610 
te you might think more fivourably,” said 
onsieur de Sainval, witha dezree of arch- 
ess which J did not think he had possessed, 
fier eye struck fire as she glanced at him ; 
and the ‘retort’ not © courteous,’ 1 believe, 
was rising to her lips; but Mr. Stanville 
averted it by observing, that Madame de 
Sainval would not easily find the opportunity 
of improving an acquaintance, which her 
_aappearanee was so likely to put to flight. 
«¢ Mr. Stanville’s wit, like Midas’s touch, 
has the property of cqnverting all to gold. 
t would not readily have occurred to any 
éne else, to turn the mere repetition of a re- 
proach into a compliment,” replied the Mar- 
chioness smiling, who required but the mo- 
ment’s reflection, to curb her displeasure, tor 
which he had given her time; she added, 
- “JT may be excused, if I fail in the accurate 
appreciation of un personnage de trop mauvuis 
ton, to be admitted into French good ¢om- 
pany ; but I will trust to my Louisa for put« 
ting mein the way de lui faire réparation d’ 
honneur in England; where I expect to find 
her presiding at every tea table—e/ puis, nous 
rons aussi entendre ces miracics aw parle- 
ment ; n° est, ce pas-moncaur?” 
«<] said, I was afraid she must take them 
upon trust, for [ had understood that women 
were now excluded frém the gallery. 
’ To the cternal disgtace of our 2allantry, 
I confess it,’’ te ambassador said. ‘* 1h, Jes 
Ostrogots I”. cried Madame de Sainval. ‘* No 
wonder that reason should have power, 
where women are inadmissible.” 
« Would any of us have dared to utter such 
an implied sarcasm on the'sex ?” eackumed Mr. 
Stanville. ‘‘ In virtue of my claim, as 1s 
rofessed champion, I beg leave in our par- 
tenet language, to offer an amendment, 
by substituting the word graces, which, 
however it may strike us all aé (his imonicn!, 
to be synonimous with woman, will certainly 
rescue a part of the sex at feast, from the 
severity of Madame de Sainval’s remark: 
which will then be reduced to this political 
axiom, ‘ that the triuinph of reason can only 
be secured by the exclusion of the graces.” 
And this is undoubtedly the principle upon 
which those, senators acted who voted the 
ladies out of the’ gallery.” 
Mr. Stanville, whose conversational 
talents are here displayed with so much 
brilliancy, is the brother to Lady PBel- 
ford: the charms of Louisa Riversdale 
make a deep impression on his heart, nor 
on the other hand is site by any means 
insensible to the polished manners, the 
eultivated understanding, and the splen- 
did abilities of Mr. Stanville. 
‘The character of Louisa is too sus 
ceptible: she transfers her affections 
{som one object to another with a facility 
which dérogates from that exalted dig- 
nity with which the author intended to 
endow her. * She is very young, indeed ; 
upon every principle of honour and dut 
ROMANCES AND NOVELS: 
not eighteen, but the author has tof’ 
ferred on this girl of eighteen all his’ 
own powers of discrimination, his own 
insight of character. his own aceuracy of 
judgment, and maturity of reason. 
Tt will here be very naturally asked 
what became of Polinski? the ardent 
lover, the accomplished prince ? Louisa 
had given him wumequivocal acknow- 
ledements of the impression. which his 
varied accomplishments had produced 
in her bosom. , When he quitted Geneva, 
where he could no longer remain the tor- 
tured witness of her impending misery 
as the wife of Malcolm, he was permitted 
to correspond with her. What becomes 
of Polinski ? Lonisa is liberated, and his 
own engagement is also at an end: the 
lady to whom he was betrothed, it s¢ems, 
thought he was dilatory in coming to 
claim her promised hand, and therefore 
conferred it on another. Once more, 
then, what becomes of the prince? had 
absence cooled his ardour, or had the 
charms of some third beauty fascinated his 
affections? No: but we are incidentally in- 
formed, not from the best authority im- 
deed, thatthe only impediment to offering 
his hand where his heart is soentirely de- 
voted arises from the difference of religion : 
but for that he would immediately have 
flown to the feet of his charmer: In this 
abrupt manner is‘Prince Polinski driver 
oT the stage: his character is drawn 
with a great deal of spirit, We are in- 
terested in his fate, and he ought not to 
have been dismissed with so ‘little cere- 
mony. ‘he difference of his religion 
and Louisa’s must have ‘been perfectly 
well known to him at Geneva; so that 
our avibor has been as unsuccessful in 
extricating himself from’ this scrape as 
he was in the other. 
Mr. Stanviile, then, is the next object 
of Louisa’s love: but an unfortunate 
amour has impleated his honour, and 
he struggles boldly, but ineffectually to 
resist the impression of her charms. 
‘The story of Agathe, who has been the 
unhappy victim of Stanville’s impetuous 
passion, is extremely beautiful ; it is tol 
with simplicity and feeling, and is alto 
gether full of interest. But kere agair 
the author entangles himself in 4 ne! 
which he is obliged to break in order t 
escape from: Agathe is the mothe 
of a babe of which Mr. Stanville i 
the father.’ Her disgrace is concealed i 
aconvent in the south of France: Loui 
Riversdale cannot accept thehand whi 
