Le collier de la reine. English

  CHAPTER XXXV.

  THE PRINCESS DE LAMBALLE.

  The Princesse de Lamballe entered beautiful and calm. Her hair drawnback from her noble forehead, her dark penciled eyebrows, her clear blueeyes and beautiful lips, and her unrivaled figure, formed a lovely toutensemble. She seemed always surrounded by an atmosphere of virtue andgrace.

  The king looked at her with a troubled expression, dreading what he wasabout to hear; then bowing, said, "Sit down, princess."

  "What does your majesty desire?" asked she, in a sweet voice.

  "Some information, princess: what day did you last go with the queen toParis?"

  "Wednesday, sire."

  "Pardon me, cousin," said Louis XVI.; "but I wish to know the exacttruth."

  "You will never hear anything else from me, sire."

  "What did you go there for?"

  "I went to M. Mesmer's, Place Vendome."

  The two witnesses trembled. The king colored with delight.

  "Alone?" asked the king.

  "No, sire; with the queen."

  "With the queen?" cried Louis, seizing her hand.

  "Yes, sire."

  M. de Provence and M. de Crosne looked stupefied.

  "Your majesty had authorized the queen to go; at least, so she told me,"continued the princess.

  "It was true, cousin: gentlemen, I breathe again; Madame de Lamballenever tells a falsehood."

  "Never, sire."

  "Oh, never, sire," said M. de Crosne, with perfect sincerity. "But willyou permit me, sire?"

  "Certainly, monsieur; question, search as much as you please; I placethe princess at your disposal."

  Madame de Lamballe smiled. "I am ready," she said.

  "Madame," said the lieutenant of police, "have the goodness to tell hismajesty what you did there, and how the queen was dressed."

  "She had on a dress of gray taffeta, a mantle of embroidered muslin, anermine muff, and a rose-colored velvet bonnet, trimmed with black."

  M. de Crosne looked astonished. It was a totally different dress fromthat which he had had described to him. The Comte de Provence bit hislips with vexation, and the king rubbed his hands.

  "What did you do on entering?" asked he.

  "Sire, you are right to say on entering, for we had hardly entered theroom----"

  "Together?"

  "Yes, sire; and we could scarcely have been seen, for every one wasoccupied with the experiments going on, when a lady approached thequeen, and, offering her a mask, implored her to turn back."

  "And you stopped?"

  "Yes, sire."

  "You never went through the rooms?" asked M. de Crosne.

  "No, monsieur."

  "And you never quitted the queen?" asked the king.

  "Not for a moment, sire. Her majesty never left my arm."

  "Now!" cried the king, "what do you say, M. de Crosne? and you,brother?"

  "It is extraordinary, quite supernatural," said the count, who affecteda gaiety which could not conceal his disappointment.

  "There is nothing supernatural," said M. de Crosne, who felt realremorse: "what Madame de Lamballe says is undoubtedly true; therefore myinformants must have been mistaken."

  "Do you speak seriously, sir?" asked the count.

  "Perfectly, monseigneur. Her majesty did what Madame de Lamballe states,and nothing more, I feel convinced; my agents were, somehow or other,deceived. As for this journalist, I will immediately send the order forhis imprisonment."

  Madame de Lamballe looked from one to the other with an expression ofinnocent curiosity.

  "One moment," said the king; "you spoke of a lady who came to stop you;tell us who she was?"

  "Her majesty seemed to know her, sire."

  "Because, cousin, I must speak to this person; then we shall learn thekey to this mystery."

  "That is my opinion also, sire," said M. de Crosne.

  "Did the queen tell you that she knew this person?" said the count.

  "She told me so, monseigneur."

  "My brother means to say that you probably know her name."

  "Madame de la Motte Valois."

  "That intriguer!" cried the king.

  "Diable!" said the count; "she will be difficult to interrogate: she iscunning."

  "We will be as cunning as she," said M. de Crosne.

