e Lamballe, after being taken from the Temple in the
night of August 18-19, had been examined by Billaud-Varennes at the
Hotel-de-Ville, and then sent, at noon, August 19, to the Force. This
prison, divided into two distinct parts, the great and the little
Force, was situated between the rues Roi-de-Sicile, Culture, and Pavee.
In 1792 it supplemented the Abbey and Chatelet prisons, which were
overcrowded. The little Force had a separate entry on the rue Pavee to
the Marais, while the door of the large one opened on the rue des
Ballets, a few steps from the rue Saint-Antoine. The register of the
little Force, which is preserved in the archives of the prefecture of
police, records that, at the time of the September massacres, this
prison in which the Princess de Lamballe was immured, contained one
hundred and ten women, most of them not concerned with political
affairs, and in great part women of the town. Here, from August 19 to
September 3, the Princess suffered inexpressible anguish. She never
heard a turnkey open the door of her cell without thinking that her
last hour had come.

{351}

The massacres began on September 2. On that day the Princess de
Lamballe was spared. In the evening she threw herself on her bed, a
prey to the most cruel anxiety. Toward six o'clock the next morning,
the turnkey entered with a frightened air: "They are coming here," he
said to the prisoners. Six men, armed with sabres, guns, and pistols,
followed him, approached the beds, asked the names of the women, and
went out again. Madame de Tourzel, who shared the Princess de
Lamballe's captivity, said to her: "This threatens to be a terrible
day, dear Princess; we know not what Heaven intends for us; we must ask
God to forgive our faults. Let us say the _Miserere_ and the
_Confiteor_ as acts of contrition, and recommend ourselves to His
goodness." The two women said their prayers aloud, and incited each
other to resignation and courage.

There was a window which opened on the street, and from which, although
it was very high, one could see what was passing by mounting on Madame
de Lamballe's bed, and thence to the window ledge. The Princess
climbed up, and as soon as her head was noticed on the street, a
pretence of firing on her was made. She saw a considerable crowd at
the prison door.

Very little doubt remained concerning her fate. Neither she nor Madame
de Tourzel had eaten since the previous day. But they were too gr