for the Count's Mistress--The Ridiculous Incident Which Cured Me--The
Count de St. Germain

In spite of my love for Mdlle. Baletti, I did not omit to pay my court to
the most noted ladies of the pavement; but I was chiefly interested in
kept women, and those who consider themselves as belonging to the public
only in playing before them night by night, queens or chamber-maids.

In spite of this affection, they enjoy what they call their independence,
either by devoting themselves to Cupid or to Plutus, and more frequently
to both together. As it is not very difficult to make the acquaintance of
these priestesses of pleasure and dissipation, I soon got to know several
of them.

The halls of the theatres are capital places for amateurs to exercise
their talents in intriguing, and I had profited tolerably well by the
lessons I had learnt in this fine school.

I began by becoming the friend of their lovers, and I often succeeded by
pretending to be a man of whom nobody need be afraid.

Camille, an actress and dancer at the Italian play, with whom I had
fallen in love at Fontainebleu seven years ago, was one of those of whom
I was most fond, liking the society at her pretty little house, where she
lived with the Count d'Eigreville, who was a friend of mine, and fond of
my company. He was a brother of the Marquis de Gamache and of the
Countess du Rumain, and was a fine young fellow of an excellent
disposition. He was never so well pleased as when he saw his mistress
surrounded by people--a taste which is rarely found, but which is very
convenient, and the sign of a temperament not afflicted by jealousy.