. The celebrated Madame Campan, lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette and confidante of Napoleon. iette also found out that, though the Dauphinecould say a few sentences in Italian, she knew practi-cally nothing about history, literature, or the fine the Dauphines none too frequent visits toher husbands aunts, she noticed Mile Henriette,heard her read aloud, and sometimes asked her toaccompany her on the piano or the harp. Indeed, shewas so struck by Henriettes charm of manner andmusical gifts that she begged the king to let hershare Mesdames lectrice. This favour he grantedwillingly
. The celebrated Madame Campan, lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette and confidante of Napoleon. iette also found out that, though the Dauphinecould say a few sentences in Italian, she knew practi-cally nothing about history, literature, or the fine the Dauphines none too frequent visits toher husbands aunts, she noticed Mile Henriette,heard her read aloud, and sometimes asked her toaccompany her on the piano or the harp. Indeed, shewas so struck by Henriettes charm of manner andmusical gifts that she begged the king to let hershare Mesdames lectrice. This favour he grantedwillingly. Henriette Genest had now reached the age ofeighteen. Of course she had had several proposals,for she was pretty and charming—and she had losther heart. In a letter written to her beloved pupilHortense de Beauharnais, when the snow of manywinters had whitened her hair, she says (and we canalmost see the tears fall on the page): Do notlaugh at my old love-affairs: I loved a man whom Ihad known for six years, who was witty, handsome,rich, and a soldier ; but when I was informed that the 32. Copyriglit by\ Marie Antoinette. From an eighteenth-century painting, French School. {Bratm & Co. O- I, TOO, HAVE BEEN IN ARCADY difference of religion, which unfortunately had notbeen suspected until then, would cause me to lose myplace as lectrice at Court, that people would gossipabout me, that I should be blamed, that I shouldbring disfavour upon the person who had formed anattachment for me, I made up my mind. He was sodetermined to marry me or nobody, that he wouldnot remain in Europe after this rupture, and requestedpermission to serve in India in order to leave should be guilty of telling a falsehood if I were tosay that this rupture caused me no pain. I spentmore than one sleepless night hesitating betweenmy affection and my duty. You will allow that thefact that my father had originally given his consentwas calculated to strengthen my attachment; but thesubsequent withdra
Size: 1325px × 1886px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublish, booksubjectnobility
