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22 MEMOIRS OF THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON.

to pity Madame de Boquelaure, than some, by aversion for the
grand imperial airs of this poor mother,—the majority, seized
by mirth at the idea of a creature, well known to be very ugly
and humpbacked, being carried off by such an ugly gallant,—
burst out laughing, even to tears, and with an uproar completely
scandalous. Madame de Maintenon abandoned herself to mirth,
like the rest, and corrected the others at last, by saying it was
not very charitable, in a tone that could impose upon no one.

Madame de Saint-Simon and I were at Paris. We knew
with all Paris of this affair, but were ignorant of the place of
the marriage and the part M. de Lorges had had in it, when the
third day after the adventure I was startled out of my sleep at
five o'clock in the morning, and saw my curtains and my win-
dows open at the same time, and Madame de Saint-Simon and
her brother (M. de Lorges) before me. They related to me all
that had occurred, and then went away to consult with a skil-
ful person what course to adopt, leaving me to dress. I never
saw a man so crestfallen as M. de Lorges. He had confessed
what he had done to a clever lawyer, who had much frightened
him. After quitting him, he had hastened to us to make us go
and see Pontchartrain. The most serious things are sometimes
accompanied with the most ridiculous. M. de Lorges upon
arriving knocked at the door of a little room which 'preceded
the chamber of Madame de Saint-Simon. My daughter was
rather unwell. Madame de Saint-Simon thought she was worse,
and supposing it ^was I who had knocked, ran and opened the
door. At the sight of her brother she ran back to her bed, to
which he followed her, in order to relate his disaster. She rang
for the windows to be opened, in order that she might see
better. It so happened that she had taken the evening before
a n,ew servant, a country girl of sixteen, who slept in the little
room. M. de Lorges,in a hurry to be off, told this girl to make
haste in opening the windows, and then to go away and close
the door. At this, the simple girl, all amazed, took her robe
and her cotillon, and went upstairs to an old chamber-maid,
awoke her, and with much hesitation told her what had just
happened, and that she had left by the bedside of Madame de