the rooms which were inhabited by the lady who had already taken so marked a position at the court of france were as humble as were her fortunes at the time when they were allotted to her, but with that rare tact and self-restraint which were the leading features in her remarkable character, she had made no change in her living with the increase of her prosperity, and forbore from provoking envy and jealousy by any display of wealth or of power. in a side wing of the palace, far from the central salons, and only to be reached by long corridors and stairs, were the two or three small chambers upon which the eyes, first of the court, then of france, and finally of the world, were destined to be turned. in such rooms had the destitute widow of the poet scarron been housed when she had first been brought to court by madame de montespan as the governess of the royal children, and in such rooms she still dwelt, now that she had added to her maiden francoise d’aubigny the title of marquise de maintenon, with the pension and estate which the king’s favour had awarded her. here it was that every day the king would lounge, finding in the conversation of a clever and virtuous woman a charm and a pleasure which none of the professed wits of his sparkling court had ever been able to give to him, and here, too, the more sagacious of the courtiers were beginning to understand, was the point, formerly to be found in the magnificent salons of de montespan, whence flowed those impulses and tendencies which were so eagerly studied, and so keenly followed up by all who wished to keep the favour of the king. it was a simple creed, that of the court. were the king pious, then let all turn to their missals and their rosaries. were he rakish, then who so rakish as his devoted followers? but woe to the man who was rakish when he should be praying, or who pulled a long face when the king wore a laughing one! and thus it was that keen eyes were ever fixed upon him, and upon every influence that came near him, so that the wary courtier, watching the first subtle signs of a coming change, might so order his conduct as to seem to lead rather than to follow.
the young guardsman had scarce ever exchanged a word with this powerful lady, for it was her taste to isolate herself, and to appear with the court only at the hours of devotion. it was therefore with some feelings both of nervousness and of curiosity that he followed his guide down the gorgeous corridors, where art and wealth had been strewn with so lavish a hand. the lady paused in front of the chamber door, and turned to her companion.
“madame wishes to speak to you of what occurred this morning,” said she. “i should advise you to say nothing to madame about your creed, for it is the only thing upon which her heart can be hard.” she raised her finger to emphasise the warning, and tapping at the door, she pushed it open. “i have brought captain de catinat, madame,” said she.
“then let the captain step in.” the voice was firm, and yet sweetly musical.
obeying the command, de catinat found himself in a room which was no larger and but little better furnished than that which was allotted to his own use. yet, though simple, everything in the chamber was scrupulously neat and clean, betraying the dainty taste of a refined woman. the stamped-leather furniture, the la savonniere carpet, the pictures of sacred subjects, exquisite from an artist’s point of view, the plain but tasteful curtains, all left an impression half religious and half feminine but wholly soothing. indeed, the soft light, the high white statue of the virgin in a canopied niche, with a perfumed red lamp burning before it, and the wooden prie-dieu with the red-edged prayer-book upon the top of it, made the apartment look more like a private chapel than a fair lady’s boudoir.
on each side of the empty fireplace was a little green-covered arm-chair, the one for madame and the other reserved for the use of the king. a small three-legged stool between them was heaped with her work-basket and her tapestry. on the chair which was furthest from the door, with her back turned to the light, madame was sitting as the young officer entered. it was her favourite position, and yet there were few women of her years who had so little reason to fear the sun, for a healthy life and active habits had left her with a clear skin and delicate bloom which any young beauty of the court might have envied. her figure was graceful and queenly, her gestures and pose full of a natural dignity, and her voice, as he had already remarked, most sweet and melodious. her face was handsome rather than beautiful, set in a statuesque classical mould, with broad white forehead, firm, delicately sensitive mouth, and a pair of large serene gray eyes, earnest and placid in repose, but capable of reflecting the whole play of her soul, from the merry gleam of humour to the quick flash of righteous anger. an elevating serenity was, however, the leading expression of her features, and in that she presented the strongest contrast to her rival, whose beautiful face was ever swept by the emotion of the moment, and who gleamed one hour and shadowed over the next like a corn-field in the wind. in wit and quickness of tongue it is true that de montespan had the advantage, but the strong common-sense and the deeper nature of the elder woman might prove in the end to be the better weapon. de catinat, at the moment, without having time to notice details, was simply conscious that he was in the presence of a very handsome woman, and that her large pensive eyes were fixed critically upon him, and seemed to be reading his thoughts as they had never been read before.
“i think that i have already seen you, sir, have i not?”