  "I do not like such people about the queen," said Louis; "she is so goodthat all the beggars crowd round her."

  "Madame de la Motte is a true Valois," said the princess.

  "However that may be, I will not see her here. I prefer depriving myselfof the pleasure of hearing the queen's innocence confirmed, to doingthat."

  "But you must see her, sire," said the queen, entering at that moment,pale with anger, beautiful with a noble indignation. "It is not now foryou to say, 'I do, or I do not wish to see her.' She is a witness fromwhom the intelligence of my accusers," said she, looking at herbrother-in-law, "and the justice of my judges," turning to the king andM. de Crosne, "must draw the truth. I, the accused, demand that she beheard."

  "Madame," said the king, "we will not do Madame de la Motte the honor ofsending for her to give evidence either for or against you. I cannotstake your honor against the veracity of this woman."

  "You need not send for her, she is here."

  "Here!" cried the king.

  "Sire, you know I went to see her one day; that day of which so manythings were said," and she looked again at the Comte de Provence, whofelt ready to sink through the ground; "and I then dropped at her housea box, containing a portrait, which she was to return to me to-day, andshe is here."

  "No, no," said the king; "I am satisfied, and do not wish to see her."

  "But I am not satisfied, and shall bring her in. Besides, why thisrepugnance? What has she done? If there be anything, tell me; you, M. deCrosne? you know everything."

  "I know nothing against this lady," replied he.

  "Really?"

  "Certainly not; she is poor, and perhaps ambitious, but that is all."

  "If there be no more than that against her, the king can surely admither."

  "I do not know why," said Louis; "but I have a presentiment that thiswoman will be the cause of misfortune to me."

  "Oh! sire, that is superstition; pray fetch her, Madame de Lamballe."

  Five minutes after, Jeanne, with a timid air, although with adistinguished appearance, entered the room.

  Louis XVI., strong in his antipathies, had turned his back towards her,and was leaning his head on his hands, seeming to take no longer a partin the conversation. The Comte de Provence cast on her a look which, hadher modesty been real, would have increased her confusion; but itrequired much more than that to trouble Jeanne.

  "Madame," said the queen, "have the goodness to tell the king exactlywhat passed the other day at M. Mesmer's."

  Jeanne did not speak.

  "It requires no consideration," continued the queen; "we want nothingbut the simple truth."

  Jeanne understood immediately that the queen had need of her, and knewthat she could clear her in a moment by speaking the simple truth; butshe felt inclined to keep her secret.

  "Sire," said she, "I went to see M. Mesmer from curiosity, like the restof the world. The spectacle appeared to me rather a coarse one; I turnedand suddenly saw her majesty entering, whom I had already had the honorof seeing, but without knowing her till her generosity revealed herrank. It seemed to me that her majesty was out of place in this room,where much suffering and many ridiculous exhibitions were going on. Ibeg pardon for having taken it on myself to judge; it was a woman'sinstinct, but I humbly beg pardon if I passed the bounds of properrespect." She seemed overcome with emotion as she concluded.

  Every one but the king was pleased.

  Madame de Lamballe thought her conduct delicate, and herself timid,intelligent, and good.

  The queen thanked her by a look.

  "Well," she said, "you have heard, sire."

  He did not move, but said, "I did not ne
ed her testimony."

  "I was told to speak," said Jeanne timidly, "and I obeyed."

  "It is enough," answered he; "when the queen says a thing she needs nowitnesses to confirm her; and when she has my approbation, and she hasit, she need care for that of no one else."

  He cast an overwhelming look on his brother, and kissing the hands ofthe queen and the princess, and begging pardon of the latter for havingdisturbed her for nothing, made a very slight bow to Jeanne.

  The ladies then left the room.

  "Brother," said Louis to the count, "now I will detain you no longer; Ihave work to do with M. de Crosne. You have heard your sister's completejustification, and it is easy to see you are as pleased as myself. Praysit down, M. de Crosne."