That wicked Bessola, who had tormented the Dauphine day and night, and had made her distrust every one who approached her, and thus separated her from all the world, returned home a year after her mistress’s death.  Before her departure she played another trick by having a box made with a double bottom, in which she concealed jewels and ready money to the amount of 100,000 francs; and all this time she went about weeping and complaining that, after so many years of faithful service, she was dismissed as poor as a beggar.  She did not know that her contrivance had been discovered at the Customhouse and that the King had been apprised of it.  He ordered her to be sent for, showed her the things which she had prepared to carry away, and said he thought she had little reason to complain of the Dauphine’s parsimony.  It may be imagined how foolish she looked.  The King added that, although he might withhold them from her, yet to show her that she had done wrong in acting clandestinely, and in complaining as she had done, he chose to restore her the whole.

SECTION XIII.—­ADELAIDE OF SAVOY, THE SECOND DAUPHINE.

The Queen of Spain stayed longer with her mother than our Dauphine, and therefore was better educated.  Maintenon, who understood nothing about education, permitted her to do whatever she pleased, that she might gain her affections and keep her to herself.  This young lady had been well brought up by her virtuous mother; she was genteel and humorous, and could joke very pleasantly:  when she had a colour she did not look ugly.  No one can imagine what mad-headed people were about this Princess, and among the number was the Marechale d’Estrees.  Maintenon was very properly recompensed for having given her these companions; for the consequence was that the Dauphine no longer liked her society.  Maintenon was very desirous to know the reason of this, and teased the Princess to tell her.  At length she did; and said that the Marechale d’Estrees was continually asking her, “What are you always doing with that old woman?  Why do you not associate with folks who would amuse you more than that old skeleton?” and that she said many other uncivil things of her.  Maintenon told me this herself, since the death of the Dauphine, to prove that it was only the Marechale’s fault that the Dauphine had been on such bad terms with me.  This may be partly true; but it is no less certain that Maintenon had strongly prepossessed her against me.  Almost all the foolish people who were about her were relations or friends of the old woman; and it was by her order that they endeavoured to amuse her and employ her, so that she might want no other society.

The young Dauphine was full of pantomime tricks. * * * * She was fond, too, of collecting a quantity of young persons about her for the King’s amusement, who liked to see their sports; they, however, took care never to display any but innocent diversions before him:  he did not learn the rest until after her death.  The Dauphine used to call old Maintenon her aunt, but only in jest; the fines d’honneur called her their gouvernante, and the Marechale de La Mothe, mamma; if the Dauphine had also called the old woman her mamma, it would have been regarded as a declaration of the King’s marriage; for this reason she only called her aunt.