expressing my surprise at the King’s grief, “It would annoy him beyond measure to have a Prince of the blood heir apparent.  He does not like them, and looks upon their relationship to him as so remote, that he would feel humiliated by it.”  And, in fact, when his son recovered, he said, “The King of Spain would have had a fine chance.”  It was thought that he was right in this, and that it would have been agreeable to justice; but that, if the Duc d’Orleans had been supported by a party, he might have supported his pretensions to the crown.  It was, doubtless, to remove this impression that he gave a magnificent fete at St. Cloud on the occasion of the Dauphin’s recovery.  Madame de Pompadour said to Madame de Brancas, speaking of this fete, “He wishes to make us forget the chateau en Espagne he has been dreaming of; in Spain, however, they build them of solider materials.”  The people did not shew so much joy at the Dauphin’s recovery.  They looked upon him as a devotee, who did nothing but sing psalms.  They loved the Duc d’Orleans, who lived in the capital, and had acquired the name of the King of Paris.  These sentiments were not just; the Dauphin only sang psalms when imitating the tones of one of the choristers of the chapel.  The people afterwards acknowledged their error, and did justice to his virtues.  The Duc d’Orleans paid the most assiduous court to Madame de Pompadour:  the Duchess, on the contrary, detested her.  It is possible that words were put into the Duchess’s mouth which she never uttered; but she, certainly, often said most cutting things.  The King would have sent her into exile, had he listened only to his resentment; but he feared the eclat of such a proceeding, and he knew that she would only be the more malicious.  The Duc d’Orleans was, just then, extremely jealous of the Comte de Melfort; and the Lieutenant of Police told the King he had strong reasons for believing that the Duke would stick at nothing to rid himself of this gallant, and that he thought it his duty to give the Count notice, that he ought to be upon his guard.  The King said, “He would not dare to attempt any such violence as you seem to apprehend; but there is a better way:  let him try to surprise them, and he will find me very well inclined to have his cursed wife shut up; but if he got rid of this lover, she would have another to-morrow.  Nay, she has others at this moment; for instance, the Chevalier de Colbert, and the Comte de l’Aigle.”  Madame de Pompadour, however, told me these two last affairs were not certain.

An adventure happened about the same time, which the Lieutenant of Police reported to the King.  The Duchesse d’Orleans had amused herself one evening, about eight o’clock, with ogling a handsome young Dutchman, whom she took a fancy to, from a window of the Palais Royal.  The young man, taking her for a woman of the town, wanted to make short work, at which she was very much shocked.  She called a Swiss, and made herself known.  The stranger was arrested; but he defended himself by affirming that she had talked very loosely to him.  He was dismissed, and the Duc d’Orleans gave his wife a severe reprimand.