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marie antoinette and her son-第92章

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The whole day Simon was busy with his own thoughts; and engaged in
arranging the furniture; with his mind clearly not on his work。 In
the afternoon he declared that he must go to the Temple again;
because in the upper corridor he had left a chest with some utensils
in it which were his。

〃It seems to me; husband; you are homesick for the Temple;〃 said
Jeanne Marie jestingly; 〃and you are sad because you are no longer
in the old; black walls。〃

〃Yes; I am homesick for the Temple;〃 replied Simon; 〃and that is why
I go there。〃

But he did not take the way to the Temple; but to the city hall; and
rang the bell so violently that the porter dashed to the door to
open it。

〃It is you; citizen;〃 he ejaculated。 〃I thought something must have
happened。〃

〃Something has happened; and I have come to inform the Committee of
Safety;〃 answered Simon; impetuously。

〃Has it met?〃

〃Yes; it is in the little council…chamber。 You will find an officer
at the door; and can let him announce you。〃

Simon strode forward and found the sentinel before the door; who
asked him what his business there was。

〃Go in; citizen; and announce that Simon is here; and brings
important news; of great peril to the state。〃

A minute later; Simon was ushered into the hall in which the Safety
Committee were assembled。 All those stern…faced men of the republic
knew Simon as a faithful and zealous republican; upon whose devotion
they could reckon; and whose fidelity was immovable。

〃I am come;〃 said Simon; slowly; 〃I am come to bring an accusation
against a certain person as a conspirator against the republic; and
a traitor to our liberties。〃

〃Who is it; and what has he done?〃 asked the chairman; with a cold
smile。

〃What has he done? He means to do something; and I mean to prevent
him。 He means to release the wolf's whelp from the Temple。 Who knows
but he may have done so already; for when I left the Temple this
morning; my successor had not come; and little Capet was alone。 Who
is it that is able to release the boy and the two ladies? It is
Toulan; the traitor; the royalist Toulan!〃

〃Toulan!〃 replied Petion; with a shrug。 〃We know very well that
Toulan is a traitor; and that the republic can expect only the worst
from him that he can do。 He was accused once; but escaped merited
punishment by flight; and he has unquestionably gone to Coblentz to
join the tyrant's brothers there。 Our police are watchful; and have
discovered not a trace of him。〃

〃Then allow me to put the police on his track;〃 said Simon;
laughing。 〃Be so good as to send a couple of officers to me
tomorrow; and I will deliver Toulan; the traitor; into their hands。〃




CHAPTER XXVIII。

TOULAN'S DEATH。


The next morning; at the stroke of nine; Toulan; in the garb of a
commissioner; entered the house of the new collector at the Macon
gate。 Simon received him at the door; and conducted him into the
sitting…room。

〃You see;〃 said Toulan; 〃that I am punctual; and I must tell you
that I have been almost too impatient to wait。 I hope you do not
regret your promise; and that you mean to give me the noble present
that you promised me。〃

〃Unfortunately I can not;〃 answered Simon; with a shrug。 〃My wife
insisted on giving you the hair with her own hands; and she has just
gone out。 You will have to wait for her; if you really are anxious
to possess the hair of little Capet。〃

〃Yes; I am anxious to own it;〃 replied Toulan。 〃The hair of my dear
young king will be my most cherished possession; and〃

〃Come; come;〃 interrupted Simon; 〃there you exaggerate。 The gold
salt's…bottle; which the Austrian gave you; is a great deal dearer
to you; is it not? You still have that; have you not?〃

〃Still have it?〃 cried Toulan。 〃I would sooner part with my life
than with this remembrancer of Marie Antoinette!〃

〃Well; then; see which you would rather keep; your life; or the
bottle the Austrian gave you;〃 said Simon; with a laugh; as he
sprang toward the door and opened it Two officials of the Safety
Committee; followed by armed men; entered。

〃Have you heard every thing?〃 asked Simon; triumphantly。

〃Yes; we have heard every thing; and we arrest you; Toulan; as a
traitor。 Take him to the Conciergerie。 The authorities will decide
what shall be done with him further。〃

〃Well;〃 said Toulan; calmly; 〃the authorities will; perhaps; do me
the honor of letting me go the same way that my kingand my queen
have taken; and I shall follow the example of the noble sufferers;
and die for the hallowed cause of royalty。 Let us go; that I may not
longer breathe the air which the blasphemer and traitor Simon has
poisoned。 Woe upon you; Simon! In your dying hour think of me; and
of what I say to you now: You are sending me to death; that you may
live in peace。 But you will find no peace on earth; and if no man
accuses you; your conscience will。 On your dying bed you will see me
before you; and on the day of judgment you will hear my voice;
accusing you before the throne of God as a betrayer and murderer。
May my blood come on your head; Simon!〃

Simon lived to enjoy his freedom and his money only a short time。 At
the expiration of a year he fell into lunacy; which soon made him
attempt his own life。 He died in the Asylum of Bicetre。 His wife
lived till 1821; in a hospital at Paris; and in her dying hour
asserted that little Capet was released in the way above related。

