ed the new king almost entirely with the friends and servants
of the emperor and of the Duchess of St. Leu. But, in order not to
excite suspicion against these, Hortense now addressed herself to him
with whom she had the slightest acquaintance and whose devotion to the
Orleans family was too well known to be called in doubt by her
undertaking. Hortense therefore addressed herself to M. de Houdetot, the
adjutant of the king, or rather, she caused her friend Mlle. de Massuyer
to write to him. She was instructed to inform the count that she had
come to Paris with an English family, and was the bearer of a commission
from the Duchess of St. Leu to M. de Houdetot.

M. de Houdetot responded to her request, and came to the _Hotel de
Hollande_ to see Mlle. Massuyer. With surprise and emotion, he
recognized in the supposititious English lady the Duchess of St. Leu,
who was believed by all the world to be on the way to Malta, and for
whom her friends (who feared the fatigue of so long a journey would be
too much for Hortense in her weak state of health) had already taken
steps to obtain for her permission to pass through France on her way
to England.

Hortense informed Count Houdetot of the last strokes of destiny that had
fallen upon her, and expressed her desire to see the king, in order to
speak with him in person about the future of her son.

M. de Houdetot undertook to acquaint the king with her desire, and came
on the following day to inform the duchess of the result of his mission.
He told the duchess that the king had loudly lamented her boldness in
coming to France, and the impossibility of his seeing her. He told her,
moreover, that, as the king had a responsible ministry at his side, he
had been compelled to inform the premier of her arrival, and that
Minister Casimir Perrier would call on her during the day.

A few hours later, Louis Philippe's celebrated minister arrived. He came
with an air of earnest severity, as it were to sit in judgment upon the
accused duchess, but her artless sincerity and her gentle dignity
disarmed him, and soon caused him to assume a more delicate and
polite bearing.

"I well know," said Hortense in the course of the conversation, "I well
know that I have broken a law, by coming hither; I fully appreciate the
gravity of this offence; you have the right to cause me to be arrested,
and it would be perfectly just in you to do so!"--Casimir Perrier shook
his head slowly, and replied: "Just