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guards, glittering with burnished helmets and coats of mail, was gathered there, in military array, to escort the cortege through the Rue Rivoli, the Place de la Bastile, and the Rue de Lyon to the railway station for Marseilles.
An immense crowd of the populace was gathered in the court-yard to witness the departure of the emperor.
A few minutes after five o'clock several officers of the emperor's household descended the stairs, followed immediately by the emperor, with the empress leaning upon his arm. They were followed by several ladies and gentlemen of the court.
As soon as the emperor and empress appeared the air was rent with shouts of “Vive l'empereur,” which burst from the lips of the crowd.
The emperor uncovered his head and waved his hat in response to this cordial greeting.
Then, bidding them adieu, and shaking hands with several of the ladies, he handed the empress into the carriage and took a seat by her side.
The imperial cortege then left the courtyard, passing out through the triumphal arch.
The emperor was in a simple travelling dress, and wore a cap which permitted every expression of his countenance to be distinctly seen.
He was apparently calm, and a smile was upon his lips as he met the ever-increasing enthusiasm of the crowd.
But the eyes of Eugenie were red and swollen, and she could not conceal the tears which rolled down her cheeks.
With one hand she lovingly clasped the hand of the emperor, while with the other she frequently wiped away the tears which would gush from her eyes.
The guards followed the carriage, but did not surround it. The crowd was so great that the horses could only advance on the slow walk.
Consequently the people came up to the very steps of the carriage and many addressed words to the emperor, of sympathy and affection.
It was a very touching scene.
The crowd was immense.
The windows of all the houses, the balconies, the roofs even, along the whole line of
S. M. Betts and Company. Hartford, Conn. 1871.
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