Ah, but never have they looked upon such brilliancy as we see here to-night!
No, never! Nor, you might have added, upon such luxury and wealth!
Nor upon such enchanting, such soul-emancipating gaiety! If this be not gaiety, then I know not what gaiety is. But let that pass. 'Tis ill quarrelling with persons who writhe in the pangs of envy. Yet I will venture to foretell that those same persons will presumptuously assert that these were not gilded chairs upon which we are now sitting--not gilded chairs!
No; mere deteriorated articles, purchased, for a trifling sum, from some secondhand dealer!
They will say, too, that those beautiful electric globes were tallow candles of the commonest quality!
Or trashy oil lamps! Oh, tongues of envy!
Peradventure they will have the effrontery to deny that the mansion has gilded cornices?
Or that to the pictures on the walls there are the massive gilded frames which we see before us? For my part, I seem to hear the veritable chink of gold in this palace.
Well, at all events we behold its glitter: and that, in my opinion, is as good.
Seldom has it fallen to my lot to enjoy such ravishing strains as those which always greet our ears at balls given by the Man. They constitute the veritable music of the spheres, and waft the soul from earth to higher regions.
Yes, in truth do they! Yet we have some reason to expect that the music should be of the finest quality, seeing that the Man is in a position to pay the immense fees demanded by the musicians. You must recollect that this is the most distinguished orchestra of the day, and plays at all the most _recherché_ functions.
Ah, one could listen to such strains for ever! They simply _enchant_ one's sense of hearing! I may inform you that, for days and nights after one of these balls given by the Man, my sons and daughters never cease to hum the tunes which they have heard there.
At times I seem to hear such divine music when I am walking in the streets. I gaze around me, but neither instrument nor player is to be seen.
What appears to me so especially excellent about these musicians is that they play with such _abandon_. Though aware of the immense fees which they are entitled to demand for their services, they are yet good enough to refrain from giving nothing in return. That seems to me particularly right and proper.