"This is not a political secret, chère madame," protested the Cardinal.
"Private, then? Ah! take care! my jealousy might prove more serious than my curiosity."
"Not my own, I repeat," hastily corrected the Cardinal.
"Whose, then?" she persisted. "Your Eminence told me that you had seen no one this Ash Wednesday save M. Volenski, and –– "
She paused. In a moment she had guessed, and, more than that, had guessed correctly. his Eminence's conscious look spoke volumes.
"So your Eminence is taking a secret private message from His Majesty to some remote place elsewhere," she said, delighted at her first success. "Ah! now you cannot damp my curiosity any more. You must tell me all about it. For whom is the message?.… A lady, of course.… The Emperor's newest chère amie.… I have it!… The Princess Marïonoff!… Your Eminence is going to Petersburg with a billet doux from the Emperor to the beautiful Princess Marïonoff!"
"Chère madame!" still feebly protested the Cardinal.
"Ah, your Eminence deserves that, after your want of confidence in me, I should publish the fact in the Viennese papers to-morrow. What a delightful paragraph it would make: 'A cardinal as Cupid's messenger.' Truly the secret is now mine. Mine by right of conquest. Your Eminence should have trusted a tried friend, and might have guessed that a mystery which baffles Madame Demidoff has yet to be invented, and is none of your or his Majesty's making."
The Cardinal was now truly distressed. His much-boasted-of discretion had received a very severe blow, and he was not at all confident but that this enigmatical woman would not take some unpleasant small revenge, such as she threatened.
"Believe me, chère madame," he ventured to say at last, "that nothing but the most solemn promise to his Majesty prevented my telling you from the first all that you wished to know. Madame Demidoff's powers of guessing riddles are too widely known for any poor diplomat like myself to attempt to battle against them. I can but throw myself, conquered as I am, entirely at your mercy."
"I will be generous to your Eminence," she said, once more captivating and coquettish; "now that my whim is gratified, I can afford to be merciful, but on one condition only –– "
"And that is?"
"That you tell me what it is you are taking over to the Princess as a gift from her exalted admirer; it cannot be merely a billet doux, for the post would have been almost as safe as your Eminence. Is it some rare and valuable gift? Diamonds? Pearls? or objets d'art?"
"It is, indeed, a most rare, not to say unique, gift," said the Cardinal, now completely subjugated and resigned; "so absolutely valuable that no diamonds or pearls could ever have purchased them."
"Ah?"
"Madame, remember I am at your mercy; you will consider this in the light of a State secret."
"Have I ever been known to betray any secrets?" she asked impatiently.
"So long as I have your promise –– "
"No need of a fresh promise; surely your Eminence knows me. Come, you have gone too far now to beat a retreat."
"Voilà! It appears that last year the beautiful Princess, in admiring the beauties of the Hofburg, thought fit to cast longing eyes on the celebrated candlesticks of gold and vieux Vienne that had belonged to Marie Antoinette."
"Ah, yes, I have heard of them; they are said to be most exquisite works of art, and I believe many a member of the Hapsburg family has longed in vain to possess them."
"Until the said pair of Russian eyes were cast on them with a pleading look, and an Imperial heart was unable to resist," assented the Cardinal.
"And his Majesty?"
"Has asked me to lay these same candlesticks, together with the Imperial and Royal homage, at the dainty feet of his chère amie."
"And your Eminence has accepted the task?"
"With great reluctance, I assure you, chère madame; but what would you? His Majesty has the faculty of opening even an old diplomatist's heart, as easily as he does the secret springs of his candlesticks."
"The secret springs?"
"Yes! did you not know the candlesticks contained secret springs, with mysterious receptacles, that, according to history, contained many a time Marie Antoinette's private missives to her brother in Vienna? Oh! they are most interesting heirlooms, most fascinating bibelots."
Madame Demidoff said nothing more; for a while she sat pensively watching the clouds of smoke as they rose form her cigarette, and her eyes wandered from time to time towards the Cardinal, who sat absorbed in reflections, probably of that Bohemian trip he was forced to abandon.
"Ah! how I wish I could see those candlesticks!" said madame at last, with an impatient little sigh.
"Have you never seen them? They are certainly the most exquisite works of art it has ever been my good fortune to see."
"Your Eminence, it is truly cruel to torture the soul of a humble collector, like myself, by telling me of treasures I shall now never behold."
"Would that be so great a hardship?" he asked, smiling.
"Oh! do not laugh; I am simply burning with curiosity; all night I shall dream of vieux Vienne candlesticks, of gold mounts, of secret springs. How can I imagine a thing that I know must surpass anything of the kind I have ever seen? It will be a nightmare surely."
"Do not say that, chère madame; think of the tortures of remorse I shall have to endure, knowing that my momentary indiscretion, in speaking of these bibelots, has caused you a restless night."
"Why not avoid the remorse for yourself and the nightmare for me by gratifying my burning curiosity?"
"With all the pleasure in life," said his Eminence, with alacrity, "if madame will honour me by stepping into my carriage and paying my dreary abode a visit, the candlesticks will but need unpacking--"
"Oh, mon Dieu! your Eminence! What you propose would be très compromettant for me; think of your servants, of M. Volenski."
"Pardon me, madame!" said his Eminence. "I am an old diplomatist, and I ceased to be compromising to a pretty woman many years ago."
"Diplomatists are always compromising, your Eminence! and I really would not dare venture, for fear I should be punished by being forced to take the veil of a Carmelite. But oh!" she added, with a pretty gesture of entreaty, "will your Eminence allow me to send my confidential maid to M. Volenski and ask him to give her the candlesticks? I assure you, I shall not sleep a wink to-night, and to-morrow look as old as Madame l'ambassadrice, unless your Eminence will satisfy my curiosity."
"Madame, among my numerous sins, which, alas! the Recording Angel but too faithfully marks against me, there has often occurred the sin of giving a lady a sleepless night, but never that of causing her to look a day older than her years. I feel sure such a sin would be beyond forgiveness; so, if you will allow me, I will ring for my carriage and drive to my hotel at once, in order to bring you the objects of your curiosity myself. I doubt if Volenski is at home at this moment; moreover, I have the key of my valise in which I know they are locked."
"Oh, your Eminence is too kind!" said Madame Demidoff, with almost childish delight; "you will gauge the extent of my curiosity by the fact that it has completely annihilated my courtesy, inasmuch as I find it impossible to refuse your kind proposition."
And, as if fearing that the Cardinal might change his mind, she rang the bell, and ordered his Eminence's carriage to be brought round immediately. The Cardinal, very much amused at this old yet ever new trait of feminine curiosity, promised not to tarry a moment, and