The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-12-21

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thief, forger of the queens name, she
stands on volcano which is liable at
any time to destroy her. She does not
seem to realize this fact, however, as
she gloats over her stolen treasure.
The queen, meanwhile, is unconscious
of the plot of which she is one of the
victims-a plot that is destined to work
her woe and even to cast shadow over
her name.
Not the faintest suspicion entered
the minds of the cardinal and the
| jewellers that they had been duped.
But why did not the queen wear the
necklace she had purchased? =? There
had been public occasions when it
would have been most appropriate !;
when its gorgeous luster would have
decked her most becomingly.
The necklace was to be paid for in in
stallments and when the first was due
the countess visited the cardinal and
informed him that the queen was COM
PEELED to defer payment. The cardinal
saw the jewellers, who were not satisfied
at the delay. Their creditors were
pressing them, and their need of the
money was great.
Meeting Nine. Campan, BONNER,
one of the jewelers., told her of the pur-
chase made by the queen. She electri-
fed him by asserting positively that the
necklace was not in the queens posses.
sion, and never had been.
The necklace contained 629 diamonds,
all of rare beauty and many very large.
The De la Notes, picking it to pieces,
prepared to sell the stones. Vilette, the
young man who wrote the letters, was
sent with some of the diamonds to sell.
While thus engaged he was arrested on
suspicion of having stolen them, but,
as nothing could be proved against him,
he was released. The chief conspirator
succeeded in disposing of many, and
her husband had similar good luck in
England.
And now "the winter OF her discon-
tent" vanquished, and the countess pre-
pared to 1--we as daughter of the house
of Valois should. She furnished her
house in regal style. The hangings to
her bed were silver velvet trimmed with
gold lace and fringe, and embroidered
in gold thread and spangles, and her
coverlid was worked in pearls. Her
stables were filled with horses; she had
| fine carriages; silver bells were attached
to her horses when she rode out; she
had outriders; her Golfers glittered with
rare Jewels, and her attire was worthy
of the queen herself. She was now liv-
ing at her old home, Bar-Sur-Aube-
living there like princess where she
had once lived as a beggar child.
But the storm was gathering that was
to break upon her, for Nine. Campan
had informed the queen of her pur-
chase, made in her name by the Oardi-
nal de Rohan. One day, as arrayed in
his pontifical robes he was about to cele-
brate church festival in the chapel of
Versailles, he was summoned TO attend
the king in his private cabinet. On
being questioned by the king as to who
gave him the authority to purchase the
necklace for the queen, he replied; GA
lady called the Countess de la Motto
Valois, who handed me letter from
the queen, and / thought was perform
ing my duty to her majesty when l un-
dertook this negotiation"
"How, sir" said the queen, "could
you believe l should select you, to whom
7 have not spoken these eight years, to
negotiate anything for me, and espe-
cially through the mediation of such a
woman-a woman, too, whom | do not
even know Y
The cardinal evidently thought that
the queen was only playing part in
the presence of her husband, and he
felt some contempt for her cowardice in
trying to screen herself from blame in
the transaction. However, he soon be-
came convinced that he had been made
dupe of, and eonfessing the same, de-
clared his willingness to pay for the
necklace. This did not save him from
punishment, however, and in spite of
his protests, he was arrested in his
sacred robes and thrown into the Bas-
tile.
When the guilty countess heard the
news of the cardinals arrest she was at
dinner party at Clairvaux, where the
abbot was entertaining some of his
friends. She almost tainted, as well
she might, and rushed from the table
in evident dismay. She was arrested
the next morning and carried to the
Bastile, while her husband wisely
fed to England. The woman, Nine.
d'Oliva, who personated the queen in
the garden scene, was arrested, as was
also the young man Vilette, who wrote
the letters purporting to come from the
queen.
The audacity of the countess did pot
desert her on her trial. She put bold
face on the matter and denied every
thing, trying to make it appear that the
cardinal was the guilty party. She was
ever ready with the most plausible an
swers, and even denied the confession
of Vilette, saying that he was as inno-
cent as she was herself. She was cool
and courageous, never at loss for an
answer under the severest cross-exam-
ination, and bore herself proudly
through the whole trial, as daughter
of the house of Valois should do, of
course. Her assertions of innocence