fallen, led her without
difficulty to act in conformity to the king's wishes.

There remained now therefore but madame Adelaide to overcome, and
the task became more difficult in proportion to the elevated rank she
occupied at court. By priority of birth she held the first place there;
and hitherto this superiority had been ceded to her without dispute,
more particularly since the hand of death had removed both the queen her
mother, and the dauphiness her sister-in-law. She therefore could only
view with uneasiness the prospect of another appearing on the stage
whose influence would be greater than hers; and who (until the young
dauphiness should attain to years of maturity) might deprive her of all
honors but those due to her birth. Madame Adelaide was gifted with
good sense, affability of manners, and a kind and compassionating heart
towards all who needed her aid; her disposition was good, but she loved
dominion, and the least show of resistance to her wishes was painful and
offensive to her. She was determined to uphold the duc de Choiseul; and
my decided manner towards that minister plainly evinced how little I
should feel inclined to support her view of things. There were therefore
several reasons for my presence at court being unpleasant to madame
Adelaide.

Against her therefore did the duc de la Vauguyon direct his batteries.
She received his attack with the most determined obstinacy; all was in
vain, she was unconquerable, and the most skilfully devised plans were
insufficient to surmount her resistance; it was therefore necessary to
have recourse to the clergy, who were at that time completely led by the
Jesuits; each member of the church, up to the archbishop of Paris, was
called upon to interfere, or their names were employed in default of
their presence. It was pointed out to madame Adelaide that I possessed
good intentions with feelings of religion, which, however stifled by the
freedom of the age, only required careful management to produce a rich
development. The success of this last mode of attack astonished the duke
himself; and madam, dazzled by the hopes of my conversion, as well as
weary of hostilities, yielded her consent to my being presented. After
these private negotiations the four sisters met at the house of the
elder one; and there they decided that since the king had so expressly
manifested his pleasure relative to my presentation, they should conform
to the desire of their father, by rece