“Please, Madame Rocher,” he said mischievously, for I had warned him that part of the play was that I was his governess and he must not forget it.
The King woke up and said that he believed Monsieur Ie : Dauphin should have his wish and that it would do us all good to stop for a while.
So the cumbersome vehicle pulled up at the side of the road and Madame de Tourzel and Elisabeth got out with the children.
The Dauphin was picking the flowers and bringing them to me.
I was longing to move on, but the King said a few minutes more could do no harm and he sat benignly smiling at the children through the open door.
And while we sat there we heard the sound of galloping hoofs, and soon a rider came info view. He was coming straight towards us and as he approached the be rime he did not stop although he slackened his pace.
As he came level with us he shouted: Take care. Your plan is known.
You will be stopped. “
Before we could question him he had ridden on.
We summoned the others back to the berline and the King gave orders for us to proceed at once with all speed.
Into Font de Somme-Vesle where the cavalry should be waiting. The place was deserted. While the horses were being changed a cavalryman rode up.
Where is the Due de Choiseui? ” asked the King.
“He has left. Sire,” was the answer.
Left! But he had orders to meet us here “You did not arrive at die appointed time. Sire. He could not understand the confused message of Monsieur Leonard, and Monsieur de Choiseui presumed that you had not left Paris and the plan was called off.”
“He had orders to wait.”
Yes, Sire, but he feared trouble. People were asking why there were troops on the road and there were rumours that a magnificent be rime grand enough for royalty alone was on the road. There has been trouble between the peasants and soldiers so Monsieur de Choiseui has gone to Clermont and has sent Monsieur Leonard with a message to the Marquis de Bouille explaining this. “
Now I was frightened. I saw the chain of misfortunes which had led us to this—die sentry, the immense ill luck of meeting La Fayette’s carriage which had made us change our route, that was the beginning.
Then the inability to find the be rime . but one misfortune bad grown out of another. We should not have stayed to eat the goose. We should not have allowed the children those rests by the roadside. I could see that it was not only fate which was to blame, and I wondered vaguely whether it ever is.
“But we must go on.” I said.
“We must go without our escort. We have missed the support of Choiseul’s hussars but the dragoons will be at Sainte-Menehould and we must join up with them as soon as possible.”
Uneasily we rode on.
When we came into Sainte-Menehould I knew that something was wrong.
This was not as Axel had planned. Oh, why had he not come with us?
That seemed to me the greatest misfortune of all. The town was full of soldiers and this naturally aroused the curiosity of the people.
Something very extraordinary was about to happen in their town. What?
And into this town of suspicion rolled the most elaborate berline which had ever been created and its passengers were two children, a lackey who looked astonishingly like the King, and a governess who had an uncontrollably haughty air, and a Russian lady who somehow could not hide her deference towards her lackey and governess; and a quiet woman who was supposed to be a maid of some sort yet who bad the air of a Prmcesse.
Who were these travellers? Rich emigres, yes, but very special emigres, and they had a striking resemblance to a very celebrated family.
I did not know then, but I was to learn later, that the son of the postmaster here was an ardent revolutionary, a certain Jean Bapriste Drouet. He had looked at us sullenly and not recognised us; but rumour was in the air.
It must have been after the horses were changed and we were on our way to Varennes that someone told Drouet the news. The King and Queen had escaped from Paris and were travelling along this road towards Mommedy.
It was ten o’clock when we came into Varennes. The King was sleeping, but I felt I should never sleep easily until I was in Montmedy. It was dark.
We were passing under an archway and there was just room for the berline, when we were suddenly called to a halt.
A voice said: “Passports.”
Madame de Tourzel produced the forged document with which. Axel bad provided her and which announced that she was Madame de Korff from Russia travelling with her children and servants.
I did not recognise the man who took the passport as Jean Baptiste Drouet who had been at the posting station at Sainte-Menehould; but I did realise that he was trembling with excitement.
“This passport is not in order,” he said, and although he spoke to Madame de Tourzel he was studying me intently.
“I assure you it is in order,” protested Madame de Tourzelle.
“I am sorry but I must take it to the town’s solicitor, and I must ask you to accompany me to his house.” “What!” cried Madame de Tourzel in dismay.
“All of usi’ ” Yes, Madame, all of you. You will be led to the house of Monsieur Sausse. “
I looked out of the window and saw that die be rime was surrounded by young men and that all wore the badge of the revolution.
The berline moved slowly on and drew up before a house. The Ring showed no sign of alarm. He whispered: “It is nothing. Merely a check on the passport. It is in order. Fersen will have seen to that.”
Monsieur Sausse was not only the solicitor but a keeper of a shop and mayor of Varennes. A mild comfortable man, I recognised him at once as one who would want to keep out of trouble.
He examined the passport and proclaimed it to be in order. We had his permission to leave at once.
But Drouet was a fierce revolutionary. He cried out:
“This is the King and Queen. Are you going to be a traitor, Monsieur Sausse, and let them slip through the people’s fingers?”
Monsieur Sausse was alarmed, for even now the crowds were gathering outside his door.
He looked at us apologetically and I recognised that respect in his eyes. He knew us . even as Drouet did.
“I must regret,” he said, ‘that you cannot leave Varennes tonight. I offer you what hospitality I have. “
It was over, I knew. Desperation overwhelmed me. People* were gathering about the house. I could hear the shouts. It was going to be that terrible October all over again.
I could hear the mob screaming. From the window I could see their scythes and pitchforks.
Not that again! I thought. Why did we attempt this? Why did we not know that God was against us? Not God, I thought, we have brought this on ourselves. The Sausses were our friends, however. They had prepared a good meal for us, and that made it clear that they wished us nothing but good luck. If they could have prevented our detention, they would.
As it was, in their humble home they treated us as their sovereigns. They dared not help us escape, though. That would have been more’ll than their lives were worth. And what would be the us l of attempting escape when the mob surrounded the house; Throughout Varennes, Drouet was gathering his revolutionaries together. He was doubtless visualising the great honour which would come to him. The man who prevented ( the escape of the King and Queen!
‘ I was surprised how the King could eat in the face of all this.
Appetite in such circumstances astonished me. While he was eating, two soldiers fought their way into the house, and when I saw them my spirits rose, for they were the loyal dragoons.
