earing her words, the
inflection of her tones, her gestures, her look, cause her meaning to
be understood. When she ceased, a murmur of approbation ran round the
room; she looked down modestly; her long eyelashes covered her
flashing eyes, and the sun was clouded over."

Meantime affairs in France were rapidly approaching to a crisis.
Minister succeeded minister, but each left the ship more inextricably
involved than his predecessor. The failure of the crops, and
consequent distress of the poorer classes, increased the turbulence of
the people and the distress of the court. At length, in 1788, seven
years after his resignation, the queen and the court were compelled to
confess that the only hope of safety was in recalling Necker, and to
join in the general solicitation that he would take the helm.

His name revived the public credit; the pressing wants of the treasury
were supplied; by importing grain, he removed the fears of famine. His
position at this period was one to gratify his highest ambition; his
return had been a triumph over the court; and the people were eager to
prostrate themselves at his feet. But his talents were those of the
financier only; as a statesman, he was sadly wanting. The example of
the Americans had excited in the minds of a portion of the nobility an
indefinable and romantic longing for something called _liberty_; the
middle classes, who possessed the most intelligence, education, and
wealth, were indignant at being excluded from most places of honor,
and at being obliged to bear the whole burden of the taxes, from which
the nobles and the clergy were exempt; the great body of the people,
who were in the condition of slaves, had the wrongs and outrages of
many centuries of oppression to avenge: all these classes, though
agreeing in nothing else, were united in demanding a change. On the
other side, the queen, supported by her royal brothers-in-law and a
portion of the nobles, resolutely set themselves against any
innovations.

Necker did not agree entirely with either party; he was in favor of a
limited monarchy; the British constitution appeared to him, as it did
to his daughter, the perfection of government. But he had not the
decision and energy requisite for insuring the success of his own
opinions. The well-disposed but weak monarch yielded to the more
daring counsels of the court, and prepared to crush at once their
opponents by force. But these measures were concerted without the