CHAPTER XCI.
THE EXECUTION.
Jeanne waited for her counsel to come and announce her fate; but, beingnow at ease, said to herself, "What do I care that I am thought moreguilty than M. de Rohan? I am banished--that is to say, I can carry awaymy million and a half with me, and live under the orange trees ofSeville during the winter, and in Germany or England in the summer. ThenI can tell my own story, and, young, rich, and celebrated, live as Iplease among my friends."
Pleasing herself with these notions, she commenced settling all herfuture plans, the disposal of her diamonds, and her establishment inLondon. This brought to her mind M. Reteau. "Poor fellow!" thought she,"it is he who pays for all; some one must suffer, and it always falls onthe humblest instrument. Poor Reteau pays now for his pamphlets againstthe queen; he has led a hard life of blows and escapes, and now itterminates with the galleys." She dined with M. and Madame Hubert, andwas quite gay; but they did not respond, and were silent and uneasy.Jeanne, however, felt so happy that she cared little for their mannertowards her. After dinner, she asked when they were coming to read hersentence.
M. Hubert said they were probably waiting till she returned to her room.She therefore rose to go, when Madame Hubert ran to her and took herhands, looking at her with an expression of so much pity and sympathy,that it struck her for a moment with terror. She was about to questionher, but Hubert took her hand, and led her from the room. When shereached her own apartment, she found eight soldiers waiting outside; shefelt surprised, but went in, and allowed the man to lock her up asusual. Soon, however, the door opened again, and one of the turnkeysappeared.
"Will madame please to follow me?" he said.
"Where?"
"Below."
"What for? What do they want with me?"
"Madame, M. Viollet, your counsel, wishes to speak to you."
"Why does he not come here?"
"Madame, he has received letters from Versailles, and wishes to showthem to you."
"Letters from Versailles," thought Jeanne; "perhaps the queen hasinterested herself for me, since the sentence was passed. Wait alittle," she said; "Till I arrange my dress." In five minutes she wasready. "Perhaps," she thought, "M. Viollet has come to get me to leaveFrance at once, and the queen is anxious to facilitate the departure ofso dangerous an enemy."
She followed the turnkey down-stairs, and they entered a room, whichlooked like a vault; it was damp, and almost dark.
"Sir," said she, trying to overcome her terror, "where is M. Viollet?"
The man did not reply.
"What do you want?" continued she; "have you anything to say to me? youhave chosen a very singular place for a rendezvous."
"We are waiting for M. Viollet," he replied.
"It is not possible that M. Viollet should wish for me to wait for himhere." All at once, another door, which Jeanne had not before observed,opened, and three men entered. Jeanne looked at them in surprise, andwith growing terror. One of them, who was dressed in black, with a rollof papers in his hand, advanced, and said:
"You are Jeanne de St. Remy de Valois, wife of Marie Antoine, Count dela Motte?"
"Yes, sir."
"Born at Fontette, on the 22d of July, 1756?"
"Yes, sir."
"You live at Paris, Rue St. Claude?"
"Yes, sir; but why these questions?"
"Madame, I am the registrar of the court, and I am come to read to youthe sentence of the court of the 31st of May, 1786."
Jeanne trembled again, and now looked at the other two men; one had agray dress with steel buttons, the other a fur cap on and an apron,which seemed to her spotted with blood. She drew back, but the registrarsaid, "On your knees, madame, if you please."
"On my knees?" cried Jeanne; "I, a Valois!"
"It is the order, madame."
"But, sir, it is an unheard-of thing, except where some degradingsentence has been pronounced; and banishment is not such."
"I did not tell you you were sentenced to banishment," said he gravely.
"But to what, then?"
"I will tell you, madame, when you are on your knees."
"Never!"
"Madame, I only follow my instructions."
"Never! I tell you."
"Madame, it is the order that when the condemned refuse to kneel, theyshould be forced to do it."
"Force--to a woman!"
"There is no distinction in the eyes of justice."
"Ah!" cried Jeanne, "this is the queen's doings; I recognize the handsof an enemy."
"You are wrong to accuse the queen; she has nothing to do with theorders of the court. Come, madame, I beg you to spare me the necessityof violence, and kneel down."
"Never!" and she planted herself firmly in a corner of the room.
The registrar then signed to the two other men, who, approaching, seizedher, and in spite of her cries dragged her into the middle of the room.But she bounded up again.
"Let me stand," said she, "and I will listen patiently."
"Madame, whenever criminals are punished by whipping, they kneel toreceive the sentence."
"Whipping!" screamed Jeanne; "miserable wretch, how dare you----"
The men forced her on her knees once more, and held her down, but shestruggled so furiously that they called out, "Read quickly, monsieur,for we cannot hold her."
"I will never hear such an infamous sentence," she cried; and indeed shedrowned his voice so effectually with her screams, that although heread, not a word could be heard.
He replaced his papers in his pocket, and she, thinking he had finished,stopped her cries. Then he said, "And the sentence shall be executed atthe place of executions, Cour de Justice."
"Publicly!" screamed she.
"Monsieur de Paris, I deliver you this woman," said the registrar,addressing the man with the leathern apron.
"Who is this man?" cried Jeanne, in a fright.
"The executioner," replied the registrar.
