"Your Majesty should know the time," replied Marie Antoinette, archly,
and in an Austrian accent; "is not my Royal Louis the first watchmaker
in his empire?"

The King cast a pleased glance at his repeater, and kissed with courtly
grace the fair hand of her who had made him the compliment. "My Lord
Bishop of Autun," said he to Monsieur de Talleyrand Perigord, who
followed the royal pair, in his quality of arch-chamberlain of the
empire, "I pray you look through the gardens, and tell his Excellency
Doctor Franklin that the King waits." The Bishop ran off, with more
than youthful agility, to seek the United States' Minister. "These
Republicans," he added, confidentially, and with something of a
supercilious look, "are but rude courtiers, methinks."

"Nay," interposed the lovely Antoinette, "rude courtiers, Sire, they may
be; but the world boasts not of more accomplished gentlemen. I have seen
no grandee of Versailles that has the noble bearing of this American
envoy and his suite. They have the refinement of the Old World, with
all the simple elegance of the New. Though they have perfect dignity of
manner, they have an engaging modesty which I have never seen equalled
by the best of the proud English nobles with whom they wage war. I
am told they speak their very language with a grace which the haughty
Islanders who oppress them never attained. They are independent, yet
never insolent; elegant, yet always respectful; and brave, but not in
the least boastful."

"What! savages and all, Marie?" exclaimed Louis, laughing, and chucking
the lovely Queen playfully under the royal chin. "But here comes Doctor
Franklin, and your friend the Cacique with him." In fact, as the monarch