Meanwhile his Majesty, continuing his pursuit of the Prussians, was

occupied in delaying the passage of the Aisne. On the 5th of March he

sent General Nansouty in advance, who with his cavalry took the bridge,

drove the enemy back as far as Corbeny, and made a Russian colonel

prisoner. After passing the night at Bery-au-Bac, the Emperor was

marching towards Laon when it was announced to him that the enemy was

coming to meet us; these were not Prussians, but an army corps of

Russians commanded by Sacken. On advancing farther, we found the

Russians established on the heights of Craonne, and covering the road to

Laon in what appeared to be an impregnable position; but nevertheless the

advance guard of our army, commanded by Marshal Ney, rushed forward and

succeeded in taking Craonne. That was enough glory for this time, and

both sides then passed the night preparing for the battle of next day.

The Emperor spent it at the village of Corbeny, but without sleeping,

as inhabitants of the neighboring villages arrived at all hours to give

information as to the position of the enemy and the geography of the

country. His Majesty questioned them himself, praised them or

recompensed their zeal, and profited by their information and services.

Thus, having recognized in the mayor of one of the communes in the

suburbs of Craonne one of his former comrades in the regiment of La Fere,

he placed him in the number of his aides-de-camp, and arranged that he

should serve as guide through this country, which no one knew better than

he. M. de Bussy (that was the officer's name) had left France during the

reign of terror, and on his return had not re-entered the army, but lived

in retirement on his estates.

The Emperor met again this same night one of his old companions in arms

in the regiment of La Fere, an Alsatian named Wolff, who had been a

sergeant of artillery in the regiment in which the Emperor and M. de

Bussy had been his superior officers. He came from Strasburg, and

testified to the good disposition of the inhabitants through the whole

extent of the country he had traversed. The dismay caused in the allied

armies by the first attacks of the Emperor made itself felt even to the

frontiers; and on each road the peasants rose, armed themselves, and cut

off the retreat, and killed many, of the enemy. Corps of the Emperor's

adherents were formed in the Vosges, with officers of well-proved bravery

at their head, who were accustomed to this species of warfare. The

garrisons of the cities and fortified places of the east were full of

courage and resolution; and it would have well suited the wishes of the

population of this part of the Empire had France become, according to the

wish expressed by the Emperor, the tomb of the foreign armies. The brave

Wolff, after having given this information to the Emperor, repeated it

before many other persons, myself among the number. He took only a few

hours' repose, and set out again immediately; but the Emperor did not

dismiss him until he had been decorated with the cross of honor, as the

reward of his devotion.

The battle of Craonne commenced, or I should say recommenced,

on the 7th at break of day, the infantry commanded by the Prince of

Moskwa--[Marshall Ney] and the Duke of Belluno, who was wounded on this

day. Generals Grouchy and Nansouty, the first commanding the cavalry of

the army, the second at the head of the cavalry of the guard, also

received severe wounds. The difficulty was not so much to take the

heights, as to hold them when taken. Meanwhile the French artillery,

directed by the modest and skillful General Drouot, forced the enemy's

artillery to yield their ground foot by foot. This was a terribly

bloody struggle; for the sides of the heights were too steep to allow of

attacking the Russians on the flank, and the retreat was consequently

slow and murderous. They fell back at length, however, and abandoned

the field of battle to our troops, who pursued them as far as the inn of

the Guardian Angel, situated on the highroad from Soissons to Laon, when

they wheeled about, and held their position in this spot for several

hours.

The Emperor, who in this battle as in every other of this campaign, had

exposed his person and incurred as many dangers as the most daring

soldiers, now transferred his headquarters to the village of Bray. As

soon as he entered the room which served as his cabinet, he had me

summoned, and I pulled off his boots, while he leaned on my shoulder

without uttering a word, threw his hat and sword on the table, and threw

himself on his bed, uttering a deep sigh, or rather one of those

exclamations which we cannot tell whether they arise from discouragement

or simply from fatigue. His Majesty's countenance was sad and careworn,

nevertheless he slept from sheer weariness for many hours. I awoke him

to announce the arrival of M. de Rumigny, who was the bearer of

dispatches from Chatillon. In the condition of the Emperor's mind at

this moment he seemed ready to accept any reasonable conditions which

might be offered him; therefore I admit I hoped (in which many joined me)

that we were approaching the moment when we should obtain the peace which

we so ardently desired. The Emperor received M. de Rumigny without

witnesses, and the interview lasted a long while. Nothing transpired of

what had been said, and it occurred to me that this mystery argued

nothing good. The next day early M. de Rumigny returned to Chatillon,

where the Duke of Vicenza awaited him; and from the few words his Majesty

uttered as he mounted his horse to return to his advance posts, it was

easy to see that he had not yet resigned himself to the idea of making a

peace which he regarded as dishonorable.

While the Duke of Vicenza was at Chatillon or Lusigny for the purpose of

treating for a peace, the orders of the Emperor delayed or hastened the

conclusion of the treaty according to his successes or repulses. On the

appearance of a ray of hope he demanded more than they were willing to

grant, imitating in this respect the example which the allied sovereigns

had set him, whose requirements since the armistice of Dresden increased

in proportion as they advanced towards France. At last everything was

finally broken off, and the Duke of Vicenza rejoined his Majesty at

Saint-Dizier. I was in a small room so near his sleeping-room that I

could not avoid hearing their conversation. The Duke of Vicenza

earnestly besought the Emperor to accede to the proposed conditions,

saying that they were reasonable now, but later would no longer be so.

As the Duke of Vicenza still returned to the charge, arguing against the

Emperor's postponing his positive decision, his Majesty burst out

vehemently, "You are a Russian, Caulaincourt!"--"No, Sire," replied the

duke with spirit, "no; I am a Frenchman! I think that I have proved this

by urging your Majesty to make peace."

The discussion thus continued with much warmth in terms which

unfortunately I cannot recall. But I remember well that every time the

Duke of Vicenza insisted and endeavored to make his Majesty appreciate

the reasons on account of which peace had become indispensable, the

Emperor replied, "If I gain a battle, as I am sure of doing, I will be in

a situation to exact the most favorable conditions. The grave of the

Russians is under the walls of Paris! My measures are all taken, and

victory cannot fail."

After this conversation, which lasted more than an hour, and in which the

Duke of Vicenza was entirely unsuccessful, he left his Majesty's room,

and rapidly crossed the saloon where I was; and I remarked as he passed

that his countenance showed marks of agitation, and that, overcome by his

deep emotion, great tears rolled from his eyes. Doubtless he was deeply

wounded by what the Emperor had said to him of his partiality for Russia;

and whatever may have been the cause, from that day I never saw the Duke

of Vicenza except at Fontainebleau.

The Emperor, meanwhile, marched with the advance guard, and wished to

reach Laon on the evening of the 8th; but in order to gain this town it

was necessary to pass on a narrow causeway through marshy land. The

enemy was in possession of this road, and opposed our passage. After a

few cannon-shots were exchanged his Majesty deferred till next day the

attempt to force a passage, and returned, not to sleep (for at this

critical time he rarely slept), but to pass the night in the village of

Chavignon.

In the middle of this night General Flahaut

[Count Auguste Charles Joseph Flahaut de la Billarderie, born in

Paris, 1785; colonel in 1809; aide-de-camp to the Emperor, 1812; and

made a general of division for conduct at Leipzig; was at Waterloo.

Ambassador to Vienna, 1841-1848, and senator, 1853; died 1870. He

was one of the lovers of Queen Hortense, and father by her of the

late Duc de Morny.--TRANS.]

came to announce to the Emperor that the commissioners of the allied

powers had broken the conferences at Lusigny. The army was not informed

of this, although the news would probably have surprised no one. Before

daylight General Gourgaud set out at the head of a detachment selected

from the bravest soldiers of the army, and following a cross road which

turned to the left through the marshes, fell unexpectedly on the enemy,

slew many of them in the darkness, and drew the attention and efforts of

the allied generals upon himself, while Marshal Ney, still at the head of

the advance guard, profited by this bold maneuver to force a passage of

the causeway. The whole army hastened to follow this movement, and on

the evening of the 9th was in sight of Laon, and ranged in line of battle

before the enemy who occupied the town and its heights. The army corps

of the Duke of Ragusa had arrived by another road, and also formed in

line of battle before the Russian and Prussian armies. His Majesty

passed the night expediting his orders, and preparing everything for the

grand attack which was to take place next morning at daylight.

The appointed hour having arrived, I had just finished in haste the

toilet of the Emperor, which was very short, and he had already put his

foot in the stirrup, when we saw running towards us on foot, with the

utmost speed and all out of breath, some cavalrymen belonging to the army

corps of the Duke of Ragusa. His Majesty had them brought before him,

and inquired angrily the meaning of this disorder. They replied that

their bivouacs had been attacked unexpectedly by the enemy; that they and

their comrades had resisted to the utmost these overwhelming forces,

although they had barely time to seize their arms; that they had at last

been compelled to yield to numbers, and it was only by a miracle they had

escaped the massacre. "Yes," said the Emperor knitting his brow, "by a

miracle of agility, as we have just seen. What has become of the

marshal?" One of the soldiers replied that he saw the Duke of Ragusa

fall dead, another that he had been taken prisoner. His Majesty sent his

aide-de-camp and orderly officers to ascertain, and found that the report

of the cavalrymen was only too true. The enemy had not waited to be

attacked, but had fallen on the army corps of the Duke of Ragusa,

surrounded it, and taken a part of his artillery. The marshal, however,

had been neither wounded nor taken prisoner, but was on the road to

Rheims, endeavoring to arrest and bring back the remains of his army

corps.

The news of this disaster greatly increased his Majesty's chagrin; but

nevertheless the enemy was driven back to the gates of Laon, though the

recapture of the city was impossible. After a few fruitless attempts, or

rather after some false attacks, the object of which was to conceal his

retreat from the enemy, the Emperor returned to Chavignon and passed the

night. The next day, the 11th, we left this village, and the army fell

back to Soissons. His Majesty alighted at the bishopric, and immediately

commanded Marshal Mortier, together with the principal officials of the

place, to take measures to put the town in a state of defense. For two

days the Emperor shut himself up at work in his cabinet, and left it only

to examine the locality, visit the fortifications, and everywhere give

orders and see that they were executed. In the midst of these

preparations for defense, his Majesty learned that the town of Rheims had

been taken by the Russian general, Saint-Priest, notwithstanding the

vigorous resistance of General Corbineau, of whose fate we were

ignorant, but it was believed that he was dead or had fallen into the

hands of the Russians. His Majesty confided the defense of Soissons to

the Marshal Duke of Treviso, and himself set out for Rheims by forced

marches; and we arrived the same evening at the gates of the city, where

the Russians were not expecting his Majesty. Our soldiers entered this

battle without having taken any repose, but fought with the resolution

which the presence and example of the Emperor never failed to inspire.

The combat lasted the whole evening, and was prolonged far into the

night; but after General Saint-Priest had been grievously wounded the

resistance of his troops became less vigorous, and at two o'clock in the

morning they abandoned the town. The Emperor and his army entered by one

gate while the Russians were emerging from the other; and as the

inhabitants pressed in crowds around his Majesty, he inquired before

alighting from his horse what havoc the enemy was supposed to have made.

It was answered that the town had suffered only the amount of injury

which was the inevitable result of a bloody nocturnal struggle, and that

moreover the enemy had maintained severe discipline among the troops

during their stay and up to the moment of retreat. Among those who

pressed around his Majesty at this moment was the brave General

Corbineau. He wore a citizen's coat, and had remained disguised and

concealed in a private house of the town. On the morning of the next day

he again presented himself before the Emperor, who welcomed him

cordially, and complimented him on the courage he had displayed under

such trying circumstances. The Duke of Ragusa had rejoined his Majesty

under the walls of Rheims, and had contributed with his army corps to the

capture of the town. When he appeared before the Emperor, the latter

burst out in harsh and severe reproaches regarding the affair at Laon;

but his anger was not of long duration, and his Majesty soon resumed

towards the marshal the tone of friendship with which he habitually

honored him. They held a long conference, and the Duke of Ragusa

remained to dine with the Emperor.

