Madame de l'Enclos, separated from both her husband and daughter, and
devoting her life to pious exercises, acquired against them the
violent prejudices natural in one who makes such a sacrifice upon the
altar of sentiment. The worldly life of her daughter gave birth in her
mind to an opinion which she deemed the natural consequence of it.
The love of pleasure, in her estimation, had destroyed every vestige
of virtue in her daughter's soul and her neglect of her religious
duties had converted her into an unnatural being.
But she was agreeably diverted from her ill opinion when her malady
approached a dangerous stage. Ninon flew to heir mother's side as soon
as she heard of it, and without becoming an enemy of her philosophy of
pleasure, she felt it incumbent upon her to suspend its practice.
Friendship, liaisons, social duties, pleasure, everything ceased to
amuse her or give her any satisfaction. The nursing of her sick mother
engaged her entire attention, and her fervor in this dutiful
occupation astonished Madame de l'Enclos and softened her heart to the
extent of acknowledging her error and correcting her estimate of her
daughter's character.
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