ST. CLOUD. 151 



adventure, and her fortunate rencontre. Some of the com- 

 pany declared the stranger's face was not unknown to them. 

 However, they all set off towards the church, the king giving 

 his arm to the handsome godmother, and every one exclaiming, 

 " How lucky Jean Paul's wife was to find such a godfather 

 for her child !" 



When the cure arrived at the baptismal font, he was struck 

 by the neglige although distinguished appearance of the god- 

 father who presented himself, and said to his beadle that it 

 was very unusual to see a bourgeois wear a casquette on a 

 similar occasion ; but after all, it did not make much diffe- 

 rence, and the service commenced. 



The king was not the least embarrassed, like many persons 

 in a similar position, in making his responses to the prayers 

 and formalities of the church, and the cure was much edified 

 with his knowledge of the liturgy. One moment the good 

 priest imagined that he recognised the original of a bust 

 placed in the communal hall of the village, but he fancied it 

 could only be an hallucination, or a strange and fantastic 

 resemblance. 



The ceremony terminated, they passed into the small 

 damp sacristy of the village church to sign the document 

 that admitted this child into a Christian communion. 



"What is the name of the godfather?' said the cure", 

 placing his pen upon the table to await an answer. 



The king had not thought of this, and was rather puzzled. 

 What should he do to sustain his incognito 1 How to answer 

 the question of the cure without telling a falsehood 1 and 

 Charles X. had the greatest horror of anything like a false- 

 hood, even in trivial things. What should he say ? If he 

 replied Bourbon Charles, they would immediately know it 

 and yet the cure was waiting. 



" Your name, if you please 1" 



" Le Koi that is it Monsieur le Roi." 



