The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-25

majesty has no more faithful servant;
but we do not always agree"
She raised her hand, and, with a
slight gesture, babe her ladies stand
back, while her face lost its expression
/ of good temper, and grew sharp and
! dark. WAS it about the Condor" she
said, in a low, grating voice.
mo, madame I answered; sit was
about certain provisions. The King IS
ear had been grossly abused, and his
Majesty led to believe
| "Faughr' she cried, with a wave of
contempt, chat is an old story. am
sick of it! Is she still at Brussels?"
Still, madame
'"Then see that she stops therer' her
majesty retorted with meaning look.
! And with that she dismissed me,
and went into the chateau. 1 pro-
posed to rejoin the king; but, to my
| chagrin, I found, when 1 reached the
closet, that he had already sent for
! Varennes, and was shut UP with him.
l went back to my rooms, therefore,
and after changing my hunting suit
and transacting some necessary bust
ness, sat down to dinner with Nicho-
| las, the kings secretary, a man fond
of the table, whom I often entertained.
He kept me in talk until the afternoon
, was we'll advanced, and we were still
at table when Maignan appeared and
/ told me that the king had sent for me.
81 will co. l said, rising.
HE is with the queen, your excel
! lency," he continued.
This somewhat surprised me, but
| thought no evil; and, finding one of
/ the queens italian pages at the door,
waiting to conduct me, followed him
across the court that lay between my
| lodgings and her apartments. Two OF;
.of bo y o.Jcsc in
the anteroom when I arrived, and Va
rennes, who was standing by one of
the ffre-places toying with hound,
made me a face of dismay; he could
not speak, owing to the company.
Still this, in a degree, prepared me
for the scene in the chamber, where
[ found the queen storming up and
down the room, while the king, still
in his hunting dress, sat on low
chair by the fire, apparently drying his
| boots Mademoiselle Gaigal, the
queens waiting woman, stood in the
background; but more than this [ had
not time to observe, for, before had
reached the middle of the floor, the
queen turned on me, and began to
abuse me with a vehemence which fair
! ly shocked me.
"Any your she cried, 'who speak so
slow, and look so solmen and all the
time do his dirty work, like the mean
est cook he has ennobled! 1t is well
you are herel Enf1n, you are found out
you and your provisions! Your pro
visions, of which you talked IN the
Woodp'
"Mon Dieur' the King groaned;
give me patience!
ssHe has given me patience these
ten years, sireI' she retorted passion
ately. Patience to see myself houted
by your favorites, insulted and dis
placed and set aside! But this is too
much! It was enough that you made
yourself the laughing-stock of France
once with this madamel I will not
have it again-no; though twenty of
your counsellors frown at me!'
Your majesty seems displeased," L
said. "But am quite in the dark
'Liarl'' she cried, giving way to her
fury. when you were with her this
morningl When you saw her! When
ssMadame!" the King said sternly.
'if you forget yourself, be good enough
to remember that you are speaking to
French gentlemen, not to traders of
! Florence!''
she sneered. You think to wound
quickly. But [ have my grandfath-
VI
"One King of France will presently
make your uncle of that blood sing
smallr' the King answered viciously.
! $50 much for that; and for the rest,
sweetheart, softly. softlyr'
"Ohr' she cried, 81 will go; will
not stay to be outraged by that Wom-
ans presence
had now an inkling what was the
matter; and discerning that the quar-
! rel was a more serious matter than
their everyday chickering's, and threat
! ened to go to lengths that might end
in disaster, 1 ignored the insult her
majesty had flung at me, and entreat-
ed her to be calm. IF l understand
Alright, madame" I said, you thave
some grievance against his majesty.
Of that 1 know nothing. But 1 also
understand that you allege something
against me; and it is to speak to that,
I presume, that [ am summoned. If
you will deign to put the matter into
| words
"Wordsp' she cried. 'eYou have
words enough! But get out of this,
! Master Grave-Airs, if you cant Did
you, or did you not, tell me this morn
! ing that the Princess of Condo was in
| Brussels?'
II did, madame"
Although half an hour before you
had seen her, you had talked with her,
you had been with her in the forest?"
But 1 had not, madame
'FWhat?" she cried, staring at me,
surprised, doubtless, that [ manifested
no confusion. do you say that you
did not see herr"
Il did not"
Nor did the king?"
1.-THE king, madame, cannot have
seen her this morning" L said, 'be-
cause he is here and she is in Brus-
sels.''
You persist in that?'
Certainly" 1 said. Besides, ma
DAME" [ continued, 81 have no doubt
that the king has given you Ills word
His Word is good for everyone but
his wife, she answered bitterly. .And
for yours, M. lie Due, 1 will show you
what it is worth. Mademolselle, call
Nay, madame" 1 said, interrupting
her with spirit, ''if you are going to
call your household to contradict me
-
But I am not" she cried in voice
! of triumph that, for the moment, dis
concerted me. 'tMademoiselle, send to
| M. de Bassompierre's lodgings and bid
him come to me-
| The king whistled softly, while 1,
who knew Bassompierre to be devoted
TO him, and to be. in spite of the levity
! to which his endless gallantries bore
| wit of