His Majesty spent three days at Rheims in order to give his troops time

to rest and recuperate before continuing this arduous campaign. They

were in sore need of this; for even old soldiers would have had great

difficulty in enduring such continued forced marches, which often ended

only in a bloody battle; nevertheless, the greater part of the brave men

who obeyed with such unwearied ardor the Emperor's orders, and who never

refused to endure any fatigue or any danger, were conscripts who had been

levied in haste, and fought against the most warlike and best disciplined

troops in Europe. The greater part had not had even sufficient time to

learn the drill, and took their first lessons in the presence of the

enemy, brave young fellows who sacrificed themselves without a murmur,

and to whom the Emperor once only did injustice,--in the circumstance

which I have formerly related, and in which M. Larrey played such a

heroic part. It is a well-known fact that the wonderful campaign of 1814

was made almost entirely with conscripts newly levied.

During the halt of three days which we made at Rheims, the Emperor saw

with intense joy, which he openly manifested, the arrival of an army

corps of six thousand men, whom the brave Dutch General Janssens brought

to his aid. This re-enforcement of experienced troops could not have

come more opportunely. While our soldiers were taking breath before

recommencing a desperate struggle, his Majesty was giving himself up to

the most varied labors with his accustomed ardor. In the midst of the

cares and dangers of war the Emperor neglected none of the affairs of the

Empire, but worked for several hours each day with the Duke of Bassano,

received couriers from Paris, dictated his replies, and fatigued his

secretaries almost as much as his generals and soldiers. As for himself,

he was indefatigable as of yore.

CHAPTER XXV.

Affairs had reached a point where the great question of triumph or defeat

could not long remain undecided. According to one of the habitual

expressions of the Emperor, the pear was ripe; but who was to gather it?

The Emperor while at Rheims appeared to have no doubt that the result

would be in his favor. By one of those bold combinations which astonish

the world, and change in a single battle the face of affairs, although

the enemy had approached the capital, his Majesty being unable to prevent

it, he nevertheless resolved to attack them in the rear, compel them to

wheel about, and place themselves in opposition to the army which he

commanded in person, and thus save Paris from their invasion. With the

intention of executing this bold combination the Emperor left Rheims.

Meanwhile, being anxious concerning his wife and son, the Emperor, before

attempting this great enterprise, wrote in the greatest secrecy to his

brother, Prince Joseph, lieutenant-general of the Empire, to have them

conveyed to a place of safety in case the danger became imminent. I knew

nothing of this order the day it was sent, as the Emperor kept it a

secret from every one; but when I learned afterwards that it was from

Rheims that this command had been addressed to Prince Joseph, I thought

that I could without fear of being mistaken fix the date at March 15th.

That evening, in fact, his Majesty had talked to me as he retired of the

Empress and the King of Rome; and as usual, whenever he had during the

day been deeply impressed with any idea, it always recurred to him in the

evening; and for that reason I conclude that this was the day on which

his mind had been occupied with putting in a place of shelter from the

dangers of the war the two objects of his most devoted affection.

From Rheims we directed our course to Epernay, the garrison and

inhabitants of which had just repulsed the enemy, who the evening before

had attempted to capture it. There the Emperor learned of the arrival at

Troyes of the Emperor Alexander and the King of Prussia. His Majesty, in

order to testify to the inhabitants of Epernay his satisfaction with

their admirable conduct, rewarded them in the person of their mayor by

giving him the cross of the Legion of Honor. This was M. Moet, whose

reputation has become almost as European as that of Champagne wine.

During this campaign, without being too lavish of the cross of honor, his

Majesty presented it on several occasions to those of the inhabitants who

were foremost in resisting the enemy. Thus, for example, I remember that

before leaving Rheims he gave one to a simple farmer of the village of

Selles whose name I have forgotten. This brave man, on learning that a

detachment of Prussians was approaching his commune, put himself at the

head of the National Guard, whom he encouraged both by word and example;

and the result of his enterprise was forty-five prisoners, among them

three officers, whom he brought into the town.

How many deeds similar to this occurred which it is impossible to

remember! However all that may be, the Emperor on leaving Epernay

marched towards Fere-Champenoise, I will not say in all haste, for that

is a term which might be used concerning all his Majesty's movements, who

sprang with the rapidity of an eagle on the point where his presence

seemed most necessary. Nevertheless, the enemy's army, which had crossed

the Seine at Pont and Nogent, having learned of the re-occupation of

Rheims by the Emperor, and understanding the movement he wished to make

on their rear, began their retreat on the 17th, and retook successively

the bridges which he had constructed at Pont, Nogent, and Arcis-sur-Aube.

On the 18th occurred the battle of Fere-Champenoise, which his Majesty

fought to clear the road intervening between him and Arcis-sur-Aube,

where were the Emperor Alexander and the King of Prussia, who, on

learning of this new success of the Emperor, quickly fell back to Troyes.

The pronounced intention of his Majesty was then to go as far as

Bar-sur-Aube. We had already passed the Aube at Plancy, and the Seine

at Mery, but it was necessary to return to Plancy. This was on the

19th, the same day on which the Count d'Artois arrived at Nancy, and on

which the rupture of the Congress of Chatillon occurred, which I

mentioned in the preceding chapter, following the order in which my

souvenirs recurred to my mind.

The 20th March was, as I have said, an eventful date in the Emperor's

life, and was to become still more so one year later. The 20th March,

1814, the King of Rome completed his third year, while the Emperor was

exposing himself, if it were possible, even more than was his usual

custom. At the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube, which took place on that day,

his Majesty saw that at last he would have new enemies to encounter. The

Austrians themselves entered the line of battle; and an immense army,

under the command of the Prince von Schwarzenberg, spread itself out

before him, when he supposed he had only an advance guard to resist. The

coincidence may not perhaps appear unimportant that the Austrian army did

not begin to fight seriously or attack the Emperor in person until the

day after the rupture of the Congress of Chatillon. Was this the result

of chance, or did the Emperor of Austria indeed prefer to remain in the

second line, and spare the person of his son-in-law, so long as peace

appeared possible to him? This is a question which it is not my province

to answer.

The battle of Arcis-sur-Aube was terrible, and ended only with the close

of day. The Emperor still occupied the city in spite of the combined

efforts of an army of one hundred and thirty thousand fresh troops, who

attacked thirty thousand worn out by fatigue. The battle still continued

during the night, while the fire of the faubourgs lighted our defenses

and the works of the besieging-party. It was at last found impossible to

hold our position longer, and only one bridge remained by which the army

could effect its retreat. The Emperor had another constructed; and the

retreat commenced, but in good order, in spite of the numerous masses

which closely threatened us. This unfortunate affair was the most

disastrous his Majesty had experienced during the whole campaign, since

the roads leading to the capital had been left uncovered; and the

prodigies of his genius and valor were unavailing against such

overwhelming numbers. An instance which furnishes an excellent proof of

the presence of mind which the Emperor preserved in the most critical

positions was, that before evacuating Arcis he committed to the Sisters

of Charity a sum sufficient for the first needs of the wounded.

On the evening of the 21st we arrived at Sommepuis, where the Emperor

passed the night. There I heard him for the first time pronounce the

name of the Bourbons. His Majesty was extremely agitated, and spoke in

such broken tones that I understood only these words, which he repeated

many times: "Recall them myself--recall the Bourbons! What would the

enemy say? No, no? it is impossible! Never!" These words which

escaped the Emperor in one of those attacks of preoccupation to which he

was subject whenever his soul was deeply moved astonished me

inexpressibly; for the idea had never once entered my mind that there

could be any other government in France than that of his Majesty.

Besides, it may be easily understood that in the position I then occupied

I had scarcely heard the Bourbons mentioned, except to the Empress

Josephine in the early days of the Consulate, while I was still in her

service.

The various divisions of the French army and the masses of the enemy were

then so closely pressed against each other, that the enemy occupied each

point the moment we were compelled to abandon it; thus, on the 22d the

allies seized Epernay, and, in order to punish this faithful town for the

heroic defense it had previously made, orders were given that it should

be pillaged. Pillage? The Emperor called it the crime of war; and I

heard him often express in most vehement terms the horror with which it

inspired him, which was so extreme that at no time did he authorize it

during his long series of triumphs. Pillage! And yet every proclamation

of our devastators declared boldly that they made war only on the

Emperor; they had the audacity to repeat this statement, and some were

foolish enough to believe them. On this point I saw too plainly what

actually occurred to have ever believed in the ideal magnanimity which

has since been so much vaunted.

On the 23d we were at Saint-Dizier, where the Emperor returned to his

first plan of attacking the enemy's rear. The next day, just as his

Majesty mounted his horse to go to Doulevent, a general officer of the

Austrians was brought to him, whose arrival caused a great sensation at

headquarters, as it delayed the Emperor's departure for a few moments.

I soon learned that it was Baron de Weissemberg, ambassador from Austria

to London, who was returning from England. The Emperor ordered that he

should follow him to Doulevent, where his Majesty gave him a verbal

message to the Emperor of Austria, while Colonel Galbois was charged with

a letter which the Emperor had the Duke of Vicenza write. But after a

movement by the French army towards Chaumont, by the road of Langres, the

Emperor of Austria, finding himself separated from the Emperor Alexander,

was forced to fall back as far as Dijon. I remember that on his arrival

at Doulevent his Majesty received secret information from his faithful

director-general of the post, M. de Lavalette. This information, the

purport of which I did not know, appeared to produce the deepest

impression on the Emperor; but he soon resumed before the eyes of those

around his accustomed serenity, though for some time past I had seen that

this was only assumed. I have learned since that M. de Lavalette

informed the Emperor that there was not a moment to lose if he would save

the capital. Such an opinion from such a man could only be an expression

of the real truth, and it was this conviction which contributed to

increase the Emperor's anxiety. Until then the news from Paris had been

favorable; and much had been said of the zeal and devotion of the

National Guard, which nothing could dismay. At the various theaters

patriotic pieces had been played, and notably the 'Oriflamme' at the

Opera, a very trivial circumstance apparently, but which nevertheless

acted very powerfully on the minds of enthusiasts, and for this reason

was not to be disdained. Indeed, the small amount of news that we had

received represented Paris as entirely devoted to his Majesty, and ready

to defend itself against any attacks. And in fact, this news was not

untrue; and the handsome conduct of the National Guard under the orders,

of Marshal Moncey, the enthusiasm of the different schools, and the

bravery of the pupils of the polytechnic schools, soon furnished proof of

this. But events were stronger than men. Meanwhile, time passed on, and

we were approaching the fatal conclusion; each day, each moment, saw

those immense masses collecting from the extremities of Europe, inclosing

Paris, and pressing it with a thousand arms, and during these last days

it might well be said that the battle raged incessantly. On the 26th the

Emperor, led by the noise of a fierce cannonade, again repaired to

Saint-Dizier, where his rear-guard was attacked by very superior forces,

and compelled to evacuate the town; but General Milhaud and General

Sebastiani repulsed the enemy on the Marne at the ford of Valcourt; the

presence of the Emperor produced its accustomed effect, and we re-entered

Saint-Dizier, while the enemy fled in the greatest disorder over the road

to Vitry-le-Francais and that of Bar-sur-Ornain. The Emperor moved

towards the latter town, thinking that he now had the Prince of

Schwarzenberg in his power; but just as he arrived there learned that it

was not the Austrian general-in-chief whom he had fought, but only one of

his lieutenants, Count Witzingerode. Schwarzenberg had deceived him; on

the 23d he had made a junction with General Blucher, and these two

generals at the head of the coalition had rushed with their masses of

soldiers upon the capital.

However disastrous might be the news brought to headquarters, the Emperor

wished to verify its truth in person, and on his return from Saint-Dizier

made a detour to Vitry, in order to assure himself of the march of the

allies on Paris; and all his doubts were dissipated by what he saw.

Could Paris hold out long enough for him to crush the enemy against its

walls? Thereafter this was his sole and engrossing thought. He

immediately placed himself at the head of his army, and we marched on

Paris by the road to Troyes. At Doulencourt he received a courier from

King Joseph, who announced to him the march of the allies on Paris. That

very moment he sent General Dejean in haste to his brother to inform him

of his speedy arrival. If he could defend himself for two days, only two

days, the allied armies would enter Paris, only to find there a tomb.

In what a state of anxiety the Emperor then was! He set out with his

headquarters squadrons. I accompanied him, and left him for the first

time at Troyes, on the morning of the 30th, as will be seen in the

following chapter.

CHAPTER XXVI.

