She also determined to forbid the Princesses coming under her control the practice of singing with professors, and said, candidly, and with as much severity as her slanderers could have done, "I ought to have heard Garat sing, and never to have sung duets with him." The indiscreet zeal of Monsieur Augeard contributed to the public belief that the Queen disposed of all the offices of finance.

He had, without any authority for doing so, required the committee of fermiers-general to inform him of all vacancies, assuring them that they would be meeting the wishes of the Queen.

The members complied, but not without murmuring.
When the Queen became aware of what her secretary had done, she highly disapproved of it, caused her resentment to be made known to the fermiers-general, and abstained from asking for appointments,--making only one request of the kind, as a marriage portion for one of her attendants, a young woman of good family..