THE FOURTH 
 NAPOLEON 
 
 CHARLES BENHAM
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES

 
 The Fourth Napoleon
 
 The Fourth Napoleon 
 
 A Romance 
 
 by 
 
 Charles Benham 
 
 HERBERT S. STONE fcf CO. 
 CHICAGO fc? NEW YORK 
 
 1897
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1897, BY 
 HERBERT S. STONE & CO.
 
 
 Book I 
 
 TOUS LES BONAPARTES ETAIENT 
 MORTS ... EH BIEN, J'AI RAL- 
 TACHE LE FIL"
 
 The Fourth Napoleon 
 
 Chapter I 
 
 The first day of June, 189-, Walter Sadler awoke 
 unref reshed ; the sun came streaming through his bedroom 
 window and summoned him from Pimlico, and misery. 
 
 He was bitterly unhappy. A barrister of six years' 
 standing, and still briefless; his body and soul kept 
 together by a paltry annual dividend, which clothed him 
 so that he was always shabby, fed him often insufficiently, 
 and enabled him to idle out existence between his dingy 
 rooms in Lupus Street and the Temple. 
 
 The first two years after his call had gone smoothly 
 enough. His guardian still lived. He never wanted for 
 money, and the house at Harrow, set in the midst of 
 charming grounds, and filled with beautiful things, gilded 
 what he chose to regard as his period of probation. He 
 felt no desire to forego his contribution to that far-seen 
 mound of patience which great men share in common as 
 their noblest monument. He laboured diligently at law. 
 He attended the courts daily; and if the sight of emi- 
 nent leaders caused him pain, it was, after all, but a 
 momentary pang. Had not they also endured like years 
 of desolate pupilage? 
 
 The third year, all this changed. His guardian died. 
 Our hero was prepared: the event had occupied its place 
 in his horizon. He moved from Harrow to Lupus Street, 
 from affluence to penury, with courage unshaken. His 
 aspirations buoyed him. He rose earlier, ate less, worked 
 harder. " He that now goeth forth weeping," this was 
 his song night and morning; though his view regarding 
 the nature of the "sheaves" to be brought back con-
 
 2 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 tmued somewhat vague. His training, gained from 
 books that dealt with Cicero and Demosthenes, and 
 among young men perpetually thinking about Canning, 
 inclined him towards a political career. School speech- 
 days and debating societies, and afterwards the Union, 
 had fostered an aptitude for declamation and flowing 
 utterance, transmitted to him he knew not whence, see- 
 ing that, even if these gifts are merely contagious, his 
 guardian had had none of them, while he was in total 
 ignorance about his parents. But whither these talents 
 led, this he knew well enough. From thirteen onward 
 the Premiership had been ever in his dreams. All those 
 that had spoken with silver tongues and now were silent 
 he counted kith and kin. The living he merely envied. 
 And this jealousy not an uncommon trait in ambitious 
 youth lost none of its keenness from the fact that the 
 political stage at the time held none for whom jealousy 
 was warranted. A long line of statesmen had just 
 ended. Oratory languished. Power, with its fascinat- 
 ing paraphernalia, was in the hands of lesser men ; and 
 halls which had echoed eloquence now served to scatter 
 the sound of words, apt and copious enough, but devoid 
 of either passion or profundity. 
 
 Nevertheless it is hard to labour without return. 
 Four years slipped away into five, into six, and he came 
 not a single guinea nearer the House of Commons. 
 Hope faded, imperceptibly, like the coming of night, and 
 with the same remorselessness. His efforts relaxed. 
 He rose late to dawdling breakfasts; left his chambers at 
 three of an afternoon, to wander aimlessly about the 
 streets. His powers of application became dissipated 
 from long disuse. Indeed, for many months prior to the 
 commencement of this story, he had been unable to 
 devote ten consecutive minutes to any given object. 
 
 He turned over to escape the sunlight, and thought 
 bitterly on the coming day. Beyond doubt, it would 
 prove a replica of hundreds already gone. Aimless and 
 heavy-hearted amid the busy morning, he would loiter 
 down to his chambers, and sink into a chair before that 
 hateful, dust-coated blotter which invariably greeted the 
 first eager glance at his table. Next, to the courts; and
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 3 
 
 there he would find himself among others of his kind: 
 men over whose faces he had watched disappointment 
 stealing as the years went by; disappointment moving 
 from the forehead downwards, to glaze the eyes; and 
 animalism, disappointment's companion, creeping up- 
 wards over chin and mouth, and puckering the upper lip 
 and nostrils, so that the two commingled into masks 
 that haunted him. The Inn library held out a prospect 
 that was hardly more alluring. The whole Temple 
 teemed with brethren in adversity: aimless loungers 
 long since forgotten of hope; briefless, busy bodies 
 fluttering between their chambers and the pillar-box 
 beside the library, with all the appearance of cases wait- 
 ing in both Courts of Appeal, or who wandered hither 
 and thither in the throes of compilation, everlastingly 
 whispering, a habit engrafted, no doubt, by the con- 
 stant pilfering from other men's books for the benefit 
 of books of their own. And this melancholy throng was 
 knit together by a bond of smouldering antagonism, 
 which represented the fear felt by each that all the 
 others would distance him in the race for fortune, a 
 sensation which is among the last of expiring ambition. 
 
