as he passed the captain commanding the detachment stationed at Alagon.

"A la France! a la France! Vive 1'Empereur!" the soldiers of the 115th shouted joyfully.

The band of the regiment struck up "Le Chant du Depart," Pierre fell in in the rear line, and they marched on, the colors flying, the bayonets of the infantry and the helmets of the cuirassiers glittering in the sunshine.

Standing in the doorway of her crumbling home and holding in her hand the small gilt crucifix, little Dolores La Zorillo watched them as long as they were in sight, saying softly, "Adios, Senor Frances."

CHAPTER VII

AUX TUILERIES

J'ai trouve la couronne de France par terre, et je l'ai ramassee avec la pointe de mon epee.—Napoleon.

It was half-past six in the morning when Constant Very, premier valet-de-chambre to His Majesty, dressed in his green and gold coat, white silk stockings and black knee breeches, entered the bedroom of the Emperor. He crossed the room, opened the tightly closed shutters and let in the light. The walls of the apartment were hung with heavy Lyons brocade. The gilded ceiling was painted with figures of Mars, Jupiter and Apollo, while the armorial bearings and cipher of the Emperor decorated the cornice.

Opposite the windows, upon a platform covered with velvet, stood the bed. A few chairs upholstered with Gobelin tapestry and a large chiffonnier with brass ornaments constituted the only furniture. This room had been formerly the bedchamber of Louis XVI.

"Ah, Constant!" said the Emperor, sitting up in bed, "open the windows that I may breathe the good air which God has made."

As soon as the apartment was aired, Napoleon jumped out of bed, and still keeping on his head the bandana in which he had slept, threw his dressinggown about him, thrust his feet into an old pair of red slippers and sat down before the fire, saying to

Constant, "Call Meneval." The private secretary entered.

"Where are my letters?" said the Emperor.

Meneval handed them to him and Napoleon himself broke the seals and went rapidly through their contents.

"Here, Meneval," said the Emperor, "Garnier wants to paint my portrait. Well, I give him leave, but I have no time to give him sittings. He shall paint me in my cabinet and you shall be there writing from my dictation. What is this? Canova wants to make another statue of me. Never! I will go through no more of those tedious sittings. The municipality of Paris beg leave to give a ball at the Hotel de Ville. Yes, let them give it, let it be magnificent. Josephine shall go, but as for me, I have no time to dance."

"This from the King of Prussia," said the Emperor, taking up another letter, "informs me that I am his very dear brother. Oh, I know that already; I shall continue to be so as long as I am lucky. I know the Berlin cabinet. The Queen is sovereign there. Marshal Victor writes me that Prince Augustus of Prussia is behaving badly again. That does not surprise me. He is a man of no intelligence. He spent his time in making love to Madame de Stael at Coppet. He could gain only bad principles there. He shall be informed. that the first time he says anything I will lock him up in a fortress and send Madame de Stael to comfort him. What is this? Here is a poor woman, the wife of a soldier who fell at Friedland, who tells me that she is perishing from want. Look you, Meneval, she is to have a pension of a thousand francs. Date it back two years and see that the arrears are given to

her at once. And as for these," said Napoleon, scattering the other letters over the carpet, "there is my answer. Come, Meneval, bring your papers." And he rose hastily and went into his bathroom.

"Well, what is the news?" inquired the Emperor, getting into his tub and turning on the hot water.

Meneval unfolding his papers began with the "Moniteur." "His Imperial and Royal Majesty," read the secretary, "returned yesterday from Spain, where the glories of his arms have"

66

Bah!" said the Emperor. "Pass over all that. I know it already. They say only what they think will please me. Read the English papers. I am well cut up there, I warrant you."

"I do not find anything, Your Majesty."

"Nothing!" said the Emperor. "Well, there will be plenty to-morrow, then. It is an intermittent fever, but look carefully, Meneval. Look for the 'Corsican Ogre' or 'Bonaparte the Usurper,' you will find something. Perhaps now I have shot Lannes in Spain as I shot Desaix at Marengo. Surely now I have poisoned some one or beaten Josephine. Look carefully, Meneval."

"Here, sire," said Meneval, " is a short article headed, 'Buonaparte and His Secretary.' 'The other evening Buonaparte was seated in his cabinet and had called in a young secretary named Meneval in whom he had confidence. He told him to hold a light while he read. The secretary put the light so close to Buonaparte's head that it caught fire, and Buonaparte, thinking that an attack was being made on his life, seized a pistol which he always carries about him and fired point-blank at his secretary, killing him instantly. Buonaparte showed no remorse for the deed.'"

66

'Well, Meneval," said the Emperor, "that is a fine obituary notice for you."

"It is further reported,'" continued the secretary, "that a few days ago Buonaparte got in a furious passion with Maret, his Secretary of State, rushed at him, knocked him down and dragged him about by the hair of his head, kicking him shamefully. Then he tried to hush the matter up by dictating to him a decree giving him a large forest estate. Such is Buonaparte.'

"La verite seule blesse," said the Emperor, laughing and again turning on the hot water.

The room was now so full of steam that Meneval rose and opened the door.

"When are you going to be married, Meneval?" inquired the Emperor, as he left the bath.

"I do not know, sire."

"Well, let it be soon, I will provide for you."

Napoleon slipped on a flannel waistcoat and dressing-gown of white dimity and tied his handkerchief around his head. Constant handed him a cup of orange-flower water on a gilt salver from his great traveling case, and the Emperor, sitting down by the fire, dictated two letters to Meneval. Meanwhile the valets had prepared the dressing-room.

"Who are in the salon?" asked Napoleon as he finished.

"M. de Remusat, M. Corvisart and MM. Fontaine and Barbier, sire," replied Constant.

"Admit them," said the Emperor, passing into his dressing room. There he found the Mameluke Roustan, who, dressed in his picturesque Oriental costume with his crimson and gold turban, was holding the