and of her I bid the gentleman acquaint his Highness, that she was an Englishwoman, that she did not understand a word of French, and that she was one also that might be trusted.
When he came into my room, I fell down at his feet before he could come to salute me, and with words that I had prepared, full of duty and respect, thanked him for his bounty and goodness to a poor, desolate woman, oppressed under the weight of so terrible a disaster; and refused to rise till he would allow me the honour to kiss his hand.
' Levez vous donc', says the prince, taking me in his arms; 'I design more favours for you than this trifle'; and going on, he added, 'You shall for the future find a friend where you did not look for it, and I resolve to let you see how kind I can be to one who is to me the most agreeable creature on earth.'
I was dressed in a kind of half mourning, had turned off my weeds, and my head, 'though I had yet no ribands or lace, was so dressed as failed not to set me out with advantage enough, for I began to understand his meaning; and the prince professed I was the most beautiful creature on earth. 'And where have I lived', says he, 'and how ill have I been served, that I should never till now be showed the finest woman in France!'
This was the way in all the world the most likely to break in upon 'my virtue, if I had been mistress of any; for I was now become the vainest creature upon earth, and particularly of my beauty, which, as other people admired, so I became every day more foolishly in love with myself than before.
He said some very kind things to me after this, and sat down with me for an hour or more, when, getting up and calling his gentleman by his name, he threw open the door: ' A boire ', says he; upon which his gentle man immediately brought up a little table covered with a fine damask cloth, the table no bigger than he could bring in his two hands, but upon it was set two decanters, one of champagne and the other of water, six silver plates, and a service of fine sweetmeats in fine china dishes, on a set of rings standing up about twenty inches high, one above another. Below was three roasted partridges and a quail. As soon as his gentle man had set it all down, he ordered him to withdraw. 'Now', says the prince, 'I intend to sup with you.'
When he sent away his gentleman, I stood up and offered to wait on his Highness while he ate; but he positively refused, and told me, 'No; to-morrow you shall be the widow of Monsieur, the jeweller, but to night you shall be my mistress; therefore sit here', says he, 'and eat with me, or I wilt get up and serve.'
I would then have called up my woman Amy, but I thought that would not be proper neither; so I made my excuse, that since his Highness would not let his own servant wait, I would not presume to let my woman come up; but if he would please to let me wait, it would be my honour to fill his Highness's wine. But, as before, he would by no means allow me; so we sat and ate together.
’Now, madam', says the prince, 'give me leave to lay aside my character; let us talk together with the freedom of equals. My quality sets me at a distance from you, and makes yon ceremonious. Your beauty exalts you to more than an equality. I must, then, treat you as lovers do their mistresses, but I cannot speak the language; it is enough to tell you how agreeable you are to me, how I am surprised at your beauty, and resolve to make you happy, and to be happy with you.'
