of Franco, while literary society was, of course, thrown open to her. She noticed a great alteration in manners since their last visit.
I should observe that a great change has taken place; the men huddle together now in France as they used to do in England, talking politics with their backs to the women in a corner, or even in the middle of the room, without minding them in the least, and the ladies complain and look very disconsolate, and many ask, "if this be Paris?" and others sen-am Ultra nonsense or Liberal nonsense to make themselves of consequence and to attract the attention of the gentlemen In 1803, under the First Consul's reign, when all free dom of discussion on public affairs was dangerous, and when all parties were glad to forgel the horrors of the revolutionary days, conversation was limited to literary or scientific subjects, and was therefore much more agreeable to foreigners; now in 1820, the verb politiquer; to talk politics, had heen invented.
As a foreigner, Miss Edgeworth was enabled to visit at the houses of all factions, and she found much entertainment in hearing their opinions and diametrically opposite views. The Emigrants spoke of the Liberals with the bitterest detestation as revolutionary monsters, the Liberals spoke of the Ultras as bigoted idiots. One of these said of a lady celebrated in 1803 as a brilliant talker, "Autrefois elle avait de l’esprit, mais elle est devenue Ultra, dévote et bête." While not sympathising with the insolence of either party, Miss Edgeworth extracted some diversion and yet more moral reflection from all she saw. Writing to Dr. Holland after she had been an observer for some time, she says:—
