er an opinion, I should rather
say it was a voluntary and studied madness, which knew what it was
about, and had its own reasons for posing as madness. The patent
admiration which her genius has excited, and still excites, among the
Arab tribes, is a sufficient proof that this pretended insanity is only
a means to an end."

In the course of conversation, Lady Hester suddenly said to her guest:

"I hope that you are an aristocrat; but I cannot doubt it when I look at
you."

"You are mistaken, madam," replied the man of sentiment, "I am neither
aristocrat nor democrat; I have lived long enough to see both sides of
the medal of humanity, and to find them equally hollow. No, I am neither
aristocrat nor democrat; I am a man, and an ardent partisan of all which
can ameliorate and perfect the whole man, whether he be born at the
summit or at the foot of the social ladder. I am neither for the people
nor the great, but for all humanity; and I am unable to believe that
either aristocratic or democratic institutions possess the exclusive
virtue of raising humanity to the highest standard. This virtue lies
only in a divine morality, the fruit of a perfect religion! The
civilization of the peoples--it is their faith!"

We shall shortly see that Lady Hester, with her quick insight into
character, an insight sharpened by long and varied experience, took "the
measure" of her visitor very accurately, and lightly estimated the
vanity, self-consciousness, and inflated sentimentality which weakened
the genius of Lamartine and marred his career, both for his country and
himself.

She invited him to visit her garden--a sanctuary into which the
_profanum vulgus_ were never allowed to penetrate. Here is his
description of it, somewhat exaggerated in colouring:--

"Gloomy trellises, the verdurous roofs of which bore, like thousands of
lustres, the gleaming grapes of the Promised Land; kiosks, where carved
arabesques were entertwined with jasmines and climbing plants, the
lianas of Asia; basins, into which the waters--artificial they are
here--flowed from afar to leap and murmur in the marble jets of alleys
lined with all the fruit trees of England, of Europe, and of the sunny
Eastern climates; green leaves besprinkled with blossoming shrubs, and
marble beds enclosing sheaves of flowers."

She also exhibited to her famous guest, if, indeed, he may be implicitly
credited, the noted mare which realized ancient prophecy, in which
nature h