cuticle, which is quite
sensitive and irritable."

It is needless to say that the men so honored by sovereigns were petted
in the salons, in spite of their disfavor with the Government. They
dined, talked, posed as lions or as martyrs, and calmly bided their
time. The persecution of the Encyclopedists availed little more than
satire had done, in stemming the slowly rising tide of public opinion.
Utopian theories took form in the ultra circles, were insidiously
disseminated in the moderate ones, and were lightly discussed in the
fashionable ones. Men who talked, and women who added enthusiasm, were
alike unconscious of the dynamic force of the material with which they
were playing.

Of the salons which at this period had a European reputation, the most
noted were those of Mme. du Deffand, Mlle. de Lespinasse, and Mme.
Geoffrin. The first was the resort of the more intellectual of the
noblesse, as well as the more famous of the men of letters. The two
worlds mingled here; the tone was spiced with wit and animated with
thought, but it was essentially aristocratic. The second was the
rallying point of the Encyclopedists and much frequented by political
reformers, but the rare gifts of its hostess attracted many from the
great world. The last was moderate in tone, though philosophical and
thoroughly cosmopolitan. Sainte-Beuve pronounced it "the most complete,
the best organized, and best conducted of its time; the best established
since the foundation of the salons; that is, since the Hotel de
Rambouillet."

"Do you know why La Geoffrin comes here? It is to see what she can
gather from my inventory," remarked Mme. de Tencin on her death bed.
She understood thoroughly her world, and knew that her friend wished to
capture the celebrities who were in the habit of meeting in her salon.
But she does not seem to have borne her any ill will for her rather
premature schemes, as she gave her a characteristic piece of advice:
"Never refuse any advance of friendship," she said; "for, if nine out of
ten bring you nothing, one alone may repay you. Everything is of service
in a menage if one knows how to use his tools." Mme. Geoffrin was an
apt pupil in the arts of diplomacy, and the key to her remarkable social
success may be found in her ready assimilation of the worldly wisdom of
her sage counselor. But to this she added a far kinder heart and a more
estimable character.

Of all the women who presided over famous salons, Mme. Geof