, sound of a bell, violently pulled,
was heard.

"The object of your attack approaches," said Lebel to me, "it would be
as well to reconnoitre a little. Remember, not a word of his rank, no
cast down, timid looks at his sovereign power; no bending of knees, or
faltering of voice."

The advice thus given was useless. Comte Jean, who bore the reputation
of, at least, a man of much cool impudence, was, I am certain, more
deficient than myself in courage upon the occasion, and I verily
believe, asked himself several times whether he dared appear before his
prince with one whom he was falsely asserting to be his sister-in-law.
However these thoughts might or might not have disturbed him, we
proceeded onwards till we reached the apartment where our invited
friends were expecting us; and here I will, with the reader's
permission, digress awhile, in order to say a few introductory words
respecting the four personages with whom I had the honor of supping.

And first, Louis XVth, king of France (or as he was upon the present
occasion styled the baron de Gonesse), was one of those sentimental
egotists who believed he loved the whole world, his subjects, and his
family; while in reality, the sole engrossing object was _self_.
Gifted with many personal and intellectual endowments, which might have
disputed the palm with the most lively and engaging personages of the
court, he was yet devoured by ennui, and of this he was well aware,
but his mind was made up to meet this ennui, as one of the necessary
accompaniments of royalty. Devoid of taste in literary matters, he
despised all connected with the _belles-lettres_, and esteemed men only
in proportion to the number and richness of their armorial bearings. M.
de Voltaire ranked him beneath the lowest country-squire; and the very
mention of a man of letters was terrifying to his imagination from its
disturbing the current of his own ideas; he revelled in the plenitude
of power, yet felt dissatisfied with the mere title of king. He ardently
desired to signalize himself as the first general of the age, and
prevented from obtaining this (in his opinion) highest of honors,
entertained the utmost jealousy of Frederick II, and spoke with
undisguised spleen and ill-humor of the exploits of his brother of
Prussia.

The habit of commanding, and the prompt obedience he had ever met
with, had palled upon his mind, and impressed him with feelings of
indifference for all things which thus appe