THE KING'S LIST.
Marie Antoniette, with a happy smile, gave her hand to her husband. He
raised it to his lips, and kissed it so fervently that his young wife
blushed with pleasure.
"Do you know what brings me to you, Antoinette?" said he gayly. "The
deadly anxiety of good Madame Etiquette. She met me in the anteroom, and
confessed that she had been guilty of the crime of leaving the queen
alone with a foreign ambassador. To relieve her mind, I promised to come
hither myself, and put an end to the treason that was hatching between
France ad Austria."
"Ah!" said Marie Antoinette, with a bewitching pout, "then you came, not
to see me, but to save Madame Etiquette a fit of the vapors."
"I made use of her as a pretext to intrude myself upon you," said the
king with embarrassment.
"Oh, your majesty well knows that you need no pretext to come in my
presence!" said Marie Antoinette, eagerly.
"Certainly, I require it just now, for I have broken up a charming
tete-a-tete," said the king, bowing to Von Mercy.
"The count has brought me letters from the empress," said Marie
Antoinette, "And what do you suppose they were? Congratulations upon our
accession to the throne."
The king smiled, but expressed no surprise.
"What, you are not surprised!" said the queen. "Do you take the count
for a sorcerer?"
"I take him for a true and loyal friend of his sovereign," said Louis,
"and I only wish that I possessed one as faithful. But I am not at all
astonished to hear of the congratulations, since the courier started off
with the news a week ago."
"Your majesty knew it, then?"
"A king must know all things," said he gravely. "Are you not of my
opinion, count? Is it not proper that a sovereign should possess a
knowledge of every important letter which comes into his kingdom or
leaves it?"
"I believe so, your majesty," replied the count, somewhat confused.
"I am convinced of it, and so is the Empress of Austria," said the king,
with a laugh. "She is admirably well posted in all that concerns foreign
courts, and not a document leaves the French embassy in Vienna of which
she has not a copy. Is it not so, Count von Mercy?"
"I do not believe, sire, that there is any person in the French embassy
capable of betraying the interests of his country, or of revealing its
secrets."
"Then change your creed, count, for in every country there are men open
to bribery. But," continued he, turning to the queen, "we have wandered
from our subject--your majesty's letters from Vienna. Have you good
news?"
"It is merely official, sire," replied the queen, handing the letter to
the king.
Louis looked it over; then replacing it upon the table, said, "And the
other letters?"
"Which other letters?" asked the queen.
"Did you not tell me there were several?"
"No, sire," replied the queen, reddening.
"What fables men do invent!" exclaimed the king. "A courier has just
arrived from the French embassy, in Vienna, with dispatches informing us
that Count von Mercy had received for your majesty one official letter
from the empress, and two private letters of instruction, one of which
contained a list of persons recommended by her majesty; and, finally, a
fourth missive, private, from the Emperor Joseph. And all this is pure
invention, Count von Mercy?"
"It is, your majesty," said the count, with much embarrassment, while
Marie Antoinette cast down her eyes, and blushed.
The king enjoyed their confusion for a while; he seemed to take pleasure
in this first triumph of his regal power, and a smile flitted over his
rather clumsy features.
"You see, then," continued he, "that I have received false intelligence,
and it is evident that Austrians are less corrupt than Frenchmen, for I
am told that Count von Mercy and Prince Kaunitz are au fait to every
thing that transpires in the palace here. Be that as it may, we intend
to follow the example of the queen. Our policy shall be so frank and
honorable that all the world may know it and welcome. But--it occurs to
me that the mistress of ceremonies is in great anguish of mind. She will
not recover her equanimity until she sees you again, count."
"In that case, your majesty, I beg leave to retire," replied the count.
The king bowed, and the queen gave him her hand.
As the count was about to raise the portiere, the king called him back.
"Do you send a courier to Vienna to-day?" asked his majesty. "Yes, sire,
in one hour."
"Then let me impart to you a secret which I think will interest her
imperial majesty of Austria--my new ministry."
"How! has your your majesty already chosen them?" asked Marie
Antoinette, anxiously.
The king nodded. "It was my first sacred duty to seek guides for my
inexperience, and I have chosen ministers who are able statesmen, and
have already served before."
The queen's eyes brightened, and even Count von Mercy seemed surprised
and pleased.
"Do, your majesty, let us have their names," said Marie Antoinette.
"First, Monsieur de Maurepas."
The queen uttered an exclamation. "The minister of the regency, who has
been banished for forty years!"
"The same. He was a friend of my father. He will be prime minister; and
as I am so unfortunate as to have to bear the weight of royalty at
twenty years, I have taken care to select old and experienced men as my
counsellors."
"And who is to succeed the Duke d'Aiguillon?" cried Marie Antoinette,
"for I presume that your majesty intends to give him his dismissal."
"I would be glad to retain him as my minister," said the king,
pointedly, "for his policy is identical with mine. He has the interests
of France at heart, and has never suffered himself to be led away by
foreign influence. But unluckily, he was too intimate with Du Barry, and
on this ground I shall dismiss him."
"And his successor?" asked the queen, scarcely able to restrain her
bitter disappointment.
"His successor is the Count do Vergennes."
"De Vergennes!" cried the queen, scornfully. "He who married a slave in
Constantinople?"
"Ah, you have heard that ridiculous story, which was invented by
Monsieur de Choiseul? Nobody here ever believed it; and let me tell you
that the Countess de Vergennes enjoys the esteem and consideration of
all who know her. Vergennes himself is a man of talent, and will do me
good service. The other ministers are: for the war department, Count de
Muy; for the minister of finance, instead of that hateful Abbe
Terray--(was not that the emperor's expression?)--I have chosen Count de
Clugny."
"Count de Clugny!" said Marie Antoinette, again beginning to hope. "Does
your majesty mean the friend of the Duke de Choiseul?"
"Himself, madame," said the king, coolly. "And while you are speaking of
Monsieur de Choiseul, I am reminded that this is not the first time his
name has been mentioned to-day. You, Count von Mercy, are a friend of
his--I am not. You can, therefore, tell me whether it is true that he
has left Chantoloup, wither the deceased king had banished him."
"Yes, sire, the Duke de Choiseul arrived this morning in Paris."
"What can he want in Paris?" asked the king, with an unconscious look.
"Why did he leave Chanteloup? It seems to me that for the man who is so
lucky as to have a landed estate, this is the very time of year to stay
there. You had better advise your friend to return to the country. And
now, count, you know all that I have to tell, and I will detain you no
longer. Madame de Noailles must be in despair. Comfort her by informing
her that you left the Queen of France in the company of her husband."