sed. She insisted; and when
he was firm in his refusal, she placed them in his hat with her own
hands. "Your majesty will have the goodness to take them back," said M.
de La Fayette, "for I shall not touch them." "Well, then," answered the
queen, "I shall find persons less delicate than you." The king entered
his closet, wrote several letters, and gave them to a footman, who
presented them to La Fayette for inspection. The general appeared
indignant that he should be deemed capable of such an unworthy office as
acting the spy over the king's acts; he was desirous that the thraldom
of the monarch should at least preserve the outward appearance of
liberty.

The service of the chateau went on as usual; but La Fayette gave the
pass-word without first receiving it from the king. The iron gates of
the courts and gardens were locked. The royal family submitted to La
Fayette the list of persons whom they desired to receive. Sentinels were
placed at every door, in every passage, in the corridors between the
chambers of the king and queen. The doors of these chambers were
constantly kept open--even the queen's bed was inspected. Every place,
the most sacred, was suspected; female modesty was in no wise respected.
The gestures, looks, and words of the king and queen all were watched,
spied, and noted. They were obliged to manage by stealth some secret
interviews. An officer of the guard passed twenty-four hours at a time
at the end of a dark corridor, which was placed behind the apartment of
the queen's,--a single lamp lighted it, like the vault of a dungeon.
This post, detested by the officers on service, was sought after by the
devotion of some of them; they affected zeal, in order to cloak their
respect. Saint Prix, a celebrated actor of the Theatre Francais,
frequently accepted this post,--he favoured the hasty interviews of the
king, his wife, and sister.

In the evening one of the queen's women moved her bed between that of
her mistress and the open door of the apartment, that she might thus
conceal her from the eyes of the sentinels. One night the commandant of
the guard, who watched between the two doors, seeing that this woman was
asleep, and the queen was awake, ventured to approach the couch of his
royal mistress, and gave her in a low tone some information and advice
as to her situation. This conversation aroused the sleeping attendant,
who, alarmed at seeing a man in uniform close to the royal bed, was
about to call