Part 21 (2/2)

For two years the affair rested where it was; then the king again turned his attention to Maubuisson, and wrote to the abbot of Citeaux inquiring why his previous orders had not been carried out, bidding him send an officer at once and obtain an exact report of the conduct of the nuns and the abbess

The commissioner, monsieur Deruptis, arrived with three or four ratulated the wide and they were invited to enter

'The reverend mother is too unwell to see anyone to-day,' said the nun who admitted them, 'but she has prepared rooms in the west tower for your reception, and to-morrow she hopes to be able to speak with you herself' So saying she led thees till she reached a little door, which she unlocked, and then stood back for the their way up the corkscrew stairs, she swung back the door, and before the men realised what had happened they heard the key turn in the lock

For four days they were kept prisoners, with nothing to eat but a very little bread and water; while every ed till he was alth, driven to desperation, he and his coh a narro, and returned dirty and half-starved to the abbot

Powerful as the abbess one too far, and they were besides very angry with her for allowing her own young sister, as a novice in the convent, to be secretly married there They therefore informed the abbot of Citeaux that as far as they were concerned no opposition would bea er before him to tell the abbess that he was on his way For all answer thethat the abbess would listen to nothing; but the abbot, now thoroughly angry, only pushed on the faster, and thundered at the great gates He hardly expected that madame d'Estrees would refuse to see him when it caht, called an asseain she declined; she was ill, she said, and could not leave her bed; so, fue, he went back to Paris and told the whole story to the king

After certain forh, which took a little time, the Parliament of Paris issued a warrant for the seizure of the abbess, and for her imprisonment in the convent of the Penitents in Paris On this occasion the abbot took a strong body of archers with hi to avoid, if possible, the scandal of carrying off the abbess by force, he left them at Pontoise He went alone to the abbey, and for two days tried by every means he could think of to persuade the abbess to subhed, and declared she was ill, and at last he sent for his archers and ordered the's name!' cried their captain; but as the doors rened to his men to force them, and soon two hundred and fifty archers were in the abbey, seeking its abbess During the whole day they sought in vain, and began to think that she was not in the house at all; at length a soldier passing through a dorht movement in one of the beds, which proved to contain the rebellious abbess The et up at once, but she told them that it was impossible, as she had hardly any clothes on The soldier, not knohat to do, sent for his captain, who promptly bade four archers take up e which stood before the gates

In this manner, accompanied by one nun, madame d'Estrees entered the convent of the Penitents

It is very areat noise, and the other abbesses ere conscious of having neglected their vows had long felt very uneasy and watched anxiously ould happen next Of course, Maubuisson could not be left without a head, and as soon as the abbess was removed, the abbot suht choose which of three ladies should take the place of madame d'Estrees One of the three was madame de Port Royal

The 'ladies of Maubuisson,' as they had always been called, treo at the hands of Angelique, yet they liked still less the other abbesses proposed In the end it was she as appointed, and a fortnight later arrived at Maubuisson with three of her own nuns, one being her young sister Marie

Some of the Maubuisson nuns rest them nearly seventeen years before These she treated with the utmost consideration, for she kneas unreasonable to expect theive up all at once the habits of a lifetiain per novices to the coht the duties perfor wood for the fires, keeping clean the chapel and other parts of the abbey, washi+ng the clothes, digging up the garden, and singing the chants, for she had been shocked by the discordant and irreverent manner in which the services were conducted She even allowed her novices to wait on the older nuns, replacing their own servants

For a year and a half Angelique struggled patiently to soften the hearts of the Maubuisson 'ladies,' but without success, and her courage and spirits began to fail her Then, in Septeh it was, brought her back to her old self, and this was the sudden return ofthe late abbess, who had ed to escape from the convent where she had been imprisoned, unexpectedly appeared as the nuns were on their way to church, having been let in secretly by one of the sisters

'Madaelique, 'I have to thank you for the care you have taken of o back to yours'

'There is nothing I long for elique, 'but I have been placed here by the abbot of Citeaux, our superior, and I cannot leave without his permission' Upon this madame d'Estrees declared that she was abbess and would take her proper position; but Angelique,and the abbot had placed her there, and there she must stay, walked cal made up her mind what to do, went off to see her own nuns, who seldoelique, everything went on as usual in the abbey, except that the keys of all the doors had been given up to her But after dinner, to her great surprise, the chaplain caive way to force, and that if she did not do so quietly the armed men whom madame d'Estrees had left outside the walls would thrust her out The abbess replied that she could not forsake her charge; but she had hardly spoken when, to her amazement, five soldiers with naked swords advanced towards her, and threatened her with violence if she did not do as they wished But no Arnauld ever subelique repeated her words, and said that nothing but force could oing on the novices, terrified at whatto their abbess, crowded round in order to protect her They were all very much excited, and when elique's veil, one of the young nuns turned to her and cried out indignantly:

'Wretched woman! Would you dare to pull off the veil ofthe veil which the abbess had put on her own head, she tore it off and flung it in a corner

'Put entleelique, who did not resist, was at once thrust out of the door and into a carriage that aiting In an instant the carriage was covered with novices as with a swarm of flies The wheels, the rumble, the coach-box, all were full of theot there in their heavy, cumbrous clothes Madame d'Estrees called to the coach the scene, replied that if he elique left the coach, and the novices got down fro that this plan had failed, ate of the abbey and to allow Angelique, her two sisters, and the two Port Royal nuns to pass out, but no one else

She herself took hold of Angelique, as nearly torn in half between her friends and ene behind her Thenovice seized hold ofher there until every one of her companions was on the outside It was in vain that the lackey tried to stop them

'If you attempt to shut that door ill squeeze you to death,' cried they, and each in turn gave the door behind which he stood a good push!+