Her influence over her son resembled the fascination
of a snake: once within her reach he was unable
to resist her; and when in their tete-a-tete
she reproached him with ill-faith towards her, prophesied
the overthrow of the Church, the desertion of his
allies, the ruin of his throne, and finally announced
her intention of hiding her head in her own hereditary
estates in Auvergne, begging, as a last favour, that
he would give his brother time to quit France instead
of involving him in his own ruin, the poor young man’s
whole soul was in commotion. His mother knew
her strength, left the poison to work, and withdrew
in displeasure to Monceaux, sure that, as in effect
happened, he would not be long in following her, imploring
her not to abandon him, and making an unconditional
surrender of himself, his conscience, and his friends
into her hands. Duplicity was so entirely the
element of the court, that, even while thus yielding
himself, it was as one checked, but continuing the
game; he still continued his connection with the Huguenots,
hoping to succeed in his aims by some future counter-intrigue;
and his real hatred of the court policy, and the genuine
desire to make common cause with them, served his mother’s
purpose completely, since his cajolery thus became
sincere. Her purpose was, probably, not yet
formed. It was power that she loved, and hoped
to secure by the intrigues she had played off all
her life; but she herself was in the hands of an infinitely
more bloodthirsty and zealous faction, who could easily
accomplish their ends by working on the womanly terrors
of an unscrupulous mind.
CHAPTER IX. THE WEDDING WITH CRIMSON FAVOURS
And trust me not at all or all in all.—TENNYSON
So extensive was the Louvre, so widely separated the
different suites of apartments, that Diane and Eustacie
had not met after the pall-mall party till they sat
opposite to their several queens in the coach driving
through the woods, the elder cousin curiously watching
the eyes of the younger, so wistfully gazing at the
window, and now and then rapidly winking as though
to force back a rebellious tear.
The cousins had been bred up together in the convent
at Bellaise, and had only been separated by Diane’s
having been brought to court two years sooner than
Eustacie. They had always been on very kindly,
affectionate terms; Diane treating her little cousin
with the patronage of an elder sister, and greatly
contributing to shield her from the temptations of
the court. The elder cousin was so much the
more handsome, brilliant, and admired, that no notion
of rivalry had crossed her mind; and Eustacie’s
inheritance was regarded by her as reserved for her
brother, and the means of aggradizement an prosperity
for herself and her father. She looked upon
the child as a sort of piece of property of the family,
to be guarded and watched over for her brother; and
Copyrights
The Chaplet of Pearls from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
