His friend, or rather his foe, St. Evremond, tried in vain to discourage the Chevalier from his new passion.  The former tutor was, it appeared, jealous of its influence, and hurt that De Grammont was now seldom at his house.

De Grammont’s answer to his remonstrances was very characteristic.  ’My poor philosopher,’ he cried, ’you understand Latin well—­you can make good verses—­you are acquainted with the nature of the stars in the firmament—­but you are wholly ignorant of the luminaries in the terrestrial globe.’

He then announced his intention to persevere, notwithstanding all the obstacles which attached to the suit of a man without either fortune or character, who had been exiled from his own country, and whose chief mode of livelihood was dependent on the gaming-table.

One can scarcely read of the infatuation of La Belle Hamilton without a sigh.  During a period of six years their marriage was in contemplation only; and De Grammont seems to have trifled inexcusably with the feelings of this once gay and ever lovely girl.  It was not for want of means that De Grammont thus delayed the fulfilment of his engagement.  Charles II., inexcusably lavish, gave him a pension of 1500 Jacobuses:  it was to be paid to him until he should be restored to the favour of his own king.  The fact was that De Grammont contributed to the pleasures of the court, and pleasure was the household deity of Whitehall.  Sometimes, in those days of careless gaiety, there were promenades in Spring Gardens, or the Mall; sometimes the court beauties sallied forth on horseback; at other times there were shows on the river, which then washed the very foundations of Whitehall.  There in the summer evenings, when it was too hot and dusty to walk, old Thames might be seen covered with little boats, filled with court and city beauties, attending the royal barges; collations, music, and fireworks completed the scene, and De Grammont always contrived some surprise—­some gallant show:  once a concert of vocal and instrumental music, which he had privately brought from Paris, struck up unexpectedly:  another time a collation brought from the gay capital surpassed that supplied by the king.  Then the Chevalier, finding that coaches with glass windows, lately introduced, displeased the ladies, because their charms were only partially seen in them, sent for the most elegant and superb caleche ever seen:  it came after a month’s journey, and was presented by De Grammont to the king.  It was a royal present in price, for it had cost two thousand livres.  The famous dispute between Lady Castlemaine and Miss Stuart, afterwards Duchess of Richmond, arose about this caleche.  The Queen and the Duchess of York appeared first in it in Hyde Park, which had then recently been fenced in with brick.  Lady Castlemaine thought that the caleche showed off a fine figure better than the coach; Miss Stuart was of the same opinion.  Both these grown-up babies wished to have the coach on the same day, but Miss Stuart prevailed.