imself to behave very much like an offended person for some days;
but, finding such a line of conduct produced no good, he came round
again, and presented himself as usual at my parties, whilst I received
him as though nothing had occurred.

I had more difficulty in freeing myself from the importunities of
Messieurs de Broglie and de Maillebois. I had given to each of them a
sort of promise; I had allowed them to hope, and yet, when the time
came to realize these hopes, I told them, that I possessed much less
influence than was generally imagined; to which they replied, that they
knew my power to serve them was much greater than I appeared to believe.
After a while, I succeeded in deadening the expectations of M. de
Broglie, but M. de Maillebois was long ere he would abandon his pursuit.
When every chance of success had left him, he gave way to so much
violence and bitterness against M. d'Aiguillon, that the duke was
compelled to punish him for his impudent rage. I will mention the other
candidates for the ministry at another opportunity.

CHAPTER XXVII

The comte de la Marche and the comtesse du Barry--The
countess and the prince de Conde--The duc de la Vauguyon and
the countess--Provisional minister--Refusal of the
secretaryship of war--Displeasure of the king--The marechale
de Mirepoix--Unpublished letter from Voltaire to Madame du
Barry--Her reply

The comte de la Marche had always evinced the warmest regard for me,
and he sought, on the present occasion, to be repaid for his attachment.
Both he and the prince de Conde had their ambitious speculations in
the present change of ministers; and both fancied, that because their
relation, the duke, had governed during the king's minority, the right
to the several appointments now vacant, belonged as a matter of course
to their family. The count had already sent to solicit my interest,
through the mediation of madame de Monaco, mistress to the prince
de Conde; and, as I shrewdly suspect, the occasional _chere amie_ of
himself. Finding this measure did not produce all the good he expected,
he came, without further preface, to speak to me himself about it.
Unwilling to come to an open rupture with him, I endeavoured to make
him comprehend, that the policy of the sovereign would never permit his
placing any of the administrative power in the hands of the princes of
his family; that he had consented, most reluctantly, to investing them