Part 12 (1/2)

As he uttered these words, he looked hard at ordiu his discourse would be to race of style, it wasto end,--of satire so audacious that it was constantly levelled at the King

The orator brought before us in succession lifelike portraits of the Queen, of her august spouse, of my children, of M de Montespan, and of myself Upon some he lavished praise; others he veheave tender pity Anon he caused the lips of his hearers to curl in irony, and again, roused their indignation or touched them to tears

Any one else would have been bored by such a rig, and for a week afterwards, nothing else but this sermon was talked of at Versailles The Queen had received complete satisfaction

Before h, and I was pleased to see that her resent was for punishi+ng such an offence as this

Things are not easily hidden from him; his Majesty desired to know the name and rank of the ecclesiastic The entire Court replied that he was a good-looking young Franciscan

The chief al forced to state the monastery from which the preacher came, mentioned the Cordeliers of Paris There it transpired that the monk told off by the prior for this enterprise had been too frightened to execute it, and had sent, as his deputy, a young actor from Orleans,--a brother of his, who thus could not say no

So, as it happened, Queen Maria Theresa and her chief almoner (an exemplary person) had caused virtue to be preached todared not take further proceedings in so strange a reater one It was this that caused Madame Cornuel to remark, ”The pulpit is in want of comedians; they onders there!”

CHAPTER xxxI

The King Alters His Opinion about Madame Scarron--He Wants Her to assume Another Name--He Gives Her the Maintenon Estates--She and Madae Story

At first the King used to feel afraid of Madahed ataffected or singular about her The Marquis de Beringhen, for soainst her, so that very often, when the King heard that she was visiting ot beyond the vestibule, but at once withdrew One day she was telling inal way, a funny tale about the faain,--in fact, until I nearlyat the door, was greatly tickled by the story He ca the governess, he said, ”Madame, allow me to coht you were of a serious, h the keyhole, I a talks with the Marquise

Will you dosome other tioverness, courtesying, blushed so continued, ”Madareat recoreatest pleasure in your co you which, despitecontinued, ”Madame, I know that the late M de Scarron was a reeable manners My cousin, De Beaufort, used to rave about him, but on account of his sonity In fact, his na a personality as yours; would it grieve you to change it?”

The governess cleverly replied that all that she owed to the ratitude and estee ”I aree with Boileau”

A few days afterwards we heard that the splendid Maintenon estates were for sale The King hi her in advance the fee for education, he counted out a hundred thousand croith instantly to purchase the property

Forthwith the King compelled her to discard this truly ridiculous author's name, and styled her before everybody Madame de Maintenon

I ratitude for the King's liberality ell-nigh exaggerated, while no change was perceptible in her nified air, which was in strange contrast to the grotesque buffoonery of her poet-husband Now she is exactly in her proper place, representing to perfection the governess of a king's children

Spiteful persons ont to say that I appeared jealous on seeing her racious, no! On the contrary, I was delighted; her parentage ell known to me The duchesse de Navailles, ne, her grandfather, was one of King Henri's two Chief Gentlemen of the Chamber

Madareatly to blaood deal of his fortune, the greater part being pounced upon by his fae, Mada several of the personages at Court