登陆注册
5386900000135

第135章 TOULAN.(2)

"And that settles my doubts too," said Lepitre. "I should think two official guards would suffice, for it is plain that she cannot escape. Simon is on the look-out, and it is plain that the she-wolf cannot transform herself into an eagle."

"Well said," laughed Simon; "here we are before the door, let's go in and have our fun."

He dashed the door open noisily, and went into the room with the two men. Two officials were sitting in the middle of the room at the table, and were actively engaged playing cards. Through the open door you could look into the sitting-room of the Capet family. The queen was sitting on the divan behind the round table, clothed in her sad suit of mourning, with a black cap upon her gray locks.

She was busy in dictating an exercise to the dauphin from a book which she held in her hand. The prince, also clad in black and with a broad crape about his arm, sat upon a chair by her side. His whole attention was directed to his work, and he was visibly making an effort to write as well as possible, for a glowing red suffused hia cheeks.

On the other side of the queen sat Madame Elizabeth; near her the Princess Maria Theresa, both busy in preparing some clothing for the queen.

No one of the group appeared to notice the loud opening of the door, no one observed the entering forms, or cast even a momentary glance at them.

But Toulan was not contented with this; he demanded nothing less than that the she-wolf should look at him. He hurried through the anteroom with a threatening tread, advanced to the door of the sitting-room, and stopped upon the threshold, making such a deep and ceremonious bow, and swinging his arm so comically, that Simon was compelled to laugh aloud.

"Madame," cried Toulan, "I have the inexpressible honor of greeting your grace."

"He is a brick, a perfect brick," roared Simon.

Lepitre had gone to the window, and turned his back upon the room; he was perhaps too deficient in spirit to join in the joke. Nobody paid any attention to him; nobody saw him take a little packet from his coat-pocket, and slide it slowly and carefully behind the wooden box that stood beneath the window.

"Madame," cried Toulan, in a still louder voice, "I fear your grace has not heard my salutation."

The queen slowly raised her eyes, and turned them to the man who was still standing upon the threshold. "I heard it," she said, coldly, "go on writing, my son." And she went on in the sentence that she had just then begun to dictate.

"I am so happy at being heard by Madame Veto that I shall have to celebrate it by a little bonfire!"--said Toulan, taking a cigar from his breast-pocket. "You see, my friends, that I am a very good courtier, though I have the honor to be a sans-culottes. In the presence of handsome ladies I only smoke cigars! Hallo! bring me a little fire."

One of the officials silently passed him his long pipe. Toulan lighted his cigar, placed himself at the threshold, and blew great clouds of smoke into the chamber.

The ladies still continued to sit quietly without paying any attention to Toulan. The queen dictated, and the dauphin wrote. The queen only interrupted herself in this occupation, when she had to cough and wipe her eyes, which the smoke filled with tears.

Toulan had followed every one of her movements with an amused look.

"Madame does not appear to take any pleasure in my bonfire!" he said. "Will madame not smoke?"

The queen made no reply, but quietly went on with her dictation.

"Madame," cried Toulan, laughing loudly, "I should like to smoke a pipe of peace with you, as our brown brethren in happy, free America do--madame, I beg you to do me the honor to smoke a pipe of peace with me."

A flash lightened in the eyes which the queen now directed to Toulan. "You are a shameless fellow!" she said.

"Hear that," said Simon, "that is what I call abusing you."

"On the contrary, it delights me," cried Toulan, "for you will confess that it would be jolly if she should smoke now, and I tell you, she will smoke."

He advanced some paces into the room, and made his deep bow again.

"He understands manners as well as if he had been a rascally courtier himself," said Simon, laughing. "It is a splendid joke."

The two princesses had arisen at the entrance of Toulan, and laid their sewing-work aside. A ball of white cotton had fallen to the ground from the lap of one of them, and rolled through the room toward Toulan.

