When a Cobbler Ruled a King Part 17

"Tell me, Citizen Bonaparte," asked Jean, "who is that lovely lady with whom we left the little fellow?"

"That," answered Bonaparte, "is a great friend of Barras,--the Vicomtesse Josephine de Beauharnais!"

When Jean returned to the Rue de Lille, he found Yvonne in tears, and Mere Clouet thoughtful but happy. He told them what had become of the king, but Yvonne would not be comforted.

"Oh, why did he have to leave us!" she sobbed. "We could have kept him so well, and he would have been so happy here with us!"

"No, we could not have kept him!" retorted Jean. "He would not have been safe here long, and he is going to be very happy with that lovely lady!" Nevertheless he stood for a long time silent at the window, with his back to the rest, looking steadily out at nothing. But Mere Clouet dropped to her knees, clasped her hands, and softly uttered this prayer:

"I praise and thank Thee, O G.o.d, that Thou hast permitted us at last to repay this debt of grat.i.tude to the poor Queen who is now with Thee!"

THE STAR OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

CHAPTER XVII

THE STAR OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

The days pa.s.sed by after these events in a strange and unaccustomed quiet. Indeed the Clouet family could scarcely become used to the tranquillity, so habituated had it been to months of waiting, days of suspense, and hours of turmoil and agitation!

Jean continued in his place as Caron's a.s.sistant at the Tower for several weeks. This he did for two reasons,--because as yet he had nothing else in view in the way of occupation, and also because he had still one other duty to perform, in delivering Moufflet to Marie-Therese as Louis Charles had wished. The detention of this young princess in the Tower was soon to come to a close, as negotiations for her release and dismissal to Austria were steadily progressing. Therefore it was only a question of choosing a favourable time, bringing Moufflet to Gomin, and letting him deliver the little animal.

The young girl's imprisonment was now far less rigid than it had been, so the admission of the dog would be no difficult matter. It was deemed wise by the Brotherhood that Marie-Therese should not be informed for the present of her brother's rescue (she had been told that he died on June tenth) but that Gomin should merely say that the dog had been found and kept for her by Jean.

This was done about the first of September, and Gomin reported that she had been fairly overcome with surprise and joy at having her brother's former pet so unexpectedly restored to her, and had sent Jean her heartiest thanks and a little embroidered handkerchief as a remembrance.

She did not start for Austria till December, 1795, but when she went she was accompanied by Caron, who had been a servant in the royal palace before the downfall of the monarchy, and who was happiest in serving all that remained of the royal family. Moufflet also went with her, and remained with her, it is said, as long as he lived.

In the early part of September, the Brotherhood of Liberation held a final meeting at which the society was permanently disbanded, its mission having been fulfilled. All, however, renewed the oath never to disclose the secret of the little king's escape and how it was accomplished, unless a time should ever come for him to reign over France. Jean learned that the boy had been removed to Croissy, the country home of the Vicomtesse Beauharnais, till he was strong enough to travel. Since then he had been taken to an obscure village in a remote corner of France, where he would live in seclusion and good care till such time as his presence might be deemed expedient in the political world,--if, indeed, such a time ever came!

But there was one other transaction of the society that filled Jean with pride and joy. The Brotherhood as a whole, voted that the remaining funds in their treasury should be devoted to providing a pretty little home for Jean and his family in the near village of Meudon, and a comfortable income for the Citizeness Clouet during the remainder of her life, and Jean himself was to have a sum of one thousand francs to do with as he pleased! This was in recognition of the invaluable services they had all rendered in the escape of Louis XVII. It was to be settled and go into effect at the first of the coming year. Jean went home to his family that night with the good news, a proud and happy boy!

Meanwhile he had seen little of his friend Bonaparte since that young man's return to Paris. His own duties kept him rather closely confined to the Tower, and Bonaparte had now more friends in the city who claimed his attention. But besides that, his health was poor, and he spent much time at this period, in gloomy and solitary retirement.

One day Jean, who was having a little holiday, thanks to the kindness of Caron, was pa.s.sing the Corazza Coffee-house near the Palais-Royal when whom should he see sitting at one of the tables but Bonaparte with another young man. Bonaparte at once hailed his friend:

"Ho, Jean Mettot! Come and sit you down with us and share our mid-day meal! This is a fortunate meeting, and I want you to know Monsieur Junot. He's a brave fellow whose mettle I tried at Toulon! You two should know each other!" Jean, nothing loath, joined the little party, and listened with interest to their discussion of present political affairs.

"I do not know what this country is coming to, Jean!" said Bonaparte.

"Public sentiment is like a pendulum! First it swings off to one extreme, as it did in '93, and then started back on the Tenth Thermidor.

It came to a happy medium just a short time after that, and now,--behold you!--off it goes in an entirely opposite direction, and the royalists are coming into favour again!"

"What's the trouble?" asked Jean. "I'm so busy that I've little time to give to political discussions, and one hears no news in that lonely hole of a Temple, nowadays! I wish you would explain it to me!"

"Why, the long and short of it is this," replied Bonaparte, obligingly.

