She would have reflected twice before she
so far committed herself, had she at all suspected the turn we
meant to serve her. But I saw by the wording of her note, that
she still hoped that the king would be induced to grant me the
written promise which I asked for her.
She came. I received her with all possible courtesy, and yet not
with much heartiness. I could not help remembering the vexatious
terms she set upon her complaisance. However, the supper was
gay enough, comte Jean and my sisters-in-law, who knew very well
how to dissemble, did the honors in a most agreeable way. On
leaving table we went into the drawing-room, and then began to
discuss the serious question which had brought us together. At
the first words which comte Jean uttered, madame de Bearn, taking
my hands with a respectful familiarity, said to me:--
"I hope, madame, that you will not have a bad opinion of me, if I
put such conditions to my desire of obliging you. The situation
of my family requires it, but it is only a trifle for the king to grant."
"Much more than you imagine, madame," I replied. "The king does
not care to involve himself in such engagements. He does not
like, moreover, that his sacred word should be doubted."
"Ah?" replied the cunning creature, "heaven forbid that I should
not blindly trust to the king's word, but his memory may fail, or
he, like other men, may forget.
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