The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-07

USB ON 0S 401A 8ouoP. It was tho same at Neufchatel, at Eccuis and at Pontoise.. At the last named place he changed his horse for the last time and at 9 o'clock galloped into the yard of M. de Treville's hotel. He had performed nearly sixty leagues tn little moro than twelve hours.
 CHAPTER XVII.
 The Ballet Of La MsiIaison. 0N N tho morrow nothing was talk
 ed of in Paris but the ball which the aldermen of the city
 were to give to the king and queen.
 At midnight great cries and loud ac- clamations were heard in the city. It was the king, who was passing through the streets which led from the Louvre to the Hotel de ville and which were all illuminated with colored lamps. Im- mediately the aldermen, clothed in their cloth robes and preceded by six sdlfeanAs. holding each . AAmbeant1A his hand, went to attend upon the King, whom they met on the steps, where the provost of the merchants offered him the compliment of Vuleome Every body observed that the king looked duh and preoccupied.
 A closet had been prepared for the king with . masquerade habit The same had been done with respect to the queen.
 Before entering his closet the king desired to be informed the moment the cardinal arFfved.
 Half an hour after the entrance of the king fresh acclamations were heard. These announced the arrival of the queen. She entered the great hall, and 1t was remarked that, like the king, she looked dull and, moreover, fatigued.
 At the moment she entered the cur tain of . small gallery, which to that time had bean closed, was drawn, and the pale face of the cardinal appeared, he being dressed as . Spanish cava- Her. His eyes were fixed upon those of the queen and . smile of terrible joy passed over his lips. The queen cid not wear her diamond studs.
 All at once the king appeared at one of the doors of the hall. The cardinal was speaking to him in a low voice, and the king was very pale.
 The king made his way through the crowd without mask and the ribbons of his doublet scarcely tied. He went straight to the queen and in an altered voice said:
 why, madame, have you not thought proper to wear your diamond studs when you know it would have given me 90 much gratificationr
 Sire" replied the queen with q fal- tering voice, because. in the midst of such . crowd as this feared some ac- cident might happen to them. I can send for them to the Louvre. where they are, and thus your majesty s wishes will be complied with"
 ~Do so, madame-do SO, and that at the quickest; for within an hour the ballet will commence"
 The queen bent in token of submis- picn and followed the ladies who were to conduct her to her closet. On his Dart the king returned to his.
 The king came out first from his eloseS He was in a hunting costume of the most elegant description.
 The cardinal drew near to the king and placed in his hand a small casket The king opened it and found in it two diamonds
 what does this mean" demanded he of the cardinal.
 Nothing" replied the latter; "only If the queen has the studs, of which very much doubt, count them, sire and if you only find ten, ask her ma 1esty who can have stolen from bel the two studs that are here"
 The king looked at the cardinal a: if to interrogate him, but he had no' time to address any question to him A cry of admiration burst from every mouth. The queen was, without doubt the most beautiful woman in France It is true that the habit of a huntress became her admirably. She wore z beaver hat with blue feathers, a sur tout of gray-pearl velvet, fastened with diamond clasps, and a skirt o1 blue satin, embroidered with silver On her left shoulder sparkled the dfa mond studs upon a bow of the same color as the plumes and the skirt.
 The king trembled with joy and tho cardinal with vexation. Nevertheless distant as they were from the queen