Among the constant visitors at our house, I should have mentioned Count
Daniel Kiusko, a fabulously rich young Slav, the owner of platinum mines
in the Krapacks mountains, and in the forests of Bessarabia. This being
his first visit to Paris, I found myself selected to act as his guide or
bear-leader, and to introduce him to our gay world. It was a simple
enough task, for that matter, since I had hardly anything to do but to
present him in society.

He was tall, slenderly built, and a fine specimen of the young boyard,
with that determined expression of countenance which suggests a habit of
acting and being obeyed as the feudal lord. In less than a week, with
the most lofty recklessness, he had thrown away half a million francs in
the club at baccarat, and his other doings are all in the same vein.
With such a start, you may be sure he has taken the world by storm, so
that his friendship is sought after as a prize. A successful duel which
he fought with a Brazilian made his reputation as a skilful swordsman.

His gratitude to me, and a sort of frank admiration of superior
qualities, which he fancies he recognises in me, have won for me his
friendship. I have quite become "his guide, philosopher, and friend." I
find him a capital companion, and, like some modern Damon and Pythias,
we hardly pass a day without seeing one another. At first he was rather
surprised that I abstained from the promiscuous pleasures of the gay
world; but he soon divined that I was restrained by the spell of a
secret passion, and this placed me still higher in his estimation.