young, enterprising, and pleasure-loving. But what is most absurd in
the adventure was that, when I pointed out Mme. du Barry to her--whose
figure and favourite domino I knew--the Queen expressed the most
anxious desire to hear her speak and bade me intriguer her. She
answered me flippantly, and I am sure if I had offered her my other
arm, the Queen would not have objected to it. Such was the esprit
d'aventure at that time in the court of Versailles and in the head of
the haughty daughter of Austria."

I remember quite well the parents of my host. The Marquise, a type of
the grande dame, with blue eyes and snow white hair survived her
husband many years. During the war of 1870 they, like many other
châtelains, had Prussian soldiers in their house. The following
characteristic anecdote of the Marquise was told to me by her son:

"There are still to be seen at La Grange two little cannon which
had been given to Lafayette by the Garde Nationale. One December
morning, in 1870, when the house was full of German troops, Madame de
Lasteyrie was awakened by a noise under the archway, and looking out
of her window saw, in the dim light, the two guns being carried off by
the German soldiers. In an instant, her bare feet hastily thrust into
slippers, her hair like a long white mane hanging down her back, with
a dressing gown thrown over her shoulders, she started in pursuit. She
followed them about three miles and at last came upon them at the top
of a hill. After much persuasion and after spiking the guns (in no
case could they have done great damage), the soldiers were induced to
give them up, and departed, leaving her alone in the frost and
starlight waiting for the morning. She sat bare-footed (for she had
lost her shoes) but triumphant on her small cannon in the deep snow
till the day came and the farm people stole out and dragged them