CHAPTER LXXVI.
EXPLANATIONS.
"Madame," said the cardinal, bowing, "you know what is passingconcerning the necklace?"
"No, monsieur; I wish to learn it from you."
"Why has your majesty for so long only deigned to communicate with methrough another? If you have any reason to hate me, why not explain it?"
"I do not know what you mean. I do not hate you; but that is not, Ithink, the subject of our interview. I wish to hear all about thisunlucky necklace; but first, where is Madame de la Motte?"
"I was about to ask your majesty the same question."
"Really, monsieur, if any one knows, I think it ought to be you."
"I, madame! why?"
"Oh! I do not wish to receive your confessions about her, but I wish tospeak to her, and have sent for her ten times without receiving anyanswer."
"And I, madame, am astonished at her disappearance, for I also sent toask her to come, and, like your majesty, received no answer."
"Then let us leave her, monsieur, and speak of ourselves."
"Oh no, madame; let us speak of her first, for a few words of yourmajesty's gave me a painful suspicion; it seemed to me that your majestyreproached me with my assiduities to her."
"I have not reproached you at all, sir."
"Oh! madame, such a suspicion would explain all to me; then I shouldunderstand all your rigor towards me, which I have hitherto found soinexplicable."
"Here we cease to understand each other, and I beg of you not to stillfurther involve in obscurity what I wished you to explain to me."
"Madame," cried the cardinal, clasping his hands, "I entreat you not tochange the subject; allow me only two words more, and I am sure we shallunderstand each other."
"Really, sir, you speak in language that I do not understand. Prayreturn to plain French; where is the necklace that I returned to thejewelers?"
"The necklace that you sent back?"
"Yes; what have you done with it?"
"I! I do not know, madame."
"Listen, and one thing is simple; Madame de la Motte took away thenecklace, and returned it to the jewelers in my name. The jewelers saythey never had it, and I hold in my hands a receipt which proves thecontrary; but they say the receipt is forged; Madame de la Motte, ifsincere, could explain all, but as she is not to be found, I can butconjecture. She wished to return it, but you, who had always thegenerous wish to present me the necklace, you, who brought it to me,with the offer to pay for it----"
"Which your majesty refused."
"Yes. Well, you have persevered in your idea, and you kept back thenecklace, hoping to return it to me at some other time. Madame de laMotte was weak; she knew my inability to pay for it, and mydetermination not to keep it when I could not pay; she therefore enteredinto a conspiracy with you. Have I guessed right? Say yes. Let mebelieve in this slight disobedience to my orders, and I promise you bothpardon; so let Madame de la Motte come out from her hiding-place. But,for pity's sake, let there be perfect clearness and openness, monsieur.A cloud rests over me; I will have it dispersed."
"Madame," replied the cardinal, with a sigh, "unfortunately it is nottrue. I did not persevere in my idea, for I believed the necklace was inyour own hands; I never conspired with Madame de la Motte about it, andI have it no more than you say you or the jewelers have it."
"Impossible! you have not got it?"
"No, madame."
"Is it not you who hide it?"
"No, madame."
"You do not know what has become of it?"
"No, madame."
"But, then, how do you explain its disappearance?"
"I do not pretend to explain it, madame; and, moreover, it is not thefirst time that I have had to complain that your majesty did notunderstand me."
"How, sir?"
"Pray, madame, have the goodness to retrace my letters in your memory."
"Your letters!--you have written to me?"
"Too seldom, madame, to express all that was in my heart."
The queen rose.
"Terminate this jesting, sir. What do you mean by letters? How can youdare to say such things?"
"Ah! madame, perhaps I have allowed myself to speak too freely thesecret of my soul."
"What secret? Are you in your senses, monsieur?"
"Madame!"
"Oh! speak out. You speak now like a man who wishes to embarrass onebefore witnesses."
"Madame, is there really any one listening to us?"
"No, monsieur. Explain yourself, and prove to me, if you can, that youare in your right senses."
"Oh! why is not Madame de la Motte here? she could aid me to reawaken,if not your majesty's attachment, at least your memory."
"My attachment! my memory!"
"Ah, madame," cried he, growing excited, "spare me, I beg. It is free toyou to love no longer, but do not insult me."
"Ah, mon Dieu!" cried the queen, turning pale: "hear what this mansays."
"Well, madame," said he, getting still more excited, "I think I havebeen sufficiently discreet and reserved not to be ill-treated. But Ishould have known that when a queen says, 'I will not any longer,' it isas imperious as when a woman says, 'I will.'"
"But, sir, to whom, or when, have I said either the one or the other?"
"Both, to me."
"To you! You are a liar, M. de Rohan. A coward, for you calumniate awoman; and a traitor, for you insult the queen."
"And you are a heartless woman and a faithless queen. You led me to feelfor you the most ardent love. You let me drink my fill of hopes----"
"Of hopes! My God! am I mad, or what is he?"
"Should I have dared to ask you for the midnight interviews which yougranted me?"
The queen uttered a cry of rage, as she fancied she heard a sigh fromthe boudoir.
"Should I," continued M. de Rohan, "have dared to come into the park ifyou had not sent Madame de la Motte for me?"
"Mon Dieu!"
"Should I have dared to steal the key? Should I have ventured to ask forthis rose, which since then I have worn here on my heart, and burned upwith my kisses? Should I have dared to kiss your hands? And, above all,should I have dared even to dream of sweet but perfidious love."
"Monsieur!" cried she, "you blaspheme."
"Mon Dieu!" exclaimed the cardinal, "heaven knows that to be loved bythis deceitful woman I would have given my all, my liberty, my life."
"M. de Rohan, if you wish to preserve either, you will confessimmediately that you invented all these horrors; that you did not cometo the park at night."
"I did come," he replied.
"You are a dead man if you maintain this."
"A Rohan cannot lie, madame; I did come."
"M. de Rohan, in heaven's name say that you did not see me there."
"I will die if you wish it, and as you threaten me; but I did come tothe park at Versailles, where Madame de la Motte brought me."
"Once more, confess it is a horrible plot against me."
"No."
"Then believe that you were mistaken--deceived--that it was all afancy."
"No."
"Then we will have recourse," said she, solemnly, "to the justice of theking."
The cardinal bowed.
The queen rang violently. "Tell his majesty that I desire his presence."
The cardinal remained firm. Marie Antoinette went ten times to the doorof the boudoir, and each time returned without going in.
At last the king appeared.