unts of these rehearsals.
Monsieur Voltaire was very difficult, and everything about the
performance had to be changed a dozen times, except one--Madame Gaston
Cheverny was to play opposite the great Voltaire. He had never seen
her act since that afternoon in the garden so long ago, but he
declared the memory of it remained with him. Other great ladies were
chosen, tried and flung aside. Gentlemen of the best blood of France
were put through their paces before the son of Arouet, the notary.

Count Saxe noted this impudence of Monsieur Voltaire's, and had said
in his hearing that if he, Count Saxe, were hauled and pulled about
unseemly, he would, by the blessing of God, run Monsieur Voltaire
through the body. This insured Count Saxe the most respectful
treatment imaginable from Monsieur Voltaire. My master had told me, on
his return from these Paris rehearsals, that Monsieur Voltaire
maintained the most conciliatory attitude throughout toward Francezka,
who, he declared, was the only actress among all the ladies to be at
Chambord. Francezka's spirit was well known; she was not the niece of
Peggy Kirkpatrick for nothing, and once or twice, so Count Saxe said,
a word on her part and a flash of her eyes showed Monsieur Voltaire
that she would throw up her part at the least hint of impertinence
from him, so he behaved himself perfectly to her, as to Count Saxe.

Madame du Chatelet regarded Monsieur Voltaire as much her own as her
warming pan, or Newton's Principia, so she, of course, had to be asked
to the festivities at Chambord. Then, Madame Villars must be of the
party. She was the daughter-in-law of Marshal Villars, and daughter of
my master's old friend, Marshal, the Duc de Noailles, of whom the
latter would be among the guests. It was that very autumn that Madame
Villars had kissed Voltaire publicly, in her box at the theater, at
the first performance of _Merope_, and to the delight of the audience.
Perhaps Monsieur Voltaire's head was not a little turned by this;
perhaps Madame du Chatelet could have told a tale of the airs he gave
himself with all the women after that, but no matter.

Of course, there were numbers of other young and beautiful women
besides Francezka Cheverny and Madame Villars. Were any of Count
Saxe's loves among them? Perhaps. I, at least, knew not, except that
all women who looked on him fell in love with him, but he can not be
found fault with for that; the fault must be found with the God who