past, but these rumours originated rather in the state of popular
excitement than any actual disclosures of the intended departure. These
reports, however, which were constantly transmitted to M. de La Fayette
and his staff, occasioned a stricter _surveillance_ round the palace and
the king's apartments. Since the 5th and 6th of October the household
guards had been disbanded; the companies of the body guard, every
soldier of whom was a gentleman and whose honour, descent, ancient
traditions, and party feeling assured their fidelity, existed no longer;
that respectful vigilance that rendered their service a matter of duty
with them, had given place to the jealous watchfulness of the national
guard, who were rather spies on the king than guardians of the monarchy.
The Swiss guards still, it is true, surrounded the Tuileries, but they
only occupied the exterior posts; the interior of the Tuileries, the
staircases, the communications between the apartments, were guarded by
the national guards. M. de La Fayette was constantly going to and fro,
his officers at night were at every issue, and they had secret orders
not to allow even the king to quit the palace after midnight. To this
official vigilance was now joined the secret and close _espionage_ of
the numerous domestics of the palace, amongst whom revolutionary feeling
had crept in to encourage treachery, and sanction ingratitude: amongst
them, as amongst their superiors, betrayal was termed virtue, and
treason, patriotism. Within the walls of the palace of his fathers the
king could alone count on the queen, his sisters, and a few nobles still
faithful in his misfortunes, and even whose gestures were duly reported
to M. de La Fayette. This general had driven by violence from the
Tuileries many of the faithful gentlemen who had come to strengthen the
guard, on the day of the _emeute_ at Vincennes. The king had witnessed,
with tears in his eyes, his most faithful adherents ignominiously driven
from his palace and exposed by his official protector to the insults and
outrages of the populace. Thus the royal family could hope to find no
one disposed to aid their escape without the palace walls.

VII.

The Count de Fersen was the principal agent and confidant of this
hazardous enterprise. Young, handsome, and accomplished, he had been
admitted during the happy years of Marie Antoinette's life to the
parties and fetes of Trianon. It was said, that a chivalrous admiration,
t