"
"I believe that he has, meanwhile, ventured to trouble the queen
several times about the necklace. It appears that he had almost
persuaded himself that your majesty would purchase it. Years ago he
caused stones to be selected through all Europe, wishing to make a
necklace of diamonds which should be alike large, heavy, and
brilliant. The queen refusing to give him his price of two million
francs, he offered it at last for one million eight hundred
thousand."
"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.
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