CHAPTER VI.
ROYALISTS AT BANQUET.
The answer which the Count of Plouernel was about to make to his friendthe Jesuit was interrupted by the arrival of several of his convivialfriends of the court party--dukes, marquises, canons, and archbishops.Among them was the Viscount of Mirabeau, nicknamed, by reason of hisportly front and the quantity of liquor he could contain, "BarrelMirabeau." He was an infantry colonel, and younger brother to the famousorator of the Third Estate. He seemed to be in great heat, and cried ina loud voice to Monsieur Plouernel:
"Good evening, my dear Count. Devil take this infamous town of Paris andits Parisians! Long live Versailles, the true capital of France."
"Whence all this anger, Viscount?"
"Anger! Allow me to inform you that just now this vile populace, whichto-night overflows in all the streets, had the impudence to stop mycarriage on the Louis XV Bridge. By God's death, I shall punish thesepeople!"
"What did you say to the insolent creatures?"
"I was treating this fraction of the 'sovereign people' like the abjectrabble that they are, when my lackey, trembling like a hare, and hopingto secure our release, conceived the infernal idea of calling out to thebeggars 'Make way, there, if you please, for the carriage of MonsieurMirabeau!' Immediately the tempest turned to a zephyr, and the stupidpeople made way for me, to cries of 'Long live Mirabeau!'"
"They must have taken you for your brother!"
"Death and fury! It is but too true! I shall never forgive my brotherthat insult!"
"Calm yourself, Viscount; but yet a few days and that filthy populacewill be clouted back into the mire where it belongs."
"Her Excellency, Marchioness Aldini," loudly announced one ofPlouernel's valets at that moment, swinging back both sides of the greatdoor of the parlor, into which he introduced--Victoria Lebrenn under herborrowed name and title.
The friends of Monsieur Plouernel thus beheld Marchioness Aldini for thefirst time. All were struck with astonishment at her beauty, heightenedas it was by the splendor of her toilet. For Victoria now wore atrailing robe of poppy-colored cloth of Tours, trimmed with black lace.The cut of her corsage left bare her arms, shoulders and the rise of herbreast, which seemed sculptured in the purest marble. Her black hair wasnot buried, as was the custom of the time, under a layer of whitepowder, but, glowing with the luster of ebony, and rolled in thick andnumerous ringlets around her head, majestically crowned her brow. Atriple string of Venetian sequins served both as diadem and collar.Nothing can give an adequate idea of the effect of this original mode,at once elegant and severe, which was still more remarkable in that itdiffered completely from the pomponned attires of the period, andharmonized marvellously with Victoria's own cast of beauty.
Plouernel's friends, seized with admiration, were for a momentspeechless. Every look was fastened on the foreign dame;--even AbbotMorlet experienced the fascination, and said to himself as he gazed ather:
"I can understand how the Count is mad over her. The danger is greaterthan I suspected. She is a very siren."
Of all Plouernel's assembled friends, the Abbot was the only one topenetrate the true nature of Victoria's beauty. Her pallor, her flashingblack eyes, her bitter and sardonic smile, gave to her face anindefinable somberness, which was in accord with the severity of hercostume of red, black and gold.
Soon the voice of Monsieur Plouernel's chief butler was heard,announcing that supper was served. The Count offered his arm toVictoria, to lead her into the capacious dining room. Walls of whiteplaster were relieved by gilded moldings which framed large panelsfrescoed with birds, fruits and flowers. A splendid silver service waslaid out on the table, along with a brilliantly colored set of Sevreschina. On the burnished surface of the silver glittered the glow ofrose-colored candles, held in candelabra of vermilion. The banqueterstook their seats about the table. The Count, who had escorted Victoriato a place beside himself, opened the feast.
"Permit me, my friends," he said, "to follow a custom recentlyintroduced from England into France, and to propose a first toast toMadam the Marchioness Aldini, who has deigned to accept my invitation tosupper." The Count rose, glass in hand--"To Madam the MarchionessAldini!"
