ABSTRACT
After two years of continuous effort, the deputies had become weary and were anxious to go home. Pierre-François Lepoutre had not once been back to his farm near Lille since arriving in Versailles to attend the Estates General in the spring of 1789. Its management was entirely in the hands of his wife, whom he had only seen twice during that period, although they exchanged letters every five or six days. Like everyone else, he wanted to bring the revolution to a satisfactory conclusion. Why, then, does the story not end on 14 September 1791 when Louis XVI, King of the French, swore an oath to uphold the constitution? When Madame Lepoutre received the news of his acceptance she wept tears of joy and relief, describing the event as ‘a knock-out blow for aristocrats’ (Jessenne & Le May eds, 1998: 523). Festivities were organized in the village in common with localities all over France.
