said I, "France is the land of enigmas; the sphynx must
have been a _Parisienne_. And when Jupiter made man, he made two natures
utterly distinct from one another. One was _Human nature_, and the other
_French nature_!"

At this moment supper was announced. We all adjourned to another
apartment, where to my great surprise I observed the cloth laid, the
sideboard loaded, the wines ready, but nothing to eat on the table! A
Madame de Savori, who was next me, noted my surprise.

"What astonishes you, Monsieur?"

"_Nothing_, Madame," said I; "that is, the absence of _all_ things."

"What! you expected to see supper?"

"I own my delusion: I did."

"It is not cooked yet!"

"Oh! well, I can wait!"

"And officiate too!" said the lady; "in a word, this is one of the
Regent's cooking nights."

Scarcely had I received this explanation, before there was a general
adjournment to an inner apartment, where all the necessary articles of
cooking were ready to our hand.

"The Regent led the way,
To light us to our prey,"

and, with an irresistible gravity and importance of demeanour, entered
upon the duties of _chef_. In a very short time we were all engaged.
Nothing could exceed the zest with which every one seemed to enter into
the rites of the kitchen. You would have imagined they had been born
scullions, they handled the _batterie de cuisine_ so naturally. As for
me, I sought protection with Madame de Savori; and as, fortunately, she
was very deeply skilled in the science, she had occasion to employ me in
many minor avocations which her experience taught her would not be above
my comprehension.

After we had spent a certain time in this dignified occupation, we
returned to the _salle a manger_. The attendants placed the dishes on
the table, and we all fell to. Whether out of self-love to their own
performances, or complaisance to the performances of others, I cannot
exactly say, but certain it is that all the guests acquitted themselves
_a merveille_: you would not have imagined the Regent the only one who
had gone without dinner to eat the more at supper. Even that devoted
wife to her _cher bon mari_, who had so severely dwelt upon the good
Regent's infirmity, occupied herself with an earnestness that would have
seemed almost wolf-like in a famished grenadier.

Very slight indeed was the conversation till the supper was nearly over;
then the effects of the wine became more perceptible. The Regent was t