few days at Knowles Castle, which, after once belonging to
Queen Elizabeth, is now the property of Lady Dorset. At the gate of
this castle I saw two huge elm trees, reported to be more than 1,000
years old, which, nevertheless, still bore leaves, especially at the
top. The park, whose boundary touches a forest, is remarkably
picturesque. The castle contains some very fine pictures; the
furniture is still the same as in the day of Elisabeth. In Lady
Dorset's sleeping apartment the curtains of the bed are all sprinkled
with gold and silver stars, and the dressing-table is of solid silver.
Lady Dorset, an extremely wealthy lady, had married Sir A. Wilford,
whom I had known as English Ambassador at St. Petersburg. He had no
fortune, but was a fine figure of a man, with noble and distinguished
mien. The first time we all met for dinner Lady Dorset said to me:
"You will be very much bored, as we never talk at table." I reassured
her upon this point. I told her this was also my own habit, having for
years nearly always eaten alone. She must have been enormously fond of
this custom of hers, for at dessert her son, eleven or twelve years
old, came in, and she hardly spoke to him; she finally sent him away
without giving him the least sign of affection. I could not help
thinking of the reputation Englishwomen bear: that usually, when their
children are grown up, they care little about them--which has been
taken to mean that they love only their little ones.

At London I renewed acquaintance with the amiable Count de Vaudreuil.
I found him greatly changed and fallen off, through all that he had
suffered for France. He had married his niece in England, and I went
to see her at Twickenham, where she was settled. The Countess de
Vaudreuil was young and pretty. She had exquisite blue eyes, a sweet
face, and the most striking freshness. Her invitation to pass a few
days at Twickenham I accepted, and while there I did a portrait of her
two sons.

His Highness the Duke d'Orleans lived near-by; the Count de Vaudreuil,
whom the Duke d'Orleans had shown special marks of favour, took me to
see him. We found that prince, whose chief delight was his studies,
seated at a long table covered with books, one of them lying open
before him. During the visit he pointed out to me a landscape painted
by his brother, the Duke de Montpensier, whose acquaintance I also
made while staying with Mme. de Vaudreuil. As for the youngest of
these princes, the