In the early part of August many zealous persons offered the King money; he refused considerable sums, being unwilling to injure the fortunes of individuals.  M. de la Ferte, intendant of the ‘menus plaisirs’, brought me a thousand louis, requesting me to lay them at the feet of the Queen.  He thought she could not have too much money at so perilous a time, and that every good Frenchman should hasten to place all his ready money in her hands.  She refused this sum, and others of much greater amount which were offered to her.

[M.  Auguie, my brother-in-law, receiver-general of the finances, offered her, through his wife, a portfolio containing one hundred thousand crowns in paper money.  On this occasion the Queen said the most affecting things to my sister, expressive of her happiness at having contributed to the fortunes of such faithful subjects as herself and her husband, but declined her offer.—­Madame Campan.]

However, a few days afterwards, she told me she would accept M. de la Ferte’s twenty-four thousand francs, because they would make up a sum which the King had to expend.  She therefore directed, me to go and receive those twenty-four thousand francs, to add them to the one hundred thousand francs she had placed in my hands, and to change the whole into assignats to increase their amount.  Her orders were executed, and the assignats were delivered to the King.  The Queen informed me that Madame Elisabeth had found a well-meaning man who had engaged to gain over Petion by the bribe of a large sum of money, and that deputy would, by a preconcerted signal, inform the King of the success of the project.  His Majesty soon had an opportunity of seeing Petion, and on the Queen asking him before me if he was satisfied with him, the King replied, “Neither more nor less satisfied than usual; he did not make the concerted signal, and I believe I have been cheated.”  The Queen then condescended to explain the whole of the enigma to me.  “Petion,” said she, “was, while talking to the King, to have kept his finger fixed upon his right eye for at least two seconds.”—­“He did not even put his hand up to his chin,” said the King; “after all, it is but so much money stolen:  the thief will not boast of it, and the affair will remain a secret.  Let us talk of something else.”  He turned to me and said, “Your father was an intimate friend of Mandat, who now commands the National Guard; describe him to me; what ought I to expect from him?” I answered that he was one of his Majesty’s most faithful subjects, but that with a great deal of loyalty he possessed very little sense, and that he was involved in the constitutional vortex.  “I understand,” said the King; “he is a man who would defend my palace and my person, because that is enjoined by the constitution which he has sworn to support, but who would fight against the party in favour of sovereign authority; it is well to know this with certainty.”