The court jeweller, Bohmer, asserts that he has sold a
necklace to your majesty for one million eight hundred thousand
francs."
"But the man is crazy," cried the queen. "Is that all your majesty
had to say to me?"
"I beg that Campan will repeat the conversation which she had
yesterday with Bohmer."
And the king beckoned with his hand to the lady-in-waiting, who, at
the entrance of the queen, had modestly taken her seat at the back
part of the room.
"How!" cried the queen, amazed, now first perceiving Campan. "What
do you here? What does all this mean?"
"Your majesty, I came to Trianon to inform you about the
conversation which I had yesterday with Bohmer. When I arrived I
found he had just been here."
"And what did he want?" cried the queen. "Did you not tell me,
Campan, that he no longer possesses this unfortunate necklace, with
which he has been making a martyr of me for years? Did you not tell
me that he had sold it to the Grand Sultan, to go to
Constantinople?"
"I repeated to your majesty what Bohmer said to me. Meanwhile I beg
now your gracious permission to repeat my to-day's interview with
Bohmer. Directly after your majesty had gone to Trianon with the
Duchess de Polignac, the court jeweller Bohmer was announced. He
came with visible disquiet and perplexity, and asked me whether your
majesty had left no commission for him.
Pages:
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105