alone making this exchange, and told me, she supposed it was agreed on
between myself and M. Vicq-d'Azyr, but that I gave myself very unnecessary
trouble. "Remember," added she, "that not a grain of poison will be put
in use against me. The Brinvilliers do not belong to this century: this
age possesses calumny, which is a much more convenient instrument of
death; and it is by that I shall perish."

Even while melancholy presentiments afflicted this unfortunate Princess,
manifestations of attachment to her person, and to the King's cause, would
frequently raise agreeable illusions in her mind, or present to her the
affecting spectacle of tears shed for her sorrows. I was one day, during
this same visit to St. Cloud, witness of a very touching scene, which we
took great care to keep secret. It was four in the afternoon; the guard
was not set; there was scarcely anybody at St. Cloud that day, and I was
reading to the Queen, who was at work in a room the balcony of which hung
over the courtyard. The windows were closed, yet we heard a sort of
inarticulate murmur from a great number of voices. The Queen desired me
to go and see what it was; I raised the muslin curtain, and perceived more
than fifty persons beneath the balcony: this group consisted of women,
young and old, perfectly well dressed in the country costume, old
chevaliers of St. Louis, young knights of Malta, and a few ecclesiastics.
I told the Queen it was probably an assemblage of persons residing in the
neighbourhood who wished to see her. She rose, opened the window, and
appeared in the balcony; immediately all these worthy people said to her,
in an undertone: "Courage, Madame; good Frenchmen suffer for you, and with
you; they pray for you. Heaven will hear their prayers; we love you, we
respect you, we will continue to venerate our virtuous King." The Queen
burst into tears, and held her handkerchief to her eyes. "Poor Queen! she
weeps!" said the women and young girls; but the dread of exposing her
Majesty, and even the persons who showed so much affection for her, to