He picked it up, and bowed to the princesses. "May I view this little globe," he said, "as a reminder of the favor of the loveliest ladies of France? Oh, yes, I see in your roguish smile that I may, and I thank you," said Toulan, pressing the round ball to his lips, and then putting it into his breast-pocket.

"He plays as well as the fellows do in the theatre," said Simon, laughing.

"Go into our sleeping-room," said Marie Antoinette, turning to the princesses. "It is enough for me to have to bear these indignities--go, my son, accompany your aunt."

The dauphin stood up, pressed a kiss upon the hand of his mother, and followed the two princesses, who had gone into the adjoining apartment.

"Dear aunt," whispered the dauphin, "is this bad man the good friend who--"

"Hush!" whispered Madame Elizabeth, "hush! Madame Tison is listening."

And, in fact, at the glass-door, which led from the sleeping-room to the little corridor, stood Madame Tison, looking with sharp, searching glances into the chamber.

After the princesses had left the room, Toulan approached still closer to the queen, and taking a cigar from his breast-pocket, he handed it to the queen. "Take it, madame," he said, "and do me the honor of smoking a duet with me!"

"I do not smoke, sir," replied the queen, coolly and calmly. "I beg you to go into the anteroom. The Convention has not, so far as I understand, ordered the officers of the guard to tarry in my sitting-room."

"The Convention has not ordered it, nor has it forbidden it. So I remain!"

同类推荐
  • 江西诗派小序

    江西诗派小序

    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。
  • The Young Forester

    The Young Forester

    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。
  • 毗耶娑问经

    毗耶娑问经

    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。
  • 上清修身要事经

    上清修身要事经

    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。
  • 赌棋山庄词话

    赌棋山庄词话

    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
  • 说话恰到好处,办事水到渠成

    说话恰到好处,办事水到渠成

    这是一个风云激荡的年代,这是一个机会频生、奇迹迭出的时代,这是一个人人都渴望成功的时代,每个人都必须在竞争中求生存,必须在思考和学习中塑造自己。《说话恰到好处,办事水到渠成》让你说话办事,做到不卑不亢,圆滑中有果断,果断中有圆滑,做到“到什么山唱什么歌,见什么人说什么话。”让你的话合乎人心,自然柔和亲近,刚柔并济,逢凶化吉,转难为易,从而促使你办事水到渠成。
  • 衣橱里的女孩

    衣橱里的女孩

    本书改编自一个真实的故事,一个曾备受折磨、被继母锁在衣橱里的女孩,长大之后开始努力改变自己的命运,成为非凡母亲的经历。许多年过去了,她仍然记得继母把她关起来的那个衣橱,她用粗麻布拖把做成最漂亮的布娃娃,并不断告诉自己:“等我长大了,我会有很多孩子。我将尽我所能给他们一切我不曾得到的善待。”她没有忘记过去繁重的家务、殴打和侮辱,也没有忘记祖父对她的侵害。很多年来,“家庭”没有给予她一点温暖。然而,这个非同寻常的女人找到了自己的幸福之路,她与曾经的不幸告别,成了模范母亲。这一令人感慨的见证为我们提供了一个代表勇气和韧劲的榜样,同时也带来了希望。
  • 特警闲妃不安分

    特警闲妃不安分

    2月12,两天,只剩下两天就到情人节,今年的情人节对于竺心来说,是个特别的日子,她要在这一天和相恋七年的男友闵良结婚,虽然一切已经只剩下形式上的走场,可是,她少女的心却依然期待那心动的一刻,见证爱情的真挚,谁都想。阳光温暖和煦,静静穿过马路边嫩绿的树叶间,懒散的徜徉在宽阔的马路上,竺心双手捧住刚刚从婚纱店取来的婚纱合,忍不住俏丽红唇微微上扬,笑出声音来。闵良和她,初中同学开始就默默……
  • 那

