74 A TEOT,.^ND A DINNER PARTY. 



ently associate. Abroad they seek out those with 

 whom they have feelings and ideas, and yet more 

 amusements in common — those who have not they 

 neither exclude nor avoid, but simply do not chance 

 to notice or seek out, because they find no cause why 

 they should do so. There are ignorant asses, and ill- 

 natured assuming puppies in all classes ; and I dare 

 say, my dear colonel, your knowledge of New York, 

 and its fashionable characters, might call to your mind 

 some ignoramuses as great as Jardinier, and some dan- 

 dies more exclusive and insolent than Cheshire, who 

 have no merit equal to the fearless horsemanship of 

 the former, and the savoir vivre of the latter, and who 

 are more assuming and ridiculous, than either." 



" Of course, and their name is not one or two, but 

 legion," said the Virginian, laughing ; " but, once 

 more, how comes it that you always locate, as we 

 should say, your American characters so well ? You 

 ask me that question about New York, and perforce I 

 am bound to answer ' ay !' Had you put the same 

 about Boston, or Philadelphia, or any of our southern 

 cities, I could, perhaps, have conscientiously said ' no.' 

 How is it, Matuschevitz ?" 



"I told you before," said the count, laughing, 

 " que eest mon metier a moi, en qualite de diplomat, 

 and who knows perhaps en qualite de Russe aussi, or 

 as you would term it at a public meeting, as a Boos- 

 sian Barbarian, to know something about all countries 

 with which we have or may chance to have foreign re- 

 lations. De plus, we have had two or three people of 

 our own among you who have seen something of soci- 

 ety in America, and have marked the differences be- 

 tween the different cities, so that we are not so igno- 

 rant of the great New York fashionables — the J — eses, 

 and M — ns, and J — dds, and P — ans, H — nies, and 

 S — ras, and all the other tailors and candle-makers, 

 and slave-traders, and chandlers, who are too aristo- 



