Part 32 (2/2)
Anne of Austria felt that her happiness was now cohted with the presence of a young reat importance; the revenues of the state increased; external peace assured; everything seehts recurred, now and then, to the poor young nobleman whom she had received as a mother, and had driven away as a hard-hearted step-ht of him
Suddenly the Duc d'Orleans entered her roo the door, ”things cannot go on as they are now”
Anne of Austria raised her beautiful eyes towards him, and with an unmoved suavity of manner, said, ”What do you allude to?”
”I wish to speak of Madame”
”Your wife?”
”Yes, ha a farewell letter to her”
”Oh! yes, ham”
”Of wholy enough, the object of your jealousy, and I thought-”
”My wife, ha very heedlessly”
”No, no Madaed matters, that I am still jealous”
”Of whom, in Heaven's name?”
”Is it possible you have not remarked it? Have you not noticed that M de Guiche is always in her apartether, and began to laugh ”Philip,” she said, ”your jealousy is not merely a defect, it is a disease”
”Whether a defect or a disease, ine that a coination can be cured? You wish it to be said you are right in being jealous, when there is no ground whatever for your jealousy”
”Of course, you will begin to say for this gentleman what you already said on the behalf of the other”
”Because, Philip,” said the queen dryly, ”what you did for the other, you are going to do for this one”
The prince bowed, slightly annoyed ”If I give you facts,” he said, ”will you believeelse but jealousy, I would believe you without your bringing facts forward; but as jealousy is the case, I pro”
”It is just the saue, and sent me away unheard”
”Far froence”
”Oh, say what you think; you owe ence as a erate, Philip, and take care how you represent your wife to me as a woman of depraved mind-”
”But facts, ”
”Thismusic in Madame's apartments”
”No har with her alone-Ah! I forgot to tell you, that, during the last ten days, he has never left her side”
”If they were doing any harood,” exclaimed the duke, ”I expected you to say that Pray remember with precision the words you have just uttered ThisI took them by surprise, and showed my dissatisfaction in a very marked manner”
”Rely upon it, that is quite sufficient; it was, perhaps, even a little toowomen easily take offense To reproach them for an error they have not co theood, very good; but wait a et what you have just this ht to have been sufficient, and that if they had been doing rong, they would have hidden themselves”
”Yes, I said so”
”Well, just now, repenting ofthat Guiche was sulking in his own apartuess what, or who, and Guiche himself-he was concealed there”
Anne of Austria frowned ”It was i”
”And Guiche?”
”As much-oh, no! he muttered some impertinent remark or another”
”Well, what is your opinion, Philip?”
”That I have been ham was only a pretext, and that Guiche is the one who is really to blaed her shoulders ”Well,” she said, ”what else?”
”I wish De Guiche to be disha, unless-”
”Unless what?”
”Unless you, my dear mother, who are so clever and so kind, will execute the commission yourself”
”I will not do it, Philip”