"think of my reputation; a woman, still
young, still handsome like yourself--"

"Great God!" cried Madame Riano, "_you_ have no reputation to lose,
and as for myself, mine is far too robust to be hurt by a little thing
like this. Not that I ever wanted for lovers when I was young, from
the time I was thirteen years old, when that foolish Bishop of Louvain
wanted to marry me; I had a plenty as long as I wanted them."

"It is singular," said Count Saxe, "that a bishop should want to marry
a thirteen-year-old girl."

"He was not in orders then, but was a soft-headed great oaf of a young
man of nineteen, and that you should have understood. Maurice of Saxe,
I think you have never been so sensible a man since you made that
ridiculous fiasco in Courland. It seems to have addled your brain
somewhat!"

And Count Saxe had to entertain that woman a whole week! She took
possession of his only bedchamber, and he, putting it on the score of
propriety, slept on the hay in the stable lofts!

It may be imagined how we worked to be ready to receive the king and
his suite and all the guests asked for that memorable visit. Count
Saxe utilized all of that stupendous genius he had heretofore shown in
his campaigns in preparing a campaign of pleasure for those royal
festivities at Chambord. Besides the king, there were two princes of
the blood, the Duc d'Orleans and the Duc de Bourbon, seven dukes and
peers of France, two marshals of France, and a horde of other great
people.

Three days in the week there were to be stag hunts and boar hunts in
the forest. Two nights in the week there were to be balls, three
nights there were to be cards, and the two other nights plays in the
theater of the castle, otherwise the great yellow saloon. The
playwright was to be no less a person than Monsieur Voltaire, who did
not require much coaxing to follow the king. The ostensible bait held
out to him was that Francezka, with whose beauty, faith and tenderness
all Paris was ringing, would be at Chambord and would take part in
Monsieur Voltaire's plays. He remembered her early triumphs in the
garden of the Hotel Kirkpatrick, and was not averse to a beautiful and
brilliant woman assisting in the making of his fame.

My master was to be in one of these plays, and went to Paris several
times to attend the rehearsals, which were under the direction of
Monsieur Voltaire. Francezka and Gaston had then arrived in Paris.
Count Saxe came back with famous acco