What a time was this! How sad the period and events of which I have now

to recall the sad memory! I have now arrived at the fatal day when the

combined armies of Europe were to sully the soil of Paris, of that

capital, free for so many years from the presence of the invader. What a

blow to the Emperor! And what cruel expiation his great soul now made

for his triumphant entries into Vienna and Berlin! It was, then, all in

vain that he had displayed such incredible activity during the admirable

campaign of France, in which his genius had displayed itself as

brilliantly as during his Italian campaign. The first time I saw him on

the day after a battle was at Marengo; and what a contrast his attitude

of dejection presented when I saw him again on the 31st of March at

Fontainebleau.

Having accompanied His Majesty everywhere, I was near him at Troyes on

the morning of the 30th of March.

The Emperor set out at ten o'clock, accompanied only by the grand marshal

and the Duke of Vicenza. It was then known at headquarters that the

allied troops were advancing on Paris; but we were far from suspecting

that at the very moment of the Emperor's hurried departure the battle

before Paris was being most bitterly waged. At least I had heard nothing

to lead me to believe it. I received an order to move to Essonne, and,

as means of transportation had become scarce and hard to obtain, did not

arrive there until the morning of the 31st, and had been there only a

short time when the courier brought me an order to repair to

Fontainebleau, which I immediately did. It was then I learned that the

Emperor had gone from Troyes to Montereau in two hours, having made the

journey of ten leagues in that short space of time. I also learned that

the Emperor and his small suite had been obliged to make use of a chaise

on the road to Paris, between Essonne and Villejuif. He advanced as far

as the Cour de France with the intention of marching on Paris; but there,

verifying the news and the cruel certainty of the surrender of Paris, had

sent to me the courier whom I mentioned above.

I had been at Fontainebleau only a short while when the Emperor arrived.

His countenance was pale and harassed to a greater degree than I had ever

seen it; and he who knew so well how to control all the emotions of his

soul did not seem to attempt to conceal the dejection which was so

manifest both in his attitude and in his countenance. It was evident how

greatly he was suffering from all the disastrous events which had

accumulated one after the other in terrible progression. The Emperor

said nothing to any one, and closeted himself immediately in his cabinet,

with the Dukes of Bassano and Vicenza and the Prince of Neuchatel. These

generals remained a long while with the Emperor, who afterwards received

some general officers. His Majesty retired very late, and appeared to me

entirely crushed. From time to time I heard stifled sighs escape from

his breast, with which were mingled the name of Marmont, which I could

not then understand, as I had heard nothing of the terms of the

surrender, and knew that the Duke of Ragusa was a marshal to whom the

Emperor seemed always deeply attached. I saw that evening, at

Fontainebleau, Marshal Moncey, who the evening before had bravely

commanded the national guard at the barricade of Clichy, and also the

Duke of Dantzic.

A gloomy and silent sadness which is perfectly indescribable reigned at

Fontainebleau during the two days which followed. Overcome by so many

repeated blows, the Emperor seldom entered his cabinet, where he usually

passed so many hours engaged in work. He was so absorbed in his

conflicting thoughts, that often he did not notice the arrival of persons

whom he had summoned, looked at them, so to speak, without seeing them,

and sometimes remained nearly half an hour without addressing them; then,

as if awaking from this state of stupefaction, asked them questions

without seeming to hear the reply; and even the presence of the Duke of

Bassano and the Duke of Vicenza, whom he summoned more frequently, did

not interrupt this condition of preoccupation or lethargy, so to speak.

The hours for meals were the same, and they were served as usual; but all

took place amid complete silence, broken only by the necessary noise of

the service. At the Emperor's toilet the same silence; not a word issued

from his lips; and if in the morning I suggested to him one of the drinks

that he usually took, he not only did not reply, but nothing in his

countenance which I attentively observed could make me believe that he

had heard me. This situation was terrible for all the persons attached

to his Majesty.

Was the Emperor really so overwhelmed by his evil fortune? Was his

genius as benumbed as his body? I must admit, in all candor, that seeing

him so different from what he appeared after the disasters of Moscow, and

even when I had left him at Troyes a few days before, I strongly believed

it. But this was by no means the case; his soul was a prey to one fixed

idea that of taking the offensive and marching on Paris. And though,

indeed, he remained overwhelmed with consternation in his intimate

intercourse with his most faithful ministers and most skillful generals,

he revived at sight of his soldiers, thinking, doubtless, that the one

would suggest only prudent counsels while the others would never reply

aught but in shouts of "Vive l'Empereur!" to the most daring orders he

might give. For instance, on the 2d of April he momentarily, so to

speak, shook off his dejection, and in the court of the palace held a

review of his guard, who had just rejoined him at Fontainebleau. He

addressed his soldiers in a firm voice, saying:

"Soldiers! the enemy has stolen three marches on us, and has taken

possession of Paris; we must drive them out. Unworthy Frenchmen,

emigres to whom we have extended pardon, have donned the white

cockade, and gone over to our enemies. The cowards! They will reap

the reward of this new treason. Let us swear to conquer or to die,

and to have respect shown to this tricolored cockade, which for

twenty-five years we have borne on the road to glory and honor."

The troops were roused to enthusiasm at the sound of their chief's voice,

and shouted in unison, "Paris! Paris!" But the Emperor, nevertheless,

resumed his former dejection on crossing the threshold of the palace,

which arose no doubt from the fear, only too well founded, of seeing his

desire to march on Paris thwarted by his lieutenants. It is only since,

that reflecting on the events of that time, I am enabled to conjecture as

to the struggles which passed in the soul of the Emperor; for then, as

during my entire period of service, I would not have dared to think of

going outside the limits of my ordinary duties and functions.

Meanwhile, the situation became more and more unfavorable to the wishes

and plans of the Emperor. The Duke of Vicenza had been sent to Paris,

where a provisional government had been formed under the presidency of

the Prince of Benevento, without having succeeded in his mission to the

Emperor Alexander; and each day his Majesty with deep grief witnessed the

adhesion of the marshals and a large number of generals to the new

government. He felt the Prince de Neuchatel's desertion deeply; and I

must say that, unaccustomed as we were to political combinations, we were

overcome with astonishment.

Here I find that I am compelled to speak of myself, which I have done as

little as possible in the course of these memoirs, and I think this is a

justice which all my readers will do me; but what I have to say is too

intimately connected with the last days I passed with the Emperor, and

concerns my personal honor too nearly, for me to suppose that I can be

reproached for so doing. I was, as may well be supposed, very anxious as

to the fate of my family, of whom I had received no news for a long

while; and, at the same time, the cruel disease from which I had long

suffered had made frightful progress, owing to the fatigue of the last

campaign. Nevertheless, the mental suffering to which I saw the Emperor

a victim so entirely absorbed all my thoughts, that I took no precautions

against the physical suffering which I endured; and I had not even

thought of asking for a safeguard for the country-house I possessed in

the environs of Fontainebleau. A free corps having seized it, had

established themselves there, after having pillaged and destroyed

everything, even the little flock of merino sheep which I owed to the

kindness of the Empress Josephine. The Emperor, having been informed of

it by others than myself, said to me one morning at his toilet,

"Constant, I owe you indemnity."--"Sire?"--"Yes, my child, I know that

your place has been pillaged, I know that you have incurred considerable

losses in the Russian campaign; I have given an order that fifty thousand

francs should be handed you to cover the whole." I thanked his Majesty,

who more than indemnified me for my losses.

This occurred during the first days of our last stay at Fontainebleau.

At the same period the Emperor's removal to the Island of Elba having

been already discussed, the grand marshal of the palace asked me if I

would follow his Majesty to this residence. God is my witness that I had

no other wish than to consecrate all my life to the service of the

Emperor; therefore I did not need a moment's reflection to reply that

this could not be a matter of doubt; and I occupied myself almost

immediately with preparations for the sojourn, which proved to be not a

long one, but the duration of which no human intelligence could then have

been able to foretell.

Meanwhile, in the retirement of his chamber, the Emperor became each day

more sad and careworn; and when I saw him alone, which often occurred,

for I tried to be near him as much as possible, I remarked the extreme

agitation which the reading of the dispatches he received from Paris

caused him; this agitation was many times so great that I noticed he had

torn his leg with his nails until the blood flowed, without being aware

of it. I then took the liberty of informing him of the fact as gently as

possible, with the hope of putting an end to this intense preoccupation,

which cut me to the heart. Several times also the Emperor asked Roustan

for his pistols; fortunately I had taken the precaution, seeing his

Majesty so unnerved, to recommend him not to give them to him, however

much the Emperor might insist. I thought it my duty to give an account

of all this to the Duke of Vicenza, who entirely approved of my conduct.

One morning, I do not recall whether it was the 10th or 11th of April,

but it was certainly on one of those days, the Emperor, who had said

nothing to me in the morning, had me called during the day. I had hardly

entered his room when he said to me, in a tone of most winning kindness,

"My dear Constant, there is a hundred thousand francs waiting for you at

Peyrache's; if your wife arrives before our departure, you will give them

to her; if she should not, put them in the corner of your country-place,

note the exact location of the spot, which you will send to her by some

safe person. When one has served me well he should not be in want. Your

wife will build a farm, in which she will invest this money; she will

live with your mother and sister, and you will not have the fear of

leaving her in need." Even more moved by the provident kindness of the

Emperor, who thus deigned to consider the interests of my family affairs,

than delighted with the great value of the present he had made me, I

could hardly find words to express to him my gratitude; and such was,

besides, my carelessness of the future, so far from me had been the

thought that this great Empire could come to an end, that this was the

first time I had really considered the embarrassed condition in which I

would have left my family, if the Emperor had not thus generously

provided for them. I had, in fact, no fortune, and possessed in all the

world only my pillaged house, and the fifty thousand francs destined to

repair it.

Under these circumstances, not knowing when I should see my wife again, I

made arrangements to follow the advice his Majesty had been kind enough

to give me; converted my hundred thousand francs into gold, which I put

into five bags; and taking with me the wardrobe boy Denis, whose honesty

was above suspicion, we followed the road through the forest to avoid

being seen by any of the persons who occupied my house. We cautiously

entered a little inclosure belonging to me, the gate of which could not

be seen on account of the trees, although they were now without foliage;

and with the aid of Denis I succeeded in burying my treasure, after

taking an exact note of the place, and then returned to the palace, being

certainly very far from foreseeing how much chagrin and tribulation those

hundred thousand francs would cause me, as we shall see in the succeeding

chapters.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Here more than ever I must beg the indulgence of my readers as to the

order in which I relate the events I witnessed during the Emperor's stay

at Fontainebleau, and those connected with them which did not come to my

knowledge until later. I must also apologize for any inaccuracy in dates

of which I may be guilty, though I remember collectively, so to speak,

all that occurred during the unhappy twenty days which ensued between the

occupation of Paris and the departure of his Majesty for the Island of

Elba; for I was so completely absorbed in the unhappy condition of my

good master that all my faculties hardly sufficed for the sensations I

experienced every moment. We suffered in the Emperor's sufferings; it

occurred to none of us to imprint on his memory the recollection of so

much agony, for we lived, so to speak, only provisionally.

During the first days of our stay at Fontainebleau the idea that the

Emperor would soon cease to reign over France was very far from entering

the minds of any of those around him, for every one was possessed with

the conviction that the Emperor of Austria would not consent that his

son-in-law, daughter, and grandson should be dethroned; in this they were

strangely mistaken. I remarked during these first days that even more

petitions than usual were addressed to his Majesty; but I am ignorant

whether he responded favorably, or even if he replied at all. The

Emperor often took up the daily papers, but after casting his eyes over

them threw them down angrily; and if we recall the shameless abuse in

which those writers indulged who had so often lavished fulsome praises on

him, it may well be understood that such a transition would naturally

excite his Majesty's disgust. The Emperor usually remained alone; and

the person whom he saw most frequently was the Duke of Bassano, the only

one of his ministers then at Fontainebleau; for the Duke of Vicenza,

being charged continually with missions, was, so to speak, constantly on

the wing, especially as long as his Majesty retained the hope of seeing a

regency in favor of his son succeed him in the government. In seeking to

recall the varied feelings whose impress I remarked on his Majesty's

countenance, I think I may affirm that he was even more deeply affected

by being compelled to renounce the throne for his son than in resigning

it for himself. When the marshals or the Duke of Vicenza spoke to his

Majesty of arrangements relating to his person, it was easy to see that

he forced himself to listen to them only with the greatest repugnance.

One day when they spoke of the Island of Elba, and I do not know what sum

per year, I heard his Majesty reply vehemently: "That is too much, much

too much for me. If I am no longer anything more than a common soldier,

I do not need more than one louis per day."

