Although the spectators were aware that the Queen's colours could not but be victorious, they did not the less enjoy the apparent uncertainty.
Nearly all the agreeable women of Paris were ranged upon the steps which surrounded the area of the tourney.

The Queen, surrounded by the royal family and the whole Court, was placed beneath an elevated canopy.

A play, followed by a ballet-pantomime and a ball, terminated the fete.
Fireworks and illuminations were not spared.

Finally, from a prodigiously high scaffold, placed on a rising ground, the words 'Vive Louis! Vive Marie Antoinette!' were shown in the air in the midst of a very dark but calm night.
Pleasure was the sole pursuit of every one of this young family, with the exception of the King.

Their love of it was perpetually encouraged by a crowd of those officious people who, by anticipating the desires and even the passions of princes, find means of showing their zeal, and hope to gain or maintain favour for themselves.
Who would have dared to check the amusements of a queen, young, lively, and handsome?
A mother or a husband alone would have had the right to do it; and the King threw no impediment in the way of Marie Antoinette's inclinations.