she had made many dupes, and picked up considerable sums by passing herself off as the King's mistress.

The fear of irritating Madame du Barry was, according to her, the only thing which prevented her enjoying that title openly.

She came regularly to Versailles, kept herself concealed in a furnished lodging, and her dupes imagined she was secretly summoned to Court.
This woman formed the scheme of getting admission, if possible, to the presence of the Queen, or at least causing it to be believed that she had done so.

She adopted as her lover Gabriel de Saint Charles, intendant of her Majesty's finances,--an office, the privileges of which were confined to the right of entering the Queen's apartment on Sunday.

Madame de Villers came every Saturday to Versailles with M.de Saint Charles, and lodged in his apartment.