The little hat, which had been placed
sideways upon the high toupet of her powdered head, had dropped upon
her neck; the broad lace cuffs had fallen back from the arms which
lifted the child into the air, and allowed the whole arm to be seen
without any covering above the elbow.
The eyes of the Parisians drank in this spectacle with perfect
rapture, and their shouting arose every moment like a burst of
fanaticism.
"How beautiful she is!" resounded everywhere from the mass. "What a
wonderful arm! What a beautiful neck!"
A deep flush mantled the face of Marie Antoinette. These words of
praise, which were a tribute to the beauty of the woman, awoke the
queen from the ecstasy into which the enthusiasm of her subjects had
transported her. She surrendered the child again to the arms of his
nurse, and sank down quickly like a frightened dove into the
cushions of the carriage, hastily drawing up at the same time the
lace mantle which had fallen from her shoulders and replacing her
hat upon her head.
"Tell the coachman to drive on quickly," she said to the nurse; and
while the latter was communicating this order, Marie Antoinette
turned to her daughter. "Now, Therese," asked she, laughing, "is it
not a beautiful spectacle our people taking so much pleasure in
seeing us?"
The little princess of seven years shook her proud little head with
a doubting, dark look.
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