"I have heard of that," said the king. "Her majesty was at last
weary of the trouble, and gave command that the court jeweller,
Bohmer, should not be admitted."

"Every time, therefore, that he came to Versailles he was refused
admittance. He then had recourse to writing, and two weeks ago her
majesty received from him a begging letter, in which he said that he
should be very happy if, through his instrumentality, the queen
could possess the finest diamonds in Europe, and imploring her
majesty not to forget her court jeweller. The queen read this
letter, laughing, to her lady-in-waiting, Madame de Campan, and said
it seemed as if the necklace had deprived the good Bohmer of his
reason. But not wishing to pay any further attention to his letter
or to answer it, she burned the paper in a candle which was
accidentally standing on her table."

"Good Heaven! How do you know these details?" asked the king, in
amazement.

"Sire, I have learned them from Madame de Campan herself, as I was
compelled to speak with her about the necklace."

"But what is it about this necklace? What has the queen to do with
that?" asked the king, wiping with a lace handkerchief the sweat
which stood in great drops upon his lofty forehead.

"Sire, the court jeweller, Bohmer, asserts that he sold the necklace
of brilliants to the queen, and now desires to be paid."

"The queen is right," exclaimed the king, "the man is out of his