Taking the Bastile (49 page)

When she had returned to her own apartment, Marie Antoinette felt as if an immense burden were weighing 011 her heart. And in fact, whether as a woman or as a queen, she felt that there was nothing stable around her.

The courtiers, anxious with regard to their fortunes, and realising what they could. Relations and friends thinking of emigrating. The proudest woman of them all, Andre. gradually becoming estranged from her in heart and mind. The noblest and the most beloved of all the men who surrounded her. Charny. wounded by her caprice and a prey to doubt. How could this man. who was purity itself, how could this heart, without alloy, kave changed so suddenly? ‘No, he has not yet changed,’ said the queen to herself, sighing deeply, ‘but he is about to change. ‘ He is about to change I Frightful conviction to the woman who loves passionately, insupportable to the woman who loves with pride. Now, the queen loved Charny both passionately and proudly.

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And yet, at that very time, at the time when she felt the consciousness of having acted wrongly, of the evil she had committed, she had still time to remedy it. But the mind of that crowned woman was not a flexible mind. She could not descend to waver, even though she knew she was acting unjustly; had it been towards an indifferent person, she might or would have wished to have shown some greatness of soul, and then she might perhaps have asked for forgiveness. But to the man whom she had honoured with an affection at once so tender and so pure, to him whom she had deigned to admit to a participation La her most secret thoughts, the queen considered it would be degrading to make the slightest concession. From the moment she felt that she was jealous of Andre, she had begun to dwindle morally. The consequence of this in-feriority was her caprice. The consequence of her caprice was anger. The conseq uence of her anger was evil thoughts, which always bring hi their train evil actions.

Charny did not enter into any of the considerations which we have just stated; but he was a man, and he had comprehended that Marie Antoinette was jealous of his wife. There is nothing which so much conduces to direct the attention towards a person as the jealousy with which that person is honoured. Then the person who is suspected reflects. He alternately considers the jealous heart and the person who has caused that jealousy. How is it possible to suppose that a person of expansive heart, of superior intelligence, of legitimate pride, could become agitated for a mere nothing or for anything of trifling value. Why should a woman who is beautiful be jealous ? Why should a woman of the kighest rank and power be jealous? How could it be supposed that, possessing all these advantages, a woman could be jealous for a mere nothing or for anything of trifling value?

Charny knew that Mademoiselle Andre de Taverney had been long a friend of the queen. How, then, was it that she no longer loved her? How was it that Marie Antoinette had all at once become jealous of her? She must, therefore, have discerned some secret and mysterious beauty which M. de Charny had not discovered, and undoubtedly because he had not sought far it. ftke ka4, therefore, felt that Charny might have perceived something in this womaa, and that she, the queen, had lost in the comparison. Or again, she might have believed that

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she perceived that Charny loved her less, without there being any extraneous cause for this diminution of his passion. There is nothing more fatal to the jealous than the knowledge which they thus give to others of the temperature of that heart which they wish to keep in the most fervid degree of heat. Oh I unskilfulness of lovers ! It is, however, true that where much art or adroitness is exercised, there scarcely ever exists a great degree of love.

Marie Antoinette had therefore herself taught Charny to believe, by her own anger and injustice, that his heart was less full of love than formerly. And as soon as he knew this, he endeavoured to account for it, and looking around him, very naturally discovered the, cause of the queen’s jealousy. Andre, the poor, abandoned Andre, who had been a bride, but had never been a wife. He pitied Andre. The scene of the return from Paris had unveiled the secret of this deep-rooted jealousy, so carefully concealed from all eyes. The queen also clearly saw that all was discovered, and as she would not bend before Charny, she employed another method, which, in her opinion, would lead to the same end. She began to treat Andre with great kindness. She admitted her to all her excursions, to all her evening parties; she overwhelmed her with caresses; she made her the envy of all the other ladies of the court. And Andre allowea her to do all this, with some astonishment, but without feeling grateful for it. She had for years said to herself that she belonged to the queen, that the queen could do as she pleased with her, and therefore was it that she submitted to it.

