Under the painful impression of that scene in the morning, I spent a sad day, full of depressing thoughts. The rapid ruin of Z----, the callousness of his two adversaries, the inevitable consequences of such a startling affair, did not make me feel disposed to enjoy any of the daily gaieties of the Congress. The arrival of Ypsilanti put an end to my serious mood. He came to take me to the masked ball given by the Court in the small hall set apart for routs, which was to be preceded by ‘living pictures.’ I at first refused, but was finally persuaded to accompany him. The entertainment differed but little from similar ones that had gone before; at that period there was one almost every week. After a few turns through the magnificent rooms, which, as usual, afforded the most complete and animated example of everything that wealth could procure and the constant craving for pleasure could relish, we went into the room arranged for ‘the living pictures.’ In the front rows, the emperors, the sovereigns, and queens, had already taken their seats; behind them were the political celebrities of the Congress. In a few minutes the curtain rose. The first picture was ‘la Conversation Espagnole,’ and the second ‘la Famille de Darius aux pieds d’Alexandre,’ after the handsome painting of Lebrun. The Comte de Schönfeldt represented Alexander, and the charming Sophie Zichy impersonated Statira. The features of the male character were stamped with the gentle pride of the victor, still further tempered by the kindness and modesty of the hero; the comtesse, even more beautiful than the figure of Lebrun’s painting, expressed both admiration and grief. The youngest and most charming women of the Court represented the daughters of Darius and the attendants of Statira. The heroic and touching expression of the principal personages, the numerous delightful figures, the fidelity of the attitudes, the arrangement of the light--in short, everything gave to the picture a completeness both elevated and sensuous, and it was not surprising to hear it unanimously applauded. It was followed by a performance of the sparkling comedy _Le Pacha de Surêne_, by M. Etienne. The principal parts were played by the Comtesses Zichy and Marassi, the Princesses Marie de Metternich and Thérèse Esterhazy, the Comte de Wallstein, the Prince Antoine Radziwill, and a few other distinguished personages. This pretty piece, interpreted with the ability of experienced actors, was greatly applauded.