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THE SECOND EMPIRE. 349

Poniatowska, the Marchioness de Gallifet, the
Countess de Sancy-Parab^re, the Duchess de
Morny, the Viscountess Aguado, Madame de
Lima, the Baroness de Beyens, Madame Pcreire,
the Baroness Alphonse de Rothschild, Madame
Magnan, Mademoiselle Bechwith, the Marchioness
de Canisy. Madame Moulton, the Countess de
Mercy-Argenleait,theMarchioiiessdeChasselou[>
Laubat, Madame Pili6,the Countess de Castigllone.
Madame de Montaut, Marshal Canrobert, the
Duchess de Malakoff, General Callier, Madame
Carter, Madame Jankowska, the Countess de
Brigode, and Madame Carette, to make a good
ending ? How many others might be named
who were not beautiful according to the gospel
of the church of the beautiful, but were beautiful
by force of wit, as the Princess de Metternich !

"With such women, ihe^ /Hes of the Court and
the /iies of the fashionable world were magical.
One was not astonished at hearing it said, ■ The
Empire amuses itself.' Why not ? People were
not contented with the balls at the Tuileries
where all the official world had the right of
entrance ; they imagined at the bails of the
Empress, at those of the ladies-in-waiting, at
those of some of the ministers, new pleasures,
but above all costume balls with a mask for the
women. Myself, at that epoch," says M. Hous-
saye, " have I not given in to these follies more
or less innocent by my Venetian ridottosi The



aSO PARISIAN WOMEN UNDER

Tuileries has been burnt, people dance still at
the £lys6e, but the cotillon is dead. Where
are they, d'Aiguesvives, Castelbajac, Jaucourt ?
De Caux himself, who pirouettes still on his red
heel, will no longer enter into a cotillon, even
if the warbler AdiSIina sang in the orchestra.