On the next day; there was a great excitement within the Temple; and
the Safety Committee repaired thither in a body。 The lamplighter;
who made his rounds on the evening of the day on which Simon left
the Temple; had asserted that the child that lay upon the mattress
was not the little Capet。 〃He must know this;〃 he said; 〃for he had
seen the child daily when he lighted the lamp in the boy's room。〃

The new keeper; Augustus Lasne; was very much excited at the
communication of the lamplighter; and at dawn of the next day
repaired to the city hall to report the statement。 The Safety
Committee resolved on an immediate investigation of the Temple;
after pledging one another to the deepest secrecy; and enjoining the
same on all the servants at the Temple。

The officials found on the mattress a moaning; feverish boy; in the
garments of the dauphin。 These they recognized as the ones which the
republic had had made a month before for little Capet; but no one
could say whether this child; with a body covered with sores; a
swollen face; and sunken; lustreless eyes; was really little Capet
or not; no one knew whether sickness had so changed his looks that
this stupid; idiotic boy was the one whom they had all known when he
was well; as they saw him joyously flitting around。 First of all
they summoned Doctor Naudin; the director of Hotel Dieu; to examine
the boy。 He appeared without delay; and declared solemnly and
decidedly that this was the same boy whom he had seen there some
days before when he visited Simon's wife; only the English sickness
which afflicted the child had distorted his limbs; while the cutting
off of his hair gave him a changed look; and it was no wonder that
the lamplighter failed to recognize him。

Simon; who was summoned to give evidence; asserted the same thing;
and affirmed that he recognized little Capet in the sick boy; and
that his wife had cut off his hair only the day before。 He brought
the hair as a complete proof of the identity; and it was seen to
agree perfectly with that of the sick child。

Yet some of the officials still doubted; and their doubts were
increased when on the same day the servant of Count Frotte reported
to the Safety Committee that his master had made a sudden and secret
journey; accompanied by a boy; whom the count had treated with great
deference。

This boy might be the dauphin; whom Count Frotte; in conjunction
with Toulan; might have spirited out of the Temple in some secret
way; and who must be followed at all hazards。 At the same time the
government were informed that the Count de St。 Prix had left Paris
in company with a boy; and had taken the road to Germany。

Chazel; a member of the Convention; was sent secretly to Puy to
arrest Frotte and the boy there; and Chauvaine; another member; was
ordered to follow the road to Germany; and; if possible; to bring
back Count St。 Prix。

After a while both of them returned; with nothing accomplished。
Chazel had; indeed; arrested Count Frotte and the boy in Puy; but
the count had given such undeniable proofs that the boy was not the
dauphinhe had summoned so many unimpeachable witnesses from Paris;
who recognized the boy as the son of M。 de Gueriviere; who was in
Coblentz with the princes; that nothing more remained but to release
the count and his comrade。

Chauvaine had not been able to arrest the Count de St。 Prix; and had
only learned that in company with a boy he had crossed the Rhine and
entered Germany。

It was of no use; therefore; to undertake farther investigations;
and the conclusion must be firmly held to that the boy in the
Temple; whose sickness increased from day to day; was the real
Capet; the son of Louis XVI。 The suspicion which had been aroused
must be kept a deep secret; that the royalists should not take
renewed courage from the possibility that the King of France had
been rescued。 'Footnote: Later investigations in the archives of
Paris have brought to light; among other important papers relative
to the flight of the prince; a decree of the National Convention;
dated Prairial 26 (June 14); 1704; which gave all the authorities
orders 〃to follow the young Capet in all directions。〃 The boy who
remained a prisoner in the Temple; died there June 8; 1798; a
complete idiot。'

But the secret investigations; and the efforts to draw something
from Toulan; caused the authorities to postpone his fate from week
to week; from month to month。 On the 20th of January he was arrested
and taken to the Conciergerie; and not till the month of May did the
Convention sentence him to death。 The charge was this: that he had
accepted presents from the Widow Capet; in particular the gold
salt's…bottle; and had made frequent plans to release the Capet
family from prison。

On the same day Madame Elizabeth; the sister of Louis XVI。; was
sentenced to death; on the charge of conducting a correspondence
with her brothers; through the agency of Toulan; having for its end
the release of the royal family。

When the sentence was read to Madame Elizabeth; she smiled。 〃I thank
my judges that they allow me to go to those I love; and whom I shall
find in the presence of God。〃

Toulan received his sentence with perfect composure。 〃The one;
indivisible; and exalted republic is just as magnanimous; is it not;
as the monarchy was in old times; and it will grant a last favor to
one who has been condemned to death; will it not?〃

〃Yes; it will do that; provided it is nothing impossible。 It will
gladly grant you a last request。〃

〃Well;〃 said Toulan; 〃then I ask that I may be executed the same day
and the same hour as Madame Elizabeth; the sister of the king; and
that I may be allowed to remain by her side at her execution。〃

〃Then you have only till to…morrow to live; Citizen Toulan;〃 replied
the presiding offic

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