We separated without much
emotion on either side. He next took leave of Chon and his
daughter-in-law. the former wept bitterly, for she was a most
excellent and amiable girl--but the latter, who knew but too much
of the villainy of her father-in-law, could scarcely repress
her joy at his departure. Comte Jean perceived it; and, according
to his brutal custom, indulged in a coarse jest at her expense;
for one of his maxims was to hold all women in sovereign contempt
but such as could be useful to him. For my own part, his absence
gave me something like pleasure; his presence was wearisome to me;
it was like the dregs of the cup which had intoxicated my senses.
During the day several false reports arrived of the death of the
king; but at length, about half past four o'clock in the afternoon,
I received the following letter:--
"MADAM,-You have lost your best friend and I an
excellent master: at three clock this day his majesty
breathed his last. I can scarcely describe to you
the horrors of his death-bed. The princesses
Adelaide and Sophie braved the frightful contagion
to the last and never quitted him till the last
spark had flown. Alas! with the exception of
themselves, every attendant openly expressed
their weariness and disgust.
"For several days the physicians have forbidden
the windows to be opened; and those condemned to
inhale the pestilential vapor of the room vainly
sought to counteract them by every powerful
fumigation.
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