. from his kingdom had been alleged
as one reason for declaring the throne vacant; and he was resolved not to
give his enemies any plea for passing a similar resolution with respect to
himself. Valenciennes was so celebrated as a frontier town, that the mere
fact of his fixing himself there might easily be represented as an
evidence of his intention to quit the kingdom. But there was a small town
of considerable strength named Montmedy, in the district under the command
of the Marquis de Bouille, which afforded all the advantages of
Valenciennes, and did not appear equally liable to the same objections.
Montmedy, therefore, was fixed upon; and, in the very first week of
February, Marie Antoinette announced the decision to Mercy; and began her
own preparations by sending him a jewel-case full of those diamonds which
were her private property. She explained to him at considerable length the
reasons which had dictated the choice. The very smallness of Montmedy was
in itself a recommendation, since it would prevent any one from thinking
it likely to be selected as a refuge. It was also so near Luxembourg that,
in the present temper of the nation, which regarded the Austrian power
with "a panic fear," any addition which M. de Bouille might make to either
the garrison or to his supplies would seem only a wise precaution against
the much-dreaded foreigner. Moreover, the troops in that district were
among the most loyal and well-disposed in the whole army; and if the king
should find it unsafe to remain long at Montmedy, he would have a
trustworthy escort to retreat to Alsace.

She also explained the reasons which had led them to decide on quitting
Paris secretly by night. If they started in the daytime, it would be
necessary to have detachments of troops planted at different spots on
their road to protect them. But M. de Bouille could not rely on all his
own regiments for such a service, and still less on the National Guards in
the different towns; while to bring up fresh forces from distant quarters
would attract attention, and awaken suspicions beforehand which might be
fatal to the enterprise. Montmedy, therefore, had been decided on, and the
plans were already so far settled that she could tell Mercy that they
should take Madame de Tourzel with them, and travel in one single
carriage, which they had never been seen to use before.

Their preparations had even gone beyond these details, minute as they
were. The king was alre