doubt for a moment the trustworthiness of the countess; he had not
the least suspicion that he was appointed to become the victim of an
intriguer, who would take advantage of his noble spirit, his
magnanimity, to deceive him and to enrich herself. The countess knew
the boundless devotion of the cardinal to the queen; she had heard
his complaints of the proud coldness, the public slights which she
offered to him. On the other hand, she had heard of the costly
diamond necklace which Bohmer and Bassenge had repeatedly offered to
the queen, and that she had refused to take it on account of the
enormous price which they demanded for it. On this the countess
formed her plan and it succeeded perfectly. She caused the cardinal
to hope that he would soon have an audience of the queen, if he
would give solid assurances of his devotion, and when he professed
himself ready, she proposed to him, as acting under the queen's
instructions, the purchase of the necklace. The cardinal declared
himself ready to accede, and the affair took the course already
indicated with such touching frankness and lofty truthfulness by his
eminence. He brought the purchase to a conclusion; he paid the first
instalment of six hundred thousand francs, and gave the necklace to
the friend of the queen, the Countess Lamotte-Valois, after he had
availed himself of her assistance in receiving from the lips and
hand of the queen in the garden of Versailles the assurance of the
royal favor. The countess at once brought the cardinal a paper from
the queen, stating that she had received the necklace, and conveying
to him the warm thanks of his queen. The cardinal felt himself
richly rewarded by this for all his pains and outlays, and in the
joy of his heart wanted to repay her who, in so prudent and wise a
manner, had effected his reconciliation with the queen. He settled
upon her a yearly pension of four thousand francs, payable her whole
life, and the countess accepted it with tears of emotion, and swore