A long time had elapsed since the date of de Broglio’s last letter to the Chevalier, and now his reply was laconic enough. He declined, in the future, to submit to the King any of his letters in which allusion was made to de Guerchy, but he would take extracts and show them to his Majesty. D’Eon remained puzzled at this system of neutrality, having noticed that the very dispatches which informed him that any reference he might make to his squabbles with de Guerchy should not be seen by the King, were approved with the own hand of the sovereign, who must consequently have been aware of the correspondence on this particular subject being concealed from him. [Sidenote: QUALMS OF CONSCIENCE.] The reports on the threatening attitude assumed by D’Eon and the probable use he would make of de Vergy’s deposition, caused no little alarm in the mind of de Guerchy and at the French Court. It became a matter of greater moment than ever to the ambassador that he should rid himself of the hateful Chevalier, and he urged upon Lord Halifax, in pressing terms, that de Vergy, who was making common cause with D’Eon, should be prosecuted as his lordship stated might be done. To his old friend de Praslin he represented that nothing in D’Eon’s past villainous conduct could be compared to his latest fabrications, which were enough to make one shudder. De Praslin (?) and de Choiseul were so firmly persuaded of de Vergy’s criminality, that they angrily complained to Lord Hertford of the difficulty de Guerchy and they experienced in obtaining justice in England; to which they received assurances that the measures pursued and pursuing against D’Eon and de Vergy, were fully sufficient to repair the insult offered to the King of France in the person of his representative; but scarcely had this explanation been given than the impatient de Guerchy, apprehensive and insecure, importuned the English minister to take steps against de Vergy in accordance with the opinion of the Attorney-General. This affair, however, eventually fell to the ground. De Guerchy failed to make out his case, and was in the end informed by Lord Halifax that the affidavits made did not suffice for entering an action.[208] De Vergy had, in the meantime, made other depositions upon oath, in which he gave ‘a true and circumstantial account of the plot against the life of the Chevalier D’Eon’—the one on November 12, before Judge Wilmot, of the Court of King’s Bench; the other on November 27, before Judge Yates, also of the Court of King’s Bench; and he sent a report of his proceedings to the Duke de Choiseul, dated November 15.