s, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, the Abbes Raynal, Armand, and
Morellet, Mme. Geoffrin, Mme. du Deffand, Mme. de Marchais, Mme.
Suard, the Marechale de Luxembourg, the Duchesse de Lauzun, the
Marquise de La Ferte-Imbault, Mme. de Boufflers.

Among these visitors, most of whom were atheists, Mme. Necker
preserved her own religious opinions and piety, although her friends
at Geneva never ceased to be concerned about her. Her admirers were
many, but they were kept within the bounds of propriety and never
attempted any gallant liberties with the hostess--except her ardent
admirer Thomas, the intensity of whose eulogies upon her she was
forced to check occasionally. It was not long before she became very
influential in filling the vacant seats of the Academy. In this and
many other respects, her salon may be compared with that of Mme. de
Lambert.

Mme. Necker's idea of conducting a salon and its conversation was much
the same as the management of a state; she believed that the hostess
must never join in the conversation as long as it goes on by itself,
but, ever watchful, must never permit disturbances, disagreements,
improprieties, or obstacles; she must animate it if it languish; she
must see that conversation never takes a dangerous, disagreeable, or
tiresome turn, and that it never brings into undue prominence one man
especially, as this makes others jealous and displeases the entire
society; it must always interest and include all members. The
discussions at Mme. Necker's were literary and philosophical; and to
prevent even the possibility of tedium, frequent readings were given
in their place.

It was at the salon of Mme. Necker that Bernardin de Saint-Pierre
first read his _Paul et Virginie_, which received such a cold and
indifferent welcome that the author, utterly discouraged, was on the
point of burning his manuscript, when he was prevailed upon by his
friend Vernet, the great artist, to preserve all his works. Mme.
Necker was always quite frank and outspoken, often showing a cutting
harshness and a rigor which, as was said, was little in harmony with
her bare neck and arms--a style then in vogue at court. She never
judged persons by their reputations, but by their _esprit_; thus, it
was possible for her to receive people of the most diverse tendencies.
When the Marquise de La Ferte-Imbault, one of the few virtuous women
of the time, and of the highest aristocracy, was invited to attend the
salon of Mme. Necker a