to prove the truth of what he said.  The King went out to accompany her into the garden; and, soon after, Quesnay and M. de Marigny came in.  I spoke with contempt of some one who was very fond of money.  At this the Doctor laughed, and said, “I had a curious dream last night:  I was in the country of the ancient Germans; I had a large house, stacks of corn, herds of cattle, a great number of horses, and huge barrels of ale; but I suffered dreadfully from rheumatism, and knew not how to manage to go to a fountain, at fifty leagues’ distance, the waters of which would cure me.  I was to go among a strange people.  An enchanter appeared before me, and said to me, ’I pity your distress; here, I will give you a little packet of the powder of “prelinpinpin”; whoever receives a little of this from you will lodge you, feed you, and pay you all sorts of civilities.’  I took the powder, and thanked him.”  “Ah!” said I, “how I should like to have some powder of prelinpinpin!  I wish I had a chest full.”—­“Well,” said the Doctor, “that powder is money, for which you have so great a contempt.  Tell me who, of all the men who come hither, receives the greatest attentions?”—­“I do not know,” said I.  “Why,” said he, “it is M. de Monmartel, who comes four or five times a year.”—­“Why does he enjoy so much consideration?”—­“Because his coffers are full of the powder of prelinpinpin.  Everything in existence,” said he, taking a handful of Louis from his pocket, “is contained in these little pieces of metal, which will convey you commodiously from one end of the world to the other.  All men obey those who possess this powder, and eagerly tender them their services.  To despise money, is to despise happiness, liberty, in short, enjoyments of every kind.”  A cordon bleu passed under the window.  “That nobleman,” said I, “is much more delighted with his cordon bleu than he would be with ten thousand of your pieces of metal.”—­“When I ask the King for a pension,” replied Quesnay, “I say to him, ’Give me the means of having a better dinner, a warmer coat, a carriage to shelter me from the weather, and to transport me from place to place without fatigue.’  But the man who asks him for that fine blue ribbon would say, if he had the courage and the honesty to speak as he feels, ’I am vain, and it will give me great satisfaction to see people look at me, as I pass, with an eye of stupid admiration, and make way, for me; I wish, when I enter a room, to produce an effect, and to excite the attention of those who may, perhaps, laugh at me when I am gone; I wish to be called Monseigneur by the multitude.’  Is not all this mere empty air?  In scarcely any country will this ribbon be of the slightest use to him; it will give him no power.  My pieces of metal will give me the power of assisting the unfortunate everywhere.  Long live the omnipotent powder of prelinpinpin!” At these last words, we heard a burst of laughter from the adjoining room, which was only separated by