SEVIGNE.

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come sad and lose its tone: this is certain; and allthe business in the world is nothing in comparison. Donot speak of money nor of debts, I am to put an endto all thatand then follows a proposition for her totake up her abode at the Hotel de Chaulnes, and ofthe loan of a thousand crowns. “ No arguments/’ theletter continues, “ no words, no useless correspond-ence. You must come. I will not even read whatyou may write. In a word, you consent, or renounce theaffection of your dearest friends. We do not choose thata friend shall grow old and die through her own fault.”This tone of command gave pleasure to madame deSevigne , though she at once refused to lay herselfunder the obligation. But there was a sting in theletter which she passed over ; madame de Grignan dis-covered it, and her mother allowed that she felt it; andwrites, “ You were, then, struck by madame de laFayette ’sexpression, mingled with so much kindness. Although Inever allow myself to forget this truth, I confess I wasquite surprised, for as yet I feel no decay to remindme : however, I often reflect and calculate, and findthe conditions on which we enjoy life very hard. Itseems to me that I was dragged, in spite of myself, tothe fatal term when one must suffer old age. I see it,— am there. I should, at least, like to go no furtherin the road of decrepitude, pain, loss of memory, anddisfigurement, which are at hand to injure me. I hear avoice that says, even against your will you must go on ;or, if you refuse, you must die ; which is another ne-cessity from which nature shrinks. Such is the fate ofthose who go a little too far. But a return to the willof God , and the universal law by which we are con-demned, brings one to reason, and renders one patient.”

As madame de Sevigne was resolved to give up herParisian life, for the admirable motive of paying herdebts before she died, she felt that the only compensa-tion she could receive was residing at Grignan. Madamede la Fayette , on hearing of her intention of goingthither, writes, “ Your friends are content that you