The
female part of his friends consisted of Madam Denis, niece to
Voltaire, who, at that time, was nothing more than a good kind of
woman, and pretended not to wit: Madam Vanloo, certainly not handsome,
but charming, and who sang like an angel: Madam de Valmalette,
herself, who sang also, and who, although very thin, would have been
very amiable had she had fewer pretensions. Such, or very nearly such,
was the society of M. Mussard, with which I should have been much
pleased, had not his conchyliomania more engaged my attention; and I
can say, with great truth, that, for upwards of six months, I worked
with him in his cabinet with as much pleasure as he felt himself.
He had long insisted upon the virtue of the waters of Passy, that
they were proper in my case, and recommended me to come to his house
to drink them. To withdraw myself from the tumult of the city, I at
length consented, and went to pass eight or ten days at Passy,
which, on account of my being in the country, were of more service
to me than the waters I drank during my stay there. Mussard played the
violoncello, and was passionately fond of Italian music. This was
the subject of a long conversation we had one evening after supper,
particularly the opere-buffe we had both seen in Italy, and with which
we were highly delighted. My sleep having forsaken me in the night,
I considered in what manner it would be possible to give in France
an idea of this kind of drama. The Amours de Ragonde did not in the
least resemble it.
Pages:
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540