78 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, vi 



some trees and fell in with an English soldier, who told ug 

 he was quartered at a French Count's, whose name he did 

 not know, but who, he said, was a very good gentleman, and 

 very kind to him and three more soldiers that were quartered 

 in his house, and if there was any news always came and 

 told them of it. He invited us to look at the Chateau. 

 We did so, and while we were standing at the gates the 

 Countess saw us and sent her servant to invite us in. We 

 declined it because of our incapability of conversing in 

 French, with the excuse of want of time, but the Countess 

 with three other ladies joined us before we could get back 

 to the carriage, and asked a thousand impertinent questions 

 with the most gracious manners in the world; where we 

 came from, what part of England we lived in, whether 

 Jessie was married or not, what relation we were to 

 John Wedgwood, &c., &c. This was the only thing like 

 an adventure we met with during our journey from Dieppe 

 to Paris. I thought Malmaison a charming residence. An 

 English soldier was keeping the gates, and there my Lord 

 Combermere has taken up his quarters. I understand he 

 is the only Englishman who has followed Blucher's example 

 and lives at free quarters at the inns. The women always 

 spoke well of the English and otherwise of the Prussians, 

 who they said took everything " a point de Vepee." We 

 met a great number of them on our road. Once they 

 greeted us with " God save the Bang !" In return they had 

 nothing from Fanny but abhorrence; you may guess how 

 the sight of them made her blood boil. Since she has arrived 

 here she has heard that the evil they have done has been 

 much exaggerated, and this from a quarter she generally 

 gives credit to. I don't know that what she has heard in 

 their favour has softened her to them, but she is now too 

 well pleased with her present situation to be very angry at 

 any tiling. Our first entrance to Paris far surpassed our 

 expectations, I think nothing can be finer than the entrance 

 along the Avenue de Neuilly, from which we passed to the 

 Champs Ely sees, where all the British are encamped. It 

 was a most beautiful and extraordinary sight, far, far stir- 