    当代诗歌的进程中,70后诗人的山场,随之而来的迅姑崛起,确乎超出了很多人的预枓,不仅诗歌读者感到意外,而且诗歌界内部也感到意外。对冇些诗人来讲.由于70后诗人的登台,原先似乎清晰可辨的当代诗歌发展的脉络变得模糊起来,甚至变得无从把握。原来设想的从始于1970年代的地下诗,延伸到朦胧诗,再转换到第三代诗歌,并进而扩展到后朦胧诗的这一当代诗歌的谱系,本来就在上世纪90年代的诗歌中遭遇了离析,但在诗歌史的评述上似乎还有折中的办法。而70后诗人的星火燎原,则彻底捻灭了人们对修复原先的当代诗歌谱系的动机和可能。
  • 狂傲少夫人

    狂傲少夫人

    新婚两月后,她用手枪对准丈夫的太阳穴,气急败坏地说:“你让开,不然我从你的尸体上踩过去,也要离开这个家。”从公公房中出来,她看着婆婆跪在凛冽的北风中,不屑地对上前求情的丈夫说:“让她跪,我现在还不想让她起来。”小女子如何狂傲对待丈夫婆婆,这其中有怎样的隐情?!
  • 三国神话世界

    三国神话世界

    神话世界,众生万物,皆为气数命数而争夺,争夺天之运,臣之运,道之运,争为人上人,但求长生不死,亦求多苟活一天!全球势力追逐的是生命的进化,追求的是利益!对于重新来过的林牧来说,《神话世界》仍然隐藏着无数宝藏与秘密!======================本书是慢热型,前面介绍比较多,但是后面会好的,作者一直在努力进步!每天两更,会爆发,求收藏!求订阅!书友吹水扣扣群:329975619
  • 仙源之路

    仙源之路

    在2017年的一天,我经历了无法想象的事,我竟然被天上的雷给劈死了。。。。。。
  • 内有萌犬请小心

    内有萌犬请小心

    “你接近我的目的到底是什么?”“一见钟情二见倾心,非你不娶。”“说实话。”“……退婚。”“……”你以为这是一个斗智斗勇的故事,那么你就错了,这是一个自以为聪明实则逗比的总裁来膈应冷面灰姑娘的颠覆版故事。为了退婚,他也是拼了,不惜自黑,以求让对方能够知难而退。结果……退婚对象一脸茫然:“我什么时候多了一个未婚夫,我怎么不知道?”逗比总裁:……那他这忙活半天究竟是在做什么,心好累。掀桌!
  • 佛心领悟:领悟佛学中的人生智慧

    佛心领悟:领悟佛学中的人生智慧

    即心是佛。佛心是什么?佛心就是佛的一切,或者说是佛的精神、要旨。佛心并不仅存于寺院中,更存于日常生活和工作中。本书共分八章,分别是佛心是放下,佛心是宽容,佛心是智慧,佛心是无欲,佛心是平常心,佛心是慈悲,佛心是力量,佛心是随缘。每一章下均设若干节内容,每一节下分“佛陀格言”、“佛学故事”、“佛心领悟”、“佛心慧语”、“佛林百科”等板块内容。本书通俗易懂,抛开了那些令平常人难以读懂的佛学理论,很好地阐释了“佛法本平常”这个主题,使读者可以无障碍地理解佛理、感受佛法。以一颗佛心去看待人间万相,怀一颗佛心去做人做事,你就是佛。
  • 左右一生的10堂心态课

    左右一生的10堂心态课

    心态的好坏可以改变一个人的命运。有什么样的心态,就有什么样的人生。心态不同,左右着不同的人生选择;心态修炼,创造出完美的人生结局。一个人要想幸福,必须首先培养健全的心态。心态是我们唯一能完全掌握的东西,我们要学会控制自己的心态,并且利用积极心态是决定命运的真正主人,它能够从里到外影响一个人一生的命运。积极的心态让人能够积极进取,创造成功;消极的心态却让人消极悲观,永远没有成功的机会。