Part 22 (1/2)
”'Heaven kno many sins I have to atone for,' replied the duchess, 'froe of discretion and in adversity, oh, how bitterly do I reproach myself for my past levities!
But,' continued she, 'has Your Majesty really forgiven iven!' exclaiht of God is more acceptable than the one who et and forgive is the language of our Blessed Redeeard to ht to clai and Elizabeth, ill rejoice in the recovery of one of our lost sheep; for we sorely feel the diminution of the flock that once surrounded us!'
”At this token of kindness, the duchess was so much overcome that she fell at the Queen's feet motionless, and it was some time before she recovered
”From the moment of Her Majesty's arrival at Paris from Versailles, she solely occupied herself with the education of her children,-excepting when she resorted to my parties, the only ones, as she had at first determined, which she ever honoured with her attendance In order to discover, as far as possible, the sentieneral invitations, whereby, froracious condescension, she became very popular By these ood esti every exertion, she could not succeed in dispelling the glooaiety
Though treated with ceremonious respect, sheaccustoration of the higher classes of the nobility, the societies theer what they had been Madaular visitors But the reeable company had lost its zest for Marie Antoinette; and she was really becoroup of persons collected together without fearing so
”Indeed, it is a peculiarity which has frouish, the whole conduct and distrust of my royal mistress, that it never operates to create any fears for herself, but invariably refers to the safety of His Majesty
”I had enlarged my circle and made my parties extensive, solely to relieve the oppressed spirits of the Queen; but the very circueneral soon rendered them intolerable to her; for the conversations at last became solely confined to the topics of the Revolution, a subject frequently thefroh I loved my sister-in-law and my nephews, I could not see them without fear, nor could my royal mistress be at ease with the indications as perpetually intruded upon her, even beneath reat body of the people for the propagation of anti-monarchical principles
”My parties were, consequently, broken up; and the Queen ceased to be seen in society Then cos which have clung to her with such pertinacity ever since
”I observed that Her Majesty would often indulge in thebefore the fatal discussion took place in the asse's abdication The daily insolence hich she saw His Majesty's authority deprived forever of the power of accoood of his people gave her es so frequently heaped upon herself; but her ether unutterable, whenever she saw those around her suffer for their attachment to her in her misfortunes
”The Princesse Elizabeth has been fro comforter She still flatters Marie Antoinette that Heaven will spare her for better tionies The pious consolations of Her Highness have never failed to make the most serious impression on our wretched situation Indeed, each of us strives to pour the balm of comfort into the wounded hearts of the others, while not one of us, in reality, dares to flatter herself e all so ardently wish for in regard to our fellow-sufferers Delusions, even sustained by facts, have long since been exhausted Our only hope on this side of the grave is in our all-merciful Redeemer!”
SECTION VII
Editors Commentary:
The reader will not, I trust, be dissatisfied at reposing for a moment from the sad story of the Princesse de Lamballe to hear some ridiculous circuh they form no part of the history, are sufficiently illustrative of the teland to put some letters into the postoffice for the Prince de Conde, and had just returned The fashi+on then in England was a black dress, Spanish hat, and yellow satin lining, with three ostrich feathers for his inscription, 'Ich dien,' (”I serve”) I also brought with me a white satin cloak, trimmed hite fur This crest and motto date as far back, I believe, as the time of Edward, the Black Prince
In this dress, I went to the French opera Scarcely was I seated in the bog, when I heard shouts of, ”En bas les couleurs de d'e to a person in the box, and, having been accustomed to hear and see partial riots in the pit, I paid no attention; never drea that my poor hat and feathers, and cloak, were the cause of the couard very politely knocked at the door of the box, and told me I must either take the I ht particular, or disposed to attract attention by dress The moment, therefore, I found myself thus unintentionally the object of a whole theatre's disturbance, in the first iht off the cloak and hat, and flung them into the pit, at the very faces of the rioters
The theatre instantly rang with applause The obnoxious articles were carefully folded up and taken to the officer of the guard, hen I left the box, at the end of the opera, brought the them on; but I refused thee without either hat or cloak
There were e at the tiain loudly cheeredthe hat and cloak in the carriage, which drove off amidst theto walk in the Tuileries (which I generally did after riding on horseback), the guards crossed their bayonets at the gate and forbadeI asked them why They told me no one was allowed to walk there without the national ribbon
Now, I always had one of these national ribbons about me, from the time they were first worn; but I kept it in the inside of -habit; and on that day, in particular, -habit, the petticoat of which was so very long and heavy that I bought a large quantity to tie roundabout uards for their ilish beau, as as pale as death, and knew I had the ribbon, kept pinching , ”Show it, show it; zounds, madame, show it! We shall be sent to prison! show it! show it!” But I took care to keep my interrupters in parley till a sufficient mob was collected, and then I produced loriously hissed, and would have been uard-house by their officer, but for h the gardens as La Brave Anglaise But ain: unless I wore the ribbon on the outside of my hat, which I never did and never would do
At that time the Queen used to occupy herself ements, that I was every day in a certain part of the Tuileries, Her Majesty, when she heard the shout of La Brave Anglaise!
immediately called the Princesse de La answered in the negative, one of the pages was despatched to ascertain theof the cry The Royal Family lived in so continual a state of alarot into soer arrived, and was already with the Princesse de La the circuraciously observed, ”I aot off so well; but caution her to be more prudent for the future A cause, however bad, is rather aided than weakened by unreasonable displays of contempt for it These unnecessary exciteood”
I was, of course, severely reprih she enjoyed it of all things, and afterwards laughed most heartily