lady, who, almost distracted
and hardly able to walk erect, hurried to reach the easy-chair which De
Maintenon pushed towards her. At length, having recovered her power of
speech somewhat, Mademoiselle related what a deep insult--she should
never get over it--her thoughtless jest in answer to the petition of
the jeopardised lovers had brought upon her. The Marchioness, after
learning the whole of the story by fragments, arrived at the conclusion
that De Scuderi took the strange occurrence far too much to heart, that
the mockery of depraved wretches like these could never come home to a
pious, noble mind like hers, and finally she requested to see the
ornaments.

De Scuderi gave her the open casket; and the Marchioness, on seeing the
costly jewellery, could not help uttering a loud cry of admiration. She
took out the necklace and the bracelets, and approached the window with
them, where first she let the sun play upon the stones, and then she
held them up close to her eyes in order to see better the exquisite
workmanship of the gold, and to admire the marvellous skill with which
every little link in the elaborate chain was finished. All at once the
Marchioness turned round abruptly towards Mademoiselle and cried, "I
tell you what, Mademoiselle, these bracelets and necklace must have
been made by no less a person than Rene Cardillac."

Rene Cardillac was at that time the most skilful goldsmith in Paris,
and also one of the most ingenious as well as one of the most eccentric
men of the age. Rather small than great, but broad-shouldered and with
a strong and muscular frame, Cardillac, although considerably more than
fifty, still possessed the strength and activity of youth. And his
strength, which might be said to be something above the common, was
further evidenced by his abundant curly reddish hair, and his thick-set
features and the sultry gleam upon them. Had not Cardillac been known
throughout all Paris, as one of the most honest and honourable of men,
disinterested, frank, without any reserve, always ready to help, the
very peculiar appearance of his eyes, which were small, deep-set,
green, and glittering, might have drawn upon him the suspicion of
lurking malice and viciousness.

As already said, Cardillac was the greatest master in his trade, not
only in Paris, but also perhaps of his age. Intimately acquainted with
the properties of precious stones, he knew how to treat them and set
them in such a manner that a