The account of what I saw will be given elsewhere. I have only one thing to relate, and here it is. As I went through the king's cabinet, where all kinds of papers lay scattered over the floor, all soiled with mud, in the midst of these forgotten, useless papers, condemned to the fire and oblivion, I detected some pages covered with characters which made me tremble. It was the king's writing; that very writing which, twenty-five years before, had often passed under my eyes. A patriot of 1848, as ragged as a former patriot of 1830, kept guard over the king's broken-open desk.
"Comrade," I said to the man, "may I have some of these papers that litter the floor?"
"You can take them," he replied; "they are probably left because they are of no value."
At the first Revolution I had come into possession of a copy of _Christine_ inscribed with the arms of the Duchesse de Berry. At the second, I obtained some old yellow papers that lay on the floor, which I was allowed to take because the sentinel thought they were valueless. It will be noticed that I am not one of the persons who grow rich out of revolutions. True, I do not come under the category of those who are submerged by them. I sail above them, like birds and clouds; then, when the revolutions are over, I direct my flight, not to the side where lie power and fortune, but to the 1 side of justice and faithfulness, even though I should have to follow justice into exile and loyalty through proscription.
But here is a copy of the papers: they themselves will speak better than any notes or commentaries could.
The young princes and their { Six portions, at 90 c. 5.40 tutors { Seven loaves, at 20 c. 1.40
Princesses Louise and Marie { One soup, at at 1.50 and Madame de Mallet. { Two portions 1.80 { Two loaves 0.40
Princesse Clémentine and { One soup, at 1.50 Madame Angelet { One portion, at 0.90 { Two loaves 0.40
Duc de Nemours and M. { Cold meat 1.50 Larnac, who take them to { Entremet 1.50 the college { Two portions 0.80 { Two loaves 0.40 ______ [Extra sugar paid for separately] Total by day, without coffee paid separately 18.50 Extra, 10 c. per portion 1.10 ______ 19.60 25 c. Soup and entremet 1.20 11 S., 13 loaves, 4 portions ______ 20.80