The Romance of Biography; Chapters on the Strange and Wonderful in Human Life (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1876 Excerpt: ...a corresponding improvement in his moral nature. Meantime, Lasne had ordered the locks and bolts, which made a great noise, to be greased, and the iron-door to be unlocked; saying, he did not see the use of three doors. This order, however, was countermanded on the following day by the acting commissary, who ordered all the doors to be locked and barred as usual. Lasne, who was present, was silent, probably because he felt that to insist would be untimely, and would be sure to compromise him. These things happened in May. On the 31st of May, the acting commissary was a certain M. Belanger; he was an artist, and had formerly been attached to the prince. Upon his arrival he immediately went to the room of the prisoner to wait for the physician, M. Desault. He did not arrive. M. Belanger took out of his portfolio his drawings, to THE TESTIMONY OP IRELAND. 191 amuse the child, and then said, " I should like, sir, to take away one sketch more, if it will not annoy you." "What sketch?" said the Dauphin. "That of your features; this would gratify me, if it did not inconvenience you." "Will it give you pleasure?" said the child, coupling the phrase with a smile. From this sketch, after many years, a bust was executed, and the same likeness was reproduced in the porcelain of Sevres. Desault, the physician, instead of meeting Bellanger, died. Suspicion was excited that he had died by poison, in consequence of his relation to the intrigues for the death of the prince, says one writer; for his escape, says another. It is certain that at this time the chamber of the prince was changed. His physician was changed--Pelletan was appointed, who had never seen the prince before; he insisted that he should have a nurse, and not be left a...