POSTSCRIPTUM.
Perhaps some persons may have taken sufficient interest in those whohave played a secondary part in our history to wish to know what becameof them after the events which lost the conspiracy and saved the regent.We will satisfy them in a few words.
The Duc and Duchesse de Maine, whose plotting they wished to stop forthe future, were arrested--the duke at Sceaux, and the duchess in herhouse in the Rue Saint Honore. The duke was taken to the chateau ofDoullens, and the duchess to that of Dijon, and afterward to the citadelof Chalons. Both left at the end of a few months, disarming the regent,one by an absolute denial, the other by a complete avowal.
Richelieu was arrested, as Mademoiselle de Valois had warned him, theday after that on which he had procured Bathilde's interview with theregent; but his captivity was a new triumph for him. It was reportedthat the handsome prisoner had obtained permission to walk on theterrace of the Bastille. The Rue Saint Antoine was filled with mostelegant carriages, and became, in twenty-four hours, the fashionablepromenade. The regent--who declared that he had proofs of the treason ofM. de Richelieu, sufficient to lose him four heads if he had them--wouldnot, however, risk his popularity with the fair sex by keeping him longin prison. Richelieu, again at liberty, after a captivity of threemonths, was more brilliant and more sought after than ever; but thecloset had been walled up, and Mademoiselle de Valois became Duchesse deModena.
The Abbe Brigaud--arrested, as we have said, at Orleans--was kept forsome time in the prison of that town, to the great despair of MadameDenis and her children; but, one fine morning, as they were sitting downto breakfast, the abbe entered, as calm as ever. They asked him a numberof questions, but--with his habitual prudence--he referred them to hisjudicial declarations, saying that the affair had already given him somuch trouble that they would greatly oblige him by never speaking of itany more. Now, as the Abbe Brigaud was quite an autocrat in MadameDenis's establishment, his desire was religiously respected, and fromthat day the affair was as completely forgotten in the Rue duTemps-Perdu as if it had never existed. Some days afterward Pompadour,Valef, Laval, and Malezieux went out of prison in their turn, and beganagain to pay their court to Madame de Maine, as if nothing had happened.As to the Cardinal de Polignac, he was not even arrested; he was simplyexiled to his Abbey d'Anchin.
These proofs of clemency appeared to Dubois so out of all reason that hecame to the regent, intending to make a scene about it, but the regentonly replied by repeating the burden of the song which Saint-Simon hadmade on him:
"For I am Philippe le Debonnaire, Philippe le Debonnaire."
This enraged Dubois so much that the regent, in order to pacify him, wasobliged to transform him into his Eminence the Cardinal.
END OF "THE CONSPIRATORS."
[Transcriber's Note: The following typographical errors present in theoriginal edition have been corrected.
On page 242, an extra quotation mark after "would deceive." was deleted.
On page 243, an extraneous period following "which his fathers had lefthim" was deleted.
On page 250, "The Chevalier d'Harmentel saw" was changed to "TheChevalier d'Harmental saw".
On page 260, "D'Harmental only knew the Marquis de Pompador" has beenchanged to "D'Harmental only knew the Marquis de Pompadour".
On page 266, "soupe au fromage and macroni" was changed to "soupe aufromage and macaroni".
On page 286, "you come, young and inexperiened" was changed to "youcome, young and inexperienced".
On page 293, a comma following "he sketched the delicious picture beforehim" was changed to a period.
On page 298, a missing quotation mark was added after "I admit no oneinto my games."
On page 318, "abstracted mein" was changed to "abstracted mien".
On page 320, "she might as well open her's" was changed to "she might aswell open hers".
On page 321, "Mizra's skill" was changed to "Mirza's skill", "acquiredfor Mizra" was changed to "acquired for Mirza", and "evidently not toMizra" was changed to "evidently not to Mirza".
On page 323, "the statue of Henri IV.." was changed to "the statue ofHenri IV.", and "standing at her wnidow" was changed to "standing at herwindow".
On page 325, "were not eompensated" was changed to "were notcompensated".
On page 326, "secretely the mistress" was changed to "secretly themistress".
On page 329, a missing quotation mark was added before "I did come tospeak".
On page 339, "Melezieux advanced" was changed to "Malezieux advanced".
On page 354, "sat down opposite D'Harmemtal" was changed to "sat downopposite D'Harmental", and a missing quotation mark was added following"something profoundly sad has happened to you.".
On page 377, "where the orignals are" was changed to "where theoriginals are".
On page 408, "the name--the name--of--Chevalier--Raoul D'Harmental" waschanged to "the name--the name--of--Chevalier--Raoul d'Harmental".
On page 410, "By the light of the t orch" was changed to "By the lightof the torch".
On page 411, "mounted on the postllion's horse" was changed to "mountedon the postilion's horse".
On page 412, "risked all, sufered all" was changed to "risked all,suffered all".]
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends