Le collier de la reine. English

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Le collier de la reine. English Page 91

by Alexandre Dumas


  CHAPTER LXXXIX.

  THE BAPTISM OF THE LITTLE BEAUSIRE.

  Madame de la Motte had deceived herself on all points, Cagliostro uponnone. Once in the Bastile, he saw a good opportunity for working at theruin of the monarchy, which he had been trying to undermine for so manyyears. He prepared the famous letter, dated from London, which appeareda month after. In this letter, after attacking king, queen, cardinal,and even M. de Breteuil, he said, "Yes, I repeat, now free after myimprisonment, there is no crime that would not be expiated by six monthsin the Bastile. They ask me if I shall ever return to France? Yes, Ireply, when the Bastile becomes a public promenade. You have all that isnecessary to happiness, you Frenchmen; a fertile soil and genialclimate, good hearts, gay tempers, genius, and grace. You only want, myfriends, one little thing--to feel sure of sleeping quietly in your bedswhen you are innocent."

  Oliva kept her word faithfully to Cagliostro, and uttered no word thatcould compromise him. She threw all the blame on Madame de la Motte, andasserted vehemently her own innocent participation in what she believedto be a joke, played on a gentleman unknown to her. All this time shedid not see Beausire, but she had a souvenir of him; for in the month ofMay she gave birth to a son. Beausire was allowed to attend the baptism,which took place in the prison, which he did with much pleasure,swearing that if Oliva ever recovered her liberty he would make her hiswife.

 

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