Nevertheless, the time arrived when, pressed on every side, his Majesty

submitted to sign the act of abdication pure and simple, which was

demanded of him. This memorable act was conceived in these terms:

"The allied powers having proclaimed that the Emperor Napoleon is

the only obstacle to the re-establishment of peace in Europe, the

Emperor Napoleon, faithful to his oath, declares that he renounces

for himself and his heirs the thrones of France and Italy, and that

there is no personal sacrifice, even his life, which he is not

willing to make for the interests of France.

Done at the palace of Fontainebleau, 11th of April, 1814.

"NAPOLEON."

I do not need to say that I then had no knowledge of the act of

abdication above given; it was one of those state secrets which emanated

from the cabinet, and hardly entered into the confidence of the bedroom.

I only recall that there was some discussion of the matter, though very

vague, that same day in the household; and, besides, it was evident that

something extraordinary was taking place, and the whole day his Majesty

seemed more depressed than at any previous time; but, nevertheless, I was

far from anticipating the agony which followed this fatal day!

I beg the reader in advance to give earnest attention to the event which

I shall now relate. I now become a historian, since I inscribe the

painful remembrance of a striking act in the career of the Emperor; of an

event which has been the subject of innumerable controversies, though it

has been necessarily only a matter of surmise, since I alone knew all the

painful details. I refer to the poisoning of the Emperor at

Fontainebleau. I trust I do not need to protest my perfect truthfulness;

I feel too keenly the great importance of such a revelation to allow

myself to omit or add the least circumstance to the truth. I shall

therefore relate events just as they occurred, just as I saw them, and as

memory, has engraved the painful details indelibly on my mind.

On the 11th of April I undressed the Emperor as usual, I think rather

earlier than usual; for, if I remember aright, it was not quite half-past

ten. As he retired he appeared to me better than during the day, and in

nearly the same condition he had been on previous evenings. I slept in a

room on the next floor, situated behind the Emperor's room, with which it

communicated by a small, dark staircase. For some time past I had slept

in my clothes, in order to attend the Emperor more promptly if he should

call me; and I was sleeping soundly, when at midnight I was awaked by

M. Pelard, who was on duty. He told me that the Emperor had asked for

me, and on opening my eyes I saw on his face an expression of alarm which

astounded me. I threw myself out of the bed, and rapidly descended the

staircase, as M. Pelard added, "The Emperor has poured something in a

glass and drunk it." I entered his Majesty's room, a prey to

indescribable anxiety. The Emperor had lain down; but in advancing

towards his bed I saw on the floor between the fireplace and the bed the

little bag of black silk and skin, of which I spoke some time since. It

was the same he had worn on his neck since the campaign in Spain, and

which I had guarded so carefully from one campaign to another. Ah! if I

had suspected what it contained. In this terrible moment the truth was

suddenly revealed to me!

Meanwhile, I was at the head of the Emperor's bed. "Constant," said he,

in a voice painfully weak and broken, "Constant, I am dying! I cannot

endure the agony I suffer, above all the humiliation of seeing myself

surrounded by foreign emissaries! My eagles have been trailed in the

dust! I have not been understood! My poor Constant, they will regret me

when I am no more! Marmont dealt me the finishing stroke. The wretch!

I loved him! Berthier's desertion has ruined me! My old friends, my old

companions in arms!" The Emperor said to me many other things which I

fear I might not repeat correctly; and it may well be understood that,

overwhelmed as I was with despair, I did not attempt to engrave in my

memory the words which at intervals escaped the Emperor's lips; for he

did not speak continuously, and the complaints I have related were

uttered only between intervals of repose, or rather of stupor. While my

eyes were fastened on the Emperor's countenance, I noticed on it a sudden

contraction, which was the premonition of a convulsion which frightened

me terribly; fortunately this convulsion brought on a slight attack of

vomiting, which gave me some hope. The Emperor, amidst his complicated

physical and mental sufferings, maintained perfect selfpossession, and

said to me, after the first vomiting spell, "Constant, call M. Yvan and

Caulaincourt." I half opened the door, and gave the order to M. Pelard,

without leaving the Emperor's room, and returning to his bed, besought

and entreated him to take a soothing potion; but all my efforts were in

vain, so strong was his determination to die, even when in the presence

of death.

In spite of the obstinate refusal of the Emperor, I was still entreating

him when M. de Caulaincourt and M. Yvan entered the room. His Majesty

made a sign to the Duke of Vicenza to approach his bed, and said to him,

"Caulaincourt, I recommend to you my wife and child; serve them as you

have served me. I have not long to live!" At this moment the Emperor

was interrupted by another fit of vomiting, but slighter than the first,

during which I tried to tell the duke that the Emperor had taken poison;

he understood rather than heard me, for sobs stifled my voice to such an

extent that I could not pronounce a word distinctly. M. Yvan drew near,

and the Emperor said to him, "Do you believe the dose was strong enough?"

These words were really an enigma to M. Yvan; for he was not aware of the

existence of this sachet, at least not to my knowledge, and therefore

answered, "I do not know what your Majesty means;" to which his Majesty

made no reply.

The Duke of Vicenza, M. Yvan, and I, having united our entreaties to the

Emperor, were so fortunate at length as to induce him, though not without

much difficulty, to drink a cup of tea, which he had refused when I had

made it in much haste and presented it to him, saying, "Let me alone,

Constant; let me alone." But, as a result of our redoubled efforts, he

drank it at last, and the vomiting ceased. Soon after taking the tea the

Emperor appeared calmer and fell asleep. These gentlemen quietly

retired; and I remained alone in his room, where I awaited until he woke.

After a sleep of a few hours the Emperor awoke, seeming almost as usual,

although his face still bore traces of what he had suffered, and while I

assisted him in his morning toilet did not utter a word relating in the

most indirect manner to the frightful night he had just passed. He

breakfasted as usual, only a little later than ordinary. His appearance

had resumed its usual calm, and he seemed more cheerful than for a long

time past. Was it the result of his satisfaction at having escaped

death, which a momentary despair had made him desire? Or did it not

rather arise from the certainty of no longer fearing it in his bed more

than on the battlefield? However that may be, I attribute the remarkable

preservation of the Emperor's life to the fact that the poison contained

in the bag had lost its efficacy.

When everything had returned to its usual order, without any one in the

palace except those I have named suspecting what had occurred, I learned

that M. Yvan had left Fontainebleau. Overwhelmed by the question the

Emperor had addressed to him in the presence of the Duke of Vicenza, and

fearing that he might suspect that he had given his Majesty the means of

attempting his life, this skillful physician, so long and so faithfully

attached to the Emperor's person, had, so to speak, lost his head in

thinking of the responsibility resting on him. Hastily descending the

stairs from the Emperor's apartments, and finding a horse ready saddled

and bridled in one of the courts of the palace, he threw himself upon it,

and hastily took the road to Paris. This was the morning of the same day

that Roustan left Fontainebleau.

On the 12th of April, the Emperor also received the last adieux of

Marshal Macdonald. When he was introduced, the Emperor was still feeling

the effects of the events of the preceding night; and I am sure the Duke

of Tarentum perceived, without divining the cause, that his Majesty was

not in his usual condition. He was accompanied by the Duke of Vicenza;

and at this moment the Emperor was still so much depressed, and seemed so

entirely absorbed in thought, that he did not at first perceive these

gentlemen, although he was perfectly wide awake. The Duke of Tarentum

brought to the Emperor the treaty with the allies, and I left the room as

he was preparing to sign it. A few moments after the Duke of Vicenza

summoned me; and his Majesty said, "Constant, bring me the saber which

Mourad-Bey presented to me in Egypt. You know which it is?"--"Yes,

Sire." I went out, and immediately returned with this magnificent sword,

which the Emperor had worn at the battle of Mount Tabor, as I have heard

many times. I handed it to the Duke of Vicenza, from whose hands the

Emperor took it, and presented it to Marshal Macdonald; and as I retired

heard the Emperor speaking to him most affectionately, and calling him

his worthy friend.

These gentlemen, according to my recollection, were present at the

Emperor's breakfast, where he appeared calmer and more cheerful than for

a long time past; and we were all surprised to see him converse

familiarly and in the most amiable manner with persons to whom for some

time past he had usually addressed very brief and distant remarks.

However, this gayety was only momentary; and, indeed, the manner in which

the Emperor's mood varied from one moment to another during the whole

time of our stay at Fontainebleau was perfectly indescribable. I have

seen him on the same day plunged for several hours into the most terrible

depression; then, a moment after, walking with great strides up and down

his room, whistling or humming La Monaco; after which he suddenly fell

into a kind of stupor, seeing nothing around him, and forgetting even the

orders he had given. A fact which impressed me forcibly was the

remarkable effect produced on him by letters addressed to him from Paris.

As soon as he perceived them his agitation became extreme,--I might say

convulsive, without fear of being taxed with exaggeration.

In support of what I have said of the incredible preoccupation of the

Emperor, I will mention an occurrence which comes to my memory. During

our sojourn at Fontainebleau the Countess Walewska, of whom I have

heretofore spoken, came, and having summoned me, told me how anxious she

was to see the Emperor. Thinking that this would be sure to distract his

Majesty, I mentioned it to him that very evening, and received orders to

have her come at ten o'clock. Madame Walewska was, as may well be

believed, promptly on hand at the appointed hour, and I entered the

Emperor's room to announce her arrival. He was lying on his bed, and

plunged so deeply in meditation that it was only on a second reminder

from me he replied, "Ask her to wait." She then waited in the apartment

in front of his Majesty's, and I remained to keep her company. Meanwhile

the night passed on, and the hours seemed long to the beautiful visitor;

and her distress that the Emperor did not summon her became so evident

that I took pity on her, and reentered the Emperor's room to remind him

again. He was not asleep, but was so deeply absorbed in thought that he

made no reply. At last day began to break; and the countess, fearing to

be seen by the people of the household, withdrew in despair at not having

bidden adieu to the object of her affections; and she had been gone more

than an hour when the Emperor remembered that she was waiting, and asked

for her. I told his Majesty how it was, and did not conceal the state of

despair in which the countess took her departure. The Emperor was much

affected. "Poor woman, she thinks herself humiliated! Constant, I am

really grieved. If you see her again, tell her so. But I have so many

things there!" added he in a, very energetic tone, striking his brow with

his hand.

The visit of this lady to Fontainebleau recalls another of almost the

same kind, but to describe which it is necessary that I take up the

thread of events a little further back.

[I have learned since that the Countess de Walewska went with her

son to visit the Emperor on the Island of Elba. This child

resembled his Majesty so greatly that the report was started that

the King of Rome had visited his father. Madame de Walewska

remained only a short time at the Island of Elba.--CONSTANT.]

A short time after his marriage with the Archduchess Marie Louise,

although she was a young and beautiful woman, and although he really

loved her devotedly, the Emperor was no more careful than in the time of

the Empress Josephine to scrupulously observe conjugal fidelity. During

one of our stays at Saint-Cloud he took a fancy to Madamoiselle L----,

whose mother's second husband was a chief of squadron. These ladies then

stayed at Bourg-la-Reine, where they were discovered by M. de ----, one

of the most zealous protectors of the pretty women who were presented to

his Majesty, and who spoke to him of this young person, then seventeen

years old. She was a brunette of ordinary height, but with a beautiful

figure, and pretty feet and hands, her whole person full of grace, and

was indeed perfectly charming in all respects, and, besides, united with

most enticing coquetry every accomplishment, danced with much grace,

played on several instruments, and was full of intelligence; in fact, she

had received that kind of showy education which forms the most charming

mistresses and the worst wives. The Emperor told me one day, at eight

o'clock in the evening, to seek her at her mother's, to bring her and

return at eleven o'clock at latest. My visit caused no surprise; and I

saw that these ladies had been forewarned, no doubt by their obliging

patron, for they awaited me with an impatience they did not seek to

conceal. The young person was dazzling with ornaments and beauty, and

the mother radiant with joy at the idea of the honor destined for her

daughter. I saw well that she imagined the Emperor could not fail to be

captivated by so many charms, and that he would be seized with a great

passion; but all this was only a dream, for the Emperor was amorous only

when all things suited. However, we arrived at Saint-Cloud at eleven

o'clock, and entered the chateau by the orangery, for fear of indiscreet

eyes. As I had a pass-key to all the gates of the chateau, I conducted

her into the Emperor's apartments without being seen by any one, where

she remained about three hours. At the end of this time I escorted her

to her home, taking the same precautions on leaving the chateau.

