“His Majesty,” said the Bishop, in the tone of one who is sensible that he encroaches a little, and does it with consequent reverence, “his Majesty, I hope, is well?”
“God be thanked, yes, as well as we can expect. It is now nearly the hour in which his Majesty awaits your personal inquiries.”
Fleuri bowed as he answered,—
“The King, then, will receive us to-day? My young companion is very desirous to see the greatest monarch, and, consequently, the greatest man, of the age.”
“The desire is natural,” said Madame de Maintenon; and then, turning to me, she asked if I had yet seen King James the Third.
I took care, in my answer, to express that even if I had resolved to make that stay in Paris which allowed me to pay my respects to him at all, I should have deemed that both duty and inclination led me, in the first instance, to offer my homage to one who was both the benefactor of my father and the monarch whose realms afforded me protection.
“You have not, then,” said Madame de Maintenon, “decided on the length of your stay in France?”
“No,” said I,—and my answer was regulated by my desire to see how far I might rely on the services of one who expressed herself so warm a friend of that excellent woman, Madame la Marechale,—“no, Madame. France is the country of my birth, if England is that of my parentage; and could I hope for some portion of that royal favour which my father enjoyed, I would rather claim it as the home of my hopes than the refuge of my exile. But”—and I stopped short purposely.
The old lady looked at me very earnestly through her spectacles for one moment, and then, hemming twice with a little embarrassment, again remarked to the Bishop that the time for seeing the King was nearly arrived. Fleuri, whose policy at that period was very like that of the concealed Queen, and who was, besides, far from desirous of introducing any new claimants on Madame de Maintenon’s official favour, though he might not object to introduce them to a private friend, was not slow in taking the hint. He rose, and I was forced to follow his example.
Madame de Maintenon thought she might safely indulge in a little cordiality when I was just on the point of leaving her, and accordingly blessed me, and gave me her hand, which I kissed very devoutly. An extremely pretty hand it was, too, notwithstanding the good Queen’s age. We then retired, and, repassing the three ladies, who were now all yawning, repaired to the King’s apartments.