Page:Letters of Mlle. de Lespinasse.djvu/146

1774] tion of the soul of the king gives great hope to M. Turgot, and I think that you will have as much as he. M. de Vaines is given the place of M. Leclerc [head-clerk of the Treasury] ; hut there will be no luxury, no show, no valet de chamhre, no audience, in a word, the greatest simplicity, that is to say, the style of M. Turgot. Yes, I assure you, you are much missed here ; you would have shared the trans- ports of the universal joy. People begin to feel the need of silence to compose themselves and let them think of all the good they expect. The personal interests remain, which must always be counted for something.

The Chevalier d'Aguesseau has just gratified and shocked my heart at one and the same time; he knows that you were twenty-four hours at Chanteloup, that you are quite well, and that you reached Bordeaux on the 22d. After that, it was natural that your friends should hear from you on Saturday, 27th. I do not complain of the preference that you have given them ; but, mon ami, it would be sweet to be able to congratulate myself and to thank you for an atten- tion I should have felt so much and of which my soul had need. Adieu ; here are three letters in a very short time. If I do not have one from you on Wednesday I believe that I shall be able to keep silence. All my friends ask news of you with interest, especially M. d'Alembert.

I think I have not told you of the success of the Chevalier de Chastellux in a trip of four days which he has just made to Villers-Cotterets [country-seat of the Due d' Orleans]. He gave six readings there, though he had but four plays with him ; he read two of them twice. He thinks that " Les Pretentions " was not much liked ; I scolded the Archbishop of Toulouse, who was present, for this. If you knew how he justified himself you would die of laughing. The chevalier related his successes to me with much naivete. I rejoiced ;