I should have hoped that if any
Frenchman could, it would be you!'
'For my part,' observed my mother, 'I am not surprised at the
question not being appreciated by the gens de la robe.'
I saw Eustace look infinitely annoyed at this insult to his friend's
profession, and to make it worse, Gaspard, who had come home that
morning from the palace, exclaimed, having merely caught the word
'honour'--
'Yes, the gens de la robe hate our honour. That is why the King
said, when news of our great victory came, 'Oh, how sorry the
Parliament will be!'
'Did he?' exclaimed my mother. 'Is it true, my grandson?'
'True; yes indeed, Madame ma Grandmere,' replied Gaspard. 'And you
should have seen how all the world applauded him.'
'I would not have applauded him,' said Eustace sadly. 'I would have
tried to teach him that nothing can be of more sad omen for a king
than to regard his Parliament as his enemy.'
'My son,' returned my mother, 'if you must utter such absurdities,
let it not be before this child. Imagine the consequence of his
repeating them!'
'Ah! sighed Darpent, 'it would be well if only, through child lips or
any others, the King and his mother could learn that the Parliament
can heartily rejoice in all that is for the true glory and honour in
justice and in the well-being of her people, and that we love above
all!'
'There,' said I, glad to turn the conversation from the dangerous
political turn it was taking, 'I knew it was merely the language and
not the sentiment of our song that Monsieur Darpent did not
comprehend.
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