'To Versailles!' was the general shout.
'We will tell the Assembly that we starve,'—'we will bring the king to Paris, and he shall see how hungry we are,'—'we will surround him, and protect the good papa from our enemies and his.' Such were some of the cries that arose.
'Let us go to the Hôtel de Ville!' called another.
'Yes, yes, to the Hôtel de Ville first,' the mob clamoured.
It happened just then that Madame Deschwanden and Gabrielle were passing. The little lady saw Madeleine at once, and she ran to her, arrested her in her drumming, and asked, 'My dear! for pity's sake, what is the matter?'
'Mother, the poor things are starving; and the great nobles at Versailles are going to carry our king off to Metz and make war on the people; then we shall have famine and war together.'
'That will never do,' said madame; 'no one will want new caps, and I shall be out of work. But why are you drumming?'
'Mother! we are going to the Hôtel de Ville first, and then on to Versailles to bring the king to Paris.'
'Nonsense, Madeleine.'
'We are going to do it,' said the girl bluntly; 'the men are cowards,—see what the women will do.'