'Death to the Big Beard!' was the cry, by which they meant good old
Mathieu Mole, who had incurred their hatred for his loyalty, and then
they halted opposite to the Maison Darpent to shout: 'Death to the
Big Beard and his jackal!'
'Do not fear, Madame, it will soon be over,' said Darpent. 'It is a
little amusement in which they daily indulge. The torrent will soon
pass by, and then I will do myself the honour of escorting you home.'
I thought I was much safer than he, and would have forbidden him, but
he smiled, and said I must not deny him the pleasure of walking as
far as the door of the Hotel de Nidemerle.
'But why do they thus assail you and the Garde des Sceaux?' I asked.
'Because so few in this unfortunate country can distinguish between
persons and causes,' he said. 'Hatred to Mazarin and to the Queen as
his supporter is the only motive that sways them. If he can only be
kept out they are willing to throw themselves under the feet of the
Prince that he may trample them to dust. Once, as you know, we hoped
that there was public spirit enough in the noblesse and clergy, led
by the Coadjutor, to join with us in procuring the assembling of the
States-General, and thus constitutionally have taken the old
safeguards of the people. They deceived us, and only made use of us
for their own ends. The Duke of Orleans, who might have stood by us,
is a broken reed, and now, in the furious clash of parties, we stand
by, waiting till the conqueror shall complete our destruction and
oppression, and in the meantime holding to the only duty that is
clear to us--of loyalty to the King, let that involve what it may.
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