Chapter 65 - Page 2

the toilettes of
their ladies and maids of honor; and they condescended to forget they
were queens in recollecting that they were women. In other words, they
pitilessly picked to pieces every person present who wore a petticoat.
The looks of both princesses simultaneously fell upon La Valliere, who,
as we have just said, was completely surrounded at that moment. Madame
knew not what pity was, and said to the queen-mother, as she turned
towards her, "If Fortune were just, she would favor that poor La
Valliere."

"That is not possible," said the queen-mother, smiling.

"Why not?"

"There are only two hundred tickets, so that it was not possible to
inscribe every one's name on the list."

"And hers is not there, then?"

"No!"

"What a pity! she might have won them, and then sold them."

"Sold them!" exclaimed the queen.

"Yes; it would have been a dowry for her, and she would not have been
obliged to marry without her _trousseau_, as will probably be the case."

"Really," answered the queen-mother, "poor little thing: has she no
dresses, then?"

And she pronounced these words like a woman who has never been able to
understand the inconveniences of a slenderly filled purse.

"Stay, look at her. Heaven forgive me, if she is not wearing the very
same petticoat this evening that she had on this morning during the
promenade, and which she managed to keep clean, thanks to the care the
king took of her, in sheltering her from the rain."

At the very moment Madame uttered these words the king entered the room.
The two queens would not perhaps have observed his arrival, so completely
were they occupied in their ill-natured remarks, had not Madame noticed
that, all at once, La Valliere, who was standing up facing the gallery,
exhibited certain signs of confusion, and then said a few words to the
courtiers who surrounded her, who immediately dispersed. This movement
induced Madame to look towards the door, and at that moment, the captain
of the guards announced the king. At this moment La Valliere, who had
hitherto kept her eyes fixed upon the gallery, suddenly cast them down as
the king entered. His majesty was dressed magnificently and in the most
perfect taste; he was conversing with Monsieur and the Duc de Roquelaure,
Monsieur on his right, and the Duc de Roquelaure on his left. The king
advanced, in the first place, towards the queens, to whom he bowed with
an air full of graceful respect. He took his mother's hand and kissed
it, addressed a few compliments to Madame upon the beauty of her
toilette, and then began to make the round of the assembly. La Valliere
was saluted in the same manner as the others, but with neither more nor
less attention.