If the nobles dress like the bourgeoisie it is owing to their having become bourgeois， that is to say， idlers retired from business， with nothing to do but to talk and amuse themselves. -- Undoubtedly they amuse themselves and converse like people of refinement； but it is not very difficult to equal them in this respect. Now that the Third-Estate has acquired its wealth a good many commoners have become people of society. The successors of Samuel Bernard are no longer so many Turcarets， but Paris-Duverneys， Saint-Jameses， Labordes， refined men， people of culture and of feeling， possessing tact， literary and philosophical attainments， benevolent， giving parties and knowing how to entertain[17]. With them， slightly different， we find the same company as with a grand lord， the same ideas and the same tone. Their sons， messieurs de Villemer， de Francueil， d'Epinay， throw money out of the window with as much elegance as the young dukes with whom they sup. A parvenu with money and intellect soon learns the ropes， and his son， if not himself， is initiated： a few years' exercises in an academy， a dancing-master， and one of the four thousand public offices which confer nobility， supply him with the deficient appearances.
Now， in these times， as soon as one knows how to conform to the laws of good-breeding， how to bow and how to converse， one possesses a patent for admission everywhere. An Englishman[18] remarks that one of the first expressions employed in praise of a man is， "he has a very graceful address." The Maréchale de Luxembourg， so high-spirited， always selects Laharpe as her cavalier， because "he offers his arm so well." -- The commoner not only enters the drawing-room， if he is fitted for it， but he stands foremost in it if he has any talent. The first place in conversation， and even in public consideration， is for Voltaire， the son of a notary， for Diderot， the son of a cutler， for Rousseau， the son of a watchmaker， for d'Alembert， a foundling brought up by a glazier； and， after the great men have disappeared， and no writers of the second grade are left， the leading duchesses are still content to have the seats at their tables occupied by Champfort， another foundling， Beaumarchais， the son of another watchmaker， Laharpe， supported and raised on charity， Marmontel， the son of a village tailor， and may others of less note， in short， every parvenu possessing wit.
The nobility， to perfect their own accomplishments， borrow their pens and aspire to their successes. "We have recovered from those old Gothic and absurd prejudices against literary culture，" says the Prince de Hénin；[19] "as for myself I would compose a comedy to-morrow if I had the talent， and if I happened to be made a little angry， Iwould perform in it." And， in fact， "the Vicomte de Ségur， son of the minister of war， plays the part of the lover in 'Nina' on Mlle. de Guimard's stage with the actors of the Italian Comedy."[20] One of Mme. de Genlis's personages， returning to Paris after five years'