The Queen's Necklace Part 56

"Now he is going to be discreet after his former folly," said the Portuguese; "but time presses, for the amba.s.sador will arrive in eight days."

"This matter becomes complicated," said the banker; "a necklace!

1,500,000 francs! and an amba.s.sador! Pray explain."

"In a few words," said the Portuguese; "MM. Boehmer and Bossange offered to the queen a necklace worth that sum. She refused it, and now they do not know what to do with it, for none but a royal fortune could buy it. Well, I have found the royal personage who will buy this necklace, and obtain the custody of it from MM. Boehmer and Bossange; and that is my gracious sovereign the Queen of Portugal."

"We understand it less than ever," said the a.s.sociates.

"And I not at all," thought Beausire; then he said aloud, "Explain yourself clearly, dear M. Manoel; our private differences should give place to the public interests. I acknowledge you the author of the idea, and renounce all right to its paternity. Therefore speak on."

"Willingly," said Manoel, drinking a second gla.s.s of Orgeat; "the emba.s.sy is vacant just now; the new amba.s.sador, M. de Souza, will not arrive for a week. Well, he may arrive sooner."

They all looked stupefied but Beausire, who said, "Do you not see some amba.s.sador, whether true or false?"

"Exactly," said Manoel; "and the amba.s.sador who arrives may desire to buy this necklace for the Queen of Portugal, and treat accordingly with MM. Boehmer and Bossange; that is all."

"But," said the banker, "they would not allow such a necklace to pa.s.s into the hands of M. de Souza himself without good security."

"Oh, I have thought of all that; the amba.s.sador's house is vacant, with the exception of the chancellor, who is a Frenchman, and speaks bad Portuguese, and who is therefore delighted when the Portuguese speak French to him, as he does not then betray himself; but who likes to speak Portuguese to the French, as it sounds grand. Well, we will present ourselves to this chancellor with all the appearances of a new legation."

"Appearances are something," said Beausire: "but the credentials are much more."

"We will have them," replied Manoel.

"No one can deny that Don Manoel is an invaluable man," said Beausire.

"Well, our appearances, and the credentials having convinced the chancellor of our ident.i.ty, we will establish ourselves at the house."

"That is pretty bold," said Beausire.

"It is necessary, and quite easy," said Manoel; "the chancellor will be convinced, and if he should afterwards become less credulous, we will dismiss him. I believe an amba.s.sador has the right to change his chancellor."

"Certainly."

"Then, when we are masters of the hotel, our first operation will be to wait on MM. Boehmer and Bossange."

"But you forget one thing," said Beausire; "our first act should be to ask an audience of the king, and then we should break down. The famous Riza Bey, who was presented to Louis XIV. as amba.s.sador from the Shah of Persia, spoke Persian at least, and there were no savants here capable of knowing how well; but we should be found out at once. We should be told directly that our Portuguese was remarkably French, and we should be sent to the Bastile."

"We will escape this danger by remaining quietly at home."

"Then M. Boehmer will not believe in our amba.s.sadorship."

"M. Boehmer will be told that we are sent merely to buy the necklace.

We will show him our order to do this, as we shall before have shown it to the chancellor, only we must try to avoid showing it to the ministers, for they are suspicious, and might find a host of little flaws."

"Oh yes," cried they all, "let us avoid the ministers."

"But if MM. Boehmer and Bossange require money on account?" asked Beausire.

"That would complicate the affair, certainly."

"For," continued Beausire, "it is usual for an amba.s.sador to have letters of credit, at least, if not ready money; and here we should fail."

"You find plenty of reasons why it should fail," said Manoel, "but nothing to make it succeed."

"It is because I wish it to succeed that I speak of the difficulties.

But stop--a thought strikes me: in every amba.s.sador's house there is a strong box."

"Yes; but it may be empty."

"Well! if it be, we must ask MM. Boehmer and Bossange who are their correspondents at Lisbon, and we will sign and stamp for them letters of credit for the sum demanded."

"That will do," said Manoel, "I was engrossed with the grand idea, but had not sufficiently considered the details."

"Now, let us think of arranging the parts," said Beausire. "Don Manoel will be amba.s.sador."

"Certainly," they all said.

"And M. Beausire my secretary and interpreter," said Manoel.

"Why so?" said Beausire, rather uneasily.

"I am M. de Souza, and must not speak a word of French; for I know that that gentleman speaks nothing but Portuguese, and very little of that.

You, on the contrary, M. Beausire, who have traveled, and have acquired French habits, who speak Portuguese also----"

"Very badly," said Beausire.

"Quite enough to deceive a Parisian; and then, you know, the most useful agents will have the largest shares."

"a.s.suredly," said the others.

"Well! it is agreed; I am secretary and interpreter. Then as to the money?"

"It shall be divided into twelve parts; but I as amba.s.sador and author of the scheme shall have a share and a half; M. Beausire the same, as interpreter, and because he partly shared my idea; and also a share and a half to him who sells the jewels."

"So far, then, it is settled! we will arrange the minor details to-morrow, for it is very late," said Beausire, who was thinking of Oliva, left at the ball with the blue domino, towards whom, in spite of his readiness in giving away louis d'or, he did not feel very friendly.

"No, no; we will finish at once," said the others. "What is to be prepared?"

"A traveling carriage, with the arms of M. de Souza," said Beausire.

"That would take too long to paint and to dry," said Manoel.

"Then we must say that the amba.s.sador's carriage broke down on the way, and he was forced to use that of the secretary: I must have a carriage, and my arms will do for that. Besides, we will have plenty of bruises and injuries on the carriage, and especially round the arms, and no one will think of them."

"But the rest of the emba.s.sy?"

"We will arrive in the evening; it is the best time to make a debut, and you shall all follow next day, when we have prepared the way."