Part 51 (2/2)
Stay, reat catastrophes appeal to and amuse you; after to-morrow you will be more than ever a supernumerary in this chateau”
At these words I realised that it was a question of the public triumph of my rival All my firmness vanished; my heart was, as it were, distorted with the h my veins, and I fell unconscious uponto my intendant: ”All this wearies o this very day”
”Yes, I will go,” I cried, seizing a dessert-knife which was on my bureau I rushed forith a mechanical movement upon my little Comte de Toulouse, whom I snatched froe of sacrificing this child
I shudder every time I think of that terrible and desperate scene But reason had left er myself My reader must be penetrated by my misfortune and have compassion on me
Madame de Maintenon, informed probably of this storm, arrived and suddenly showed herself To rush forward, snatch away the dagger and my child was but one , leaning on the marble of my chimney-piece, shed tears and seemed to feel a sort of suffocation
My women had removed my children My intendant alone had remained in the deep embrasure of a shutter; the poor man had affliction and terror painted on his face Madaon lavender water in order to e As she left an again
The King, seeing her go out, retired without addressing ht call as htfall I seemed to be in a state of paralysis My arer stir them I was distressed at first, and then I thanked God, as delivering ht my body and soul moved in the torrent and waves of a fever handed over to phanto plains of Paradise and the dire domain of hell My children, covered ounds, askedbefore me; and Mada killed her
On the following day a copious blood-letting, prescribed byweek Madame de Maintenon, entirely cured of her scratch, consented to the King's will, which she had opposed in order to excite it, and in the presence of the Marquis and Marquise de Montchevreuil, the Duc de Noailles, the Marquis de Chamarante, M Bontems, and Mademoiselle Ninon, her per of France and Navarre in the chapel of the chateau
The Abbe de Harlay, Archbishop of Paris, assisted by the Bishop of Chartres and Pere de la Chaise, had the honour of blessing this old After the cereht, there was a slight repast in the ses, then repaired to Maintenon, where the great ceremony, the mass, and all that is customary in such cases were celebrated
At her return, Madame de Maintenon took possession of an extreed and furnished for her Her people continued to wear her livery, but she scarcely ever rode any , whereher in the place which had been occupied by the Queen In her interior the title of Majesty was given her; and the King, when he had to speak of her, only used the word Mada become too fa her; she consistently opposed it, and this prudent and wise conduct regained for her, little by little, the opinions which had been shocked
A few days after theso; but the Marechal de Vivonne, his son Louis de Vivonne, all the Mortenelays, Blainvilles, and Colberts,--in a word, counts, marquises, barons, prelates, and duchesses, came to find me and attack me in my desert, in order to represent to me that, since Madame de Maintenon was the wife of the e and respectful compliments
The whole family has done so, said these cruel relations; you only have not yet fulfilled this duty You must do it, in God's name She has neither airs nor hauteur; you will be marvellously well received Your resistance would co to har, above all, to reinstate 'sjourney, and God gave th to execute it
I appeared in a long robe of gold and silver before the new spouse of theat a table, rose for aI radually approached Madae and rich armchair of brocade She did not rise; etiquette forbade it, and principally the presence of the all-powerful King of kings Her coht tone of pink, was animated suddenly, and took all the colours of the rose She n to seat aze apologised to , of the waters of Bourbon, of her country-place, ofto confide in you Monsieur le Prince has already asked Maderandson, M le Duc de Bourbon, and his Highness prohter for our Duc du Maine Two or three years more, and we shall see all that”
After half an hour spent thus, I rose from this uncomfortable stool andby the King having leaned over to write, rose five or six inches in her chair, and said to me these words: ”Do not let us cease to love one another, I implore you”
I went to rest myself in the poor apartment which was still mine, since the keys had not yet been returned, and I sent for M le Duc du Maine, who said to ain; ere going to write to you”
I had come out from Madareat gallery There was much company there at the moment; M le Prince de Salnoir; you are flushed, and I can perfectly well understand why” He pressed er to see eous persons came even within touch of my fan; and all were more or less pleased with ures at ations to ain very early When I was seated in ht of his balcony in the court of marble, watched me set off and disappear
I settled at Paris, where ave ht have envied I never returned to Versailles, except for the weddings of usts de Bourbon, Duc du Maine, a good man, somewhat devout and melancholy (See the Memoirs of Dubois and Richelieu)--EDITOR'S NOTE]--I always loved him better than he did me
Pere de Latour, my director, obtained from me then, what I had refused hitherto to everybody, a letter of reconciliation to M le Marquis de Montespan: I had foreseen the reply, which was that of an obstinate, ill-bred, and evilfurther, wished to ied him to keep within bounds, and not to make me impatient This Oratorian and his admirers have stated that I wore a hair shi+rt and shroud Pious slanders, every word of theood to several fareeable to God than any harm I could do myself, and that I race
HERE END THE MEMOIRS OF MADAME DE MONTESPAN