ueen wept the more bitterly on parting with her friend, because she
would have been glad to have gone away too. It was talked of: and some
of the king's relations, with their families, set off the same night as
the Polignacs, and were soon out of danger beyond the frontier. The
question had been whether the king should go with them, or show himself
in Paris, and endeavour to come to an understanding with his people.
This question was debated for some hours by the royal family and their
confidential friends; and the king let them argue, hour after hour,
without appearing to have any will of his own. "Well," said he, when he
was tired of listening, "something must be decided. Am I to go or stay?
I am as ready for one as the other." It was then decided that he
should stay. The queen, meanwhile, had been making preparations for
departure, in hopes that they should go. She probably saw that it would
have been all very right to stay if the king meant to act vigorously,
and to save the monarchy by joining with the nation to reform the
government; but that, since acting vigorously was the one thing which
the king could not do, it would have been better for all parties that he
should have left a scene where his apathy could only do mischief,
exasperate the people, and endanger his own safety and that of his
family. The queen had burned a great many papers, and had her diamonds
packed in a little box, which she meant to take in her own carriage: she
had also written a paper of directions to her confidential servants
about following her. As she saw her jewels restored to their places,
and tore the paper of directions, with tearful eyes, she said she feared
that this decision would prove a misfortune to them all.

The king was next to go to Paris. He set out from Versailles at ten in
the morning after the departure of the Polignacs. He was well attended,
and appeared, as usual, very composed. The queen kept her feelings to
herself till he was gone; but she had terrible fears that he would be
detained as a prisoner in his own capital. She shut herself up with her
children in her own apartment. There she felt so restless and miserable
that she sent for one after another of the courtiers. Their doors were
all padlocked--every one of them. The courtiers considered it dangerous
to stay; and they were all gone. Though this afflicted the queen at the
moment, it happened very well; for it taught her to place no dependence
o