The whole company, following the Count's example, rose in their places;holding their glasses in their out-stretched hands, they repeated:
"To Madam the Marchioness Aldini!"
Draining their glasses, they resumed their seats.
Victoria in her turn rose. After a moment's pause she replied:
"In response to the courtesy of Monsieur the Count of Plouernel, and ofyourselves, my lords prelates, and gentlemen, I propose with my heartand with my lips a toast to the Church, to the monarchy, and to thenobility,--and to the extermination of revolutionists, of whateverrank."
With these words Victoria moistened her lips in the wine which filledher glass, while Plouernel's friends, transported by the words of theyoung woman, repeated in ecstasy, to the music of their clinkingglasses--
"To the Church! To the King! To the nobility! To the extermination ofthe revolutionists!"
The roisterers sat down; even Abbot Morlet muttered to himself, "Ah, ifthe Marchioness is sincere, what an ally we should have in her! What amagic effect the energy of her words produced on these foppishgentlemen, and on these brainless and imprudent prelates, imbeciles whodon't even know how to cloak their vices under their sacred robes!"
Victoria, who had been cautiously watching the Jesuit, replied to histhought in her own mind: "That priest with the cadaverous mask keeps hissnaky looks ever fastened on me. He alone, of all this company, seems tomistrust me. We must redouble our care and boldness--the game is on."
Meanwhile a Cardinal was puzzling over something, and thinking tohimself: "Where did I meet that beautiful Marchioness, or at least agirl who much resembled her? Ah! I remember! It was in the little housewhere the Dubois woman kept her nymphs, in the King's 'Doe Park,' as hecalled it, near Versailles. Come, come, that must be anillusion--although, that Italian lord, Aldini, not knowing theantecedents of the old inmate of the Dubois house, might well have lefther his name, his title, and all. But let us look into things a bitbefore we pass a rash judgment."
The Viscount of Mirabeau was the first to speak aloud. "Madam theMarchioness," he said, "has pledged us a toast to the death of therevolutionists of all ranks and conditions. I understand how abourgeois, or a peasant, can be a revolutionary; but I can not admitthat princes, nobles, or clericals would train with that breed."
"All revolutionists are fit for the noose," retorted a Duke. "But theopinions of the groundlings may be explained by their desire to shakeoff the yoke. The people is at the end of its patience; it is kickingthe traces; it rebels."
"You speak words of gold, my dear Duke," answered young Mirabeau. "Weshall hang them all, and we shall show ourselves without pity for thosepretended revolutionists, Orleans, Talleyrand, Lafayette, and myunworthy brother Mirabeau, who has brought dishonor upon our house."
"No, no pity for traitors, to whatever class they belong--nobles,clergy, or bourgeoisie," cried the Count of Plouernel.
"On the day of reckoning," echoed the Cardinal, "these felons shall allbe hanged, high and low alike."
"They shall all be hanged at the same height--on their own principle ofequality!" added a young Marquis, laughing.
Victoria cut short his laugh. "By the blood of Christ," she cried, "isthere not in France a revolutionist a hundred times more damnable thanthe gentlemen, the bishops, and even than the princes of the blood wholeague themselves with the revolution--I would say, the most guilty?"
Surprise fell upon the company. Finally the Count of Plouernel stammeredout: "What! Who is that revolutionist--more highly situated, accordingto you, than gentlemen or bishops--or even princes of the blood?"
"The King, Louis XVI!"
Again silence and stupefaction fell upon the thunder-struck banqueters.Some exchanged frightened glances. Others, deep in thought, sought forthe key to the enigma.
The rest stared at Victoria with anxiouscuriosity. Abbot Morlet alone said to himself: "Aha! I catch the woman'strend."
"How, Marchioness," fumbled Plouernel, "according to you--theKing--would be--a revolutionist--and so cut out for the gibbet?"
