ich he put on, of gold or silver stuff. The first valet
de chambre took down a short sword which was always laid within the
railing on the King's side. When the King slept with the Queen, this
sword was brought upon the armchair appropriated to the King, and which
was placed near the Queen's bed, within the gilt railing which surrounded
the bed. The first femme de chambre conducted the King to the door,
bolted it again, and, leaving the Queen's chamber, did not return until
the hour appointed by her Majesty the evening before. At night the Queen
went to bed before the King; the first femme de chambre remained seated at
the foot of her bed until the arrival of his Majesty, in order, as in the
morning, to see the King's attendants out and bolt the door after them.
The Queen awoke habitually at eight o'clock, and breakfasted at nine,
frequently in bed, and sometimes after she had risen, at a table placed
opposite her couch.

In order to describe the Queen's private service intelligibly, it must be
recollected that service of every kind was honour, and had not any other
denomination. To do the honours of the service was to present the service
to a person of superior rank, who happened to arrive at the moment it was
about to be performed. Thus, supposing the Queen asked for a glass of
water, the servant of the chamber handed to the first woman a silver gilt
waiter, upon which were placed a covered goblet and a small decanter; but
should the lady of honour come in, the first woman was obliged to present
the waiter to her, and if Madame or the Comtesse d'Artois came in at the
moment, the waiter went again from the lady of honour into the hands of
the Princess before it reached the Queen. It must be observed, however,
that if a princess of the blood instead of a princess of the family
entered, the service went directly from the first woman to the princess of
the blood, the lady of honour being excused from transferring to any but
princesses of the royal family. Nothing was presented directly to the
Queen; her handkerchief or her gloves were placed upon a long salver of
gold or silver gilt, which was placed as a piece of furniture of ceremony
upon a side-table, and was called a gantiere. The first woman presented
to her in this manner all that she asked for, unless the tirewoman, the
lady of honour, or a princess were present, and then the gradation pointed
out in the instance of the glass of water was always observed.