“At this period the police were in the habit of distributing in the streets songs against ‘Madame Veto,’ as the queen had been called. One of the most infamous of these, as vulgar as it was brutal, had been preserved by Simon.
“One day, for the want of a new torture for the child, Simon resolved to make him sing this obscene song against his mother.
“‘Come along, Capet,’ said he, ‘here is a new song which you must sing to me.’
“He handed the song to the dauphin. The boy saw its meaning, and with all the instincts of a susceptible nature he recoiled from the thought of reviling his mother. He laid it down on the table without saying a word.
“Simon arose in wrath.
“‘I thought I said you must sing.’
“‘I never will sing such a song.’
“‘I declare to you that I will kill you if you refuse to obey me.’
“‘Never!’
“Simon caught up an andiron, and threw it at the child with a force that would have proved fatal had he not missed his aim. His passion then gradually subsided, but the boy refused to sing.