Madame de Boufflers, who was in England(935) is a savants mistress of the Prince of Conti, and very desirous of being his wife.  She is two women, the upper and the lower.  I need not tell you that the lower is gallant, and still has pretensions.  The upper is very sensible, too, and has a measured eloquence that is just and pleasing—­but all is spoiled by an unrelaxed attention to applause.  You would think she was always sitting for her picture to her biographer.  Madame de Rochfort(936) is different from all the rest.  Her understanding is just and delicate; with a finesse of wit that is the result of reflection.  Her manner is soft and feminine, and though a savants, without any declared pretensions.  She is the decent friend of Monsieur de Nivernois; for you must not believe a syllable of what you read in their novels.  It requires the greatest curiosity, or the greatest habitude, to discover the smallest connexion between the sexes here.  No familiarity, but under the veil of friendship, is permitted, and love’s dictionary is as much prohibited, as at first sight one should think his ritual was.  All you hear, and that pronounced with nonchalance, is, that Monsieur un tel has had Madame un telle.  The Duc de Nivernois has parts, and writes at the top of the mediocre, but, as Madame Geoffrin says, is manqu`e par tout; guerrier manqu`e, ambassadeur manqu`e, homme d’affaires manqu`e and auteur manqu`e—­no, he is not homme de naissance manqu`e.  He would think freely, but has some ambition of being governor to the Dauphin, and is more afraid of his wife and daughter, who are ecclesiastic fagots.  The former outchatters the Duke of Newcastle; and the latter Madame de Gisors, exhausts Mr. Pitt’s eloquence in defense of the Archbishop of Paris.  Monsieur de Nivernois lives in a small circle of dependent admirers, and Madame de Rochfort is high-priestess for a small salary of credit.

The Duchess of Choiseul,(937) the only young one of these heroines, is not very pretty, but has fine eyes, and is a little model in wax-work, which not being allowed to speak for some time as incapable, has a hesitation and modesty, the latter of which the court has not cured, and the former of which is atoned for by the most interesting sound of voice, and forgotten in the most elegant turn and propriety of expression.  Oh! it is the gentlest, amiable, civil little creature that ever came out of a fairy egg!  So just in its phrases and thoughts, so attentive and good-natured!  Every body loves it but its husband, who prefers his own sister the Duchess de Grammont,(938) an Amazonian, fierce, haughty dame, who loves and hates arbitrarily, and is detested.  Madame de Choiseul, passionately fond of her husband, was the martyr of this union, but at last submitted with a good grace; has gained a little credit with him, and is still believed to idolize him.  But I doubt it—­she takes too much pains to profess it.