clear to the reader that what the narrator sees is very seldom
exactly the objective truth. The author ends as well as begins
(in the middle of the action), thus creating an
illusion of a slice of a journal but simultaneously giving the
reader the uneasy feeling that the first and last chapters seem
to be missing.

The French-style quotation marks have, for ease in typesetting
and use, been changed to American-style quotation marks, and the
dot after the name of Louis XV has been removed to conform to
American punctuation. Italics are indicated by placing <> around
the word or phrase italicized. Captions of illustrations are
omitted because the illustrations themselves cannot be inserted.
A few minor editing errors have been silently corrected. No
other changes have been made; the irregularity in italicizing or
not italicizing, in translating or not translating French words,
and in punctuating quotations of letters, is in the text itself.

Notes are identified as coming from author, tr. (translator),
editor, or Gutenberg editor.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

Letter from Lebel--Visit from Lebel--Nothing conclusive--Another
visit from Lebel--Invitation to sup with the king--Instructions
of the comte Jean to the comtesse

CHAPTER II