She never told me her real name; but one day I was malicious enough to say to her, “Some one was maintaining, yesterday, that the family of Madame de Mar——­ was of more importance than many of good extraction.  They say it is the first in Cadiz.  She had very honourable alliances, and yet she has thought it no degradation to be governess to Madame de Pompadour’s daughter.  One day you will see her sons or her nephews Farmers General, and her granddaughters married to Dukes.”  I had remarked that Madame de Pompadour for some days had taken chocolate, a triple vanille et ambre, at her breakfast; and that she ate truffles and celery soup:  finding her in a very heated state, lone day remonstrated with her about her diet, to which she paid no attention.  I then thought it right to speak to her friend, the Duchesse de Brancas.  “I had remarked the same thing,” said she, “and I will speak to her about it before you.”  After she was dressed, Madame de Brancas, accordingly, told her she was uneasy about her health.  “I have just been talking to her about it,” said the Duchess, pointing to me, “and she is of my opinion.”  Madame de Pompadour seemed a little displeased; at last, she burst into tears.  I immediately went out, shut the door, and returned to my place to listen.  “My dear friend,” she said to Madame de Brancas, “I am agitated by the fear of losing the King’s heart by ceasing to be attractive to him.  Men, you know, set great value on certain things, and I have the misfortune to be of a very cold temperament.  I, therefore, determined to adopt a heating diet, in order to remedy this defect, and for two days this elixir has been of great service to me, or, at least, I have thought I felt its good effects.”  The Duchesse de Brancas took the phial which was upon the toilet, and after having smelt at it, “Fie!” said she, and threw it into the fire.  Madame de Pompadour scolded her, and said, “I don’t like to be treated like a child.”  She wept again, and said, “You don’t know what happened to me a week ago.  The King, under pretext of the heat of the weather, lay down upon my sofa, and passed half the night there.  He will take a disgust to me and have another mistress.”  “You will not avoid that,” replied the Duchess, “by following your new diet, and that diet will kill you; render your company more and more precious to the King by your gentleness:  do not repulse him in his fond moments, and let time do the rest; the chains of habit will bind him to you for ever.”  They then embraced; Madame de Pompadour recommended secrecy to Madame de Brancas, and the diet was abandoned.

A little while after, she said to me, “Our master is better pleased with me.  This is since I spoke to Quesnay, without, however, telling him all.  He told me, that to accomplish my end, I must try to be in good health, to digest well, and, for that purpose, take exercise.  I think the Doctor is right.  I feel quite a different creature.  I adore that man (the King), I wish so earnestly to be agreeable to him!  But, alas! sometimes he says I am a macreuse (a cold-blooded aquatic bird).  I would give my life to please him.”