The Countess De Charny - Volume II (30 page)

There was no longer any possibility of saving her, for a shower of blows from pikes and sabres rained upon her from every side. She did not utter a single cry, for she had really lost consciousness almost simultaneously with the utterance of those last words of terror and loathing.

The princess had hardly expired — perhaps she was still alive — when these fiends rushed upon her; and in an instant every garment, even to her chemise, was stripped from her body. It was an obscene sentiment that caused her murderers to thus hastily despoil her of her raiment; they wanted to see the beautiful form to which the women of Lesbos would have rendered reverent homage.

Naked as she came into the world, she was laid upon a bench for the crowd to gaze upon. Four men stationed themselves behind this bench to wash away the blood that flowed from seven gaping wounds ; a fifth pointed out the beauties which were said to have secured her royal favour, and which thus became the cause, or, at least, the indirect cause of her death.

She remained thus exposed to the. public gaze from eight o’clock in the morning until noon; then, the spectators becoming weary of this scandalous exposure of the dead, a

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man came aud cut off her head. Alas! that long neck, flexible as a swan’s, offered little resistance.

Grison was the name oi’ the wretch who committed this outrage, more heinous far than if it had been committed upon a living being. History is the most inexorable of divinities. She plucks a quill from her wing, dips it in blood, writes a name, and that name is held up for the execration of posterity !

Subsequently, this same man was guillotined as the leader of a band of thieves.

A second man, named Rodi, opened the breast of the princess, and plucked out her heart.

It was on account of her love for the queen that the poor lady was thus mutilated. How terribly then must the queen be hated !

They placed these detached portions of the body on pikes, and started towards the Temple, followed by an immense crowd. On the way they halted in front of a hairdressing establishment. The man who had carried the head went in, and placing it on the table, exclaimed: “Dress this head for me. It is going to visit its mistress at the Temple.”

After the beautiful hair was curled the crowd again started towards the Temple, shouting and yelling vociferously.

This was the uproar the royal family heard while at the dinner-table.

The ruffians presented themselves at the Temple; but the tricoloured ribbon barred their passage. These men, these assassins, these murderers, these butchers — dared not step over a ribbon.

They asked that a deputation of six persons should be allowed to enter, and march around the town in order to exhibit these bloody trophies to the queen. The request seemed so reasonable to the officers of tlie prison that it was granted witliout discussion.

The king was playing, or pretending to play a game of

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backgammon with the queen; for, under the pretext of playing, the prisoners could draw nearer together, and so utter a few words unheard by the municipal officers who were in constant attendance.

All at once the king saw one of the officials, a man named Danjou, rush to the window and draw the curtain.

“What is the matter?” asked the king.

The official, seeing that the queen’s back was turned, motioned the king not to question him; but, notwithstand-ing that windows and doors were both closed, iierce yells, insults, and threats were distinctly audible. The king perceived that something terrible was going on, and placed his hand on the queen’s shoulder to prevent her from moving.

Almost at the same instant a loud knocking was heard at the door, and the official was obliged to open it, though sorely against his will.

Several officers of the guard, as well as two or three municipal officers, were standing outside.

“Is my family in danger?” asked the king.

“No,” answered a man dressed in the uniform of a captain in the National Guards; “but there is a rumour afloat that there is no one here at the tower, — that you have all escaped. Show yourself at the window, so as to satisfy the people.”

The king, not suspecting in the least what was going on, saw no reason for refusing; so he started towards the window.

“Don’t do it, monsieur,” cried Danjou, suddenly, intercepting him. Then, turning to the visitors, he added: “The people ought to have more confidence in their magistrates.”

“Well, that isn’t all, I admit,” retorted the man in uniform. “They want you to come to the window to see the head and heart of the Princesse de Lamballe, which they have brought here to show you, so you may know how the people treat tyrants. I advise you to go to the window. If you don’t the things will be brought up here.”

