ONE:The Marquis de Montagu rejoins his regimentLife of Pauline at the h?tel de MontaguAffection of her father-in-lawBrilliant societyStory of M. de ContingesDeath of Paulines childMarriage of Rosalie to Marquis de GrammontBirth of Paulines daughtersThe court of Louis XVI.The Royal FamilyDissensions at courtMadame Sophie and the StormExtravagance of the Queen and Comte dArtoisThe Comte dArtois and Mlle. DuthScene with the KingLe petit TrianonThe Palace of MarlyA sinister guest.
ONE:The Regent Orlans was not, like the Princes of [8] Cond, Conti, Charolois, and others of the blood royal, cruel, haughty, or vindictive; on the contrary, he was good-natured, easy, and indulgent; but he was dissipated, extravagant, and licentious to such a degree that he himself, the court, and his family were the scandal of Europe. The same frenzied pursuit of enjoyment, the same lavish, sensual, reckless, luxurious life, characterised the whole of the reign of Louis XV.The career of Jeanne Vaubernier, Comtesse Du Barry, was a most extraordinary one. Her father was a workman, and she, after being a milliners apprentice for some years, lived under the name of Mlle. Lange, in a house of bad fame, where she became the mistress of Count Jean Du Barry, who in 1769 presented her to Louis XV., who was deeply fascinated by her wonderful beauty, and over whom, after having gone through the form of marriage with the brother of Jean Du Barry, she reigned supreme during the remainder of his life. But her day of power and splendour was only a short one, for the King died five years afterwards (1774), when she was, of course, immediately obliged to leave the court and live in retirement; probably much sooner than she expected, for Louis XV. was only sixty-three when he fell a victim to small-pox. The twelve years had been spent in her chateau, where the Duc de Brissac took the place of his royal predecessor.
ONE:I have painted real princesses and they have never tormented or kept me waiting.The chanoinesses were free to take vows or not, either at the prescribed age or later. If they did not, they had only the honour of the title of Countess and the decorations of the order. If they did, they got one of the dwellings and a good pension, but they could not marry, and must spend two out of every three years there; with the other year they could do as they liked. They might also adopt as a niece a young chanoinesse on condition she always stayed with them and took the vows when she was the proper age. Her adopted aunt might leave her all her jewels, furniture, &c., as well as her little house and pension. One of them wished to adopt Flicit, but her mother would not consent. They stayed there six weeks and then went home, Flicit in despair at leaving the nuns, [354] who petted and loaded her with bonbons, but much consoled by being called Madame.