This young person, whom the Emperor had since seen three or four times at

most, also came to Fontainebleau, accompanied by her mother; but, being

unable to see his Majesty, this lady, like the Countess Walewska,

determined to make the voyage to the Island of Elba, where it is said the

Emperor married Mademoiselle L---- to a colonel of artillery.

What I have just written has carried me back almost unconsciously to

happier times. It is necessary, however, to return to the sad stay at

Fontainebleau; and, after what I have said of the dejection in which the

Emperor lived, it is not surprising that, overwhelmed by such crushing

blows, his mind was not disposed to gallantry. It seems to me I can

still see the evidences of the gloomy melancholy which devoured him; and

in the midst of so many sorrows the kindness of heart of the man seemed

to increase in proportion to the sufferings of the dethroned sovereign.

With what amenity he spoke to us in these last days! He then frequently

deigned to question me as to what was said of recent events. With my

usual artless candor I related to him exactly what I had heard; and I

remember that one day, having told him I had heard many persons remark

that the continuation of the last wars which had been so fatal to us was

generally attributed to the Duke of Bassano, "They do poor Maret gross

injustice," said he. "They accuse him wrongfully. He has never done

anything but execute orders which I gave." Then, according to his usual

habit, when he had spoken to me a moment of these serious affairs, he

added, "What a shame! what humiliation! To think that I should have in

my very palace itself a lot of foreign emissaries!"

CHAPTER XXVIII.

After the 12th of April there remained with the Emperor, of all the great

personages who usually surrounded him, only the grand marshal of the

palace and Count Drouot. The destination reserved for the Emperor, and

the fact that he had accepted it, was not long a secret in the palace.

On the 16th we witnessed the arrival of the commissioners of the allies

deputed to accompany his Majesty to the place of his embarkment for the

Island of Elba. These were Count Schuwaloff, aide-de-camp of the Emperor

Alexander from Russia; Colonel Neil Campbell from England; General

Kohler from Austria; and finally Count of Waldburg-Truchsess for Prussia.

Although his Majesty had himself demanded that he should be accompanied

by these four commissioners, their presence at Fontainebleau seemed to

make a most disagreeable impression on him. However, each of these

gentlemen received from the Emperor a different welcome; and after a few

words that I heard his Majesty say, I was convinced on this, as on many

previous occasions, that he esteemed the English far more than all his

other enemies, and Colonel Campbell was, therefore, welcomed with more

distinction than the other ministers; while the ill-humor of the Emperor

vented itself especially on the commissioner of the King of Prussia, who

took no notice of it, and put on the best possible countenance.

With the exception of the very slight apparent change made at

Fontainebleau by the presence of these gentlemen, no remarkable incident,

none at least in my knowledge, came to disturb the sad and monotonous

life of the Emperor in the palace. Everything remained gloomy and silent

among the inhabitants of this last imperial residence; but, nevertheless,

the Emperor personally seemed to me more calm since he had come to a

definite conclusion than at the time he was wavering in painful

indecision. He spoke sometimes in my presence of the Empress and his

son, but not as often as might have been expected. But one thing which

struck me deeply was, that never a single time did a a word escape his

lips which could recall the act of desperation of the night of the 11th,

which fortunately, as we have seen, had not the fatal results we feared.

What a night! What a night! In my whole life since I have never been

able to think of it without shuddering.

After the arrival of the commissioners of the allied powers, the Emperor

seemed by degrees to acclimate himself, so to speak, to their presence;

and the chief occupation of the whole household consisted of duties

relating to our preparations for departure. One day, as I was dressing

his Majesty, he said to me smiling, "Ah, well, my son, prepare your cart;

we will go and plant our cabbages." Alas! I was very far from thinking,

as I heard these familiar words of his Majesty, that by an inconceivable

concurrence of events, I should be forced to yield to an inexplicable

fatality, which did not will that in spite of my ardent desire I should

accompany the Emperor to his place of exile.

The evening before the day fixed for our departure the grand marshal of

the palace had me called. After giving me some orders relative to the

voyage, he said to me that the Emperor wished to know what was the sum of

money I had in charge for him. I immediately gave an account to the

grand marshal; and he saw that the sum total was about three hundred

thousand francs, including the gold in a bog which Baron Fain had sent

me, since he would not be on the journey. The grand marshal said he

would present the account to the Emperor. An hour after he again

summoned me, and said that his Majesty thought he had one hundred

thousand francs more. I replied that I had in my possession one hundred

thousand francs, which the Emperor had presented to me, telling me to

bury it in my garden; in fact, I related to him all the particulars I

have described above, and begged him to inquire of the Emperor if it was

these one hundred thousand francs to which his Majesty referred. Count

Bertrand promised to do this, and I then made the great mistake of not

addressing myself directly to the Emperor. Nothing would have been

easier in my position; and I had often found that it was always better,

when possible, to go directly to him than to have recourse to any

intermediate person whatever. It would have been much better for me to

act thus, since, if the Emperor had demanded the one hundred thousand

francs which he had given me, which, after all, was hardly possible, I

was more than disposed to restore them to him without a moment's

hesitation. My astonishment may be imagined when the grand marshal

reported to me that the Emperor did not remember having given me the sum

in question. I instantly became crimson with anger. What! the

Emperor had allowed it to be believed by Count Bertrand that I had

attempted--I, his faithful servant--to appropriate a sum which he had

given me under all the circumstances I have related! I was beside

myself at this thought. I left in a state impossible to be described,

assuring the grand marshal that in an hour at most I would restore to

him the fatal present of his Majesty.

While rapidly crossing the court of the palace I met M. de Turenne, to

whom I related all that had occurred. "That does not astonish me," he

replied, "and we will see many other similar cases." A prey to a sort of

moral fever, my head distracted, my heart oppressed, I sought Denis, the

wardrobe boy, of whom I have spoken previously; I found him most

fortunately, and hastened with him to my country place; and God is my

witness that the loss of the hundred thousand francs was not the cause of

my distress, and I hardly thought of it. As on the first occasion, we

passed along the side of the woods in order not to be seen; and began to

dig up the earth to find the money we had placed there; and in the

eagerness with which I hunted for this miserable gold, in order to

restore it to the grand marshal, I dug up more than was necessary. I

cannot describe my despair when I saw that we had found nothing; I

thought that some one had seen and followed us, in fact, that I had been

robbed. This was a more crushing blow to me than the first, and I

foresaw the consequences with horror; what would be said, what would be

thought, of me? Would my word be taken? The grand marshal, already

prejudiced by the inexplicable reply of the Emperor, would consider me a

person totally devoid of honor. I was overwhelmed by these fatal

thoughts when Denis suggested to me that we had not dug in the right

spot, and had made a mistake of some feet. I eagerly embraced this ray

of hope; we began again to dig up the earth with more eagerness than

ever, and I can say without exaggeration that my joy bordered almost on

delirium when I saw the first of the bags. We drew out in succession all

the five; and with the assistance of Denis I carried them to the palace,

and placed them without delay in the hands of the grand marshal, with the

keys of the Emperor's trunk, and the casket which M. Fain had committed

to me. I said to him as I left, "Monseigneur, be good enough to say to

his Majesty that I will not accompany him."--"I will tell him."

After this cold and laconic reply I immediately left the palace, and was

soon after in Rue du Coq-Gris, with M. Clement, a bailiff, who for a long

time had been charged with my small affairs, and had given the necessary

attention to my farm during the long absences which the journeys and

campaigns of the Emperor necessitated. Then I gave full vent to my

despair. I was choking with rage as I remembered that my honesty had

been suspected,--I, who for fourteen years had served the Emperor with a

disinterestedness which was so scrupulous, and even carried to such a

point that many persons called it silliness; I, who had never demanded

anything of the Emperor, either for myself or my people! My brain reeled

as I tried to explain to myself how the Emperor, who knew all this so

well, could have allowed me to appear to a third person as a dishonorable

man; the more I thought of it the more extreme became my irritation, and

yet it was not possible to find the shadow of a motive for the blow aimed

at me. My despair was at its height, when M. Hubert, ordinary valet de

chambre of the Emperor, came to tell me that his Majesty would give me

all I wished if I would follow him, and that three hundred thousand

francs would be immediately handed me. In these circumstances, I ask of

all honest men, what could I do, and what would they have done in my

place? I replied that when I had resolved to consecrate my whole life to

the service of the unfortunate Emperor, it was not from views of vile

interest; but I was in despair at the thought that he should have made me

appear before Count Bertrand as an impostor and a dishonest man. Ah!

how happy would it then have been for me had the Emperor never thought of

giving me those accursed one hundred thousand francs! These ideas

tortured me. Ah! if I could only have taken twenty-four hours for

reflection, however just might have been my resentment, how gladly would

I have sacrificed it! I would have thought of the Emperor alone, and

would have followed him; but a sad and inexplicable fatality had not

decreed this.

This took place on the 19th of April, the most miserable day of my life.

What an evening, what a night I passed! What was my grief on learning

the next day that the Emperor had departed at noon, after making his

adieux to his guard! When I awoke that morning, all my resentment had

been appeased in thinking of the Emperor. Twenty times I wished to

return to the palace; twenty times after his departure I wished to take

post horses and overtake him; but I was deterred by the offer he had made

me through M. Hubert. "Perhaps," I thought, "he will think it is the

money which influences me; this will, doubtless, be said by those around

him; and what an opinion he will have of me!" In this cruel perplexity I

did not dare to decide. I suffered all that it is possible for a man to

suffer; and, at times, that which was only too true seemed like a dream

to me, so impossible did it seem that I could be where the Emperor was

not. Everything in this terrible situation contributed to aggravate my

distress. I knew the Emperor well enough to be aware that even had I

returned to him then, he would never have forgotten that I had wished to

leave him; I felt that I had not the strength to bear this reproach from

his lips. On the other side, the physical suffering caused by my disease

had greatly increased, and I was compelled to remain in bed a long while.

I could, indeed, have triumphed over these physical sufferings however

cruel they might have been, but in the frightful complications of my

position I was reduced to a condition of idiocy; I saw nothing of what

was around me; I heard nothing of what was said; and after this statement

the reader will surely not expect that I shall have anything to say about

the farewell of the Emperor to his old and faithful guard, an account of

which, moreover, has been often enough published for the facts to be well

known concerning this event, which, besides, took place in public. Here

my Memoirs might well close; but the reader, I well believe, cannot

refuse me his attention a few moments longer, that I may recall some

facts which I have a right to explain, and to relate some incidents

concerning the return from the Island of Elba. I, therefore, now

continue my remarks on the first of these heads, and the second will be

the subject of the next chapter.

The Emperor had then already started; and as for myself, shut up alone,

my country house became henceforth a sad residence to me. I held no

communication with any one whatever, read no news, and sought to learn

none. At the end of a short time I received a visit from one of my

friends from Paris, who said to me that the journals spoke of my conduct

without understanding it, and that they condemned it severely. He added

that it was M. de Turenne who had sent to the editors the note in which

I had been so heavily censured. I must say that I did not believe this;

I knew M. de Turenne too well to think him capable of a proceeding so

dishonorable, inasmuch as I had frankly explained everything to him, when

he made the answer I gave above. But however the evil came, it was

nevertheless done; and by the incredible complications of my position I

found myself compelled to keep silence. Nothing certainly would have

been easier than to repel the calumny by an exact rehearsal of the facts;

but should I justify myself in this manner by, so to speak, accusing the

Emperor at a moment especially when the Emperor's enemies manifested much

bitterness? When I saw such a great man made a mark for the shafts of

calumny, I, who was so contemptible and insignificant among the crowd,

could surely allow a few of these envenomed shafts to fall on me. To-day

the time has come to tell the truth, and I have done so without

restriction; not to excuse myself, for on the contrary I blame myself for

not having completely sacrificed myself, and for not having accompanied

the Emperor to the Island of Elba regardless of what might have been

said. Nevertheless, I may be allowed to say in my own defense, that in

this combination of physical and mental sufferings which overwhelmed me

all at once, a person must be very sure of infallibility himself to

condemn completely this sensitiveness so natural in a man of honor when

accused of a fraudulent transaction. This, then, I said to myself, is

the recompense for all my care, for the endurance of so much suffering,

for unbounded devotion, and a refinement of feeling for which the Emperor

had often praised me, and for which he rendered me justice later, as will

be seen when I shall have occasion to speak of certain circumstances

occurring about the 20th of March of the following year.

