Second Impressions by Ava Farmer

Author:Ava Farmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
Published: 2011-11-10T16:00:00+00:00

CHAP. 2.

THE OBTAINING OF INTRODUCTIONS being a less formal practise in France than in England, it took little time for the Darcys to become acquainted with the most fashionable set, and before many days had passed, they had received invitations from some of the most highly connected families in Paris. Cartes de visite began arriving at their hôtel apace. Elizabeth remarked that the entry-table looked like an avalanche in the Alps, so covered was it in white cards and notes requesting their society.

Between five and eight o’clock each evening, it was the custom of Parisian society to visit one of the many elegant restaurants along the fashionable streets, the best of which were located on the wide boulevards, also the location of the best salons. Although early in the spring, oftentimes the weather was fine, and the Darcys would walk the broad avenues of the Champs Elysées or the Tuilleries, or along the wide pavements of the river, watching the fashionables of Paris promenade, sit, gossip, flirt, rendezvous, or otherwise engage in a thousand other frivolous occupations. From the heights of the house of Père de la Chaise, they viewed the exquisite architecture of Notre Dame and L’Hôtel des Invalides (although the gaudy supersufficiency of gilding quite spoilt the intended effect of grandeur). The Darcys enjoyed the Palais Royal and its beautiful fountain, the Jardins des Tuileries (unremarkable save their very fine orange trees in great pots), and the Jardin des Plantes (however inferior to Kew and the beasts at Exeter). The Louvre must be admitted as incomparable, even in its state of decaying splendour, and the length of the gallery itself was a thing of wonder. However, the idea of an avenue such as the Champs Elysées without a lawn was an anathema to English eyes, and Tivoli appeared to be but a dim reflection next to the brilliance of Vauxhall. The Darcys also drove out to the Bois de Boulogne, noting the surprising proportion of fashionable equestriennes in exquisite silk riding habits of all colours—cut remarkably along similar lines of the gentlemen’s coats, but in much finer detail—with military-stile hats, and their hair in a long plait down the back; it was impossible to imagine a more gracefully refined, striking picture of humanity, calculated in every detail to shew off the form of both horse and rider to absolute perfection.

One of the first engagements they attended was an evening assembly at the salon of Madame Marency, a lady of fortune much-famed for her entertainments, residing in La Rue de Vaugirard, near the Palais du Luxemburg. The room, already occupied by upwards of thirty by the time the Darcys arrived, rivalled Versailles in its opulence. Mahogany walls were bordered with gold, figurines ornamented every corner, and the furniture was dressed in a red velvet that struggled for notice under its burthen of ornament—braids, tassels, festoons, and other passamenterie. As the Darcys were announced, a group of affected young men occupying a corner of the room panelled by enormous looking-glasses—which

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