George Ticknor, Life, letters and journals of George Ticknor
George Hillard, Ed.

[11] eyes, and not an agreeable expression of countenance, but still not a very bad one. He is said to be vulgar and ill-tempered. Among other things that are reported of him, a diplomatic gentleman told me he knew it to be a fact that he had been rude to his late Queen, a Princess of Sardinia,—he pulled out a chair from under her, so that she fell to the floor. She had the spirit to turn upon him and say, ‘I thought I had married a gentleman, but I find I have married a Lazzarone.’

. . . . Everybody stood up as they came in, and remained standing while they were there, except the Princess and another lady.

There were twenty or thirty persons present, including the Minister at War, Count Dietrichstein, Count Bombelles, etc. The Prince was truly courteous and attentive to his guests, but his very dignified bearing towards them announced his superiority in a way not to be mistaken. Those who entered the saloon [during the royal visit] did not present themselves to him or to the Princess, and he spoke to few persons. Once he came to me and asked when I should leave Vienna, and on my telling him, . . . . he seemed surprised, and invited me to dine with him on Friday, saying he would dine at the Chancery on that day at four. A few moments afterwards he came back and said he understood I liked old books, and that if I would come at three o'clock instead of four, he would show me his library. But in general he gave his whole attention to the King, who was supposed to do him a great honor by such an unceremonious call. The Princess, too, was quietly devoted to him. Au reste, there was no gene. Conversation was general round the room, and half a dozen of the party, who grew hungry,—from the delay of tea,—slid demurely round to the tea-table, and ate up the cakes and sandwiches. . . . .

When the party left, Prince Metternich went out before them to show the way, and I thought, as he crossed the saloon, that his moving figure was the most dignified and imposing I ever looked upon,— a striking contrast to the poor royalty that followed. The Princess went as far as the outer saloon, and the Prince accompanied them to their carriage. When the Princess came back she scolded the gentlemen good-humoredly for despoiling her tea-table when she could not defend it, ordered in other refreshments, and made tea. But it was getting late; I took French leave and hurried back to Vienna, but did not get there till nearly one o'clock.

June 30.—. . . .At four I went to dine with Baron Lerchenfeld, and found he had been so civil as to ask chiefly such persons as he knew to be my acquaintance in Vienna,—Jarcke; Count Bombelles;