Nor were these sceptics
silenced when the gashes in the coat, the dents in the medal, and the
blood of the royal sufferer was pointed out. But upon the whole,
whether true or false, the circumstance materially strengthened the
duke's position; and, on recovery, he began to play the prince in
earnest.
He wrote to the Duchess of Berri, and to 'his sister' the Duchess of
Angouleme. To the latter he offered to prove his identity in the
following manner: 'When in the Temple,' he said, 'our royal mother
and our aunt wrote several lines on a paper, which paper was cut in
halves. One piece was given to you, and when we meet I will produce
its fellow, which has never been out of my possession since our fatal
separation.' The truth of this was never put to the test, for no
answer was deigned to his letter.
At length the state in which the Duke of Normandy lived, the constant
visits of his increasing partisans, and his general proceedings,
attracted the attention of the police; and the heir to the French
throne was made to understand that he stood a likely chance of being
thrown into prison, and brought up to answer for his conduct before
the Court of Assize.
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