登陆注册
5386900000114

第114章 REVOLUTION IN THE THEATRE.(9)

The people used always to throng in great masses when this regiment went through its exercises in the Place de la Carrousel. It was a miniature representation of the French guards, with their three-cornered hats and white jackets; and nothing could be more charming than this regiment of blooming boys in their tasteful uniforms, and their little chief, the dauphin, looking at his regiment with beaming eyes and smiling lips.

The enthusiasm of the little soldiers of the Royal Dauphin Regiment for their colonel was so great, that they longed to give him a proof of their love. One day the officers of the regiment came into the Tuileries and begged the king's permission to make a present to the dauphin, in the name of the whole regiment. The king gladly acceded to their request--, and he himself conducted the little officers into the reception-room, where was the dauphin, standing at the side of his mother.

The little colonel hastened to greet them. "Welcome, my comrades, welcome!" cried he, extending his hand to them. "My mamma queen tells me that you have brought me something which will give me pleasure. But it gives me pleasure to see you, and nothing more is needed."

"But, colonel, you will not refuse our present?"

"Oh, certainly not, for my papa king says that a colonel is not forbidden taking a gift from his regiment. What is it?"

"Colonel, we bring you a set of dominoes," said a little officer, named Palloy, who was the speaker of the delegation--" a set of dominoes entirely made out of the ruins of the Bastile."

And taking the wrapper from the white marble box, bound with gold, he extended it to the dauphin, and repeated with a solemn face the following lines:

"Those gloomy walls that once awoke our fear Are changed into the toy we offer here: And when with joyful race the gift you view, Think what the people's mighty love can do." [Footnote: "De ces aff reux cachota, la terreur des Francais, Vous voyez les debris transformes en hoohets; Puissent-ils, en servant aux jeux de votre enfance, Du peuple vous prouver 1'amour et la puissance."

Beauchesne, "Louis XVD. Sa Vie, sou Agonie," etc., vol. iv., p.

396.]

Poor little dauphin! Even when they wanted to do him homage, they were threatening him; and the present which affection offered to the royal child was at the same time a bequest of Revolution, which even then lifted her warning finger, and pointed at the past, when the hate of the people destroyed those "gloomy walls," which had been erected by kingly power.

In his innocence and childish simplicity, the dauphin saw nothing of the sting which, unknown even to the givers, lurked within this gift. He enjoyed like a child the beautiful present, and listened with eagerness while the manner of playing the game was described to him. All the stones were taken from the mantel of black marble in the reception-room of Delaunay, the governor of the Bastile, who had been murdered by the people. On the back of each of these stones was a letter set in gold, and when the whole were arranged in regular order, they formed the sentence: "Vive le Roi, vive la Reine, et M. le Dauphin." The marble of the box was taken from the altar-slab in the chapel. In the middle was a golden relief, representing a face.

"That is my papa king," cried the dauphin, joyfully, looking at the representation.

"Yes," replied Palloy, the speaker of the little company, "every one of us bears him in his heart. And like the king, you will live for the happiness of all, and like him you will be the idol of Prance.

We, who shall one day be French soldiers and citizens, bring to you, who will then be our commander-in-chief and king, our homage as the future supporters of the throne which is destined for you, and which the wisdom of your father has placed under the unshakable power of law. The gift which we offer you is but small, but each one of us adds his heart to it." [Footnote: The very words of the little officer.]

"And I give all of you my heart in return for it," cried the dauphin, with a joyful eagerness, "and I shall take great pains to be good, and to learn well, that I may be allowed to amuse myself with playing dominoes."

And the little fellow fixed his large, blue eyes upon the queen with a tender look, took her hand and pressed it to his lips.

"My dear mamma queen," he said, caressingly, "if I am real good, and study hard, we can both play dominoes together, can't we?"

A sad smile played around the lips of the queen, and no one saw the distrustful, timid look which she cast at the box, which to her was merely the memorial of a dreadful day.

"Yes, my child," she replied, mildly, "we will play dominoes often together, for you certainly will be good and industrious."

She controlled herself sufficiently to thank the boys with friendly words for the present which they had made to the dauphin, and then the deputation, accompanied by the king and the little prince, withdrew. But as soon as they had gone, the smile died away upon her lips, and with an expression of horror she pointed to the box.

"Take it away--oh, take it away!" she cried, to Madame de Tourzel.

"It is a dreadful reminder of the past, a terrible prophecy of the future. The stones of the Bastile, which the people destroyed, lie in this box! And the box itself, does it not look like a sarcophagus? And this sarcophagus bears the face of the king! Oh, the sorrow and woe to us unfortunate ones, who can not even receive gifts of love without seeing them obscured by recollections of hate, and who have no joys that have not bitter drops of grief mingled with them! The revolution sends us storm-birds, and we are to regard them as doves bringing us olive-branches. Believe me, I see into the future, and I discern the deluge which will drown us all!"