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The queen uttered a cry and fainted. Madame Elizabeth and Madame Eoyale caught her as she fell.

“You might have dispensed with informing the queen of this terrible outrage, monsieur,” said the king. “See what you have done,” he added, pointing to the group of terror-stricken ladies.

But the man only shrugged his shoulders , and went out singing the “Carmagnole.”

About six o’clock Petion’s secretary came to pay the king twenty-five hundred francs.

Seeing the queen standing silent and motionless, he fancied it was out of respect to him, and was considerate enough to ask her to be seated.

Madame Royale remarks in her Memoirs: —

” He did not know that ever since that terrible shock my mother had been standing rigidly erect and motionless, taking no notice of what was going on around her.”

Terror had transformed Marie Antoinette into a statue.

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CHAPTER XXXII.

VALMY.

And now let us turn from these frightful scenes of carnage and follow through the defiles of Argoune one of the prominent personages of our story, upon whom the destinies of France now depend. The reader will readily understand that we refer to Dumouriez.

On resigning his position in the Cabinet, Dumouriez had resumed the duties of a general in the field, and after Lafayette’s flight from France he received the appointment of commander-in-chief of the Army of the East.

This appointment really amounted to a sort of miracle of intuition on the part of those in power. Dumouriez was cordially hated by some and despised by others; but more fortunate than Danton, he had been unanimously acknowledged to be the only man who could save France.

The Girondists, who had first nominated Dumouriez, now hated him, for it will be remembered that he had driven the leading men of their party out of the Cabinet; nevertheless, insignificant as his position in the Army of the North was , they cordially agreed to his appointment as commander-in-chief.

The Jacobins, too, hated and despised Dumouriez, but they knew that military glory was this man’s one ambition in life, and that he would conquer or die. Robespierre did not dare to support him on account of Dumouriez’s unpopularity in the Jacobin party , but he persuaded Couthon to give him his support.

Danton neither disliked nor despised Dumouriez. He was one of those men who care little or nothing about a

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person’s reputation, and who do not even scorn to employ vice itself, if it can be made to further their ends. Dan-ton realised the great advantages which might be derived from Dumouriez’s generalship, but distrusted his relia-bility, so he sent two men to watch him, Fabre d’Eglan-tine and Westermann.

The entire armies of France were placed in the hands of a man who was known to be an intriguer. Luckner, who had proved his lack of military ability at the very beginning of the campaign, was sent to Chalons to raise recruits. Dillon, a brave and distinguished soldier who had been Dumouriez’s superior in rank, was instructed to obey him. Kellermann, too, was made subservient to the orders of the man to whom despairing France was intrusting her sword, and sa^dng: “Defend me, for I know of no one else who can do it ! “

Kellermann grumbled and swore, but obeyed, though not with a very good grace. In fact, the booming of cannon was needed to make him show himself the devoted patriot he really was.

The advance of the allied sovereigns upon Paris had been carefully mapped out and divided into a certain number of stages ; but after the capture of Longwy and the surrender of Verdun, the allied armies suddenly halted.

What was the reason of this?

A spectre was standing between them and Paris, — the ghost of Beaurepaire.

Beaurepaire was a veteran officer who organized and commanded the Maine and Loire Battalion. As soon as he heard that the enemy had set foot on the soil of France, he and his men hastened to the scene of action.

On the way they met a patriot deputy from their Department who was returning home.

“What news shall I take to your friends?” asked the deputy.

” Say tliat we are dead ! ” answered a voice.

No Spartan marching to Thermopyla3 could have given a more sublime answer.

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Tlie enemy halted before Verdun, Aug. 30tli, 1792. On the olst the city was called upon to surrender.

Beaurepaire and his men, supported by Marceau, wanted to tight to the last; but the council of defence, composed of the municipal authorities and several prominent citizens of the place, ordered a surrender.

Beaurepaire smiled disdainfully.

