I suspect that Madame and her daughter had
been reclining in true Eastern style upon the
divan; and an expiring coal upon the floor,
and a certain cloudy perfume suggested that
one of them, at least, had been indulging in
the luxury of a cigar. Warned of our
approach, however, the mother had thrown
herself in an easy posture on an arm-chair, ready
to rise gracefully to receive us; whilst the
daughter had taken her place at the piano
between two windows, and was playing a
polka with the music of one of Hertz's
quadrilles open before her. The great bane
of Wallachian society is this incessant imitation
of French manners. Half the time of the ladies
is occupied in playing a part totally foreign to
their character; which is essentially Eastern.
They have the talent of imitation in a remarkable
degree; and as a rule, are so graceful and
beautiful that any manners sit well upon
them. Nothing can be more fascinating than
the grace with which the forms of polished
society sit upon them, when these are, every
now and then, broken through by indications
of almost barbarous simplicity.

Our reception was most hospitable; and
although we were not quite prepared to talk
of the last new opera or to give our opinion
on M. Lamartine's latest poem, the afternoon
was pleasantly spent until the arrival of the
Boyard himself, with several other persons;
some visitors, like us, from Bucharest, others
inhabiting neighbouring villas. Their entry
reminded us once more of our whereabouts.
The Boyard, who had already laid aside his
hunting costume, was dressed in the true
style of Wallachian aristocracy. On his
head he wore a great black cap partly in the
form of a turban, so completely concealing
his hair that he seemed to be shaved like
a Turk. He wore his black beard. A long
tunic, handsomely embroidered, and a
pelisse, edged with fur, set off a frame of
remarkable vigour. Round his waist was a
splendid shawl; in which, as a sign of rank,
was stuck a richly-mounted yataghan. On
his feet were boots of soft yellow leather.
The other men were dressed in a somewhat
similar manner, though less splendidly. In
their behaviour the struggle could at once be
seen between sturdy barbarism and a desire
to imitate the forms of civilisation. We
could not help smiling to see a tall fellow,
six feet high, with a pointed cap and yellow
pelisse, standing behind Mademoiselle Lanszneck
and lisping out a request that she would
play or sing—he was madly fond of the
piano, still more madly of song, especially if
it were Italian; and, whilst the stout Boyard
was calling for a pipe to while away the time
that was yet to intervene until dinner, the
young lady, in a rich voice full of Eastern
accentuation, gave us Comme per sereno. The
gentleman in the yellow pelisse stood behind,
turning over the leaves, and lifting up his
eyes to the ceiling in admiration. The
bubbling of the water-pipes—for everybody
else was smoking—formed an agreeable
accompaniment.

About five o'clock a stout fellow, with an
apron tied under his armpits and descending
to the ankles, showed himself at a side door,
and chanted out: "Chouba yestê gata—the
soup is on the table." Upon which Yellow
Pelisse—who seemed to be claiming a right
—gave his arm to the young lady, whilst we
endeavoured to become the escort of Madame.
This custom is new in Wallachia, and everybody,
therefore, is so careful to attend to it,
that my arm came in contact with several
elbows thrust out at the same time. Whilst
we were apologising, the Boyard laughed
good-humouredly; and, taking his lady by
the hand, led the way.

The dinner was half Eastern half European.
First came an excellent soup, made of mutton
and fowls in equal proportions; then followed
several kinds of fruit, and a piece of stewed
beef. Two or three ragouts, more than one
species of delicious fish, succeeded; and
there were several dishes of roast meat.
Decanters of common red wine were plentifully
distributed; and now and then, a great silver
goblet was filled with genuine tokay, from
which the Boyard himself first sipped, and
then sent it round to all the guests in succession.
We had the honour of drinking after
the lovely Mademoiselle Lanszneck, at which
Mr. Yellow Pelisse, who was on the other
side of her, seemed rather hurt, and revenged
himself by draining the goblet nearly to the
bottom. At first every one, according to the
custom of the country, ate in dismal silence;
but, after the second course, the conversation
became general and lively. I could not
at first understand why all the company by
degrees raised their voices almost into a
scream. I caught myself shouting like a
boatswain, and suddenly discovered that a
window had been thrown open, and that half
a dozen Zigans without had begun to regale
us with a concert. At first the notes of their
instruments were low and melancholy; but
they had worked themselves up into enthusiasm
as they went on, and were treating us
to a storm of music. What struck me
principally was, that—although this accompaniment,
when brought up to that pitch,
appeared to me detestable, and gave me a
splitting headache—the Wallachians felt or
affected such raptures at the sound of civilised
music, that they were thrown into ecstacies,
and Mademoiselle herself gave the signal of
applause by laying down her knife and fork
and clapping her hands; certainly not with
any wish to draw attention to the white and
taper beauty of her fingers; the nails of which
were tipped with a beautiful rosy flush.

After the dessert we were surprised by
what seemed an imitation of English manners.
The ladies rose and left the gentlemen alone
to drink and smoke. We afterwards learned
that this had always been the custom in
Wallachia, ever since the time when ladies