The Countess De Charny - Volume II (7 page)

Hear the King of Paris thus denouncing the King of France, — the King of the City -Hall declaring war against the King of the Tuileries !

The consideration of this question of abdication was too dangerous. The committee shrank from it, and the discussion was deferred until August 9th.

On August 8th the Assembly decided it had no legal grounds for proceding against Lafayette. The Assembly was evidently retracing its steps. What would it decide the next day in relation to the king’s déposai? Did it intend to oppose the plainly expressed will of the people? The Assembly had better take care! Is it possible the members cannot see the inevitable result of such imj^rudence now?

On the 3rd of August — the same day Petion asked for the king’s déposai — the people in the Saint Marceau district became weary of suffering for food by reason of this protracted state of uncertainty, and sent delegates to the Quinz-Vingts section to ask their brothers of the Faubourg Saint Antoine if they would march with them upon the Tuileries.

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“We will,” was the prompt reply.

On August 4th the Assembly censured the insurrec-tionary proclamation of the Maucouseil section.

On the 5th the Commune refused to promulgate this decree. It was not enough for the King of Paris to declare war upon the King of France : here was the municipality formally opposing the Assembly, — positively defying them, in fact.

The report of all these proceedings, of course, reached the ears of the Marseillais. They had guns, but no cartridges. They clamoured loudly for cartridges, but their request was refused.

On the evening of August 4th, shortly after the condemnation of the Mauconseil proclamation was announced, two members of the Marseilles battalion presented themselves at the mayor’s office. There were but two municipal officers present at the time, — Sergent, a devoted adherent of Danton, and Panis, a Eobespierre man.

“What do you want? ” inquired the two magistrates.

“Cartridges,” the young men replied.

“We have been expressly forbidden to furnish any.”

” Forbidden to furnish cartridges ! Why, there is a fight near at hand, and we have no means of defence.”

“Did you bring us to Paris to have our throats cut?” cried the other man, indignantly.

The first Marseillais pulled out a pistol; but Sergent only smiled.

“No threats, young man,” he responded. “The municipal authorities of Paris are not to be intimidated.”

“Who is talking of threats and intimidation?” retorted the young stranger. ” This pistol is not for you, but for me.” And, placing the muzzle against his forehead, be added, ” Give me powder, cartridges, or, upon the word of a Marseillais, I ‘11 blow my brains out.”

Sergent had the imagination of an artist, and a real French heart. He felt that the cry this young man had just uttered was the cry of all France.

60 LA COMTESSE DE CHARNY.

“Panis, take care! ” he cried. “If this young man kills himself, his blood will be on our heads.”

“But if we give hira cartridges in direct violation of orders, we shall be risking our heads.”

“Never mind,” responded Sergent. “I believe the time for risking our heads has come. Every one for himself, however; I ‘m going to risk mine. You can do as you please, of course.”

And, taking a sheet of paper, Sergent wrote and signed an order for the delivery of the cartridges to the Marseillais.

“Hand it here,” said Panis; and he added his signature to that of Sergent.

There was little danger that the Marseillais would allow themselves to be slaughtered in cold blood, now that they possessed ammunition; and the Assembly was so thoroughly frightened that the members seriously discussed the question of retiring to the provinces.

Vergniaud held his ground, however. Possibly it was because he was resolved to remain near the beautiful Candeille that he protested so vigorously, — who knows? It matters little, however.

Everybody was in doubt as to what course to pursue. Everybody hesitated, but everybody felt the earth trembling under him, and feared lest it should open beneath his very feet.

On the very day that the Assembly denounced the Mauconseil proclamation, and that the two young Marseillais distributed the cartridges extorted from Sergent and Panis among their comrades, there was a large gathering at the Cadran Bleu, on the Boulevard du Temple. Camille Desmoulins was there, and Carra wielded the pen and drew up the plan for an insurrection. The plan being completed, the conspirators went to confer with Antoine, an ex-deputy who resided with Duplay’s family, and consequently in the same house with Robespierre.

