The same evening the whole family arrived, and was presented to me
the next day. My two future sisters-in-law frightened me at first
with their provincial manners and southern accent; but, after a
few minutes, I found that this Gascon pronunciation had many charms
with it. Mesdemoiselles du Barry were not handsome but very
agreeable. One was called Isabelle, whom they had nicknamed
, the other's name was Fanchon, and her name had been
abbreviated to "." The latter had much talent, and even
brought to Versailles with her, an instinctive spirit of diplomacy
which would have done honor to a practised courtier. She would
have been thought simple, unsophisticated, and yet was full
of plot and cunning.
I was soon much pleased with her, and the king became equally
so. He was always very much amused at hearing her talk
(provincially), or recite the verses of one Gondouli, a poet of
Languedoc. He used to make her jump upon his knees; and altho'
she had passed the first bloom of youth, he played with her like
a child. But what most particularly diverted the king, was calling
my sister-in-law by her nickname; ","
he was always saying, "do this, go there, come here." Louis XV
did the same with his own daughters: he had amongst them a ,
a , a , and they were the ladies Victoire,
Adelaide, and Sophie, whom he thus elegantly designated.
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