During this conversation, two or three times my eyes met those of Madame de Fersen, who, each time she perceived I was looking at her, quickly turned her gaze. M. de Sérigny watched Madame de V---- all the time and seemed on thorns. A woman came up; Madame de Fersen took her arm and went into the salon. The minister was doubtless coming towards us when he was arrested by Baron ----, who, according to Pommerive, accumulated his daughters' dowries from the appropriation for entertainments. I do not know if the subject of his talk with M. de Sérigny was very important, but I have my doubts as to the attention given him by the minister, so engaged was he in watching Madame de V----. "Well," said I to my companion, "it is then true? Those charming hands hold the fate of Europe? The reign of female sovereigns and of enslaved ministers is returning? How delightful! It looks as rococo as possible and seems very pretty. See now, for instance, at this very moment you are entangling wildly the destinies of the grand duchy of ----, for the _chargé d'affaires_ of that poor little court seems to me to have exhausted all his arguments, and you look as if he had spoken Greek." "Let us for once exhaust this miserable subject of conversation," said Madame de V---- with vivacity, "never to return to it. Yes, M. de Sérigny pays furious court to me, and I do not reject his attentions. I am even very coquettish with him, because it amuses me to tyrannise over a man in so high a position; and then, as they attribute to me as much influence over him as they attribute to him worship of me, you can have no idea of the snares laid for me by the _corps diplomatique_ to make me talk. For my own amusement, I make quite innocently the most absurd half confidences, but you can well see that all this can hardly afford amusement to a boarding-school miss. This is my confession; grant me plenary absolution, at least out of pity, for M. de Sérigny is a wearisome sin. And now, in your turn, tell me of your travels, your adventures, your love affairs, and I will see if I can grant you absolution." "To speak in your own language, I will confess, in the first place, that my greatest sin is being still in love with you."