ompiler of "Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI., et La Famille Royale"
(date April 24th, 1776) has a story of a conversation between the king and
queen which illustrates her feeling toward the minister. She had just come
in from the opera. He asked her "how she had been received by the
Parisians; if she had had the usual cheers." She made no reply; the king
understood her silence. "Apparently, madame, you had not feathers enough."
"I should have liked to have seen you there, sir, with your St. Germain
and your Turgot; you would have been rudely hissed." St. Germain was the
minister of war.

[6] Mercy to Maria Teresa, May 16th, 1776, Arneth, ii., p. 446.

[7] January 14th, 1776, Arneth, ii., p. 414.

[8] The ground-floor of the palace was occupied by the shops of jewelers
and milliners, some of whom were great sufferers by the fire.

[9] In a letter written at the end of 1775, Mercy reports to the empress
that some of Turgot's economical reforms had produced real discontent
among those "qui trouvent leur interet dans le desordre," which they had
vented in scandalous and seditious writings. Many songs of that character
had come out, some of which were attributed to Beaumarchais, "le roi et la
reine n'y ont point ete respectes."--_December 17th_, 1775. Arneth, ii, p.
410.

[10] Mercy to Maria Teresa, November 15th, 1776, Arneth, ii., p. 524.

CHAPTER XII.

[1] "Le petit nombre de ceux que la Reine appelle 'sa societe'"--_Mercy to
Marie Teresa_, February 15th, 1777, Arneth, iii., p. 18.

[2] "Il faut cependant convenir que dans ces circonstances si rapprochees
de la familiarite, la Reine, par un maintien qui tient a son ame, a
toujours su imprimer a ceux qui l'entouraient une contenance de respect
qui contrebalancait un peu la liberte des propos."--_Mercy to Maria
Teresa_, Arneth, ii, p.520.

[3] Brunoy is about fifteen miles from Paris.

[4] "Au reste il est temps pour la sante de la Reine que le carnaval
finisse. On remarque qu'elle s'en altere, et que sa Majeste maigrit
beaucoup."--_Marie Therese a Louis XVI._, la date Fevrier 1, 1777, p 101.

[5] Once when he had spoken to her with a severity which alarmed Mercy,
who feared it might irritate the queen, "Il me dit en riant qu'il en avait
agi ainsi pour sonder l'ame de la reine, et voir si par la force il n'y
aurait pas moyen d'obtenir plus que par la douceur."--_Mercy to Maria
Teresa_, Arneth, iii., p. 79.

[6] Arneth, iii., p. 73.

CHAPTER XIII.

[1] When