CHAPTER XXIX.
THE JOURNEY.
The next day being agreed upon for the departure, the king, at eleven o'clock precisely, descended the grand staircase with the two queens and Madame, in order to enter his carriage drawn by six horses which were pawing the ground in impatience at the foot of the staircase.

The whole court awaited the royal appearance in the _Fer-a-cheval_ crescent, in their traveling costumes; the large number of saddled horses and carriages of ladies and gentlemen of the court, surrounded by their attendants, servants, and pages, formed a spectacle whose brilliancy could scarcely be equaled.

The king entered his carriage with the two queens; Madame was in the same with Monsieur.

The maids of honor followed the example, and took their seats, two by two, in the carriages destined for them.

The weather was exceedingly warm, a light breeze, which, early in the morning, all had thought would have been just sufficient to cool the air, soon became fiercely heated by the rays of the sun, although it was hidden behind the clouds, and filtered through the heated vapor which rose from the ground like a scorching wind, bearing particles of fine dust against the faces of the hasty travelers.
Madame was the first to complain of the heat.