CHAPTER IV.
THE FOES FACE TO FACE.
While the queen was looking from the palace to see the Austrianscoming, another was watching in her little reception-rooms. One wasrevolution embodied, the other its opponents intensified; that wasMadame Roland, this the queen from Austria.
The real war at this period was between this pair.
A singular thing, both had such influence over their husbands as tolead them to death, although by different roads.
Dumouriez had thrown a sop to the Jacobins without knowing who theColonel Servan was whom he took for Minister of War. He was a favoriteof Madame Roland. Like all the Girondists, of whom she was the light,the fire, the egeria, he was inspired by that valiant spirit.
But he and Roland were neutralized at the council by Dumouriez. Theyhad forced the Royalist Constitutional Guards to disband, but they hadmerely changed their uniform for that of the Swiss Guards, the sworndefenders of royalty, and swaggered about the streets more insolentlythan before.
Madame Roland suggested that, on the occasion of the July festivals,a camp of twenty thousand volunteers should be established in Paris.Servan was to present this as a citizen, apart from his being aminister. In the same way, Roland was to punish the rebellious priestswho were preaching from the pulpits that taxpayers would be damned, byordering their exile.
Dumouriez supported the volunteer proposition at the council, in thehope that the new-comers would be Jacobins; that is, the Invisibles, bywhom neither the Girondists nor the Feuillants would profit.
"If your majesty vetoes it," he said, firmly, "instead of the twentythousand authorized, we shall have forty thousand unruly spirits intown, who may with one rush upset Constitution, Assembly, and thethrone. Had we been vanquishers--But we must give in--I say accept."
But the queen urged the king to stand firm. As we know, she wouldrather be lost than be saved by Lafayette.
As for the decree against the priests, it was another matter. The kingsaid that he wavered in temporal questions as he judged them with hismind, which was fallible; but he tried religious matters with hisconscience, which was infallible!
But they could not dispense with Dumouriez at this juncture.
"Accept the volunteer act," said the queen, at last; "let the camp beat Soissons, where the general says he will gradually draft them offout of the way; and--well, we will see about the decree aimed at thepriests. Dumouriez has your promise, but there must be some way ofevading the issue when you are the Jesuits' pupil!"
Roland, Servan, and Clavieres resigned, and the Assembly applaudedtheir act as deserving the thanks of the country.
Hearing of this, and that Dumouriez was badly compromised, the pupil ofVauguyon agreed to the Volunteer Camp Bill, but pleading conscientiousscruples, deferred signing the decree banishing the refractorypriests. This made the new ministers wince, and Dumouriez went awaysore at heart. The king had almost succeeded in baffling him, thefine diplomatist, sharp politician, and the general whose courage wasdoubled by intrigue!
He found at home the spies' reports that the Invisibles were holdingmeetings in the working quarters, and openly at Santerre's brewery. Hewrote to warn the king, whose answer was:
"Do not believe that I can be bullied; my mind is made up."
Dumouriez replied, asking for an audience, and requested his successorto be sought for. It was clear that the anti-revolutionist party feltstrong.
Indeed, they were reckoning on the following forces:
The Constitutional Guards, six thousand strong, disbanded, but readyto fly to arms at the first call; seven or eight thousand Knights ofthe Order of St. Louis, whose red ribbon was the rallying token; threebattalions of Switzers, sixteen hundred men, picked soldiers, unshakenas the old Helvetic rocks.
Better than all, Lafayette had written: "Persist, sire; fortified withthe authority the National Assembly has delegated to you, you will findall good citizens on your side!"
The plan was to gather all the forces at a given signal, seize thecannon of each section of Paris, shut up the Jacobin's Club-house andthe Assembly, add all the Royalists in the National Guard, say, acontingent of fifteen thousand men, and wait for Lafayette, who mightmarch up in three days.
The misfortune was that the queen would not hear of Lafayette.Lafayette was merely the Revolution moderated, and might prolong it andlead to a republic like that he had brought round in America; while theJacobins' outrageous rule would sicken the people and could not endure.
Oh, had Charny been at hand! But it was not even known where he was;and were it known, it would be too low an abasement for the woman, ifnot the queen, to have recourse to him.
The night passed tumultuously at the palace, where they had the meansof defense and attack, but not a hand strong enough to grasp and hurlthem.
Dumouriez and his colleagues came to resign. They affirmed they werewilling to die for the king, but to do this for the clergy would onlyprecipitate the downfall of the monarchy.
"Sire," pleaded Dumouriez, "your conscience is misled; you are beguiledinto civil war. Without strength, you must succumb, and history, whilesorrowing for you, will blame you for causing the woes of France."
"Heaven be my witness that I wished but her happiness!"
"I do not doubt that; but one must account to the King of kings notonly for purity of intentions, but the enlightened use of intentions.You suppose you are saving religion, but you will destroy it; yourpriests will be massacred; your broken crown will roll in your blood,the queen's, your children's, perhaps--oh, my king, my king!"
Choking, he applied his lips to the royal hand. With perfect serenity,and a majesty of which he might not be believed capable, Louis replied.
"You are right, general. I expect death, and forgive my murderersbeforehand. You have well served me; I esteem you, and am affected byyour sympathy. Farewell, sir!"
With Dumouriez going, royalty had parted with its last stay. The kingthrew off the mask, and stood with uncovered face before the people.
Let us see what the people were doing on their side.