THE COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTO.
157
gers from all parts of the world; the united aristocracy of birth, wealth, and genius; lovely women who, yielding to the influence of the scene, bend over their balconies, or lean from their windows, and shower down confetti, which are returned with bouquets; the air is darkened with
The Carnival at Rome
confetti that fall and flowers that mount; in the streets the lively crowd, dressed in the most fantastic costumes; gigantic cabbages walked gravely about, buffaloes' heads bellowed from men's shoulders, dogs who walked on their fore legs; in the midst of all this a mask is lifted,
