"Dear aunt," whispered the dauphin, "is this bad man the good friend who—"
"Hush!" whispered Madame Elizabeth, "hush! Madame Tison is listening."
And, in fact, at the glass-door, which led from the sleeping-room to the little corridor, stood Madame Tison, looking with sharp, searching glances into the chamber.
After the princesses had left the room, Toulan approached still closer to the queen, and taking a cigar from his breast-pocket, he handed it to the queen. "Take it, madame," he said, "and do me the honor of smoking a duet with me!"
"I do not smoke, sir," replied the queen, coolly and calmly. "I beg you to go into the anteroom. The Convention has not, so far as I understand, ordered the officers of the guard to tarry in my sitting-room."
"The Convention has not ordered it, nor has it forbidden it. So I remain!"
He took a chair, seated himself in the middle of the room, and rolled out great clouds of smoke, which filled Simon with unspeakable delight when they compelled Marie Antoinette to cough violently.
"Madame Capet, you would not be so sensitive to smoke if you would only join me. I beg you, therefore, to take this cigar."
The queen repeated calmly, "I do not smoke."
"You mistake, madame, you do smoke."