I
leave you. May God be gracious to you, and pardon you. Take care
that He does not punish you for the treachery that you have shown to
me. You swore that you would acknowledge no other king but me, and
yet you have taken your oath to the third king. Farewell! May the
Almighty protect you! We shall see each other, perhaps, in a better
world, and there you will have to give your account to a Judge whom
nothing can mitigate. Be happy, and may the dead sleep in peace!"
[Footnote: The very words of Richemont.--See "Memoires du Duc de
Normandie," p. 243.]
The secretary then heard the forcible closing of a door, and all
became still. After an hour he entered the duke's cabinet, because
the silence troubled him. The old duke sat in his arm-chair, pale,
and gazing with constant looks at the door through which the
stranger had departed. He was reticent the whole day, and in the
night following his valet heard him softly praying and weeping. On
the next morning, August 27th, 1830, on entering the sleeping-room
of his master, he found him dead and already rigid. The duke had
hanged himself at the window of his own room.
The last dependant of the unhappy king, who still bore the name of
the pretender, was dead, as were all his relations, including his
sister, the Duchess d'Angouleme.
But from the dead there came a greeting.
Pages:
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867