The first thing she did on her arrival, was to send for proper persons
to equip her in a manner that she might once more appear herself,
resolving that till she could do so, not to be seen in the streets.
While these things were preparing, she sent a person, whom the people of
the house recommended to her, to the palace of the prince of Conti, not
doubting but that some of the gentlemen belonging to his highness might
give some intelligence where monsieur du Plessis was to be found; but
the messenger returned without any other information, than that they
knew him very well, but could give no directions in what part he was at
present, he not having been seen in Paris for a long time.
It is hard to say whether she most rejoiced or grieved at this account:
she imagined that had he been dead they would not have been ignorant of
it, therefore concluded him living to her infinite satisfaction; but
then his absenting himself from the capital of the kingdom, and from the
presence of a prince who had so much loved him, filled her with an
adequate disquiet, as believing some very ill accident must have been
the occasion: - she dispatched the same person afterwards to all the
public places that she heard gentlemen frequented, but met not with the
least success in her enquiries.
