One of the revolutionary leaders, who had looked complacently at the
scene, now stood near the queen, and as her eyes met his in calm
defiance, he felt a thrill of pity for her and for the little Dauphin,
and when he saw the perspiration rolling down the boy's forehead from
under the thick woollen cap, he called out roughly:
"Take that cap off the child--don't you see how he sweats?"
The queen's gratified glance thanked him, as she took the cap herself
from the Dauphin's head. While this was occurring, the Mayor of Paris
had entered the outer hall and was quieting the mob, bidding them
disband and leave the palace at once, which they did.
The King sank into a chair, exhausted and agonised, and cried out:
"Where is the queen? Where are the children?" and in a moment the royal
victims were together.
The Dauphin's spirits were never long cast down and now he was bubbling
over with joy.
"Papa," he cried. "Give me a kiss! I deserve it, for I was truly brave
and did not cry or even speak when the people put the red cap on my
head."
The king stooped with a dignity which was almost reverent, kissed the
boy's broad forehead and pushed back his thick golden hair, then turned
to answer a question put by one of the representatives of the people;
several of whom were in the room. And all at once these men gathered
around the little Dauphin, of whose brilliant mind they had heard so
much, and began to question him eagerly on all kinds of subjects,
especially about the boundaries of France, and its division into
departments and districts, and every question he answered quickly.
After each answer he glanced up at his mother inquiringly, and when her
face showed that he had answered correctly, his face beamed with
pleasure, and he enjoyed seeing the astonishment on those faces
crowding around him. One of those present asked:
"Do you sing, too, Prince?"
The Dauphin glanced again at the queen.
"Mamma," he asked, "shall I sing the prayer I sang this morning?"
Marie Antoinette nodded assent and the Dauphin knelt beside her, and
folding his hands and looking up with a sweet look of reverence in his
blue eyes, sang in a clear voice:
"Oh heaven, accept the prayer
I offer here,
Unto his subjects spare
My father dear."
There was absolute silence in the room, while those faces, before so
hard and stern, softened. Then with a single glance at the lovely boy,
who was still kneeling, with a look on his face as if in a happy dream,
one by one, those revolutionists silently left the room.
But even the prayer and the faith of the Dauphin could not longer save
the royal family from their fate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account