he tocsin had brought up numbers of the National Guard,
who were all disloyal; while some of the soldiers began to show a
disinclination to act against them. And so matters stood for some hours; a
crowd of towns-people, peasants, National Guards, and dragoons thronging
the room; the king at times speaking quietly to his captors; the queen
weeping, for the fatigue of the journey, and the fearful disappointment at
being thus baffled at the last moment, after she had thought that all
danger was passed, had broken down even her nerves. At first she had tried
to persuade Louis to act with resolution; but when, as usual, she failed,
she gave way to despair, and sat silent, with touching, helpless sorrow,
gazing on her children, who had fallen asleep.

At seven o'clock on the morning of the 22d a single horseman rode into the
town. He was an aid-de-camp of La Fayette. On the morning of the 21st the
excitement had been great in Paris when it became known that the king had
fled. The mob rose in furious tumult. They forced their way into the
Tuileries, plundering the palace and destroying the furniture. A
fruit-woman took possession of the queen's bed, as a stall to range her
cherries on, saying that to-day it was the turn of the nation; and a
picture of the king was torn down from the walls, and, after being stuck
up in derision outside the gates for some time, was offered for sale to
the highest bidder.[2] In the Assembly the most violent language was used.
An officer whose name has been preserved through the eminence which after
his death was attained by his widow and his children, General Beauharnais,
was the president; and as such, he announced that M. Bailly had reported
to him that the enemies of the nation had carried off the king. The whole
Assembly was roused to fury at the idea of his having escaped from their
power. A decree was at once drawn up in form, commanding that Louis should
be seized wherever he could be found, and brought back to Paris. No one
could pretend that the Assembly had the slightest right to issue such an
order; but La Fayette, with the alacrity which he always displayed when
any insult was to be offered to the king or queen, at once sent it off by
his own aid-de-camp, M. Romeuf, with instructions to see that it was
carried out The order was now delivered to Strausse; the king, with
scarcely an attempt at resistance, declared his willingness to obey it;
and before eight o'clock he and his family, wit