Jeanne de la Motte presents the Cardinal's notes when the time comes to pay, but these are insufficient.

Boehmer complains to the Queen, who tells him that she has neither ordered nor received the necklace.

She has the story of the negotiations repeated for her.

Then follows a coup de théâtre.

On August 15, 1785, the Feast of the Assumption, while the court is awaiting the King and Queen to go to the chapel, the Cardinal de Rohan, who is to officiate, is taken before the King, the Queen, the Minister of the Court Breteuil and the Keeper of the Seals Miromesnil to explain himself.

Rohan produces a letter signed "Marie Antoinette de France".

The King, on reading this, becomes furious that Rohan, a prince étranger, could have let himself be fooled, since royalty do not use surnames.

Rohan is arrested and taken to the Bastille; on the way he sends home a note ordering the destruction of his correspondence.

Jeanne is not arrested until three days later, giving her a chance to destroy her papers.

The police arrest the prostitute Nicole Lequay d'Oliva and Rétaux de Villette, who confesses that he had written the letters given to Rohan in the queen's name, and had imitated her signature.

The noted charlatan Cagliostro is also arrested, although it is doubtful whether he had any part in the affair.

The Cardinal de Rohan accepts the Parlement de Paris as judges.

Pope Pius VI is incensed, since he believes that the cardinal should be tried by his natural judge, i. e. himself.

However, his notes remain unanswered.