Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
need , she sent money to the drunk ’ s wife directly . 31
In times of great hunger , she could be a salvation society of one : during four months of the agriculturally disastrous winter of 1788 , the duchess distributed more than 250 loads of wood , 6,500 pounds of meat , and 36,000 pounds of bread . 32 The desire to alleviate human suffering of all kinds was fundamental to her character . Even the Revolution did not dampen her charitable enthusiasm ; the generosity continued . When she was placed under house arrest in 1793 and the wealth of the Bourbons was sequestered , she consoled herself with the thought that she had enough wealth left to share with the poor . 33 After the levee en masse that year , the requisitioned soldiers passed near the residence of the duchess one hot day and stopped by a fountain to drink some water . The duchess was concerned that the young men would become ill drinking such cold water on a very hot day , so she sent wine to them , enough for each man to have a bottle of his own . 34 In the last years of her life , the duchess was still dispensing prodigious amounts of charity . One of the residents of Eu wrote in 1818 that during a visit by the duchess , “ Each moment was marked by innumerable kindnesses : the most abundant charity poured into the heart of all the indigent families .” 35
The love of close friends was another lifelong feature of the character of the Duchess de Chartres . Her personal secretary , E . Delille , wrote a touching story about a childhood friend of the Duchess < Mlle de Montigny , who remained her soul-mate through their lives . When the Duchess de Chartres gave birth to a baby girl she asked permission of the King to name her daughter Eugene after her childhood friend , a promise she had made to Mlle . De Montigny during their school years . 36 Many years after that , at the end of their lives , Mlle . de Montigny , then Mme . la Baronne de Talleyrand , was generously remembered in the will of the duchess . “ In consideration of the inviolable attachment which has existed between her and me since our childhood ,” the duchess wrote . She left her friend a home in Ivry , a diamond worth twenty-thousand francs , a lifetime income of twelve-thousand francs , a six-thousand franc income for her eldest son , three thousand francs for her second son and another three thousand francs for her third son . 37
The Queen of Naples , the Countess d ’ Ecquevilly and the Countess du Nord were women whose friendship became important to the duchess at various times in her life . The first two were active freemasons . The Duchess de Chartres was also close to her sisters-in-law , the Duchess de Bourbon and the Princess de Lamballe . She enjoyed their company . The three would sometimes take trips together , dispensing charity all along the route . When one had a problem , the other two would often travel any distance to console her . The Duchess de Chartres seemed to crave such companionship , and friendship was in theory also of interest to her . She must have thought
31
Vie secrete de Louise-Marie-Adelaide de Bourbon Penthièvre , Duchesse d ’ Orléans , avec ses correspondances politiques ( London : Werland , 1790 ), p . 82 .
32
DeLille , p . 48-9 .
33
Ibid ., p . 61
34
Ibid . 35 Ibid ., p . 180
36
Ibid ., p . 37-8
37
“ 1er Testament de Son Altesse Sérénissime Madame la Duchesse Douairière d ’ Orléans ” ( 6 Juin 1821 ), Collection of the House of Orléans 300 AP I 800 , A . N .
12