Julien noticed that the conversation was usually kept alive by two viscounts and five barons whom M. de la Mole had known at the time of the emigration.
These gentlemen enjoyed an income of from six to eight hundred thousand francs. Four swore by the Quotidienne and three by the Gazette de France.
One of them had every day some anecdote to tell about the Chateau, in which he made lavish use of the word admirable.
Julien noticed that he had five crosses, the others as a rule only had three.
By way of compensation six footmen in livery were to be seen in the ante-room, and during the whole evening ices or tea were served every quarter-of-an-hour, while about midnight there was a kind of supper with champagne.
This was the reason that sometimes induced Julien to stay till the end. Apart from this he could scarcely understand why any one could bring himself to take seriously the ordinary conversation in this magnificently gilded salon.
Sometimes he would look at the talkers to see if they themselves were not making fun of what they were saying.
"My M. de Maistre, whom I know by heart," he thought, "has put it a hundred times better, and all the same he is pretty boring."
Julien was not the only one to appreciate this stifling moral atmosphere.
Some consoled themselves by taking a great quantity of ices, others by the pleasure of saying all the rest of the evening,
"I have just come from the Hotel de la Mole where I learnt that Russia, etc."
Julien learnt from one of the toadies that scarcely six months ago madame de la Mole had rewarded more than twenty years of assiduous attention by promoting the poor baron Le Bourguignon, who had been a sub-prefect since the restoration, to the rank of prefect.
This great event had whetted the zeal of all these gentlemen.
Previously there were few things to which they would have objected, now they objected to nothing.
There was rarely any overt lack of consideration, but Julien had already caught at meals two or three little short dialogues between the marquis and his wife which were cruel to those who were seated near them.
These noble personages did not conceal their sincere contempt for everyone who was not sprung from people who were entitled to ride in the carriages of the king. Julien noticed that the word crusade was the only word which gave their face an expression of deep seriousness akin to respect.
Their ordinary respect had always a touch of condescension.
In the middle of this magnificence and this boredom Julien was interested in nothing except M. de la Mole.
He was delighted to hear him protest one day that he had had nothing to do with the promotion of that poor Le Bourguignon, it was an attention to the marquise.
Julien knew the truth from the abbe Pirard.
The abbe was working in the marquis's library with Julien one morning at the eternal de Frilair lawsuit.
"Monsieur," said Julien suddenly, "is dining every day with madame la marquise one of my duties or a special favour that they show to me?"
"It's a special honour," replied the scandalised abbe. "M. the Academician, who has been cultivating the family for fifteen years, has never been able to obtain so much for his M. Tanbeau."
"I find it, sir, the most painful part of my employment.
I was less bored at the seminary.
Some times I see even mademoiselle de la Mole yawn, and yet she ought to be accustomed to the social charms of the friends of the house.
I am frightened of falling asleep.
As a favour, obtain permission for me to go and get a forty sous' dinner in some obscure inn."
The abbe who was a true snob, was very appreciative of the honour of dining with a great lord.
While he was endeavouring to get Julien to understand this point of view a slight noise made them turn round.
Julien saw mademoiselle de la Mole listening.
He reddened.
She had come to fetch a book and had heard everything. She began to entertain some respect for Julien.
"He has not been born servile," she thought, "like that old abbe.
Heavens, how ugly he is."
At dinner Julien did not venture to look at mademoiselle de la Mole but she was kind enough to speak to him.
They were expecting a lot of visitors that day and she asked him to stay.
The young girls of Paris are not at all fond of persons of a certain age, especially when they are slovenly.
Julien did not need much penetration to realise that the colleagues of M. le Bourguignon who remained in the salon had the privilege of being the ordinary butt of mademoiselle de la Mole's jokes.
On this particular day, whether or not by reason of some affectation on her part, she proved cruel to bores.
Mademoiselle de la Mole was the centre of a little knot which used to form nearly every evening behind the marquise's immense arm-chair.
There were to be found there the marquis de Croisenois, the comte de Caylus, the vicomte de Luz and two or three other young officers, the friends of Norbert or his sister. These gentlemen used to sit down on a large blue sofa.
At the end of the sofa, opposite the part where the brilliant Mathilde was sitting, Julien sat in silence on a little, rather low straw chair.
This modest position was envied by all the toadies; Norbert kept his father's young secretary in countenance by speaking to him, or mentioning him by name once or twice in the evening.
On this particular occasion mademoiselle de la Mole asked him what was the height of the mountain on which the citadel of Besancon is planted.
Julien had never any idea if this mountain was higher or lower than Montmartre.
He often laughed heartily at what was said in this little knot, but he felt himself incapable of inventing anything analagous.
It was like a strange language which he understood but could not speak.
On this particular day Matilde's friends manifested a continuous hostility to the visitors who came into the vast salon.
The friends of the house were the favoured victims at first, inasmuch as they were better known.