248 A FAMOUS NECKLACE.
at
the balcony. The courtiers saw her there, immediately concluded that
she must be in favor with the unacknowledged wife of Louis xiv., and
flocked about her with presents and flattery, hoping in return to
profit by her influence.
By
an equally simple device Madame de la Motte obtained the reputation of
intimacy and influence with Marie Antoinette. She made the acquaintance
of the gate-keeper of the Trianon and was frequently seen stealing away
with ostentatious secrecy from the favorite haunt of the Queen. It was
enough. People believed in her favor, and she was a great woman.
Then
she took another step. She confided to the Cardinal de Rohan that the
Queen longed for the diamond necklace, but had not the money to buy it,
and feared to ask the King for it. Here was a chance for a courtier in
disgrace. The cardinal, acting upon the hint, offered to conduct the
negotiation about the necklace and to lend the Queen some of the money
for its purchase. The Queen apparently
