el, as
yet unfurnished. The room where Doyen was working was close to the
Hermitage. Paul and all the court passed through it on their way to
mass, and the Emperor rarely returned without stopping to chat for
more or less time with the painter in quite amiable fashion. I am
hereby reminded how, one day, one of the Emperor's
gentlemen-in-waiting stepped up to Doyen and said: "Permit me, sir, to
make a slight observation. You are painting the hours dancing round
the chariot of the sun. I see one there, in the distance, smaller than
the rest; the hours, however, are all exactly alike." "Sir," replied
Doyen with cool self-possession, "you are perfectly right, but what
you point out is only a half-hour." The first speaker nodded in
assent, and went off greatly pleased with himself. I must not forget
to record that the Emperor, wishing to pay the price of painting the
ceiling before it was finished, sent to Doyen a bank-note for a large
sum--how much I do not now remember. But the bank-note was enclosed in
a wrapper, upon which Paul had written with his own hand, "Here is
something to buy colours with; as for oil, there is a lot left in the
lamp."

If my father's old friend was pleased with his life at St. Petersburg,
I was none the less pleased with mine. I worked without relaxing from
morning till evening. Only on Sundays I lost two hours, which I was
obliged to grant people wishing to see my studio, and among these
there were frequently grand dukes and grand duchesses. Besides the
pictures I have already spoken of, and an endless succession of
portraits, I had sent to Paris for my large portrait of Queen Marie
Antoinette, one in which I had painted her in a blue velvet dress, and
the general interest it provoked yielded me the sweetest delight. The
Prince de Conde, then at St. Petersburg, on coming to see it, uttered
not a word, but burst into tears.

In respect of social amenity St. Petersburg left nothing to be
desired. One might have believed oneself at Paris, so many French were
there at the fashionable gatherings. It was thus that I saw the
Duke Richelieu and the Count de Langeron again. They were really not
residents, the first being Governor of Odessa and the other always
travelling on military inspections, but it was different with a host
of other countrymen of mine. For instance, I made acquaintance with
the amiable and dear good Countess Ducrest de Villeneuve. Not only was
this young woman very pretty and very