The king showed the utmost good humor in the world during the rest of the evening. He scolded me, however, for the mystery I had made in concealing from him the agreeable visit of the marechale. I justified myself easily by the pleasure which this surprise caused him; and, on my side, gave my sincere thanks to the chancellor.

"You owe me none," said he; "the good marechale felt herself somewhat ill at ease not to be on close terms with her who possesses the affections of the king. It is an indispensable necessity that she should play a part in the lesser apartments; and as the princ.i.p.al character no longer suits her, she is contented to perform that of confidante, and ran here on my first intimation."

"Never mind the motive that brought her," I said; "she is a companion for me much more desirable than madame de Bearn."

"First from her rank," said the chancellor, smiling maliciously, "and then by virtue of her cousinship with the Holy Virgin."

I confess that I was ignorant of this incident in the house of Levi; and I laughed heartily at the description of the picture, in which one of the lords of this house is represented on his knees before the mother of G.o.d, who says to him, "Rise, cousin"; to which he replies, "I know my duty too well, cousin." I took care, however, how I joked on this point with the marechale, who listened to nothing that touched on the n.o.bility of the ancestors of her husband or on those of her own family.

Great had been the outcry in the palace against the duc de la Vauguyon and madame de Bearn, but how much louder did it become on the defection of the marquise de Mirepoix. The cabal was destroyed; for a woman of rank and birth like the marechale was to me a conquest of the utmost importance. The princesse de Guemenee and the d.u.c.h.esse de Grammont were wofully enraged. This they manifested by satirical sneers, epigrams, and verses, which were put forth in abundance. All these inflictions disturbed her but little; the main point in her eyes was to possess the favor of the master; and she had it, for he felt that he was bound to her by her complaisance.

He was not long in giving her an unequivocal proof of his regard. The duc de Duras asked her, in presence of the king and myself, why she did not wear her diamonds as usual.

"They are my representatives," was her reply.

"What do you mean by representatives?" said I.

"Why, my dear countess, they are with a Jew instead of my sign-manual. The rogue had no respect for the word of a relation of the Holy Virgin and the daughter of the Beauvau. I was in want of thirty thousand francs; and to procure it I have given up my ornaments, not wishing to send to the Jew the old plate of my family, altho' the hunks wanted it."

We all laughed at her frankness, and the gaiety with which she gave this statement, but we went no further; to her great regret, no doubt, for I believe that the scene had been prepared between her and M. de Duras, either to let her profit in time of need, or else that she wished to pluck a feather from our wing. When I was alone with the king, he said,

"The poor marechale pains me; I should like to oblige her and think I will give her five hundred louis."

"What will such a petty sum avail her? You know what she wants; either send her the whole or none. A king should do nothing by halves."

Louis XV answered me nothing; he only made a face, and began to walk up and down the room. "Ah," said I, "this excellent woman loves your majesty so much, that you ought to show your grat.i.tude to her, were it only to recompense her for her intimacy with me."

"Well, you shall carry her the sum yourself, which Lebel shall bring you from me. But thirty thousand francs, that makes a large pile of crown-pieces."

"Then I must take it in gold."

"No, but in good notes. We must not, even by a look, intimate that she has sold her visits to us. There are such creatures in the world!"

The next morning Lebel brought me a very handsome rose-colored portfolio, embroidered with silver and auburn hair: it contained the thirty thousand francs in notes. I hastened to the marechale. We were then at Marly.

"What good wind blows you hither?" said madame de Mirepoix.

"A royal gallantry," I replied; "you appeared unhappy, and our excellent prince sends you the money necessary to redeem your jewels."

The eyes of the lady became animated, and she embraced me heartily. "It is to you that I owe this bounty of the king."

"Yes, partly, to make the present entire; he would only have given you half the sum."

"I recognize him well in that he does not like to empty his casket. He would draw on the public treasury without hesitation for double the revenue of France, and would not make a division of a single crown of his own private peculium."

I give this speech verbatim; and this was all the grat.i.tude which madame de Mirepoix manifested towards Louis XV. I was pained at it, but made no remark. She took up the portfolio, examined it carefully, and, bursting into a fit of laughter, said, while she flung herself into an arm-chair,

"Ah! ah! ah! this is an unexpected rencontre! Look at this portfolio, my dear friend: do you see the locks with which it is decorated? Well, they once adorned the head of madame de Pompadour. She herself used them to embroider this garland of silver thread; she gave it to the king on his birthday. Louis XV swore never to separate from it, and here it is in my hands."

Then, opening the portfolio, and rummaging it over, she found in a secret pocket a paper, which she opened, saying, "I knew he had left it."

It was a letter of madame de Pompadour, which I wished to have, and the marechale gave me it instantly; the notes remained with her. I copy the note, to give you an idea of the sensibility of the king.

"SIRE,-I am ill; dangerously so, perhaps. In the melancholy feeling which preys upon me, I have formed a desire to leave you a souvenir, which will always make me present to your memory. I have embroidered this portfolio with my own hair; accept it; never part with it. Enclose in it your most important papers, and let its contents prove your estimation of it. Will you not accord my prayer? Sign it, I beseech you; it is the caprice, the wish of a dying woman."

