There were yet contrasts at Meudon worth noticing.  Mademoiselle Choin never appeared while the King was with Monseigneur, but kept close in her loft.  When the coast was clear she came out, and took up her position at the sick man’s bedside.  All sorts of compliments passed between her and Madame de Maintenon, yet the two ladies never met.  The King asked Madame de Maintenon if she had seen Mademoiselle Choin, and upon learning that she had not, was but ill-pleased.  Therefore Madame de Maintenon sent excuses and apologies to Mademoiselle Choin, and hoped she said to see her soon,—­strange compliments from one chamber to another under the same roof.  They never saw each other afterwards.

It should be observed, that Pere Tellier was also incognito at Meudon, and dwelt in a retired room from which he issued to see the King, but never approached the apartments of Monseigneur.

Versailles presented another scene.  Monseigneur le Duc and Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne held their Court openly there; and this Court resembled the first gleamings of the dawn.  All the Court assembled there; all Paris also; and as discretion and precaution were never French virtues, all Meudon came as well.  People were believed on their word when they declared that they had not entered the apartments of Monseigneur that day, and consequently could not bring the infection.  When the Prince and Princess rose, when they weft to bed, when they dined and supped with the ladies,—­all public conversations—­all meals—­all assembled—­were opportunities of paying court to them.  The apartments could not contain the crowd.  The characteristic features of the room were many.  Couriers arrived every quarter of an hour, and reminded people of the illness of Monseigneur—­he was going on as well as could be expected; confidence and hope were easily felt; but there was an extreme desire to please at the new Court.  The young Prince and the Princess exhibited majesty and gravity, mixed with gaiety; obligingly received all, continually spoke to every one; the crowd wore an air of complaisance; reciprocal satisfaction showed in every face; the Duc and Duchesse de Berry ware treated almost as nobody.  Thus five days fled away in increasing thought of future events—­in preparation to be ready for whatever might happen.

On Tuesday, the 14th of April, I went to see the chancellor, and asked for information upon the state of Monseigneur.  He assured me it was good, and repeated to me the words Fagon had spoken to him, “that things were going an according to their wishes, and beyond their hopes.”  The Chancellor appeared to me very confident, and I had faith in him, so much the more, because he was on extremely good footing with Monseigneur.  The Prince, indeed, had so much recovered, that the fish-women came in a body the self-same day to congratulate him, as they did after his attack of indigestion.  They threw the themselves at the foot of his bed, which they kissed several times, and in their joy said they would go back to Paris and have a Te Deum sung.  But Monseigneur, who was not insensible to these marks of popular affection, told them it was not yet time, thanked them, and gave them a dinner and some money.