For the former reason she spent some time at Raincy, [25] then the residence of the Duke of Orlans, father of Philippe-galit, where she painted his portrait, and that of his morganatic wife, Mme. de Montesson. While she was there the old Princesse de Conti came one day to see Mme. de Montesson, and much to her surprise always addressed Mme. Le Brun as Mademoiselle. As it was shortly before the birth of her first child, this rather startled her, and she then recollected that it [62] had been the custom in former days for grandees of the court so to address their inferiors. It was a survival that she never met with but upon this occasion, as it had quite come to an end with Louis XV. Mme. Le Brun never cared to stay at Raincy, which she found uncongenial; but she delighted in several of the other chateaux where she stayed, above all in Chantilly, where the Prince de Cond gave the most magnificent ftes, and where the grandeur of the chateau and the beauty of the gardens, lakes, and woods fascinated her.It was said that a locksmith, who was executed on the same day, would not get into the same cart with him, fearing that he might be thought the accomplice of such a man.
ONE:M. de Montagu returns to ParisM. de BeauneRichmondDeath of NomiAix-la-ChapelleEscape of the Duc dAyen and Vicomte de NoaillesLa Fayette arrested in AustriaThe HagueCrossing the MeuseMargateRichmondHardships of povertyBrusselsLetter from Mme. de TessJoins her in SwitzerlandMurder of M. and Mme. de MouchyGoes to meet the Duc dAyenHe tells her of the murder of her grandmother, Mme. de Noailles, her mother, the Duchesse dAyen, and her eldest sister, the Vicomtesse de NoaillesMme. de la Fayette still in prison.As to her writings, then so much in vogue, they were mostly works intended either to explain, assist, or illustrate the system of education which was the hobby of her life and which, if one may judge by Adle et Thodore, one of the most important of her tales, can only be called preposterous.
Still they waited and hoped, as week after week went by. Early in the spring affairs had looked more promising. The coalition against France had formed again under the influence of England. La Vende and Bretagne had risen, supported by insurrections all over the South of France. Lyon, Toulon, Bordeaux, even Marseilles, and many districts in the southern provinces were furnishing men and arms to join in the struggle. But gradually the armies of the Republic gained upon them, the [239] south was a scene of blood and massacre, and the last hopes of the Royalists were quenched with the defeat of the heroic Vendens at Savenay (December 23, 1793).Hold your tongue, tte-qui-roule, she cried angrily. Your body will be food for dogs.Capital letter I[208]Flicit cried bitterly when her husband left her, but she soon dried her tears, and made herself happy in her new home. She had charming rooms in the interior of the conventual buildings, which were immense; she had her maid with her, and her manservant was lodged with those of the Abbess in the exterior part of the abbey. She dined with the Abbess, and her djeuner was brought to her own apartment, which consisted, of course, of several rooms.