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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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«¦ The Father Of Madame Recamier Was Jea...
recognised by never adopting" tile usual habit of tutoyant those with whom , she conversed .
Barras , M . de Talleyrand , the poet Deshaye , La Reveillere-LepeauxLa Harpewith niany others , delighted to converse with her
, , at the half political , half literary soirees of the time ; and at balls , where she made a point of being the first to arrive and the last to
depart , we cannot doubt how eagerly her hand was sought and her notice desired .
On the 10 th of December , 1797 , the _JDirectoire gave a grand fite at the Luxembourg to Bonaparte , the conqueror of Italy . It was
the first time Madame Recamier had had an opportunity of seeing the First _Consiiland in her eager curiosity she could not resist
, the impulse to stand up , so as to have a better view of his countenance while he was listening to a long speech of Barras ' . The
slight beautiful young woman dressed in -white attracted all eyes , and a hum of admiration called the attention of the hero of the day ,
whose stern glance turned towards her made her reseat herself in confusion .
At the close of 1798 , M . Recamier , finding his house too small for his hospitable receptions and his increasing fortune , purchased an
hotel belonging to M . _INTeeker in the Hue Mont Blanc . Madame Recamier still continued to reside at Clichy , -which was
near enough to Paris to give her every advantage of society , and where she could still enjoy the pure air and flowers of the country .
M . Recamier came almost daily to dine with his wife , but resided in Paris .
The negotiations for the house in the Rue Mont Blanc led , howeverto a more important result to Madame Recamier than the
possession , of a splendid mansion so luxuriously and beautifully furnished as to be the talk of Paris . It led to the formation of one of
the sincerest and pleasantest friendships of her life—to her first introduction to the celebrated Madame de Stael . We give the
account of their interview , in her own words : — " One dayand this day forms an epoch in my life , M . Recamier
, arrived at Clichy with a lady whom he did not introduce , but left in the drawing-room with me while he went to rejoin some other
persons in the park . This lady came to speak about the sale and purchase of a house ; her dress was peculiar ; she wore a morning
gown and a little dress hat , trimmed with flowers : I took her for a foreigner . I was struck by the . beauty of her eyes and of her
expression ; I scarcely understood what I felt , but certainly I was more occupied in endeavoring to recogniseand , so to speak , to
, guess at her , than in offering her the ordinary civilities of reception , when she said to me that she was enchanted to know me ; that
M . Necker , her father ... at these words I recognised Madame de Stael ! I did not hear the end of her sentence , I blushed ; my
confusion was excessive .
• " I had just been reading her letters on Rousseau , ' and was en-
