FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   2481   2482   2483   2484   2485   2486   2487   2488   2489   2490   2491   2492   2493   2494   2495   2496   2497   2498   2499   2500   2501   2502   2503   2504   2505  
2506   2507   2508   2509   2510   2511   2512   2513   2514   2515   2516   2517   2518   2519   2520   2521   2522   2523   2524   2525   2526   2527   2528   2529   2530   >>   >|  
r I had received from the King to go and give him an account of the sitting, I thought I ought not to fail in doing so. But instead of giving my brother his family name, I merely said "your Majesty's charge d'affaires at St. Petersburg." The King did me the favour to say that he noticed a reserve in my account, of which he approved. The Queen condescended to add a few obliging remarks to those of the King. However, my office of journalist gave me in this instance so much pain that I took an opportunity, when the King was expressing his satisfaction to me at the manner in which I gave him this daily account, to tell him that its merits belonged wholly to M. d'Aubier; and I ventured to request the King to suffer that excellent man to give him an account of the sittings himself. I assured the King that if he would permit it, that gentleman might proceed to the Queen's apartments through mine unseen; the King consented to the arrangement. Thenceforward M. d'Aubier gave the King repeated proofs of zeal and attachment. The Cure of St. Eustache ceased to be the Queen's confessor when he took the constitutional oath. I do not remember the name of the ecclesiastic who succeeded him; I only know that he was conducted into her apartments with the greatest mystery. Their Majesties did not perform their Easter devotions in public, because they could neither declare for the constitutional clergy, nor act so as to show that they were against them. The Queen did perform her Easter devotions in 1792; but she went to the chapel attended only by myself. She desired me beforehand to request one of my relations, who was her chaplain, to celebrate a mass for her at five o'clock in the morning. It was still dark; she gave me her arm, and I lighted her with a taper. I left her alone at the chapel door. She did not return to her room until the dawn of day. Dangers increased daily. The Assembly were strengthened in the eyes of the people by the hostilities of the foreign armies and the army of the Princes. The communication with the latter party became more active; the Queen wrote almost every day. M. de Goguelat possessed her confidence for all correspondence with the foreign parties, and I was obliged to have him in my apartments; the Queen asked for him very frequently, and at times which she could not previously appoint. All parties were exerting themselves either to ruin or to save the King. One day I found the Queen extremely agitated; she told me she no longer
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   2481   2482   2483   2484   2485   2486   2487   2488   2489   2490   2491   2492   2493   2494   2495   2496   2497   2498   2499   2500   2501   2502   2503   2504   2505  
2506   2507   2508   2509   2510   2511   2512   2513   2514   2515   2516   2517   2518   2519   2520   2521   2522   2523   2524   2525   2526   2527   2528   2529   2530   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

account

 
apartments
 

Easter

 
chapel
 
parties
 

foreign

 
devotions
 

request

 

Aubier

 

perform


constitutional

 
lighted
 

morning

 

received

 

Dangers

 

increased

 

Assembly

 

return

 
celebrate
 
sitting

thought

 
attended
 

relations

 

chaplain

 

strengthened

 
desired
 

people

 

appoint

 
exerting
 

previously


frequently
 
agitated
 

longer

 
extremely
 
obliged
 

communication

 

Princes

 

hostilities

 

armies

 

active


possessed

 

confidence

 

correspondence

 

Goguelat

 
Majesty
 

ventured

 

wholly

 

belonged

 

charge

 

merits