****************

# 38

A Gallant invitation. 

My collection of secondary used playing cards includes all kind of invitations. Ball invitations from the USA (see example 1 in this series), invitations for musical events, for a card playing evening, for a dinner, for business meetings, for a political hearing, for funerals and for Holy Masses to commemorate a deceased person. However the most unusual invitation that I have is this one. It is French, 18th century, and it is a very intriguing, gallant but also naughty invitation. The ‘dear friend’ is invited to a brothel! 

‘My dear friend, today you may have the good fortune to meet your lovely lady friends. After having served old wigs with the coffee, they will not be adverse to less serious faces. I shall await you there. Where is that, you may be wondering. It is where charming ladies live, who not only associate heartiness and wit, but also an easy and agreeable intercourse with the most scrupulous decency; I will say no more. You will guess or you do not deserve to know their names. There are not that many of them.
Yours affectionately

V. de Saussure.’

The card is folded. I guess the ‘friend’ folded the card to hide it in his pocket. There is no address, but if you read between the lines, the ‘friend’ must haven known where to go.

Gejus                                    

****************