The Memoirs of Madame de Montespan, vol 4 | Page 7

Mademoiselle de Blois, the eldest daughter of Madame de la Valliere,
is the handsomest, most charming person it is possible to imagine. Her

slim, graceful figure reminds one of the beautiful goddesses, with
whom poets entertain us; she abounds in accomplishments and every
sort of charm. Her tender solicitude for her mother, and their constant
close companionship, have doubtless served to quicken her intelligence
and penetration.
Like the King, she is somewhat grave; she has the same large brown
eyes, and just his Austrian lip, his shapely hand and well-turned leg,
almost his selfsame voice. Madame de la Valliere, who, in the intervals
of pregnancy, had no bosom to speak of, has shown marked
development in this respect since living at the convent. The Princess,
ever since she attained the age of puberty, has always seemed
adequately furnished with physical charms. The King provided her with
a husband in the person of the Prince de Conti, a nephew of the Prince
de Conde. They are devotedly attached to each other, being both as
handsome as can be. The Princesse de Conti enjoys the entire affection
of the Queen, who becomes quite uneasy if she does not see her for five
or six days.
Certain foreign princes proposed for her hand, when the King replied
that the presence of his daughter was as needful to him as daylight or
the air he breathed.
I have here surely drawn a most attractive portrait of this princess, and I
ought certainly to be believed, for Madame de Conti is not fond of me
at all. Possibly she looks upon me as the author of her mother's disgrace;
I shall never be at pains to undeceive her. Until the moment of her
departure, Madame de la Valliere used always to visit me. The evening
before her going she took supper with me, and I certainly had no cause
to read in her looks either annoyance or reproach. Mademoiselle de
Montpensier, who happened to call, saw us at table, and stayed to have
some dessert with us. She has often told me afterwards how calm and
serene the Duchess looked. One would never have thought she was
about to quit a brilliant Court for the hair shirt of the ascetic, and all the
death-in-life of a convent. I grieved for her, I wept for her, and I got her
a grand gentleman as a husband.
[This statement is scarcely reconcilable with the fact that Madame de la
Valliere remained in a convent until her death. This may refer to
Mademoiselle de Blois, La Valliere's daughter, who was given in
marriage to the Prince de Conti.--EDITOR'S NOTE.]

CHAPTER LI
.
Madame de Maintenon's Character.--The Queen Likes Her.--She
Revisits Her Family.--Her Grandfather's Papers Restored to Her.
As Madame de Maintenon's character happened to please the King, as I
have already stated, he allotted her handsome apartments at Court while
waiting until he could keep her there as a fixture, by conferring upon
her some important appointment. She had the honour of being
presented to the Queen, who paid her a thousand compliments
respecting the Duc du Maine's perfections, being so candid and so good
natured as to say:
"You would have been just the person to educate Monseigneur."
Unwilling to appear as if she slighted the Dauphin's actual tutors,
Madame de Maintenon adroitly replied that, as it seemed to her, M. le
Dauphin had been brought up like an angel.
It is said that I have special talent for sustaining and enlivening a
conversation; there is something in that, I admit, but to do her justice, I
must say that in this respect Madame de Maintenon is without a rival.
She has quite a wealth of invention; the most arid subject in her hands
becomes attractive; while for transitions, her skill is unequalled. Far
simpler than myself, she gauges her whole audience with a single
glance. And as, since her misfortunes, her rule has been never to make
an enemy, since these easily crop up along one's path, she is careful
never to utter anything which could irritate the feelings or wound the
pride of the most sensitive. Her descriptions are so varied, so vivacious,
that they fascinate a whole crowd. If now and again some little touch of
irony escapes her, she knows how to temper and even instantly to
neutralise this by terms of praise at once natural and simple.
Under the guise of an extremely pretty woman, she conceals the
knowledge and tact of a statesman. I have, moreover, noticed that
latterly the King likes to talk about matters of State when she is present.
He rarely did this with me.
I think she is at the outset of a successful career. The King made
persistent inquiries with regard to her whole family. He has already