Chapter VII: Part I: The Abbaye-Aux Bois (5)

“At six o’clock the Lady Abbess came to the schoolroom; we placed ourselves in our stalls, and she addressed us as follows: ‘Young ladies, I have come to express to you my grief at the loss we have sustained, and at the same time inform you that the ladies have endeavoured to retrieve it as far as in them lay. They have elected Madame de Voyers, second mistress of the novices, in the place of Madame de Rochechouart.’ We made no reply to the Lady Abbess, but merely bowed, and she left the room.

“Shortly after Madame de Voyers, conducted by Madame de Royer, came in; she had a fine figure, and enjoyed much consideration in the novitiate. She was about forty years of age. She said: ‘Young ladies, I feel that my presence here can hardly be agreeable to you. I know how difficult is the task that lies before me. I pray you to make it easier by placing your confidence in me. The regrets that you rightly accord to the memory of Madame de Rochechouart are a credit both to you and to her; I cannot flatter myself that I shall worthily replace her, but I ask you to rest assured that I shall make every effort to do so.’

“This little speech, made with much sincerity of manner, touched us; we applauded vehemently, and asked permission to kiss her hand. She begged us to embrace her, and on the following day everything resumed its usual course.

“For my own part, I never loved her, and in truth I was to blame, for she deserved our affection. Madame de Rochechouart’s death was the cause of my first wish to leave the Convent.”

Here the _Memoirs_ written by the young Princess during her stay at the Abbaye-aux-Bois come to an end. Henceforth we shall have ourselves to relate the history of her life; drawing the materials of our story from her own correspondence and that of her family, from her notebook, and other sources of information discovered by diligent and patient research.

FOOTNOTES:

[77] Louise-Adélaïde de Chartres, grand-daughter of Louis XIV. and of Madame de Montespan, second daughter of the Regent Philippe d’Orléans, and of Mademoiselle de Blois, born the 13th August 1698, died the 20th February 1743. She was eighteen years of age when she became Abbess of the Abbaye-aux-Bois, and one-and-twenty when made Abbess of Chelles. (_Vide_ the Correspondence of Madame la Duchesse d’Orléans née Princesse Palatine.)

[78] Hélène’s account differs from that of Madame, the Regent’s mother. She was fond of her grand-daughter, and does not describe her in such dark colours. She never mentions her stay at the Abbaye-aux-Bois, and only speaks of her installation at Chelles. The perfect accuracy of those portions of Hélène’s narrative which we have been able to verify gives great weight to her account of the facts.

[79] Christophe de Beaumont, Archbishop of Paris, Peer of the Realm, _Duc de Saint Cloud_ (this latter title belonged to that of the Archbishopric of Paris). His archbishopric brought him in a hundred and eighty thousand francs a year, and he had in his gift four hundred and ninety-two livings. This prelate, whose conduct towards the Jansenists was so harsh and even sometimes so violent, was admirable in private life for his gentleness, his equanimity of character, and for his liberality. Born the 26th July 1703 in the Château de la Roque, in Périgord, he died on the 12th December 1781.

[80] By the agreement signed between the Pope Leon X. and Francis I. the nominations to all the Abbeys of France belonged to the King, with the exception of those of Cluny, _Cîteaux_, Prémontré, and Grandmont, which were reserved and their abbots appointed by the Pope.

[81] An écu was worth five shillings.

[82] This curious mixture of the prologue of _Esther_ and other lines of Racine was arranged by M. de la Harpe.

[83] The dispensary. This department consisted of--(1) A large room lined with shelves on which were the medicines; (2) Two immense rooms with two chimneys and four alembics.

[84] Mademoiselle de Damas was the sister of the Comte Royer de Damas, of whom we shall speak later on. The Damas family showed the greatest devotion to the cause of King Louis XVIII. during the emigration.

[85] Afterwards Marquise de Coigny, one of the wittiest ladies of the Court of Louis XVI.

[86] Charlotte de Manneville, Dowager-Duchess of Mortemart, sister-in-law to Madame de Rochechouart.

[87] Bouvart (Mich.-Ph.), born at Chartres, 11th January 1711, died the 19th January 1787. He was professor at the College of France, and a great enemy of the system of inoculation; he is supposed to have been the author of the act of accusation brought against Joly de Fleury for this innovation. “This Bouvart,” writes Grimm, “a legalised assassin in the streets of Paris, is only too glad, by way of pastime, to insult his fellow-members, and even to get up some little criminal cases against them. It is he who attacked Tronchin, accused Bordeu of stealing a watch and sleeve-links off a dead body, and who fought with Petit.” It is certain that Bouvart was detested by all his colleagues, but at the same time he was the most fashionable medical man in Paris.

[88] Lorry (Anne-Charles), President of the Faculty of Paris, born the 10th October 1726, at Crosne, near Paris, died at Bourbonne les Bains the 18th September 1783. His character formed a striking contrast with that of Bouvart. His gentleness, kindness, and the compassionate interest he took in his patients, brought him great success. Hating discussions, he was occasionally reproached with giving way too readily to the opinions of his fellow-doctors. He never aimed at making a fortune, and died poor.

[89] Victorien-Jean-Baptiste-Marie de Rochechouart, born 8th February 1752, died 14th July 1812. He had married Mademoiselle de Cossé-Brissac. His brother, the Marquis de Rochechouart, born in 1753, died in 1823.