The friends of the queen asserted that her majesty was completely
innocent; that she had never spoken to the Countess Lamotte-Valois,
and only once through her chamberlain. Weber had never sent her any
assistance. But these friends of the queen were not numerous, and
their number diminished every day.

The king had seen the necessity of making great reductions in the
cost of maintaining his establishment, and in the government of the
realm. France had had during the last years poor harvests. The
people were suffering from a want of the bare necessities of life.
The taxes could not be collected. A reform must be introduced, and
those who before had rejoiced in a superfluity of royal gifts had to
be contented with a diminution of them.

It had been the queen who allowed the tokens of royal favor to pour
upon her friends, her companions in Trianon, like a golden rain. She
had at the outset done this out of a hearty love for them. It was so
sweet to cause those to rejoice whom she loved; so pleasant to see
that charming smile upon the countenance of the Duchess de Polignac-
-that smile which only appeared when she had succeeded in making
others happy. For herself the duchess never asked a favor; her royal
friend could only, after a long struggle and threatening her with
her displeasure, induce her to take the gifts which were offered out
of a really loving heart.

But behind the Duchess Diana stood her brother and sister-in-law,
the Duke and Duchess de Polignac, who were ambitious, proud, and
avaricious; behind the Duchess Diana stood the three favorites of
the royal society in Trianon --Lords Vaudreuil, Besenval, D'Adhemar-
-who desired embassies, ministerial posts, orders, and other tokens