"But what will befall all those I leave behind?" he inquired.
"Sire," replied Roederer, "it will be easy enough for them to follow you out. As they are in plain dress, they can slip out through the gardens."
"Alas," said the queen, seeing Count Charny waiting for her by the garden gate, with his drawn sword, "I would I had heeded you when you advised me to flee."
The queen's Life Guardsman did not respond, but he went up to the king, and said:
"Sire, will you please exchange hats, lest yours single out your majesty?"
"Oh, you are right, on account of the white feather," said Louis. "Thank you, my lord." And he took the count's hat instead of his own.
"Does the king run any risk in this crossing?" inquired the queen.
"You see, madame, that if so, I have done all I could to turn the danger aside from the threatened one."
"Is your majesty ready?" asked the Swiss captain charged to escort the king across the gardens.
The king advanced between two rows of Swiss, keeping step with him, till suddenly they heard loud shouting on the left.