They went happily on their way, talking, singing, putting up with bad
weather or heat as they did with accidents and laughing at the
stories which all, in turn, had to tell as they rode along.

The group grew in size by the arrival of Bodyguards from the
provinces through which they passed until, at last, the various
parties arrived from all parts of France to enter Versailles on the
day on which their leave expired, and, in consequence, at the moment
of departure of those guards whom they had come to relieve. Then each
of these latter bought one of the ponies brought by the new arrivals,
for which they paid 100 francs, and forming fresh groups they took to
the road for their paternal châteaux, where they turned the horses
out to grass for nine months, until they were taken back to
Versailles and handed over to other comrades-in-arms.

My father, then, was a close friend of M. Certain de La Coste, who
shared the same quarters and belonged, like him, to the company de
Noailles. On their return to the country they saw much of each
other, and he made the acquaintance of Mlle. Du Puy. Mlle. Du Puy was
pretty and high spirited, and although she would have little in the
way of dowry, and although several rich matches were offered to my
father, he preferred Mlle. Du Puy, and he married her in 1776.

We were four brothers: the eldest Adolphe, myself the second,
Théodore the third and Félix the last. There was a gap of about two
years between our ages.

I was very sturdy and suffered only some minor illnesses, but when
I was about three, I had an accident which I can still remember.