The sun., 1908-04-26


her a. a companion in Paris the offer should
have been eagerly accepted. 1t was not,
however. until April, 1854, that Julie went
10 the capital, and the intervening time
was spent In q convent.
III.
Nine. du Deifand. the remarkable woman
who was destined TO exercise an inoalcula-
bic influence upon the young girls fortunes,
was then In her hfty-siXth year The fame
Of her intellectual powers, Of her brilliant
and scathinE sarcasm and her almost un-
rivalled ability In conversation has en-
dured down to our own day. Although
born at Champrond, her upbringing had
been by no means that Of country girl.
Like most young ladies Of her time indeed,
she was early sent 10 a convent school, and
only left II on her marriage 10 the Mar
quis du Defand. at the age Of 2l u7is).
The fashionable Paris convent Of that day,
owever-and such was that where Marie
do vichy received her education-was no
abode Of Arcadian simplicity nor Of inno-
cence. The heads Of such institutions were
women Of high rank, who, despite their
VOWS, had by no means renounced the
world. Visitors Of both sexes found their
way frequently within the precincts; e1eats
for the pupils, at all events, were easily pro-
cured; the flow Of communication with mum
dane affairs was uninterrupted, and the
latest court scandal was as likely as not TO
form the topic Of conversation. We may
then be tolerably certain that Mle. de
Vichy was no ingenue Of the sheltered type
when she accepted the husband selected for
her by family arrangements and-the mar
rage scarcely over-decided that as hus-
band the Marquis du Defand " as impossible.
We are told that she was always taking
trouble 10 make himself disagreeable.
The young Nine. du Deifand made her
way at once to the very heart Of that brill
liant, fascinating and inconceivably corrupt
society. She had claims Rs a beauty
no less than az a wit. and abe soon won
the favor Of the Regent himself, who Is said
10 have loved her faithfully for at least
fortnight and who doubtless had more
than one successor in her affections. Nine.
du Defiand seems TO have stepped beyond
the line drawn by public opinion and after
the Regent death found herself more or less
ostracized in Paris She at first set towork
10 repair her mistake by seeking reconcilia-
ton with her husband, but they soon parted
once more and the courageous woman had
recourse 10 a second method Of recovering
responsibility, not strictly in accordance
with the conventions Of the present CEN
tury. Az preliminary she obtained a
judicial separation from her husband and
then took 10 herself lover en- tire. The
President Henault the person on whom
Nine. du Defands choice had fallen. was
widower He was the presiding judge Of
court Of appeals and OF distinguished
although not a noble family. and he was
one Of the most attractive men Of his time.
II was mainly through him that Nine du
Defiand regained her social position, and
that he was useful In other ways Is evident
from the fact that during many years he
secretly paid her an annuity Of six thousand
francs and through his influence at court
procured for her annually an equivalent sum
from the royal treasury. There is no doubt
that henceforth, apart from this alliance 'of
Nine du Deffands conduct
was really irreproaohable, Soon a small
but choice company, the friends chiefly Of
Henault, gathered In her modest drawing
room, and, again through Henaut's infu-
ence she secured admission to the so-caled
court" Of SceauI. which up to the death
Of the Duchesse du Maine. which took place
In 1883, was a meeting ground for all the
most brilliant men and women Of the day
II was at SceauI that Nine du Defand
made the acquaintance Of the celebrated
D'Alembert, afterward to
become the lifelong admirer but never
satisfied lover Of Julie de Lespinasse