18043} 
his efcape out of their hands, and repaired 
to the King, who was, by this time, ar- 
rived at Varennes; whither the Duke de 
Choifeul had alfo repaired. 
The carriage entered Varennes at a 
quarter, or perhaps half an hour, paft ten 
o’clock at night ; an hour when the inha- 
bitants of that place ought all naturally to 
have gone to bed. 
Here horfes were expected to convey the 
Royal Family to Stenay. 
M. de Bouillé, fon of the celebrated 
General, the Marquis-de Boui'lé, and M. 
de Goguelas, were already at Varennes ; 
but unfortunately they were polted at the 
farther extremity of the town, beyond the 
bridge, over a {mall river that runs by it. 
This bridge was atterwards found to~be 
blocked up by three waggons loaded with 
timber overturved on it. Four pieces of 
cannon were alfo, planted at the gate of 
the place. Thefe, however, could nat 
have occafioned much hindrance to the 
journey, as the people could not have 
made ufe of them without endangering 
their friends as much as the Royal Fa- 
mily. 
The night was extremely. dark, and 
from the hour, andthe profound filence of 
the place, the inhabitants were fuppofed to 
be all at reft. 
As the horfes expected from Stenay did 
notappear, it was propofed to the drivers 
to go on another ftage ; but this they po- 
fitively refuled to do, pretending that they 
did not know the read. Nothing, there- 
fore, could induce them to proceed ; not 
even the promife of fitty Lowzs-d'or, made 
to them by M. de Malden. 
~ In this dilemma, the King dire&ed M. 
de Moullier to enquire for the road at a 
houfe on. the right hand of the ftreer, 
nearly oppofite the carriage, and where, 
only, any light had been obferved. 
The door, which ftood open, was 
fhut as foon as M. de Mouttier ap- 
proached it ; but when he prefied ttrong- 
ly againft it, it was again opened, and a 
gentleman within, jn a night gown, afked 
him, in a firm voice, what he wanted. 
“° Jonly came (laid M. de Mouttier,) 
tobeg you te inform me which is the road 
from this place to Stenay ?” ies 
“© Twould doit (faid the gentleman,) 
moft readily ; but if it came to be known 
to the public that I had done fo, I fhould be 
ruined.” 
‘© What, Sir! (replied M. de Mouf- 
tier,) a lady on a journey finds herfelf 
pvertoken by the night, and is an utter 
ftranger to the ccuntiry: you are furely too 
‘well bred to refufe to point out her road ?” 
Fourney of Leuis XVI. from Paris to Varennes. 325 
No, Sir, *(faid the gentleman again,) 
this is uo lady: ewe know who the travel- 
lers are.” bh 
On this M. de Mouftier returned to 
the carriage, and recounted what had 
pafled to bis Majefty, who fent him back 
to defire the gentleman to come to the car- 
riage. 
M. de Mouftier went, and told him 
that his zflrefs begeed he would come 
out to her, to which the gentleman agreed, 
and putting off his thoes, left his fteps 
fhould» be remarked, went to the coach, 
where he converfed fome time with the 
King ; and then conduéted M. de Mouf. 
tier to the lodgings of the commanding- 
officer of the buffars of Lauzun, walking 
all the way without his fhoes, and infifting 
on abfolute fecrecy from M. de Mouf- 
tier, 
The commandant’s lodgings were near, 
but he was not to be found. They only 
met with one of the huffars, who had been 
ordered, he fajd, to carry the. officer's. 
portmanteau to him, if he did not come 
home, between twelve and one in the 
moraing. 
After this the carriage moved onwards, 
through Varennes, for about two hun- 
dred tteps, when it was ftopped by a 
crowd of national guards, filling the 
ftreet, and prefenting their mufkets at the 
drivers, who, as may be (uppofed from 
their furmer behaviour, were loon induced 
to halt.* . 
Two men ftanding dire&tly oppofite to 
the door of the carriage, on the left fide, 
pointed their mufkets again# it, calling 
out, Fire ! M. de Mouttier pufhed down 
one of the pteces, and feized the other with 
one hand, while he clapped the other to 
his hanger. 
The Queen infantly commanded him 
to abftain from any violence ; and he, 
without quitting his bold of the mufket, 
but pufhing it gently to one fide, that, if 
it did go off, the charce might not touch 
the carriage, ju faid, with a low voice, 
‘* What, Madam ! will you not fuffer me 
to drive away this rabble ?—* No, (are 
jwered the Queen,) dom t meddle with 
them; you would only hinder us: ihis 
will foo be over.” 
Juit at this jungture, Sauffe, procureur 
of the commune, (town,) came up, with 
the commandant of the volunteers, or ‘na- 
tional guards, and, under the pietence of 
* It is worthy of remark, that, as the 
coach entered Varennes, when it was both 
late and dark, aloud whiftle was heard by M. 
de Malden and others of the company. 
execuling 
