She wrote a billet to him
demanding a personal interview with him that he might explain the
insinuations which concerned the honour of herself, her son, and her
daughter.
I believe a duel would have been much more agreeable to him than such
a meeting, but my mother so contrived it that he knew that he could
not fail to meet her without its being known to the whole Court, and
that he could not venture. So he came, and I never saw anything more
admirably managed than the conference was on my mother's part, for
she chose to have me present as mistress of the house. She had put
on her richest black velvet suit, and looked a most imposing
chatelaine, and though he came in trying to carry it off with
military bravado and nonchalance, he was evidently ill at ease.
My mother then demanded of him, in her own name, her son's, and mine,
what right or cause he had to make such accusations, as he had
implied, respecting our house.
He laughed uneasily, and tried to make light of it, talking of
reports, and inferences, and so on; but my mother, well assured that
there was no such scandal, drove him up into a corner, and made him
confess that he had heard nothing but from Madame Croquelebois. My
mother then insisted on that lady being called for, sending her own
sedan chair to bring her.
Now the Baronne de Ribaumont Walwyn was a veritable grande dame, and
Madame Croquelebois, in spite of her sharp nose, and sharper tongue,
was quite cowed by her, and absolutely driven to confess that she had
not heard a word against Madame la Comtesse.
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