Between Each Tableau, Which Was Lighted Solely From The
Raised Stage, The Lights Were Put Out, And The Whole Room
Left In Complete Darkness.
Whenever this happened, the
sounds of immoderate kissing broke out in all directions,
accompanied by little cries of resistance and protestation.
Until then, I had always been under the impression that
humour of this kind was confined to the servants' hall. One
could not help thinking of another court, where things were
managed differently.
But the truth is, these trivial episodes were symptomatic of
a pervading tone. A no inconsiderable portion of the ladies
seemed to an outsider to have been invited for the sake of
their personal charms. After what has just been related, one
could not help fancying that there were some amongst them who
had availed themselves of the privilege which, according to
Tacitus, was claimed by Vistilia before the AEdiles. So far,
however, from any of these noble ladies being banished to the
Isle of Seriphos, they seemed as much attached to the court
as the court to them; and whatever the Roman Emperor might
have done, the Emperor of the French was all that was most
indulgent.
There were two days' shooting, one day's stag hunting, an
expedition to Pierrefonds, and a couple of days spent in
riding and skating. The shooting was very much after the
fashion of that already described at Prince Esterhazy's,
though of a much more Imperial character. As in Hungary, the
game had been driven into coverts cut down to the height of
the waist, with paths thirty to forty yards apart, for the
guns.
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