 Was it really written that he should become like one 
 of these? A member by merit of that miserable band of 
 wasted lives? The thought was too horrible. He 
 groaned aloud, then buried his face in the pillow, trying 
 to shut out all remembrance. 
 
 Thus he lay close upon an hour, saturated with woe. 
 And thus, no doubt, he would have lain until lunch-time, 
 were it possible to lie long abed in furnished lodgings. 
 His landlady, a fat, amiable woman with a sting, kept 
 ceaselessly knocking. Once, she went so far as to insert 
 a dishevelled head to inquire after his health. She indi- 
 cated gently that it was a beautiful day; that the aris- 
 tocracy, including her husband and the coal merchant 
 round the corner, were gone to Epsom. At last she 
 drove him into his meagre breakfast. But that com- 
 pleted, and the time come to start for his labour, he 
 could not move. He lacked courage to go through the 
 day as he had mapped it. He felt too despondent. He 
 would pass the remainder of the week in idleness. Per-
 
 4 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 haps, by frequent communion with his aspirations, and 
 some blank hours of holiday, he might re-awaken energy 
 to start again. 
 
 The day wore on. Walter stuck obstinately to his 
 arm-chair and listless attitude, neither thinking, nor 
 reading, nor sleeping a picture of vacant despair. 
 When at last he did find himself out of doors, it was 
 without idea how he should spend the hours that must 
 elapse before repairing to his usual eating-house. 
 
 He turned into Piccadilly, where he could see the 
 wealth and luxury which he might not enjoy. For, as 
 happened not infrequently, the sensuous side of him was 
 in the ascendant. He wanted beautiful houses, with 
 lofty rooms full of the most costly furniture; halls 
 heavy with Eastern trophies which he himself had gar- 
 nered; libraries lined to the ceiling with books; drawing- 
 rooms decked in the style of France. France, too, 
 should hold one of his palaces. A house in Paris; 
 a villa at Cannes, nestling among palms and oranges; 
 a modernized castle of the middle ages, washed by the 
 grey sea, upon the Breton coast; a snow-white chateau 
 amid the beauties of the Vosges. These made the para- 
 dise much desired of his bursting heart. The whole 
 country, in truth, though his visits had been few and far 
 between, possessed for him a curious fascination. He 
 spoke the language with unusual excellence, an accom- 
 plishment which, he always understood, he owed to 
 French governesses and a lengthy sojourn at a tender 
 age in Paris. 
 
 Housed, his thoughts moved to other luxuries. He 
 wanted carriages to vie with the most brilliant passing 
 before him. He wanted elegant clothes; and he stole 
 a glance at his frayed cuffs and shapeless garments. 
 He wanted dainty things to eat, rich wines, and rare 
 liqueurs. He pictured himself sipping green chartreuse 
 among the oranges, lazily watching St. Honorat filmed 
 behind the blue wreaths from his cigarette. How can 
 one sip green chartreuse in Pimlico! Thus he came to 
 the things which, save for homes in France, he desired 
 most of all. Travel to see India; to catch across the 
 port bow the first glimpse of land, rigid amidst the
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 5 
 
 moving waters, black against the dawning sky; and to 
 find that this cold strip opened itself into a world rich 
 with sunshine and gorgeous unfamiliar life. To glide 
 upon his yacht through Norwegian fiords, breathing the 
 twilight air among a shifting panorama of fir-clad hills, 
 seeming to encircle him on every side and to leave no 
 outlet to another of the land-locked waters into which 
 the sea has fretted that iron cost. 
 
 Imperceptibly these desires glided into dreams. His 
 step quickened; he lifted his head once more. Poor 
 fellow! he was drawing upon those floating millions which 
 lie open for all men to dip into at their pleasure. 
 
