he equipages of the
marshal, Prince de Neuchatel, who had left court temporarily to be
present at the obsequies of the brave Duke of Montebello.

It was, if I am not mistaken, on arriving at Rambouillet that I learned
the particulars of a duel which had taken place that day between two
gentlemen, pages of his Majesty. I do not recall the subject of the
quarrel; but, though very trivial in its origin, it became very serious
from the course of conduct to which it led. It was a dispute between
schoolboys; but these school-boys wore swords, and regarded each other,
not without reason, as more than three-fourths soldiers, so they had
decided to fight. But for this fight, two things were necessary,--time
and secrecy; as to their time, it was employed from four or five in the
morning till nine in the evening, almost constantly, and secrecy was not
maintained.

M. d'Assigny, a man of rare merit and fine character, was then
sub-governor of the pages, by whom his faithfulness, kindness, and
justice had caused him to be much beloved. Wishing to prevent a
calamity, he called before him the two adversaries; but these young men,
destined for army service, would hear of no other reparation than the
duel. M. d'Assigny had too much tact to attempt to argue with them,
knowing that he would not have been obeyed; but he offered himself as
second, was accepted by the young men, and being given the selection of
arms, chose the pistol, and appointed as the time of meeting an early
hour next morning, and everything was conducted in the order usual to
such affairs. One of the pages shot first, and missed his adversary; the
other discharged his weapon in the air, upon which they immediately
rushed into each other's arms, and M. d'Assigny took this opportunity of
giving them a truly paternal lecture. Moreover, the worthy sub-governor
not only kept their secret, but he kept his own also; for the pistols
loaded by M. d'Assigny contained only cork balls; a fact of which the
young men are still ignorant.

Some persons saw the 25th of August, which was the fete day of the
Empress, arrive with feelings of curiosity. They thought that from a
fear of exciting the memories of the royalists, the Emperor would
postpone this solemnity to another period of the year, which he could
easily have done by feting his august spouse under the name of Marie.
But the Emperor was not deterred by such fears, and it is also very
probable that he was the only one in the