Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/28

30 Church; saw the baptism of the Prince of Wales; caught a glimpse of the Emperor Nicholas of Russia; witnessed a grand illumination, in the midst of which, hearing of the death of the Duke of Orleans, I posted off immediately to Paris, to see the funeral ceremonies—stayed two weeks in France, enjoying myself as much as possible, going wherever I pleased, feeling perfectly independent of everybody I was tempted at one time to engage myself for the winter as ladies' maid in the family of a distinguished physician, but refused, not wishing to break my promise to the English family. I staid, however, in Paris till my money was all gone, and only raised the means to get back to England by pledging my watch and other trinkets, which was my first and last transaction of this kind. But I knew that without money I should soon be without friends, for in France and England I had seen this fact exemplified, in many painful instances, among the high-born as well as the low.

I have seen those who seemed to have plenty of means caressed and made much of to-day, and cast off to-morrow, when their means were gone. "Better be born lucky than rich;" for riches often take to themselves wings, but something always seems to turn up just in the right time for the lucky. I traveled once, however, with an individual who seemed neither to have been born lucky nor rich. She and I chanced to be in the same diligence from Paris to B., where she was engaged as governess in the family of Count R.—an engagement which had taken place by letters simply, neither of the parties ever having met each other. Upon the occasion I speak of, she was on her way to the residence of the count. Her manners