"I rose," she said calmly, "to pay my respects to the Queen of
France, like a good subject; but as I see that no one else stands
up, and that they allow the queen to enter without rising from their
seats, I will take mine again." And the countess slowly sank into
her chair.

"Come nearer," cried President de L'Aigre to the royal personage;
and she stepped forward, allowing her eyes to wander unconstrainedly
through the hall, and then, as she approached the table, behind
which the president and the judges sat, greeting them with a
friendly nod and smile which caused her lips to part. Again there
passed through the hall a wave of amazement, for now, when the lady
opened her mouth, the first dissimilarity to the queen appeared.
Behind her cherry-red lips there were two rows of poor, broken
teeth, with gaps between them, whereas Marie Antoinette had, on
account of her faultless teeth, been the object of admiration and
envy to all the ladies of her court.

"Who are you, madame, and what are you called?" asked the president.

"Who am I, sir?" replied the lady, with a slight flush, "Good Lord!
that is hard to answer. I was a light-minded and idle girl, that did
not like to work, but did like to live well, and had no objection to
dress, and led a tolerably easy life, till one day my heart was
surprised by love. After being enamoured of my Sergeant George, I
resolved to lead an honorable and virtuous life; and since my little
son was born I have tried to be merely a good mother and a good
wife. Do you now want to know what I am called? Down to the present
time I am called Mademoiselle Oliva. You had me arrested in Brussels
and brought here exactly nine days before the appointed time of my