Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PROLOGUE It was in the early Spring of 1794 that the saying, that Anarchy, being of the nature of Dragon’s teeth, must infallibly prove suicidal, verified itself with regard to blood- sated Paris. With the execution of the Hebertists, the Revolution did indeed begin the
eating of its own children, a gruesome banquet prolonged until that fateful July day, when Robespierre and sundry of his colleagues followed their countless victims to the guillotine and thus brought the Reign of Terror to its abrupt and wholly unexpected end. Slowly and fearsomely, the debris of the old aristocratic circles of society crept back to take up the torn threads of their maimed life, and under cover of the wild excitement produced in all classes by this violent reaction in public affairs, the dismembered aristocracy eagerly sought each other and joyfully clasped hands. And so during that winter of 1795 the salons, which had been fast closed during the three years of the Red Terror, gradually reopened their doors, and friends so tragically parted met again. And now, as they speculate with some sparks of reviving hope upon the possible future in store for France, whilst they shed their tears over fallen royalty, all loyal eyes turn with one consent to the prison walls of the Temple, behind whose bars one solitary beacon light is surely flickering still. The name of Louis XVII. is whispered by every tongue, and all thoughts centre on securing his rescue. And all the time, whilst the fondest hopes are cherishedand the wildest schemes hatched for his release?some prompted by the purest motives of loyalty and compassion, others emanating from less disinterested incentives?the little captive has vanished from the second storey of the Tower, is no longer held in bondage within its walls….