The Queen would not endure the Minister's
retrenchment of her revenue, and plotted for his removal, and the
King supported her. That was a great crime. The second was the
overthrow of Necker. Then the Queen and her Court minxes ruled. Both
King and Queen sought to stir up foreign countries against their own;
their correspondence relating to this was discovered, and then the
betrayers of their country were condemned to death. Don't talk of
Martyrs, or I shall be angry. For I am angry when I hear lies, and
cannot control myself."
The Count laid his hand on his sword.
"Put your sword in its sheath, young man, or otherwise...."
They sat down on opposite sides of the table, and darted angry
glances at each other.
"The ultimate causes," continued the old man, "may be sought in
heaven, but we have here only to do with secondary causes, and those
we know. The Revolution was a Last Judgment which had to come, just
as it came in England exactly a hundred years before, in 1689."
"But Cromwell's republic did not last."
"Nor does this; but it comes again! But let us rather talk of
something cheerful on this last evening. I have been present at
everything; I have a strong memory, and can forget nothing. But what
shines most brightly through all the dark days is the recollection
of the day on the Champs du Mars, the Feast of Brotherhood of July
14, '90.
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