第272章

Now that the great hostage is in their hands， will they deign to accept the second one？ This is doubtful. On the Queen approaching the balcony with her son and daughter， a howl arises of "No children！" They want to have her alone in the sights of their guns， and she understands that. At this moment M. de Lafayette， throwing the shield of his popularity over her， appears on the balcony at her side and respectfully kisses her hand. The reaction is instantaneous in this over-excited crowd. Both the men and especially the women， in such a state of nervous tension， readily jump from one extreme to another， rage bordering on tears. Aportress， who is a companion of Maillard's，[43] imagines that she hears Lafayette promise in the Queen's name "to love her people and be as much attached to them as Jesus Christ to his Church." People sob and embrace each other； the grenadiers shift their caps to the heads of the body-guard. Everything will be fine ： "the people have won their King back." -- Nothing is to be done now but to rejoice；and the cortege moves on. The royal family and a hundred deputies， in carriages， form the center， and then comes the artillery， with a number of women bestriding the cannons； next， a convoy of flour.

Round about are the King's Guards， each with a National Guard mounted behind him； then comes the National Guard of Paris， and after them men with pikes and women on foot， on horseback， in cabs， and on carts； in front is a band bearing two severed heads on the ends of two poles， which halts at a hairdresser's， in Sèvres， to have these heads powdered and curled；[44] they are made to bow by way of salutation， and are daubed all over with cream； there are jokes and shouts of laughter； the people stop to eat and drink on the road， and oblige the guards to clink glasses with them； they shout and fire salvos of musketry； men and women hold each other's hands and sing and dance about in the mud. -- Such is the new fraternity： a funeral procession of legal and legitimate authorities， a triumph of brutality over intelligence， a murderous and political Mardi-gras， a formidable masquerade which， preceded by the insignia of death， drags along with it the heads of France， the King， the ministers， and the deputies， that it may constrain them to rule to until according to its frenzy， that it may hold them under its them pikes until it is pleased to slaughter them.

VI.

The Government and the nation in the hands of the revolutionary party.

This time there can be no mistake： the Reign of Terror is fully and firmly established. On this very day the mob stops a vehicle， in which it hopes to find M. de Virieu， and declares， on searching it， that "they are looking for the deputy to massacre him， as well as others of whom they have a list."[45] Two days afterwards the AbbéGrégoire tells the National Assembly that not a day passes without ecclesiastics being insulted in Paris， and pursued with "horrible threats." Malouet is advised that "as soon as guns are distributed among the militia， the first use made of them will be to get rid of those deputies who are bad citizens，" and among others of the AbbéMaury. "The moment I stepped out into the streets，" writes Mounier， "I was publicly followed. It was a crime to be seen in my company.

Wherever I happened to go， along with two or three of my companions， it was stated that an assembly of aristocrats was forming. I had become such an object of terror that they threatened to set fire to a country-house where I had passed twenty-four hours； and， to relieve their minds， a promise had to be given that neither myself nor my friends should be again received into it." In one week five or six hundred deputies have their passports[46] made out， and hold themselves ready to depart. During the following month one hundred and twenty give in their resignations， or no longer appear in the Assembly. Mounier， Lally-Tollendal， the Bishop of Langres， and others besides， quit Paris， and afterwards France. Mallet du Pan writes， "Opinion now dictates its judgment with steel in hand.

Believe or die is the anathema which vehement spirits pronounce， and this in the name of Liberty. Moderation has become a crime." After the 7th of October， Mirabeau says to the Comte de la Marck：

"If you have any influence with the King or the Queen， persuade them that they and France are lost if the royal family does not leave Paris. I am busy with a plan for getting them away."He prefers everything to the present situation， "even civil war；"for "war， at least， invigorates the soul，" while here， "under the dictatorship of demagogues， we are being drowned in slime." Given up to itself， Paris， in three months， "will certainly be a hospital， and， perhaps， a theater of horrors." Against the rabble and its leaders， it is essential that the King should at once coalesce "with his people，" that he should go to Rouen， appeal to the provinces， provide a Centre for public opinion， and， if necessary， resort to armed resistance. Malouet， on his side， declares that "the Revolution， since the 5th of October， "horrifies all sensible men， and every party， but that it is complete and irresistible." Thus the three best minds that are associated with the Revolution -- those whose verified prophecies attest genius or good sense； the only ones who， for two or three years， and from week to week， have always predicted wisely， and who have employed reason in their demonstrations -- these three， Mallet du Pan， Mirabeau， Mabuet， agree in their estimate of the event， and in measuring its consequences. The nation is gliding down a declivity， and no one possesses the means or the force to arrest it. The King cannot do it ： "undecided and weak beyond all expression， his character resembles those oiled ivory balls which one vainly strives to keep together."[47] And as for the Assembly， blinded， violated， and impelled on by the theory it proclaims， and by the faction which supports it， each of its grand decrees only renders its fall the more precipitate.