"Of course you know that on August twenty-second the Convention adopted a new Const.i.tution for the year III. According to this Const.i.tution, the Legislative power shall be an executive body of five Directors, a Council of Five Hundred, and a Council of the Ancients composed of two hundred and fifty members. That is all very well, but recently the Convention has added a new decree,--that two-thirds of the members of this new Legislature shall be chosen from themselves--the Convention--and only the remaining one-third by the people at large. So the people naturally consider themselves slighted, and are yelling,--'Down with the Convention!'"

"But," interrupted Jean eagerly, "are not the people right? Is not that what a Republic is for? Was not that the principle for which the monarchy was overthrown and so much blood spilt?"

"Wait, wait, lad!" commanded Bonaparte. "You have not heard all yet! The people of France have had eight centuries of monarchy, and only three years of ruling themselves. They are enthusiastic, but also childish and fickle to the last degree, and are no more fit to be allowed to go their own way than so many babes! They must be guided a while longer by the men who planned and guided the Revolution,--the old Convention! But there's more behind it than that, and they are blind as moles who don't see it!

"The returned Royalists are hiding behind all these disgruntled citizens, and they are going to take advantage of and encourage an uprising to overthrow the existing government. And what then?--Back will come monarchy again!" Jean was delighted with this clear yet simple explanation.

"I see it all now!" he declared. "But what else is happening?"

"Paris," continued Bonaparte, "is divided into forty-eight sections. Of these, every section but one has voted against the new decree; and while many of the sections are inactive, there are seven actually in arms against the Convention, and the worst of these is the Section Lepelletier. Mark my words, Jean! As sure as this is the first of October, there will be a crisis before the month is out! And what is more, something tells me this crisis will mean much for us three now sitting here so quietly, sipping our coffee!"

Bonaparte's prophecy proved true in every respect, except that the crisis came sooner than he had predicted. On the fourth of October, Paris was in a state of indescribable confusion. Bells were sounding the "generale," that horrible call to insurrection. Streets were thronged with citizens rus.h.i.+ng frenziedly to and fro shouting,--"Death to the Convention!" "Down with the Two-thirds!" Crowds of soldiers forced their way through the excited mobs, and skirmis.h.i.+ng between the opposing parties could be heard in every quarter. But worse was yet to come!

Jean, compelled to pa.s.s the day at his duties in the Tower, was as restive as an imprisoned war-horse, and at eleven that night, Caron could no longer restrain him. Like a shot from a cannon, he was off in the driving rain, straight to the lodging of his friend and councillor, Bonaparte. On being admitted, he found that young man pacing up and down his narrow room with a curious excitement flaming in his brilliant eyes.

On the table lay a map of Paris, and over it Bonaparte bent anxiously at every other turn.

"Oho!" he cried. "Another moment and you would have missed me! But I might have known you'd come, with gunpowder scenting the air! You cannot guess who has just been here!"

"Oh, but I can," replied Jean. "For I pa.s.sed him on the block,--Citizen General Barras!"

"Good! but you cannot guess what brought him here!"

"No! tell me!"

"He has offered me the command of the army of Paris!"

"_He has!_"

"Nothing less! You see the Sections have the Convention cooped up there in the Tuileries where they hold their sessions, in a state of siege.

To-morrow the Sections will storm the Convention, and on that issue depends the continuance of the Republic. The Convention has about four or five thousand soldiers at its command, against fifty thousand Sectionists! Poor lookout,--that! But I have a plan that will succeed if anything does, and Barras will support me in anything I order. He tested my worth at Toulon, my lad, and there will be hot work to-morrow!"

"Oh, Citizen Bonaparte,--I mean Citizen _General_!--let me go with you, I beg! I will serve you in any capacity you say, only let me be near you to-morrow!" Bonaparte thought a moment, then he answered:

"To-morrow, Jean, I am going to put you to a test! You have displayed courage, energy and skill in the secret work you have done for the Brotherhood. It now remains for me to see what you can do in the open.

To-morrow will show! Come to me at the Tuileries in the morning, and I will give you work to do. Now I must go and report to the Convention at once. I believe my star is rising at last, Jean, and if so, I shall rise with it. And trust me, you shall not be forgotten!" For a moment his eyes gleamed with the white fire of inspiration, then he wrapped his great-coat about him and was gone.

True to his tryst, Jean made all speed for the Tuileries next morning.

He had difficulty enough in getting there, for the streets were so crowded with insurgents that a pa.s.sage through them was all but impossible. However he got there by way of the Place Carrousel, and noticed that everywhere were barricades and cannon planted to defend the palace.

Where to find Bonaparte was now the question, and doubtless this would have been a matter of much difficulty, had not that young general come riding by on a tour of inspection, accompanied by Barras. Before Jean could even spring forward, Bonaparte recognised him, motioned him forward, and turned to Barras:

"Here is a young protege of mine who is to see his first action. I must a.s.sign him to a post!" Then to Jean:

"Have you ever discharged a cannon, lad?"

"No!" answered Jean, not a little chagrined at his ignorance.