Besides, there are charming people among them who would ornament any society, but their ill-acted airs of 'brief authority' quite spoil them, and make them, as I said, bores to themselves and to those who would be their friends.
I will, in proof of what I say, relate a short anecdote as to what occurred in the house of a friend of mine.
This friend gave a very large fancy dress ball, at which two or three hundred people were present.

The ball was in every way a success, but as the giver did not belong to the 'sacred circle,' the members of that body only condescended to go for a short time.

I have no doubt (for there are lots of jolly people among them) that they would have liked to have stopped much longer, but it was not thought 'dignified.' So, after a short time, most of the 'sacred circle' sneaked away.

One of them who had two charming daughters, devoted to dancing, not having noticed the departure of the great people till that moment, came hurriedly to my friend and said, 'Goodnight, I _must go_, every one is gone.' 'Every one ?' said my friend, 'why, look at the rooms, there are at least two hundred people dancing and amusing themselves.' 'Yes, I see,' said the diplomat (he was rather a small one), 'but I mean the ambassadors and their parties, are gone, so I _must_ go; but for once, to please you, I'll leave my daughters.' I believe my friend answered, 'You may go to the d----l.' This is a fact, and shows the unfortunate system that ruins to a great extent the sociability of society in Pera.
Now it is true that all these people are called barons, counts, viscounts, &c., but my friend belongs to a right good family, and would have been more than the equal of many of them had they met in Paris, London, St.Petersburg, Berlin, or Vienna.

The title of baron, &c., seems to me to be always given to a diplomat _ex-officio_.