stocrats! A la lanterne!"

The same picture, with a slight alteration here and there, will do
equally well for some of the count's neighbours, such as the Marquis de
Marcy, the Sieur de Vallancelles, and even the noble Duke de Hautbois,
who is perhaps the most hopelessly impoverished of those who may cross
your path in the course of the day's walk that separates the Chateau de
Valricour from that of Beaujardin. Yes, but then Madame la Duchesse
can claim the privilege of sitting on a tabouret in the royal presence,
that is to say she could if there were such a personage, but the Duke
is not married, wisely considering, perhaps, that a dozen young dukes
(for all his progeny would have a right to the title) might make the
whole thing look ridiculous, so when he dies there will happily be one
poor noble the less instead of a dozen more for the despised Third
Estate of the realm to hate and scowl upon.

It must by no means be supposed, however, that there is no other side
to this strange picture. There are hosts of noble families whose means
enable them to maintain a proper state, and to keep up the dignity of
their ancient houses; and this, be it remembered, is in truth their
only calling, for as a class or body the nobles had no influence or
power in the Government of the kingdom. Nay, there is yet another set,
so splendidly, so magnificently wealthy that the mind, accustomed to
the more measured and sober scale even of the most princely
establishments of modern days, can scarcely picture to itself the
boundless extravagance which marked those of the age of Louis the
Fifteenth and his successor, until the Revolution swept them away.
Some great nobles there were whose landed revenues were sufficient to
enable them to live in almost royal state. Then there were some who,
having no landed property to squander, flocked to Paris or Versailles,
and sought and found favour at the profligate court of "His Most
Christian Majesty" (as the kings of France were styled), no matter by
what base and scandalous means. These were lavishly rewarded, and
obtained large incomes from the enormous grants and pensions given to
them as court favourites and personal attendants on the king, not
merely by thousands but even by millions of francs. These profligates
cared not what they spent so long as they could outdo this or that
rival in extravagance, by having fifty more guest chambers in their
chateaux, or fifty more horses in their stabl