216 MEMOIRS OF THE DUKE OF SAINT-SIMON.

majestically, gracefully; her mien noble; her smile most ex-
pressive ; her figure long, round, .slender, easy, perfectly-
shaped ; her walk that of a goddess upon the clouds : with such
qualifications she pleased supremely. Grace accompanied her
every step, and shone through her manners and her most ordi-
nary conversation. An air always simple and natural, often
naive, but seasoned with wit—this with the ease peculiar to
her, charmed all who approached her, and communicated itself
to thorn. She wished to please even, the most useless and tho
most ordinary persons, and yet without making an effort to do
so. You wore tempted to believe her wholly and solely devoted
to those with whom she found herself. Her gaiety—young,
quick, and active—animated all; and her nymph-like lightness-
carried her everywhere, like a whirlwind which fills several
places at once, and gives them movement and life. She was the
ornament of all diversions, the life and soul of all pleasure, and
at balls ravished everybody by the justness and perfection of
her dancing. She could be* amused by playing for small sums
but liked high gambling better, and was an excellent, good-
tempered, and bold gamester.

She spared nothing, not even her health, to gain Madame do
Maintcnon, and through her the King. Her suppleness towards
them was without example, and never for a moment wan at
fault. Sho accompanied it with all the discretion that her
knowledge of them, acquired by study and experience, had given.
her, and could measure their dispositions to an inch. In this
way she had acquired a familiarity with them such as nono of"
the King's children, not oven the bastards, had approached.

In public, serious, measured, with tho King, and in timid
decorum with Madame do Main tenon, whom sho never addressed
except as my aunt, thus prettily confounding friendship and
rank. In private, prattling, skipping, flying around them, now
perched upon the sides of their arm chairs, now playing upon,
their knees, she clasped them, round the neck, embraced them,,
kissed them, caressed them, rumpled them, tickled thorn under
the chin, tormented them, rummaged their tables, their papers^
their letters, broke open the seals, and read the contents ia