Part 17 (1/2)
Eight days after the conclusion of the jubilee I returned to Versailles
The King received me with every mark of sincere friendshi+p; my friends came in crowds to my apartments; my enemies left their names with my Swiss servant, and in chapel they put back my seat, chairs, and footstools in their usual place
Madany with the under-governess; but she did not coreatly inconvenienced ny (since de Versailles, near the wood of Millers d'Avrai--EDITOR's NOTE]
I co had dissuaded her fro me, ”so as to put curious folk off the scent;” and when I told her ofto blame anybody The uished the the observance of the jubilee She informed me that the Comtesse de Soissons, the Princesse de Monaco, Madame de Soubise, and five or six virtuous daold, silver, and enamelled lamps to the most notable churches of the capital The notorious duchesse de Longueville talked of having her own tomb constructed in a Care, and Mada As for ed his way of life a jot, either for the better or for the worse
CHAPTER xxxIX
Atteuard--Her Reasons for So Doing--Geography and Morals
The youthful Marquis d'Antin-- showed hins of his attachment, and as the child had lived only with me, he dreaded his father's violent temper, of which he had often heard me speak In order to have the custody of his son, the Marquis de Montespan had appealed to Parlia had shelved theI hadsure of the tender attach up between himself and the princes, his brothers At the Montespan chateau, I admit, he would have learned to ride an unbroken horse, as well as to shoot hares, partridges, and big gauage, to babble about his pedigree, while ignorant of its history or its crest; in fine, he would have learned to despise his mother, and probably to hate her Educated under 's lap, he soon learned the custoentleman should know
He will be 's word for it,--and his mien and address, which fortunately sort ith that which Fate holds in store for him, entitle him to rank with all that is most exalted at Court
The Procureur-General caused a man from Barn to be arrested, who had come to abduct my son This individual, half-Spanish and half-French, was detained in the Paris prisons, and I was left in ignorance of the matter
It was imprudent not to tell me, and almost occasioned a serious hbourhood of Etampes with only e On reaching a steep incline, where the brake should be put on, lected to do this, and I felt that ere burning the roadway in our descent Such recklessness madeat us, and sought to stop the postilions My six horses were new ones and very fresh; they galloped along at breakneck speed Our pursuers fired at the coachman, but missed him, and the report of a pistol terrified the horses yet further They redoubled their speed We gave ourselves up for lost, as an accident of soe reached the courtyard of an inn, where we obtained help
Baulked of their prey, the horsemen turned about and rode away They had been noticed the day before, hanging about and asking for Madaht at the inn, and next day, provided with a stout escort, we reached Saint Gerainst silect to use the brake (a neglect which, at first, I was going to punish), saying to me, ”If they had put the brake on, you would have been captured and whisked off to the Pyrenees Your husband is never going to give in!”
”Such a disagreeable surprise,” added he, ”shall not occur again
Henceforth you shall not travel without an adequate escort In future, you shall have a guard of honour, like the Queen and e, and I warmly thanked his Majesty
Nevertheless, people chose to put a completely false construction upon so simple an innovation, and my sentiht that vanity had prompted me to endeavour to put myself on a level with the Queen, and this worthy princess was herself somewhat nettled thereat God is my witness that, froereed to it After all, if the Infanta of Spain gave birth to the Dauphin, Athenais de Mortemart is the mother of several princes
In France, a Catholic real to have a second wife is considered superfluous by the timorous and shrivelled-brained In Constantinople, Alexandria, and Ispahan, I should have e, veneration, respect Errors of a purely geographical nature are not those which causeas the Duc du Maine will never, as I take it, incur blahty God
Made sister, has fro to one of the royal branches Mademoiselle de Blois will also becorounds for cherishi+ng such flattering hopes
The little Comte de Toulouse already bids fair to be a worthy successor to M du Maine He has the sauished mien
When all these princes possess their several escorts, it will seee that their mother alone should not have any That is my opinion, and it is shared by all people of sense
CHAPTER XL