There must have been some doubts as to Robespierre’s position at this time; for when Madame Duplay saw this

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crowd of men going up to Antoine’s room, she hastened up there, and, calling the ex-deputy aside, exclaimed, ” Surely you ‘re not going to kill Robespierre, Monsieur Antoine! “

“No one is troubling himself about Robespierre, thank Heaven ! ” responded Antoine. ” If he ‘s afraid, let him keep out of the way ! “

By midnight Carra’s scheme had been communicated to Santerre and AlexAndrée, another district commander. AlexAndrée avowed his willingness to march on the palace at once ; but Santerre said his people were not ready.

It was thus that Santerre kept the promise made to the queen on the 20th of June. Even on the lOtli of August he marched against her only because he could not help it.

So the uprising was postponed.

Antoine said that no one was thinking about Robespierre. He was mistaken. The public mind was in such a state of perturbation that the people even thought of taking Robespierre, that centre of immobility, for a driving-wheel.

And with whom did this idea originate? With Barbaroux.

He was almost in despair, this stalwart Marseillais. He was even tempted to leave Paris and return to Marseilles.

Listen to Madame Roland : —

“We placed very little dependence on our forces at the North; so, with Servan and Barbaroux, we discussed the chances for tjie preservation of liberty in the South, and of founding a republic there.”

Barbaroux fancied he had discovered another resource now, — the genius of Robespierre; but very possibly it was Robespierre who was anxious to discover Barbaroux’s plans and ideas.

The Marseillais had left their former quarters, and taken up their abode in the old Cordelier Convent, near the end of the Pont Neuf.

62 LA COiTTESSE DE CHAR>“T.

This bronght them into intimate relations with Danton; and in case of a successful insurrection, Danton would have all the credit.

Barbaroux requested an interview with Robespierre; and, with no slight show of condescension, Robespierre acceded to th.e request.

As we remarked some time ago, Robespierre bad lodg-iRcrs in carpenter Duplav’s house. It was chance that had led him there the evening after the massacre on the Champ de ilars; and Robespierre considered it almost in the light of a direct interposition of Heaven in his behalf, not only because it saved him from danger at the time , but because it furnished him with the very abode a man who desired to live in such a manner as to be styled ‘* The Incorruptible ” desired. He did not take possession of this abode at once, howeTcr. First he paid a visit to Arras, bringing back his sister Charlotte, with whom he resided on the Rue Saint-Florentin for some little time.

Afterwards Robespierre became ill; and when Madame Duplay — who was a perfect fanatic on the subject of Robespierre — heard of the fact, she reproached ^Mademoiselle Charlotte bitterly for not having notified her at once, and begged that the invalid should be taken to her house immediately.

Robespierre was nothing loath, for he had long since planned to return to that admiring household at an early day; so iladame Dup lay’s proposal harmonised admirably with his schemes.

She fitted up a small but neat upper room for him, to which she transported all the best and prettiest furniture in the house, and lined the walls with shelves for the accommodation of her new lodger’s books and papers. The books were not very numerous, however, — the works of Racine and Rousseau forming the greater part of his library; for, aside from these two authors, Robespierre read nothing but Robespierre.

All the vacant places on the walls were filled with pot-

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traits of the great man himself; and even as lie had only to put out his hand to read Eobespierre, so, in -vrhatever direction he turned, Eobespierre saw Eobespierre, and Eobespierre only.

It was into this sanctuary, into this holy of holies, as it were, that Barbarou_s and Eebecqxii were ushered.

With wonderful cunning. Eobespierre first complimented the ^Marseillais on their courage and patriotism, and then expatiated upon his fear of seeing even the noblest sentiments carried too far. Then he spoke of himself, of his valuable services to the Eevolution, and the skill and wis-dom with which he had guided its course.

But was it not time now that the Eevolution was checked? Had not the hour come for all parties to unite in choosing the most popular man among them, and place affairs in his hands?

But Eebecqui did not allow him to proceed any further. “I see what you’re driving at, Eobespierre!” he exclaimed. ‘“Come on, Barbarouxl we are no more anxious for a dictator than for a king : ” and they both departed in hot haste from the Incorruptible” s attic.

