Ange Pitou by Alexandre Dumas part two

At the sound of this voice, the sweet future, with its flowers and palm-leaves, returned to the mind of this haughty woman. A sincere and devoted friend was to her of more value than ten kingdoms.

“Oh, thou, thou!” murmured she, clasping the Countess Jules in her arms; “I have then one friend left.”

And the tears, which for so long a time had been restrained, burst forth from her eyelids, trickled down her cheeks, and inundated her bosom; but instead of being bitter, these tears were sweet,—instead of oppressing her, they disburdened her heart.

They both remained silent for a few moments, during which the queen continued to hold the countess in her arms.

It was the duchess who first broke this silence, while still holding her sister-in-law by the hand.

“Madame,” said she, with a voice so timid that she almost appeared ashamed, “I do not think your Majesty will disapprove the project which I am about to submit to your notice.”

“What project?” asked the queen attentively; “speak, Duchess, speak?”

And while preparing to listen to the Duchess Diana, the queen leaned upon the shoulder of her favorite, the countess.

“Madame,” continued the duchess, “the opinion which I am about to pronounce comes from a person whose authority will not be doubted by your Majesty; it comes from her Royal Highness, Madame Adelaide, the queen’s aunt.”

“What a singular preamble, dear Duchess,” said the queen, gayly, “come, let us hear this opinion.”

“Madame, circumstances are disheartening; the favors which our family enjoy from your Majesty have been much exaggerated; calumny stains the august friendship which you deign to grant us in exchange for our respectful devotion.”

“Well, then, Duchess,” said the queen, with a commencement of astonishment, “do you not think I have evinced sufficient courage? Have I not valiantly sustained my friends against public opinion, against the court, against the people, against the king himself?”

“Oh, Madame, certainly! and your Majesty has so nobly sustained your friends, that you have opposed your breast to every blow, so that to-day when the danger has become great, terrible even, the friends so nobly defended by your Majesty would be cowardly and unfaithful servants, if they did not prove themselves grateful to their queen.”

“Ah, this is well, this is beautiful!” said Marie Antoinette, with enthusiasm, embracing the countess, whom she still pressed against her bosom, while holding the hand of Madame de Polignac in hers.

But both of them turned pale, instead of proudly raising their heads, after they had been thus caressed by their sovereign.

Madame Jules de Polignac made a movement to disengage herself from the arms of the queen; but the latter still pressed her to her heart, despite her efforts to disengage herself.

“But,” stammered Madame Diana de Polignac, “your Majesty does not perhaps well understand what we have the honor to make known to you, in order to enable you to ward off the blows which threaten your throne, your person, perhaps, on account of the very friendship with which you honor us. There is a painful means, a bitter sacrifice to our hearts, but we must endure it; necessity commands it.”

At these words it was the queen’s turn to become pale, for she no longer perceived courageous and faithful friendship, but fear, beneath this exordium, and under the veil of this reserve.

“Let us see,” said she; “speak, speak, Duchess; what is this sacrifice?”

“Oh, the sacrifice is entirely on our side, Madame!” replied the latter. “We are, God knows for what reason, execrated in France; by disencumbering your throne, we shall restore to it all the splendor, all the warmth of the popular love, a love either extinguished or intercepted by our presence.”

“You would leave me!” cried the queen, vehemently. “Who has said that? who has asked for that?”

And she cast a despairing look on the Countess Jules de Polignac, gently pushing her from her; the latter held down her head in great confusion.

“Not I,” said the Countess Jules; “I, on the contrary, ask but to remain.”

But these words were uttered in such a tone that they implied, “Order me to leave you, Madame, and I will leave you.”

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