cries of "Vive la nation!" "Vive la roi!" and sounds of music mingled in the air. The president of the national assembly took the same oath, and all the deputies repeated it with one voice. Then Louis XVI. rose and said: "I, King of the French, swear to employ all the power delegated to me by the constitutional act of the State, in2 maintaining the constitution decreed by the National Assembly and accepted by me." The Queen, carried away by the enthusiasm of the moment,3 lifted up the Dauphin in her arms, and showing him to the people, exclaimed, "Behold my son; he unites with me in the same sentiments." At that moment the banners were lowered, the acclamations of the people were heard," and the subjects believed in the sincerity of the monarch, the monarch in the affection of the subjects, and this happy day closed with a hymn of thanksgiving.

The fêtes of the confederation did not end there.8 Sports, illuminations, and balls were given by the city of Paris to the deputies of the departments. A ball took place on the very spot where stood,10 a year before, the Bastille; gratings, fetters, ruins were scattered here and there, and on the door was the inscription, "Ici l'on danse," which contrasted with the ancient destination of the spot. "They danced indeed with joy and security," a contemporary observes, "on the ground where so many tears had been shed; where courage, genius, and innocence

5

1 With one voice, à la fois-2 in, à-3 carried away, etc......moment, entrainée-he unites with me in, il se réunit ainsi que moi danswere lowered, s'abaissèrent-6 were heard, se firent entendre-7 in, à -8 did not end there, se prolongèrent quelque temps encore-9 sports, des joûtes-10 stood, s'élevait.

had so often groaned; where so often the cries of despair had been smothered." At the conclusion of the fêtes, a medal was struck to perpetuate their memory, and each federate returned to his depart

ment.

MIGNET," Histoire de la Révolution Française."

"Is it a gilliflower?" said Charney.

Ma foi," said Ludovic. "I know nothing about it, Signor Conte; all flowers are more or less gilliflowers to me. But since you speak of it, you are rather late in3 recommending it to my mercy. I should have trodden on it long ago without any illwill either to you or to it, had I not remarked the tender interest you take in the little beauty."5

"Oh, my interest," said Charney, a little confused, "is nothing out of the common.'

"Ah, it's all very well; I know all about it,"7 replied Ludovic, trying to wink with a knowing look :8 "a man must have occupation; he must take to9 something; and poor prisoners have little choice. You see, Signor Conte, we have amongst our inmates men who 10 doubtless were formerly important personages-men who had brains," (for it is not small fry 12

5

1 At the conclusion of......, après que......furent terminées. 2 To me, à mes yeux- 3 you are rather late in, vous vous y êtes pris un peu tard pour- had I not remarked, si je ne m'étais aperçuyou, etc......beauty, que vous portez à la belle-6 is nothing out of the common, n'a rien que de très-simple-7 ah, it's all, etc......about it, ta, ta, ta ; je sais ce qui retourne with a knowing look, d'un air entendu- take to, s'attacher à-10 amongst our inmates men who, de nos pensionnaires qui-11 men who had brains, de fines cervelles12 small fry, le fretin.

9

that they bring here); well, now they occupy and amuse themselves at very little cost, I can assure you. One catches flies-there's no harm in that;-another," added he, with a fresh wink of his eye, which he tried to render still more significant-"another, with no end of knives and penknives, carves figures on his deal table, without remembering that I am responsible for the furniture of the place." The Count would have spoken, but he did not give him time. "Some breed canaries and goldfinches; others little white mice. For my part I respect their tastes to such a point, Benedetto Dio! that, I had an enormous and magnificent Angora cat, with long white fur ;2 he would leap and gambol in the prettiest way in the world, and when he took his nap you would have said it was a sleeping muff; my wife made a great pet of him, so did I: well, I gave him away, for that kind of game might have tempted him— and all the cats in the world are not worth the poor captive's mouse!”

