168 BAILLY, 



He will probably come to see me ; he may, perhaps, 

 have come already. What could I say to him ? I do 

 not think any one ever wrote worse. He mistakes ob- 

 scurity for profundity ; it is the darkness before the crea- 

 tion." 



Notwithstanding all Bailly's efforts to change the subject 

 of the conversation, perhaps on account of those very 

 efforts, the Marchioness rose, goes in search of the pam- 

 phlet, puts it into the author's hands, and begs of him to 

 read aloud, if it be but the first page quite enough, she 

 said, to enable one to judge of the rest. 



Bailly used to read remarkably well. I leave it to be 

 guessed whether, on this occasion, he was able to exercise 

 this talent. Superfluous trouble ! Madame de Crequi 

 interrupted him at each sentence by the most disagree- 

 able commentaries, by exclamations such as the following : 

 " Detestable style ! " " Confusion worse confounded ! " 

 and other similar amenities. Bailly did not succeed in 

 extorting any indulgences from Madame de Crequi, when, 

 fortunately, the arrival of another visitor put an end to 

 this insupportable torture. 



Two years after this, Bailly having become the first 

 personage in the city, some booksellers collected all his 

 opuscula and published them. This time, the Marchion- 

 ess, who had lost all recollection of the scene that I have 

 been describing, overpowered the Mayor of Paris with 

 compliments and felicitations on account of this same 

 eulogy, which she had before treated with such inhuman 

 rigour. 



Such a contrast excited the mirth of the author. Still, 

 might I dare to say so, Madame de Crequi was, perhaps, 

 sincere on both occasions ; had the exaggerations of praise 

 and of criticism been put aside, it would not have been 



