, the great men who made her salon famous were gathered at "La
Chevrette," where the actors and players soon drew the attention of
literary Paris. After a year or two of attachment, Francueil became
indifferent to Mme. d'Epinay and transferred his affections to an
actress--the sister of M. d'Epinay's mistress. Thus runs the story of
the life of the average married woman. If she remained virtuous,
she usually became resigned to her fate and lived happily; if she
undertook to imitate her husband's tactics, she fell from the good
graces of one lover to those of another, ending her life in absolute
wretchedness.

These two men--the lover and the husband--carried on with two sisters
their licentious living and extravagances to such an extent that the
injured wife demanded a separation of her fortune from that of her
husband, in which project her father-in-law aided her and gave her
thirteen thousand francs income. Mme. d'Epinay, in the midst of
success, became acquainted with Mlle. Quinault, the daughter of the
famous actor of the time, and herself a great actress. This woman
invited Mme. d'Epinay to her so-called salon, which was, possibly, the
most licentious and irreligious of the salons then in vogue, where she
met Duclos, with whom she immediately formed a strong friendship.

After the death of M. de Bellegarde, her wealth was considerably
increased, a piece of good fortune which enabled her to carry out all
her plans. It was at this time, 1755, that she induced Rousseau
to live in her cottage, "l'Hermitage;" and for about two years she
enjoyed perfect happiness with him. By a peculiar freak of fate she
fell in with Grimm, who was introduced to her by Rousseau and who had,
for some time, been on the hunt for a "faithful mistress." This German
by birth, but Frenchman in spirit, had championed her at a dinner,
where she was the object of the severest reproach. She had burned
the papers of her sister, Mme. de Jully, who had betrayed an honest
husband. Stricken with smallpox, just before dying, she confessed all
to Mme. d'Epinay. The latter owed Mme. de Jully fifty ecus and the
note was among the papers of Mme. de Jully. Mme. d'Epinay was accused
of having burned the note to which it was asserted she had access; and
Grimm undertook to plead her cause, an act which so elated madame that
she turned all her affection upon her defender, whereupon Rousseau
departed. Later on, the note having been found, Mme. d'Epinay was
compl