The two men then took hold of her to lead her out, but her resistancewas so violent that they were obliged to drag her along by force, andshe never ceased uttering the most frantic cries. They took her thusinto the court called Cour de Justice, where there was a scaffold andwhich was crowded with spectators. On a platform, raised about eightfeet, was a post garnished with iron rings, and with a ladder to mountto it. This place was surrounded with soldiers. When she appeared, criesof "Here she is!" mingled with much abuse, were heard from the crowd.Numbers of the partisans of M. de Rohan had assembled to hoot her, andcries of "A bas la Motte, the forger!" were heard on every side, andthose who tried to express pity for her were soon silenced. Then shecried in a loud voice, "Do you know who I am? I am of the blood of yourkings. They strike in me, not a criminal, but a rival; not only a rival,but an accomplice. Yes," repeated she, as the people kept silence tokept listen, "an accomplice. They punish one who knows the secretsof----"
"Take care," interrupted the registrar.
She turned and saw the executioner with the whip in his hand. At thissight she forgot her desire to captivate the multitude, and even herhatred, and sinking on her knees she said, "Have pity!" and seized hishand; but he raised the other, and let the whip fall lightly on hershoulders. She jumped up, and was about to try and throw herself off thescaffold, when she saw the other man, who was drawing from a fire a hotiron. At this sight she uttered a perfect howl, which was echoed by thepeople.
"Help! help!" she cried, trying to shake off the cord with which theywere tying her hands. The executioner at last forced her on her knees,and tore open her dress; but she cried, with a voice which was heardthrough all the tumult, "Cowardly Frenchmen! you do not defend me, butlet me be tortured; oh! it is my own fault. If I had said all I knew ofthe queen I should have been----"
She could say no more, for she was gagged by the attendants: then twomen held her, while the executioner performed his office. At the touchof the iron she fainted, and was carried back insensible to theConciergerie when the crowd gr
adually dispersed.
CHAPTER XCII.
THE MARRIAGE.
On the same day at noon the king entered a drawing-room, where the queenwas sitting in full dress, but pale through her rouge, and surrounded bya party of ladies and gentlemen. He glanced frequently towards the door."Are not the young couple ready? I believe it is noon," he said.
"Sire, M. de Charny is waiting in the gallery for your majesty'sorders," said the queen, with a violent effort.
"Oh! let him come in." The queen turned from the door. "The bride oughtto be here also," continued the king, "it is time."
"Your majesty must excuse Mademoiselle de Taverney, if she is late,"replied M. de Charny, advancing; "for since the death of her father shehas not left her bed until to-day, and she fainted when she did so."
"This dear child loved her father so much," replied the king, "but wehope a good husband will console her. M. de Breteuil," said he, turningto that gentleman, "have you made out the order of banishment for M. deCagliostro?"
"Yes, sire."
"And that De la Motte. Is it not to-day she is to be branded?"
At this moment, Andree appeared, dressed in white like a bride, and withcheeks nearly as white as her dress. She advanced leaning on herbrother's arm. M. de Suffren, leading his nephew, came to meet her, andthen drew back to allow her to approach the king.
"Mademoiselle," said Louis, taking her hand, "I begged of you to hastenthis marriage, instead of waiting until the time of your mourning hadexpired, that I might have the pleasure of assisting at the ceremony;for to-morrow I and the queen commence a tour through France." And he ledAndree up to the queen, who could hardly stand, and did not raise hereyes. The king then, putting Andree's hand into Philippe's, said,"Gentlemen, to the chapel,"--and they began to move. The queen kneeledon her prie Dieu, her face buried in her hands, praying for strength.Charny, though pale as death, feeling that all eyes were upon him,appeared calm and strong. Andree remained immovable as a statue; she didnot pray--she had nothing to ask, to hope for, or to fear. The ceremonyover, the king kissed Andree on the forehead, saying, "Madame laComtesse, go to the queen, she wishes to give you a wedding present."
"Oh!" murmured Andree to Philippe, "it is too much; I can bear no more;I cannot do that."
"Courage, sister, one effort more."
"I cannot, Philippe; if she speaks to me, I shall die."
"Then, you will be happier than I, for I cannot die."
Andree said no more, but went to the queen. She found her in her chairwith closed eyes and clasped hands, seeming more dead than alive, exceptfor the shudders which, shook her from time to time. Andree waitedtremblingly to hear her speak; but, after a minute, she rose slowly, andtook from the table a paper, which she put into Andree's hands. Andreeopened it, and read:
"Andree, you have saved me. My honor comes from you; my life belongs to you. In the name of this honor, which has cost you so dear, I swear to you that you may call me sister without blushing. This paper is the pledge of my gratitude, the dowry which I give you. Your heart is noble and will thank me for this gift.
"MARIE ANTOINETTE DE LORRAINE D'AUTRICHE."
Andree looked at the queen, and saw tears falling from her eyes; sheseemed expecting an answer, but Andree, putting the letter in the fire,turned and left the room. Then Charny, who was waiting for her, took herhand, and they, each pale and silent, left the room. Twotraveling-carriages were in the courtyard; Andree got into one, and thensaid:
"Sir, I believe you go to Picardy."
"Yes, madame."
"And I to where my mother lies dead. Adieu, monsieur."
Charny bowed, but did not reply, and Andree drove off.
Charny himself, after giving his hand to Philippe, got into the other,and also drove off.
Then Philippe cried, in a tone of anguish, "My task is done!" and he toovanished.
THE END.
List of illustrations:
CAGLIOSTRO AND OLIVA
THE QUEEN'S NECKLACE
Le collier de la reine. English Page 93