Avon Modern Short Story Monthly #36 — page 38: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

om ’ Ry « ik wes te ® ly regarded by the convalescent King. Very soon she was discarded, — ‘the’ Widow Scarron neglected, and the fickle monarch was once more ae t the feet of the lovely marchioness, her utter and devoted slave. Thus was Madame de Montespan “thunderously triumphant” once i peers and established as firmly as ever in the Sun-King’s favour. a - Madame de Sévigné, in speaking of this phase of their relations; _ dilates upon the completeness of the reconciliation, and tells us that ~ the ardour of the first years seemed now to have returned. And for | = two whole years it continued thus. Never before had Madame de ie ~ Montespan’ s sway been more absolute, no shadow came to trouble 4 g ene serenity of her rule. Bes - But it proved, after all, to be no more than the last flare of an ex- es ke pines fire that was definitely quenched at last, in 1679, by Made- - moiselle de Fontanges. A maid of honour to madame, she was a child Bic Y ae of not more than eighteen years, fair and flaxen, with pink cheeks : me and large, childish eyes; and it was for this doll that the regal Monte- | span now found herself discarded. _ Honours rained upon the new favourite. Louis made her a duchess - with an income of twenty thousand livres, and deeply though this ee ‘may have disgusted his subjects, it disgusted Madame de Montespan . ie still more. Blinded by rage she openly abused the new duchess, and a Neue opinion of him with a disturbing frankness. ie ha hin dishonour yourself,” she informed him among other things. | 4 ss cea on canvas!” Then, with an increase of scorn, she delivered herself of'an unpardonable apostrophe: “You, a king, to accept the a Ae inheritance of that chit’s rustic lovers!” Pe He flushed and scowled upon her. ‘ >, “That is an infamous falsehood!” he exclaimed. “Madame, you are a a i ebeable!” He was very angry, and it infuriated him the more that she should stand so coldly mocking before an anger that could Pa ~ Be ck “your greed i is insatiable, your domineering spirit utterly insufferable, 2 ue and you have the most false and poisonous tongue in the world!” . . : ig Pa, - ‘ ae 2 a : 6 : is se we pre -, ae ‘ ; x ee ; ‘, ™ * a es > \ % ; § wey ts co¥t, Aug pag yer ne aL ae Me t =e Y ae ): ME SS ete * a eee rts arese Og Ep o3 } Ns “ .%..- ys 5 ‘~ ts J . KS , = ae eA .. = ¥ > % ? : Me - 3 ach ey sah st Ss ‘ 2 OA Seis: a he had hae Madani de ake found heceelt ee |