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
热门推荐
  • Shadow of Apollo

    Shadow of Apollo

    When her gorgeous stepmother, Sylvia, makes plans to marry Glavcos Kyrou, an older, wealthy Greek gentleman, Jenny can't help but disapprove. Glavcos is domineering and arrogant--and Sylvia is clearly only after his money. Glavcos'son, Daros, is devastatingly handsome--and Jenny falls helplessly in love. But Sylvia is not immune to Daros'undeniable magnetism, and soon she has her eye on the son rather than the father. Sylvia always gets the man she wants--this time, will she take Jenny's?
  • 盐都

    盐都

    这个拥有五千多年厚重历史的“盐都”大宁场,人们曾用“一泉流白玉,万里走黄金”来形容好的昌盛与繁荣。那万灶盐烟翻涌的动人故事,悬棺和古栈道之迷揣存的奇艺幻想,可不是一时半会儿讲得完或用两句话能概括尽的。虽然,那一路的辉煌留下多少传承的史料,但我们还是可以将人们口传的散碎故事做些捡拾,发生在清咸丰年间和同治年间的故事就是其中一个。
  • 花王阁剩稿

    花王阁剩稿

    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。
  • 盛先生持证上岗

    盛先生持证上岗

    姐姐逃婚,她李代桃僵被迫嫁给本该是她姐夫的男人——人人都想攀附的豪门权少。身份败露之后,男人不仅不恼,反而将错就错掳她入室。“说好了让我离开,你怎么说话不算话!”“嗯,我卑鄙。”“你这个奸商!大奸商!””“嗯,我无耻。“”盛少安,你,你一大早想要干什么!““嗯,我还下流。”避雷:女主极度腹黑,前期表里不一,男主绝非善类本文又叫#我的老婆每天都在演戏##原来老婆演技辣么高#
  • 流动的黑金

    流动的黑金

    这部石油题材的小说,给读者展现了一群并不高大完美却让人叹服的石油人,中国的石油人。
  • 爱你是我一生的承诺

    爱你是我一生的承诺

    竹心醉都市言情力作!我愿放弃万众瞩目、星光熠熠的前程,只为与你相生相守!即使我们经历了八年之痛,一度形同陌路,但是我们之间唯一不变的就是——爱情。八年前,热恋中的钟雅慧与江睿阴差阳错的分开,天各一方,成了两条不再相交的平行线。八年后,在浮华璀璨中,两人意外相遇,成了彼此怀念的陌生人。她以为她能控制住心中那汹涌的爱意,却无法抵挡江睿再次投来的关注与爱慕。她以为她能够成全江睿与好友苏楠的幸福,却发现自己才是摧毁一切的源头。江睿的步步紧逼,柏雨泽的殷切希望,对她来说都是无法抵抗的毒药,灼伤了她的灵魂。当江睿寻到了八年前分开的真相,而林默,她的选择是重新幸福,还是彻底遗忘?
  • 红楼的门槛

    红楼的门槛

    “蜗居,裸婚时代”就像是一面镜子,将现实中奔跑的人们的千姿百态,无一例外的展现在人前。而本书《红楼的门槛》也更像是一面娃娃镜,让人们在看见自己的同时,能够真实的感觉到可笑,还有一丝恐惧。 父母都希望自己的女儿嫁个好人家,儿子娶个好媳妇。可是现实却又是矛盾的。本书叙述了一对夫妇对儿子女儿婚姻的态度。儿子奋斗了很久,和城市还是不融洽,还是贫穷的,进入了“三无”行列,“没钱,没房,没车”,父母却希望儿子赶紧找到个好老婆。另一边,希望女儿能够嫁个“有房,有钱,有车,有学历”的男性。可想而知,大多数家长都是这样想的,又怎么能让儿子找到一个不嫌弃自己的善良的女子。这就加深了文章的戏剧性与矛盾冲突。故事的结局,女儿不如父母的愿结了婚,却收获了幸福;儿子如愿的结了婚,却落得悲凉。 道尽人世悲哀。
  • 主播女装真可爱

    主播女装真可爱

    宁易朦长了一张很完美很漂亮的女神脸,还在平行世界里有了新的父母和第一次见的妹妹。……
  • 思考世界的100部学术名著(上)(世界历史回眸经典文库)

    思考世界的100部学术名著(上)(世界历史回眸经典文库)

    从古至今,学术论著不知有多少华章,然思考的世界的且影响今日的又有多少呢?本书收集了中外一百篇思考世界的学术论著,百家齐鸣,百花齐放的壮景,让我们可以站在前人的肩膀上瞻望未来的辉煌!
  • 阴阳师:最好看的妖怪小说

    阴阳师:最好看的妖怪小说

    日本平安时代,世界明暗未分,人鬼妖杂相共处。阴阳师安倍晴明,白衣飘飘,儒雅不羁;武士源博雅腰悬长刀,淳朴耿直。平安京异事频发,妖魅为祸,迷雾重重。看安倍晴明与源博雅,如何洞悉人心之咒,解决一桩桩动人心弦的诡奇事件!