It is quite poetical and even mythological; Ariadne went no further than this.  She demanded of Bacchus consolation for the sorrows caused by love.  How beautifully he sang the hymn to Bacchus in the last act of Antigone!  He has a fine tenor voice; until now I was not aware of his possessing this gift.  How happy he seemed among his charming companions!  Valentine, was I not right in saying that the trial of discouragement is infallible?  In love despair is a snare; to cease to hope is to cease to feign; a man returns to his nature as soon as hypocrisy is useless.  The Prince has proved to me that he prefers low society, that it is his natural element; that he had completely metamorphosed himself so as to appear before us as an elegant, refined, dignified gentleman!

Oh! this evening he certainly was sincere; his real character was on the surface; he made no effort to restrain himself; he was perfectly at home, in his element; and one cannot disguise his delight at being in his element.  There is a carelessness in his movements that betrays his self-satisfaction; he struts and spreads himself with an air of confidence; he seems to float in the air, to swim on the crest of the wave ...  People can conceal their delight when they have recognised an adored being among a crowd ... can avoid showing that a piece of information casually heard is an important fact that they have been trying to discover for weeks; ... can hide sudden fear, deep vexation, great joy; but they cannot hide this agreeable impression, this beatitude that they feel upon suddenly returning to their element, after long days of privation and constraint.  Well, my dear, the element of Monsieur de Monbert is low company.  I take credit to myself for not saying anything more.

I have often observed these base proclivities in persons of the same high condition of life as the Prince.  Men brought up in the most refined and cultivated society, destined to fill important positions in life, take the greatest pleasure in associating-with common people; they impose elegance upon themselves as a duty, and indulge in vulgarity as a recreation; they have a spite against these charming qualities they are compelled to assume, and indemnify themselves for the trouble of acquiring them by rendering them mischievously useless when they seek low society and attempt to shine where their brilliancy is unappreciated.  This low tendency of human nature explains the eternal struggle between nature and education; explains the taste, the passion of intelligent distinguished men for bad company; the more reserved and dignified they are in their manners, the more they seek the society of worthless men and blemished women.  Another reason for this low proclivity is the vanity of men; they like to be admired and flattered, although they know their admirers are utterly worthless and despicable.