But gratuitously, and even malevolently, interested motives have been

attributed to me for the decision I made to leave the Emperor. The

simplest common-sense, on the contrary, would suffice to see that, had I

allowed myself to be guided by my interests, everything would have

influenced me to accompany his Majesty. In fact, the chagrin which the

incident I have mentioned caused me, and the manner in which I was

completely overwhelmed by it, have injured my fortune more than any

determination to follow the Emperor could possibly have done. What could

I hope for in France, where I had no right to anything? Is it not,

besides, very evident to whoever would recall my position, which was one

of confidence near the Emperor, that, if I had been actuated by a love of

money, this position would have given me an opportunity to reap an

abundant harvest without injuring my reputation; but my disinterestedness

was so well known that, whatever may be said to the contrary, I can

assert that during the whole time my favor with the Emperor continued, I

on no occasion used it to render any other but unselfish services, and

often I refused to support a demand for the sole reason that the petition

had been accompanied by offers of money, which were often of very

considerable amount. Allow me to cite one example among many others of

the same nature. I received one day an offer of the sum of four hundred

thousand francs, which was made me by a lady of a very noble family, if I

would influence the Emperor to consider favorably a petition in which she

claimed indemnity for a piece of property belonging to her, on which the

port of Bayonne had been constructed. I had succeeded in obtaining

favorable answers to applications more difficult than this, but I refused

to agree to support her petition solely on account of the offer which had

been made to me; I would have been glad to oblige this lady, but only for

the pleasure of being obliging, and it was for this reason alone I

allowed myself to solicit of the Emperor the pardons which he nearly

always granted. Neither can it be said that I ever demanded of the

Emperor licenses for lottery drawings, or anything else of this kind, in

which, as is well known, a scandalous commerce is often made, and which,

no doubt, if I had demanded them of the Emperor he would have readily

granted.

The confidence in me which the Emperor had always shown was such that

even at Fontainebleau, when it had been decided that none of the ordinary

valets de chambre were to accompany him to the Island of Elba, the

Emperor left to my choice the selection of a young man to assist me in my

duties. I selected a boy of the apartments, whose upright character was

well known to me, and who was, moreover, the son of Madame Marchand, the

head nurse of the King of Rome. I spoke of him to the Emperor, who

accepted him; and I went immediately to inform M. Marchand, who received

the position most gratefully, and proved to me, by his thanks, how

delighted he would be to accompany us. I say us, for at this moment I

was very far from foreseeing the succession of fatal events which I have

faithfully narrated; and it may be seen afterwards, from the manner in

which M. Marchand expressed himself concerning me at the Tuileries during

the Hundred Days, that I had not bestowed my confidence unworthily.

CHAPTER XXIX.

I became a stranger to all the world after the departure of the Emperor

for the Island of Elba, and, filled with a deep sense of gratitude for

the kindness with which his Majesty had overwhelmed me during the

fourteen years I had passed in his service, thought incessantly of this

great man, and took pleasure in renewing in memory all the events, even

the most trivial, of my life with him. I thought it best suited my

former position to live in retirement, and passed my time most tranquilly

in the bosom of my family in the country-house belonging to me. At the

same time a fatal idea preoccupied my mind involuntarily; for I feared

that persons who were jealous of my former favor might succeed in

deceiving the Emperor as to my unalterable devotion to his person, and

strengthen in his mind the false opinion that they had for a time

succeeded in giving him of me. This opinion, although my conscience told

me that it was unjust, was not the less painful to me; but, as will soon

be seen, I was fortunate enough to obtain the certainty that my fears in

this respect were without foundation.

Although an entire stranger to politics, I had read with deep interest

the newspapers I received in my retreat, since the great political change

to which the name of the Restoration was given; and it seemed to me to

need only the simplest common-sense to see the marked difference which

existed between the government which had been overthrown and the new. In

all departments I saw a succession of titled men take the places of the

long list of distinguished men who had given under the Empire so many

proofs of merit and courage; but I was far from thinking, notwithstanding

the large number of discontented, that the fortunes of the Emperor and

the wishes of the army would ever restore him to that throne which he had

voluntarily abdicated in order that he might not be the cause of a civil

war in Dance. Therefore, it would be impossible to describe my

astonishment, and the multiplicity of varied feelings which agitated me,

when I received the first news of the landing of the Emperor on the coast

of Provence. I read with enthusiasm the admirable proclamation in which

he announced that his eagles would fly from steeple to steeple, and that

he himself would follow so closely in his triumphal march from the Bay of

Juan to Paris.

Here I must make a confession, which is, that only since I had left the

Emperor, had I fully comprehended the immensity of his greatness.

Attached to his service almost from the beginning of the Consulate, at a

time when I was still very young, he had grown, so to speak, without my

having perceived it, and I had above all seen in him, from the nature of

my duties, the excellent master rather than the great man; consequently,

in this instance the effects of distance were very different from what it

usually produces. It was with difficulty I could realize, and I am often

astonished to-day in recalling the frank candor with which I had dared to

defend to the Emperor what I knew to be the truth; his kindness, however,

seemed to encourage me in this, for often, instead of becoming irritated

by my vehemence, he said to me gently, with a benevolent smile, "Come,

come! M. Constant, don't excite yourself." Adorable kindness in a man

of such elevated rank! Ah, well I this was the only impression it made

on me in the privacy of his chamber, but since then I have learned to

estimate it at its true value.

On learning that the Emperor was to be restored to us, my first impulse

was to repair at once to the palace, that I might be there on his

arrival; but more mature reflection and the advice of my family made me

realize that it would be more suitable for me to await his orders, in

case he wished to recall me to my former service. I congratulated myself

on deciding to take the latter course, since I had the happiness to learn

that his Majesty had been kind enough to express his approval of my

former conduct. I learned from most reliable authority, that he had

hardly arrived at the Tuileries, when he condescended to inquire of M.

Eible, then concierge of the palace, "Well, what is Constant doing? How

is he succeeding? Where is he?"--"Sire, he is at his country-place,

which he has not left."--"Ah, very good. He is happy raising his

cabbages." I learned also that, during the first days of the Emperor's

return, his Majesty had been investigating the list of pensions, and had

been good enough to make a note that mine should be increased. Finally,

I experienced an intense satisfaction of another kind, no doubt, but none

the less sincere in the certainty of not being considered an ingrate.

I have stated that I had been fortunate enough to procure a position for

M. Marchand with the Emperor; and this is what was related to me by an

eye-witness. M. Marchand, in the beginning of the Hundred Days, happened

to be in one of the saloons of the palace of the Tuileries, where several

persons were assembled, and some of them were expressing themselves most

unkindly in regard to me. My successor with the Emperor interrupted them

brusquely, saying that there was not a word of truth in the calumnies

which were asserted of me; and added that, while I held the position, I

had uniformly been most obliging to all persons of the household who had

addressed themselves to me, and had done no injury to any one. In this

respect I can affirm that M. Marchand told only the truth; but I was none

the less deeply grateful to him for so honorably defending me, especially

in my absence.

Not being in Paris on the 20th of March, 1815, as we have just seen, I

could have nothing to say of the circumstances of this memorable epoch,

had I not collected from some of my friends particulars of what occurred

on the night following the re-entrance of the Emperor into the palace,

once again become Imperial; and it may be imagined how eager I was to

know everything relating to the great man whom we regarded at this moment

as the savior of France.

I will begin by repeating exactly the account which was given me by one

of my friends, a brave and excellent man, at that time sergeant in the

National Guard of Paris, who happened to be on duty at the Tuileries

exactly on the 20th of March. "At noon," he said, "three companies of

National Guards entered the court of the Tuileries, to occupy all the

interior and exterior posts of the palace. I belonged to one of these

companies, which formed a part of the fourth legion. My comrades and I

were struck with the inexpressible sadness produced by the sight of an

abandoned palace. Everything, in fact, was deserted. Only a few men

were seen here and there in the livery of the king, occupied in taking

down and removing portraits of the various members of the Bourbon family.

Outside could be heard the clamorous shouts of a frantic mob, who climbed

on the gates, tried to scale them, and pressed against them with such

force that at last they bent in several places so far that it was feared

they would be thrown down. This multitude of people presented a

frightful spectacle, and seemed as if determined to pillage the palace.

"Hardly a quarter of an hour after we entered the interior court an

accident occurred which, though not serious in itself, threw

consternation into our ranks, as well as among those who were pressing

against the grating of the Carrousel. We saw flames issuing from the

chimney of the King's apartments, which had been accidentally set on fire

by a quantity of papers which had just been burned therein. This

accident gave rise to most sinister conjectures, and soon the rumor

spread that the Tuileries had been undermined ready for an explosion

before the departure of Louis XVIII. A patrol was immediately formed of

fifteen men of the National Guard, commanded by a sergeant; they explored

the chateau most thoroughly, visited each apartment, descended into the

cellars, and assured themselves that there was nowhere the slightest

indication of danger.

"Reassured on this point, we were nevertheless not without anxiety. In

returning to our posts we had heard numerous groups shouting, 'Vive le

Roi! Vivent les Bourbons!' and we soon had proofs of the exasperation

and fury of a part of the people against Napoleon; for we witnessed the

arrival in our midst, in a most pitiable condition, of a superior officer

who had imprudently donned too soon the tricolored cockade, and

consequently had been pursued by the mob from the Rue Saint-Denis. We

took him under our protection, and made him enter the interior of the

palace, as he was almost exhausted. At this moment we received orders to

force the people to withdraw, as they had become still more determined to

scale the gates; and in order to accomplish this we were compelled to

have recourse to arms.

"We had occupied the post at the Tuileries an hour at most when General

Excelmans, who had received the chief command of the guard at the

chateau, gave orders to raise the tricolored banner over the middle

pavilion.

"The reappearance of the national colors excited among us all emotions of

the most intense satisfaction; and immediately the populace substituted

the cry of 'Vive l'Empereur' for that of 'Vive le Roi,' and nothing else

was heard the whole day. As for us, when we were ordered to don the

tricolored cockade it was a very easy performance, as a large number of

the guard had preserved their old ones, which they had simply covered

with a piece of white cambric. We were ordered to stack arms in front of

the arch of triumph, and nothing extraordinary occurred until six

o'clock; then lights began to shine on the expected route of the Emperor,

and a large number of officers on half pay collected near the pavilion of

Flora; and I learned from one of them, M. Saunier, a decorated officer,

that it was on that side the Emperor would re-enter the palace of the

Tuileries. I repaired there in all haste; and as I was hurrying to place

myself on his route, I was so fortunate as to meet a commanding officer,

who assigned me to duty at the very door of Napoleon's apartment, and to

this circumstance I owe the fact that I witnessed what now remains to be

related.

"I had for some time remained in expectation, and in almost perfect

solitude, when, at fifteen minutes before nine, an extraordinary noise

that I heard outside announced to me the Emperor's arrival; and a few

moments after I saw him appear, amidst cries of enthusiasm, borne on the

arms of the officers who had escorted him from the island of Elba. The

Emperor begged them earnestly to let him walk; but his entreaties were

useless, and they bore him thus to the very door of his apartment, where

they deposited him near me. I had not seen the Emperor since the day of

his farewell to the National Guard in the great court of the palace; and

in spite of the great agitation into which I was thrown by all this

commotion, I could not help noticing how much stouter he had become.

"The Emperor had hardly entered his apartments than I was assigned to

duty in the interior. Marshal Bertrand, who had just replaced General

Excelmans in the command of the Tuileries, gave me an order to allow no

one to enter without informing him, and to give him the names of all who

requested to see the Emperor. One of the first to present himself was

Cambaceres, who appeared to me even more pallid than usual. A short time

after came the father of General Bertrand; and as this venerable old man

attempted to pay his respects first to the Emperor, Napoleon said to him,

'No, monsieur! nature first;' and in saying this, with a movement as

quick as his words, the Emperor, so to speak, threw him into the arms of

his son. Next came Queen Hortense, accompanied by her two children;

then, Count Regnault de Saint-Jean d'Angely, and many other persons whose

names have escaped me. I did not see again those I announced to Marshal

Bertrand, as they all went out by another door. I continued this duty

till eleven o'clock in the evening, at which time I was relieved of my

duties, and was invited to supper at an immense table of about three

hundred covers. All the persons presented at the palace took their

places at this table, one after the other. I there saw the Duke of

Vicenza, and found myself placed opposite General Excelmans. The Emperor

supped alone in his room with Marshal Bertrand, and their supper was by

no means so splendid as ours, for it consisted only of a roast chicken

and a dish of lentils; and yet I learned from an officer who fad attended

him constantly since he left Fontainebleau, that his Majesty had eaten

nothing since morning. The Emperor was exceedingly fatigued; I had

opportunity to mark this each time his door was opened. He was seated on

a chair in front of the fire, with his feet on the mantelpiece.