"What was your motive, Count, for giving up your commission as colonelin the French Guards?" returned Victoria, unmoved.
"As I wrote you, Marchioness, I surrendered the command of my regimentbecause the King refused to authorize the severity which alone, to me,seems capable of re-establishing discipline among my soldiers andpreventing them from becoming the allies of the revolution."
"And yet you are astonished when I pronounce the name of the accompliceof the revolutionists! I denounce the King, Louis XVI."
"You are a woman of genius, madam," acclaimed the Viscount of Mirabeauwarmly. "You justly signalize one of the causes of the revolution. Honorto you, madam."
"I have no right to these praises, Viscount. I am a woman whom God hasdowered with some little good sense, that is all. I am a patrician and aCatholic."
"Nevertheless, Madam Marchioness," interposed the Duke who had spokenbefore, "it seems to me hazardous to pretend that the King, our Sire, isa revolutionist. In truth, it is pursuing the metaphor to its extremelimits. I should hesitate to follow you upon that ground."
Here the Marquis broke in again with his irrepressible laugh, saying:"On one side the revolutionary King--on the other the 'sovereignpeople.' What a comicality! What a mess!"
Victoria continued: "King Louis XVI is the first, the most damnable ofrevolutionists. Neither grace nor pity for the guilty! What I say, Imaintain; I shall prove it. I shall essay to rouse in you allremorse--for you represent here the nobility, the clergy, and the worldof money, and you are nearly as responsible as the King. I shall soonmake it clear to you."
"By the life of God, Marchioness, I am of your opinion," echoed theViscount of Mirabeau. "Six months ago the nobility should have saddledits horses, and, whether the King consented or no, ridden against therevolution and put every peasant to the saber."
"Six months ago the curates should have stirred themselves, roused theirparishes to the sound of the tocsin, and put arms into their hands.They also will have to enter the fight," quoth Abbot Morlet, speakingaloud for the first time since the beginning of the banquet.
"We understand each other, Monsieur Abbot," answered Victoria; and thento Mirabeau: "We judge the situation alike, Monsieur Viscount--themoment calls for a general and armed uprising."
"But we who are less keen-sighted," objected the Duke, "we confess theweakness of our prevision; we reject your conclusions."
"We are the three ninnies--the Duke, the Cardinal and I," put in theMarquis, cracking another joke.
"Decidedly," observed the Cardinal aside to himself. "I was the dupe ofan accidental resemblance. This patrician Marchioness has nothing incommon with the lovely nymph of the Dubois woman's lupanar."
Victoria began her proof: "Is not Louis XVI the worst of therevolutionists? Judge! On May 5th of this year, 1789, did he not convenethe States General, instead of summoning to Versailles 25,000 men whomhe had under his hand, led by resolute heads? At that time therevolution, hardly hatched, could have been stamped into oblivion. I amwilling to excuse him for that mistake, but here is one more serious:The States General convened the 5th of May. The majority of the nobilityand the clergy attempted to hold their deliberations by Order, andrefused to mingle with the bourgeois for the examination of credentials.The Third Estate insisted, and upon a new refusal of the nobles andclergy, left the hall. At length the deputies of the communes had theinsolence to declare themselves, on the 17th of June, the NationalAssembly, in the name of the pretended sovereignty of the people. Theyarrogated to themselves the right to vote the taxes, and declared thatif the royal authority should order them to dissolve, they would not beresponsible for the outcome. Did not the King tolerate all theseaudacities?"
"'Tis true," acquiesced the Viscount of Mirabeau. "It all passed beforeour eyes, at Versailles."
"That is the second crime I impute to the King," Victoria continued."Louis XVI could still have crushed out in its cradle this risingrebellion, scattered by force this handful of malcontents--"
"That has been tried, madam, by us of the court party," interposed theDuke. "We induced his Majesty to allow the seats of the Assembly to beoccupied by troops. On the morning of the 19th of June these so-calledRepresentatives of the people found the corridors of their chamberoccupied by two companies of grenadiers, with loaded muskets."
