When within two days’ journey of Barcelona, the Queen was met by a messenger, bearing presents and compliments from the King.  All her household joined her at the same time, being sent on in advance for that purpose, and her Piedmontese attendants were dismissed.  She appeared more affected by this separation than Madame de Bourgogne had been when parting from her attendants.  She wept bitterly, and seemed quite lost in the midst of so many new faces, the most familiar of which (that of Madame des Ursins) was quite fresh to her.  Upon arriving at Figueras, the King, impatient to see her, went on before on horseback.  In this first embarrassment Madame des Ursins, although completely unknown to the King, and but little known to the Queen, was of great service to both.

Upon arriving at Figueras, the bishop diocesan married them anew, with little ceremony, and soon after they sat down to supper, waited upon by the Princesse des Ursins and the ladies of the palace, half the dishes being French, half Spanish.  This mixture displeased the ladies of the palace and several of the Spanish grandees, who plotted with the ladies openly to mark their displeasure; and they did so in a scandalous manner.  Under one pretext or another—­such as the weight or heat of the dishes—­ not one of the French dishes arrived upon the table; all were upset; while the Spanish dishes, on the contrary, were served without any accident.  The affectation and air of chagrin, to say the least of it, of the ladies of the palace, were too visible not to be perceived.  But the King and Queen were wise enough to appear not to notice this; and Madame des Ursins, much astonished, said not a word.

After a long and disagreeable supper, the King and Queen withdrew.  Then feelings which had been kept in during supper overflowed.  The Queen wept for her Piedmontese women.  Like a child, as she was, she thought herself lost in the hands of ladies so insolent; and when it was time to go to bed, she said flatly that she would not go, and that she wished to return home.  Everything was done to console her; but the astonishment and embarrassment were great indeed when it was found that all was of no avail.  The King had undressed, and was awaiting her.  Madame des Ursins was at length obliged to go and tell him the resolution the Queen had taken.  He was piqued and annoyed.  He had until that time lived with the completest regularity; which had contributed to make him find the Princess more to his taste than he might otherwise have done.  He was therefore affected by her ‘fantaisie’, and by the same reason easily persuaded that she would not keep to it beyond the first night.  They did not see each other therefore until the morrow, and after they were dressed.  It was lucky that by the Spanish custom no one was permitted to be present when the newly-married pair went to bed; or this affair, which went no further than the young couple, Madame des Ursins, and one or two domestics, might have made a very unpleasant noise.