Part 7 (2/2)
”Good Heaven! How do you know these details?” asked the king, in amazement.
”Sire, I have learned them from Madame de Campan herself, as I was compelled to speak with her about the necklace.”
”But what is it about this necklace? What has the queen to do with that?” asked the king, wiping with a lace handkerchief the sweat which stood in great drops upon his lofty forehead.
”Sire, the court jeweller, Bohmer, a.s.serts that he sold the necklace of brilliants to the queen, and now desires to be paid.”
”The queen is right,” exclaimed the king, ”the man is out of his head. If he did sell the necklace to the queen, there must have been witnesses present to confirm it, and the keepers of her majesty's purse would certainly know about it.”
”Sire, Bohmer a.s.serts that the queen caused it to be bought of him in secret, through a third hand, and that this confidential messenger was empowered to pay down thirty thousand francs, and to promise two hundred thousand more.”
”What is the name of this confidential messenger? What do they call him?”
”Sire,” answered the Baron de Breteuil, solemnly--”sire, it is the cardinal and grand almoner of your majesty, Prince Louis de Rohan.”
The king uttered a loud cry, and sprang quickly from his seat.
”Rohan?” asked he. ”And do they dare to bring this man whom the queen hates, whom she scorns, into relations with her? Ha, Breteuil!
you can go; the story is too foolishly put together for any one to believe it.”
”Your majesty, Bohmer has, in the mean while, believed it, and has delivered the necklace to the cardinal, and received the queen's promise to pay, written with her own hand.”
”Who says that? How do you know all the details?”
”Sire, I know it by a paper of Bohmer's, who wrote to me after trying in vain several times to see me. The letter was a tolerably confused one, and I did not understand it. But as he stated in it that the queen's lady-in-waiting advised him to apply to me as the minister of the royal house, I considered it best to speak with Madame de Campan. What I learned of her is so important that I begged her to accompany me to Trianon, and to repeat her statement before your majesty.”
”Is Campan then in Trianon?” asked the king.
”Yes, sire; and on our arrival we learned that Bohmer had just been there, and was most anxious to speak to the queen. He had been denied admission as always, and had gone away weeping and scolding.”
”Come,” said the king, ”let us go to Trianon; I want to speak with Campan.”
And with quick, rapid steps the king, followed by the minister Breteuil, left the mill, and shunning the main road in order not to be seen by the queen, struck into the little side-path that led thither behind the houses.
”Campan,” said the king, hastily entering the little toilet-room of the queen, where the lady-in-waiting was--”Campan, the minister has just been telling me a singular and incredible history. Yet repeat to me your last conversation with Bohmer.”
”Sire,” replied Madame de Campan, bowing low, ”does your majesty command that I speak before the queen knows of the matter?”
”Ah,” said the king, turning to the minister, ”you see I am right.
The queen knows nothing of this, else she would certainly have spoken to me about it. Thank G.o.d, the queen withholds no secrets from me! I thank you for your question, Campan. It is better that the queen be present at our interview. I will send for her to come here.” And the king hastened to the door, opened it, and called, ”Are any of the queen's servants here?”
The voice of the king was so loud and violent that the chamberlain, Weber, who was in the little outer antechamber, heard it, and at once rushed in.
”Weber,” cried the king to him, ”hasten at once to Little Trianon.
<script>