The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-02-06 00:00:00

Aittraturc.

CARDINAL DE RETZ,
THE COURTIER'S PLOT.

BY PETER POPJOY, ESQ•

(For the LirPrnna Standard.

CHAP; ER XU.

The intruder and his errand. The astonishment of the conspira-
tors is herein described, with the other sensations they expe-
rienced. Before the chapter closes important events will be
narrated.
IT would be quite impossible adequately to convey to
the mind of the reader, by language only, the variety of
expression that flitted across the faces of the conspira-
tors as they stood in that spacious chamber. The bene-
diction " Peace be with you," appeared to produce any-
thing but the effect intended, for peace was far from the
breast. of all present. Every eye involuntarily turned
towards the side of the chamber whence the voice was
heard, and an indefinable appearance of terror might have
might have been noticed upon every cou _tenance. The
Queen herself, in spite of her usual presence of mind, and
in spite of the interest the revelations of De Croissi was
exciting, made a sign for him to him to be silent, and
quickly arose from her seat. The wainscot opened, and
a figure appeared, which on stepping forward was imme-
diately recognised. It was the Coadjutor.
He no longer wore the costume of a cavalier, in which
he had appeared when Fabien first met him. His pre-
sent dress seemed more suitable to him. He was attired
in his ecelesiantical robes, and walked forward with a
stately air, bestowing his benediction with a peculiarly
graceful manner. His violet robe appeared to elevate
his naturally sort stature, and hide those misshapen legs
which were many a time the subject of jest amongst the
wits and wags about the court. But he had preserved
beneath his robes that appearance of penetration and of
malice—that sneering, mocking smile, which were the
true indices of his character. A singular motion of the
eye, which proceeded from a weak and overworked sight,
at all times gave his face a decisive and penetrating as-
pect ; but when he entered the oratory, and cast around
him an inquisitive glance, he seemed greatly to embar-
rass the courtiers, who endeavoured to withdraw from his
observation.
Some turned away as if wishful not to be seen, others
blushed deeply, as though they were caught in the act of
committing a bad action, all giving unequivocal proofs of
disquietude and confusion.
These indications of restlessness did not escape the eye
of Gondi, who smiled satirically, but dissimulating his
contempt for the group before him, saluted the Queen
with all the forms and outward show of the most profound
respect.
Anne of Austria, in spite of her consummate art in
hiding her emotions, could not restrain from testifying
some surprise.
" M. le Coadjutor is always the most welcome amongst
us," said she, with somewhat of forced gaiety, " but I
must confess that I was far from expecting a visit from
him at this present moment."
" What is there in my presence that should astonish
your Majesty ?" asked the Coadjutor, with an air of per-
fect serenity and calmness. "Is it not the hour when
your Majesty is pleased to receive your most hum-
ble servant whenever he desires to consult upon matters
of state ?"
" True," replied the Regent; " but I did not expect
to night that —"
" This night, as at all other times when your Majesty
does me the honour to grant me an audience, I presented
myself at the wicket of the Cloister of St. Honore. Ga-
bouri, your groom in waiting, attended me as usual, and
it is by some mistake perhaps, which I sincerely deplore
—since it has given your grace offence—that he has in-
troduced me into your oratory, where I will admit I did
not anticipate the pleasure of meeting so goodly and nu-
merous a company. I humbly ask your grace's pardon
if there is any thing in my presence that displeases you,
but I hope the importance of the news I bring will prove
an apology for my intrusion."
" Do you bring one important news," said the Queen,
fixing upon him a searching look ; " in that case follow
me into a neighbouring closet."
" I bow to your Majesty's commands at all times ;
but I may as well remark that there is no necessity to
hide from these gentlemen an event which to-morrow
morning will be known throughout Pars ; especially as,"
continued he, smiling in his peculiar way, " if I do not
deceive myself, the news in my possession touches nearly
the motives which have assembled so many noble perso-
nages ar and your Majesty."
'Tl.e d- co ifort of the nobles was not in the least
abated b' th ; insinuation : the Queen herself was even
slightly : 'ar n
" I cal not inderstancl, Monsieur le Coadjutor," she
said, " ti t t e secret deliberation of the officers of our
council c n h ve come to your knowledge, and been re-
presents( in he light of treason ?"
De G( divas in no wise disturbed at this observation,
but replied—
" Your Majesty I hope will pardon me for the obser-
vation I am about to make," said the Coadjutor, with
something like an air of jocularity ; " but is it the cus-
tom to admit into your Majesty councils, in the presence
of your secretaries, and the keeper of the seals—one of
your maids of honour, and a young cavalier without dis-
tinction or any appointment at court ?"
As the Queen's embarassment appeared to increase,
he continued more seriously, " Madame, ] am well ac-
quainted with the nature of the enterprise which has ori-
nated this meeting, and moreover I do not approve of it
and I refused to take any part in it when first it was
spoken of. I should not, however, have thought of re-
vealing it, although I do not believe the end wished to be
gained would have been attained by its execution. It was
sufficient for me to know that it met with your Majesty's
concurrence and approval. If then I have appeared here,
contrary to etiquette, in the midst of your deliberations,
unannounced, it is because the event that I have to com-
municate is of that nature that it will altogether anni-
bilate the project that has been here discussed. In short,
the Prince has been this evening informed of what is go-
ing forward, and the attempt that is about to he made on
his life, and he has quitted Paris with his brothers, and
'the noblemen in his suite."
If a thunderbolt had fallen in the midst of the assem-
bly, it could not have produced upon the courtiers a more
startling effect, than the intelligence of Conde's depar-
ture. Every one believed that he himss if would be the
especial object of the Prince's anger. The knowledge
they possessed of the termination of similar intrigues,
made them at once conclude that sooner or later they
would be sacrificed to the merciless revenge of him they
would have destroyed. They stood perplexed and spirit-
less, without daring even at first to give vent to their
mutual fears. De Croissi especially, who had been from
the first one of the active movers in the scheme, and
whose treachery towards the Prince aggravated, if any-
thing, his position—believed himself lost without redemp-
tion, and he cast around him a look of despair, as if to
search for some one to drag with him in his fall. Fabien
and Elizabeth alone rejoiced at an event which, in ren-
dering the plot impossible to executed, appeared to
them at once as effecting the salvation of the life of one
the most remarkable men of his time

