on. But the King was an essential
part of the constitutional mechanism and his flight had occurred just
in time to wreck the Constitution as it was coming into port--that was
the prevailing sentiment of the {122} members of the assembly. When on
the 24th it was known that Louis had been stopped and was returning to
Paris, the relief of the deputies was great,--their long-laboured
Constitution was safe after all.

It was not till the next day that the royal family reached the capital;
and before their arrival more than one exciting scene occurred. The
duc d'Orleans was admitted a member of the Jacobin Club. Danton,
apparently not unfriendly for the moment to d'Orleans, harangued the
Jacobins in favour of the appointment of a regency. But the assembly
maintained a negative attitude. It seized control of the
administration by ordering the ministers, now little more than chief
clerks of departments, to report to it for orders, and for the rest
awaited the return of the King.

On the 25th Louis and his family reached Paris. The whole population
turned out to watch his return, but it gave him no greeting. The
crowd, obeying a common instinct, received the King in dead silence.
Not a voice was heard, not a hat was raised, as Louis once more passed
into his palace of the Tuileries.

{123}

CHAPTER IX

WAR BREAKS OUT

From the 25th of June to the 17th of July the conflict between the
middle class and the democratic party continued with great intensity.
Louis was, in reality, less the object than the pretext of their
quarrel. The Cordeliers urged that France, and not the assembly,
should pronounce the King's fate, and to effect that it would be
necessary to proceed to a referendum, to demand a popular vote. But
this was precisely what the Constitution refused to permit, and hence
the demand was in reality an attack on the Constitution. Day after day
the agitation grew, changing slightly in form. Finally the democrats
decided on a monster petition to be signed at the altar of the Champ de
Mars on the 17th of July.

Danton himself stood at one of the corners of the platform that day to
help on the signing of the protest of the Parisian democracy. But
Bailly, La Fayette, and the mass of the assembly had decided on a
policy of repression. {124} The national guards arrived in strong
force. Confusion followed. Volleys were fired. The mob, after losing
many dead, fled for safety. Danton, escaping, left