“Why, at the restoration of Louis XVIII., in 1814. The Marquis du
Vissard, eldest brother of the Chevalier, was created peer of France and
loaded with honors by the king. The brother of Monsieur d’Herbomez was
made a count and receiver-general. The poor banker Pannier died of grief
at the galleys. Boislaurier died without children, a lieutenant-general
and governor of a royal chateau. Messieurs de Champignelles, de
Beauseant, the Duc de Verneuil, and the Keeper of the Seals presented
Madame de la Chanterie to the king. ‘You have suffered greatly for me,
madame la baronne; you have every right to my favor and gratitude,’ he
said to her. ‘Sire,’ she replied, ‘your Majesty has so many sorrows to
console that I do not wish that mine, which is inconsolable, should be
a burden upon you. To live forgotten, to mourn my daughter, and do some
good, that is my life. If anything could soften my grief, it is the
kindness of my king, it is the pleasure of seeing that Providence has
not allowed our long devotion to be useless.’”
“And what did Louis XVIII. do?” asked Godefroid.
“He restored two hundred thousand francs in money to Madame de la
Chanterie, for the estate of Saint-Savin had been sold to pay the costs
of the trial. In the decree of pardon issued for Madame la baronne and
her servant the king expressed regret for the suffering borne in his
cause, adding that ‘the zeal of his servants had gone too far in its
methods of execution.’ But--and this is a horrible thing; it will
serve to show you a curious trait in the character of that monarch--he
employed Bryond in his detective police throughout his reign.”
“Oh, kings! kings!” cried Godefroid; “and is the wretch still living?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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