The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-09

CaBlOSIrO, WHO nau seen De Cnarney watch the false Queen with the unknown had also seen De Taverney watch the true Queen with De Charney. He had seen both men beg audience of Marie Antoihette and emerge in agitation too great to be concealed To one learned like himself in the knowledge of his hu- man kind the threads were as clear as If he had spun them all himself. He knew now that he had but to wait till the day arrived for payment of the 500,000 francs. Then disgrace would break over the heads of the French rulers, and he, knowing all, while Jeanne knew only her own part in the drama, would hold the mastery of the situation. It was his to play on as he chose.
 He knew as well as if Jeanne were under his orders that she would bend all her extraordinary ability to the task of preventing meeting between the Queen and the cardinal. Indeed, the adventur ess found this an easy task for she had only to hint to the infatuated man that the Queen was terrified at her own tenn erity and that she begged him to stay away from court till she could regain her composure.
 The Cardinal submitted He made up for his exile by writing more impassioned and compromising letters for Jeanne to deliver to the sovereign. With these in her possession the Countess de la Motte waited serenely for the storm to break.
 On the day set for the payment the jewellers prepared a receipt and waited eagerly for the money. None arrived. They passed the night in cruel anxiety As early as they dared the following morning they presented themselves at court. They were all but stupefled when the Queen, amazed by their request for payment told them that she had re- turned the necklace and showed them their receipt.
 They declared 1t forgery, and showed the Queen her letter, which she in turn. pronounced forgery. She told the jew elers to go at once to Cardinal de Rohan Then she sent for the Countess de Ia Motte, but that shrewd lady was not to be found
 When the jewellers confronted the Car dinal with the forged receipt and the forged letter from the Queen and asked him to clear the matter up he was hope- lessly bewildered. He, too, sent at once for the Countess. When his messengers returned without having found her the jewellers asked him: What are we to say to the Queen? Her Majesty says that either you or Madam de la Motte has the necklace"
 Tomorrow replied the Cardinal, pale with rage and shame. "I shall go to versailles. When I approach the Queen l will ask her again If she has the neck lace. If she denies it before me, then. gentlemen, l am Rohan, and I will pay"
 When the Cardinal met the Queen she was waiting for him. In a mysterious way the theft of the diamond necklace had become known everywhere. Every courtier had heard that the Cardinal de Rohan had bought 1t secretly to present to the Queen and that now the Queen denied having received it.
 The Count de Charney had come to her and informed her of this and also of the addition that De Rohan was already on all mems tongues as her lover With the fury that might be expected of the daugh- ter of Marie Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette demanded an explanation of the Cardinal.
 His Eminence, imagining that the Queen simply had thrown him over for another lover and was, in addition, about to make him the scapegoat for the scandal of the necklace, which he believed she had in her possession, answered her angry attack with passionate reproaches. Scarcely had the Queen realized that the Cardinal meant to assert to her face that she had granted meetings to him and accepted love letters, before she rang the bell and sent for the King.
 In the presence of Louis she forced the terrified and hopelessly puzzled Cardinal to repeat all that he had said to her. Livid with rage, the King cried "Mon- sieur, you shall go to the Bastile at once!'
 In five minutes more the cry rang through the guard room: Guards! Ar rest M. le Cardinal Rohan!''
 As soon as he had been taken away, the h1DR Sdlu lO tilc QuCCh. Vddudhi, you know that this must lead to a pub lie trial and that scandal will fall heavily on the heads of the guilty
 '.I thank you with all my heart, sire" replied she. You have acted like King and like Queen"
 Louis looked at her joyfully. Good" said he. 'We shall find out the truth at last and, I hope, life in more tran ouillity" He kissed her and departed.
 As soon as he had left De Charney came out of an adjoining room where he had been hidden at her request that he might hear what passed between herself and the Cardinal. She saw at once that he still believed her guilt. Angrily she drew herself up and or dered him to leave court.
 "No' said he, throwing himself to his knees before her, 'it is now, in your danger that I shall stay near you in order that you may have at least one loyal subject by your side" He kissed her hands again and again, and she surrendered tn em unresistingly.
 At that moment the door opened and the King surprised, at the feet of his wife, the man who had just been named to him by a new rumor IS an- other of the Queens lovers.
 The Count de Charney and Marie An