ation of the interview Louis XV appeared charmed with his
brother of Denmark. "He is a complete Frenchman," said he to me, "and I
should be sorry if he left me dissatisfied."

That same evening Christian VII visited monseigneur the dauphin, in whom
he did not find the urbanity of his grandfather. The conversation was
short and abridged out of regard to our prince, who only stammered,
without being able to find one polished phrase. Never was there in his
youth a more timid and awkwardly conducted prince than the present king.
I shall mention him and his brothers hereafter, but will now direct my
immediate attention to the king of Denmark. He supped the same evening
with Louis XV at a table with four and twenty ladies of the court,
selected from amongst those most celebrated for the charms of their
persons or their wit. As his Danish majesty was greatly struck with
madame de Flaracourt, the king asked him how old the lady might be in
his opinion.

"Thirty, perhaps," was the reply.

"Thirty, brother! she is fifty."

"Then age has no influence at your court." I shall not copy the
"_Gazette de France_" to tell you of the sojourn of Christian VII at
Paris. I am not writing the journal of this prince but of myself. The
king one day said to me,

"My brother of Denmark has expressed to the duc de Duras a great desire
to pay his respects to you, if you will accede to his wishes. I leave
you entirely sovereign mistress of yourself, not without some fear
however that the young king will steal away your heart from me."

"Ah, sire," I replied, "that is an unjust suspicion; I should be angry
about it if it were not a joke, and would refuse to see the king of
Denmark did I not know how fully you are assured of my attachment to
you."

"I should not be so jealous, madame, if I did not set so much value on
it," was the reply of the king, as he kissed my hand.

The duc de Duras came the next day to inform me of the request of his
new king. It was agreed, in order to keep the interview secret, that
I should receive him at my own mansion in the Rue de la Jussienne,
and that he should come there without suite, and with the strictest
incognito. At the day and hour agreed he entered my house, escorting two
strangers of admirable presence. One was the king of Denmark, under
the name of comte de ------, and the other a nobleman of his suite.
Christian VII appeared to me a very handsome man. He had large and
singularly expressive eyes; t