"As we all remained at the Tuileries, word was sent us about one o'clock

that the Emperor had just retired, and that in case any soldiers should

arrive during the night who had accompanied him, he had given orders that

they should be on duty at the palace conjointly with the National Guard.

The poor creatures were hardly in a condition to obey such an order. At

two o'clock in the morning we saw two of them arrive in a most pitiable

condition; they were perfectly emaciated, and their feet blistered. All

that they could do was to throw themselves on their bags, on which they

fell sound asleep; and they did not even awake while the duty of

bandaging their feet was attended to in the room which they had reached

with so much difficulty. All were eager to lavish every attention on

them; and I admit that I have always regretted not having inquired the

names of these two brave grenadiers, who inspired in all of us an

interest I cannot describe.

"After retiring at one o'clock, the Emperor was on his feet at five

o'clock in the morning; and the order was immediately given to the

soldiers on half pay to hold themselves ready for a review, and at break

of day they were ranged in three ranks. At this moment I was deputed to

watch over an officer who was pointed out as suspicious, and who, it was

said, had come from Saint-Denis. This was M. de Saint-Chamans. At the

end of a quarter of an hour of arrest, which had nothing disagreeable in

it, he was simply asked to leave. Meanwhile, the Emperor had descended

from the palace, and passed through the ranks of the soldiers on half

pay, speaking to each one, taking many of them by the hand, and saying to

them, "My friends, I need your services; I rely on you as you may rely on

me." Magic words on the lips of Napoleon, and which drew tears of

emotion from all those brave soldiers whose services had been ignored for

a year.

"From the morning the crowd increased rapidly on all the approaches to

the Tuileries, and a mass of people assembled under the windows of the

chateau, demanding with loud shouts to see Napoleon. Marshal Bertrand

having informed him of this, the Emperor showed himself at the window,

where he was saluted by the shouts which his presence had so often

excited. After showing himself to the people, the Emperor himself

presented to them Marshal Bertrand, his arm resting on the marshal's

shoulder, whom he pressed to his heart with demonstrations of the

liveliest affection. During this scene, which deeply affected all the

witnesses, who cheered with all their might, officers, standing behind

the Emperor and his friend, held above their heads banners surmounted by

their eagles, of which they formed a kind of national canopy. At eleven

o'clock the Emperor mounted his horse, and reviewed the various regiments

which were arriving from every direction, and the heroes of the island of

Elba who had returned to the Tuileries during the night. All seemed

deeply impressed with the appearance of these brave men, whom the sun of

Italy had tanned, and who had traveled nearly two hundred leagues in

twenty days."

These are the curious details which were given to me by a friend; and I

can guarantee the truth of his recital the same as if I myself had been

an eye-witness of all that occurred during the memorable night of the

20th and 21st March, 1815. Continuing in my retreat during the hundred

days, and long after, I have nothing to say which all the world would not

know as well as I concerning this important epoch in the life of the

Emperor. I have shed many tears over his sufferings at the time of his

second abdication, and the tortures inflicted on him at St. Helena by the

miserable Hudson Lowe, whose infamy will go down through the ages side by

side with the glory of the Emperor. I will simply content myself by

adding to the preceding a certain document which was confided to me by

the former Queen of Westphalia, and saying a word in conclusion as to the

destination I thought best to give to the first cross of the Legion of

Honor which the First Consul had worn.

Princess Catharine of Wurtemberg, the wife of Prince Jerome, is, as is

well known, a woman of great beauty, gifted at the same time with more

solid qualities, which time increases instead of diminishing. She joins,

to much natural intelligence, a highly cultivated mind, a character truly

worthy of a sister-in-law of the Emperor, and carries even to enthusiasm

her love of duty. Events did not allow her to become a great queen, but

they have not prevented her remaining an accomplished wife. Her

sentiments are noble and elevated; but she shows haughtiness to none, and

all who surround her take pleasure in boasting of the charms of her

kindness towards her household, and she possesses the happiest gift of

nature, which consists in making herself beloved by every one. Prince

Jerome is not without a certain grandeur of manner and formal generosity,

which he learned while on the throne of Cassel, but he is generally very

haughty. Although in consequence of the great changes which have taken

place in Europe since the fall of the Emperor, Prince Jerome owes the

comfortable maintenance which he still enjoys to the love of the

princess, she does not any the less show a truly exemplary submission to

his will. Princess Catharine occupies herself almost exclusively with

her three children, two boys and one girl, all of whom are very

beautiful. The eldest was born in the month of August, 1814. Her

daughter, the Princess Mathilde, owes her superior education to the care

her mother exercised over it; she is pretty, but less so than her

brothers, who all have their mother's features.

After the description, which is not at all flattered, which I have just

given of Princess Catharine, it may seem surprising that, provided as she

is with so many solid qualities, she has never been able to conquer an

inexplicable weakness regarding petty superstitions. Thus, for instance,

she is extremely afraid to seat herself at a table where there are

thirteen guests. I will relate an anecdote of which I can guarantee the

authenticity, and which, perhaps, may foster the weakness of persons

subject to the same superstitions as the Princess of Wurtemberg. One day

at Florence, being present at a family dinner, she perceived that there

were exactly thirteen plates, suddenly grew pale, and obstinately refused

to take her seat. Princess Eliza Bacciochi ridiculed her sister-in-law,

shrugged her shoulders, and said to her, smiling, "There is no danger,

there are in truth fourteen, since I am enceinte." Princess Catharine

yielded, but with extreme repugnance. A short time after she had to put

on mourning for her sister-in-law; and the death of the Princess Eliza,

as may well be believed, contributed no little to render her more

superstitious than ever as to the number thirteen. Well! let strong

minds boast themselves as they may; but I can console the weak, as I dare

to affirm that, if the Emperor had witnessed such an occurrence in his

own family, an instinct stronger than any other consideration, stronger

even than his all-powerful reason, would have caused him some moments of

vague anxiety.

Now, it only remains for me to render an account of the bestowal I made

of the first cross of honor the First Consul wore. The reader need not

be alarmed; I did not make a bad use of it; it is on the breast of a

brave soldier of our old army. In 1817 I made the acquaintance of M.

Godeau, a former captain in the Imperial Guard. He had been severely

wounded at Leipzig by a cannon-ball, which broke his knee. I found in

him an admiration for the Emperor so intense and so sincere, he urged me

so earnestly to give him something, whatever it might be, which had

belonged to his Majesty, that I made him a present of the cross of honor

of which I have spoken, as he had long ago been decorated with that

order. This cross is, I might say, a historical memento, being the

first, as I have stated, which his Majesty wore. It is of silver, medium

size, and is not surmounted with the imperial crown. The Emperor wore it

a year; it decorated his breast for the last time the day of the battle

of Austerlitz. From that day, in fact, his Majesty wore an officer's

cross of gold with the crown, and no longer wore the cross of a simple

member of the legion.

Here my souvenirs would end if, in re-reading the first volumes of my

memoirs, the facts I have there related had not recalled to me some

others which may be of interest. With the impossibility of presenting

them in the proper order and connection, I have decided, in order that

the reader may not be deprived of them, to offer them as detached

anecdotes, which I have endeavored to class as far as possible, according

to the order of time.

CHAPTER XXX.

ANECDOTES AND INCIDENTS.

As I have often-had occasion to remark, the Emperor's tastes were

extremely simple in everything relating to his person; moreover, he

manifested a decided aversion to the usages of fashion; he did not like,

so to speak, to turn night into day, as was done in the most of the

brilliant circles of society in Paris under the Consulate, and at the

commencement of the Empire. Unfortunately, the Empress Josephine did not

hold the same views, and being a submissive slave of fashion, liked to

prolong her evenings after the Emperor had retired.

She had the habit of then collecting around her her most intimate ladies

and a few friends, and giving them tea. Gaming was entirely precluded

from these nocturnal reunions, of which conversation was the only charm.

This conversation of the highest circles of society was a most agreeable

relaxation to the Empress; and this select circle assembled frequently

without the Emperor being aware of it, and was, in fact, a very innocent

entertainment. Nevertheless, some obliging person was so indiscreet as

to make the Emperor a report concerning these assemblies, containing

matters which roused his displeasure. He expressed his dissatisfaction

to the Empress Josephine, and from that time she retired at the same time

as the Emperor.

These teas were then abandoned, and all persons attached to the service

of the Emperor received orders not to sit up after the Emperor retired.

As well as I remember, this is how I heard his Majesty express himself on

the occasion. "When the masters are asleep, the valets should retire to

bed; and when the masters are awake, the valets should be on their feet."

These words produced the intended effect; and that very evening, as soon

as the Emperor was in bed, all at the palace retired, and at half-past

eleven no one was awake but the sentinels.

By degrees, as always occurs, the strict observance of the Emperor's

orders was gradually relaxed, still without the Empress daring to resume

her nocturnal gatherings. The words of his Majesty were not forgotten,

however, and were well remembered by M. Colas, concierge of the pavilion

of Flora.

One morning about four o'clock, M. Colas heard an unaccustomed noise,

and a continued movement in the interior of the palace, and supposed from

this that the Emperor was awake, in which he was not mistaken. He

dressed in all haste, and had been ten minutes at his post when the

Emperor, descending the staircase with Marshal Duroc, perceived him.

His Majesty usually took pleasure in showing that he remarked exactness

in fulfilling his orders; therefore he stopped a moment, and said to M.

Colas, "Ah! already awake, Colas?"--"Yes, Sire; I have not forgotten that

valets should be on foot when the masters are awake."--"You have a good

memory, Colas; an excellent thing."

All this was very well, and the day began for M. Colas under most

favorable auspices; but in the evening the medal of the morning was

obliged to show the opposite side. The Emperor went that morning to

visit the works on the canal of the Ourcq. He was apparently much

dissatisfied; for he returned to the palace in such evident illhumor,

that M. Colas, perceiving it, let these words escape his lips, "Il y a de

l'oignon." Although he spoke in a low tone, the Emperor heard him, and

turning abruptly to him, repeated angrily, "Yes, Monsieur, you are not

mistaken; il y a de l'oignon." He then rapidly remounted the staircase,

while the concierge, fearing he had said too much, approached the grand

marshal, begging him to excuse him to his Majesty; but he never had an

idea of punishing him for the liberty he had taken, and the expression

which had escaped his lips one would hardly expect to find in the

imperial vocabulary.

The coming of the Pope to Paris for the purpose of crowning the Emperor

is one of those events which suffice to mark the grandeur of a period.

The Emperor never spoke of it except with extreme satisfaction, and he

wished his Holiness to be received with all the magnificence which should

attend the founder of a great empire. With this intention his Majesty

gave orders that, without any comment, everything should be furnished not

only that the Pope, but also all that the persons of his suite, might

demand. Alas! it was not by his own personal expenses that the Holy

Father assisted to deplete the imperial treasury

Pius VII. drank only water, and his sobriety was truly apostolic; but

this was not the case with the abbes attached to his service, for these

gentlemen each day required five bottles of Chambertin wine, without

counting those of other kinds and most expensive liquors.

This recalls another occurrence, which, however, relates only indirectly

to the Pope's stay in Paris. It is known that David was ordered by the

Emperor to execute the picture of the coronation, a work which offered an

incredible number of almost insurmountable difficulties, and which was,

in fact, one of the masterpieces of the great painter.

At all events, the preparation of this picture gave rise to controversies

in which the Emperor was compelled to interfere; and the case was

serious, as we shall see, since a Cardinal's wig was in question. David

persisted in not painting the head of Cardinal Caprara with a wig; and on

his part the Cardinal was not willing to allow him to paint his head

without the wig. Some took sides with the painter, some with the model;

and though the affair was treated with much diplomacy, no concession

could be obtained from either of the contracting parties, until at last

the Emperor took the part of his first painter against the Cardinal's

wig. This recalls the story of the artless man who would not allow his

head to be painted bare because he took cold so easily, and his picture

would be hung in a room without a fire.

When M. de Bourrienne left the Emperor, as is well known, he was replaced

by M. de Meneval, who had been formerly in the service of Prince Joseph.