 An old schoolfellow stumbled up against him, and 
 rudely checked his triumphant progress. Walter tried 
 to escape with a hurried greeting, but the other full 
 three years his junior, and still boyishly bashful clung 
 to him from very shyness. His own attire told of a 
 limitless purse; and each minute, as the fuller compre- 
 hension of Walter's misery forced itself upon him, he 
 grew more uncomfortable. He mumbled out random 
 facts about himself in an apologetic tone, saying that 
 he was in his father's business, and meant to spend 
 August at Aix. Then he dashed into those consolatory 
 commonplaces used so frequently by the friends of 
 learned juniors, and thus passed on. 
 
 Walter had never tasted more bitter humiliation. At 
 school, as in the world, a man's character leaks out 
 without any conscious effort on his part. Not a boy in 
 Sadler's house but knew that " Frenchy " a nickname 
 stigmatizing his proficiency in the Gallic tongue, his 
 black hair, and sallow face had made up his mind to 
 do great things. Behold "Frenchy" on the road to 
 glory! 
 
 Outside Devonshire House he came across another 
 acquaintance, a barrister like himself, a man of fifty and 
 upwards, who for years had eked out a scanty livelihood 
 from law-reporting. Walter welcomed the meeting; for 
 the elder man evidently liked him, and long ago had 
 read his sorrowful face. Often upon the back benches, 
 with a case of no public interest pursuing its dreary 
 course, he would regale the latter with stories of men
 
 6 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 who, having waited many years, had at last succeeded, 
 " contemporaries of my own, my dear fellow, I do 
 assure you." To-day he laid a kindly hand upon the 
 young man's shoulder, and gazed down into his face 
 with eyes which, if they had lost the light of hope, still 
 retained some glow of sympathy. He remarked his 
 weariness, and cheered him with prospect of the long 
 vacation, averring that rest was what he needed. Then, 
 when Walter shook his head, the kind fellow whispered 
 that he knew his complaint, which, moreover, was a 
 curable one. The chance would come, he murmured, 
 all in its own good time. When it did come and he 
 could not have said anything more consoling Walter 
 might not find himself so capable as he had imagined. 
 He would be competent. That went without saying. 
 But but it was a well-known fact that men, when 
 they were waiting, contracted a disease which, for want 
 of better designation, one might term the "genius of 
 the untried." 
 
 Walter at parting thanked him with a grasp of genu- 
 ine affection. Were not his words the absolute truth? 
 Chance offers to all men, at some time or another, only 
 let them know when and how to seize it. He, the brief- 
 less barrister, would wrest a competence from law, and 
 force his way into the House of Commons. Then the 
 world should see well, what it should see. 
 
 Meanwhile he began to feel hungry. In crossing King 
 Street, a fancy seized him. He come to a dead stop 
 opposite Jervis's, and surveyed it with clouded brow. Its 
 sparkling plate glass, panelled with white lace, gave it an 
 air of subdued richness, which he found exceedingly 
 enticing. What a contrast to the tawdry Italian meat- 
 house where he usually dined. Walter was still busy 
 with the words let drop by his kindly mentor. His chance 
 would come, sure enough; only he must be ready to take 
 it. His present life was the commencement of submer- 
 sion. He must go about more; spend larger sums on 
 food and clothes and as a preliminary he began to 
 search his pockets. His purse contained money that usu- 
 ally sufficed for seven dinners; dare he fling it away on 
 one? But the impulse was too strong. He looked down
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 7 
 
 at his clothes; all said and done, many a Cabinet minis- 
 ter wore worse. Without more ado he pushed through 
 the swinging doors, and made his way upstairs into one 
 of the first-floor dining-rooms. 
 
 The apartment was almost empty. A couple of wait- 
 ers near the door received him without overwhelming 
 graciousness, and consigned him to an underling who was 
 youthful and communicative. No less than three com- 
 plimentary banquets Sadler gathered from his inform- 
 ant were to take place in the restaurant that night. 
 The Prime Minister himself was to be at one of them. 
 That gentleman in the farther corner was Mr. William 
 Grover, the manager. He always came. Walter looked 
 without interest at this man who kept two halls and 
 three theatres going incessantly from year's end to 
 year's end. The face was as miserable as his own. Then 
 his eyes travelled to an opposite corner, where sat Sir 
 Robert Redburne, a judge of the Queen's Bench, solacing 
 himself for a day spent at the Old Bailey. His lordship's 
 red face glistened. He held his claret against the light, 
 as though invoking a benediction from heaven. And he 
 was still in this interesting attitude, when a lady and gen- 
 tleman, both in evening dress, stopped before his table. 
 Walter could tell them at a glance. Mr. Blake, the cele- 
 brated painter, and husband of a still more celebrated 
 wife : Mrs. Blake's novels were biennial and epoch-making. 
 Our hero, watching this illustrious couple bend with easy 
 familiarity over the judge's table, thought them the most 
 fortunate people in the world. He only saw their backs. 
 Otherwise he might possibly have noticed that Sir Robert 
 received them with a smile of only modified pleasure, 
 compared with that lately bestowed upon his wine; while 
 the female Blake kept him under an unimpassioned stare, 
 which said quite plainly, " I am taking your likeness, you 
 shameless old wine-bibber, for future use. " The season, 
 the waiter resumed as a pendant to Monsieur's soup, had 
 been good so far: people came in parties before the opera. 
 That table yonder with the silver fountain and the flowers 
 was reserved for the Earl of Framlingham, the late am- 
 bassador in Paris. They did say that M. Carache, the 
 French Foreign Minister, and Mervan, the great tenor,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 were both to be present. Did Monsieur know the Earl? 
 Was he not to receive the vacant viceroyship of India? 
 Monsieur must have heard Mervan? He was singing in 
 Lohengrin that evening. What he ate would n't interfere 
 with his voice; for he ate nothing, if one might judge 
 from previous occasions. 
 
