The Queen's Necklace Part 136

"Well, the cardinal is acquitted."

"I know it."

"M. de Cagliostro and Mademoiselle Oliva are also acquitted, M. Reteau condemned to the galleys----"

"And I?" cried Jeanne, furiously.

"Madame, you promised to be patient."

"See--speak--I am calm."

"Banished," said the woman, feebly.

A flash of delight shone for a moment in the eyes of the countess; then she pretended to faint, and threw herself into the arms of Madame Hubert. "What would it have been," thought she, "if I had told her the truth!"

"Banishment!" thought Jeanne; "that is liberty, riches, vengeance; it is what I hoped for. I have won!"

CHAPTER XCI.

THE EXECUTION.

Jeanne waited for her counsel to come and announce her fate; but, being now at ease, said to herself, "What do I care that I am thought more guilty than M. de Rohan? I am banished--that is to say, I can carry away my million and a half with me, and live under the orange trees of Seville during the winter, and in Germany or England in the summer. Then I can tell my own story, and, young, rich, and celebrated, live as I please among my friends."

Pleasing herself with these notions, she commenced settling all her future plans, the disposal of her diamonds, and her establishment in London. This brought to her mind M. Reteau. "Poor fellow!" thought she, "it is he who pays for all; some one must suffer, and it always falls on the humblest instrument. Poor Reteau pays now for his pamphlets against the queen; he has led a hard life of blows and escapes, and now it terminates with the galleys." She dined with M. and Madame Hubert, and was quite gay; but they did not respond, and were silent and uneasy.

Jeanne, however, felt so happy that she cared little for their manner towards her. After dinner, she asked when they were coming to read her sentence.

M. Hubert said they were probably waiting till she returned to her room.

She therefore rose to go, when Madame Hubert ran to her and took her hands, looking at her with an expression of so much pity and sympathy, that it struck her for a moment with terror. She was about to question her, but Hubert took her hand, and led her from the room. When she reached her own apartment, she found eight soldiers waiting outside; she felt surprised, but went in, and allowed the man to lock her up as usual. Soon, however, the door opened again, and one of the turnkeys appeared.

"Will madame please to follow me?" he said.

"Where?"

"Below."

"What for? What do they want with me?"

"Madame, M. Viollet, your counsel, wishes to speak to you."

"Why does he not come here?"

"Madame, he has received letters from Versailles, and wishes to show them to you."

"Letters from Versailles," thought Jeanne; "perhaps the queen has interested herself for me, since the sentence was pa.s.sed. Wait a little," she said; "Till I arrange my dress." In five minutes she was ready. "Perhaps," she thought, "M. Viollet has come to get me to leave France at once, and the queen is anxious to facilitate the departure of so dangerous an enemy."

She followed the turnkey down-stairs, and they entered a room, which looked like a vault; it was damp, and almost dark.

"Sir," said she, trying to overcome her terror, "where is M. Viollet?"

The man did not reply.

"What do you want?" continued she; "have you anything to say to me? you have chosen a very singular place for a rendezvous."

"We are waiting for M. Viollet," he replied.

"It is not possible that M. Viollet should wish for me to wait for him here." All at once, another door, which Jeanne had not before observed, opened, and three men entered. Jeanne looked at them in surprise, and with growing terror. One of them, who was dressed in black, with a roll of papers in his hand, advanced, and said:

"You are Jeanne de St. Remy de Valois, wife of Marie Antoine, Count de la Motte?"

"Yes, sir."

"Born at Fontette, on the 22d of July, 1756?"

"Yes, sir."

"You live at Paris, Rue St. Claude?"

"Yes, sir; but why these questions?"

"Madame, I am the registrar of the court, and I am come to read to you the sentence of the court of the 31st of May, 1786."

Jeanne trembled again, and now looked at the other two men; one had a gray dress with steel b.u.t.tons, the other a fur cap on and an ap.r.o.n, which seemed to her spotted with blood. She drew back, but the registrar said, "On your knees, madame, if you please."

"On my knees?" cried Jeanne; "I, a Valois!"

"It is the order, madame."

"But, sir, it is an unheard-of thing, except where some degrading sentence has been p.r.o.nounced; and banishment is not such."

"I did not tell you you were sentenced to banishment," said he gravely.

"But to what, then?"

"I will tell you, madame, when you are on your knees."

"Never!"

"Madame, I only follow my instructions."

"Never! I tell you."

"Madame, it is the order that when the condemned refuse to kneel, they should be forced to do it."

"Force--to a woman!"