Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/468

 430 Readings in European History her head and trampled on it with indignation and contempt. They had more respect for the dauphin's study, — but we should blush to report the titles of the books which his mother had selected. The streets and public squares offered a spectacle of an- other kind. The national force deployed itself everywhere in an imposing manner. The brave Santerre alone enrolled two thousand pikemen in his faubourg. These were n?t the " active " citizens and the royal bluecoats, that were enjoy- ing the honors of the celebration. The woolen caps reap- peared and eclipsed the bearskins. The women contested with the men the duty of guarding the city gates, saying, " It was the women who brought the king to Paris and the men who let him escape." But do not boast too loudly, ladies; it was not much of a present, after all. The prevailing spirit was apathy in regard to kings in general and contempt for Louis XVI in particular. This showed itself in the least details. On the Place de Greve the people broke up a bust of Louis XVI, which was illu- minated by that celebrated lantern which had been a source of terror to the enemies of the Revolution. When will the people execute justice upon all these bronze kings, monu- ments of our idolatry ? In the Rue St. Honore they forced a dealer to sacrifice a plaster head which somewhat resem- bled Louis XVI. In another shop they contented them- selves with putting a paper band over his eyes. The words "king," "queen," "royal," "Bourbon," "Louis," "court," " Monsieur," " the king's brother," were effaced wherever they were found on pictures or on the signs over shops and stores. While the National Assembly naturally tried to shield the king after his unmistakable attempt to escape beyond the boundaries of France, many leaders in the clubs denounced him as a traitor and demanded his deposition. A petition was drafted in which the National Assembly was requested to regard the flight