high chair, where she sat with her pretty feet dangling.
"She saw a gorgeous carriage."
"Now listen to me, little one," continued the Queen. "Two gentlemen will shortly be coming here. Whether you do or do not recognise one of them is no matter, but whatever they tell you, that you must do. You will have to sing; I know that you can sing. Whenever they tell you to enter or to depart, to go or to come, you will obey them exactly. Do you understand me? All this will be for your good. This lady and I will help the gentlemen to teach you, and all that we ask in return for our pains is that, for one hour every day, you will sit for madame. You will not consider that any great hardship?"
Pierrette was so much more than satisfied with the bargain that she could have embraced the Queen in the exuberance of her gratitude.
As she was posing for Madame de Lamballe two men entered the room. One was stout, the other tall. At sight of the tall one she exclaimed: "Why! it is———" then stopped herself.
"Well, gentlemen," said Marie Antoinette, "what do you think of her? Was I not right?"
"It is Rose herself!" replied Sedaine.
"A single note, madame," said the other, M. Grévey, "and I shall know if she be as perfectly Monsigny's Rose as she is Sedaine's."
Then, turning to Pierrette, he said to her:—
"Sing the scale after me thus: Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol."
The girl repeated his notes.
"She has a divine voice, madame!" was his verdict.
The Queen clapped her hands and jumped for joy, as she exclaimed:—
"She will gain her dot!"
V.
Of all these gay proceedings I, of course, was ignorant. Ever since Michel's visit I had felt very wretched. I had no further tidings of my friends at Montreuil, and began to think that Pierrette must have quite forgotten me. The regiment remained at Orleans three months, and I had a bad fit of home sickness which affected. my physical health.
One day, in the street, an officer of our company called me to him, and pointing to a huge play-bill, said:—
"Read that, Mathurin."
This is what I read:—
"By order.
"On Monday next will be given a special performance of 'Irene,' the new work of M. de Voltaire, to be followed by 'Rose and Colas,' an operetta by M. Sedaine and M. de Monsigny, for the benefit of Mademoiselle Colombe, of the Comédie Italienne, who will appear in the second piece. Her Majesty the Queen has graciously promised to be present."
"What has that to do with me, my Captain?" inquired I. officer.
"You are a good-looking fellow," said the officer. "I will get you powdered and frizzed out a bit, and station you at the door of the Royal box."
Thus it came to pass that the night of the performance found me in the theatre, resplendent in full uniform, standing upon a blue carpet, and surrounded on all sides by flowers and festoons.
While awaiting the Queen's arrival, I overheard a conversation between M. de Grévey and the manager of the theatre. The latter
