_Réunions_—The Scarrons—The Fête at Vaux—The Little Old Man in the Dressing-gown—Louise de la Vallière—How the Mice Play when the Cat’s Away—“Pauvre Scarron”—An Atrocious Crime. CHAPTER XVI 175 A _Lettre de Cachet_—Mazarin’s Dying Counsel—Madame Scarron Continues to Receive—Fouquet’s Intentions and What Came of Them—The Squirrel and the Snake—The Man in the Iron Mask—An Incommoding Admirer—“Calice cher, ou le parfum n’est plus”—The Roses’ Sepulchre. CHAPTER XVII 185 A Fashionable Water-cure Resort—M. de Roquelaure and his Friends—Louis le Grand—“A Favourite with the Ladies”—The Broken Sword—A _Billet-doux_—La Vallière and la Montespan—The Rebukes from the Pulpit—Putting to the Test—_Le Tartufe_—The Triumphs of Molière—The Story of Clotilde. CHAPTER XVIII 199 A Disastrous Wooing—Fénelon—“Mademoiselle de L’Enclos”—The Pride that had a Fall—The Death of the Duchesse d’Orléans—Intrigue—The Sun-King and the Shadows—The Clermont Scholar’s Crime—Monsieur de Montespan—Tardy Indignation—The Encounter—The Filles Répenties—What the Cards Foretold. CHAPTER XIX 212 “In Durance Vile”—Molière’s _Mot_—_The Malade Imaginaire_—“Rogues and Vagabonds”—The Passing of Molière—The Narrowing Circle—Fontenelle—Lulli—Racine—The Little Marquis—A Tardy Pardon—The Charming Widow Scarron—A Journey to the Vosges, and the Haunted Chamber. CHAPTER XX 228 The Crime of Madame Tiquet—A Charming Little Hand—_Aqua Toffana_—The Casket—A Devout Criminal—The Sinner and the Saint—Monsieur de Lauzun’s Boots—“Sister Louise”—La Fontange—“Madame de Maintenant”—The Blanks in the Circle—The Vatican Fishes and their Good Example—Piety at Versailles—The Periwigs and the Paniers—Père la Chaise—A Dull Court—Monsieur de St Evrémond’s Decision. CHAPTER XXI 241 A Distinguished Salon—The Duke’s Homage—Quietism—The Disastrous Edict—The Writing on the Window-pane—The Persecution of the Huguenots—The Pamphleteers—The Story of Jean Larcher and _The Ghost of M. Scarron_—The Two Policies. CHAPTER XXII 251 Mademoiselle de L’Enclos’ _Cercle_—Madeleine de Scudéri—The Abbé Dubois—“The French Calliope,” and the Romance of her Life—“_Revenons à nos Moutons_”—A Resurrection?—Racine and his Detractors—“Esther”—_Athalie_ and St Cyr—Madame Guyon and the Quietists. CHAPTER XXIII 263