as in supreme command, he did not restore order
outside. The last of the four points he had been instructed to obtain,
the removal of the Court to his custody at the Tuileries and his own
permanent elevation to a position superior to the throne, was not yet
conceded. Until that was settled, the loyalty of his forces was
restrained. Nobody was arrested. Men whose hands were red with the
blood of Varicourt and Miomandre were allowed to defy justice, and a
furious crowd was left for hours without molestation under the windows
of the king. The only cry left for them to raise was "Paris," and it
was sure in time to do its work. The king could not escape, for
Lafayette held every gate. He could not resist, for Lafayette
commanded every soldier. The general never pressed the point. He was
too cautious to attend the council where the matter was considered, as
if the freedom of choice was left. This time Necker had his way, and
he came forward and announced to the assembled people that the Court
was about to move to Paris. Lewis, who had wandered, helpless and
silent, between his chair and the balcony, spoke at last, and
confirmed it.

In that moment of triumph Lafayette showed himself a man of instinct
and of action. The multitude had sufficiently served his purpose; but
their own passions were not appeased, and the queen personified to
them all the antagonistic and unpopular forces. The submission of the
king was a foregone conclusion: not so the reconciliation of the
queen. He said to her, "What are your Majesty's intentions?" She
answered, "I know my fate, I mean to die at the feet of the king."
Then Lafayette led her forward, in the face of the storm, and, as not
a word could be heard, he respectfully kissed her hand. The populace
saw and cheered. Under his protectorate, peace was made between the
Court and the democracy.

In all these transactions, which determined the future of France, the
Assembly had no share. They had had no initiative and no counsel.
Their President had not known how to prevent the irruption of the
women; he had supplied them with bread, and had been unable to turn
them out until the National Guard arrived. After two in the morning,
when he heard that all was quiet at the Palace, he adjourned the
sitting. Next day he proposed that they should attend the king in a
body; but Mirabeau would not allow it to be done. One hundred deputies
gave a futile escort to the royal family, and the Assembly followed