the women of the french salons-第20章

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dressed　altars　for　her　and　she　would　〃surely　have　been　goddess　of　something。〃　　The　most　incomprehensible　page　in　her　history　is　her　complaisance　towards　the　persistent　impertinences　of　this　perfidious　friend。　　The　only　solution　of　it　seems　to　lie　in　the　strength　of　family　ties；　and　in　her　unwillingness　to　be　on　bad　terms　with　one　of　her　very　few　near　relatives。　　Bussy…Rabutin　was　handsome；　witty；　brilliant；　a　bel　esprit；　a　member　of　the　Academie　Francaise；　and　very　much　in　love　with　his　charming　cousin；　who　clearly　appreciated　his　talents；　if　not　his　character。　　〃You　are　the　fagot　of　my　intellect；〃　she　says　to　him；　but　she　forbids　him　to　talk　of　love。　　Unfortunately　for　himself；　his　vanity　got　the　better　of　his　discretion。　　He　wrote　the　〃Histoire　Amoureuse　des　Gauls；〃　and　raised　such　a　storm　about　his　head　by　his　attack　upon　many　fair　reputations；　that；　after　a　few　months　of　lonely　meditation　in　the　Bastille；　he　was　exiled　from　Paris　for　seventeen　years。　　Long　afterwards　he　repented　the　unkind　blow　he　had　given　to　Mme。　de　Sevigne；　confessed　its　injustice；　apologized；　and　made　his　peace。　　But　the　world　is　less　forgiving；　and　wastes　little　sympathy　upon　the　base　but　clever　and　ambitious　man　who　was　doomed　to　wear　his　restless　life　away　in　the　uncongenial　solitude　of　his　chateau。

Among　the　numerous　adorers　of　Mme。　de　Sevigne　were　the　Prince　de　Conti；　the　witty　Comte　de　Lude；　the　poet　Segrais；　Fouquet；　and　Turenne。　　Her　friendship　for　the　last　two　seems　to　have　been　the　most　lively　and　permanent。　　We　owe　to　her　sympathetic　pen　the　best　account　of　the　death　of　Turenne。　　Her　devotion　to　the　interests　of　Fouquet　and　his　family　lasted　though　the　many　years　of　imprisonment　that　ended　only　with　his　life。　　There　was　nothing　of　the　spirit　of　the　courtier　in　her　generous　affection　for　the　friends　who　were　out　of　favor。　　The　loyalty　of　her　character　was　notably　displayed　in　her　unwavering　attachment　to　Cardinal　de　Retz；　during　his　long　period　of　exile　and　misfortune；　after　the　Fronde。

