as it was, it became sharp and vibrating, “not at all: I
have a full and fixed intention to marry them, and that as
well as I shall be able.”
“Parties will not be wanting, monsieur le cardinal,” replied
Monsieur, with a bonhomie worthy of one tradesman
congratulating another.
“I hope not, monseigneur, and with reason, as God has been
pleased to give them grace, intelligence, and beauty.”
During this conversation, Louis XIV., conducted by Madame,
accomplished, as we have described, the circle of
presentations.
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Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later
“Mademoiselle Auricule,” said the princess, presenting to
his majesty a fat, fair girl of two-and-twenty, who at a
village fete might have been taken for a peasant in Sunday
finery, — “the daughter of my music-mistress.”
The king smiled. Madame had never been able to extract four
correct notes from either viol or harpsichord.
“Mademoiselle Aure de Montalais,” continued Madame, “a young
lady of rank, and my good attendant.”
This time it was not the king that smiled; it was the young
lady presented, because, for the first time in her life, she
heard, given to her by Madame, who generally showed no
tendency to spoil her, such an honorable qualification.
Our old acquaintance Montalais, therefore, made his majesty
a profound courtesy, the more respectful from the necessity
she was under of concealing certain contractions of her
laughing lips, which the king might not have attributed to
their real cause.
It was just at this moment that the king caught the word
which startled him.
“And the name of the third?” asked Monsieur.
“Mary, monseigneur,” replied the cardinal.
There was doubtless some magical influence in that word,
for, as we have said, the king started at hearing it, and
drew Madame towards the middle of the circle, as if he
wished to put some confidential question to her, but, in
reality, for the sake of getting nearer to the cardinal.
“Madame my aunt,” said he, laughing, and in a suppressed
voice, “my geography-master did not teach me that Blois was
at such an immense distance from Paris.”
“What do you mean, nephew?” asked Madame.
“Why, because it would appear that it requires several
years, as regards fashion, to travel the distance! — Look
at those young ladies!”
“Well; I know them all.”
“Some of them are pretty.”
“Don’t say that too loud, monsieur my nephew; you will drive
them wild.”
“Stop a bit, stop a bit, dear aunt!” said the king, smiling;
“for the second part of my sentence will serve as a
corrective to the first. Well, my dear aunt, some of them
appear old and others ugly, thanks to their ten-year-old
fashions.”
“But, sire, Blois is only five days, journey from Paris.”
“Yes, that is it,” said the king: “two years behind for each
day.”
“Indeed! do you really think so? Well, that is strange! It
Page 47
Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later
never struck me.”
“Now, look, aunt,” said Louis XIV., drawing still nearer to
Mazarin, under the pretext of gaining a better point of
view, “look at that simple white dress by the side of those
antiquated specimens of finery, and those pretentious
coiffures. She is probably one of my mother’s maids of
honor, though I don’t know her.”
“Ah! ah! my dear nephew!” replied Madame, laughing, “permit
me to tell you that your divinatory science is at fault for
once. The young lady you honor with your praise is not a
Parisian, but a Blaisoise.”
“Oh, aunt!” replied the king with a look of doubt.
“Come here, Louise,” said Madame.
And the fair girl, already known to you under that name,
approached them, timid, blushing, and almost bent beneath
the royal glance.
“Mademoiselle Louise Francoise de la Baume le Blanc, the
daughter of the Marquise de la Valliere,” said Madame,
ceremoniously.
The young girl bowed with so much grace, mingled with the
profound timidity inspired by the presence of the king, that
the latter lost, while looking at her, a few words of the
conversation of Monsieur and the cardinal.
“Daughter-in-law,” continued Madame, “of M. de Saint-Remy,
my maitre d’hotel, who presided over the confection of that
excellent daube truffee which your majesty seemed so much to
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