King's
first valet de chambre, instantly ran to his Majesty's apartment. M. de
Bougainville, seeing the torrent furiously advancing, cried out, "Put the
King in the recess of the window, and place benches before him." Six
royalist grenadiers of the battalion of the Filles Saint Thomas made their
way by an inner staircase, and ranged themselves before the benches. The
order given by M. de Bougainville saved the King from the blades of the
assassins, among whom was a Pole named Lazousky, who was to strike the
first blow. The King's brave defenders said, "Sire, fear nothing." The
King's reply is well known: "Put your hand upon my heart, and you will
perceive whether I am afraid." M. Vanot, commandant of battalion, warded
off a blow aimed by a wretch against the King; a grenadier of the Filles
Saint Thomas parried a sword-thrust made in the same direction. Madame
Elisabeth ran to her brother's apartments; when she reached the door she
heard loud threats of death against the Queen: they called for the head of
the Austrian. "Ah! let them think I am the Queen," she said to those
around her, "that she may have time to escape."

The Queen could not join the King; she was in the council chamber, where
she had been placed behind the great table to protect her, as much as
possible, against the approach of the barbarians. Preserving a noble and
becoming demeanour in this dreadful situation, she held the Dauphin before
her, seated upon the table. Madame was at her side; the Princesse de
Lamballe, the Princesse de Tarente, Madame de la Roche-Aymon, Madame de
Tourzel, and Madame de Mackau surrounded her. She had fixed a tricoloured
cockade, which one of the National Guard had given her, upon her head.
The poor little Dauphin was, like the King, shrouded in an enormous red
cap. The horde passed in files before the table;

[One of the circumstances of the 20th of June which most vexed the King's
friends being that of his wearing the bonnet rouge nearly three hours, I
ventured to ask him for some explanation of a fact so strikingly in
contrast with the extraordinary intrepidity shown by his Majesty during
that horrible day. This was his answer: "The cries of 'The nation for
ever!' violently increasing around me, and seeming to be addressed to me,
I replied that the nation had not a warmer friend than myself. Upon this
an ill-looking man, making his way through the crowd, came up to me and
said, rather roughly, 'Well, if you