hall be
immediately analyzed."

The duke, without quitting me, wrote immediately to his two colleagues
as well as to M. de Sartines, requesting this latter to repair to my
apartment without delay. One of the ministers summoned by M. d'Aiguillon
was not at that moment at Versailles, having left at an early hour in
the morning for Paris. Neither he nor M. de Sartines could possibly be
with us before eight o'clock in the evening; it was therefore agreed to
adjourn our conference till their arrival. Meanwhile M. d'Aiguillon, the
marechale, and myself, remained in a state of the most cruel anxiety.
The duke first blamed me for not having caused the woman to be arrested,
and afterwards he confessed to the marechale, that perhaps it was better
the conspiracy should be allowed time to ripen into maturity. Daring
this time the liquid contained in the four bottles was being decomposed:
M. Quesnay, first physician, Messrs. Thiebault and Varennes, visiting
physicians, M. de la Martiniere, counsellor of state, surgeon to
his majesty, as well as Messrs. Ducor and Prost, apothecaries to
his majesty, had been collected together for this purpose by the duc
d'Aiguillon.

These gentlemen came to report the termination of their experiments at
the very moment when the chancellor and lieutenant of police entered the
room; the duc de la Vrilliere had preceded them by about five minutes;
the duc d'Aiguillon requested these gentlemen to be seated. The doctors
Quesnay and la Martiniere were introduced, and desired to make known
the result of their operations. My newly-arrived guests, who as yet
understood nothing of what was going on, were struck with astonishment
at hearing it said, that the four bottles of orange-flower water
contained a considerable proportion of a most active poison, of which a
few drops would be sufficient to cause instantaneous death. Having thus
executed their commission, the medical gentlemen bowed and retired.

M. d'Aiguillon then explained to my wondering friends the horrible
affair which had occasioned their being sent for so hastily. I cannot
tell you what effect this disclosure produced on M. de la Vrilliere or
M. de Maupeou, my whole attention being fixed upon M. de Sartines. You
may suppose that a lieutenant of police, particularly one who piqued
himself upon knowing every thing, could not feel very much at his ease,
when each word that was uttered convicted him either of incapacity or
negligence. His brow beca