the late Monsieur, Mademoiselle, grand-daughter of Henry IV,
Mademoiselle d'Eu, Mademoiselle de Dombes, Mademoiselle de
Montpensier, Mademoiselle d'Orleans, Mademoiselle, cousin of the
king, Mademoiselle, destined to the throne, Mademoiselle, the
only parti in France worthy of Monsieur. VOILA a fine subject
for conversation. If you cry out, if you are beside yourself, if
you say that we have deceived you, that it is false, that one
trifles with you, that it is a fine bit of raillery, that it is
very stupid to imagine, if, in fine, you abuse us, we shall find
that you are right; we have done as much ourselves.

In spite of the prudent warnings of her friends, the happy
princess could not forego the eclat of a grand wedding, and
before the hasty arrangements were concluded, the permission was
withdrawn. Her tears, her entreaties, her cries, her rage, and
her despair, were of no avail. Louis XIV took her in his arms,
and mingled his tears with hers, even reproaching her for the two
or three days of delay; but he was inexorable. Ten years of
loyal devotion to her lover, shortly afterward imprisoned at
Pignerol, and of untiring efforts for his release which was at
last secured at the cost of half her vast estates, ended in a
brief reunion. A secret marriage, a swift discovery that her
idol was of very common clay, abuse so violent that she was
obliged to forbid him forever her presence, and the
disenchantment was complete. The sad remnant of her existence
was devoted to literature and to conversation; the latter she
regarded as "the greatest pleasure in life, and almost the only
one." When she died, the Count de Lauzun wore the deepest
mourning, had portraits of her everywhere, and adopted
permanently the subdued colors that would fitly express the