The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-12-19
The CIeVerness OfCardiIZaC ms ~,

Z of Provence. You and are Of the
south, and understand each other, yet
/ hud 1T difficult TO convey TO your
mind true comprehension Of the case.
NJ de Luynes has put no one in pris-
You hold me gullible. indeed" cried
the young man anErily- shaking the
hand from his shoulder. IAN France
knows that Marie de MediCi, the queen
mother, has been imprisoned in Blois
| THIS Two months past
The Chateau OF Blois IS not a. prison,
| but q palace. It has ever been the
LaNoTlte residence of the kings OF
| France, Louis XIII has bestowed upon
his mother the most beautiful and the
most luxurious house he possesses, and
! that there may be no diminutiOn I'm the
state 70 which She has been accustomed,
| he has furnished her with rctinue. with
guards of honor, forming a pageant
equal 10 that which surrounded her here
| - Paris
a pageant of jallers and spies"
nonsense. my Over-emphaUc young
friend! All courts are pemeated by
spies, and, in manner, every court Is
prison. with the King its chief in
mate. But, look YOU. Marie de Medici
was never rEhtful Queen of France.
The power which she grasped so tena-
CiOusly was at best but a regCnCy-a
l holding in trust OF what rightfully be-
longed to her son-and this she chung
TO long after its true purpose was past.
Marie de Medici has made no protest
against her change Of residence, and,
! indeed, why should shc2 BlOis is de-
lightfW place, Touraine one Of the most
charming provinces in France, and the
chateau, as I have limited, is even more
luxurious than the Palace Of the
Louvre"
II what you say is true" comment
ed Cardiac why, then. all these mill
tary preparations by De Luynes, of
which you boosted a while since2 Why
is an army stationed at Blois and
another at Tours p
The elder man shrugged his shout
ders.
Yes. and stin another. that have
not mentioned. ready to poUnce on
shelter at LoChes. All this is simply
NJ de Luynes' precautions taken against
interpretations rendered nee
essary by the fact thta others besides
yourself may imagine the Queen pTis-
Oner III such a delusiOn should cause
activity among the Queens partisans,
we on our part must be ready to con-
vince them of their error by annihilat-
ing them Our goodwill toward Marie
de Medici is shown by our generous
conduct TO her See what the Queen Of
England did thirty years ago TO an
other Mary, she Of the Scots, whose
head rolled from the block. She was a
real Queen. while Marie de Medici was
merely a regent, and at the last practi-
cally a usurper- Oh. no, NJ. de Cardil-
lac. there is no Queen imprisoned I'm
about this change of government is
that it has furnished bat one prisoner"
And who is he2
Il must not mention names. and in
deed. i eNaEgerate when I call her a
prisoner, for she is merely sent TO a
convent. where ] trust she win receive
many advantages that will be Of -bene-
fit TO her II she follows the example
set before her by the noble ladies who
are sisters Of the order
"Ah, another woman I'm Jail! I am
getting much insight into the character
OF De Luynes. lie IS n brave fighter
with women, and holds his place
through the favor of an imbtcile boy
MY impetuous friend. you are skirt
ing dangerously near 20 treason, if in
deed YOU have not already trespassed
upon perilOus ground. ImbecnitV and
royalty are not to be mentioned in the
same sentence. NJ. De Luynes is ss
brave as YOU arc, and so you Wi find
If YOU ever encounter him in anger"
pleasure.
Then 7 shall see that YOU are given
an early opportunity of meeting him
and making your words good.
Again I say, nothing would give
me greater pleasure. and I shall re-
mind YOU of your promise If YOU are
not the bragart you have limited that
I am. Indeed 7 doubt if YOU have any
influence at all with the usurper De
Luynes. the man OF practical jokes and
"Ah. you haven't forgotten that vet.
II seems TO rankle. But bless YOU
you should have seen him when he
caused 10 be congregated in the court
yard some thirty-fivc men Who held
similar letters to yours. They thought
he was about 20 receive them I'm audi
ence. but ne merely appeared at the
grotcsque gathering among the cur
tains Of one Of the windows and laugh
81 until T thoushtahis sides would split
The king. too. was highly amused at
the spectacle"
Cardiac gritted his teeth, and his
lips compressed 10 n thin line. His
tormontOr was watching him closely.
but when the Old man spoke il was I'm
the sJavest accents Of the Soutf.
Pardon me- he said. II spoke
thoughuessly IL Is perhaps the case
that YOU were one Of the thirtv-fve2"
Sir. YOU need no pardon. The honor
Of providing mirth for his majesty and
the favOritc was not vOuchsafcd to me.
and. truth 90 tell. ] ind it difficult 10
credit that this pair should be so heart
less: therefore, I fan back upon my first
suspicion, that YOU now little either OF
the king or De L.uvnes"
I'm that case. SIR, 7 must present 10