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242 the Queen felt sure that his conscience was still sufficiently tender for alarm.

But Marie was too dangerous; for though the very lilies of France would blush at such an alliance, still it was possible; and Anne of Austria was too false herself to place any reliance on the Cardinal's professions, that he would be the first to oppose such a union. The temptation of the crown for his niece seemed too great to be resisted; and the Queen thought it but prudent to diminish it as much as she could. Francesca's beauty caught her attention; it could not he better employed than in diverting Louis from Mademoiselle Mancini; and that once effected, there was a convent ready for her, and her own authority and his confessor for the King. Marie, too, would be piqued by the prospect of her cousin's brilliant marriage; and let her hopes be once turned towards a similar establishment, and no unnecessary delay should ensue in finding one for her.

There is a story somewhere of an eastern king, whose delight it was to assemble his subjects in a glittering hall, where they were crowned with roses, and drank the purple wine from cups of gold; but beneath them were caverns and chains. Suddenly, the floor gave way, and the guests were