every opportunity of acting on
the impulsiveness which she regarded as one chief characteristic of the
French people.

"October 7th, 1789.

"I am quite well. You may be easy about me. If we could only forget where
we are and how we came here, we ought to be satisfied with the feelings of
the people, especially this morning. I hope, if bread does not fall short,
that many things will return to their proper order. I speak to the people,
militia, fish-women, and all: all offer me their hands; I give them mine.
In the Hotel de Ville I was personally well received. The people this
morning begged us to remain here. I answered them, speaking for the king,
who was by my side, that it depended on themselves whether we remained;
that we desired nothing better; that all animosities must be laid aside;
that the slightest renewal of bloodshed would make us flee, with horror.
Those who were nearest to me swore that all that was over. I told the
fish-women to go and tell others all that we had just said to one
another.[2]"

And a day or two later, on the 10th, even while giving fuller expression
to her feelings of unhappiness, and of disgust at the events of the past
week, as to which she assures Mercy that "no description could be
exaggerated; on the contrary, that any account must fall far short of what
the king and she had seen and experienced," she yet repeats that "she
hopes to bring back to a right feeling the honest and sound portion of the
citizens and people. Unhappily, however," as she adds, "they are not the
most numerous body. Still, with gentleness and unwearied patience, she may
hope that at least she shall succeed in doing away with the horrible
distrust which occupies every mind, and which has dragged the king and
herself into the gulf in which they are at present." So keen at this time
was her feeling that one principal cause of their miseries was the unjust
distrust which the citizens in general conceived of the views and designs
of the court, that she desires Mercy not to try to see her; and, while she
describes the scantiness of the accommodation which her attendants had as
yet been able to provide for her, so that Madame Royale had a bed in her
dressing-room, and the little dauphin was in her own room, she finds
advantage in these arrangements, inconvenient as they were, since they
prevented any suspicion from arising that she was giving audiences which
she desired to keep secret.

She did not overrate the im