502 THK STOUY OF MY LIFE [isr,s
ute she would return, wrin^injj; her hands, and would iling herself down in a chair with — ** < Mu »|ue je suis malheureuse ! Olu (jut* je suis malheureusc! CVst une iille abominable eette Marie — eette tortue! elle no sa.it. pus It1 service du tout," and then, before sho had time to take hn^ith, slu» would run oft to investigate the causes of a, fresh noise in the kitchen. You were never sale from her. Every moment that old woman would dart in like a whirlwind, just to wipe otl one speck of dust she had discovered on the mirror, or to smooth some crease she suspected in flu* tablecloth ; and almost hefore you could look up *hr wan vanishing with her eternal refrain of "tju«» je MI is miserable ! que je suis malhetnvuse !%*
The one subject of discussion till twelve o'clock was the dejeuner, from twelve to six the dtmtiT, and after that, the* dejeuner of the nc»xt uiorniit);. Mat-tors, however^ wen1 rather improved \vlu»u Mademoiselle Harraud was at home "—- a thoroughly sensiblt*, sterling" person, who was generally absent on professional duties, iuMnjf out* of the first music-misttv^nen of the day. Som»'tim«'s Madaint* and MadeinoUelle had friends in the evening, when it was amusing to HtH» Hpecimt»ns of the better Hurt of llimt-rlass ParLsiann.
I made very few friimds at I^irls but tin* per.Hoim I saw oft,ont»st wen* the Marquisi* Uu Pregnier and hcir old mother, who remembered tin* fteigti of IVrror and had lost both her parents by the giiilliitiiie.. Occasionally I wont hi the evening to the salon i»f Madani(» Mohl, wife of Julius Mohl, the great Urieit-tallst, but herself an Knj4iLHlt\vt)iiiaii, who had lit early