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The Comte de St. Germain - by Isabel Cooper-Oakley - [1912]
quoting from "Chroniques, de l’Œil de Bœuf." Written down by the widowed Countess v. B. . . . .

There appeared at the Court in these days an extraordinary man, who called himself Comte de St. Germain. At first he distinguished himself through his cleverness and the great diversity of his talents, but in another respect he soon aroused the greatest astonishment.

The old Countess v. Georgy who fifty years earlier had accompanied her husband to Venice where he had the appointment of ambassador, lately met St. Germain at Mme. de Pompadour's. For some time she watched the stranger with signs of the greatest surprise, in which was mixed not a little fear. Finally, unable to control her excitement, she approached the Count more out of curiosity than in fear.

'Will you have the kindness to tell me,' said the Countess, 'whether your father was in Venice about the year 1710?'

'No, Madame,' replied the Count quite unconcerned, 'it is very much longer since I lost my father; but I myself was living in Venice at the end of the last and the beginning of this century; I had the honour to pay you court then,  and you were kind enough to admire a few Barcarolles of my composing which we used to sing together.'

'Forgive me, but that is impossible; the Comte de St. Germain I knew in those days was at least 45 years old, and you, at the outside, are that age at present.'

'Madame,' replied the Count smiling, 'I am very old.'

'But then you must be nearly 100 years old.'

'That is not impossible.' And then the Count recounted to Mme. v. Georgy a number of familiar little details which had reference in common to both, to their sojourn in the Venitian States. He offered, if she still doubted him, to bring back to her memory certain circumstances and remarks, which . . . .

‘No, no,' interrupted the old ambassadress, 'I am already convinced. For all that you are a most extraordinary man, a devil.'

'For pity's sake!' exclaimed St. Germain in a thundering voice, 'no such names!'

He appeared to be seized with a cramp-like trembling in every limb, and left the room immediately.