328 



AUDUBON 



!,! 



d'Orl^ans is actually the entrance of the Palais-Roy-il, 

 where we often go in the evening, and is watched by many 

 a sentinel. On the right, I saw a large, fat, red-coated 

 man through the ground window, whom I supposed the 

 porter of his Royal Highness. I entered and took ofifmy 

 fur cap, and went on in an unconcerned way towards the 

 stairs, when he stopped me, and asked my wishes. I told 

 him I had an engagement with his master at one, and gave 

 him my card to take up. He said Monseigneur was not 

 in (a downright lie), but that I might go to the ante- 

 chamber. I ordered the fat fellow to have my portfolio 

 taken upstairs, and proceeded to mount the finest staircase 

 my feet have ever trod. The stairs parted at bottom in 

 rounding form of about twenty-four feet in breadth, to 

 meet on the second floor, on a landing lighted by a sky- 

 light, which permitted me to see the beauties of the sur- 

 rounding walls, and on this landing opened three doors, 

 two of which I tried in vain to open. The third, however, 

 gave way, and I found myself in the antechamber, with 

 about twelve servants, who all rose and stood, until I had 

 seated myself on a soft, red-velvet-covered bench. Not a 

 word was said to me, and I gazed at all of them with a 

 strange sensation of awkwardness mingled with my original 

 pride. This room had bare walls, and a floor of black 

 and white square marble flags. A man I call a sergeant 

 d'armes, not knowing whether I am right or wrong, wore 

 a sword fastened to a belt of embroidered silk, very wide; 

 and he alone retained his hat. In a fev/ .ninutes a tall, 

 thin gentleman made his entrance from another direction 

 from that by which I had come. The servants were again 

 all up in a moment, the sergeant took off" his hat, and the 

 gentleman disappeared as if he had not seen me, though I 

 had risen and bowed. A few minutes elapsed, when the 

 same thing occurred again. Not knowing how long this 

 might continue, I accosted the sergeant, told him I came 

 at the request of the Duke, and wished to see him. A 



