Instead of being vexed at this, she laughed, and said, “Has not everybody some weakness?  Bessola is mine.”

This wench often put me in an ill-humour:  at last I lost all patience, and could no longer restrain myself.  I would often have told her what I thought, but that I saw it would really distress the poor Dauphine:  I therefore restrained myself, and said to her, “Out of complaisance to you, I will be silent; but give such orders that Bessola may not again rouse me, otherwise I cannot promise but that I may say something she will not like.”

The Dauphine thanked me affectionately, and thus more than ever engaged my silence.

When the Dauphine arrived from Bavaria, the fine Court of France was on the decline:  it was at the commencement of Maintenon’s reign, which spoilt and degraded everything.  It was not, therefore, surprising that the poor Dauphine should regret her own country.  Maintenon annoyed her immediately after her marriage in such a manner as must have excited pity.  The Dauphine had made her own marriage; she had hoped to be uncontrolled, and to become her own mistress; but she was placed in that Maintenon’s hands, who wanted to govern her like a child of seven years old, although she was nineteen.  That old Maintenon, piqued at the Dauphine for wishing to hold a Court, as she should have done, turned the King against her.  Bessola finished this work by betraying and selling her; and thus was the Dauphine’s misery accomplished!  By selecting me for her friend, she filled up the cup of Maintenon’s hatred, who was paying Bessola; because she knew she was jealous of me, and that I had advised the Dauphine not to keep her, for I was quite aware that she had secret interviews with Maintenon.

That lady had also another creature in the Dauphine’s household:  this was Madame de Montchevreuil, the gouvernante of the Dauphine’s filles d’honneur.  Madame de Maintenon had engaged her to place the Dauphin upon good terms with the filles d’honneur, and she finished by estranging him altogether from his wife.  During her pregnancy, which, as well as her lying-in, was extremely painful, the Dauphine could not go out; and this Montchevreuil took advantage of the opportunity thus afforded her to introduce the filles d’honneur to the Dauphin to hunt and game with him.  He became fond, in his way, of the sister of La Force, who was afterwards compelled to marry young Du Roure.  The attachment continued, notwithstanding this marriage; and she procured the Dauphin’s written promise to marry her in case of the death of the Dauphine and her husband.  I do not know how the late King became acquainted with this fact; but it is certain that he was seriously angered at it, and that he banished Du Roure to Gascony, his native country.  The Dauphin had an affair of gallantry with another of his wife’s filles d’honneur called Rambures.  He did not affect any dissimulation with his wife; a great uproar ensued; and that wicked Bessola, following the directions of old Maintenon, who planned everything, detached the Dauphin from his wife more and more.  The latter was not very fond of him; but what displeased her in his amours was that they exposed her to be openly and constantly ridiculed and insulted.  Montchevreuil made her pay attention to all that passed, and Bessola kept up her anger against her husband.