But
this is just the offence which will never be forgiven me: it has
fallen to my lot to take from my enemies and opponents their
influence over my husband. The time has gone by when Madame Adelaide
could gain an attentive ear when she came to the king, and in her
passionate rage charged me with unheard of crimes, which had no
basis excepting that in some little matters I had loosened the
ancient chains of etiquette; the time is past when Madame Louise
could presume to drive me with her flashing anger from her pious
cell and make me kneel in the dust; and when it was permitted to the
Count de la Morch to accuse the queen before the king of having
risen in time to behold the rising of the sun at Versailles, in
company with her whole court. The king loves me, and Madame Adelaide
is no longer the political counsellor of the king; the ministers
will no longer be appointed according to her dictate, and the great
questions of the cabinet are decided without appealing to her! I
know that this is a new offence which you lay to my charge, and that
by your calumniations and suspicions you make me suffer the penalty
for it. I know that the Count de Provence stoops to direct epigrams
and pamphlets against his sister-in-law, his sovereign, and through
the agency of his creatures to scatter them through Paris.
Pages:
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57