"'Twas Fate again," he said, "Fate! who has always seemed to stalk in
between! If I had gone to her on that 'to-morrow,' I should have
poured forth my soul and hers would have answered me. But there shall
be another to-morrow, and I swear it shall come soon."
There was but a few hours' journey by land, and the English Channel,
between himself and London, and there was much passing to and fro; and
though the French Court had stories enough of its own, new ones were
always welcome, English gossip being thought to have a special heavy
quaintness, droll indeed. The Court of Louis found much entertainment
in the Court of Anne, and the frivolities or romances of beauties who
ate beef and drank beer and wore, 'twas said, the coquettish commode
founded on lovely Fontange's lace handkerchief, as if it were a
nightcap.
"But they have a handsome big creature there now, who is amazing," they
said with interest at this time. "She was brought up as a boy at the
_chateau_ of her father, and can fight with swords like a man, but is
as beautiful as the day and seven feet tall. It would be a pleasure to
see her. She is at present a widow with an immense fortune, and all the
gentlemen fight duels over her."
Both masculine and feminine members of the Court were much pleased with
this lady and found her more interesting and exciting than any of her
sister beauties. Naturally many unfounded anecdotes of her were
current, and it was said that she fought duels herself.
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