同类推荐
  • 洞玄灵宝真灵位业图

    洞玄灵宝真灵位业图

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 船山经义

    船山经义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 寿生经

    寿生经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 论画十则

    论画十则

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上洞玄灵宝天尊说养蚕营种经

    太上洞玄灵宝天尊说养蚕营种经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 只为途中与你相遇

    只为途中与你相遇

    希望有人能够产生共鸣!我愿化身石桥,受那五百年风吹,五百年日晒,五百年雨打。只愿你能经过,再一次看到你!我愿做你悟了的那颗菩提树!从此不再相离!希望共鸣!
  • 浮世烟云

    浮世烟云

    出身天津日伪政府高官家庭的尹宝笙因家中失势而被婆家抛弃。她从小便活得风光无限,实则她知道,自己当不上主角,做不了英雄,不勇敢,也没有思想。她从小只是随顺着命运的波涛,时时寻求庇护,做一棵渺小的墙头草,当一只漂亮的花瓶。只是这一次的抛弃,她好像从梦中惊醒,头一遭想要自立,却碰到一劫——一个地地道道靠女人混迹的小白脸,却暗含阴谋。她欲脱身而不得,被拖入了更深的洪流。在动荡的局势和晦暗难明的博弈中,她这棵墙头草何去何从?却顾所来径,苍苍横翠微。她回首茫然眺望,那苍苍横着的翠微,在暮色里却都如烟云,好似青蒙蒙的一团雾......
  • 名侦探柯南之移动炸弹

    名侦探柯南之移动炸弹

    目前周更,谢绝催更。不许寄刀片,也不能有关小黑屋这种危险的想法。(本书搞笑逗成分为主) 书友群号:933504247
  • 大咖传奇

    大咖传奇

    来到这个世界,燕飞守着破旧的工作室不知所措,未来在哪里,没有人给他答案……“人没有梦想,和咸鱼有什么区别”为了生存,为了证明自己。燕飞从小小的工作室起步,从拍摄表白的微电影做起,不知不觉他已然成为传奇的大咖……【特别说明】本书有商战,生活,影视,歌曲……【温馨提示】本书轻松,搞笑,温情默默……【友情提示】看书请留下饭票(不要想歪了,是推荐票) 聊天群499494987 完本老书《明星班主任》!
  • 绿光(语文新课标课外必读第七辑)

    绿光(语文新课标课外必读第七辑)

    国家教育部颁布了最新《语文课程标准》,统称新课标,对中、小学语文教学指定了阅读书目,对阅读的数量、内容、质量以及速度都提出了明确的要求,这对于提高学生的阅读能力,培养语文素养,陶冶情操,促进学生终身学习和终身可持续发展,对于提高广大人民的文学素养具有极大的意义。
  • 十八岁的时候

    十八岁的时候

    到小镇的时候,张山不够十八岁,青桃一个,还处于混沌初开的年龄,什么事都懵懵懂懂的。无论什么地方,一有水,就活泛了,就有灵性了,小镇也是这样。那时,张山不读书,想写作,想将来成为大师。张山的爹不同意,说:“狗东西,写书屁用。去,读书。”张山不,他爹就用棍子打,打断了三根,没把他打到学校去,相反,他一跳,悄悄到了小镇,成了一个地道的流浪汉……张山拿着信,他的面前又站着吴叶,拿着他的文章,在认真地读着,脸上带着微笑道:“写得真好,你一定会成为作家的。”
  • 神农传承者之位面诊所

    神农传承者之位面诊所

    在位面总部,有一座不受位面法则约束的建筑,但已关门谢客数千年……这日,吴睿终于揭开了神农氏传承千年的黑珠之谜,原来是个独立于五行之外的诊所,可接受治疗宇宙大千位面患者,不仅仅是人族,还有美丽精灵、彪悍蜥蜴、强大神族等等。同时,通过治疗还可以换取各位面的丰富资源,灵药、武器、功法、宠物,一切应有尽有。但其实吴睿的理想很简单,平日里在街头为百姓看看病,偶尔找个富豪压榨一番,有空去各位面到处走走,淘宝、冒险、装逼、踩人,再时常来点奇遇,简直妙不可言。………………新书已经上传,下面有链接《我体内有本山海经》
  • 永恒时空体

    永恒时空体

    永恒风云悟道合道入道写道言道语,看事态人情,度人间烟火生命从来都是自己和自己玩你觉得呢
  • 穿越之我在花朝赚大钱

    穿越之我在花朝赚大钱

    场景1:天空中一道闪电劈了下来,好死不死偏偏劈中了我,整个人一瞬间就被电流贯穿全身,身边的景象伴随着电闪雷鸣而物换星移,斗转星移之间一切都成了定局。没有了现代的高楼大厦;没有了现代的车水马龙;没有了现代的高科技产品!一切都是那么的陌生,稀稀落落的人走在不是那么平整的街道上,所有人都忍不住看向了我,仿佛是在看一只穿了衣服的猴子一般,街道上所有的人都穿着古装,自己仿佛来到了一个古装剧的拍摄现场,只是现场没有导演;没有摄像机;也没有剧组的工作人员。场景2:看着街上熙熙攘攘的人群,看他们的穿着打扮还有房屋街景到是有些唐朝的风格的感觉,但是历史上的唐朝不是以肥为美的吗,这里的人们在相比之下感觉显的有些瘦弱。悠闲的走在不认识的街道上,一个人也不认识,想要拦住一个人想要问下现在是什么朝代,这里是哪里时,所有的人都匆忙起来,三三两两的人都急匆匆的往前跑,不知道他们在议论着什么?在好奇心的驱使下跟着人群一起往前走。走了大约两三分钟的样子,不远处有一个擂台,锣声阵阵响彻云霄。
  • 短发女生的初恋

    短发女生的初恋

    兰詞以为自己这一辈子肯定不会早恋的,可事与愿违,在室友跟闺蜜的影响下,在加上有那么一个人一直对自己那么好,兰詞很难不动心,于是兰詞也进入了早恋的行列!蒋雨宸是一个不爱学习的人,在姑父的强硬态度下,只能转学,本以为是个男生的同桌,居然是个女生,蒋雨宸只能想各种方法给对方道歉,就在这样歉意的相处下,慢慢喜欢上了这个女生……