The Queen's Necklace. Dumas Alexandre

impatience, "trust my experience: are you, or are you not, a man?"

      Philippe made no reply.

      His father ground his teeth with anger, to see himself opposed by this steadfast will; but making one more effort, "Philippe, my son," said he, still more gently, "listen to me."

      "It seems to me, sir, that I have been doing nothing else for the last quarter of an hour."

      "Oh," thought the old man, "I will draw you down from your stilts. I will find out your weak side." Then aloud, "You have overlooked one thing, Philippe."

      "What, sir?"

      "When you left for America, there was a king, but no queen, if it were not the Dubarry; hardly a respectable sovereign. You come back and see a queen, and you think you must be very respectful."

      "Doubtless."

      "Poor child!" said his father, laughing.

      "How, sir? You blame me for respecting the monarchy – you, a Taverney Maison-Rouge, one of the best names in France."

      "I do not speak of the monarchy, but only of the queen."

      "And you make a difference?"

      "Pardieu, I should think so. What is royalty? a crown that is unapproachable. But what is a queen? a woman, and she, on the contrary, is very approachable."

      Philippe made a gesture of disgust.

      "You do not believe me," continued the old man, almost fiercely; "well, ask M. de Coigny, ask M. de Lauzun, or M. de Vaudreuil."

      "Silence, father!" cried Philippe; "or for these three blasphemies, not being able to strike you three blows with my sword, I shall strike them on myself."

      The old man stepped back, murmuring, "Mon Dieu, what a stupid animal! Good evening, son; you rejoice me; I thought I was the father, the old man, but now I think it is I who must be the young Apollo, and you the old man;" and he turned away.

      Philippe stopped him: "You did not speak seriously, did you, father? It is impossible that a gentleman of good blood like you should give ear to these calumnies, spread by the enemies, not only of the queen, but of the throne."

      "He will not believe, the double mule!" said the old man.

      "You speak to me as you would speak before God?"

      "Yes, truly."

      "Before God, whom you approach every day?"

      "It seems to me, my son," replied he, "that I am a gentleman, and that you may believe my word."

      "It is, then, your opinion that the queen has had lovers?"

      "Certainly."

      "Those whom you have named?"

      "And others, for what I know. Ask all the town and the court. One must be just returned from America to be ignorant of all they say."

      "And who say this, sir? some vile pamphleteers!"

      "Oh! do you, then, take me for an editor?"

      "No, and there is the mischief, when men like you repeat such calumnies, which, without that, would melt away like the unwholesome vapors which sometimes obscure the most brilliant sunshine; but people like you, repeating them, give them a terrible stability. Oh! monsieur, for mercy's sake do not repeat such things."

      "I do repeat them, however."

      "And why do you repeat them?" cried Philippe, fiercely.

      "Oh!" said the old man with his satanic laugh, "to prove to you that I was not wrong when I said, 'Philippe, the queen looks back; she is looking for you. Philippe, the queen wishes for you; run to her.'"

      "Oh! father, hold your tongue, or you will drive me mad."

      "Really, Philippe, I do not understand you. Is it a crime to love? It shows that one has a heart; and in the eyes of this woman, in her voice, in everything, can you not read her heart? She loves; is it you? or is it another? I know not, but believe in my own experience: at this moment she loves, or is beginning to love, some one. But you are a philosopher, a Puritan, a Quaker, an American; you do not love; well, then, let her look; let her turn again and again; despise her, Philippe, I should say Joseph de Taverney."

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      The name of Count Haga was well known as one assumed by the King of Sweden when traveling in France.