PORTRAIT OF THE DAUPHINE.

the Dauphin, who had waited for midnight with impatience,
had heard mass immediately after the communion, had passed
two hours in devout communication with God, and that his
reason then became embarrassed. Madame de Saint-Simon
told me afterwards that he had received extreme unction: in
fine, that he died at half-past eight. These memoirs are not
written to describe my private sentiments. But in reading
them,—if, long after me., they shall ever appear,—my state and
that of Madame de Saint-Simon will only too keenly be felt. I
will content myself with saying, that the first days after the
Dauphin's death scarcely appeared to us more than moments ;
that I wished to quit all, to withdraw from the Court and the
world, and that I. was only hindered by the wisdom, conduct,
and power over me of Madame cle Saint-Simon, who yet had
much trouble to subdue my sorrowful desires.

Let me say something now of the young prince and his
•spouse, whom we thus lost in such quick succession.

Never did princess arrive amongst us so young with so much
instruction, or with such capacity to profit by instruction. Her
skilful father, who thoroughly knew our Court, had painted it
to her, and had made her acquainted with the only manner of
making herself happy there. From the first moment of her
arrival she had acted upon his lessons. Gentle, timid, but
adroit, fearing to give the slightest pain to anybody, and
though, all lightness and vivacity, very capable of far-stretching
views; constraint, even to annoyance, cost her nothing, though
she felt all its weight. Complacency was natural to her,
flowed from her, and was exhibited towards every member of
the Court.

Eegularly plain, with cheeks hanging, a forehead too promi-
nent, a nose without meaning, thick biting lips, hair and eye-
brows of dark chestnut, and well planted; the most speaking
and most beautiful eyes in the world; few teeth, and those all
rotten, about which she was the first to talk and jest j the most
beautiful complexion and skin; not much bosom, but what
there was admirable; the throat long, with the suspicion of a
goitre, which did not ill become her; her head carried gallantly,