She was a born diplomat. She recognized the power of the Church and knew
that to win one must go with the current, not against it. To have doubts,
when the Church is willing to bear the whole burden, she thought very
foolish. Had she been a man she would have been a leader among the
Jesuits. The folly of opposition had been shown her most vividly in her
husband's career. What could he not have been had he been wise and
patient and ta'en the tide at its flood! And this was the spirit that she
inculcated in the minds of her children.

Little Peter Paul was a handsome lad--handsome as his father--with big,
dark brown eyes and clustering curls. He was bright, intelligent, and
blessed with a cheerful, obliging disposition. He came into the world a
welcome child, carrying the beauty of the morning in his face, and form,
and spirit.

No wonder is it that the Countess de Lalaing desired the boy for a page
as soon as she saw him. His mother embraced the opportunity to let her
favorite child see court life, and so at the early age of twelve, at a
plunge, he began that career in polite diplomacy that was to continue for
half a century.

The Countess called herself his "other mother," and lavished upon him all
the attention that a childless woman had to bestow. The mornings were
sacred to his lessons, which were looked after by a Jesuit priest; and in
the afternoon, another priest came to give the ladies lessons in the
languages, and at these circles young Peter Paul was always present as
one of the class.

Indeed, the earliest accomplishment of Peter Paul was his polyglot