A pair of young mothers now became the centre of interest. They had risen from their lying-in much sooner than the doctors would otherwise have allowed. (French doctors are always very good about recognizing the importance of social events, and certainly in this case had the patients been forbidden the ball the might easily have fretted themselves to death.) One came as the Duchesse de Berri with l’ Enfant du Miracle, and the other as Madame de Montespan and the Duc du Maine. The two husbands, the ghost of the Duc de Berri, a dagger sticking out of his evening dress, and Louis XIV, were rather embarrassed really by the horrible screams of their so very young heirs, and hurried to the bar together. The noise was indeed terrific, and Albertine said crossly that had she been consulted she would, in this case, have permitted and even encouraged the substitution of dolls. The infants were then dumped down to cry themselves to sleep among the coats on her bed, whence they were presently collected by their mothers’ monthly nannies. Nobody thereafter could feel quite sure that the noble families of Bregendir and Belestat were not hopelessly and for ever interchanged. As their initials and coronets were, unfortunately, the same, and their baby linen came from the same shop, it was impossible to identify the children for certain. The mothers were sent for, but the pleasures of society rediscovered having greatly befogged their maternal instincts, they were obliged to admit they had no idea which was which. With a tremendous amount of guilty giggling they spun a coin for the prettier of the two babies and left it at that. . Nancy Mitford
About This Quote

This quote is about how people may easily confuse their lives for someone else's. This happens with people who are passing by, even with parents. A couple of young mothers were now the focus of attention, as they had recently given birth to their children. They had given birth much earlier than the doctors would have normally done.

One of the women was the Duchess of Berri with her son called "The Miracle Child". The other woman was Madame de Montespan and her son called the Duke of Maine. Both of these women's husbands had just left them because they didn't come to pick them up at the hospital.

Also, there was a dagger sticking out of the Duchess' husband's clothes. Louis XIV, who was present at this ball, was also at a loss to identify which of the two babies belonged to whom, so he asked his wife to decide which one would be which. Both women ended up giggling about it and left it at that.

Nobody was able to find out for certain if they were supposed to be the same children or not.

Source: The Blessing

Some Similar Quotes
  1. Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby- awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess. - Lemony Snicket
  2. The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants. - Johnny Depp
  3. A first child is your own best foot forward, and how you do cheer those little feet as they strike out. You examine every turn of flesh for precocity, and crow it to the world. But the last one: the baby who trails her scent... - Barbara Kingsolver
  4. It is a well-documented fact that guys will not ask for directions. This is a biological thing. This is why it takes several million sperm cells... to locate a female egg, despite the fact that the egg is, relative to them, the size of Wisconsin. - Dave Barry
  5. Shrieking Brooke’s name as loudly as I could, out in the corridor, I brought her running quickly to my room.‘ What’s happened, what’s wrong?’ she immediately cried concerned, legging it up the stairs two at a time. She appeared breathless outside the kitchen door. Brian... - Emily Williams
More Quotes By Nancy Mitford
  1. Isn't it lovely to be lovely me!
  2. A pair of young mothers now became the centre of interest. They had risen from their lying-in much sooner than the doctors would otherwise have allowed. (French doctors are always very good about recognizing the importance of social events, and certainly in this case had...
  3. Oh poor Octave, no luck at all, as usual, " said Madame Rocher, "he is still with his regiment, still only a captain. Of course, if it hadn't been for this wretched war, he would be at least a colonel by now.
  4. If I had a girl I should say to her, 'Marry for love if you can, it won't last, but it is a very interesting experience and makes a good beginning in life. Later on, when you marry for money, for heaven's sake let it...
  5. Oh dear... it really is rather disillusioning. When one's friends marry for money they are wretched, when they marry for love it is worse. What is the proper thing to marry for, I should like to know?
Related Topics