Some people are cursed with bad sons—­some with erring daughters.  Francoise d’Aubigne was long the victim of a wicked father.  Constans d’Aubigne belonged to an old and honourable family, and was the son of that famous old Huguenot general, Theodore-Agrippa d’Aubigne, who fought for a long time under Henry of Navarre, and in his old age wrote the history of his times.  To counterbalance this distinction, the son Constans brought all the discredit he could on the family.  After a reckless life, in which he squandered his patrimony, he married a rich widow, and then, it is said, contrived to put her out of the way.  He was imprisoned as a murderer, but acquitted for want of evidence.  The story goes, that he was liberated by the daughter of the governor of the gaol, whom he had seduced in the prison, and whom he married when free.  He sought to retrieve his fortune in the island of Martinique, ill-treated his wife, and eventually ran away, and left her and her children to their fate.  They followed him to France, and found him again incarcerated.  Madame d’Aubigne was foolishly fond of her good-for-nothing spouse, and lived with him in his cell, where the little Francoise, who had been born in prison, was now educated.

Rescued from starvation by a worthy Huguenot aunt, Madame de Vilette, the little girl was brought up as a Protestant, and a very stanch one she proved for a time.  But Madame d’Aubigne, who was a Romanist, would not allow her to remain long under the Calvinist lady’s protection, and sent her to be converted by her godmother, the Madame de Neuillant above mentioned.  This woman, who was as merciless as a woman can be, literally broke her into Romanism, treated her like a servant, made her groom the horses, and comb the maid’s hair, and when all these efforts failed, sent her to a convent to be finished off.  The nuns did by specious reasoning what had been begun by persecution, and young Francoise, at the time she was introduced to Scarron, was a highly respectable member of ‘the only true church.’

Madame d’Aubigne was at this time supporting herself by needlework.  Her sad story won the sympathy of Scarron’s guests, who united to relieve her wants. La belle Indienne, as the cripple styled her, soon became a favourite at his parties, and lost her shyness by degrees.  Ninon de l’Enclos, who did not want heart, took her by the hand, and a friendship thus commenced between that inveterate Lais and the future wife of Louis XIV. which lasted till death.

The beauty of Francoise soon brought her many admirers, among whom was even one of Ninon’s slaves; but as marriage was not the object of these attentions, and the young girl would not relinquish her virtue, she remained for some time unmarried but respectable.  Scarron was particularly fond of her, and well knew that, portionless as she was, the poor girl would have but little chance of making a match.  His kindness touched her, his wit charmed her; she pitied