The Queen seemed lost in reflection, as if she care-
fully weighed in her mind, whether this event would prove
fatal or not to her interests.

" He has then departed ? he has then given place to
me," said she, after some minutes thought, and with an
air of satisfied pride : " the great Conde, as they persist
in calling him, has fled before a woman. How delighted
the Cardinal will be !"

Perceiving that her words were eagerly listened to,
she turned towards Paul de Gondi, and enquired with an
air of interest—

" There is much good and much evil in what you tell
me, sir hut since you have been so well and so quickly
informed of the truth, can you not tell me where the
Prince has retired ? Without doubt he has departed for
Guvenne to commence a civil war ?"
1 hope, madam, that the state will not suffer such
cruel extremities. If I can believe certain reports that
have reached me, M. le Prince has only gone to his cha-
teau of Saint Maur near Paris, and ;t is his intention day
by day to attend Parliament with a sufficient escort, where
he is determined to seek vengeance against his enemies."
The mischievous prelate accompanied these words
with that sly twitching of his eyes, of which we have
spokes, and which indicating at once that what he had
said was intended to augment the disquietude of the con-
spirato. s. Their countenances seemed so chapfallen that
the Queen appeared to take pity upon their sufferings.
" My faithful adherents need not unnecessarily alarm
themselves," said she, in a cold and constrained voice,
which gave the lie to her words ; "it is possible that,
compelled by necessity, I can come to some arrange-
ment with the rebel Prince ; but I am not so weak as to
sacrifice my friends—they may tear my heart by sepa-
rating me from my dear Cardinal—but," continued the
Queen, " before we debate upon the probable result of
this event, it would he as well to know who has revealed
the affair to the Prince; and I command Mons. le Co-
adjutor to state from whom he obtained his informa-
tion ?"
Paul de Gondi replied, seemingly well considering
every word—
" Madame, before any thing else is said, I think it is
my duty to let you know a fact that will diminish that
tender solicitude which your Majesty I know entertains
for your faithful councillors, and which perhaps," added
he, with an ironical gravity, " will contribute somewhat
to their comfort and peace of mind. It is that the Prince,
although well informed as to the plot generally, does not
know the name of a single person enleagued against him ;
and the suspicions which he has conceived will not be
sufficient to furnish him with foundations on which to rest
a solemn accusation before the Parliament."
This avowal which the mischievous ecclesiastic doled
out so tardily, and which he seemed delighted to with-
hold as long as possible, appeared at once to impart con-
fidence to the courtiers—they breathed again freely, and
held up their heads in the pride of security--their eyes
again sparkled, while their speech returned with the
certainty that the danger was not so great as they had
imagined."
" If that is the case, sir," said De Croissi, " in an