Chapter 4

THE PRINCE IN FAIRYLAND.

WHAT ACTUALLY OCCURRED

Charles mystifies Europe--Montesquieu knows his secret--Sources of information--The Stuart manuscripts--Charles's letters from Avignon--A proposal of marriage--Kennedy and the hidden treasure--Where to look for Charles--Cherchez la femme!--Hidden in Lorraine--Plans for entering Paris--Letter to Mrs. Drummond--To the Earl Marischal--Starts for Venice--At Strasbourg--Unhappy Harrington--Letter to James--Leaves Venice 'A bird without a nest'--Goes to Paris--The Prince's secret revealed--The convent of St. Joseph--Curious letter as Cartouche--Madame de Routh--Cartouche again--Goring sent to England--A cypher--Portrait of Madame de Talmond--Portrait of Madame d'Aiguillon--Intellectual society--Mademoiselle Luci--'Dener Bash'--The secret hoard--Results of Goring's English mission--Timidity of English Jacobites--Supply of money--Charles a bibliophile--'My big muff'--A patron of art--Quarrels with Madame de Talmond--Arms for a rising--Newton on Cluny--Kindness to Monsieur Le Coq--Madame de Talmond weary of Charles--Letters to her--Charles reads Fielding's novels--Determines to go to England--Large order of arms--Reproached by James--Intagli of James--En route for London--September 1750.

The reader has had an opportunity of observing the success of Charles in mystifying Europe. Diplomatists, ambassadors, and wits would have been surprised, indeed, had they known that one of the most famous men of the age possessed the secret for which they were seeking. The author of 'L'Esprit des Lois' could have enlightened them, for Charles's mystery was no mystery to Montesquieu, who was friendly with Scottish and English Jacobites. The French Ministers, truly or falsely, always professed entire ignorance. They promised to arrest the Prince wherever he might be found on French soil, and transport him to sea by Civita Vecchia. {68} It will be shown later that, at least in the autumn of 1749, this ignorance was probably feigned.

What is really known of the movements of the Prince in 1749? Curiously enough, Mr. Ewald does not seem to have consulted the 'Stuart Papers' at Windsor, while the extracts in Browne's 'History of the Highland Clans' are meagre. To these papers then we turn for information. The most useful portions are NOT Charles's letters to James. These are brief and scanty. Thus he writes from Avignon (January 15, 1749), 'We are enjoying here the finest weather ever was seen.' He always remarks that his health 'is perfect.' He orders patterns for his servants' liveries and a button, blue and yellow, still remains in a letter from Edgar! The button outlasts the dynasty. Our intelligence must be extracted from ill-spelled, closely scrawled, and much erased sheets of brown paper, on which Charles has scribbled drafts for letters to his household, to Waters, his banker in Paris, to adherents in Paris or London, and to ladies. The notes are almost, and in places are quite,