Volume II Part 13 (2/2)
”Yes, give e delicious, and make up my mind to have it daily for my breakfast I enquire from the waiter whether there is any news; he answers that the dauphine has been delivered of a prince An abbe, seated at a table close by, says to hiiven birth to a princess”
A third man comes forward and exclaims,--
”I have just returned from Versailles, and the dauphine has not been delivered either of a prince or of a princess”
Then, turning towards ner, and when I say that I ains to speak to me of the court, of the city, of the theatres, and at last he offers to accompany me everywhere
I thank him and take my leave The abbe rises at the same time, walks with arden
A young man comes up to him, they embrace one another, and the abbe presents him to me as a learned Italian scholar I address him in Italian, and he answers very wittily, but his way of speaking makes me smile, and I tell him why He expressed himself exactly in the style of Boccacio My remark pleases hiht way to speak, however perfect e of that ancient writer In less than a quarter of an hour we are excellent friends, for we find that our tastes are the same
My new friend was a poet as I was; he was an admirer of Italian literature, while I aded addresses, and promise to see one another very often
I see a crowd in one corner of the garden, everybody standing still and looking up I enquire fro on
”These persons are watching the ulate it exactly at noon”
”Is there not a meridian everywhere?”
”Yes, but the h heartily
”Why do you laugh?”
”Because it is impossible for all meridians not to be the same That is true 'badauderie'”
My friend looks at hs likewise, and supplies me with ample food to ridicule the worthy Parisians We leave the Palais-Royal through the ate, and I observe another crowd of people before a shop, on the sign-board of which I read ”At the Sign of the Civet Cat”
”What is the h All these honest persons are waiting their turn to get their snuff-boxes filled”
”Is there no other dealer in snuff?”
”It is sold everywhere, but for the last three weeks nobody will use any snuff but that sold at the 'Civet Cat'”
”Is it better than anywhere else?”
”Perhaps it is not as good, but since it has been brought into fashi+on by the duchesse de Chartres, nobody will have any other”
”But how did she e to render it so fashi+onable?”
”Sie two or three times before the shop to have her snuff-box filled, and by saying aloud to the young girl who handed back the box that her snuff was the very best in Paris The 'badauds', who never fail to congregate near the carriage of princes, no matter if they have seen thely as monkeys, repeated the words of the duchess everywhere, and that was enough to send here all the snuff-takers of the capital in a hurry This woman will make a fortune, for she sells at least one hundred croorth of snuff every day”