第 65 节
作者:
雨帆 更新:2022-08-21 16:33 字数:9321
me to let all her people go; and to remain with her myself; when we were alone she said to me; 〃The King will come here at midnight。 You know that he has always shown you marks of distinction; he now proves his confidence in you by selecting you to write down the whole affair of Nancy from his dictation。 He must have several copies of it。〃 At midnight the King came to the Queen's apartments; and said to me; smiling; 〃You did not expect to become my secretary; and that; too; during the night。〃 I followed the King into the council chamber。 I found there sheets of paper; an inkstand; and pens all ready prepared。 He sat down by my side and dictated to me the report of the Marquis de Bouille; which he himself copied at the same time。 My hand trembled; I wrote with difficulty; my reflections scarcely left me sufficient power of attention to listen to the King。 The large table; the velvet cloth; seats which ought to have been filled by none but the King's chief councillors; what that chamber had been; and what it was at that moment; when the King was employing a woman in an office which had so little affinity with her ordinary functions; the misfortunes which had brought him to the necessity of doing so;all these ideas made such an impression upon me that when I had returned to the Queen's apartments I could not sleep for the remainder of the night; nor could I remember what I had written。
The more I saw that I had the happiness to be of some use to my employers; the more scrupulously careful was I to live entirely with my family; and I never indulged in any conversation which could betray the intimacy to which I was admitted; but nothing at Court remains long concealed; and I soon saw I had many enemies。 The means of injuring others in the minds of sovereigns are but too easily obtained; and they had become still more so; since the mere suspicion of communication with partisans of the Revolution was sufficient to forfeit the esteem and confidence of the King and Queen; happily; my conduct protected me; with them; against calumny。 I had left St。 Cloud two days; when I received at Paris a note from the Queen; containing these words:
〃Come to St。 Cloud immediately; I have something concerning you to communicate。〃 I set off without loss of time。 Her Majesty told me she had a sacrifice to request of me; I answered that it was made。 She said it went so far as the renunciation of a friend's society; that such a renunciation was always painful; but that it must be particularly so to me; that; for her own part; it might have been very useful that a deputy; a man of talent; should be constantly received at my house; but at this moment she thought only of my welfare。 The Queen then informed me that the ladies of the bedchamber had; the preceding evening; assured her that M。 de Beaumetz; deputy from the nobility of Artois; who had taken his seat on the left of the Assembly; spent his whole time at my house。 Perceiving on what false grounds the attempt to injure; me was based; I replied respectfully; but at the same time smiling; that it was impossible for me to make the sacrifice exacted by her Majesty; that M。 de Beaumetz; a man of great judgment; had not determined to cross over to the left of the Assembly with the intention of afterwards making himself unpopular by spending his time with the Queen's first woman; and that; ever since the 1st of October; 1789; I had seen him nowhere but at the play; or in the public walks; and even then without his ever coming to speak to me; that this line of conduct had appeared to me perfectly consistent: for whether he was desirous to please the popular party; or to be sought after by the Court; he could not act in any other way towards me。 The Queen closed this explanation by saying; 〃Oh! it is clear; as clear as the day! this opportunity for trying to do you an injury is very ill chosen; but be cautious in your slightest actions; you perceive that the confidence placed in you by the King and myself raises you up powerful enemies。〃
The private communications which were still kept up between the Court and Mirabeau at length procured him an interview with the Queen; in the gardens of St。 Cloud。 He left Paris on horseback; on pretence of going into the country; to M。 de Clavieres; one of his friends; but he stopped at one of the gates of the gardens of St。 Cloud; and was led to a spot situated in the highest part of the private garden; where the Queen was waiting for him。 She told me she accosted him by saying; 〃With a common enemy; with a man who had sworn to destroy monarchy without appreciating its utility among a great people; I should at this moment be guilty of a most ill…advised step; but in speaking to a Mirabeau;〃 etc。 The poor Queen was delighted at having discovered this method of exalting him above all others of his principles; and in imparting the particulars of this interview to me she said; 〃Do you know that those words; 'a Mirabeau;' appeared to flatter him exceedingly。〃 On leaving the Queen he said to her with warmth; 〃Madame; the monarchy is saved!〃 It must have been soon afterwards that Mirabeau received considerable sums of money。 He showed it too plainly by the increase of his expenditure。 Already did some of his remarks upon the necessity of arresting the progress of the democrats circulate in society。 Being once invited to meet a person at dinner who was very much attached to the Queen; he learned that that person withdrew on hearing that he was one of the guests; the party who invited him told him this with some degree of satisfaction; but all were very much astonished when they heard Mirabeau eulogise the absent guest; and declare that in his place he would have done the same; but; he added; they had only to invite that person again in a few months; and he would then dine with the restorer of the monarchy。 Mirabeau forgot that it was more easy to do harm than good; and thought himself the political Atlas of the whole world。
Outrages and mockery were incessantly mingled with the audacious proceedings of the revolutionists。 It was customary to give serenades under the King's windows on New Year's Day。 The band of the National Guard repaired thither on that festival in 1791; in allusion to the liquidation of the debts of the State; decreed by the Assembly; they played solely; and repeatedly; that air from the comic opera of the 〃Debts;〃 the burden of which is; 〃But our creditors are paid; and that makes us easy。〃
On the same day some 〃conquerors of the Bastille;〃 grenadiers of the Parisian guard; preceded by military music; came to present to the young Dauphin; as a New Year's gift; a box of dominoes; made of some of the stone and marble of which that state prison was built。 The Queen gave me this inauspicious curiosity; desiring me to preserve it; as it would be a curious illustration of the history of the Revolution。 Upon the lid were engraved some bad verses; the purport of which was as follows: 〃Stones from those walls; which enclosed the innocent victims of arbitrary power; have been converted into a toy; to be presented to you; Monseigneur; as a mark of the people's love; and to teach you their power。〃
The Queen said that M。 de La Fayette's thirst for popularity induced him to lend himself; without discrimination; to all popular follies。 Her distrust of the General increased daily; and grew so powerful that when; towards the end of the Revolution; he seemed willing to support the tottering throne; she could never bring herself to incur so great an obligation to him。
M。 de J…; a colonel attached to the staff of the army; was fortunate enough to render several services to the Queen; and acquitted himself with discretion and dignity of various important missions。
'During the Queen's detention in the Temple he introduced himself Into that prison in the dress of a lamplighter; and there discharged his duty unrecognised。MADAME CAMPAN。'
Their Majesties had the highest confidence in him; although it frequently happened that his prudence; when inconsiderate projects were under discussion; brought upon him the charge of adopting the principles of the constitutionals。 Being sent to Turin; he had some difficulty in dissuading the Princes from a scheme they had formed at that period of reentering France; with a very weak army; by way of Lyons; and when; in a council which lasted till three o'clock in the morning; he showed his instructions; and demonstrated that the measure would endanger the King; the Comte d'Artois alone declared against the plan; which emanated from the Prince de Conde。
Among the persons employed in subordinate situations; whom the critical circumstances of the times involved in affairs of importance; was M。 de Goguelat; a geographical engineer at Versailles; and an excellent draughtsman。 He made plans of St。 Cloud and Trianon for the Queen; she was very much pleased with them; and had the engineer admitted into the staff of the army。 At the commencement of the Revolution he was sent to Count Esterhazy; at Valenciennes; in the capacity of aide…de…camp。 The latter rank was given him solely to get him away from Versailles; where his rashness endangered the Queen during the earlier months of the Assembly of the