rney, was unacquainted with these sinister
occurrences. It was half past eleven at night, when the carriages
arrived at the first houses of the little town of Varennes; all were or
appeared to be asleep; all was silent and deserted. It will be
remembered, that Varennes not being on the direct line from Chalons to
Montmedy, the king would not find horses there. It had been arranged
between himself and M. de Bouille, that the horses of M. de Choiseul
should be stationed beforehand in a spot agreed upon in Varennes, and
should conduct the carriages to Dun and Stenay, where M. de Bouille
awaited them. It will also be borne in mind that in compliance with the
instructions of M. de Bouille, M. de Choiseul and M. de Guoguelas, who,
with the detachment of fifty hussars, were to await the king at Pont
Sommeville, and then follow in his rear, had not awaited him nor
followed him. Instead of reaching Varennes at the same time as the king,
these officers on leaving Pont Sommeville had taken a road that avoids
Sainte Menehould, and thus materially lengthens the distance between
Pont Sommeville and Varennes. Their object in this was to avoid Sainte
Menehould, in which the passage of the hussars had created some
excitement the day previous. The consequence was, that neither M. de
Guoguelas, nor M. de Choiseul, these two guides and confidants of the
king's flight, were at Varennes on his arrival, nor did they reach there
until an hour after. The carriages had stopped at the entrance of
Varennes. The king, surprised to meet neither M. de Choiseul nor M. de
Guoguelas, neither escort nor relays, hoped that the cracking of the
postilions' whips would procure them fresh horses to continue their
journey. The three body-guards went from door to door, to inquire where
the horses had been placed, but could obtain no information.

XII.

The little town of Varennes is formed into two divisions, the upper and
lower town, separated by a river and bridge. M. Guoguelas had stationed
the fresh horses in the lower town on the other side of the bridge: the
measure was in itself prudent, because the carriages would cross the
bridge at full speed, and also, because in case of popular tumult, the
changing horses and departure would be more easy when the bridge was
once crossed; but the king should have been, but was not, informed of
it. The king and queen, greatly alarmed, left the carriage and wandered
about in the deserted streets of the upper town fo