One day, the 21st of September, the royal family had returned from
their walk to their sitting-room. The king had taken a book and was
reading; the queen was sitting near him, engaged in some light work;
while the dauphin, with his sister Theresa, and his aunt Elizabeth,
were in the next room, and were busying each other with riddles. In
the open anteroom the two officials were sitting, their eyes fixed
upon the prisoners with a kind of cruel pleasure.
Suddenly beneath their windows were heard the loud blast of trumpets
and the rattle of drums; then followed deep silence, and amid this
stillness the following proclamation was read with a loud voice:
"The monarchy is abolished in France. All official documents will be
dated from the first year of the republic. The national seal will be
encircled by the words, 'Republic of France.' The national coat-of-
arms will be a woman sitting upon a bundle of weapons, and holding
in her hand a lance tipped with a liberty-cap."
The two officials had fixed their eyes upon the king and queen, from
whose heads the crown had just fallen. They wanted to read, with
their crafty and malicious eyes, the impression which the
proclamation had made upon them. But those proud, calm features
disclosed nothing. Not for a moment did the king raise his eyes from
the book which he was reading, while the voice without uttered each
word with fearful distinctness.
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