It was his pleasure to
watch this humiliated royal family, to see them fall day by day, and
hear the curses that accompanied them at every step. He never
appeared in their presence without insulting them, and encouraging
with loud laughter those who imitated him in this.
Some of the officials in charge never spoke excepting with dreadful
abuse of the king, the queen, and the children.
One of them cried to his comrade in presence of Marie Antoinette:
"If the hangman does not guillotine this accursed family, I will do
it!"
When the royal family went down to take their walk in the garden,
Santerre used to come up with a troop of soldiers. The sentries whom
they passed shouldered arms before Santerre; but as soon as he had
passed and the king came, they grounded their arms, and pretended
not to see him. In the door that led into the garden, Rocher, the
turnkey, used to stand, and take his pleasure in letting the royal
family wait before unlocking, while he blew great clouds of smoke
into their faces from his long tobacco-pipe. The National Guards who
stood in the neighborhood used to laugh at this, and hurl all sorts
of low, vile words at the princesses. Then, while the royal
prisoners were taking their walk, the cannoneers used to collect in
the allees through which they wandered, and dance to the music of
revolutionary songs which some of them sang.
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