Clemet professed himself eternally
grateful for this poor attention when in the morning I sent my son
with another note in return to be sent to my mother and sister; and
he promised to watch over them as his own life.
This was the last communication I had with my family for two months.
The Queen had declared that her absence would be only 'a little
expedition of a week;' but week after week passed on, and there we
still were on the hill. The troops could not entirely surround
Paris, but no such thing. I think we were, on the whole, more hungry
than those whom we blockaded.
As each set of officials finished their time of waiting they retired,
and nobody came to replace them, so our party became smaller from day
to day, which was the less to be regretted as our Lent was Lent
indeed. Nobody had any money, and provisions ran very short;
everybody grumbled but the Queen and Cardinal, and Mademoiselle, who
enjoyed the situation and laughed at everybody.
In the intervals of grumbling every one was making love. M. de
Juvizy actually was presumptuous enough to make love to the Queen, or
to boast that he did. Mademoiselle, I am sorry to say, was in love,
or, more truly, in ambition with the Prince of Conde; M. de S.
Maigrin was said to be in love with the Princess, M. de Chatillon
with Mademoiselle de Guerchy, and so on.
Even I, who had always declared that it was a woman's own fault if
she had a lover, did not escape.
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