Panis, wno had accompanied them, hastily followed them down into the street. ” You don’t understand Eobespierre’s meaning,” he exclaimed. “He only desires authority tem-porarily ; and certainly, if you carry out your scheme, no better man than Eobespierre could be found — “

“We are no more desirous of having a dictator than a king,” exclaimed Barbarous.

Then he hurried away with Eebecqui.

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WHY THE QUEEN DECIDED NOT TO FLEE.

The very thing that alarmed the Revolutionists was what reassured the occupants of the Tuileries.

The Tuileries, having been put on a defensive footing, had become a fortress, with an effective garrison.

On that famous 4th of August when so many important events occurred, royalty did not remain inactive. Several companies of Swiss mercenaries were brought from Courbevoie to the Tuileries, and a few companies were despatched to Gaillon, where the king might perhaps seek a refuge.

Three trusty men were now stationed near the queen, — Maillardot, with his Swiss; D’Hervilly, with his Knights of St. Louis and Constitutional Guards; and Mandat, a commander of the National Guards, who promised the assistance of twenty thousand resolute and devoted men.

On the evening of the 8th of August a man entered the palace and made his way to the queen’s apartments without the slightest difficulty, — for everybody in the Tuileries knew him well.

When Dr. Gilbert, — for it was he — was announced, the queen exclaimed feverishly, “Come in, doctor, come in! I am glad to see you ! “

As Gilbert glanced at the queen, he noted in her entire manner and appearance a complacent , even joyous air that made him shudder. He would greatly have preferred see-ing her pale and depressed than in this state of elation.

“I fear I come too late, and at an inopportune time, madame,” he said.

“On the contrary, doctor,” responded the queen, with a smile to which her lips had long been a stranger, “you

WHY THE QUEEN DECIDED NOT TO FLEE. 65

arrive most opportunely, and you are most welcome. You are about to see something I have long wished to show you, — a king, a real king.”

“I fear you are deceiving yourself, and that you will show me merely a military commander, not a king.”

“Possibly we agree no better in our estimate of the proper character of a king than in many other things. In my opinion a king is a man who can say, not merely ‘I will not,’ but ‘I will.’”

” Yes, madame ; and in your Majesty’s opinion a king is, above all else, a man who avenges himself.”

“Who defends himself, you mean. Monsieur Gilbert. You know that we are publicly menaced, and that we are almost certain to be attacked. There are, I am told, five hundred Marseillais now in Paris who have sworn on the ruins of the Bastille that they will not return to their homes until they have encamped on the ruins of the Tuileries.”

” I have heard this report, and it has alarmed me very much, both on the king’s account and on your own.”

” So much, indeed, that you have come to advise us to abdicate, and trust ourselves to the tender mercies of Monsieur Barbaroux and his Marseillais, I suppose.”

” Ah, yes, madame; if the king would consent to abdicate, and by the sacrifice of his crown insure the preservation of his own life — as well as of yours and your children’s.”

” You would advise him to do that. Monsieur Gilbert? “

” I would not only advise it, but would kneel at his feet and implore him to do it.”

“Permit me to say that you are not very stable in your opinions.”

” My opinion has undergone no change, madame. Devoted to my king and my country, I should have rejoiced to see the king and the Constitution in accord; and this desire on my part has prompted the advice I have had the honour to offer to your Majesty heretofore.”

” And wliat advice do you offer us at the present time, Monsieur Gilbert?”

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“I advise you to flee.”

“To flee?”

” Yes, madame ; you know very well that you now have it in your power to do so. In fact, that such a favourable opportunity has never before presented itself.”

“How so?”

” You have nearly three thousand men in the palace already.”

“Nearer five thousand, monsieur,” said the queen, with a satisfied smile; “and we can have twice as many if we desire.”

” Then place yourself in the midst of these five thousand men, in company with the king and your august children. Leave the Tuileries when such a movement is least anticipated. When you are two leagues away, mount your horses and hasten to Gaillon, where you are expected.”