FOUNTAIN OF DIANA 



Diana's Fountain, surrounded by the beautiful 

 sculptures of Marsy, Desjardins and Lehongre, 

 was a favourite rendezvous of the court in olden 

 days ; and there, more than elsewhere, the past 

 lingers, imprinted on the place for those who 

 have the faculty to see. For such, Louis XIII 

 rides forth to a phantom chase ; Louis XIV 

 appears in his incomparable pomp ; Louis XV 

 dallies in secluded groves, and Marie-Antoinette 

 plays hide-and-seek among the statues with her 

 light-hearted companions, unconscious of the 

 gathering storm. 



But with the dawn the rustle of silks, the fall 

 of light footsteps, and murmur of voices pass 

 into the whispering of wind-stirred leaves ; the 

 wan procession of shadows fades, and a new day 

 brings fresh crowds of sightseers to Versailles. 



THEODORA DEMON 



214 



