“What have you come for?” she demanded; “you will be useless here while at the Tuileries you will be needed. If you do not go on before, nothing will be ready for our accommodation.”
“Capital idea that,” said the King.
The Queen had spoken in German and the King had replied in English as he did not speak the other tongue though understanding it.
The bystanders held foreign tongues in horror, and they murmured and this swelled to a roar when the square opened and let the coach roll through.
The welcoming speech was made by Billy, Mayor of Paris, who played the King a scurvy trick by repeating his answer: “I always come with pleasure and confidence among my good people of Paris,” without the word “confidence” which spoilt matters, and he was taken to task by the Queen for it.
It was not till ten o’clock that the royal carriage got back to the Tuileries where Weber had done the best he could for them.
Count Provence had gone to Luxembourg Palace.
Weber had located the Royal Family in Countess Lamarck’s rooms, but the comforts were limited. For instance there was no room for Countess Charny at supper and she talked of spending the night in a chair for want of a bed. But knowing the great favor in which the Queen held the countess, they placed a couch for her in the next room to the Queen’s.
The latter shuddered at this for she thought of the count being with his wife, and Andrea saw the emotion.
“There must be some corner for me elsewhere,” said she; “I will go find it.”