ld involve no such results, as the
allies and interests of the Connetable were his own, and concluded by
entreating that his Majesty, before he sanctioned the marriage of
Bassompierre with his cousin, would give the matter ample
reflection.[394]

This contention, there can be no doubt, piqued the curiosity of the
King, who in the course of the day mentioned the circumstance to the Duc
de Bellegarde. The chance of the rivals in the favour of the lady
herself could scarcely be doubtful, as the Duc de Bouillon, Prince of
the Blood though he was, possessed few personal attractions, while the
gay, the gallant, the magnificent Bassompierre was the cynosure of all
eyes; superb in person, he was moreover of high birth, great wealth
(although his profusion occasionally fettered his means), in high favour
with the monarch, and celebrated alike for his wit and his attainments.
Unfortunately, however, for his interests, M. le Grand had already seen
Mademoiselle de Montmorency, and the animated description which he
volunteered to the King of the coveted beauty was far from proving
favourable to the views of Bassompierre, as Henry, before he came to any
decision upon so important a question, resolved to decide for himself
the value of the prize which he was about to adjudge to one or other of
the contending parties. For this purpose he therefore joined the evening
circle of the Queen, where he first saw the daughter of the Connetable,
but apparently without the effect which had been anticipated by the Duc
de Bellegarde.

On the morrow, however, he proved less insensible to the surpassing
loveliness of the young maid of honour; her modest dignity in a private
_salon_ offering, in all probability, little attraction to the
licentious monarch who was accustomed to see every eye turned towards
himself, and every art exerted to fascinate his notice; but on the day
of the rehearsal, when the graceful and blushing nymph of Diana was
presented to him in her classic garb, her quiver at her back and her
spear in her hand, he at once acknowledged the potency of the spell by
which others had been previously subjugated. The rehearsal took place in
the great hall of the Louvre, where Henry was attended only by the Due
de Bellegarde, and Montespan,[395] the captain of his bodyguard.

The extraordinary loveliness of the young Princess, combined with her
exquisite grace and dignified bearing, at once fascinated the King, who
declared to the Duc de