The constitutional party abandoned M. de Lessart, without any defence, to the hatred of the Jacobins; this party had no suspicions, but vengeance to wreak upon M. de Lessart.  The king had suddenly dismissed M. de Narbonne, the rival of this minister in the council.  M. de Narbonne, feeling himself menaced, caused La Fayette to write a letter, in which he conjured him to remain at his post so long as the perils of his country rendered it necessary.

This step, of which M. de Narbonne was cognisant, appeared to the king an insolent act of oppression against his liberty and that of the constitution.  The popularity of M. de Narbonne diminished proportionately as that of the Girondists became greater and inspired them with more audacity.  The Assembly began to change its applause into murmurs when he mounted the tribune, whence a short time before he had been shamefully forced to withdraw, because he had wounded the plebeian susceptibility by appealing to the most distinguished members of the Assembly.  The aristocracy of his rank showed itself beneath his uniform, whilst the people wished for members of its own stamp in the councils; and thus between the offended king and the suspicious Girondists, M. de Narbonne fell.  The king dismissed him, and he went to serve in the army he had organised.  His friends did not conceal their resentment.  Madame de Staeel lost in him her ambition and her ideal at the same time; but she did not abandon all hope of regaining for M. de Narbonne the confidence of the king, and of seeing him play a great political part.  She had sought to render him a Mirabeau, she now dreamed of making him a Monk.  From this day she conceived the idea of rescuing the king from the power of the Jacobins and Girondists—­of carrying him off through the agency of M. de Narbonne and the constitutionalists—­of re-seating him on the throne—­of crushing the extreme parties, and establishing her ideal government—­a liberal aristocracy.  A woman of genius, her genius had the prejudices of her birth; a plebeian, who had found her way to court, it was necessary for her to have patricians between the throne and the people.  The first blow at M. de Lessart was dealt by a man who frequented the salon of Madame de Staeel.

III.

But a more terrible and more unexpected blow fell on M. de Lessart:  the very day on which he thus surrendered himself to his enemies, the unexpected death of the emperor Leopold was known at Paris, and with this prince expired the last faint hope of peace, for his wisdom died with him; and who could tell what new policy would arise from his tomb?  The agitation that prevailed filled every one with terror, and this was soon changed into hatred against the unfortunate minister of Louis XVI.  He had neither known, it was said, how to profit by the pacific disposition of Leopold whilst this prince yet lived, nor to forestall the hostile designs of those who succeeded him in the dominion of Germany.  Every thing furnished fresh accusation against him, even fatality and death.