ng over the shoulder of Mme. de La Fayette
while she writes to the one who "satisfies his idea of friendship in all
its circumstances and dependences"; adding usually a message, a line
or a pretty compliment to Mme. de Grignan that is more amiable than
sincere, because he knows it will gladden the heart of her adoring
mother.

The side of Mme. de La Fayette which has the most fascination for us
is this intimate life of which Mme. de Sevigne gives such charming
glimpses. For a moment it was her ambition to establish a popular
salon, a role for which she had every requisite of position, talent, and
influence. "She presumed very much upon her esprit," says Gourville,
who did not like her, "and proposed to fill the place of the Marquise
de Sable, to whom all the young people were in the habit of paying great
deference, because, after she had fashioned them a little, it was a
passport for entering the world; but this plan did not succeed, as Mme.
de La Fayette was not willing to give her time to a thing so futile."
One can readily understand that it would not have suited her tastes or
her temperament. Besides, her health was too delicate, and her moods
were too variable. "You know how she is weary sometimes of the same
thing," wrote Mme. de Sevigne. But she had her coterie, which was
brilliant in quality if not in numbers. The fine house with its pretty
garden, which may be seen today opposite the Petit Luxembourg, was a
favorite meeting place for a distinguished circle. The central figure
was La Rochefoucauld. Every day he came in and seated himself in the
fauteuil reserved for him. One is reminded of the little salon in the
Abbaye-aux-Bois, where more than a century later Chateaubriand found
the pleasure and the consolation of his last days in the society of Mme.
Recamier. They talk, they write, they criticize each other, they receive
their friends. The Cardinal de Retz comes in, and they recall the fatal
souvenirs of the Fronde. Perhaps he thinks of the time when he found the
young Mlle. De LaVergne pretty and amiable, and she did not smile upon
him. The Prince de Conde is there sometimes, and honors her with his
confidence, which Mme. de Sevigne thinks very flattering, as he does
not often pay such consideration to women. Segrais has transferred his
allegiance from the Grande Mademoiselle to Mme. de La Fayette, and is
her literary counselor as well as a constant visitor. La Fontaine,
"so well known by his fables and tale