general badness of his
character, partly on the share he had borne in the events of the 5th and
6th of October. By the count's own account, he went rather beyond the
truth in his endeavors to exculpate his friend on this point; and he
probably deceived himself when he believed that he had convinced the queen
of his innocence. But both she and Louis, who was present at a part of the
interview, had evidently made up their minds to forget the past, if they
could trust his promises for the future. And the interview ended in the
further conduct of the necessary arrangements being left by Louis to the
queen.

In a subsequent conversation with the count, she explained her own views
of the existing situation of affairs, describing them, indeed, according
to her custom, as the ideas of the king, in a manner which shows how much
she was willing that the king should abate of his old prerogatives,
provided only that the concessions were made voluntarily by himself, and
not imposed by violent and illegal resolutions of the Assembly. Mirabeau
had drawn up an elaborate memorial for the consideration of the king, in
which he pointed out in general terms his sense of the state of "utter
anarchy" into which France had fallen, his shame and indignation at
feeling "that he himself had contributed to bring affairs into such a bad
state." and his "profound conviction of the necessity, in the interests of
the whole nation, of re-establishing the legitimate authority of the
king.[4]" And Marie Antoinette, commenting on this expression, assured La
Marck that "the king had no desire to recover the full extent of the
authority which he had formerly possessed; and that he was far from
thinking it necessary for his own personal happiness any more than for the
welfare of his people.[5]" And it seemed to the count that she placed
unlimited confidence in Mirabeau's ability to re-establish her husband's
power on a sufficient and satisfactory basis; so full was her
conversation, during the latter part of the interview, of the good which
she expected to be again able to do, and of the warm affection with which
she regarded the people.

The benefits of this new alliance were not to be all on one side. Mirabeau
was overwhelmed with debt; and though his father had died in the preceding
summer, he had not yet entered into his inheritance, but was in a state
little short of absolute destitution. From this condition he was to be
relieved, and the arrangement