152 LIFE OF AUDUBON. 



" The Palais Eoyal of the Duke of Orleans is actually the 

 entrance of the Palais Eoyal, the public walk to which we go 

 almost every evening, and which is guarded by many sentinels. 

 On the right I saw a large, fat, red-coated man, through the 

 ground window, whom I supposed to be the porter of his Eoyal 

 Highness : he opened the door, and I took off my fur cap, and 

 walked in without ceremony. I gave him my card, and re- 

 quested him to send it up-stairs. He said Monseigneur was 

 not in, but I might go into the antechamber, and I ascended 

 one of the finest staircases my feet had ever trod. They parted 

 at the bottom, in a rounding form of about twenty-four feet in 

 breadth, to meet on the second-floor, on a platform, lighted by 

 a skylight, showing the beauties of the surrounding walks, and 

 in front of which were three doors, two of which I tried in vain 

 to open. The third, however, gave way, and I found myself in 

 the outer antechamber, with about twelve servants, who all rose 

 up and stood until I seated myself on a soft, red, velvet-covered 

 bench. Not a word was said to me, and I gazed on the men 

 and place with a strange sensation of awkwardness. The walls 

 were bare, the floor black and white squares of marble, over 

 which a sergeant paced, wearing a broad belt. I waited some 

 minutes, looking on this dumb show, and wondering how long 

 it would last, when I accosted the sergeant, and told him I 

 wished to see the duke, and that I had come here by his order. 

 He made a profound bow, and conducted me to another room, 

 where several gentlemen were seated writing. I told one of 

 them my errand, and he immediately showed me into an im- 

 mense and elegantly-furnished apartment, and ordered my book 

 to be brought up. In this room I bowed to two gentlemen 

 whom I knew belonged to the Legion of Honour, and walked 

 about, examining the fine marble statues and pictures. A 

 gentleman soon entered the room, and coming towards me with 

 an agreeable smile, asked if perchance my name was Audubon. 

 I bowed, and he replied, ' Bless me, we thought you had gone, 

 and left your portfolio. My uncle has been waiting for you 

 twenty minutes ; pray, sir, follow me.' We entered another 

 room, and I saw the duke approaching me, and was introduced 

 to him by his nephew. I do not recollect ever having seen a 

 finer man, in form, deportment, and elegant manners, than 