"Yes," put in the Marquis bitterly, "the King had the cleverness on thatoccasion to commit what was, from the point of view of therevolutionists, an assault upon the National Assembly, by allowing theirmeeting place to be invaded by the troops; and at the same time toperpetrate a new assault against royalty by not preventing the rebelsfrom reuniting in the Tennis Court at Versailles; mistakes, mistakes,ever more mistakes."
"All this is conclusive evidence," chimed in Barrel Mirabeau. "Thisunfortunate King seems to be infatuated with folly."
"Either brace up foolish Kings or suppress them--else look out for thesafety of the monarchy, Monsieur Viscount," replied Victoria.
"Thanks to God," went on a cavalry officer at the other end of thetable, "thanks to God the King's brother, Monseigneur the Count ofProvence, rose to the emergency. At this vexatious juncture the princetook an energetic step. Without even asking the King, he hired theTennis Court for a whole month!"
Victoria broke out into a peal of grim and mocking laughter. "There is aparty leader," she said, "of great bravery and great wisdom! One need gointo no ecstasies over his courage!"
"Madam the Marchioness is right," chimed in the Viscount of Mirabeauagain. "This measure had no other effect upon the rebels than to causethem, the next day, to instal themselves in the Church of St. Louis."
"And then the clergy, or at least a part of the clergy, committedanother imbecility--they rallied to the Third Estate. The shaven-headshave their share of responsibility in all this," said the Count ofPlouernel.
"The high clergy protested, against this treason, the blame of whichshould be thrown on the curates of the country districts," declared theCardinal in self-defense.
"Monsieur the Cardinal is in error!" it was the harsh voice of AbbotMorlet that broke in. "That fraction of the clergy which went over tothe Third Estate displayed great political sense. The low clergy didjust what they should have done."
"Peace, Abbot, peace there!" cried the Cardinal in accents of sovereignscorn. "You are talking nonsense, my dear sir!"
"I maintain what I stated--'tis but little I care for the approbation ofMonsieur the Cardinal," snapped Morlet.
"What's that you say, Abbot?" flashed back the Cardinal in greatirritation. "Measure your words!"
"I wish to talk with reasonable men," returned Morlet, impassibly. "Thisis addressed to you, gentlemen. The royal power having tolerated theexistence of this Assembly of malcontents, the clergy, both high andlow, should have seized upon the fact, and turned it to its ownadvantage. By the simple means of choosing its best men, and joiningthem to the Third Estate, it would then have been able at need to standin with revolutionary motions, in order to drive the dissatisfiedelement to the last extremes in the paroxysms of their rage."
"Monsieur the Abbot is a profound politician; he is in the right of thematter," assented Victoria.
"At the risk of contradicting you, Madam the Marchioness," objected theCardinal passionately, "I must declare that the Abbot has only once moreexhibited the evil spirit of the Society of Jesus, which has always beena veritable pest to the Church. Our holy mother were well rid of thatabominable, execrable society!"
"So the priest is a Jesuit!" thought Victoria to herself, a lightdawning upon her.
"The true pest of the Church," retorted Abbot Morlet, "has always beenclad in the purple--cardinals and prelates, nearly all sots, imbecilesand peacocks!"
"The impudence of this priestlet, this scoundre
l, this hypocrite!" theCardinal cried in a fury. "Out of here with the insolent fellow!"
"By the blood of Christ," interjected Victoria quickly, addressing thetwo churchmen, "is this the hour for discord and recrimination? Do youforget, your Eminence, and you, Monsieur Abbot, that at this moment thesafety of the Church depends upon the unity of her defenders?"
All the company, with the sole exceptions of the Cardinal and the Abbot,took up the word: "'Tis true--'tis evident! Let us not forget. Let usremain united for the conflict!"
