"At half-past eight, the door of the anteroom opened: the Queen appeared
first, leading her Son by the hand; then Madame Royale and Madame
Elizabeth: they all flung themselves into the arms of the King. Silence
reigned for some minutes; interrupted only by sobs. The Queen made a
movement to lead his Majesty towards the inner room where M. Edgeworth
was waiting unknown to them: 'No,' said the King, 'let us go into the
dining-room; it is there only that I can see you.' They entered there; I
shut the door of it, which was of glass. The King sat down, the Queen on
his left hand, Madame Elizabeth on his right, Madame Royale almost in
front; the young Prince remained standing between his Father's legs.
They all leaned toward him, and often held him embraced. This scene of
woe lasted an hour and three-quarters; during which we could hear
nothing; we could see only that always when the King spoke, the sobbings
of the Princesses redoubled, continued for some minutes; and that then
the King began again to speak."
And so our meetings and our partings do now end! The sorrows we gave
each other; the poor joys we faithfully shared, and all our lovings and
our sufferings, and confused toilings under the earthly Sun, are over.
Thou good soul, I shall never, never through all ages of Time, see thee
any more!
Never! O Reader, knowest thou that hard word?
For nearly two hours this agony lasts; then they tear themselves
asunder. "Promise that you will see us on the morrow." He promises: Ah
yes, yes; yet once; and go now, ye loved ones; cry to God for yourselves
and me! It was a hard scene, but it is over. He will not see them on the
morrow. The Queen, in passing through the anteroom, glanced at the
Cerberus Municipals; and, with woman's vehemence, said through her
tears, "_Vous êtes tous des scélérats!_" ("You are all scoundrels!")
King Louis slept sound, till five in the morning, when Cléry, as he had
been ordered, awoke him. Cléry dressed his hair. While this went
forward, Louis took a ring from his watch, and kept trying it on his
finger: it was his wedding-ring, which he is now to return to the Queen
as a mute farewell. At half-past six, he took the Sacrament; and
continued in devotion, and conference with Abbé Edgeworth. He will not
see his Family: it were too hard to bear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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