l-qualified guide. The queen was flurried
with meeting the enemy's carriage rumbling under the archway, with its
flaring lights; and, on entering the square, she took the turn to the
right hand instead of the left. She and her guard wandered far away,
over the bridge, and they knew not where. The queen of France wandering
through the streets of Paris, losing her way on foot at midnight! What
could she have thought of a situation so new? How must her guard have
felt, with such a charge upon his arm! And the Count, standing beside
the hackney-coach-door; and the party within! We may hope that Louis
was fast asleep upon Madame de Tourzel's lap, forgetting all about where
he was.

A hackney-coachman came up, and began to talk. The Swedish count talked
as like a hackney-coachman as he could. They took a pinch of snuff
together, would rather not drink together, and the real hackney-coachman
bade good-night, and went off without making any discovery. The clocks
had struck midnight by this time; but soon after the queen appeared.
She had had to inquire her way, which was dangerous. Her companion and
the king's were to go with them; so they jumped up, the Count was on the
box in a moment; and off they drove,--six inside and three out.

In a little while there was another panic. The king was sure they were
going the wrong way. They ought to leave Paris by the north-eastern
road; but they were now going straight north. The king might have been
sure that the Count knew which way to drive, after managing so well all
else that he had to do. He was only going to Madame Sullivan's, to make
sure that the new berlin was gone to the place where they were to meet
it. All was right. Count Fersen's servant had called for the Baroness
de Korff's coach, an hour and a half before. So on they went, through
the north entrance, turning immediately eastwards; and when fairly free
of Paris, they came in sight of the great coach, waiting by the
roadside, with its six horses, and the Count's coachman on the box.

The party made haste to settle themselves in the berlin; for too much
time had been lost already. Count Fersen was again the driver. His
coachman went off in another direction, to have his master's chariot
ready for him, at some distance on the north road. Who then was there
to drive home the glass-coach? Nobody. So they turned the horses'
heads towards the city, and set them off by themselves; and the coach
was found