The Emperor became more and more attached to his new private secretary in

proportion as he came to know him better. By degrees the work of the

cabinet, in which was transacted the greater part of the most important

business, became so considerable that it was impossible for one man alone

to perform it; and from the year 1805 two young men, proteges of M.

Maret, secretary of state, were admitted to the honor of working in the

Emperor's cabinet; and though initiated by the nature of their duties

into the most important state secrets, there was never the slightest

reason to suspect their perfect discretion. They were, besides, very

diligent, and endowed with much talent, so that his Majesty formed an

excellent opinion of them. Their position was most enviable. Lodged in

the palace, and consequently supplied with fuel and lights, they were

also fed, and received each a salary of eight thousand francs. It might

well have been thought that this sum would be sufficient for these

gentlemen to live most comfortably; but this was not the case. For if

they were assiduous during the hours of labor, they were not less so

during those devoted to pleasure; whence it arose that the second quarter

had hardly passed before the whole year's salary was spent, part of it in

gambling, and the rest among low companions.

Among the two secretaries added to the Emperor's service, there was one

especially who had contracted so many debts, and whose creditors were so

pitiless, that, had there been no other reason, he would infallibly have

been dismissed from the private cabinet if the report of this had reached

his Majesty's ears.

After passing an entire night reflecting on his embarrassing position,

searching his imagination to secure some means of obtaining the sum

necessary to satisfy those creditors who were most importunate, the new

spendthrift sought distraction in work, and went to his desk at five

o'clock in the morning in order to drive away his painful thoughts; not

thinking that at this hour any one would hear him, and while working

began to whistle La Linotte with all his might. Now, this morning, as

often before, the Emperor had already been working a whole hour in his

cabinet, and had just gone out as the young man entered, and, hearing

this whistling, immediately returned.

"Already here, Monsieur," said his Majesty. "Zounds! Why, that is

remarkable! Maret should be well satisfied with you. What is your

salary?"--"Sire, I have eight thousand francs a year, and besides am

boarded and lodged in the palace."--"That is well, Monsieur, and you

ought to be very happy."

The young man, seeing that his Majesty was in a very good humor, thought

that fortune had sent him a favorable opportunity of being relieved of

his embarrassment, and resolved to inform the Emperor of his trying

situation. "Alas, Sire!" said he, "no doubt I ought to be happy, but I

am not."--"Why is that?"--"Sire, I must confess to your Majesty that I

have so many English to carry, and besides I have to support an old

father, two sisters, and a brother."--"You are only doing your duty.

But what do you mean by your English? Are you supporting them also?"--

"No, Sire; but it is they who have fed my pleasures, with the money they

have lent me, and all who have creditors now call them the English."--

"Stop! stop, Monsieur! What! you have creditors, and in spite of your

large salary you have made debts! That is enough, Monsieur. I do not

wish to have any longer near me a man who has recourse to the gold of the

English, when on what I give him he can live honorably. In an hour you

will receive your discharge."

The Emperor, having expressed himself as we have just heard, picked up

some papers from the desk, threw a severe glance at the young secretary,

and left him in such a state of despair that, when some one else

fortunately entered the cabinet, he was on the point of committing

suicide with a long paper-cutter he held in his hand. This person was

the aide-de-camp on duty, who brought him a letter from the Emperor,

couched in the following terms:

"Monsieur, you deserve to be dismissed from my service, but I have

thought of your family, and I pardon you on their account; and since

it is they who would suffer from your misconduct, I consequently

send you with my pardon ten thousand francs in bank-notes. Pay with

this sum all the English who torment you, and, above all, do not

again fall into their clutches; for in that case I shall abandon

you.

NAPOLEON."

An enormous "Vive l'Empereur!" sprang spontaneously to the lips of the

young man, who darted out like lightning to announce to his family this

new proof of imperial tyranny.

This was not the end, however; for his companion, having been informed of

what had taken place, and also desiring some bank-notes to pacify his

English, redoubled his zeal and activity in work, and for several days in

succession repaired to the cabinet at four in the morning, and also

whistled La Linotte; but it was all in vain, the Emperor did not seem to

hear him.

Much was said at Paris and in the Court in ridicule of the ludicrous

sayings of the wife of Marshal Lefebvre, and a collection could be made

of her queer speeches, many of which are pure fabrications; but a volume

would also be necessary to record all the acts by which she manifested

her kindness of heart.

One day, at Malmaison (I think a short time after the Empire was

founded), the Empress Josephine had given explicit orders that no one

should be admitted. The Marechale Lefebvre presented herself; but the

usher, compelled by his orders, refused to allow her to enter. She

insisted, and he still refused. During this discussion, the Empress,

passing from one apartment to the other, was seen through a glass door

which separated this apartment from that in which the duchess then was.

The Empress, having also seen her, hastily advanced to meet her, and

insisted on her entering. Before passing in, Madame Lefebvre turned to

the usher, and said to him in a mocking tone, "Well, my good fellow, you

see I got in!" The poor usher blushed up to his ears, and withdrew in

confusion.

Marshal Lefebvre was not less good, less excellent, than his wife; and it

might well be said of them that high honors had made no change in their

manners. The good they both did could not be told. It might have been

said that this was their only pleasure, the only compensation for a great

domestic misfortune. They had only one son, who was one of the worst men

in the whole Empire. Each day there were complaints against him; the

Emperor himself frequently admonished him on account of the high esteem

he had for his brave father. But there resulted no improvement, and his

natural viciousness only manifested itself the more. He was killed in

some battle, I forget which; and as little worthy of regret as he was,

his death was a deep affliction to his excellent mother, although he even

forgot himself so far as to speak disrespectfully of her in his coarse

speeches. She usually made M. de Fontanes the confidant of her sorrows;

for the grand master of the university, notwithstanding his exquisite

politeness and his admirable literary style, was very intimately

associated with the household of Marshal Lefebvre.

In this connection I recall an anecdote which proves better than anything

that could be said the kindness and perfect simplicity of the marshal.

One day it was announced to him that some one whose name was not given

wished to speak to him. The marshal left his cabinet, and recognized his

old captain in the French Guards, in which, as we have said, the marshal

had been a sergeant. The marshal begged permission to embrace him,

offered his services, his purse, his house; treated him almost exactly as

if he had been under his orders. The old captain was an emigre, and had

returned undecided what he would do. Through the efforts of the marshal

his name was promptly struck out of the list of emigres; but he did not

wish to re-enter the army, and yet was in much need of a position.

Having supported himself during his emigration by giving lessons in

French and Latin, he expressed a desire to obtain a position in the

university. "Well, my colonel," said the marshal with his German accent,

"I will take you at once to my friend M. de Fontanes." The marshal's

carriage is soon at the door, and the respectful protector and his

protege enter the apartments of the grand master of the university.

M. de Fontanes hastens to meet the marshal, who, I have been informed,

made his presentation speech in this style:

"My dear friend, I present to you the Marquis of ----.

"He was my former captain, my good captain. He would like to obtain a

place in the university. Ah! he is not a man of nothing, a man of the

Revolution like you and me. He is my old captain, the Marquis of ---- ."

Finally the marshal closed by saying, "Ah, the good, excellent man! I

shall never forget that when I went for orders to my good captain, he

never failed to say: 'Lefebvre, my child, pass on to the kitchen; go and

get something to eat.' Ah, my good, my excellent captain!"

All the members of the imperial family had a great fondness for music,

and especially the Italian; but they were not musicians, and most of them

sang as badly as his Majesty himself, with the exception of the Princess

Pauline, who had profited by the lessons of Blangini, and sang tolerably

well. In respect of his voice, Prince Eugene showed himself worthy to be

the adopted son of the Emperor; for, though he was a musician and sang

with fervor, it was not in such a manner as to satisfy his auditors.

In compensation, however, Prince Eugene's voice was magnificent for

commanding military evolutions, an advantage which Count Lobau and

General Dorsenne also possessed; and it was consequently always one of

these whom his Majesty appointed to command under his orders on great

reviews.

Notwithstanding the severe etiquette of the Emperor's court, there were

always a few privileged persons who had the right to enter his apartment,

even when he was in bed, though the number was small. They consisted of

the following persons:--

M. de Talleyrand, vice grand elector; de Montesquiou, grand chamberlain;

de Remusat, first chamberlain; Maret, Corvisart, Denon, Murat, Yvan;

Duroc, grand marshal; and de Caulaincourt, grand equerry.

For a long time all these personages came to the Emperor's apartment

almost every morning, and their visits were the origin of what was

afterwards called 'le petit lever'. M. de Lavalette also came

frequently, and also M. Real and Messieurs Fouche and Savary while each

of them was minister of police.

The princes of the imperial family also enjoyed the right to enter the

Emperor's apartment in the morning. I often saw the Emperor's mother.

The Emperor kissed her hand with much respect and tenderness, but I have

many times heard him reproach her for her excessive economy. Madame Mere

listened, and then gave as excuse for not changing her style of living

reasons which often vexed his Majesty, but which events have

unfortunately justified.

Madame Mere had been a great beauty, and was still very pretty,

especially when I saw her for the first time. It was impossible to find

a better mother; devoted to her children; she lavished on them the sagest

counsels, and always intervened in family quarrels to sustain those whom

she thought in the right; for a long time she took Lucien's part, and I

have often heard her warmly defend Jerome when the First Consul was most

severe towards his young brother. The only fault in Madame Mere's

character was her excessive economy, and on this point astonishing things

could be said without fear of exaggeration, but she was beloved by every

one in the palace for her kindness and affability.

I recall in reference to Madame Mere an incident which greatly amused the

Empress Josephine. Madame was spending several days at Malmaison, when

one day one of her ladies, whom she had caused to be sent for, found, on

entering the room, to her great astonishment, Cardinal Fesch discharging

the duty of a lady's maid by lacing up his sister, who had on only her

underclothing and her corset.

One of the subjects on which the Emperor would listen to no raillery was

that of custom-house duties, and towards all contraband proceeding he

showed inflexible severity; and this reached such a point, that one day

M. Soiris, director of the custom-house at Verceil, having seized a

package of sixty cashmere shawls, sent from Constantinople to the

Empress, the Emperor approved his action, and the cashmeres were sold for

the benefit of the state. In such cases the Emperor always said, "How

can a sovereign have the laws respected if he does not respect them

himself?" I recall another occasion, and I think the only instance in

which he permitted an infraction of the custom-house regulations; but we

shall see the question was not that of ordinary smuggling.

The grenadiers of the Old Guard, under the orders of General Soules,

returned to France after the peace of Tilsit. On their arrival at

Mayence, the custom-house officers endeavored to perform their duty, and

consequently inspected the chests of the Guard and those of the general.

Meanwhile, the director of the custom-house, in doubt what proceedings to

take, sought the general to inform him of the necessity he was under of

executing the laws, and of carrying out the direct orders of the Emperor.

The general's reply to this courteous overture was plain and energetic:

"If a single officer dares to place his hand on the boxes of my old

mustaches, I'll throw him into the Rhine!" The officer insisted. The

custom-house employees were quite numerous, and were preparing to proceed

with the inspection, when General Soules had the boxes put in the middle

of the square, and a regiment detailed to guard them. The director of

the custom-house, not daring to proceed further, sent to the

director-general a report to be submitted to the Emperor. Under any

other circumstances the case would have been serious; but the Emperor

had just returned to Paris, where he had been welcomed more heartily

than ever before by the acclamations of the people on the occasion of

the fetes celebrated in honor of peace, and this old Guard was returning

home resplendent with glory, and after most admirable behavior at Eylau.

All these things combined to quell the Emperor's anger; and having

decided not to punish, he wished to reward them, and not to take

seriously their infraction of his custom-house regulations. General

Soules, on reaching Paris, presented himself before the Emperor, who

received him cordially, and, after some remarks relative to the Guard,

added: "By the by, what is this you have been doing? I heard of you.

What! you really threatened to throw my custom-house officers into the

Rhine! Would you have done it?"--"Yes, Sire," replied the general, with

his German accent, "yes; I would have done it. It was an insult to my

old grenadiers to attempt to inspect their boxes."--"Come, now," said

the Emperor very affably, "I see just how it is. You have been

smuggling."--"I, Sire?"--"Yes, I say. You have been smuggling. You

bought linen in Hanover. You wanted to furnish your house handsomely,

as you imagined I would appoint you senator. You were not mistaken. Go

and have your senator's coat made, but do not repeat this performance,

for next time I will have you shot."