ESGRIGNON (Victurnien, Comte, then Marquis d’), only son of Marquis Carol d’Esgrignon; born about 1800 at Alencon.  Handsome and intelligent, reared with extreme indulgence and kindness by his aunt, Mlle. Armande d’Esgrignon, he gave himself over without restraint to all the whims usual to the ingenuous egoism of his age.  From eighteen to twenty-one he squandered eighty thousand francs without the knowledge of his father and his aunt; the devoted Chesnel footed all the bills.  The youthful d’Esgrignon was systematically urged to wrong-doing by an ally of his own age, Fabien du Ronceret, a perfidious fellow of the town whom M. du Croisier employed.  About 1823 Victurnien d’Esgrignon was sent to Paris.  There he had the misfortune to fall into the society of the Parisian roues—­Marsay, Ronquerolles, Trailles, Chardin des Lupeaulx, Vandenesse, Ajuda-Pinto, Beaudenord, Martial de la Roche-Hugon, Manerville, people met at the homes of Marquise d’Espard, the Duchesses de Grandlieu, de Carigliano, de Chaulieu, the Marquises d’Aiglemont and de Listomere, Mme. Firmiani and the Comtesse de Serizy; at the opera and at the embassies—­being welcomed on account of his good name and seeming fortune.  It was not long until he became the lover of the Duchesse de Maufrigneuse, ruined himself for her and ended by forging a note against M. du Croisier for one hundred thousand francs.  His aunt took him back quickly to Alencon, and by a great effort he was rescued from legal proceedings.  Following this he fought a duel with M. du Croisier, who wounded him dangerously.  Nevertheless, shortly after the death of his father, Victurnien d’Esgrignon married Mlle. Duval, niece of the retired contractor.  He did not give himself over to his wife, but instead betook himself to his former gay life of a bachelor. [Jealousies of a Country Town.  Letters of Two Brides.] According to Marguerite Turquet “the little D’Esgrignon was well soaked” by Antonia. [A Man of Business.] In 1832 Victurnien d’Esgrignon declared before a numerous company at Mme. d’Espard’s that the Princesse de Cadignan—­Mme. de Maufrigneuse—­was a dangerous woman.  “To her I owe the disgrace of my marriage,” he added.  Daniel d’Arthez, who was then in love with this woman, was present at the conversation. [The Secrets of a Princess.] In 1838 Victurnien d’Esgrignon was present with some artists, lorettes and men about town, at the opening of the house on rue de la Ville-Eveque given to Josepha Mirah, by the Duc d’Herouville.  The young marquis himself had been Josepha’s lover; Baron Hulot and he had been rivals for her on another occasion. [Cousin Betty.]