and its Habitues 



I " 



" Allons ! un cigare ? 



"■ Avec plaisir. Savez-vous les dernieres nouvelles de la 

 Reine ? " 



" J'espere qu'elle se porte mieux." 



" On dit que la blessure tient neuf pouces de profondeur." 



" Quelle merveille qu'elle n'est pas morte ! Comment 

 trouvez-vous le cigare ? " 



" C'est de tres bon tabac." 



As I increased in my Spanish, my friends, who had 

 formerly talked French to me, began to give it up ; for, 

 whatever persons may intend to do, they do always practic- 

 ally converse in that tongue which is, on the whole, the 

 easiest means of communication ; and I could mark my 

 progress in the language as it rose and flooded, one by one, 

 nearly all the French of my acquaintance. 



A large party generally adjourned to the opera soon after 

 seven. Don Jose Laso assured me that his box [palco) was 

 my house, and I used often to go there, not for the music, 

 which was third-rate, but being a large sheltered box over 

 the stage, it was a convenient place to talk and smoke, and 

 there were usually assembled in it half a dozen or so of my 

 most intimate friends. After the theatre I either went to 

 bed, an evening party, or back to sup on chocolate and pan 

 fr'ito I at the Casino, 



Sometimes, of mornings, I used to go and sit in the 

 studio of Egron Lundgren, a very clever artist and agree- 

 able young man. He is a Swede, and speaks English, 

 French, Spanish, Italian, German, and I do not know how 

 many other languages, all very well. His paintings were 

 usually the costumes of the country, which he did with 

 great truth, spirit, and taste ; and great force and tone of 

 colouring. He also does admirable rapid sketches in water- 



' Bread fried in oil. 



73 



