The same thing was going on at the Louvre.
Queen Henrietta was bent on converting her son, the Duke of
Gloucester. He was a dear good lad of twelve years old, who had just
been permitted to join her. I think the pleasantest times I had at
all in those days were with him. He clung to us because I had known
and loved his sweet sister, the Lady Elisabeth, who had been his
companion in his imprisonment, and though he seldom spoke of her it
was easy to see that the living with her had left a strong mark on
his whole character.
I knew that Eustace had seen the Darpents and made Clement understand
that I was faithful, and that he was to believe nothing that he heard
of me, except through my brother himself. That helped me to some
patience; and I believe poor Clement was so much amazed that his
addresses should be tolerated by M. le Baron de Ribaumont that he was
quite ready to endure any suspense.
There were most tremendous disturbances going on all the time out of
door. Wonderful stories came to us of a fearful uproar in the
Parliament between the Prince and the Coadjutor de Gondi, when the
Duke of Rochefoucauld got the Coadjutor between two folding-doors,
let down the iron bar of them on his neck, and was as nearly as
possible the death of him. Then there was a plot for murdering the
Prince of Conde in the streets, said to be go up by the Queen-Regent
herself, after consulting one of her priests, who told her that she
might regard the Prince as an enemy of the State, and that she might
lawfully rid herself of him by private means when a public execution
was inexpedient.
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