第37章

And we did find her, but her compliance was dearly bought. Two ladies who were applied to stipulated for most outrageous conditions. One, the marquise de Castellane, consented to presentme, but demanded that she should be created a duchess, and have a gift of five hundred thousand livres: the other, whose name Iforget, asked for her husband the order of the Holy Ghost and a government, a regiment for her son, and for herself I forget what. These ladies seemed to think, like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, that governments and five hundred thousand livres were to be picked up on the highway. In truth, they spoke out without disguise.

At this juncture the chancellor had a singular conversation concerning me with the Choiseuls. He had been one morning to call on the duke, and whilst they were discoursing, the duchesse de Grammont came into her brother's apartment, and entered at once into conversation.

"Ah, my lord, I am glad to see you. Your new friends carry you off from your old ones. You are wrong to adore the rising sun."'That was the idolatry of a great number of persons: but I beg of you to be so very kind as not to speak to me in figures, if you would wish me to understand you.""Oh, you play off the ignorant. You know as well as I do what Imean, and your daily visits to this <fille>.""Which, madame? There are so many at court!"This sarcastic reply made the brother and sister smile; both of them being fully competent to understand the merit of an epigram.

The duke fearing lest the duchess should go too far, judging by what she had already said, thus addressed him:

"You are, then, one of the adorers of the comtesse du Barry?""Yes, monsieur le due; and would to God that, for your own interest, you would be so too!""My brother set foot in the house of this creature!""Why not, madame? We see good company there; the prince de Soubise, the ducs de la Trimouille, de la Vauguyon, Duras,Richelieu, d'Aiguillon, and many others, not to mention the king of France. A gentleman may be seen in such company without any disgrace.""Monsieur le chevalier," replied the duke, "to speak candidly to you, allow me to ask, if any one who would have the friendship of our house would be seen in that of the lady in question?""Pardon me, duke; that is not the question. Allow me, in turn, to ask you, why those of your house should not go there? This, I think, is the real question.""You offer us a splendid alliance!" said the duchess with anger.

"I offer nothing, madame: I only inquire. For my part, I see no legitimate motive for this proscription of madame du Barry.""A woman without character!"

"Character! Why, madame, who has any in these days? M. de Crebillon the younger would be at a loss to tell us where to find it."This reply made the duke and his sister smile again. The chancellor went on thus:

"It appears to me that persons were less difficult in the times of madame de Pompadour.""But a creature who has been so low in society!""Have you seen her so, madame? And supposing it has been the case, do we interdict all ladies of conduct not less blamable from an introduction at court. How many can you enumerate, madame, who have led a life much more scandalous? Let us count them on our fingers. First, the marechale de Luxembourg, one; then--""Then the comtesse de Choiseul, my sister-in-law," added the duke; "we know it as well as you, sir. But this is not the matter in question. You are not ignorant that our enemies surround this madame du Barry; and it is of your alliance with them that I complain.""You see everything with a jaundiced eye, monsieur le duc. But if you fear the influence of this lady with the king, why do you not present yourself at her apartments? She would be delighted to receive you.""No, no!" cried the duchess, "my brother will never present himself to such a creature. If he would degrade himself so low, I would never forgive him as long as I live. Since you show your gratitude for what has been done for you by leaguing yourself with this woman, tell her from me that I detest her, and that I will never rest until I have sent her back again to her dunghill.""Madame," replied the chancellor, "I will evince my gratitude to the duke by not delivering such a message"; and the chancellor went out.

M. de Maupeou came to tell me the whole of this conversation, which <Chon> wrote down under his dictation, that I might show it to the king. You will see in my next letter what resulted from all this, and how the ill-timed enmity of the Choiseuls served my interests most materially.