284 MEMOIRS OF 



them to the drawing-room, if, by chance, any 

 one arrived whom he thought tliey would like to 

 see, expressly inviting those to his house who 

 had excited either their curiosity or interest, and 

 devising every thing he could think of for their 

 enjoyment or entertainment. At the time when 

 Paris was lialf mad about the Greeks, he sud- 

 denly re-appeared, after he had taken leave of 

 us, with a beautiful Greek boy, the son of Colo- 

 cotroni, whom he had accidentally met as he 

 quitted the Jardin ; but, fancying that we should 

 like to be acquainted with this intelligent, ani- 

 mated child, he took the trouble of coming back 

 on purpose to present him to us. He frequently 

 walked, or rode home in a cabriolet, in order to 

 lend his carriage to the ladies of his house; if a 

 wish was expressed to see a scarce book that his 

 own immense library did not contain, he would 

 bring it home from the Institute for inspection j 

 and, while carrying on the most important duties 

 of the savant and the legislator, he yet found 

 time to think of others and their trifling desires. 

 Now and then, when the summer lessened some 

 of his heavy public duties, he would take a walk 

 with us; and no schoolboy, with permission to 

 go out of bounds, could set off with more de- 

 light than we all did. Sometimes he would con- 