Beneath it was written,

"This token of love shall never quit me. Louis."

CHAPTER XVII

Conversation of the marechale de Mirepoix with the comtesse du Barry on court friendship-Intrigues of madame de Bearn-Preconcerted meeting with madame de Flaracourt--Rage of madame de Bearn-Portrait and conversation of madame de Flaracourt with the comtesse du Barry-Insult from the princesse de Guemenee-Her banishment-Explanation of the king and the duc de Choiseul relative to madame du Barry-The comtesse d'Egmont

However giddy I was I did not partake in the excessive gaiety of madame de Mirepoix. I was pained to see how little reliance could be placed on the sensibility of the king, as well as how far I could esteem the consideration of the marechale for madame de Pompadour, from whom she had experienced so many marks of friendship. This courtier baseness appeared to me so villainous, that I could not entirely conceal how I was affected with displeasure. Madame de Mirepoix saw it, and, looking at me attentively, said,

"Do you feel any desire to become pathetical in the country we live in? I warn you that it will be at your own expense. We must learn to content ourselves here with appearances, and examine nothing thoroughly."

"'There is then no reality?" said I to her.

"Yes," she answered me, "but only two things, power and money: the rest is 'leather and prunella' (contes bleus): no person has time to love sincerely; it is hatred only that takes deep root and never dies. To hope to give birth to a real pa.s.sion, an Orestean and Pyladean friendship, is a dream from which you must be awakened."

"Then you do not love me?"

"You ask me a very awkward question, my darling, I can tell you. I do love you, and very much, too: I have proved it by ranging myself on your side, and by declaring, with the utmost frankness, that I would rather see you in the situation in which you are, than any other woman of the court. But there is a long s.p.a.ce between this and heroical friendship: I should deceive you if I were to affirm the contrary, and there would be no common sense in giving faith to my words. Every one has too much business, too much intrigue, too many quarrels on hand, to have any leisure to think of others: every one lives for himself alone. Mesdames de Guemenee and de Grammont appear very intimate: that is easily explained, they unite against a common enemy. But were your station left vacant, no sooner would the king have thrown the apple to one of them, but the other would detest her instantly."

Contrary to custom I made no reply: I was absorbed in painful reflections to which this conversation had given rise. The marechale perceived it, and said,

"We should fall into philosophy if we probed this subject too deeply. Let us think no more of this: besides, I have a new defection to tell you of. Madame de Flaracourt told me yesterday that she much regretted having misunderstood you, and that you were worth more than all those who persecute you. She appeared to me disposed to ally herself to you for the least encouragement which you might be induced to hold out to her."

"You know very well," I replied, "that I am willing to adopt your advice. The house of Flaracourt is not to be despised, and I ask no better than to be on amicable terms with the lady."

"Well, then, come this morning and walk in the grove nearest the pavilion, I shall be there with madame de Flaracourt: we will meet by chance, compliments will follow, and the alliance will be formed."

The marechale and I had scarcely separated when madame de Bearn was announced. This lady besieged me night and day. Gifted with a subtle and penetrating spirit-that talent which procures advancement at court, she saw, with pain, that I sought to attract other females about me: she would fain have remained my only friend, that she might, unopposed, influence me in all I did. She saw, therefore, the appearance of madame de Mirepoix in my drawing-room with uneasiness: her bad humor was sufficiently apparent to attract the notice of the marechale, who laughed at it: her social position as a t.i.tled woman, and the king's friendship, giving her confidence that her credit would always exceed that of my G.o.dmother.

Madame de Bearn was compelled to submit to the ascendancy of the marechale, but yet did not the less relax in her efforts to keep from me all other female society, she hoped that at last the king would distinguish her, and call her into his intimacy as my friend; she was not more fond of the comtesse d'Aloigny, altho' the nullity of this lady need not have alarmed her much. For me, I began to resent the irksomeness of having incessantly at my side a person who manifested too openly her desire to compel me to submit to her wishes, and I waited, to secure my freedom, only until the circle of females I could admit to my society should be extended.

Such were our reciprocal feelings during our stay at Marly. The madame de Bearn watched me with more care than at Versailles, fearing, no doubt, that the freedom of the country might facilitate connections prejudicial to her interests. Little did she antic.i.p.ate on this day the stroke which was in preparation for her. I asked her spitefully to take a turn with me into the park, and I took care not to announce the meeting which we had arranged.

Behold us then walking this way and that, quite by chance, without however going any distance from the pavilion. Madame de Bearn, not liking the vicinity of the chateau, was desirous to go into the wood. I declined this under vain excuses, when suddenly madame de Mirepoix and madame de Flaracourt appeared at the end of a very short walk.

"Let us turn this way," said the countess to me, "here comes one of our enemies, whom it would be as well to avoid."

"Why turn away?" I replied; "she is alone, we are two, and then the marechale de Mirepoix is not opposed to us."