"'Then you have the greater merit，' replied the Queen， turning round to old Vestris--'Ah， I shall never forget you and Mademoiselle Guimard dancing the minuet de la cour.'
"On this old Vestris held up his head with that peculiar grace for which he was so much distinguished. The old man， though ridiculously vain， was very much of a gentleman in his manners. The father of Vestris was a painter of some celebrity at Florence， and originally from Tuscany."第一章SECTION IX.
"The visit of the favourite brother of Marie Antoinette， the Emperor Joseph the Second， to France， had been long and anxiously expected， and was welcomed by her with delight. The pleasure Her Majesty discovered at having him with her is scarcely credible； and the affectionate tenderness with which the Emperor frequently expressed himself on seeing his favourite sister evinced that their joys were mutual.
"Like everything else， however， which gratified and obliged the Queen， her evil star converted even this into a misfortune. It was said that the French Treasury， which was not overflowing， was still more reduced by the Queen's partiality for her brother. She was accused of having given him immense sums of money； which was utterly false.
"The finances of Joseph were at that time in a situation too superior to those of France to admit of such extravagance， or even to render it desirable. The circumstance which gave a colour to the charge was this：
"The Emperor， in order to facilitate the trade of his Brabant subjects， had it in contemplation to open the navigation of the Scheldt. This measure would have been ruinous to many of the skippers， as well as to the internal commerce of France. It was considered equally dangerous to the trade and navigation of the North Hollanders. To prevent it， negotiations were carried on by the French Minister， though professedly for the mutual interest of both countries， yet entirely at the instigation and on account of the Dutch. The weighty argument of the Dutch to prevent the Emperor from accomplishing a purpose they so much dreaded was a sum of many millions， which passed by means of some monied speculation in the Exchange through France to its destination at Vienna.
It was to see this affair settled that the Emperor declared in Vienna his intention of taking France in his way from Italy， before he should go back to Austria.
"The certainty of a transmission of money from France to Austria was quite enough to awaken the malevolent， who would have taken care， even had they inquired into the source whence the money came， never to have made it public. The opportunity was too favourable not to be made the pretext to raise a clamour against the Queen for robbing France to favour and enrich Austria.
"The Emperor， who had never seen me， though he had often heard me spoken of at the Court of Turin， expressed a wish， soon after his arrival， that I should be presented to him. The immediate cause of this let me explain.
"I was very much attached to the Princesse Clotilde， whom I had caused to be united to Prince Charles Emanuel of Piedmont. Our family had， indeed， been principally instrumental in the alliances of the two brothers of the King of France with the two Piedmontese Princesses， as I had been in the marriage of the Piedmontese Prince with the Princess of France. When the Emperor Joseph visited the Court of Turin he was requested when he saw me in Paris to signify the King of Sardinia's satisfaction at my good offices. Consequently， the Emperor lost no time in delivering his message.
"When I was just entering the Queen's apartment to be presented， 'Here，' said Her Majesty， leading me to the Emperor， 'is the Princess，' and， then turning to me， exclaimed， 'Mercy， how cold you are！' The Emperor answered Her Majesty in German， 'What heat can you expect from the hand of one whose heart resides with the dead？' and subjoined， in the same language， 'What a pity that so charming a head should be fixed on a dead body.'
"I affected to understand the Emperor literally， and set him and the Queen laughing by thanking His Imperial Majesty for the compliment.
"The Emperor was exceedingly affable and full of anecdote. Marie Antoinette resembled him in her general manners. The similitude in their easy openness of address towards persons of merit was very striking.
Both always endeavoured to encourage persons of every class to speak their minds freely， with this difference， that Her Majesty in so doing never forgot her dignity or her rank at Court. Sometimes， however， Ihave seen her， though so perfect in her deportment with inferiors， much intimidated and sometimes embarrassed in the presence of the Princes and Princesses， her equals， who for the first time visited Versailles： indeed， so much as to give them a very incorrect idea of her capacity.
It was by no means an easy matter to cause Her Majesty to unfold her real sentiments or character on a first acquaintance.
"I remember the Emperor one evening at supper when he was exceedingly good-humoured， talkative， and amusing. He had visited all his Italian relations， and had a word for each， man， woman， or child--not a soul was spared. The King scarcely once opened his mouth， except to laugh at some of the Emperor's jokes upon his Italian relations.
"He began by asking the Queen if she punished her husband by ****** him keep as many Lents in the same year as her sister did the King of Naples.
The Queen not knowing what the Emperor meant， he explained himself， and said， 'When the King of Naples offends his Queen she keeps him on short commons and 'soupe maigre' till he has expiated the offence by the penance of humbling himself； and then， and not till then， permits him to return and share the nuptial rights of her bed.'
