is speech mildly, although with some
precipitation, as if anxious to finish; and when he came to the sentence
which, under a modified form, contained a royal menace,[20] he
accentuated it with more affectation than energy. As he placed his hand
upon the passage, his hat fell; the Duke d'Orleans raised and presented
it to him, respectfully bending his knee. Amongst the Deputies, the
acclamations of the right-hand party were more loud than joyful, and it
was difficult to decide whether the silence of the rest of the Chamber
proceeded from sadness or apathy. Fifteen days later, at the Chamber of
Deputies, and in the midst of the secret committee in which the address
was discussed, in that vast hall, void of spectators, M. de Polignac was
on his bench, motionless, and little attended even by his friends, with
the air of a stranger surprised and out of place, thrown into a world
with which he is scarcely acquainted, where he feels that he is
unwelcome, and charged with a difficult mission, the issue of which he
awaits with inert and impotent dignity. In the course of the debate, he
was reproached with an act of the Ministry in reference to the
elections, to which he replied awkwardly by a few short and confused
words, as if not thoroughly understanding the objection, and anxious to
resume his seat. While I was in the tribune, my eyes encountered his,
and I was struck by their expression of astonished curiosity. It was
manifest that at the moment when they ventured on an act of voluntary
boldness, neither the King nor his minister felt at their ease; in the
two individuals, in their respective aspects as in their souls, there
was a mixture of resolution and weakness, of confidence and uncertainty,
which at the same moment testified blindness of the mind and the
presentiment of coming evil.

We waited with impatience the address from the Chamber of Peers. Had it
been energetic, it would have added strength to ours. Whatever has been
said, their address was neither blind nor servile, but it was far from
forcible. It recommended respect for institutions and national
liberties, and protested equally against despotism and anarchy.
Disquietude and censure were perceptible through the reserve of words;
but these impressions were dimly conveyed and stripped of all
power. Their unanimity evinced nothing beyond their nullity.
M. de Chateaubriand alone, while signifying his approbation, considered
them insufficient. The Court declared i