Baden-Baden, of which the following is an accurate description:--

`The _Tapis Vert_ is a moral, and at the same time an
exceedingly clever, satire. It is illustrative of the life,
manners, and predilections and pursuits of a class of society
left hereafter to enjoy the manifold attractions of fashionable
watering-places, without the scourge that for so many years held
its immoral and degrading sway in their sumptuous halls.

`In one of these splendid salons the fashionable crowd is eagerly
pressing round an oblong table covered with green cloth (_le
tapis vert_), upon which piles of gold and bank-notes tell the
tale of "_noir perd et la couleur gagne_," and vice versa. The
principal group, upon which Dore has thrown one of his
powerful effects of light, is lifelike, and several of the actors
are at once recognized. Both croupiers are well-known
characters. There is much life and movement in the silent scene,
in which thousands of pounds change hands in a few seconds. To
the left of the croupier (dealer), who turns up the winning card,
sits a finely-dressed woman, who cares for little else but gold.
There is a remarkable expression of eagerness and curiosity upon
the countenance of the lady who comes next, and who endeavours,
with the assistance of her eye-glass, to find out the state of
affairs. The gentleman next to her is an inveterate
_blase_. The countenance of the old man reckoning up needs no
description. Near by stands a lady with a red feather in her
hat, and whose lace shawl alone is worth several hundred pounds--
for Dore made it. The two female figures to the left are
splendidly painted. The one who causes the other croupier to
turn round seems somewhat extravagantly dressed; but these