her what was the nature of the reparation she considered madame
de Valentinois entitled to expect from the hands of his majesty. She
replied, "'Tis on your account alone that the poor countess has received
her late mortification; the king is therefore bound to atone for it
in the form of a pension. Money, my dear, money is a sovereign cure at
court; calms every grief and heals every wound."

I fully agreed with the good-natured marechale; and, when I bade the
sorrowful madame de Valentinois good night, I assured her I would
implore his majesty to repair the mischief my presence had caused.
Accordingly on the following day, when the king questioned me as to how
far I had been amused with the fete given by madame de Valentinois, I
availed myself of the opening to state my entire satisfaction, as well
as to relate the disgrace into which she had fallen, and to pray his
majesty to bestow upon her a pension of 15,000 livres.

"Upon my word," exclaimed Louis XV, hastily traversing the chamber,
"this fete seems likely to prove a costly one to me."

"Nay, sire," said I, "it was a most delightful evening; and you will
not, I hope, refuse me such a trifle for those who lavished so much for
my amusement."

"Well," cried he, "be it so; the countess shall have the sum she
requires, but upon condition that she does not apply to me again."

"Really your majesty talks," replied I, "as though this trifling pension
were to be drawn from your own purse."

The king began to smile at my remark, like a man who knows himself found
out. I knew him well enough to be certain that, had he intended the
pension awarded madame de Valentinois to come from his own privy purse,
he would scarcely have consented to bestowing on her more than a shabby
pittance of a thousand livres per annum. It is scarcely possible to
conceive an idea of the excessive economy of this prince. I remember,
that upon some great occasion, when it was requisite to support the
public treasury, which was failing, by a timely contribution, the duc
de Choiseul offered the loan of 250,000 livres, whilst the king, to the
astonishment of all who heard him, confined his aid to 2,000 louis! The
marechale de Mirepoix used to assert that Louis XV was the only prince
of his line who ever knew the value of a crown. She had, nevertheless,
managed to receive plenty from him, although, I must own, that she had
had no small difficulty in obtaining them; nor did the king part with
his belo