It is impossible not to feel some sympathy for the unfortunate Chevalière in this ignoble treatment by a succession of British peers, with all of whom she had long been on terms of intimate friendship, even though the moral to be deduced by the circumstances is, that the would-be biter herself became the bitten one! Turning back a few pages to the time when Beaumarchais was conducting the mission entrusted to him by Louis XVI., Lord Ferrers appears as a creditor of D'Eon for 5,000l., and as if to give colour to the claim, it was represented by the supposed creditor and debtor that the iron safe filled with important documents had been deposited. with the English nobleman in security for the debt, a story that cannot be regarded otherwise than as a pure invention. It is clear enough that in her anxiety to secure a sufficiently large advance out of the funds supplied by the King, who was fully disposed to liberality, but with which Beaumarchais was most unwilling to part, D'Eon had secured the earl's sanction to the entry, in her list of liabilities, of this imaginary debt. Never for a moment doubting the genuineness of the claim after his first suspicions had been removed, or suspecting complicity in any kind of deception, Beaumarchais paid the money, but instead of immediately passing on the whole to D'Eon's creditors, as he had promised to do, his lordship boldly retained 3,000l. for his own use and benefit, in the conviction that the Chevalière would be in no hurry to expose her own share in the double dealing, by publicly resenting the breach of trust of which he had been guilty. The Chevalière discovered, but too late, the blunder she had committed in trusting to her would-be friend, and submitted tamely enough to the earl's shameless and unfeeling settlement, by which she was required to

wait five years for her little capital, and not one year as originally convened.

The breach of trust became something worse as years rolled by, and none of Washington, Earl Ferrers' successors, after having adorned themselves with the coronet, cared to recognise their obligation towards the needy and ill-used knight. D'Eon had awaited the pleasure of the several earls during fifteen years, before making the fearless exposure of their conduct and giving public expression to her feelings thereon, in the preface to her catalogue. When bitterly tried, a decade later, by fresh reverses of fortune, she renewed her efforts (October 1802) to recover what was her own, this time through Admiral Shirley, a brother of the deceased earl, Washington. She sent to him a copy of the bond, a calculation of the interest due on her capital of 3,000l. during twenty-seven years, and a proposal for the final adjustment of the affair. The encumbered condition of the Ferrers' estates would have rendered nugatory any further promises, even if any such had been held out to the Chevalière, who reduced her demands to a minimum by asking for 500l. wherewith to pay pressing calls, and a yearly allowance of 100l. for the remainder of her days, no great exaction, seeing that she was then in her seventyfifth year! Upon these conditions she was prepared to surrender the bond to the admiral, to be disposed of as he might think proper. It does not appear what notice was taken of this proposition by the deceased earl's brother, but it is very certain that so late as January 1805, the Chevalière had not received one farthing from the Ferrers family!1

Scarcely had the distribution of D'Eon's Catalogue

1 Ch. MSS.

taken place, than sympathising friends made up a purse to meet her immediate necessities; a subscription list was opened at Mr. Hammersley's, the banker, Pall Mall, where, in a very short time, the sum of 465l. 5s. was collected, 100l. being a contribution from the Prince of Wales. Another expression of feeling was a public entertainment given for D'Eon's benefit, on June 29, 1791, by the managers of Ranelagh, in consideration of her having been deprived of a considerable part of her fortune by the odious detention of a deposit.'

The troubles with which France was being agitated found an echo in the heart of the unfortunate Chevalière. The news of the King's flight, and the abolition of all orders of chivalry by the National Assembly, she received as sure warnings of coming distress to herself; and when the Legislative Assembly summoned all emigrants to make their appearance in France by a certain date, under pain of death if they disregarded the decree, she quickly made up her mind to obey the national will and return to her country. In the midst of her many apprehensions there seemed to be one gleam of comfort -for she became persuaded that the hour was at hand when she should be liberated from her state of womanhood. The sale of some of her property took place on February 17, 1792, when were disposed of at Mr. Christie's, in Pall Mall, seventy-three lots of valuable and elegant jewels, a few fine prints, valuable coins, medals, plate, &c., the property of Mademoiselle the Chevalière D'Eon,' which realised the sum of 348l. 17s. 7d., some of the more valuable lots having been bought in.

1 'I am a great friend to these public amusements, sir,' said Dr. Johnson, (who often went to Ranelagh, which he deemed a place of innocent recreation) to Boswell; they keep people from vice.' And a few years later we read of Walpole's four nieces being at Ranelagh the night of the Gordon riots, together with the Duke of Gloucester.

SALE OF JEWELLERY.

The latter included—

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A pair of single drop brilliant earrings of singular beauty, colour and perfection, 1557.

A diamond cross and chain, the stones of matchless beauty and perfection, 1101.

A pair of single drop brilliant earrings, 109 guineas.

A tortoise-shell lined snuff-box mounted in gold with miniature, and cypher on the reverse side (the gift of the Empress Elizabeth), 2 guineas.

The personal ornaments sold comprised five pairs of gold drops, one pair in brilliants; eleven pairs of earrings, one pair in brilliants and one pair in roses; two crosses, one being in diamonds, with chain; five necklaces; one bracelet with miniature of the Chevalière in military uniform; two hoop brilliant rings; three watches, one being set in brilliants.1

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CHAPTER XVIII.

D'Eon (la citoyenne Geneviève) offers her services to the Legislative Assembly-Is ordered to join General Dumouriez-Detained in England-Her English friends-Fences in public-Is seriously woundedDistressing times-Last days-Death-Autopsy and appearance of the body-Administration of property-General character-Pursuits and habits late in life-Maxims on religion-Coldness of temperament— Reflections-Fugitive pieces.

HAVING satisfied some of her creditors with the proceeds of the sale, D'Eon occupied herself in packing the remainder of her effects in fifteen cases for conveyance to France. War had been declared, and the Citoyenne Geneviève at once sent her nephew O'Gorman to Paris, with the offers of her services in the form of a petition. addressed to the Legislative Assembly, an extract from which was read at a sitting of that body. It stated that although she had worn the dress of a woman for fifteen years, she had never forgotten that she was formerly a soldier; that since the Revolution she felt her military ardour revive, and demanded, instead of her cap and petticoats, her helmet, sabre, horse, and the rank in the army to which her seniority, her services, and her wounds entitled her; and she also requested permission to raise a legion of volunteers. Unconnected with any party, she had no desire to brandish her sword in procession in the streets of Paris, and wished for nothing but actual service-war nobly made and courageously supported.