too, and had listened to all
the talk in which science, politics, literature and nonsense were mixed
in happy proportions. Here is an account of an evening at Cuvier's:--

Prony, with his hair nearly in my plate, was telling me most
entertaining anecdotes of Bonaparte; and Cuvier, with his head
nearly meeting him, talking as hard as he could, not striving to
show learning or wit--quite the contrary; frank, open-hearted
genius, delighted to be together at home and at ease. This was the
most flattering and agreeable thing to me that could possibly be.
Harriet was on the off side, and every now and then he turned to
her in the midst of his anecdotes and made her so completely one of
us; and there was such a prodigious noise, nobody could hear but
ourselves. Both Cuvier and Prony agreed that Bonaparte never could
bear to have any but a decided answer. "One day," said Cuvier, "I
nearly ruined myself by considering before I answered. He asked me,
'_Faut il introduire le sucre de bettetrave en France?' 'D'abord,
Sire, il faut songer si vos colonies'--'Faut il avoir le sucre de
bettetrave en France?' 'Mais, Sire, il faut examiner'--'Bah! je le
demanderai a Berthollet._'" This despotic, laconic mode of
insisting on learning everything in two words had its
inconveniences. One day he asked the master of the woods at
Fontainebleau, "How many acres of wood here?" The master, an honest
man, stopped to recollect. "Bah!" and the under-master came forward
and said any number that came into his head. Bonaparte immediately
took the mastership from the first and gave it to the second.
"_Qu'arrivait il?_" continued Prony; "the rogue who gave the guess
answer was soon found cutting down and selling