The king himself was a prey to an unusual
uneasiness; the day appeared to him interminable; and the eagerness
with which he awaited me made my delay still more apparent. A
thousand conjectures were afloat as to the cause of it. Some
asserted that my presentation had been deferred for the present,
and, in all probability, would never take place; that the princesses
had opposed it in the most decided manner, and had refused upon
any pretense whatever to admit me to their presence. All these
suppositions charmed my enemies, and filled them with hopes
which their leaders, better informed, did not partake.
Meanwhile the king's restlessness increased; he kept continually
approaching the window to observe what was going on in the
court-yard of the castle, and seeing there no symptoms of my
equipage being in attendance, began to lose both temper and
patience. It has been asserted, that he gave orders to have the
presentation put off till a future period, and that the duc de
Richelieu procured my
by force; this is partly true and
partly false. Whilst in ignorance of the real cause of my being
so late, the king said to the first gentleman of the chamber,
"You will see that this poor countess has met with some accident,
or else that her joy has been too much for her, and made her too
ill to attend our court to-day; if that be the case, it is my pleasure
that her presentation should not be delayed beyond to-morrow.
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