duc de Choiseul and the duchesse de Grammont, his sister. I must
say, however, that, at first, the brother contented himself with
despising me, but the duchesse was furious; I had offended her
feminine self-love, and she could not forgive me. I have told you
that she obtained possession of the king by stratagem. This is
fact. She was in a place of concealment during a regal debauch,
and when Louis left the table, with his head heated by wine, she
awaited him in his bed to commit a sort of violence on him. What
curious ambition! As soon as this noble lady learned my position,
she was desirous of knowing who I was, and I have been told
since all the measures she took to learn this. She did not
confine her search to the circle of Versailles, but hastened to
prosecute her inquiries in Paris with M. de Sartines. The
lieutenant of police not suspecting the favor that awaited me,
as well as that which I already enjoyed, and on the other hand
persuaded of that of the Choiseul family, set all his bloodhounds
on my traces. They did not fail to bring him back a thousand
horrible tales about me, with which he gratified the duchesse,
who, thinking thereby to do me a severe injury, spread in the
chateau a multitude of prejudicial tales against me, hoping that
they would reach the ears of the king and disgust him with his
amour. It was at this juncture that appeared in the "a la Main>" those infamous articles, collected in what they call
the Collection of Bachaumont. From the same source proceeded
the songs which filled Paris, and were sung
about everywhere. These scandals produced no other effect than
increasing the attachment which the king had for me, and to
diminish that which he felt for the duc de Choiseul.

Passion never reasons; if it had common sense, it would perceive