774< 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



XVI. ! The jailer himself believed 

 the story, and advanced him money. 

 The wives of two merchants of the 

 towns Saignes and Felize, were ini- 

 tiated in the secret, which soon 

 spread about ; and no one any longer 

 doubted. His figure, his manners — 

 *' You need but see him," exclaim- 

 ed the credulous souls, " to recog- 

 nize him at the very first look." 



All the inhabitants of Chalons, of 

 the privileged orders, were by de- 

 grees made confidants and adherents ; 

 and they all vied with each other in 

 supporting this last ill-fated offspring 

 of their kings. His table was daily 

 served Avith dainties of every de- 

 scription, his rooms were elegantly 

 furnished, masters were given him, 

 the jailer treated him with deference 

 and respe6l ; he was allowed to 

 walk about as often as he pleased, 

 bnt always in the disguise of a fe- 

 male ; in fine, his dungeon was, as 

 it were, metamorphosed into a plea- 

 sure-house. 



Meanwhile the persons who were 

 let into the secret were not suffi- 

 ciently discreet. A word dropped 

 here and there, in the gladness of 

 their hearts, aroused the vigilance 

 ■of the magistrates ; and, after this 

 mastpierade was played two months, 

 Ilcrvagault was made to undergo 

 stricter examinations. With arti- 

 fice and gestures that seem to belie 

 Ms words, he now declared that he 

 ■wajg the son of a taylar at St. Lo. 

 The father was applied to in writing, 

 confirmed the truth of the declara- 

 tion, and the offender was senten- 

 ced to one month's imprisonment. 

 This mild punishment was consider- 

 ed as a vicfory by those who thought 

 they really knew the secret: during 

 Ijis trial, they trembled lest the real 

 origin of the prisoner should not 

 •scape discovery. In order to free 



him from the prying vigilance of the 

 police, they abundantly furnished 

 him with money and jewels, and 

 thus facilitated his retreat. He was 

 very well satisfied with the issue, 

 and now began to act his part at 

 Vire, in the department of Calva- 

 dos. Here he made but a few pro- 

 selytes, was soon arrested again, 

 arid with greater severity doomed 

 to two years' imprisonment. As the 

 inhabitants of Vire only considered 

 him as a young vagabond, he would 

 have passed these two years verj 

 sorrily, had nort his faithful adhe- 

 rents at Chalons continued to sup- 

 port him, on which occasion the 

 consoling Madame Saignes conduct- 

 ed the correspondence. This woman 

 really wished him well, and advis., 

 cd him to apply the time of his con., 

 finement to the improvement of his 

 education ; but he gave way to. 

 drinking, and at the end of two 

 years left the prison worse thaix 

 when he entered. Madame Saignes 

 herself went to fetch him from Vire 

 to Chalons, into the bosom of his 

 faithful and devoted friends. The 

 most splendid preparations were 

 made for his reception. He ar- 

 rived, received congratulations, had 

 flowers strewed at his feet, and was^ 

 treated Avith the most distinguished 

 respect. In short, the horn of 

 plenty was again most copiously 

 poured out on the taylor's son o^ 

 St. Lo. 



When the police discovered these 

 proceedings, his partizans, upon, 

 deliberation, found it expedient to 

 send the dauphin on his travels. His 

 route was so contrived that he every 

 where found conlideHtial friends, 

 who, being previously informed of 

 his supposed high birth, shewed him 

 all the respect due to that exalted 

 Station. He was once at Rheims, 



twiMl 