 The door opened. Both waiters fell into postures of 
 humility. The Earl of Framlingham, late ambassador 
 at Paris and according to the papers viceroy-designate 
 of India, stepped into the room. Walter recognized him 
 from his photographs. His great height, his heavy 
 mouth, only half concealed by a beard; his faded, tired 
 eyes, set beneath a well-formed forehead, in its turn sur- 
 mounted by scanty hair, brown and but sparsely tinged 
 with grey, completed a figure which was not readily for- 
 gotten. 
 
 Mervan was there, and Carache, whom our hero sin- 
 gled out without a moment's hesitation. What misery! 
 foreigners admitted into exalted circles, closed against 
 himself. Lady Framlingham, too, the daughter (as every 
 one knew) of a high-born French nobleman, an intimate 
 of the late Emperor. The Countess was short, but of an 
 exceedingly distinguished presence; dark, with regular 
 features, and a white skin that glistened even more than 
 her numerous diamonds. There was no mistaking the 
 young man who followed. Walter could have told him 
 for her son, had he not known as much. Lord Mendril 
 and he had been passing acquaintances at Oxford. He 
 lifted himself in readiness to bow. But the young noble- 
 man had lost all memory of the other's existence; favour- 
 ing him with a bland stare. Sadler flushed crimson. His 
 accursed condition! He wished to God he had never 
 been born that he might die that that he scarcely 
 knew what he did wish, utter obliteration in whatever 
 shape or form. The next instant he had forgotten the 
 cut direct, Lady Framlingham's distinguished air and 
 diamonds, or the cosmopolitan character of her hus- 
 band's visiting-list. His restless eyes lit upon a face that 
 kept them henceforth rivetted. His brain, seething with 
 misery and discontent, grew conscious of a presence 
 which swelled his discontent a thousand-fold, making it
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 9 
 
 almost contentment; increased his misery until it became 
 the essence of delight. 
 
 She was a girl scarcely out of her teens, slim of figure. 
 Her likeness to Lord Framlingham was marked enough 
 to declare the relationship. She had his lofty forehead, 
 and promised to be much above the middle height. But 
 in many things she resembled neither father nor mother. 
 Her oval face, ivory-tinted, and without colour; her wide 
 grey eyes; her chiselled mouth and chin, beautiful yet 
 full of resolution; her delicate nose, turned upwards the 
 least bit, these were features absolutely her own ; as also 
 the wealth of bronze-coloured hair, crowning her head, 
 and, in Walter's eyes, completing her matchless charm. 
 She was seated between Mervan and an unknown young 
 gentleman who, as our hero discovered before long, was 
 a Russian named Nicholas Fersen, an attache at the 
 embassy in Paris. He soon grew to detest these neigh- 
 bours of hers. The respectful attention wherewith she 
 treated the great, if somewhat elderly, singer galled him. 
 As for Count Fersen, Walter hated htm, because his treat- 
 ment was the opposite of Mervan's. The girl appeared 
 to hold this Russian of no account, though he never 
 removed his eyes from her face, watching her with almost 
 doglike fidelity, languishing under her monosyllables, 
 brightening when she smiled, and torn between pleasure 
 and pain when she laughed outright. 
 
