The Merry Past 



act, however, was not done, nor did Conway attempt 

 to take advantage of this momentary, almost in- 

 voluntary, indiscretion. The King came up at this 

 juncture, when the lovely Queen naively said : " I 

 was just showing this young cavalier how violently 

 my heart beat." To which His Majesty sternly 

 replied : " Et il y a bien-fait de -prendre voire 

 parole.^'' 



Napoleon, though in his own way he enjoyed a 

 stag-hunt as much as any of the Bourbons, dispensed 

 with the retinue which accompanied the monarchs 

 of that line in the chase. The individuality of his 

 character showed itself here as in more serious matters, 

 and when he was in the mood for a stag-hunt not even 

 his most intimate friends knew of it till he was ready 

 to start. The grand forester of Fontainebleau and 

 his men were in consequence continually on the alert, 

 as they never knew when the Emperor might appear 

 or his orders arrive for this reason ; even when His 

 Imperial Majesty was staying at Paris or St. Cloud 

 the circuit of the forest was made daily, and a report 

 as to the deer which were harboured within its limits 

 prepared. 



At one time hunting was regularly carried on in 

 the Bois de Boulogne, near Paris, and the Comte 

 d'Artois once ran a stag right into the present Rue 

 Royale. 



As late as 1814 there was hunting almost at the 

 walls of the city. Bagatelle was a favourite rendez- 

 vous, and here the Due de Berri was wont to entertain 

 those ladies who were in at the death of the deer. 



76 



