Origin of the _liaison_ between _Monsieur le Duc_ and Madame de Prie considered--Extraordinary ascendency which the latter acquires over her lover--For a while, the favourite leads a life of pleasure, but is soon obliged to give her attention to politics--Exasperation of Madame de Pléneuf’s coterie against her--Insecurity of _Monsieur le Duc’s_ position--The Orléans faction--Intrigues of the War Minister Le Blanc and the Belle-Isles--Hatred of Madame de Prie for Le Blanc--She resolves to crush the common enemies of herself and _Monsieur le Duc_--Her skilful conduct--Murder of Sandrier de Mitry, chief cashier of La Jonchère, treasurer of the Emergency War Fund--Sinister suspicions concerning La Jonchère and Le Blanc--Madame de Prie determines to get to the bottom of the mystery--Her alliance with the Pâris brothers against the War Minister--Dubois persuades the Regent to withdraw his protection from Le Blanc--Arrest of La Jonchère and examination of his accounts--Disgrace and exile of Le Blanc--The death of Dubois puts a stop to the proceedings--Death of Philippe d’Orléans--_Monsieur le Duc_ becomes Prime Minister. One night, in the autumn of 1719, so the story goes, the Duc de Bourbon attended a ball at the Opera, where his attention was attracted by two masked ladies, who remained inseparable throughout the evening. One of them in particular piqued his curiosity, as much as by her liveliness and wit, as by the perfection of her shape and the grace of her movements. He entreated her to unmask, but was met by a refusal, and she and her companion took their departure, laughing merrily at his mortification. At the next Opera-ball, the two ladies appeared in the same costume. _Monsieur le Duc_, who was again present, hastened to join them, but, though, on this occasion, he succeeded in ascertaining that the elder was a Madame Auxy, he was unable to discover the identity of the one who most interested him, for nothing could persuade her to unmask. On leaving him, however, she hinted that, if he cared to attend the next ball, he might find her less obdurate. The prince was faithful to the rendezvous, but the fair _inconnue_ seemed disinclined to fulfil her promise; and it was only after many refusals and many protestations that she at length consented to remove her mask, and to reveal the adorable features of Madame de Prie, at sight of which _Monsieur le Duc_ incontinently succumbed. Such is the version of the affair which has found favour with the majority of historians. It is doubtful, however, if it is the correct one, and, any way, it is strangely inconsistent with the account given by Caylus--no friend, by the way, of Madame de Prie--of the repulsion with which the first solicitations of _Monsieur le Duc_ inspired the object of his desires: