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Updated: May 3, 2025
It was the third morning after the duel, and Goguelat was still in life, when the time came round for me to give Major Chevenix a lesson. At least, he was a man of education; and of the others with whom I had any opportunity of speech, those that would not have held a book upsidedown would have torn the pages out for pipe- lights.
Whilst this strange scene was passing in the shop, the people, hearing that the King was arrested, kept pouring in from all parts. M. de Goguelat, making a last effort, demanded of the dragoons whether they would protect the departure of the King; they replied only by murmurs, dropping the points of their swords.
Among the persons employed in subordinate situations, whom the critical circumstances of the times involved in affairs of importance, was M. de Goguelat, a geographical engineer at Versailles, and an excellent draughtsman. He made plans of St. Cloud and Trianon for the Queen; she was very much pleased with them, and had the engineer admitted into the staff of the army.
"This is murder!" cried the officer. "You wild beasts, you will hear of this to-morrow." As Goguelat was raised and laid upon a stretcher, he cried to us a cheerful and blasphemous farewell. There was never any talk of a recovery, and no time was lost in getting the man's deposition. He gave but the one account of it: that he had committed suicide because he was sick of seeing so many Englishmen.
The King wrote to the Emperor; she told me that she would herself, at midnight, bring the letter which M. de Goguelat was to bear to the Emperor, to my room. During all the remainder of the day the Chateau and the Tuileries were crowded; the illuminations were magnificent.
He nodded his little bob-wigged head at us, and said repeatedly, 'All right, Johnny me comprong. Then Goguelat shook hands with me, embraced me again, and I went out of the room sobbing like an infant. How often have I not seen it, that the most unpardonable fellows make the happiest exits! It is a fate we may well envy them.
Come, child, time to go to by-by. And as I still resisted, 'Champdivers! he said, 'this is weakness. You pain me. 'Ay, off to your beds with you! said Goguelat, and named us in a company with one of his jovial gross epithets. Accordingly the squad lay down in the dark and simulated, what they certainly were far from experiencing, sleep. It was not yet late.
Unfortunately, at the same time that the Queen sent away M. de Goguelat, she still believed that, in a dangerous predicament, requiring great self-devotion, the man might be employed advantageously. In 1791 he was commissioned to act in concert with the Marquis de Bouille in furtherance of the King's intended escape.
Whilst this strange scene was passing in the shop, the people, hearing that the King was arrested, kept pouring in from all parts. M. de Goguelat, making a last effort, demanded of the dragoons whether they would protect the departure of the King; they replied only by murmurs, dropping the points of their swords.
Goguelat and I slept in the same squad, which greatly simplified the business; and a committee of honour was accordingly formed of our shed-mates. They chose for president a sergeant-major in the 4th Dragoons, a greybeard of the army, an excellent military subject, and a good man. He took the most serious view of his functions, visited us both, and reported our replies to the committee.
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