Part 29 (1/2)

Her Highness burst into tears ”I know your heart,” exclaimed she; ”but I also know too well our situation, and it is that which makes me tre the bounds so necessary to be observed by all of us at this horrid period” And then she called raciously condescended to embrace iveness, and bade me sit down and compose myself, and weep no more

Scarcely was I seated, ere both startled by deafening shouts for the head of Madaave the poor unfortunate Queen

An immense crowd of cannibals and hired ruffians were already in the Tuileries, brandishi+ng all sorts offor blood! My recollections from this moment are very indistinct I know that in an instant the apartment was filled; that the Queen, the Princesse Elizabeth, all the attendants, even the King, I believe, appeared there Ia blow from my face; and in the turmoil of the scene, and of the blow, I fainted, and was conveyed by some humane person to a place of safety, in the upper part of the palace

Thus deprived of ony of witnessing the scenes of horror that succeeded For two or three days I remained in a state of so much exhaustion and alarm, that when the Princess came to me I did not know her, nor even where I was

As soon as I was sufficiently recovered, places were taken for ences, by which I was conveyed to Passy, where the Princess careatest confusion

My couards, who had beenthe Queen's apartment at Versailles The poor woman had been herself protected by Her Majesty, and accompanied me by the express order of the Princesse de La, I know not, for I only caught the words ”general insurrection,” on hearing which the afflicted wohness merely exclaimed, ”Do not come to Paris till you hear from me;” and immediately set off to return to the Tuileries

However, as usual, th, and of every consideration of personal safety On the third day, I proposed to the person who took care of ether, and, if there appeared no syht as well get into one of the common conveyances, and proceed forthwith to Paris; for I could no longer repress ood creature ith ence, I felt the dread of another severe lecture like the last, and thought it best not to incur fresh blame by new imprudence I therefore told the driver to set us down on the high road near Paris leading to the Bois de Boulogne But before we got so far, the woods resounded with the howling of led with ”Doith the King,”--”Doith the Queen;”

and, as still more horrible, the two parties were in actual bloody strife, and the ground was streith the bodies of dead htered sheep

It was fortunate that ere the only persons in the vehicle The driver, observing our extreitation, turned round to us ”Nay, nay,”

cried he; ”do not alarm yourselves It is only the constitutionalists and the Jacobins fighting against each other I wish the devil had theh theour apprehensions, he was considerably disturbed by his own; for though he acknowledged he had a wife and children in Paris, who he hoped were safe, still he dared not venture to proceed, but said, if ished to be driven back, he would take us to any place we liked, out of Paris

Our anxiety to knoas going forward at the Tuileries was now become intolerable; and the s At last, however, ere in soony of reserve

”God knows,” exclaimed the driver, ”ill be the consequence of all this bloodshed! The poor King and Queen are greatly to be pitied!”

This ejaculation restored our courage, and we said he ht of those horrors; and it was at length settled that he should take us to Passy ”Oh,” cried he, ”if you will allow me, I will take you to my father's house there; for you seeo where you can rest in quiet and safety”

My coe

”Ger her ”Ger, who is much to be pitied, for many years; and when I ounded, the Queen, God bless her! set me up in the world, as I was made an invalid; and I have ever since been enabled to support my family respectably D---- the asse the better for them!”

”Oh,” replied I, ”then I suppose you are not a Jacobin?”

The driver, with a torrent of curses, then began execrating the very name of Jacobin This emboldened me to ask hi,” and added that the asseates of the Tuileries under the pretence of preventing the King and Queen fro assassinated ”But that is all a confounded lie,”

continued he, ”invented to keep out the friends of the Royal Family But, God knows, they are now so fallen, they have few such left to be turned away!”

”I aratitude of the nobility than I am at these hordes of bloodthirsty plunderers, for we all know that the nobility owe everything to the King Why do they not rise en masse to shi+eld the Royal Faine they will be spared if the King should be murdered? I have no patience with them!”

I then asked him our fare ”Two livres is the fare, but you shall not pay anything I see plainly, ladies, that you are not what you assuood man,” replied I, ”we are not; and therefore take this louis d'or for your trouble”

He caught , ”I never in , that God did not provide for”

He then took us to Passy, but advised us not to re; and fortunate enough it was for us that we did not, for the house was set on fire and plundered by a rebel mob very soon after

I told the driver how ed to hihted when I proive him proofs of my confidence in his fidelity

”If,” said I, ”you can find out ive you another louis d'or” I was afraid, at first, to mention where he was to look for him