“I have sworn to die rather than surrender,” he said. “You may survive shame and dishonour if you wish, but I shall keep my oath. This is my final decision.”

And he blew his brains out then aud there.

This spectre was as gigantic , and even more terrible than the Giant Adamastor. Kow, for the first time, the allied sovereigns, who had believed the statements of the Royalist refugees, and so felt confident that France would receive them with open arms, saw their mistake.

They beheld the fruitful and populous soil of France change as if by the touch of a magic wand. Grain disappeared as if swept away by a hurricane. The armed peasant alone remained in the furrow. Those who had guns took their guns ; those who had scythes took their scythes ; those who had only a pitchfork took that.

The weather, too, favoured France. Heavy rains drenched the men, softened the ground, and spoiled the roads. True, the rain fell upon one army as well as upon the other, upon the French as well as upon the Prussians, only everything else combined to aid France, while everything else was hostile to Prussia.

For the Pussians, the peasants had nothing but guns, scythes, and pitchforks; while for their compatriots they had a glass of wine or beer hidden away, and plenty of dry straw to spread over the ground and make a comfortable bed for the soldiers.

Many blunders were made, and Dumouriez’s were not among the least of them. In his Memoirs he records them all, — his own, as well as those of his subordinates.

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He had written to tiie National Assembly, —

“The defiles of Argoime are the Thermopylae of France; but have no fears. More fortunate than Leonidas, I shall not perish there.”

But the defiles of Argonne proved to be poorly guarded. One of them was taken, and Dumouriez was obliged to beat a retreat. Two of his subordinates missed their way, and met with heavy losses. Dumouriez himself lost his way, and narrowly escaped capture. He had fifteen thousand men, but they were so utterly demoralised that they were twice put to rout by fifteen hundred Prussians. Nevertheless, Dumouriez was the one man who did not despair; his courage and cheerfulness were unimpaired.

In writing to tlie Council, he said: “I will be responsible for everything;” and though he was pursued and intercepted, he nevertheless succeeded in effecting a union with Beurnonville’s ten thousand men, and Kellermann’s fifteen thousand. Then he rallied his scattered forces, and on September 19th he was encamped at Saint Menehould with seventy -six thousand men, while the Prussian force numbered only seventy thousand.

It is true that this army often complained. The soldiers were sometimes without bread for two or three days. Then Dumouriez would go about among the men and say: “My friends, the famous Marshal Saxe wrote a book upon War, in which he claims that troops should be deprived of bread at least once a week to make them less susce])tible to privation in case of need. We have arrived at that state of things already ; but you are much better off than the Prussians. They go four days without bread sometimes, and have to eat their dead horses. You have lard, rice, and flour. Make flapjacks, and Liberty will season them for you.”

There was a still greater difficulty to contend with, however.

The scum of Paris, the scum which rose to the surface

254 LA COMTESSE DE CHARNY.

on the 2d of September, had been driven into the army. The miserable scoundrels came singing the “Ça ira,” and declaring that epaulettes and embroidered coats must be cast aside, and everybody and everything be placed on terms of equality. But no one paid any attention to their threats or advances. The general merely announced that a review would take place the following day.

The next day, by an unexpected manoeuvre, the new-comers found themselves surrounded by a large body of cavalry, and another of infantry, after which Dumouriez walked straiglit up to them, and said, imperiously: —

” You fellows, — for I will not call you citizens or soldiers or my children, — you fellows, see this artillery in front of you, and this cavalry behind you; that is to say, you are between fire and sword. You have disgraced yourselves by your crimes. I shall tolerate no thieves or assassins here, and I will have you cut to pieces at the very first sign of insubordination. If you mend your ways, and conduct yourself like the other members of the brave army into which you have had the honour of being admitted, you will find a good father in me. I know there are a number of scoundrels among you who have been sent with you to in-cite you to crime. Drive them from 3^our midst yourselves, or else denounce them to me. I hold you all responsible for one another.”