Her reproaches were more particularly directed against M.de Vaudreuil for having had it performed at his house.

The violent and domineering disposition of her favourite's friend at last became disagreeable to her.
One evening, on the Queen's return from the Duchess's, she desired her 'valet de chambre' to bring her billiard cue into her closet, and ordered me to open the box that contained it.

I took out the cue, broken in two.
It was of ivory, and formed of one single elephant's tooth; the butt was of gold and very tastefully wrought.

"There," said she, "that is the way M.de Vaudreuil has treated a thing I valued highly.

I had laid it upon the couch while I was talking to the Duchess in the salon; he had the assurance to make use of it, and in a fit of passion about a blocked ball, he struck the cue so violently against the table that he broke it in two.
The noise brought me back into the billiard-room; I did not say a word to him, but my looks showed him how angry I was.