nformation, enabled her to render herself very
attractive whenever she wished to do so.

After spending a few days in Paris, she proceeded to Compiegne to
visit the king and queen. Louis and his brother, with Mazarin and a
crowd of courtiers, rode out as far as Chantilly, a distance of nearly
twenty miles, to meet her. Christina also traveled in state,
accompanied by an imposing retinue. Here there was, at that time, one
of the largest and finest structures in France. The castle belonged to
the family of Conde. The opposite cut presents it to the reader as it
then appeared.

The king and his brother, from some freak, presented themselves to her
at first _incognito_. They were introduced by Mazarin as two of the
most nobly born gentlemen in France. Christina smiled, and promptly
replied,

"Yes, I have no doubt of it, since their birthright is a crown."

She had seen their portraits in the Louvre the day before, and
immediately recognized them.

Christina was to be honored with quite a triumphal entrance to
Compiegne. The king accordingly returned to Compiegne, and the next
day, with the whole court in carriages, rode out a few leagues to a
very splendid mansion belonging to one of the nobles at Fayet. It was
a lovely day, warm and cloudless. Anne of Austria decided to receive
her illustrious guest upon the spacious terrace. There she assembled
her numerous court, resplendent with gorgeous dresses, and blazing
with diamonds. Soon the carriage of the Swedish queen drove up, with
the loud clatter of outriders and the flourish of trumpets. Cardinal
Mazarin and the Duke de Guise assisted her to alight. As she ascended
the terrace the queen advanced to meet her.

Though Anne was at first struck with amazement at the ludicrous
appearance of the attire of Christina, she was immediately fascinated
by her conversational tact and brilliance. Some allusion having been
made to the portrait of the king in the Louvre, the queen held out her
arm to show a still more faithful miniature in the clasp of her
bracelet. Anne of Austria had a very beautiful arm, and was very proud
of it. Christina, instead of looking at the bracelet, surveyed the
undraped arm and hand with admiration.

"How beautiful! how beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Never did I see an arm
and hand of such lovely hue and such exquisite symmetry. I would
willingly have made the journey from Rome to Paris to see this arm."

The queen's heart was won, Christina knew it.