resentation stopped by the foot of madame de Bearn.
This mischance did not dampen the zeal of my friends. On the one hand,
comte Jean, after having stirred heaven and earth, met with the comtesse
d'Aloigny. She consented to become my godmother immediately after her
own presentation, for eighty thousand livres and the expenses of the
ceremony. But mesdames received her so unsatisfactorily, that my
own feelings told me, I ought not to be presented at court under her
auspices.

We thanked the comtesse d'Aloigny therefore, and sent her, as a
remuneration, twenty thousand livres from the king.

Whilst comte Jean failed on one side, the duc d'Aiguillon succeeded on
another. He was someway related to madame de Bearn. He went to visit
her, and made her understand that, as the Choiseuls neither gave nor
promised her anything, she would be wrong in declaring for them: that,
on the other hand, if she declared for me, I could procure for her
the favor of the king. Madame de Bearn yielded to his persuasions, and
charged the duc d'Aiguillon to say to me, and even herself wrote, that
she put herself entirely into my hands; and that, as soon as she was
well, I might rely on her. What, I believe, finally decided this lady
was, the fear that if she did not comply with what I required, I should
content myself with the comtesse d'Aloigny.

Now assured of my introductress, I only directed my attention to the
final obstacle of my presentation; I mean the displeasure of mesdames.
I do not speak of madame Louise, of whom I can only write in terms of
commendation; but I had opposed to me mesdames Victoire and Sophie, and
especially madame Adelaide, who, as the eldest, gave them their plan
of conduct. This latter, who had given too much cause to be spoken of
herself to have any right to talk of others, never ceased haranguing
about the scandal of my life; and I had recently, unknown to myself,
fallen into complete disgrace with her. This is the case.

The apartment from which I had dislodged M. de Noailles had been
requested of the king by madame Adelaide. Ignorant of this I had
installed myself there. I soon learned that I had offended the princess,
and instantly hastened to offer her the apartments she wished to have.
She came into them; but as it was necessary for me to be accommodated
somewhere, the king gave me the former apartments of his daughter. This
was what madame Adelaide called an act of tyranny; she made the chateau
echo with h