him to the queen. And now this admiration had been changed into the most
passionate devotion to her in misfortune. The queen perceived this, and
when she reflected to whom she could confide the safety of the king and
her children, she thought of M. de Fersen--he instantly quitted
Stockholm, saw the king and queen, and undertook to prepare for the
flight the carriages, which were to meet them at Bondy. His position as
a foreigner favoured his plans, and he combined them with a skill only
equalled by his fidelity. Three soldiers of the body guard, MM. de
Valorg, de Moustier, et de Maldan, were taken into his confidence, and
the parts they were to play were fully explained to them; they were to
disguise themselves as servants, mount behind the carriages, and protect
the royal family at all risks. The names of three obscure gentlemen
effaced that day the names of the courtiers. Should they be discovered,
their fate was sealed; but in the hope of aiding the escape of their
king, they courageously offered themselves as a sacrifice to the popular
fury.


VIII.

The queen had for many months entertained the project of escape. Since
the month of March she had commissioned one of her waiting-maids to
procure her from Brussels a complete wardrobe for Madame and the
Dauphin; she had sent most of her valuables to her sister, the
Archduchess Christina, the regent of the Low Countries, under pretence
of making her a present; her diamonds had been intrusted to her
hair-dresser, Leonard, who had started before herself with the Duke de
Choiseul. These slight indications of a projected flight had not
entirely escaped the vigilance of a waiting-maid; this woman had noticed
that whispered conversations were carried on; she had seen desks opened