appear that the treasure is not arriving
today. I am leaving to rejoin General Bouille. You will receive new
orders tomorrow." Finally, to deliver the message he made the exceptionally strange choice of Monsieur Leonard, the queen's hair-
dresser.27
For the next eight hours the duke and his small force would
disappear to the northeast, traveling across country rather than
following the main road, raising pandemonium as they galloped
unannounced through village after village, before storming into
the Argonne Forest and losing their way. In contrast, Monsieur
Leonard in his small carriage, rapidly taking to his role as military
courier, performed his task perfectly. Driving in succession through
Sainte-Menehould, Clermont, and Varennes, he passed along the
message implying that the king was not coming. In the first two
towns, Andoins and Damas welcomed an excuse to have their men
unsaddle and retire to their lodgings, to some extent reducing the
fears of the townspeople. Both nevertheless remained at their posts
with a few officers and soldiers, waiting to see what would happen.
In Varennes both commander and cavalry retired for the night.
Only Raigecourt and the younger Bouille stood in readiness at their
hotel window, waiting to see if the relay horses, below in the stables, might still be necessary.28
As THE ROYAL CARAVAN drove down the long main street of
Sainte-Menehould and into the central square, the anxieties aroused
by the failure to find Choiseul were scarcely allayed. They did now
see cavalry, but the men seemed to be relaxing, dismounted and disarmed, some of them drinking in an inn. Even more worrisome
were the groups of national guardsmen, many carrying muskets,
milling about on the opposite side of the Place Royale in front of
the elegant brick and limestone town hall. The travelers must have felt as if they were stumbling by chance into a drama unrolling on
the stage of the town square, where the entire citizenry seemed to
be gathered. They must also have been aware that everyone had
turned to watch them, staring in particular at the bodyguards, who
looked for all the world like the men of the prince de Conde. A
few buildings farther along, on a street that angled off to the right,
the royal party found the relay post where Valory and the stablehands were already preparing the horses. The change of teams went
smoothly and rapidly. While they were waiting, the queen, anxious
to learn what was happening, called Andoins over to the berline.
The officer tried to look casual as he walked up, but when he saw
the king he instinctively saluted. He then whispered, "Plans have
not worked out; I must leave for fear of raising suspicion." And
he quickly walked away. "These few words," as Tourzel recalled,
"pierced us to the heart."29
The manager of the relay post, Jean-Baptiste Drouet, apparently
arrived on the scene only after his stablehands had almost completed the change of horses. Twenty-eight years old, the younger of
two brothers, he had served seven years in the cavalry before returning to his hometown to work in the family fields and operate
the post owned by his widowed mother. He was ambitious and selfconfident, but he found himself forced into the drudgery of farm
work and manual labor, a considerable comedown from the glamorous career of his youth, and a source of much frustration." Now,
when he saw the berline and looked carefully at the passengers inside, he was stunned to recognize the queen of France, whom he
had once seen while his company was stationed near Versailles. Although he had never before viewed the king, the face of the heavyset man sitting next to her struck him as remarkably like the image
of Louis XVI printed on the new paper money that had lately come
into circulation. After watching the two carriages drive away, he began telling everyone around him that the king had just passed. At
first, like the people in Chaintrix and in Chalons, no one
today. I am leaving to rejoin General Bouille. You will receive new
orders tomorrow." Finally, to deliver the message he made the exceptionally strange choice of Monsieur Leonard, the queen's hair-
dresser.27
For the next eight hours the duke and his small force would
disappear to the northeast, traveling across country rather than
following the main road, raising pandemonium as they galloped
unannounced through village after village, before storming into
the Argonne Forest and losing their way. In contrast, Monsieur
Leonard in his small carriage, rapidly taking to his role as military
courier, performed his task perfectly. Driving in succession through
Sainte-Menehould, Clermont, and Varennes, he passed along the
message implying that the king was not coming. In the first two
towns, Andoins and Damas welcomed an excuse to have their men
unsaddle and retire to their lodgings, to some extent reducing the
fears of the townspeople. Both nevertheless remained at their posts
with a few officers and soldiers, waiting to see what would happen.
In Varennes both commander and cavalry retired for the night.
Only Raigecourt and the younger Bouille stood in readiness at their
hotel window, waiting to see if the relay horses, below in the stables, might still be necessary.28
As THE ROYAL CARAVAN drove down the long main street of
Sainte-Menehould and into the central square, the anxieties aroused
by the failure to find Choiseul were scarcely allayed. They did now
see cavalry, but the men seemed to be relaxing, dismounted and disarmed, some of them drinking in an inn. Even more worrisome
were the groups of national guardsmen, many carrying muskets,
milling about on the opposite side of the Place Royale in front of
the elegant brick and limestone town hall. The travelers must have felt as if they were stumbling by chance into a drama unrolling on
the stage of the town square, where the entire citizenry seemed to
be gathered. They must also have been aware that everyone had
turned to watch them, staring in particular at the bodyguards, who
looked for all the world like the men of the prince de Conde. A
few buildings farther along, on a street that angled off to the right,
the royal party found the relay post where Valory and the stablehands were already preparing the horses. The change of teams went
smoothly and rapidly. While they were waiting, the queen, anxious
to learn what was happening, called Andoins over to the berline.
The officer tried to look casual as he walked up, but when he saw
the king he instinctively saluted. He then whispered, "Plans have
not worked out; I must leave for fear of raising suspicion." And
he quickly walked away. "These few words," as Tourzel recalled,
"pierced us to the heart."29
The manager of the relay post, Jean-Baptiste Drouet, apparently
arrived on the scene only after his stablehands had almost completed the change of horses. Twenty-eight years old, the younger of
two brothers, he had served seven years in the cavalry before returning to his hometown to work in the family fields and operate
the post owned by his widowed mother. He was ambitious and selfconfident, but he found himself forced into the drudgery of farm
work and manual labor, a considerable comedown from the glamorous career of his youth, and a source of much frustration." Now,
when he saw the berline and looked carefully at the passengers inside, he was stunned to recognize the queen of France, whom he
had once seen while his company was stationed near Versailles. Although he had never before viewed the king, the face of the heavyset man sitting next to her struck him as remarkably like the image
of Louis XVI printed on the new paper money that had lately come
into circulation. After watching the two carriages drive away, he began telling everyone around him that the king had just passed. At
first, like the people in Chaintrix and in Chalons, no one
Similar Books
