The evening of that day was a silent and solitary one in the rooms
of the Temple. Their last servants had been taken away from the
royal prisoners, and only Clery, the valet of the king, had been
suffered to remain, to wait upon his master. The next morning,
however, Manuel came to inform the queen that she would be allowed
to have two other women to wait upon her, and gave her a list of
names from which she might choose. But Marie Antoinette, with proud
composure, refused to accept this offer. "We have been deprived of
those who remained faithful to us out of love, and devoted their
services to us as a free gift, and we will not supply their places
by servants who are paid by our enemies."
"Then you will have to wait upon yourselves," cried Manuel, with a
harsh voice.
"Yes," answered the queen, gently, "we will wait upon ourselves, and
take pleasure in it."
And they did wait upon themselves; they took the tenderest care one
of another, and performed all these offices with constant readiness.
The king had, happily, been allowed to retain his valet, who dressed
him, who knew all his quiet, moderate ways, and who arranged every
thing for the king in the little study at the Temple, as he had been
accustomed to do in the grand cabinet at Versailles. The ladies
waited upon themselves, and Marie Antoinette undertook the task of
dressing and undressing the dauphin.
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