iant gathering never assembled in a salon; here sat, enjoying
the liberal hospitalities, Fontenelle, Montesquieu, Mairan, Marmontel,
Helvetius, Diderot, D'Alembert, Thomas, D'Holbach, Hume, Morellet,
Mlle. de Lespinasse, the Marquis de Duras, Comtesses d'Egmont and de
Brionne. Here, conversation--which, in the eighteenth century, was not
only a discussion or a dissertation, but an art--reached its highest
development; the members did not need to be eloquent, to expatiate
upon some theory or science; the conversation moved about the members,
and they had to be a part of it.

Mme. Geoffrin was born in Paris in 1699, and was the daughter of M.
Rodet, _valet de chambre_ of the dauphiness, Duchesse de Bourgogne,
mother of Louis XV. When barely fifteen she was married to the wealthy
M. Geoffrin, the so-called founder of the celebrated _Manufacture
des Glaces de Gobelins_. Through his wealth and his associations with
people of nobility who bought his ware, she was soon encouraged in
her desire to entertain the nobility; and her _esprit_, tact,
intelligence, and admirable taste in dress were all effective in
bringing about the desired results.

Her career was one of continual successes. When she opened her salon,
in 1741, she instituted the custom of receiving her friends at table,
not only men of letters, but artists, architects, builders, painters,
sculptors, all men of genius and prominence. Monday was the day
reserved for artists exclusively; Marmontel, who lived with Mme.
Geoffrin for ten years "as her tenant," and the indispensable Abbe
Morellet were the exceptions who might be present upon that day. From
the very beginning she formed the habit of permitting conversation
to go just so far, then cutting it off with her famous: _Voil qui est
bien!_

Her husband was the _maitre d'hotel_, of whom many interesting
anecdotes are told; the best and one that illustrates well the
appreciation of individuals in those days is the following, which is
so admirably told by Lady Jackson that we quote from her: "For some
years, there sat at the bottom of Mme. Geoffrin's dinner and supper
table a dignified-looking, white-haired old gentleman, bland in
manner, but very modest and retiring, speaking only when spoken to,
but looking very happy when the guests seemed to enjoy the good cheer
set before them. When, at last, his customary place became vacant, and
some brilliant butterfly of madame's circle of _visiteurs flottants_,
who, perh