"In the society of her adored Majesty and of her saint-like sister Elizabeth I have found my only balm of consolation！ Their graciously condescending to sympathise in the grief with which I was overwhelmed from the cruel disappointment of my first love， filled up in some degree the vacuum left by his loss， who was so prematurely ravished from me in the flower of youth， leaving me a widow at eighteen； and though that loss is one I never can replace or forget， the poignancy of its effect has been in a great degree softened by the kindnesses of my excellent father-in-law， the Duc de Penthievre， and the relations resulting from my situation with， and the never-ceasing attachment of my beloved royal mistress."第一章SECTION VII.
[The connexion of the Princesse de Lamballe with the Queen， of which she has herself described the origin in the preceding chapter， proved so important in its influence upon the reputation and fate of both these illustrious victims， that I must once more withdraw the attention of the reader， to explain， from personal observation and confidential disclosures， the leading causes of the violent dislike which was kindled in the public against an intimacy that it would have been most fortunate had Her Majesty preferred through life to every other.
The selection of a friend by the Queen， and the sudden elevation of that friend to the highest station in the royal household， could not fail to alarm the selfishness of courtiers， who always feel themselves injured by the favour shown to others. An obsolete office was revived in favour of the Princesse de Lamballe. In the time of Maria Leckzinska， wife of Louis XV.， the office of superintendent， then held by Mademoiselle de Clermont， was suppressed when its holder died. The office gave a control over the inclinations of Queens， by which Maria Leckzinska was sometimes inconvenienced； and it had lain dormant ever since. Its restoration by a Queen who it was believed could be guided by no motive but the desire to seek pretexts for showing undue favour， was of course eyed askance， and ere long openly calumniated.
The Comtesse de Noailles， who never could forget the title the Queen gave her of Madame Etiquette， nor forgive the frequent jokes which Her Majesty passed upon her antiquated formality， availed herself of the opportunity offered by her husband's being raised to the dignity of Marshal of France， to resign her situation on the appointment of the Princesse de Lamballe as superintendent. The Countess retired with feelings embittered against her royal mistress， and her annoyance in the sequel ripened into enmity. The Countess was attached to a very powerful party， not only at Court but scattered throughout the kingdom. Her discontent arose from the circumstance of no longer having to take her orders from the Queen direct， but from her superintendent. Ridiculous as this may seem to an impartial observer， it created ，one of the most powerful hostilities against which Her Majesty had afterwards to contend.
Though the Queen esteemed the Comtesse de Noailles for her many good qualities， yet she was so much put out of her way by the rigour with which the Countess enforced forms which to Her Majesty appeared puerile and absurd， that she felt relieved， and secretly gratified， by her retirement. It will be shown hereafter to what an excess the Countess was eventually carried by her malice.
One of the popular objections to the revival of the office of superintendent in favour of the Princesse de Lamballe arose from its reputed extravagance. This was as groundless as the other charges against the Queen. The etiquettes of dress， and the requisite increase of every other expense， from the augmentation of every article of the necessaries as well as the luxuries of life， made a treble difference between the expenditure of the circumscribed Court of Maria Leckzinska and that of Louis XVI.； yet the Princesse de Lamballe received no more salary than had been allotted to Mademoiselle de Clermont in the selfsame situation half a century before.
(And even that salary she never appropriated to any private use of her own， being amply supplied through the generous bounty of her father-in-law， the Duc de Penthievre； and latterly， to my knowledge， so far from receiving any pay， she often paid the Queen's and Princesse Elizabeth's bills out of her own purse.)So far from possessing the slightest propensity either to extravagance in herself or to the encouragement of extravagance in others， the Princesse de Lamballe was a model of prudence， and upon those subjects， as indeed upon all others， the Queen could not have had a more discreet counsellor. She eminently contributed to the charities of the Queen， who was the mother of the fatherless， the support of the widow， and the general protectress and refuge of suffering humanity. Previously to the purchase of any article of luxury， the Princess would call for the list of the pensioners： if anything was due on that account， it was instantly paid， and the luxury dispensed with.
She never made her appearance in the Queen's apartments except at established hours. This was scrupulously observed till the Revolution. Circumstances then obliged her to break through forms.