But　one　must　go　outside　the　ordinary　channels　to　find　the　veritable　romance　of　Mme。　de　Sevigne's　life。　　Her　sensibility　lent　itself　with　great　facility　to　impressions；　and　her　gracious　manners；　her　amiable　character；　her　inexhaustible　fund　of　gaiety　could　not　fail　to　bring　her　a　host　of　admirers。　　She　had　doubtless　a　vein　of　harmless　coquetry；　but　it　was　little　more　than　the　natural　and　variable　grace　of　a　frank　and　sympathetic　woman　who　likes　to　please；　and　who　scatters　about　her　the　flowers　of　a　rich　mind　and　heart；　without　taking　violent　passions　too　seriously；　if；　indeed；　she　heeds　them　at　all。　　Friendship；　too；　has　its　shades；　its　subtleties；　its　half…perceptible　and　quite　unconscious　coquetries。　　But　the　supreme　passion　of　Mme。　de　Sevigne　was　her　love　for　her　daughter。　　It　was　the　exaltation　of　her　mystical　grandmother；　in　another　form。　　〃To　love　as　I　love　you　makes　all　other　friendships　frivolous；〃　she　writes。　　Whatever　her　gifts　and　attractions　may　have　been；　she　is　known　to　the　world　mainly　through　this　affection　and　the　letters　which　have　immortalized　it。　　Nowhere　in　literature　has　maternal　love　found　such　complete　and　perfect　expression。　　Nowhere　do　we　find　a　character　so　clearly　self…revealed。　　Others　have　professed　to　unveil　their　innermost　lives；　but　there　is　always　a　suspicion　of　posing　in　deliberate　revelations。　　Mme。　De　Sevigne　has　portrayed　herself　unconsciously。　　It　is　the　experience　of　yesterday；　the　thought　of　today；　the　hope　of　tomorrow；　the　love　that　is　at　once　the　joy　and　sorrow　of　all　the　days；　that　are　woven　into　a　thousand　varying　but　living　forms。　　One　naturally　seeks　in　the　character　of　the　daughter　a　key　to　the　absorbing　sentiment　which　is　the　inspiration　and　soul　of　these　letters；　but　one　does　not　find　it　there。　　More　beautiful　than　her　mother；　more　learned；　more　accomplished；　she　lacked　her　sympathetic　charm。　　Cold；　reserved；　timid；　and　haughty；　without　vivacity　and　apparently　without　fine　sensibility；　she　was　much　admired　but　little　loved　by　the　world　in　which　she　lived。　　〃When　you　choose；　you　are　adorable；〃　wrote　her　mother；　but　evidently　she　did　not　always　so　choose。　　Bussy…Rabutin　says　of　her；　〃This　woman　has　esprit；　but　it　is　esprit　soured　and　of　insupportable　egotism。　　She　will　make　as　many　enemies　as　her　mother　makes　friends　and　adorers。〃　　He　did　not　like　her；　and　one　must　again　take　his　opinion　with　reserve；　but　she　says　of　herself　that　she　is　〃of　a　temperament　little　communicative。〃　　In　her　mature　life　she　naively　writes：　〃At　first　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　weakness　and　instability　in　many　of　his　mother's　intimate　letters。　　In　the　end；　however；　having　exhausted　the　pleasures　of　life　and　felt　the　bitterness　of　its　disappointments；　he　took　refuge　in　devotion；　and　died　in　the　odor　of　sanctity；　after　the　example　of　his　devout　ancestress。

Mme。　de　Grignan　certainly　offered　a　more　solid　foundation　for　her　mother's　confidence　and　affection。　　It　is　quite　possible；　too；　that　her　reserve　concealed　graces　of　character　only　apparent　on　a　close　intimacy。　　But　love　does　not　wait　for　reasons；　and　this　one　had　all　the　shades　and　intensities　of　a　passion；　with　few　of　its　exactions。　　D'Andilly　called　the　mother　a　〃pretty　pagan；〃　because　she　made　such　an　idol　of　her　daughter。　　She　sometimes　has　her　own　misgivings　on　the　score　of　religion。　　〃I　make　this　a　little　Trappe；〃　she　wrote　from　Livry；　after　the　separation。　　〃I　wish　to　pray　to　God　and　make　a　thousand　reflections；　but；　Ma　pauvre　chere；　what　I　do　better　than　all　that　is　to　think　of　you。　。　。　　I　see　you；　you　are　present　to　me；　I　think　and　think　again　of　everything；　my　head　and　my　mind　are　racked；　but　I　turn　in　vain；　I　seek　in　vain；　the　dear　child　whom　I　love　with　so　much　passion　is　two　hundred　leagues　away。　　I　have　her　no　more。　　Then　I　weep　without　the　power　to　help　myself。〃　　She　rings　the　changes　upon　this　inexhaustible　theme。　　A　responsive　word　delights　her；　a　brief　silence　terrifies　her；　a　slight　coldness　plunges　her　into　despair。　　〃I　have　an　imagination　so　lively　that　uncertainty　makes　me　die；〃　she　writes。　　If　a　shadow　of　grief　touches　her　idol；　her　sympathies　are　overflowing。　　〃You　weep；　my　very　dear　child；　it　is　an　affair　for　you；　it　is　not　the　same　thing　for　me；　it　is　my　temperament。〃

But　though　this　love　pulses　and　throbs　behind　all　her　letters；　it　does　not　make　up　the　substance　of　them。　　To　amuse　her　daughter　she　gathers　all　the　gossip　of　the　court；　all　the　news　of　her　friends；　she　keeps　her　au　courant　with　the　mos