The Queens Necklace | Page 5

the precedence."
"You claim precedence over the tokay!" exclaimed all the guests in
chorus.

"Assuredly," returned Cagliostro, calmly; "since it was I who bottled
it."
"You?"
"Yes, I; on the day of the victory won by Montecucully over the Turks
in 1664."
A burst of laughter followed these words, which Cagliostro had
pronounced with perfect gravity.
"By this calculation, you would be something like one hundred and
thirty years old," said Madame Dubarry; "for you must have been at
least ten years old when you bottled the wine."
"I was more than ten when I performed that operation, madame, as on
the following day I had the honor of being deputed by his majesty the
Emperor of Austria to congratulate Montecucully, who by the victory
of St. Gothard had avenged the day at Especk, in Sclavonia, in which
the infidels treated the imperialists so roughly, who were my friends
and companions in arms in 1536."
"Oh," said Count Haga, as coldly as Cagliostro himself, "you must have
been at least ten years old, when you were at that memorable battle."
"A terrible defeat, count," returned Cagliostro.
"Less terrible than Cressy, however," said Condorcet, smiling.
"True, sir, for at the battle of Cressy, it was not only an army, but all
France, that was beaten; but then this defeat was scarcely a fair victory
to the English; for King Edward had cannon, a circumstance of which
Philip de Valois was ignorant, or rather, which he would not believe,
although I warned him that I had with my own eyes seen four pieces of
artillery which Edward had bought from the Venetians."
"Ah," said Madame Dubarry; "you knew Philip de Valois?"
"Madame, I had the honor to be one of the five lords who escorted him

off the field of battle; I came to France with the poor old King of
Bohemia, who was blind, and who threw away his life when he heard
that the battle was lost."
"Ah, sir," said M. de la Pérouse, "how much I regret, that instead of the
battle of Cressy, it was not that of Actium at which you assisted."
"Why so, sir?"
"Oh, because you might have given me some nautical details, which, in
spite of Plutarch's fine narration, have ever been obscure to me."
"Which, sir? I should be happy to be of service to you."
"Oh, you were there, then, also?"
"No, sir; I was then in Egypt. I had been employed by Queen Cleopatra
to restore the library at Alexandria--an office for which I was better
qualified than any one else, from having personally known the best
authors of antiquity."
"And you have seen Queen Cleopatra?" said Madame Dubarry.
"As I now see you, madame."
"Was she as pretty as they say?"
"Madame, you know beauty is only comparative; a charming queen in
Egypt, in Paris she would only have been a pretty grisette."
"Say no harm of grisettes, count."
"God forbid!"
"Then Cleopatra was----"
"Little, slender, lively, and intelligent; with large almond-shaped eyes,
a Grecian nose, teeth like pearls, and a hand like your own, countess--a
fit hand to hold a scepter. See, here is a diamond which she gave me,

and which she had had from her brother Ptolemy; she wore it on her
thumb."
"On her thumb?" cried Madame Dubarry.
"Yes; it was an Egyptian fashion; and I, you see, can hardly put it on
my little finger;" and taking off the ring, he handed it to Madame
Dubarry.
It was a magnificent diamond, of such fine water, and so beautifully cut,
as to be worth thirty thousand or forty thousand francs.
The diamond was passed round the table, and returned to Cagliostro,
who, putting it quietly on his finger again, said, "Ah, I see well you are
all incredulous; this fatal incredulity I have had to contend against all
my life. Philip de Valois would not listen to me, when I told him to
leave open a retreat to Edward; Cleopatra would not believe me when I
warned her that Antony would be beaten: the Trojans would not credit
me, when I said to them, with reference to the wooden horse,
'Cassandra is inspired; listen to Cassandra.'"
"Oh! it is charming," said Madame Dubarry, shaking with laughter; "I
have never met a man at once so serious and so diverting."
"I assure you," replied Cagliostro, "that Jonathan was much more so.
He was really a charming companion; until he was killed by Saul, he
nearly drove me crazy with laughing."
"Do you know," said the Duke de Richelieu, "if you go on in this way
you will drive poor Taverney crazy; he is so afraid of death, that he is
staring at you with all his eyes, hoping you to be an immortal."
"Immortal I cannot say, but one thing