"Yes, that state secret, you know."
"Hush, hush!"
"Oh, you needn't be afraid,—I shall be as silent as the grave. Do you recollect now?"
"Yes, I told you that if we could only marry a French prince to the sister of the Queen of Spain, it would be one of the most brilliant of diplomatic triumphs to give the aforesaid queen, for a husband, a prince who offered sufficient guarantees—through his antecedents—that the queen would never have any children. The throne would then pass eventually into the possession of her sister's children, that is to say, into the possession of French princes. A magnificent combination," added the future minister, enthusiastically. "It would be a continuation of the policy of the Great Monarch!"
"Well, the illustration is apt. Profit by it," retorted Ravil, shrugging his shoulders.
"What do you mean?"
"Answer me this: Who are Mlle. de Beaumesnil's only remaining relatives?"
"M. de la Rochaiguë, his sister, and, after them, M. de la Rochaiguë's daughter, who is married and resides in the provinces."
"Exactly; so if Mlle. de Beaumesnil should die without issue—?"
"It is the Rochaiguë family that would inherit the fortune. That is as plain as daylight. But what the devil are you driving at?"