Part 13 (2/2)
CHARLES
I at once went to ny, whither I privately su this letter, my sister was moved to tears, for she had always deeply felt how unjustly this family had been treated She was also personally attached to this same Prince Charles, whoh thrice, and each ti was how to dare to let his Majesty know its contents However temperate the allusions to himself, there was still the reproach of injustice and barbarity, set against the cleenerous compassion
My sister said to me, ”Go boldly to work in theleaves you hter becomes duchesse do Lorraine, I promise you the Principality of Vaudemont”
”It is quite true,” I replied; ”his conduct is inexplicable To Madaives one of the first marquisates of France, while to me, who have borne these three children (with infinite pain), I adiven sony”
”You are as clever as can be, es, ”but, as a matter of fact, your cleverness is not of a business kind You don't look after yourself, but let yourself be neglected; you don't push yourself forward enough, nor stand upon your dignity as you ought to do
”The little laht to bed of Mademoiselle de Blois, when she was made duchesse de Vaujours and de la Valliere
”Gabrielle d'Estrees, directly she appeared, was proclaimed duchesse de Beaufort
”Diane de Poitiers was duchesse de Valentinois and a princess It's only you who are nobody, and your relations also are about the sarand opportunity; help the Prince of Lorraine, and the Prince of Lorraine will help you”
On our return frohing to the King He asked the reason of our gaiety My sister said with her wonted ease, ”Sire, I have cohter? Don't you think I a
”Sire, you cannot do it better than I can n in every sense of the terhtly as he rejoined, ”A sovereign on his feet, or a sovereign overthrown?”
”How do you es,” replied the King, ”pray, let us be friends I was inforo of the proposals of the Messieurs de Lorraine; it is not, yet tiive your daughter in e, and I have destined her for the Duc de Nevers, who is wealthy, and my friend”
”The Duc de Nevers!” cried my sister; ”why, he's cracked for six months in the year”
”Those who are cracked for a whole twelve
Then, turning to me, he observed, ”You make no remark, madame? Does your niece's coronation provide you also with illusions?”
I easily perceived that we had been cherishi+ng an utterly fantastic schees to prefer to please the King; and, as she was never able to control her feelings, she sharply replied, ”Mada, however, did not relax his persistence in giving us the Duc de Nevers as son-in-law and nephew; and as this young gentleman's one fault is to require perpetual amusement, partly derived fro, my niece is as happy with him as a woets to Paris, he wants to return to Rome, and hardly has he reached Rome, when he has the horses put to for Paris
CHAPTER xxxIV
Mademoiselle de Mortemart, Abbess of Fontevrault--She Comes to Court--The Cloister--Her Success at Court--Her Opinion Respecting Mada
My second sister, Mademoiselle de Morteht of Malta, doo set out upon his caravans,--[Sea-fights against the Turks and the pirates of the Mediterranean]--he was killed in coerians
Such was Maderief that life became unbearable to her Beautiful, witty, and accomplished, she quitted the world where she was beloved, and, at the age of seventeen, took the veil at Fontevrault