head. If he did sell the necklace to the queen, there must have been
witnesses present to confirm it, and the keepers of her majesty's
purse would certainly know about it."

"Sire, Bohmer asserts that the queen caused it to be bought of him
in secret, through a third hand, and that this confidential
messenger was empowered to pay down thirty thousand francs, and to
promise two hundred thousand more."

"What is the name of this confidential messenger? What do they call
him?"

"Sire," answered the Baron de Breteuil, solemnly--"sire, it is the
cardinal and grand almoner of your majesty, Prince Louis de Rohan."

The king uttered a loud cry, and sprang quickly from his seat.

"Rohan?" asked he. "And do they dare to bring this man whom the
queen hates, whom she scorns, into relations with her? Ha, Breteuil!
you can go; the story is too foolishly put together for any one to
believe it."

"Your majesty, Bohmer has, in the mean while, believed it, and has
delivered the necklace to the cardinal, and received the queen's
promise to pay, written with her own hand."

"Who says that? How do you know all the details?"

"Sire, I know it by a paper of Bohmer's, who wrote to me after
trying in vain several times to see me. The letter was a tolerably