Louis. Now the people were curious to see the queen!
A joyful look passed over the face of the queen as she heard those
cries. For a long time she had not heard such acclaims. Since the
unfortunate 1786, since the necklace trial, they had become more
rare; at last, they had ceased altogether, and at times the queen,
when she appeared in public, was hailed with loud hisses and angry
murmurs.
"The queen! The queen!" sounded louder and louder in the great
square. Marie Antoinette obeyed the cry, entered the great hall, had
the doors opened which led to the balcony, went out and showed
herself to the people, and greeted them with friendly smiles.
But, instead of the shouts of applause which she had expected, the
crowd relapsed at once into a gloomy silence. Not a hand was raised
to greet her, not a mouth was opened to cry "Long live the queen!"
Soon, however, there was heard a harsh woman's voice shouting, "Long
live the Duke d'Orleans! Long life to the friend of the people!"
The queen, pale and trembling, reeled back from the balcony, and
sank almost in a swoon into the arms of the Duchess de Polignac, who
was behind her. Her eyes were closed, and a convulsive spasm shook
her breast.
Through the opened doors of the balcony the shouts of the people
could be heard all the time, "Long live the Duke d'Orleans!"
The queen, still in her swoon, was carried into her apartments and
laid upon her bed; only Madame de Campan remained in front of it to
watch the queen, who, it was supposed, had fallen asleep.
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