tasted. One wonders that the queen's heart was not quite
broken. She believed that there was yet a chance. She saw Monsieur
Sauce's old mother kneeling, and praying for her king and queen, while
the tears ran down her cheeks. The queen saw that Monsieur Sauce looked
frequently towards his wife, while the king talked with him, explaining
that he meant no harm to the nation, but good, since he could come to a
better understanding with his people when at a distance and in freedom.
Monsieur Sauce, the queen saw, looked so frequently towards his wife,
that it was plain that he would act according to her judgment. The
queen of France therefore kneeled to the grocer's wife to implore mercy
and aid. Fain would the grocer's wife have aided her sovereign, if she
dared: but she dared not. Again and again she said, "Think what it is
you ask, madame. Your situation is very grievous; but you see what we
should be exposed to. They would cut off my husband's head. A wife
must consider her husband first."

"Very true," replied the queen. "My husband is your king. He has made
you all happy for many years; and wishes to do so still." Whatever
Madame Sauce might think of the poor queen's belief that her husband had
made his people happy, she replied only, as before, that she could not
induce Monsieur Sauce to put his life in danger.

The leaders of the different military parties, hearing one alarm-bell
after another beginning to toll through the whole region, made
prodigious exertions to reach Varennes, and did so. The Duke de
Choiseul and his troop surmounted the barricade, and got in; and the
hussars promised fidelity to "the king--the king! And the queen!" as
they kept exclaiming. They were led forward to beset Monsieur Sauce's
house: but Drouet shouted to his national soldiery to stand to their
cannon. On hearing of cannon, the hussars drew back: though Drouet's
cannon were only two empty, worn-out, useless field-pieces, which seemed
fit only to make a clatter on the pavement.

Count Damas had also arrived; and the king sat consulting with these
officers and the magistrates of Varennes,--consulting, when he, with the
aid which had arrived, should have been forcing his way out towards the
frontier. There he sat, as usual, unable to decide upon anything; and
while he sat doubting, the national soldiery poured in to the number of
three thousand, and would presently amount to ten thousand. While he
thus sat doubting, t