Arrival of the king in Paris, he goes to the town hall. The poissards come to demand the queen; reconciliations between the people and the Bodyguards; the town
of Versailles sends a delegation, the king is rigorously guarded; escape of several deputies; their reasons; the intrigues of d'Orleans are discovered; his denial with minister Montmorin; in hiding, Lafayette appears and confuses d'Orleans; the king sends him to England; conditions of this mission, the duke is arrested at Boulogne; he goes to England, is paroled in spite of the efforts of his counsellors, and abundance reappears.

When the king arrived to Paris, the massacring horde merrily shouted to the good Parisians, "We bring you the baker, his wife and the baker's children!"

Throughout their journey there was incessant rifle fire around the carriage which alarmed them. Finally after

five hours of travel, exhausted and famished, the king arrived at the town hall of Paris, only to suffer more jibes and harangues, one in which Bailly called this dreadful day 'a fine day'. The king replied that he came with pleasure and with confidence to the good city of Paris. Bailly repeated the words of the king for the people, but not exactly. The queen, in a firm and assured voice, said to him, "You forgot, Sir, the word 'confidence' in which the king takes great stock." - "You heard it, gentlemen," said Bailly to the people, "No doubt you would be less happy if I had not made this important omission!" After this painful meeting, the king was led to the chateau des Thuilleries where nothing was prepared to receive him.

Such were the appalling days of October 5 and 6, 1789. I omitted few of the main events but one would need a large volume to record all the details of these days.

On the 5th, the Swiss guards were sent back, undoubtedly because they could not be corrupted. I am unaware who gave this order. However, the guard of Versailles had been won over and became fanatical while the regiment of Flanders also turned
its weapons against the king. The National Assembly

remained where it was without participating in the events. The hundred Swiss Guards having been neutralized, only the king's Bodyguards remained, and they acted with a devotion worthy of admiration but without order and leadership. All this proves that the party of d'Orleans was ten times stronger than that of the king.

The streets of Paris were illuminated during the nights from the 6th to the 7th. The two heads were carried aloft like trophies and this detestable festivity continued the following day. Clearly the uprisings of October 5 and 6 had been prepared well in advance and that their object was to name d'Orleans regent or Lieutenant-General of the kingdom, not because he was a more able governor than Louis XVI, but because Mirabeau, Barnave, Péthion, and others wanted to hold the reins of state control.

On October 8 the poissards came to the Thuilleries to demand the queen. Madame Elisabeth, the king's sister, appeared, and asked if they would kindly give the queen time to get dressed. The queen then presented herself at the balcony. She was asked to please raise the hat that she was wearing because it prevented her fine features from being seen

and this she did with the greatest kindness. The matter which she made of this day with the poissardes is most remarkable. "I wish to be your good mother," she said there, "and to do as much good to you as you have spoken ill of me." She promised the people to release from the Mount of Piety all its obligations which do not exceed 24 liv. Unfortunately this totalled some three
million, and only a part of such an extravagent promise could be fulfilled. While this unfortunate queen devoted herself to her beneficial inclinations, she obviously did not calculate.

The king being installed in Paris, it is interesting how the reconciliation took place between the people and his guards. This happened between the Thuilleries and the royal palace. The ladies were softened up. Many soldiers availed themselves of the charms of the women, and it was observed that each tender embrace was sealed by the gift of a watch, snuffbox or jewels.

The town of Versailles sent a delegation to the king expressing complaints, not only on the loss which it had suffered in the absence of a cherished king, but also on the sinister events which threatened.

Bailly, at the head of another delegation from the commune, came to lose himself in compliments. He said to the king that the city of Paris was now to have the rare privilege of possessing the esteemed royal personage. He said that Paris was happy to think that his majesty contributed to this city's grace. What! The king was torn away from his palace by violence, and one comes fawning in this manner! It would be difficult to imagine anything more impudent! The detention of the king was rather severe. He had only the freedom to walk in the garden, surrounded by Lafayette's soldiers who marched hard on his heels.

About this time some 300 members of the national assembly who had become indignant at what had transpired requested passports. The scale of this disaffection caused alarm and it was decreed that no passports would be issued except for reasons pertaining to the business of the assembly. That, however, did not prevent Lally-Tollendal and Mounier to desert. Lally-Tollendal justified his escape in a letter made public. "It was," he said, "beyond my strength to support the horror of my responsibilities. The blood, the severed heads, the queen who almost had her throat cut, the king taken as a slave to Paris,

the ways of the 'assassins with their cries, 'All the bishops to the lampstand! [to be hung]'; the rifle shot I saw fired into the carriage of the queen; the control of Mirabeau and Barnave, laughing together while waves of blood flowed; Mounier, who escaped by some miracle from 19 assassins: this is what made me
swear not to put my feet into this infernal cave of man-eaters, etc."

