LAGINSKI (Comte Adam Mitgislas), a wealthy man who had been proscribed, belonged to one of the oldest and most illustrious families of Poland, and counted among his relations the Sapiehas, the Radziwills, the Mniszechs, the Rezwuskis, the Czartoriskis, the Lecszinskis, and the Lubomirskis. He had relations in the German nobility and his mother was a Radziwill. Young, plain, yet with a certain distinguished bearing, with an income of eighty thousand francs, Laginski was a leading light in Paris, during the reign of Louis Philippe. After the Revolution of July, while still unsophisticated, he attended an entertainment at the home of Felicite des Touches in Chaussee-d'Antin on rue du Mont-Blanc, and had the opportunity of listening to the delightful chats between Henri de Marsay and Emile Blondet. Comte Adam Laginski, during the autumn of 1835, married the object of his affections, Mademoiselle Clementine du Rouvre, niece of the Ronquerolles. The friendship of his steward, Paz, saved him from the ruin into which his creole-like carelessness, his frivolity and his recklessness were dragging him. He lived in perfect contentment with his wife, ignorant of the domestic troubles which were kept from his notice. Thanks to the devotion of Paz and of Madame Laginska, he was cured of a malady which had been pronounced fatal by Doctor Horace Bianchon. Comte Adam Laginski lived on rue de la Pepiniere, now absorbed in part by rue de la Boetie. He occupied one of the most palatial and artistic houses of the period, so called, of Louis Philippe. He attended the celebration given in 1838 at the first opening of Josepha Mirah's residence on rue de la Ville-l'Eveque. In this same year he attended the wedding of Wenceslas Steinbock. [Another Study of Woman. The Imaginary Mistress. Cousin Betty.]
LAGINSKA (Comtesse Adam), born Clementine du Rouvre in 1816, wife of the preceding, niece, on her mother's side, of the Marquis de Ronquerolles and of Madame de Serizy. She was one of the charming group of young women, which included Mesdames de l'Estorade, de Portenduere, Marie de Vandenesse, du Guenic and de Maufrigneuse. Captain Paz was secretly in love with the countess, who, becoming aware of her steward's affection, ended by having very nearly the same kind of feeling for him. The unselfish virtue of Paz was all that saved her; not only at this juncture, but in another more dangerous one, when he rescued her from M. de la Palferine, who was escorting her to the Opera ball and who was on the point of taking her to a private room in a restaurant—January, 1842. [The Imaginary Mistress.]
LAGOUNIA (Perez de), woolen-draper at Tarragone in Catalonia, in the time of Napoleon, under obligations to La Marana. He reared as his own daughter, in a very pious manner, Juana, a child of the celebrated Italian courtesan, until her mother visited her, during the time of the French occupation in 1808. [The Maranas.]
LAGOUNIA (Donna de), wife of the preceding, divided with him the care of Juana Marana until the girl's mother came to Tarragone at the time it was sacked by the French. [The Maranas.]
LA GRAVE (Mesdemoiselles), kept a boarding-house in 1824 on rue Notre-Dame-des Champs in Paris. In this house M. and Madame Phellion gave lessons. [The Government Clerks.]
LAGUERRE (Mademoiselle), given name, probably, Sophie, born in 1740, died in 1815, one of the most celebrated courtesans of the eighteenth century; opera singer, and fervent follower of Piccini. In 1790, frightened by the march of public affairs, she established herself at the Aigues, in Bourgogne, property procured for her by Bouret, from its former owner. Before Buoret, the grandfather of La Palferine, entertained her, and she brought about his ruin. The recklessness of this woman, surrounded as she was by such notorious knaves as Gaubertin, Fourchon, Tonsard, and Madame Soudry, prepared no little trouble for Montcornet, the succeeding proprietor. Sophie Laguerre's fortune was divided among eleven families of poor farmers, all living in the neighborhood of Amiens, who were ignorant of their relationship with her. [The Peasantry. A Prince of Bohemia.] M. H. Gourdon de Genouillac wrote a biography of the singer, containing many details which are at variance with the facts here cited. Among other things we are told that the given name of Mademoiselle Laguerre was Josephine and not Sophie.
LA HAYE (Mademoiselle de). (See Petit-Claud, Madame.)
LAMARD, probably a rival of Felix Gaudissart. In a cafe in Blois, May, 1831, he praised the well-known commercial traveler, who treated him, nevertheless, as a "little cricket." [Gaudissart the Great.]
LAMBERT (Louis), born in 1797 at Montoire in Loire-et-Cher. Only son of simple tanners, who did not try to counteract his inclination, shown when a mere child, for study. He was sent in 1807 to Lefebvre, a maternal uncle, who was vicar of Mer, a small city on the Loire near Blois. Under the kindly care of Madame de Stael, he was a student in the college of Vendome from 1811 to 1814. Lambert met there Barchon de Penhoen and Jules Dufaure. He was apparently a poor scholar, but finally developed into a prodigy; he suffered the persecutions of Father Haugoult, by whose brutal hands his "Treatise on the Will," composed during class hours, was seized and destroyed. The mathematician had already doubled his capacity by becoming a philosopher. His comrades had named him Pythagoras. His course completed, and his father being dead, Louis Lambert lived for two years at Blois, with Lefebvre, until, growing desirous of seeing Madame de Stael, he journeyed to Paris on foot, arriving July 14, 1817. Not finding his illustrious benefactress alive, he returned home in 1820. During these three years Lambert lived the life of a workman, became a close friend of Meyraux, and was cherished and admired as a member of the Cenacle on rue des Quatre-Vents, which was presided over by Arthez. Once more he went to Blois, journeyed over Touraine, and became acquainted with Pauline Salomon de Villenoix, whom he loved with a passion that was reciprocated. He had suffered from brain trouble previous to their engagement, and as the wedding day approached the disease grew constantly worse, although occasionally there were periods of relief. During one of these good periods, in 1822, Lambert met the Cambremers at Croisic, and on the suggestion of Pauline de Villenoix, he made a study of their history. The malady returned, but was interrupted occasionally by outburts of beautiful thought, the fragments of which were collected by Mademoiselle Salomon. Louis had likewise occasional fits of insanity. He believed himself powerless and wished, one day, to perform on his own body Origene's celebrated operation. Lambert died September 25, 1824, the day before the date selected for his marriage with Pauline. [Louis Lambert. A Distinguished Provincial at Paris. A Seaside Tragedy.]
LAMBERT (Madame), lived in Paris in 1840. She was then at a very pious age, "played the saint," and performed the duties of housekeeper for M. Picot, professor of mathematics, No. 9, rue du Val-de-Grace. In the service of this old philosopher she reaped enormous profits. Madame Lambert hypocritically took advantage of her apparent devotion to him. She sought Theodose de la Peyrade, and begged him to write a memorial to the Academy in her favor, for she longed to receive the reward offered by Montyon. At the same time she put into La Peyrade's keeping twenty-five thousand francs, which she had accumulated by her household thefts. On this occasion, Madame Lambert seems to have been the secret instrument of Corentin, the famous police-agent. [The Middle Classes.]