The Marechale de Rochefort was lady of honour.  She was of the house of Montmorency—­a widow—­handsome—­sprightly; formed by nature to live at Court—­apt for gallantry and intrigues; full of worldly cleverness, from living much in the world, with little cleverness of any other kind, nearly enough for any post and any business.  M. de Louvois found her suited to his taste, and she accommodated herself very well to his purse, and to the display she made by this intimacy.  She always became the friend of every new mistress of the King; and when he favoured Madame de Soubise, it was at the Marechale’s house that she waited, with closed doors, for Bontems, the King’s valet, who led her by private ways to his Majesty.  The Marechale herself has related to me how one day she was embarrassed to get rid of the people that Madame de Soubise (who had not had time to announce her arrival) found at her house; and how she most died of fright lest Bontems should return and the interview be broken off if he arrived before the company had departed.  The Marechale de Rochefort was in this way the friend of Mesdames de la Valliere, de Montespan, and de Soubise; and she became the friend of Madame de Maintenon, to whom she attached herself in proportion as she saw her favour increase.  She had, at the marriage of Monseigneur, been made Dame d’Atours to the new Dauphiness; and, if people were astonished at that, they were also astonished to see her lady of honour to an “illegitimate grand-daughter of France.”

The Comtesse de Mailly was Dame d’Atours.  She was related to Madame de Maintenon, to whose favour she owed her marriage with the Comte de Mailly.  She had come to Paris with all her provincial awkwardness, and, from want of wit, had never been able to get rid of it.  On the contrary, she grafted thereon an immense conceit, caused by the favour of Madame de Maintenon.  To complete the household, came M. de Fontaine-Martel, poor and gouty, who was first master of the horse.

On the Monday before Shrove Tuesday, all the marriage party and the bride and bridegroom, superbly dressed, repaired, a little before mid-day, to the closet of the King, and afterwards to the chapel.  It was arranged, as usual, for the Mass of the King, excepting that between his place and the altar were two cushions for the bride and bridegroom, who turned their backs to the King.  Cardinal de Bouillon, in full robes, married them, and said Mass.  From the chapel all the company went to table:  it was of horse-shoe shape.  The Princes and Princesses of the blood were placed at the right and at the left, according to their rank, terminated by the two illegitimate children of the King, and, for the first time, after them, the Duchesse de Verneuil; so that M. de Verneuil, illegitimate son of Henry IV., became thus “Prince of the blood” so many years after his death, without having ever suspected it.  The Duc d’Uzes thought this so amusing that he marched in front of