632 THE FETE OF ST. LAMBERT. 



him feel that it is not so very easy for him to make a dupe of me ; 

 indeed, if he refuses me admittance into his house, it becomes my sex 

 to refuse him entrance into mine." 



At length the hour for dinner arrived. The most intimate friends of 

 St. Lambert had all arrived, according to the invitation of the Countess, 

 in order to give splendour and sociability to the fete of their mutual 

 friend Charles. 



Among others, La Harpe, Florian, Marmontel, and a distinguished 

 number of ladies of the first rank, fashion, and beauty, were assembled. 

 vThe Countess, who, in spite of herself, repented of having thus cruelly 

 refused admittance to her old friend, and above all, of having shown 

 herself upon the balcony, in order to add greater poignancy to his dis- 

 appointment, when she found that he did not arrive, sent her carriage to 

 fetch him. But he refused to come, saying that he had no desire to 

 dine with any person who shut the door against him when he called. 

 No sooner had the domestics of the Countess returned, and informed 

 her of the resolution of St. Lambert, than she immediately explained to 

 the whole company all that had happened. Her grief was extreme, 

 and she resolved to go herself, and make him a just excuse for the 

 resentment she had caused. 



Her friends opposed this resolution, but deputed Florian, La Harpe, 

 and Marmontel to go and endeavour to prevail upon him to return with 

 them. 



They went, and represented to him the real truth, and after great 

 persuasion, induced him to change his resolution. 



He was met at the door by the Countess, surrounded by her distin- 

 guished guests, and no sooner was the dinner announced, than he was 

 conducted to the saloon by various characters representative of the 

 different productions which had signalized his literary career. 



One group personated the four portions of the day, morning, noon, 

 evening, and night. 



Others represented the four seasons : Florian, as the youngest, and 

 with a smiling countenance and agile form, was crowned with flowers, 

 and formed no bad representative of the spring. 



La Harpe, in the maturity of age, and with those brilliant eyes for 

 which he was always remarkable, was enwreathed with a garland com- 

 posed of ears of corn, and thus imaged summer. 



Marmontel, more pampered in his looks, but bearing on his features 

 his love for the good things of the table, designated Autumn. He held 

 in his left-hand a wand encircled with vine-branches, and in the other a 

 tankard, from which he, with but little moderation, recruited his spirits. 



To close the scene came the aged Duke of Nivernois, covered with 

 white locks and a flowing mantle, and representing Winter. 



These four celebrated literary characters then addressed to St. Lam- 

 bert verses adapted for the occasion, and composed by themselves. 

 The homage of all this brilliant assemblage was more than St. Lambert 

 could well support. His emotion was visible to all, and was relieved 

 only by the tears of joy which soon' came to his assistance. 



" Behold," said the Countess to him, " the real cause for the refusal 

 by which I so cruelly wounded your feelings this morning. Allow 

 then that there was some little excuse for my acting as I did, m order to 

 give you this little surprise. But what possible reason could you have 

 for your conduct !" 



