ouvre with almost fabulous
pomp. Mademoiselle de Montmorency was attended by all the Princesses of
the Blood, and took her place immediately beside the Queen, while the
Prince stood upon the right hand of the King; who, being still feeble,
with a refinement of cruelty which it is equally difficult to explain
and to justify, selected Bassompierre upon whom to lean, and thus kept
him throughout the whole of the ceremonial in the immediate vicinity of
the affianced pair.

A few days after the ceremony a ballet was danced at the Arsenal in
honour of the event, at which their Majesties and all the Court were
present; and on Shrove Tuesday a tilting at the ring took place, where
Mademoiselle de Montmorency delivered the prize to the victor. The
Queen, who had remarked with apprehension the growing passion of her
royal consort for the young Princess, was overjoyed at the contemplated
marriage, believing as she did that she must have been self-deluded, as
it was beyond credibility that, had she been correct in her surmises,
Henry would have sought to unite the object of his preference to his own
nephew. Thus, therefore, she overwhelmed the bride-elect with the most
condescending kindness, and even arranged a ballet in her honour in
which she herself appeared. "It was," says Bassompierre, "at once the
most beautiful and the last in which she ever danced." [400]

On Tuesday the 10th of March the marriage took place at Chantilly in the
presence of their Majesties and the whole Court; and if the cheek of the
bride were pale, and the lip of the gallant Bassompierre trembled,
during the ceremony which made Charlotte de Montmorency the wife of
another, all the other actors in the brilliant drama were too fully
occupied with their respective parts to heed the silent emotion of the
sufferers. The King presented as his offering to the lady two thousand
crowns for the purchase of her _trousseau_, and jewels of the value of
eighteen thousand livres; while he gave to the Prince a large amount
both in plate and money.[401] The Queen was also profuse in her
generosity, and several days were spent in the most splendid
festivities, after which the royal party returned to Paris, whither they
were shortly followed by the Prince and Princesse de Conde, on whose
arrival a grand ball was given by the ex-Queen Marguerite, where Henry
was once more enthralled by the exquisite dancing of the graceful bride,
and so unequivocally betrayed his admiration