When the tumult had subsided, Victoria took up again her interrupteddiscourse: "In casting a rapid glance over the past, I did not intend toarouse suspicion among you or raise dissension. In pointing out thefaults committed, I wished only to forewarn you against similar errors,and to show you how to escape new mistakes. Please, then, to give meyour attention a few minutes longer: The session in the Tennis Court wasa brutal challenge hurled in the teeth of royalty. The Queen, who is awoman of valor, understood it; she pressed the King to take energeticmeasures, and pledged him to have the National Assembly dissolved byforce. Louis XVI submitted to the influence of the Queen; on the 28th ofJune he went into the heart of the Assembly, surrounded by his guards,and through his chancellor ordered the deputies to disperse, abolishedtheir decrees, and annulled their deliberations. He acted the part of asovereign."
"His Majesty indeed displayed great courage that day, and many of thedeputies of the nobility and the clergy applauded the act of dissolutionand immediately left the chamber," declared the Duke.
"The King," assented Victoria sardonically, "his faithful nobles and hisfaithful clergy left the hall. But they left the rebels behind them.Then Abbot Sieyes sprang to the tribunal and cried 'Continue in session,Representatives of the people! We are to-day what we were yesterday!'"
"But the King did not falter, thank God!" continued the Duke. "HisMajesty commanded the Marquis of Breze to convey to the malcontents hisorders to disperse."
"Shame and misfortune!" exclaimed the Viscount of Mirabeau. "It was myown brother who then answered Breze, 'Go and say to your master who sentyou, that we are here by the will of the people, and that we shall neverquit this hall save by force of bayonets!'"
"Very well, Monsieur Viscount! Your brother pointed out to the royalpower its means of safety--_force of bayonets_," answered Victoria. "Bythe blood of Christ, what did Louis XVI do to restore the rebels totheir senses? Absolutely nothing. Then the latter, encouraged by theirimmunity from punishment, declared, in their next session, theinviolability of the National Assembly."
"Alas, it was upon the motion of my abominable brother that thatdeclaration was carried! God's blood, I think I could have turnedfratricide at the moment," declared Barrel Mirabeau.
"Your house was not the only one to tremble at such felony," Victoriareplied. "Did not nearly all the deputies of the nobility, even the mosthostile to the revolution, rally around the Third Estate, dragging withthem all the clericals?"
"Should the members of the nobility, then, Madam Marchioness," objectedthe Duke, "because the monarchy showed weakness, have abandoned itwithout attempting to defend it from within the Assembly? No, certainlynot."
"Sir Duke," replied Victoria, "the members of the nobility and of theclergy who remained faithful to the throne were in the minority. Whatcould they do for the monarchy? Nothing. Their presence among the ranksof the rebels served only to excuse the slips of the King, for then hecould respond with a show of reason, 'I can not dissolve an Assemblywhich contains so great a number of my servants.'"
"Such was, in fact, the response made by his Majesty to the Queen whenshe secured the recall of Necker and the appointment of a new ministerchosen by Monsieur Broglie. Nevertheless, with the assistance of theMarshal, the monarchy will still prove able to overcome the revolution.At least, that is my opinion," vouchsafed the Count of Plouernel.
"May God so will it," rejoined Victoria again. "But up till now the newminister has done nothing but make mistakes--"
Victoria was interrupted by the entrance of one of the lackeys, whomPlouernel had dismissed from the banquet hall in order that his guestsmight discuss political affairs confidentially and in safety, who said:
"The steward, my lord, asks to see you immediately."
"Let him enter," said the Count; and as the lackey went to fetch him,the host explained to his guests: "I charged my steward to send outseveral of my men in disguise, in order to learn through them what wasgoing on in the several quarters of Paris."
"It is indeed very useful, in these days of effervescence," noddedVictoria, "to keep closely informed on the state of affairs."
The steward entered, bowed humbly to the company, and took up his postclose by the door, like a servant awaiting orders.
"Well, Master Robert, what news?" demanded the Count. The company turnedaround in their chairs and fixed their attention upon the new arrival.