conference with my new friend."

"I may stay?" said Hamilton.

"Ah! certainly; you are never in the way."

"In that respect, Madame," said Hamilton, taking snuff, and bowing very
low, "in that respect, I must strongly remind you of your excellent
husband."

"Fie!" cried Madame de Cornuel; then, turning to me, she said, "Ah!
Monsieur, if you /could/ have come to Paris some years ago, you would
have been enchanted with us: we are sadly changed. Imagine the fine old
King thinkinj it wicked not to hear plays, but to hear /players/ act
them, and so making the royal family a company of comedians. /Mon
Dieu!/ how villanously they perform! but do you know why I wished to be
introduced to you?"

"Yes! in order to have a new listener: old listeners must be almost as
tedious as old news."

"Very shrewdly said, and not far from the truth. The fact is, that I
wanted to talk about all these fine people present to some one for whose
ear my anecdotes would have the charm of novelty. Let us begin with
Louis Armand, Prince of Conti; you see him."

"What, that short-sighted, stout, and rather handsome man, with a cast
of countenance somewhat like the pictures of Henri Quatre, who is
laughing so merrily?"