“Lovers and Ministers who don’t realize their opportunities often regret them afterwards when they are gone, never to be found again. This is what I fear is happening to us ... for your Government is allowing precious days to pass by without profiting by them, and by its dilatoriness may perhaps lose all the advantages that are calculated to put an end to our troubles. Could you believe, dear friend of mine, that it is proposed to put off the expedition for some weeks!... However, I feel less disquieted over it all when I reflect that we must have a great many supporters, and very powerful ones, among those who are playing the rôle of the enemy, for all these troubles in the interior not to have produced more effect in the Assembly. Indeed, if some advantage is not derived from this, those at fault in the matter should be placed in a lunatic asylum. For myself, without knowing Puisage, I should certainly give my vote for his being made Constable if he succeeds in spite of all that can be said, because it will be to him that the King will be under the greatest obligations. And if any one were to ask me the name of the woman whom the King has most reason to love, I should tell him to become my rival, and should declare that, King though he was, he could never repay the heart that has suffered so much for him.
“I have seen M. W[indham], and after giving me a number of evasive replies, at last, on my insisting that I wanted to be off, he answered rather warmly: ‘Oh, I can send you off at once if you like; but what do you propose to do? I have nothing definite to put in your hands. I have others to carry my packets, and I have no one except yourself to carry out the mission I have in my mind for you. Do have a little patience, and if you follow my advice you will be all right. Be sure that I have my eye on you all the time.’ So you see I am still in this state of suspense. If only you had been able to remain I should not have found the time so long. Unable to get away to serve my King, I should have consoled myself as much as possible in the presence of Madame....”
Letter from Reinhard, Representative of the Directoire in the Hanseatic Towns, to the Foreign Minister, Delacroix.[78]
Very private.
Extract to be made for the
Directoire and Police;
name of Colleville to be
kept secret.
(14th Prairial)
Citizen Giraudet
To be sent at once to
the Minister of Police.
Altona. This 1st Prairial, Year IV. of
the French Republic,