The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 273: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

208 THE STEAM PACKET, o effected. The house of the Bourbons has been plunged into mourning -——a king and a queen have perished upon the scaffold—and the Reign of Terror has succeeded the régime of the monarchy. Father Michel’s family is still in Paris—Albert bent constantly on his vain and fruitless search after Josephine; and Henri and his wife living contented and happy in each other’s society. One morning Albert was wandering along that quay of the Seine which is overlooked by the terrace of the Tuileries, when the con- demned cart approached, on its way to the guillotine * the Place de la Concorde close by. Urged by a natural feeling of curiosity, Albert stood aside to mark the fatal vehicle proceed on its melancholy journey; but his interest was speedily enlisted in the freight which the cart bore for amongst the condemned ones he recognised, to his unfeigned wonder, the stern-looking gentleman who had accompanied M. Tascher’s, daughter on former occasions, and who had uttered those memorable words, ‘‘ Back, fellow—back!”’ He was also the same, be it remembered, who was with that lady on the day when Pierre Michel encountered her in the gardens of the palace, and when the restoration of Albert was promised but as the snare to entrap him into captivity. Albert followed the cart, but could not catch the prisoner’s look. The unhappy man never aided his eyes off the missal which he held in his hand ; and when he suffered himself to be bound to the fatal plank, he planaed neither to the right nor to the left. In. a few moments after that portion of the ceremony, he had ceased to exist. Albert inquired the name of the individual who had just suffered. ‘¢ Alexander Viscount de Beauharnais,” was the answer. “Was he married ?”’ 3 “‘ Yes—and has left a widow and two children. The viscountess is in the prison of the Magdelonettes, and is most probably reserved for the same fate.” ‘‘ Do you know the maiden name of his wife ?’’ demanded Albert the of his informant. “¢ Mademoiselle Tascher,’’ was the reply. “T thought as much—I thought as much!” murmured Albert to himself; and dashing through the crowd, he hurried onward as quickly as possible, to the hospital or prison of the Magdelonettes. Heinquired of the turnkey if the Viscountess de Beauharnais were con- fined there, and learnt that she was. He essayed to obtain access to her, but failed. Day after day, however, did he walk beneath the windows, and endeavour to obtain a glimpse of her countenance - through the dark bars of iron which fenced them. But no—his hopes remained unsatisfied; though his perseverance continued the same, Eomicbooks (E(0)