With her life, France threw away all Christian mercy. Crimson swept over the breadth and length of the land.
CHAPTER LX.
THE TWENTY-TWO.
The twenty-two had literally been under the control of the police, though not arrested, since May 31st. But as events progressed, their destruction became almost necessary to the safety of those members of the Convention, who, obtaining power wholly through the will of the more violent, could only retain it by a perfect recognition of the will of those who had given them the victory.
The twenty-two were therefore seized, and placed in a building converted from a convent into a prison, and here they made full preparations to die.
To this day, the walls of this place may be seen covered with mementoes of the prison-days of the victims of the Revolution. They are chiefly short verses, written in blood, the purple hues of which many of the inscriptions still retain.
A few days after the Queen’s day of peace arrived, their trial commenced.
Of what were they accused?
Really, nothing; but they were in the way, and a threatening division of the masses insisted upon their death.
After four days’ mockery of justice, the twenty-two were declared guilty of having conspired against the unity and indivisibility of the republic, and the whole were condemned to die.