"Then nothing is wanting," cried Madame de Maine.
"We want Bayonne," said the Prince de Cellamare;—"Bayonne, the door of France."
At this moment D'Avranches entered, announcing the Duc de Richelieu.
"And now, prince, there is nothing wanting," said the Marquis de Pompadour, laughing: "for here is he who holds the key."
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE DUC DE RICHELIEU.
"At last!" cried the duchess, seeing Richelieu enter. "Are you, then, always the same? Your friends cannot count on you any more than your mistresses."
"On the contrary, madame," said Richelieu, approaching the duchess, "for to-day, more than ever, I prove to your highness that I can reconcile everything."
"Then you have made a sacrifice for us, duke," said Madame de Maine, laughing.
"Ten thousand times greater than you can imagine. Who do you think I have left?"