But, on the other side, as it was necsesary that the irritation of the woman should be vented on some one, the queen began to severely illtreat Charny. She no longer spoke to him; she was absolutely harsh to him; she affected to pass evenings, days, weeks, without observing that he was present. The queen imagined she was curing her own wound by wounding Charny. The latter suffered, but was silent. He was a man possessing great self-command, and although suffering frightful torture, he remained, to appearance, perfectly impassible. Andre felt all the sufferings of her husband, and as she loved him with that angehc love which never had conceived a hope, she pitied him, and allowed him to perceive

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she did so. The result of this compassion was, a sweet and tacit reconciliation. She endeavoured to console Charny without allowing him to perceive that she comprehended the need he had of consolation.

Marie Antoinette, who had sought to divide in order to reign, perceived that she had made a false move, and that she was only drawing together two souls by the very means which she had adopted to keep them separate. Then the poor woman, during the silence and the solitude of night, endured the most frightful paroxysms of despair, such as would make us wonder that God had created beings of sufficient strength to support them. And the queen would assuredly have succumbed to so many ills, but for the constant occupation given to her mind by political events. Such were the circumstances under which the queen had been living since the return of the king to Versailles, up to the day when she thought seriously of resuming the absolute exercise of her power. To her energetic mind, to think was to act. She therefore commenced her combinations without losing a moment. Alas ! these combinations which she was then meditating were those which wrought out her perdition.

UNFORTUNATELY, in the queen’s opinion, all the facts which had occurred were merely accidents, which a firm and active hand might remedy. The queen, seeing that the Parisians had so suddenly transformed themselves into soldiers, and appeared to wish for war, resolved on showing them what real war was actually.

‘Up to this time, they have only had to deal with the Invalides, or with Swiss, but ill supported and wavering; we will show them what it is to have opposed to them two or three well-disciplined and royalist regiments. Perhaps there may be a regiment of this description, wliich haf already put to flight some of these rebellious rioters, and has shed blood in the convulsions of civil war. We will have the most celebrated of these regiments ordered here. The Parisians will then understand that their best policy will be to abstain from provocation.’

This was after all the quarrel between the king and thf

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National Assembly with regard to the veto. The king, during two months, had been struggling to recover some tattered shred of sovereignty; he had, conjointly with the administration and Mirabcau, endeavoured to neutralise the republican outburst which was endeavouring to eftace royalty in France.

The queen had exhausted herself in this struggle, and was exhausted above all from having seen the king succumb.

The king in this contention had lost all his power and the remains of his popularity. The queen had gained an additional name, a nickname. She was called Madame Veto. This name was destined in Paris to accompany, in the insensate dancing rings, on days of massacre, the last cries, the hideous agonies of the victims. Marie Antoinette was thenceforth called Madame Veto, until the day when she was to be called the Widow Capet. She had already changed her name three time*. After having been called the Autrickinn, she was next called Mad*m* Deficit.

After the contests in which the queen had endeavoured to interest her friends by the imminence of their own danger, she had remarked that sixty thousand passports had been applied for at the H6tel de Ville. Sixty thousand ef the principal families of Paris and of France had gone off to rejoin in foreign countries the friends and relatives of the queaa. A very striking example, and one which had forcibly struck the quean. And therefore, from that moment she meditated * skilfully concerted flight; a flight supported by armed force should it be necessary; a flight which had for its object safety, after which the faithful who remained in France might carry on the civil war that is to say, chastise the revolutionists. The plan was a bad one. It would assuredly have succeeded; put behind the queen the evil genius was also watching.

