This tocsin made itself heard by Maulevrier.  What will not a man think of doing when possessed to excess by love or ambition?  He pretended to have something the matter with his chest, put himself on a milk diet, made believe that he had lost his voice, and was sufficiently master of himself to refrain from uttering an intelligible word during a whole year; by these means evading the campaign and remaining at the Court.  He was mad enough to relate this project, and many others, to his friend the Duc de Lorges, from whom, in turn, I learnt it.  The fact was, that bringing himself thus to the necessity of never speaking to anybody except in their ear, he had the liberty of speaking low to—­Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne before all the Court without impropriety and without suspicion.  In this manner he said to her whatever he wished day by day, and was never overheard.  He also contrived to say things the short answers to which were equally unheard.  He so accustomed people to this manner of speaking that they took no more notice of it than was expressed in pity for such a sad state; but it happened that those who approached the nearest to Madame la Duchesse de Bourgogne when Maulevrier was at her side, soon knew enough not to be eager to draw near her again when she was thus situated.  This trick lasted more than a year:  his conversation was principally composed of reproaches—­but reproaches rarely succeed in love.  Maulevrier, judging by the ill-humour of Madame de la Vrilliere, believed Nangis to be happy.  Jealousy and rage transported him at last to the extremity of folly.

One day, as Madame de Bourgogne was coming from mass and he knew that Dangeau, her chevalier d’honneur, was absent, he gave her his hand.  The attendants had accustomed themselves to let him have this honour, on account of his distinguished voice, so as to allow him to speak by the way, and retired respectfully so as not to hear what he said.  The ladies always followed far behind, so that, in the midst of all the Court, he had, from the chapel to the apartments of Madame de Bourgogne, the full advantages of a private interview—­advantages that he had availed himself of several times.  On this day he railed against Nangis to Madame de Bourgogne, called him by all sorts of names, threatened to tell everything to the King and to Madame de Maintenon, and to the Duc de Bourgogne, squeezed her fingers as if he would break them, and led her in this manner, like a madman as he was, to her apartments.  Upon entering them she was ready to swoon.  Trembling all over she entered her wardrobe, called one of her favourite ladies, Madame de Nogaret, to her, related what had occurred, saying she knew not how she had reached her rooms, or how it was she had not sunk beneath the floor, or died.  She had never been so dismayed.  The same day Madame de Nogaret related this to Madame de Saint-Simon and to me, in the strictest confidence.  She counselled the Duchess to behave gently with