These various affronts grievously afflicted her majesty, but the
insults she had to endure before the whole court wounded her far
more. For meanwhile the king lodged his mistress in the royal
household, and every day she was present in the drawing-room,
when his majesty entered into pleasant conversation with her,
while his wife sat patiently by, as wholly unheeded as if unseen.
When the queen occasionally rose and indignantly left the
apartment to relieve her anguish by a storm of tears, it may be
one or two of the courtiers followed her, but the vast number of
the brilliant throng remained; and Lord Clarendon adds, "they,
too, often said those things aloud which nobody ought to have
whispered."
Charles no longer appeared with the grave and troubled expression
his face had worn at the commencement of the quarrel, but seemed
full of pleasantry and eager for enjoyment. Those surrounding
him took their tone from the monarch, and followed his example
the more because he "did shew no countenance to any that belong
to the queen." Her majesty, on the contrary, took her misery to
heart, and showed dejection by the sadness of her face and
listlessness of her gait. There was universal diversion in all
company but hers; sounds of laughter rang all day and far into
the night in every apartment of the palace but those appropriated
to her use. Charles steadily avoided her, and the attendants who
replaced her countrywomen showed more deference to the king's
mistress than to his queen.
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