probably hoping that the extreme quiet of that place would assist
her deliberations, and tranquillise her mind during her present
perplexities.]


MADAME DE STAEL'S WORDS OF FAREWELL. M. D'ARBLAY.

(Mrs. Philips to Fanny Burney at Chesington.)

Sunday, after church, I walked up to Norbury; there unexpectedly
I met all our juniperians, and listened to one of the best
conversations I ever heard : it was on literary topics, and the
chief speakers Madame de Stael, M. de Talleyrand, Mr. Locke, and
M. Dumont, a gentleman on a visit of two days at juniper, a
Genevois, homme d'esprit et de lettres. I had not a word beyond
the first " how d'yes " with any one, being obliged to run home
to my abominable dinner in the midst of the discourse.

On Monday I went, by invitation, to juniper to dine, and before I
came away at night a letter arrived express to Madame de Stael.
On reading it, the change in her countenance made me guess the
contents, It was from the Swedish gentleman who had been
appointed by her husband to meet her at Ostend; he wrote from
that place that he was awaiting her arrival. She had designed
walking home with us by moonlight, but her spirits were too much
oppressed to enable her to keep this intention. M. d'Arblay
walked home with Phillips and me. Every moment of his time has
been given of late to transcribing a MS. work of Madame de Stael,
on 'L'Influence des Passions.' It is a work of considerable
length, and written in a hand the most difficult possible to