Anning had just settled in Versailles when someone came looking for him.
The visitor was someone Anning knew—Paul Balas, whom he had met once before in Italy.
Anning met him in Louis XVI's study. It was in this very study, years ago, that Anning had forced Louis XVI and his Austrian Woman to move to the Palais des Tuileries.
As soon as Balas entered the study, he went straight to the point: "You're finally back. Now, only you can prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. Paris is in such fear now that even the members of the Parliament are afraid they might end up on the guillotine!"
Anning: "Has it come to that?"
Balas: "I don't believe you're unaware of the current situation in Paris! Before Marat was assassinated, Robespierre was like a ballast for the situation, consistently striving to prevent matters from becoming too extreme.
