lbow to elbow, the guns were wheeled opposite the
great drawbridge in the face of the musketry, and at that the Bastille
gave up. De Launay made an attempt to explode his magazine, but was
stopped by his men. The white flag was displayed, the drawbridge was
let down, and the besiegers poured in.

Great disorder followed. De Launay and one of his officers were
massacred despite the efforts of Elie and the soldiers. The uproar of
Paris was intensified by the victory. At the opposite side of the city
there had been another success; the Invalides had been taken and with
it 30,000 muskets. With these the civic guard was rapidly being armed,
under the direction of the committee of the sections. The Hotel de
Ville was the centre of excitement, and the provost of the merchants,
having lost all authority, was anxious to surrender his power to the
new insurrectional government. Late in the evening he too was
sacrificed to {69} the violence of the mob, and, drawn from the Hotel
de Ville, was quickly massacred by the worst and most excitable
elements of the populace.

{70}

CHAPTER VI

FROM VERSAILLES TO PARIS

The effect of the insurrection of Paris was immediate. Besenval,
lacking instructions and intimidated by the violence of the rising,
held his troops back; while Louis, shrinking from violence as he always
did, and alarmed at the desertion in the army, decided to bow before
the storm. He had nerved himself to a definite and resolute policy,
but the instant that policy had come to the logical proof of
blood-letting, he had fallen away; his kindliness, his incapacity for
action, had asserted themselves strongly.

Necker was once more recalled, and once more weakly lent himself to
what was rapidly becoming a farcical procedure. The King, without
ceremony, presented himself to the National Assembly and announced that
in view of the events of the day before he had recalled his minister,
and ordered Besenval's troops to be withdrawn. The assembly manifested
its satisfaction, and sent a deputation headed by {71} Bailly to
communicate this good news to Paris. And on the same day began the
first movement of emigration of the defeated courtier caste, headed by
the Comte d'Artois and de Breteuil.

The deputation from the assembly presently reached Paris, and was
received by the committee of the sections at the Hotel de Ville. There
followed congratulation, speech-making, disorder, and excitement; and
out of