BOOK NINETEENTH. MARIE-THERESE LEAVES THE TEMPLE. Gomin's account of the daughter of Louis XVI-Demands and petitions for the liberation of Marie-Thérèse: re-action in publie opinion-The condition of the Princess is improved-Negociations of Austria for the recovery of Madame Royale-Deliberations in the ConventionA decree passed-Official notes exchanged-Madame de Chantereine at the Temple-The Princess hears of the deaths of her family— Walks in the garden-The Temple goat-Demonstrations of sympathy: M. and Madame Hue-Madame's mode of passing the day at the Temple-Mesdames de Tourzel-Madame de Mackau-Counter-stroke of the 13th Vendémiaire at the Temple-Lemaître condemned to death-Marie-Thérèse examined-Severe orders-The negociations proceed with Austria-M. Carletti-Decree of the Executive Directory upon the exchange of Marie-Thérèse for the prisoners in Austria-M. Bénezech at the Temple-The Directory decides that Madame shall travel incognito-Preparations for the departure-Conversation of M. Bénezech with M. Hue-Madame leaves the Temple-Madame de Soucy M. Méchain and Gomin-Marie-Thérèse's travelling journal, written by herself-Madame at Huningue-The Hôtel du CorbeauFinal negociations-M. Bacher and Baron de Degelmann-Madame's farewell to Huningue: her words on leaving France-M. ReberThe Prince of Gavre-The exchange-Marie-Thérèse at Basle→ Her arrival at Vienna-Presents of the Emperor to the Swiss author. ities-Present of Madame Royale to Gomin. AFTER the death of Madame Elizabeth, Marie-Thérèse continued to occupy the apartments, on the third floor of the tower, that had belonged to her aunt and mother. Nothing had been altered in her room, the description of which we have given in the first volume, pages 265 to 267. Gomin's narrative. "The evening of my arrival at the Temple," said Gomin, "Laurent took me to see the prisoners. I will not speak of what I felt, when for the first time I went up the stairs, impeded by so many wickets. When we reached the secondfloor, before an iron door, 'There is the brother,' said Laurent to me; it used to be their father's room.' After this visit we ascended to the third story, and, as before, found our way blocked by an iron door; Here is the sister; it used to be their mother's room.' We went in: Madame was sitting, on the sofa, against the window, and seemed busied with sewing or embroidery; she did not raise her eyes. Laurent presented me as his colleague; but she answered not a word. "I bowed low as I withdrew, and I have since learned that this departure from the custom of the place had made the Princess take notice of me from the very first. On subsequent days, when I saw her again, I remained before her, keeping a respectful silence, and I do not know any occasion when I addressed her first. During the two or three first days of my instalment there she did not speak to me; but I thought I observed that she examined me attentively, and, as I was afterwards a witness of the marvellous quickness she displayed in discovering the political opinions of certain commissaries, I have no doubt that her glance soon penetrated my heart too, and discerned its sentiments. A bold step I took entirely won for me her good graces. As I was always the last to leave her apartment-having acquired the habit of closing the door myself-one morning, when Laurent and the civic commissary were already on the staircase, and had their backs turned, I gave Madame some paper and a pencil, begging her to write down anything she wished to have. She answered me for the first time: Some chemises, and some matches. "By this means I succeeded in doing her some little service. When times grew gentler, the pencil was rendered less necessary. The Princess did not speak to me before the Gomin's narrative. commissaries, fearful of causing me to be suspected; but while I was going out after them, Madame came quickly behind the door, and spoke a few words to me. It was in this manner that I learned she had neither shoes nor stockings left. Laurent and I had not perceived it, because Madame always took care to keep her dress down, so as to hide her feet. There seemed to be a favourable opportunity for supplying this want that same day. We had, as civic commissary, a man whose good intentions I had already noticed. It was Armand (a lemonade-seller, keeping a café, which bore his name, on the Boulevard du Temple). We arranged with him, my colleague and I, to present our request to the committee of general safety. Both our demands were granted; a packet containing a dozen pair of stockings was sent us, and a person came with a basketful of shoes from a shoemaker, whose shop was situated near Sainte-Elisabeth: Madame selected one pair, but, being encouraged by me, she took a second. Afterwards, when Lasne was my colleague, we had a little more liberty. We were allowed to show more consideration and deference to the Princess; but it may readily be conceived how much reserve and prudence were necessary for the part we had to play; and our own good dispositions were of necessity subjected to what we supposed were the sentiments entertained by the commissaries. Some among them were worthy people enough, but there were also some of a hateful cynicism, who indulged themselves by addressing the Princess as ' Thou,' and speaking brutally to her. "Madame has told me that one of these latter said to her: 'Hast thou any water?' 