on. Coming to the point at once, he
spoke of that which doubtlessly interested the duchess most, of the
decree of banishment.

"I am familiar," said the king, "with all the pains of exile, and it is
not my fault that yours have not been alleviated." He assured her that
this decree of banishment against the Bonaparte family was a heavy
burden on his heart; he went so far as to excuse himself for it by
saying that the exile pronounced against the imperial family was only an
article of the same law which the conventionists had abolished, and the
renewal of which had been so vehemently demanded by the country! Thus it
had seemed as though he had uttered a new decree of banishment, while in
point of fact he had only renewed a law that had already existed under
the consulate of Napoleon. "But," continued the king with exultation,
"the time is no longer distant when there will be no more exiles; I will
have none under my government!"

Then, as if to remind the duchess that there had been exiles and
decrees of banishment at all times, also under the republic, the
consulate, and the kingdom, he spoke of his own exile, of the needy and
humiliating situation in which he had found himself, and which had
compelled him to hire himself out as a teacher and give instruction for
a paltry consideration.

The duchess had listened to the king with a gentle smile, and replied
that she knew the story of his exile, and that it did him honor.

Then the duchess informed the king that her son had accompanied her on
her journey, and was now with her in Paris; she also told him that her
son, in his glowing enthusiasm for his country, had written to the king,
begging that he might be permitted to enter the army.

"Lend me the letter," replied Louis Philippe; "Perrier shall bring it to
me, and, if circumstances permit, I shall be perfectly willing to grant
your son's request; and it will also give me great pleasure to serve you
at all times. I know that you have legitimate claims on the government,
and that you have appealed to the justice of all former ministries in
vain. Write out a statement of all that France owes you, and send it _to
me alone_. I understand business matters, and constitute myself from
this time on your _charge d'affaires_[65]. The Duke of Rovigo," he
continued, "has informed me that the other members of the imperial
family have similar claims. It will afford me great pleasure to be of
assistance to all of you, and I shall