As far as amusement and fun go, one might seek much further and fare worse.
It is very, very rare that foreigners get beyond this circle.
Occasionally there is a marriage between an American girl and some Frenchman of high rank.In these cases the girl is, as it were, swallowed up.Her family see little of her, she rarely appears in general society, and, little by little, she is lost to her old friends and relations.I know of several cases of this kind where it is to be doubted if a dozen Americans outside of the girls'
connections know that such women exist.The fall in rents and land values has made the French aristocracy poor; it is only by the greatest economy (and it never entered into an American mind to conceive of such economy as is practised among them) that they succeed in holding on to their historical chateaux or beautiful city residences; so that pride plays a large part in the isolation in which they live.
The fact that no titles are recognized officially by the French government (the most they can obtain being a "courtesy"recognition) has placed these people in a singularly false position.An American girl who has married a Duke is a good deal astonished to find that she is legally only plain "Madame So and So;" that when her husband does his military service there is no trace of the high-sounding title to be found in his official papers.Some years ago, a colonel was rebuked because he allowed the Duc d'Alencon to be addressed as "Monseigneur" by the other officers of his regiment.This ought to make ambitious papas reflect, when they treat themselves to titled sons-in-law.They should at least try and get an article recognized by the law.