'I do not know.' 'And who should know? Go and see.' Madame habitually gave no answer; she was always in her place, calm and silent, and frequently her imposing air checked the insult on a municipal's lips. There were some among them who took advantage of each little circumstance that occurred to aggravate her situation. Thus one day they decided to take from her the flint and steel, with the Gomin's narrative. aid of which she procured for herself two things so precious to a captive-fire and light.”* [One of her most painful recollections was that of the nightly rounds made by the commissaries throughout the tower. The gloomy sound of the bolts being drawn, and the threatening voice requiring the door of her room to be opened in the middle of the night, had left a painful impression on her mind. It was after one of these visits that, having no friendly ear to which to confide her feelings, she expressed them in some lines of poetry the original copy of which is in our possession, and which have the merit of showing the serenity, unmixed with bitterness, preserved by the young captive amid her trials.] 66 Madame knew nothing of the events that had deprived her of her most beloved relations. Her young brother, whose last sigh had not reached her, was often the subject of her inquiries. The vague answers she received were not such as *Commune of Paris. "1st Thermidor, 2nd year of the Republic, one, indivisible, and "This day, 1st Thermidor, we, the members of the Commune guard of the Temple, observed that in one of the apartments occupied by the tyrant's daughter there had been a very considerable fire, of which we asked the cause; she replied that, having occasion to wash her feet, she had lighted this fire to heat the water for that purpose. Observing to her that a chair had been burnt from being too near the stove, she replied that that had been done a long time: asking her by what means she had lighted the said fire, she replied, with a tinder-box and its appendages. 66 After this conversation we thought it expedient to take away from her the said articles for the present, and to refer immediately to the citizen national agent, for him to decide as he judges best as to whether the same be restored to her or not. "In consequence whereof we beg the citizen national agent to give his opinion immediately, if possible, and to acquaint us with his decision is the course of the day. "SIMON, "LELIEVRE, "LECLERC. “Members of the Temple Council." (Archives de l'Hôtel-de-Ville.) to re-assure her entirely. Gomin's narrative, Provided they make a good man of him,' she said one day, that is all I ask!' 66 Moreover, Madame's health had not suffered from her long captivity; she had become thoroughly developed, as well in body as in mind, under the breath of misfortune; her height was good; her features, which had been extremely delicate in childhood, had formed into beauty; her eyes were large, and her hair had turned chesnut colour instead of flaxen, which it had formerly been. Though women as well as men then wore their hair cropped (à la Titús) she had kept hers long: she wore it, without powder, in a knot behind; her dress was of puce-coloured silk-it was the only one she had; her head-dress was a handkerchief, tied in a rosette in front. The effect of this négligé was enhanced by the charm of early youth, to which an air of impressive gravity had been given by misfortune." 66 These words of Gomin supply the void occasioned by the modest silence preserved by the daughter of Louis XVI., respecting her own private affairs. Madame Royale," says the Marquis de Pastoret,* "has applied only a few pages to her prison recollections, and those few pages equal the most pious and touching portions of the writings of the Church. So early an orphan, perhaps already condemned to death, she says nothing but what she cannot avoid taking notice of concerning the conduct of others; she excuses, or omits to mention, all that relates to herself, and if the indignation of her heart does sometimes rise higher than her will, it is when the miseries of her mother, or the mortal decay of her brother, was the subjects of her pen. We must remember that this interesting composition was written by her feeble hand at sixteen years of age, without the knowledge of her jailers, in a prison where she had neither fire nor light, and was allowed scarcely any sleep.". "Notice sur Marie-Thérèse de France." Vaton, 1852. |