Strange destiny 1 that woman, who inspired so many with enthusiastic devotednau. could nowhere find discretion. It was known at Paris that she wished to fly before she had even persuaded herself to adopt the measure. Marie Antoinette did not perceive that from the moment her intention had become known, her plan had become impracticable. However, a regiment, celebrated for its royalist sympathies, the Flanders regiment, arrived at Versailles by forced marches. This regiment had been demanded by the municipal authorities of Versailles, who, tormented by the extraordinary guards, and

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by the strict watch it was necessary to keep around the palace, stood in need oi some other military force than the National Guards and the Militia. The Flanders regiment arrived as we have said : and that it should at once assume the importance with which it was intended to be invested, it was necessary that a brilliant reception should be given to it

The Count d’Estaing assembled all the officers of the National Guard and ail those of the corps then present at Versailles and went out to meet it. The regiment made a solemn entry into Versailles, with its park of artillery and its ammunition wagons. Around this group, which then became central, assembled a crowd of young gentlemen, who did not belong to any regular corps. Tney adopted a sort of uniform by which they could recognise each other, and were joined by all the officers unattached, whom danger or interest had brought to Versailles. After this they made excursions to Pans, where were seen these new enemies, fresh, insolent, and puffed up with a secret which was sure to escape them as soon as an opportunty should present itself. At that moment the Icing might hav escaped. He would have been supported, protected on his journey, and Paris, perhaps, still ignorant, and ill prepared, would have allowed his departure. But the evil genius of the Autrichienne was still watching. Liege revolted against the emperor, and the occupation which this revolt gave to Austria prevented her from thinking of the queen of France. The latter, on her side, thought that in delicacy she must abstain from asking any aid at such a moment. Events continued to rush on with lightning-like rapidity.

After the ovation in honour of the Flanders regiment, the bodyguards decided on giving a dinner to the officew of that regiment. This banquet, this festival, was fixed for the ist of October. And what, then, was the object of this banquet? To fraternise with the Flanders soldiers. And why should not soldiers fraternise with each other? The king was still the master of his regiments, and he alone commanded them; he alone had a right to receive in the palace of Versailles whomsoever he might please. And why should he not receive brave soldiers and worthy gentlemen within it, men who had just come from Doual, where they had bekavtd well. This repast, to be taken thus in union, was about to cement the affection which ought

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always to subsist between all the corps of a French army, destined to defend both liberty and royalty.

Besides, did the king even know what had been agreed upon ? Since the events of Paris, the king, free, thanks to his concessions, no longer occupied himself with public matters; the burden of affairs had been taken from him. He desired to reign no longer, since others reigned for him, but he did not think that he ought to weary himself by doing nothing all day long. The king, while the gentlemen of the National Assembly were fraudulently cutting and contriving the king amused himself by hunting. The king, while the nobility and the reverend bishops were abandoning, on the 4th of August, their dovecots and their feudal rights, their pigeons and their parchments the king, who was very willing, as all the world were doing it, to make some sacrifices, abolished all his hunting train, but he did not cease to hunt on that account.

The queen was asked to allow the festival to be given within the walls of the palace itself. She gave them the theatre for their banquet-room. When a queen wishes to be hospitable to French gentlemen, she is so to the full extent of her power. This was their dining-room, but they also required a drawing-room; the queen allowed them to use the saloon of Hercules.

On a Thursday, the ist of October, as we have already said, this feast was given, which was destined to fill so fatal a page in the history of the blindness and improvidence of royalty. The king had gone out hunting. The queen was shut up in her own apartments, sorrowful and pensive, and determined not to hear either the ringing of the glasses when the officers gave their toasts, or the sound of their enthusiastic cheers. Her son was in her arms; Andre was with her; two women were at work in one corner of the room ; those were the only persons wi th h er . The brilliantly attired officers, with their waving plumes and bright gleaming arms, by degrees entered the palace; their horses neighed before the grated gates of the royal stables, their clarions sounded as they approached, and the bands of the Flanders regiment and the guards filled th air with harmonious sounds. In gusts, like the squalls of a distant tempest, there exhaled from the open portals of the palace the sounds of merriment with the odours of the savoury viands. The festival was continued, without anything disturbing its conviviality; for a time, all was conducted