“yes, madame, i have once or twice had the honour of attending upon you though it may not have been my good fortune to address you.”
“my life is so quiet and retired that i fear that much of what is best and worthiest at the court is unknown to me. it is the curse of such places that evil flaunts itself before the eye and cannot be overlooked, while the good retires in its modesty, so that at times we scarce dare hope that it is there. you have served, monsieur?”
“yes, madame. in the lowlands, on the rhine, and in canada.”
“in canada! ah! what nobler ambition could woman have than to be a member of that sweet sisterhood which was founded by the holy marie de l’incarnation and the sainted jeanne le ber at montreal? it was but the other day that i had an account of them from father godet des marais. what joy to be one of such a body, and to turn from the blessed work of converting the heathen to the even more precious task of nursing back health and strength into those of god’s warriors who have been struck down in the fight with satan!”
it was strange to de catinat, who knew well the sordid and dreadful existence led by these same sisters, threatened ever with misery, hunger, and the scalping-knife, to hear this lady at whose feet lay all the good things of this earth speaking enviously of their lot.
“they are very good women,” said he shortly, remembering mademoiselle nanon’s warning, and fearing to trench upon the dangerous subject.
“and doubtless you have had the privilege also of seeing the holy bishop laval?”
“yes, madame, i have seen bishop laval.”
“and i trust that the sulpitians still hold their own against the jesuits?”
“i have heard, madame, that the jesuits are the stronger at quebec, and the others at montreal.”
“and who is your own director, monsieur?”
de catinat felt that the worst had come upon him. “i have none, madame.”
“ah, it is too common to dispense with a director, and yet i know not how i could guide my steps in the difficult path which i tread if it were not for mine. who is your confessor, then?”
“i have none. i am of the reformed church, madame.”
the lady gave a gesture of horror, and a sudden hardening showed itself in mouth and eye. “what, in the court itself,” she cried, “and in the neighbourhood of the king’s own person!”
de catinat was lax enough in matters of faith, and held his creed rather as a family tradition than from any strong conviction, but it hurt his self-esteem to see himself regarded as though he had confessed to something that was loathsome and unclean. “you will find, madame,” said he sternly, “that members of my faith have not only stood around the throne of france, but have even seated themselves upon it.”
“god has for his own all-wise purposes permitted it, and none should know it better than i, whose grandsire, theodore d’aubigny, did so much to place a crown upon the head of the great henry. but henry’s eyes were opened ere his end came, and i pray—oh, from my heart i pray—that yours may be also.”
she rose, and throwing herself down upon the prie-dieu sunk her face in her hands for some few minutes, during which the object of her devotions stood in some perplexity in the middle of the room, hardly knowing whether such an attention should be regarded as an insult or as a favour. a tap at the door brought the lady back to this world again, and her devoted attendant answered her summons to enter.
“the king is in the hall of victories, madame,” said she. “he will be here in five minutes.”
“very well. stand outside, and let me know when he comes. now, sir,” she continued, when they were alone once more, “you gave a note of mine to the king this morning?”
“i did, madame.”
“and, as i understand, madame de montespan was refused admittance to the grand lever?”
“she was, madame.”
“but she waited for the king in the passage?”
“she did.”
“and wrung from him a promise that he would see her today?”
“yes, madame.”
“i would not have you tell me that which it may seem to you a breach of your duty to tell. but i am fighting now against a terrible foe, and for a great stake. do you understand me?”
de catinat bowed.
“then what do i mean?”
“i presume that what madame means is that she is fighting for the king’s favour with the lady you mentioned.”
“as heaven is my judge, i have no thought of myself. i am fighting with the devil for the king’s soul.”
“’tis the same thing, madame.”
the lady smiled. “if the king’s body were in peril, i could call on the aid of his faithful guards, and not less so now, surely, when so much more is at stake. tell me, then, at what hour was the king to meet the marquise in her room?”
“at four, madame.”
“i thank you. you have done me a service, and i shall not forget it.”
“the king comes, madame,” said mademoiselle nanon, again protruding her head.
“then you must go, captain. pass through the other room, and so into the outer passage. and take this. it is bossuet’s statement of the catholic faith. it has softened the hearts of others, and may yours. now, adieu!”
de catinat passed out through another door, and as he did so he glanced back. the lady had her back to him, and her hand was raised to the mantel-piece. at the instant that he looked she moved her neck, and he could see what she was doing. she was pushing back the long hand of the clock.