Orléanists sensed the danger which surrounded them. They held a council and resolved to go ahead of the blow which was being prepared against them. Mirabeau was selected to lead the business. It was agreed that he would ask the national assembly to examine the conduct of d'Orleans over the days of October 5 and 6.

Mirabeau wrote the duke, who no longer left Passy, to go to the assembly. D'Orleans' response was, "Don't do anything. I changed my mind." Compromised, Mirabeau was outraged and swore, "Bastard," he said, "He promotes the vice, but cannot direct it." [Mirabeau's expletives were so obscene, it isn't possible to lessen them. I adopted another word, less expressive perhaps, but which conveys the idea.]

D'Orleans flattered himself. He had all the artillery of the insurrection under his authority. It will be seen how he drew upon these resources in this business.

A short while after the king's arrival in Paris, abundance reappeared but it didn't last long. Lafayette and Bailly investigated the source of the food shortage and discovered
that d'Orleans had arranged to remove the loaves that the bakers had prepared during the night. They had also employed infernal means for compromising the districts and the countryside; that they were behind the inflammatory newspaper journalists such as Prudhomme; that he had a virtual monopoly on all grains; that he alone directed the popular movements; and that there was to be an insurrection on October 19 whose object was to cut the throats of the royal family.

Lafayette went to the king, drew from his pocket a paper and said to him, "Lord, this is the time to reveal everything." Then he shared with the king all the infamies of d'Orleans, and the king proved to him that he hadn't been ignorant of any of this all along.

It was decided to conduct a rendezvous with d'Orleans at the office of Montmorin. The duke arrived and the minister informed him of the things of which he was being accused. D'Orleans denied everything vigorously. Then Lafayette stepped out of a cabinet where he was hiding and flustered him. The duke, suddenly not feeling well,

was given a glass of water. D'Orleans was instructed to go to the king and receive his orders which he did.

"I know everything," the monarch told him, "but I now have the capacity to make a great example. I will forget your devious activities on one condition: that you will give me your word of honor, your word as a prince, that you will open the grain storage bins that are under your control, and that you will replace for France the grain that you have exported. Now leave for England. I will say that I gave you an important mission: one that will preserve your honor!"

I will not conceal an observation which, undoubtedly, has not escaped my readers, namely that as one follows Louis XVI, he is always great and sometimes sublime.

The duke informed his counsel what had transpired. Mirabeau entreated him not to obey, or at least to prepare a report for the assembly to let them decide that his departure should be prevented.

D'Orleans replied that he would be found out if such a report were read, and besides, he had given his word and he would hold to it. Indeed, he did leave and held faithfully to his word.

A reflection quite naturally arises, and that is that d'Orleans, although he lacked character and numerous atrocities were committed in his name to his eternal damnation, he really was only a tool in the hands of Mirabeau, Laclos, Sillery, Latouche and other rascals. Under orders, he was used for the pleasure of their passions. They needed a figurehead and a lot of money. D'Orleans had suffered humiliations from the court which had turned him sour and these unfortunate events provided the motive - a heart full of poison which sought revenge. And to make that come to pass they played upon all the resources of his resentment. This was the key to everything.

The faction that wanted to preserve its figurehead spread the word that d'Orleans' departure was by a 'lettre de cachet'. When he had left, it sent a courier to Boulogne where the duke could be returned. This courier shouted in the streets, "Don't allow the prince to leave! He is the father of the people. France is lost if he leaves!"

This caused quite a stir. The municipal officials of Boulogne found his passport to be in good order, but they dispatched four municipal deputies to the national assembly to find out their

intentions. These deputies were in Paris from the 18th to October 19th. They were told that the passport was indeed good, and they took back with them to Boulogne the order to let the duke leave for England.

One can blame Louis XVI for not having given great publicity to the evidence which he had amassed against the duke d'Orleans, and for not going on the offensive against all of his party at the same time. But the king was a prisoner. He simply didn't enjoy the freedom to enact his authority and he had other great concerns to be wary of from his enemy. Furthermore, he didn't have a council on which he could rely. The circumstances proved the wisdom of the king.

D'Orleans fulfilled his engagements punctually. As soon as he was in England the coasts of Normandy were covered with convoys of grain, and instantly there was an abundance of food again.

It is certain that this prince at a distance could make more trouble than when he was near. This quality confirms at least the opinion that I have of him, namely that he had not been born a rascal but he became one through the crafty intrigues of his advisors.