I was embroidering my tapestry rug with Elisabeth and we spent long hours together talking of the children; sometimes I played a game of billiards with the King. For exercise we walked in the Bois de Boulogne, but we were always uneasy when out of doors. Our experiences at Versailles had taught us that walls could not protect us from the fury of the mob, but there was a certain sense of security within walls. My son remained very friendly with the soldiers, and I encouraged this because I thought that he must inspire some affection in them and if the mob ever broke in on us as they had at Versailles these soldier friends H of his would protect him.
I was longing for the summer and the comparative freedom of Saint-Cloud. It seemed far away and I suggested to the King that we slip away to Saint-Cloud for Easter. He agreed to this and I said we would make ready.
Remembering how, when the aunts had left, the mob had surrounded their carriage and had debated whether or not to let them go, I said that we must not let it be generally known that we were going. All the same, certain preparations had to be made, and the members of my intimate circle knew of them.
I trusted them absolutely, although there was a new corner named Madame Rochereuil of whom I knew very little: but she had been well recommended and it never occurred to me to doubt that she ‘was not to be relied on.
Preparations were complete; Easter was almost on us;
the carriages were in the courtyard and we were ready to leave. But as we began the drive we found ourselves surrounded by the rabble; this was the same kind of mob which had brought us from Versailles to Paris. I felt sick with horror; my son turned his face from the window of the carriage and I put my arm about him to comfort him.
The insults came—the crude obscenities.
“Lirte Papa must stay with his children!” cried the crowd.
La Fayette came up with his soldiers and ordered the mob to retire and let the royal carriage pass, but he was jeered at and mud was flung at him. I knew instinctively that this was another organised revolt.
“You are behaving as enemies of the Constitution!” cried La Fayette.
“In preventing the King from leaving, you make him a prisoner and you annul the decrees he has sanctioned.”
But they would not listen to reason. What had reason to do with them?
They had been gathered together for this purpose; they had been paid to do what they did.
They leered in at the carriage windows. When the King tried to speak, they shouted “Fat pig I’ at him.
I could not help showing my disdain for them. It was something I could never hide. My looks betrayed the contempt I felt for these people.
“Look at her I’ they cried, ” Shall we let this putain dictate to us?”
La Payette rode to the carriage.
“Sire,” he said, ‘have I your orders to fire on the mob? “
“I could never permit it!” cried Louis.
“I do not want one drop of blood to be shed for me. We will return to the Tuileries.”
So the carriages were turned, and amid shouting and jeers we rode back.
As he alighted, Louis said with a sigh: “You will bear witness that henceforward we are not free.”
I was desolate. I said to my husband as we entered that palace of doom: “WE are indeed prisoners. They are determined that we shall never leave the Tuileries.”
To Varennes
Are you imbeciles that you take no steps to prevent the flight of the Royal Family? Parisians, fools that you are, I am weary of saying to you over and over again that you should have the King and the Dauphin in safe keeping, that you should lock up the Austrian Woman.
June 11th. La Fayette has ordered that the sentinels be doubled and that all carriages be searched. June 18th. With the Queen from 2. 30 till 6. June 19th. With the King. Stayed at the chateau from eleven till midnight.
June 20th. On taking leave of me the King said: Monsieur de Fersen, whatever may happen, I shall never forget all you have done for me.”
The Queen wept a great deal. At six I left her. Returned home. At eight I wrote to the Queen to change the meeting place of the waiting women and to tell them to let me know the exact time by the bodyguards.
Louis has abdicated from the Monarchy. Henceforth Louis is nothing to us. We are now free and without a King. It remains to be seen whether it is worth while appointing another.
RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE JACOBIN CLUB AFTER THE FLIGHT OF THE ROYAL FAMILY
Sire, Your Majesty knows my attachment to you, but I did not leave you unaware that if you separated your cause from that of the people I would remain on the side of the people.
When Axel heard that we had been turned back to the Tuileries he came straight to Paris from Auteuil, the little village near Saint-Cloud where he had arrived intending to stay there while we were at the chateau. He was deeply disturbed, convinced that we were in acute danger.
I took him to my husband, who listened to what he had to say, and, prodded by the memory of the mob’s insolence, he was ready to agree that we must consider flight.
Artois and the Prince de Conde, who had safely reached the frontier, were aggravating the situation by talking too freely of their attempts to bring an army against the revolutionaries. They were travelling from foreign court to foreign court trying to urge rulers to make war on the French people and force them to restore the Monarchy.
My brother Leopold was aware of this; he wrote to Mercy;
“The Comte d’Artois has little concern for his brother and my sister.
He ignores the dangers to which his project and his attempts expose them. “
Mercy was urging me to persuade the King to consider flight also. We must escape from Paris; the King must raise a loyal army and take by force or menaces that which had been snatched from him. Louis was beginning to realise that this was necessary but it was too late now that Mirabeau was dead, for Mirabeau was the man who could have managed it.
However, we still had friends, and at length we had persuaded Louis that flight was essential Axel begged to be in charge of the preparations. He would start preparations immediately, and the first was to have a carriage a be rime made which would be suitable for the escape.
He was a constant caller at die Tuileries, and, lest this should attract too much attention, sometimes came disguised, I could never be sure whether he would come as a lackey, a coachman, or stooping a little as an ageing nobleman.
This lent excitement to the days. I had not felt so alive for a long time, and Axel was possessed with a furious de termination to make the plan succeed. shall carry you off to safety,” he told me.
He would talk of the berline, which was to be a very luxurious affair.
“Nothing but the best will do,” he had declared; he had mortgaged some estates in Sweden to provide the money. It was wonderful to be so loved. His plan was that we should leave with as few people as possible. Madame de Tourael must come with us because the children would need her to look after them, so Axel’s plan was that Madame de Tourael would be a Russian lady, Madame de Korff, travelling with her children, their governess and one lackey; and three women servants, one of whom should be Madame Elisabeth. I was to be the governess, Madame Rochet. He had acquired a passport in the name of Madame de Korff and we knew we could trust Madame de Tourzel to play her part.
The days were flying past; we were so excited; even Louis was caught up in it and eager to begin our flight. But, said Axel, there must be no hitches; everything must be planned down to the last detail and we must not slip up. The most difficult part would be to get out of Paris. That was the danger spot. Axel himself was going to take the part of coachman and would drive the berline. Everything de pended, he said, on our putting as great a distance as possible between ourselves and Paris before our escape was noticed.