is departure, M. de Camargo returned to Brussels, with the
air of a conqueror. Mademoiselle de Prevost had predicted that his
daughter would be his glory and his fortune.

After having danced at a fete given by the Prince de Ligne, Marianne de
Camargo made her first appearance at the Brussels theatre, where she
reigned for three years as first _danseuse_. Her true theatre was not
there; in spite of her triumph at Brussels, her imagination always carried
her to Paris; notwithstanding when she quitted Brussels she went to Rouen.
Finally, after a long residence in that city, she was permitted to make
her first appearance at the opera. It was on the 5th of May, 1726, for the
famous day of her debut has not been forgotten, that she appeared with all
the brilliancy of sixteen upon the first stage in the world. Mademoiselle
Prevost, already jealous, from a presentiment perhaps, had advised her to
make her first appearance in the _Characters of the Dance_, a step almost
impossible, which the most celebrated dancers hardly had dared to attemp,
at the height even of their reputation. Mademoiselle de Camargo, who
danced like a fairy, surpassed all her predecessors; her triumph was so
brilliant that on the next day all the fashions took their name after her:
hair _a la Camargo_, dresses _a la Camargo_, sleeves _a la Camargo_. All
the ladies of the court imitated her grace; there were not a few that
would have liked to have copied her face!

I have not told all yet: Mademoiselle de Camargo was made by love and for
love. She was beautiful and pretty at the same time. There could be
nothing so sweet and impassioned as her dark eyes, nothing so enchanting
as her sweet smile! Lancret, Pater, J. B. Vanloo, all the painters that
were then celebrated, tried to portray her charming face.

On the second night of Mademoiselle de Camargo's appearance on the stage,
there were twenty duels and quarrels without end at the door of the opera;
every one wanted to get in. Mademoiselle Prevost, alarmed at such a
triumph, intrigued with such success that Mademoiselle de Camargo was soon
forced to fall back to the position of a mere _figurante_. She and her
admirers had reason to be indignant. She was obliged to resign herself to
dancing unobserved with the company. But she was not long in avenging
herself with effect. One day, while she was dancing with a group of
demons, Demoulins, called the devil, did not make his appearance to dance
his solo, when