CHAPTER XLV.
TOO GOOD A TEACHER.
Fatigued by the ceremonies of the dauphin's nuptials, and particularlyby the dinner, which was too stately, the king retired at nine o'clockand dismissed all attendants except Duke Vauguyon, tutor of the royalchildren. As he was losing his best pupil by the marriage, havingonly his two brothers to teach, and as it is the custom to rewarda preceptor when education of a charge is complete, he expected arecompense.
He had been sobbing, and now he slipped out a pockethandkerchief andbegan to weep.
"Come, my poor Vauguyon," said the king, pointing to a foot-stool inthe light, while he would be in the shade, "pray be seated, without anyto-do."
The duke sighed.
"The education is over, and you have turned out in the prince royal thebest educated prince in Europe."
"I believe he is."
"Good at history, and geography, and at wood-turning----"
"The praise for that goes to another, sire."
"And at setting timepieces in order. Before he handled them, my clockstold the time one after another like wheels of a coach; but he has putthem right. In short, the heir to the crown will, I believe, be a goodking, a good manager, and a good father of family. I suppose he will bea good father?" he insisted.
"Why, your majesty," said Vauguyon simply, "I consider that as thedauphin has all the germs of good in his bosom, those that constitutethat are in the cluster."
"Come, come, my lord," said the sovereign, "let us speak plainly. Asyou know the dauphin thoroughly, you must know all about his tastes andhis passions----"
"Pardon me, sire, but I have extirpated all his passions."
"Confound it all! this is just what I feared!" exclaimed Louis XV.,with an energy which made the hearer's wig stand its hairs on end.
"Sire, the Duke of Berri has lived under your august roof with theinnocence of the studious youth."
"But the youth is now a married man."
"Sire, as the guide of----"
"Yes, well, I see that you must guide him to the very last."
"Please your majesty."
"This is the way of it. You will go to the dauphin, who is nowreceiving the final compliments of the gentlemen as the dauphinessis receiving those of the ladies. Get a candle and take your pupilaside. Show him the nuptial chamber which is at the end of a corridorfilled with pictures which I have selected as a complete course of theinstruction which your lordship omitted----"
"Ah," said the duke, starting at the smile of his master, which wouldhave appeared cynical on any mouth but his, the wittiest in the kingdom.
"At the end of the new corridor, I say, of which here is the key."
Vauguyon took it trembling.
"You will shake your pupil's hand, put the candle into it, wish himgood-night, and tell him that it will take twenty minutes to reach thebedroom door, giving a minute to each painting."
"I--I understand."
"That is a good thing."
"Your majesty is good enough to excuse me----"
"I suppose I shall have to, but you were making this end prettily formy family!"
From the window the king could see the candle which passed from thehands of Vauguyon into that of his guileless pupil, go the way up thenew gallery, and flicker out.
"I gave him twenty minutes--I myself found five long enough," mutteredthe king, "Alas, will they say of the dauphin as of the second Racine:'He is the nephew of his grandfather.'"