solute
mistress of their education. The Duke of Chartres offered me twenty
thousand francs, which I refused; and that I _gratuitously_ educated
three princes is an undisputed fact. The Duchess of Chartres was
delighted with the plan; and I may truly say it was generally approved
of.

"About this time, I published '_Adele et Theodore_.' This work at once
insured the suffrages of the public, and the irreconcilable hatred of
all the so-called philosophers and their partisans.

"Having chosen M. Lebrun as under-governor for the young princes, I
gave him private instructions relative to their education. He kept a
daily journal of their studies and behavior, which I commented upon in
the evening. I thought this journal would be interesting to the duke
and duchess; but they always refused to read it, saying that they
confided entirely in me. I found some very bad habits in my pupils.
When I read history to them, the Duke of Valois yawned and stretched
himself, sometimes lying down on the sofa, and putting his feet upon
the table. I reproved him for this in such a manner that he felt no
resentment. As soon as the sense of the thing was clearly presented to
him, he listened with attention.

"Every Saturday we received company at 'Belle Chasse.' I established
this rule to form the princes in politeness, and to accustom them to
the habit of listening to conversation. When Mademoiselle Orleans was
seven years old, she played on the harp in a surprising manner. I can
truly say, that I never knew a single defect in this princess. She
possessed all the virtues. The Duke of Montpensier, the second son,
had a feeling and generous heart, a natural elegance of person, and
something romantic about his face, disposition, and manners. The
youngest of the three princes, the Count of Beaujolais, was equally
charming in face, talent, and disposition. Even his faults were
amiable. We thought that he resembled Henry IV. To continue the
portraits of 'Belle Chasse,' I must speak of Pamela. She had a
beautiful face; she never told a single falsehood; she ran like
Atalanta, but her mind was lazy to a degree; she had no memory, and
was very volatile.

"The Duke of Orleans purchased St. Leu, a charming residence, where we
passed eight months of the year. There was a fine garden, in which my
pupils dug with their own hands. The gardener was a German, and only
spoke to them in German; in our walks we spoke English, and we supped
in Italian. I inven