This supper was to Pollnitz the great circumstance, the middle point
of the fete. Such an entertainment was now rare at the court of
Berlin, and many months might pass away ere the queen would think of
giving another supper. Pollnitz knew that when he thirsted now for a
luxurious meal he must enjoy it at his own cost, and this thought
made him shudder. The worthy baron was at the same time a
spendthrift and a miser.
Four times in every year he had three or four days of rare and rich
enjoyment; he lived en grand seigneur, and prepared for himself
every earthly luxury; these were the first three or four days of
every quarter in which he received his salary. With a lavish hand he
scattered all the gold which he could keep back from his greedy
creditors, and felt himself young, rich, and happy. After these
fleeting days of proud glory came months of sad economy; he was
obliged to play the role of a parasitical plant, attach himself to
some firm, well-rooted stem, and absorb its strength and muscle. In
these days of restraint he watched like a pirate all those who were
in the condition to keep a good table, and so soon as he learned
that a dinner was on hand, he knew how to conquer a place.
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