"That was very kind of you," Mr. Ludovic," replied Charney, feeling uneasy that he should be thought capable of indulging in such puerilities; "but this plant is for me more than an amusement."

"Never mind, if it but call to remembrance the green boughs under which your mother nursed you' in your infancy. Per Bacco! it may overshadow half the court. Besides, my orders 10 say nothing

1 With no end of, à grands renforts de-2 with long white fur, à longs poils blancs-3 in the prettiest way in the world, le plus gentiment du monde-4 took, faisait-5 my wife made a great pet of him, ma femme en était folle-6 that kind of game, ce gibier-là-7 that was very kind of you, c'est très-bien à vous-8 that he, etc......such, de ce qu'on pouvait lui supposer le goût de semblables - nursed you, vous a bercé-10 my orders, la consigne.

about it, and I shall be blind on that side. If it should grow to a tree, and be capable of assisting you in scaling the wall, that would be quite another thing! But we've time enough to think of that, have we not ?" added he with a loud laugh;3“not that I don't wish you the free air, and full use of your limbs with all my heart; but that must come in time, in due form, with permission from the ruling powers.5 Ah! if you tried to escape from the fortress

4

"What would you do?"

"What would I do, Tonnerre! I would stop your passage if you killed me, or I would have you fired on by the sentinel, with as little pity as if you were a rabbit! That's the order. But touch a leaf of your gilliflower! oh no, no! Put my foot on it! never. I have always considered that man a consummate rascal, unworthy to be a gaoler, who wickedly crushed the spider of a poor prisoner; that was a villanous action, that was a crime!"

Charney felt both affected and astonished at finding so much sensibility in his warder; but for the very reason that 10 he began to esteem him more, his pride persisted in accounting, by some worthy reasons, for the interest he took in the plant.

"My dear Mr. Ludovic," said he, "I thank you for your kind behaviour.12 Yes! I confess it, this

1 I shall be blind on that side, j'ai l'œil fermé de ce côté-là-2 if it should grow to a, qu'elle devienne-3 with a loud laugh, en riant d'un gros rire in due form, d'après la règle-5 the ruling powers, les chefs- I would stop your passage if you killed me, je vous barrerais le passage, dussiez-vous me tuer-7 I would have you fired on, je ferais tirer sur vous--8 my, le-9 felt, se sentit-10 for the very reason that, par cette raison même que-1 in accounting, etc......for, à motiver par des raisons de quelque valeur-12 behaviour, procédé.

plant is to me a source of many interesting philosophical observations. I love to study it in its physiological phenomena ;”—and seeing the gaoler intimate by a movement of his head1 that he listened without understanding, he added-"moreover, the species to which it belongs possesses medicinal virtues, of great service in a somewhat serious indisposition to which I am subject."

This was an untruth; but it would have cost him too much to show himself reduced to the3 strange puerilities of a prison before that man who had just, to some extent, raised himself in his eyes; the only being who approached him, and who therefore now stood to him in place of all mankind.a

"Well, then, Signor Conte, if your plant has rendered you so much service," replied Ludovic, preparing to leave the apartment, "you ought to show more gratitude, and water it sometimes; for if I had not taken care, when bringing you your allowance of water, to moisten it from time to time, la povera Picciola would have died of thirst. Addio, Signor Conte."

“One moment! my good Ludovic," cried Charney, more and more struck at discovering so much instinctive delicacy under so rough an exterior, and almost repenting of having until then misappreciated him: "what! you have been so thoughtful of my pleasures, and yet you never said a word about it!

1 Intimate by a movement of his head, témoigner par un signe de tête-2 of great service, très-favorables-3 reduced to the, descendu jusqu'aux- and who, therefore, now stood to him in place of all mankind, et en qui, pour lui, se résumait aujourd'hui le genre humain -5 when, en-6 at, de-7 so much instinctive, un tel instinct de8 under, etc.. ...exterior, enfermé dans une étoffe grossière.