my ease, that we might talk over what
had passed during our former connection.

In fine, I so often postponed my visit from day to day, that the shame of
discharging a like duty so late prevented me from doing it at all; after
having dared to wait so long, I no longer dared to present myself. This
negligence, at which M. le Blond could not but be justly offended, gave,
relative to him, the appearance of ingratitude to my indolence, and yet I
felt my heart so little culpable that, had it been in my power to do M.
le Blond the least service, even unknown to himself, I am certain he
would not have found me idle. But indolence, negligence and delay in
little duties to be fulfilled have been more prejudicial to me than great
vices. My greatest faults have been omissions: I have seldom done what I
ought not to have done, and unfortunately it has still more rarely
happened that I have done what I ought.

Since I am now upon the subject of my Venetian acquaintance, I must not
forget one which I still preserved for a considerable time after my
intercourse with the rest had ceased. This was M. de Joinville, who
continued after his return from Genoa to show me much friendship. He was
fond of seeing me and of conversing with me upon the affairs of Italy,
and the follies of M. de Montaigu, of whom he of himself knew many
anecdotes, by means of his acquaintance in the office for foreign affairs
in which he was much connected. I had also the pleasure of seeing at my
house my old comrade Dupont who had purchased a place in the province of
which he was, and whose affairs had brought him to Paris. M. de
Joinville became by degrees so desirous of seeing me, that he in some
measure laid me under constraint; and, although our places of residence
were at a great distance from each other, we had a friendly quarrel when
I let a week pass without going to dine with him. When he went to
Joinville he was always desirous of my accompanying him; but having once
been there to pass a week I had not the least desire to return. M. de
Joinville was certainly an honest man, and even amiable in certain
respects but his understanding was beneath mediocrity; he was handsome,
rather fond of his person and tolerably fatiguing. He had one of the
most singular collections perhaps in the world, to which he gave much of
his attention and endeavored to acquire it that of his friends, to whom
it sometimes afforded less amusement than it did to himself.