The cardinal pa.s.sed his hands over his burning eyes, and asked himself how heaven could ever have created a being so perfidious and so audacious; but he remained silent.
"But that is not all," continued the queen, getting more and more excited: "M. le Cardinal says he has obtained interviews----"
"Madame, for pity"s sake," cried the king.
"For modesty"s sake," murmured the cardinal.
"One word, sir. If you are not the basest of men; if you hold anything sacred in this world; if you have proofs, produce them."
"No, madame," replied he, at length, "I have not."
"You said you had a witness."
"Who?" asked the king.
"Madame de la Motte."
"Ah!" cried the king, whose suspicions against her were easily excited; "let us see this woman."
"Yes," said the queen, "but she has disappeared. Ask monsieur what he has done with her."
"Others have made her disappear who had more interest in doing so than I had."
"But, sir, if you are innocent, help us to find the guilty."
The cardinal crossed his hands and turned his back.
"Monsieur," cried the king, "you shall go to the Bastile."
"As I am, sire, in my robes? Consider, sire, the scandal will commence, and will fall heavily on whomsoever it rests."
"I wish it to do so, sir."
"It is an injustice, sire."
"It shall be so." And the king looked round for some one to execute his orders. M. de Breteuil was near, antic.i.p.ating the fall of his rival; the king spoke to him, and he cried immediately, "Guards! arrest M. le Cardinal de Rohan."
The cardinal pa.s.sed by the queen without saluting her; then, bowing to the king, went towards the lieutenant of the guards, who approached timidly, seeming to wait for a confirmation of the order he had received.
"Yes, sir," said M. de Rohan, "it is I whom you are to arrest."
"Conduct monsieur to his apartment until I have written the order;" said the king.
When they were alone, the king said, "Madame, you know this must lead to a public trial, and that scandal will fall heavily on the heads of the guilty."
"I thank you, sire; you have taken the only method of justifying me."
"You thank me."
"With all my heart; believe me, you have acted like a king, and I as a queen."
"Good," replied the king, joyfully; "we shall find out the truth at last, and when once we have crushed the serpent, I hope we may live in more tranquillity." He kissed the queen, and left her.
"Monsieur," said the cardinal to the officer who conducted him, "can I send word home that I have been arrested?"
"If no one sees, monseigneur."
The cardinal wrote some words on a page of his missal, then tore it out, and let it fall at the feet of the officer.
"She ruins me," murmured the cardinal; "but I will save her, for your sake, oh! my king, and because it is my duty to forgive."
CHAPTER LXXVIII.
THE PROCeS-VERBAL.
When the king reentered his room he signed the order to consign M. de Rohan to the Bastile. The Count de Provence soon came in and began making a series of signs to M. de Breteuil, who, however willing, could not understand their meaning. This, however, the count did not care for, as his sole object was to attract the king"s attention. He at last succeeded, and the king, after dismissing M. de Breteuil, said to him, "What was the meaning of all those signs you were making just now? I suppose they meant something."
"Undoubtedly, but----"
"Oh, you are quite free to say or not."
"Sire, I have just heard of the arrest of M. de Rohan."
"Well, and what then? Am I wrong to do justice even on him?"
"Oh no, brother; I did not mean that."
"I should have been surprised had you not taken part somehow against the queen. I have just seen her, and am quite satisfied."
"Oh, sire, G.o.d forbid that I should accuse her! The queen has no friend more devoted than myself."
"Then you approve of my proceedings? which will, I trust, terminate all the scandals which have lately disgraced our court."
"Yes, sire, I entirely approve your majesty"s conduct, and I think all is for the best as regards the necklace----"
"Pardieu, it is clear enough. M. de Rohan has been making himself great on a pretended familiarity with the queen; and conducting in her name a bargain for the diamonds, and leaving it to be supposed that she had them. It is monstrous. And then these tales never stop at the truth, but add all sorts of dreadful details which would end in a frightful scandal on the queen."
"Yes, brother, I repeat as far as the necklace is concerned you were perfectly right."
"What else is there, then?"
"Sire, you embarra.s.s me. The queen has not, then, told you?"
"Oh, the other boastings of M. de Rohan? The pretended correspondence and interviews he speaks of? All that I know is, that I have the most absolute confidence in the queen, which she merits by the n.o.bleness of her character. It was easy for her to have told me nothing of all this; but she always makes an immediate appeal to me in all difficulties, and confides to me the care of her honor. I am her confessor and her judge."