Andrea ran up with her smelling bottle and Charny gave the Queen a reproachful glance for not having thought of this act.
Turning pale, she retired to her own rooms.
"Get the coaches ready," she said: "the King and I are going to Rambouillet."
Meanwhile the flowergirl, finding herself in the King's arms on coming to her senses, screamed with bashfulness and tried to kiss his hand.
"I will give you a kiss, my pretty one," he said; "you are well worth it."
"Oh, how good you are! so you will give the order that the grain shall come into Paris to stop the famine?"
"I will sign the order, my child," the King said, "though I am afraid it will do no good."
Sitting at a table he was about to write when a discharge of fire arms followed a solitary shot.
A second charge of cavalry had been made on the women and a man of their supporters had fired a gun to break the arm of Lieutenant Savonnieres of the Guards. He was going to strike a young soldier who was defending with naked hands a woman who had dropped behind him for protection. The bullets from the Lifeguards' carbines had killed one woman; the mob replied and two soldiers were knocked off their horses.
At the same time shouts of "Make room for the Guns!" were heard as the Men of St. Antoine's Ward dragged up three field-pieces which they levelled at the palace gates. Luckily the rain had damped the priming powder and the match.
Suddenly a whisper came to Gilbert without his knowing who spoke.
"General Lafayette is half an hour's march away and coming."
Gilbert ran and caught one of the horses of the dismounted guards, and as he dashed off the other followed his stable-companion. Hearing the hoofs, Gilbert thought he was pursued and looked back over his shoulder. He saw the animal caught by the reins and his throat cut; then the people fell on the carcase with knives and cut it up.
While Gilbert was racing to meet Lafayette, who arrived with the National Guards, the King was signing the acceptation of "the Resolution of the Rights of Man," for Mounier, and the older to let grain pass into Paris for Louison Champry the flowergirl.
As the first drum beats were heard of the National Guards entering Versailles, the King felt his arm respectfully touched: it was by Andrea.