sing tide of democracy. What could Louis do? To escape from
Paris seemed the only course.

The King had occasionally been to St. Cloud in the year 1790, and the
recent edict of the assembly formally assured his freedom of movement
for a much greater distance; it only {116} remained to test whether the
people of Paris would attempt to restrain him from acting in a manner
that was customary and within his constitutional rights.

The test proved conclusive. A large mob, including a number of
national guards, assembled at the palace on Easter Sunday. It had been
announced that on this day the King would visit St. Cloud to hear mass
performed by priests who had not accepted the civil constitution. He
was not allowed to proceed. After sitting in his carriage several
hours awaiting the moment when the mob would give him passage, he
returned to his apartments defeated.

Louis was a prisoner. Not only was he a prisoner, but he was compelled
by the assembly to have within the palace only priests whom he
considered schismatic, and compelled to appear in the assembly and
there declare solemnly that he was a free agent and enjoyed entire
liberty of action. This drove him to a definite purpose, and
preparations were now secretly begun for the flight to Metz.

On the 20th of June the attempt was made. The King's brother, the
Comte de Provence, who afterwards became Louis XVIII, managed his
escape well, and was driven over the {117} frontier into the
Netherlands,--an experience he was to repeat in 1815. The King's
arrangements had been placed in the hands of a Swedish nobleman
attached to the Queen, Count Fersen. False passports were obtained.
The royal family was smuggled out of the palace in disguise. Several
bodyguards dressed as couriers acted as escort. A large travelling
carriage was ready. A start was successfully made on the great
northeastern road.

All went prosperously until the fugitives reached Varennes, a village
in the frontier district not more than 15 miles from Verdun, where
Bouille had a strong garrison. At this point the scheme broke down.
Bouille should have been able to place a large cavalry escort about the
King's carriage at Varennes, but his arrangements were defective and
went wrong. This was not altogether his fault, for Louis had wasted
much precious time on the way, and had shown no sense of the resolution
required by the circumstances. And lastly the patriots had discovered
who the t