CHAPTER VII. D’Eon’s interview with the Earl of Halifax—Refuses to surrender the King’s papers to de Guerchy—Declines to take leave of the King of England—A scene at the French Embassy—Another at Lord Halifax’s residence—A third at D’Eon’s—Summoned by a magistrate—De Guerchy’s hostile measures—D’Eon is dangerously drugged at the table of the French ambassador—Designs against his liberty—Removes to Brewer Street, Golden Square—Childishly annoyed—His extradition demanded—Warned to that effect by Louis XV. With his usual alacrity and wariness in anticipating difficulties, by strengthening the position into which he sometimes fancied he was forced by chance, the Chevalier took occasion to represent to Lord Halifax, at a special interview for which he had asked, that he could not consider his letters of recall as authentic. In the first place, they had been brought by the Count de Guerchy, which was absolutely contrary to all precedent, and in these letters he was styled, simply, Minister Plenipotentiary, the titles of Knight of the Order of Saint Louis and Captain of Dragoons being omitted, although they appeared in his credentials; and what was of most importance, they were not signed with the King’s own hand. Lord Halifax expressed surprise at these informalities, and said that any English minister rash enough to make use of the King’s signature under similar circumstances would be doing so at the risk of his head; the King of England signed with his own hand all letters to foreign princes, and all special instructions to his ministers. Such an expression of opinion was exactly what the Chevalier wanted.[132] The Embassy archives received by de Guerchy were contained in the same four despatch-boxes in which they had been delivered to D’Eon by de Nivernois, and consisted only of the official cypher and ordinary correspondence; but on taking leave of Madame de Pompadour and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, de Guerchy had engaged to secure, not only the Chevalier’s person, but every scrap of paper in his possession. Failing to obtain them coaxingly, he imperiously demanded, in the many angry altercations on the subject, that all the documents which had passed into his hands during his term of office, should be immediately and unconditionally given up! D’Eon quietly persisted in his refusal to surrender all such other papers as he conceived he had a right to retain, unless he received orders to the contrary _direct from the King_, and on October 23 he furnished the ambassador with this decision in writing.