own that there were good gold
crowns to be won at play, or that handsome presents were likely to be
made on days when all went well with her; or windfalls, in the shape of
annuities which she had wrung from the king by entreaty, and thus she
determined to maintain her credit. In the first place, she tried these
means upon Madame; because to gain her consent was of more importance
than anything else. Madame, notwithstanding the bold confidence which
her wit and beauty inspired her, blindly ran head foremost into the net
thus stretched out to catch her. Enriched by degrees by these presents
and transfers of property, she took a fancy to inheritances by
anticipation. Anne of Austria adopted the same means towards Monsieur,
and even towards the king himself. She instituted lotteries in her
apartments. The day on which the present chapter opens, invitations had
been issued for a late supper in the queen-mother's apartments, as she
intended that two beautiful diamond bracelets of exquisite workmanship
should be put into a lottery. The medallions were antique cameos of
the greatest value; the diamonds, in point of intrinsic value, did not
represent a very considerable amount, but the originality and rarity of
the workmanship were such, that every one at court not only wished to
possess the bracelets, but even to see the queen herself wear them; for,
on the days she wore them, it was considered as a favor to be admitted
to admire them in kissing her hands. The courtiers had, even with regard
to this subject, adopted various expressions of gallantry to establish
the aphorism, that the bracelets would have been priceless in value if
they had not been unfortunate enough to be placed in contact with arms
as beautiful as the queen's. This compliment had been honored by a
translation into all the languages of Europe, and numerous verses in
Latin and French had been circulated on the subject. The day that Anne
of Austria had selected for the lottery was a decisive moment; the king
had not been near his mother for a couple of days; Madame, after the
great scene of the Dryads and Naiads, was sulking by herself. It
is true, the king's fit of resentment was over, but his mind was
absorbingly occupied by a circumstance that raised him above the stormy
disputes and giddy pleasures of the court.

Anne of Austria effected a diversion by the announcement of the famous
lottery to take place in her apartments on the following evening. With
this