to pick up the note, which had fallen on the ground.  Gontaut was the only person who saw all this, and after supper, he went up to the little lady, and said, ‘You are an excellent friend.’  ‘I did my duty,’ said she, and immediately put her finger on her lips to enjoin him to be silent.  He, however, informed me of this act of friendship of the little heroine, who had not told me of it herself.”  I admired the Countess’s virtue, and Madame de Pompadour said, “She is giddy and headlong; but she has more sense and more feeling than a thousand prudes and devotees.  D’Esparbes would not do as much—­most likely she would meet him more than half-way.  The King appeared disconcerted, but he still pays her great attentions.”  “You will, doubtless, Madame,” said I, “show your sense of such admirable conduct.”  “You need not doubt it,” said she, “but I don’t wish her to think that I am informed of it.”  The King, prompted either by the remains of his liking, or from the suggestions of Madame de Pompadour, one morning went to call on Madame d’Amblimont, at Choisy, and threw round her neck a collar of diamonds and emeralds, worth between fifty thousand and seventy-five thousand francs.  This happened a long time after the circumstance I have just related.

There was a large sofa in a little room adjoining Madame de Pompadour’s, upon which I often reposed.

One evening, towards midnight, a bat flew into the apartment where the Court was; the King immediately cried out, “Where is General Crillon?” (He had just left the room.) “He is the General to command against the bats.”  This set everybody calling out, “Ou etais-tu, Crillon?” M. de Crillon soon after came in, and was told where the enemy was.  He immediately threw off his coat, drew his sword, and commenced an attack upon the bat, which flew into the closet where I was fast asleep.  I started out of sleep at the noise, and saw the King and all the company around me.  This furnished amusement for the rest of the evening.  M. de Crillon was a very excellent and agreeable man, but he had the fault of indulging in buffooneries of this kind, which, however, were the result of his natural gaiety, and not of any subserviency of character.  Such, however, was not the case with another exalted nobleman, a Knight of the Golden Fleece, whom Madame saw one day shaking hands with her valet de chambre.  As he was one of the vainest men at Court, Madame could not refrain from telling the circumstance to the King; and, as he had no employment at Court, the King scarcely ever after named him on the Supper List.

I had a cousin at Saint Cyr, who was married.  She was greatly distressed at having a relation waiting woman to Madame de Pompadour, and often treated me in the most mortifying manner.  Madame knew this from Colin, her steward, and spoke of it to the King.  “I am not surprised at it,” said he; “this is a specimen of the silly women of Saint Cyr.  Madame de Maintenon had excellent intentions, but she made a great mistake.  These girls are brought up in such a manner, that, unless they are all made ladies of the palace, they are unhappy and impertinent.”