people thought me amiable enough, but when they knew me better
they loved me no more." "The prettiest girl in France," whose
beauty was expected to "set the world on fire," created a mild
sensation at court; was noticed by the king, who danced with her,
received her share of adulation, and finally became the third
wife of the Comte de Grignan, who carried her off to Provence, to
the lasting grief of her adoring mother, and to the great
advantage of posterity, which owes to this fact the series of
incomparable letters that made the fame of their writer, and
threw so direct and vivid a light upon an entire generation.

The world has been inclined to regard the son of Mme. de Sevigne
as the more lovable of her two children, but she doubtless
recognized in his light and inconsequent character many of the
qualities of her husband which had given her so much sorrow
during the brief years of her marriage. Amiable, affectionate,
and not without talent, he was nevertheless the source of many
anxieties and little pride. He followed in the footsteps of his
father, and became a willing victim to the fascinations of Ninon;
he frequented the society of Champmesle, where he met habitually
Boileau and Racine. He recited well, had a fine literary taste,
much sensibility, and a gracious ease of manner that made him
many friends. "He was almost as much loved as I am," remarked
the brilliant Mme. de Coulanges, after accompanying him on a
visit to Versailles. He appealed to Mme. de La Fayette to use
her influence with his mother to induce her to pay his numerous
debts. There is a touch of satire in the closing line of the
note in which she intercedes for him. "The great friendship you
have for Mme. de Grignan," she writes, "makes it necessary to
show some for her brother."--But we have glimpses of his