 Occupied as he was, the young barrister felt that he 
 in his turn was being keenly scrutinized, and by no less 
 a person than the great Carache. He reddened and 
 fidgetted under the minister's survey; and, at length, 
 able to endure it no longer, looked round so that their 
 eyes met. Even then the minister did not desist, quite 
 unmoved by the glances of defiance which Walter in- 
 dulged in. A perplexed look deepened over his own 
 crafty visage. Finally he turned with a shrug to Lady 
 Framlingham. "The gentleman," said he in French, 
 " looks depressed. I could have pledged my life I knew 
 him. It must be his face: he is a veritable little Plon- 
 Plon." The resemblance, noted by friends and 
 strangers alike on many a previous occasion, had long 
 ceased to cause Sadler pleasure. To-night it gave him
 
 io THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the most acute annoyance. He once more sought 
 Muriel's face, and the consolation that lay in its pure 
 outlines. He trembled at the thought that presently he 
 must go out into the night and lose all but its most 
 imperfect memory. Certainly she would be at the 
 opera, and he meant to follow her thither; but how 
 could he count on finding the Framlingham box? No, 
 he would never see her again. For once, however, 
 Fortune favoured. At the opera, the boxes within the 
 line of vision from his nook at the stage end of one of 
 the "slips" were filling rapidly. He scanned their 
 occupants; determined, if need be, to struggle to the 
 parallel extremity of the opposite gallery, and commence 
 his search afresh. Keeping this comfort in reserve, he 
 made his scrutiny with a brave heart, hardly expecting 
 immediate success. He obtained it, perhaps for that 
 very reason. One, two, three boxes in each case a 
 blank. The fourth full of Japanese; an insult to this 
 Englishman perched above the dust that lies thick along 
 the roof of the topmost tier. Then the unhappy islander 
 turned to a fifth. It was in the grand circle, only three 
 off royalty. An attendant was placing the chairs. 
 Walter searched its recesses, and straightway found 
 not without a start what he sought so eagerly, the 
 gleam of Lady Framlingham's diamonds. 
 
 Lady Muriel Mendril entered next behind her mother. 
 She looked tired already. The overture began that 
 minute. Thenceforward Walter's eyes lost sight of all 
 things but the loved face. Sight and sound, combining, 
 lapped him in dreams. Some were sorrowful. The 
 Swan Song seemed his dirge. Nothing was left him, he 
 reflected, as Mervan dragged his senses through this 
 sinuous melody which breathes the woe of all the world, 
 except despair and an heroic death. Others were vis- 
 ions full of joy. Never before had those figments of his 
 brain been so minute in detail. He revelled in them. 
 It was an orgy of preconceived fulfilments: a rebound 
 against the drudgery of endeavour: the Longing for 
 Fame translated into that, of all varieties of action the 
 least exersive and the most satisfactory. 
 
 First he ascended the woolsack. Learned leaders,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON n 
 
 whom in real life he knew by sight, and envied, pros- 
 trated themselves at the bar of their Lordships' House 
 to imbibe his wisdom. None of the little mannerisms 
 that mark great judges should be were absent, from 
 the patient look of suffering directed to the remarks of 
 some other noble and learned lord, to those ejaculations 
 redolent of acuteness, which look easy enough, and cer- 
 tainly are most effective. Mervan pricked the bubble; 
 and so the second dream was an unconscious piece of 
 flattery. He, too, was a great singer ; Lohengrin his part. 
 He could feel Muriel watching him, as she had watched 
 Mervan; while he, like Mervan, lost himself in his role; 
 the nameless, blameless knight who at times has given 
 his sword and ring to others beside Elsa. 
 
 It must be remembered, his visions represented pic- 
 tures, conceived originally under conducive circum- 
 stances at varying times and places, and now summoned 
 afresh by a consuming hunger that turned everywhere 
 for food. At one period of his life, say ten years back, 
 and for about five months, Von Moltke had intruded 
 upon Pitt and Fox and Bright, and made a serious strug- 
 gle for the mastery. The attempt failed: war as a path 
 to glory, no less than the church, surgery, the stage, 
 fell before politics. To-night, however, the dreams of 
 martial prowess came home with the rest. Walter trans- 
 ported himself to the French service and the Eastern 
 frontier one can't fight modern battles in England; 
 Sedgemoor and blunderbusses forbid. With equal ease, 
 he took a marshal's baton and the chief command; and, 
 flinging himself into the midst of a terrible campaign, 
 proceeded to reconquer the annexed provinces. So far 
 afield among shadows will men go for admiration ; and 
 so devoid of humour are they, when they seek it. 
 
 The evening of an autumn day, and the close of the 
 great battle that shall terminate the war. Gaunt and 
 motionless, he sat upon his wearied charger, his face 
 as much like Moltke's as possible composed in impas- 
 sive folds. A heavy, grey overcoat enveloped him in 
 statuesque outlines, and completed the picture. At his 
 feet lay the roar of battle ; perhaps a wounded soldier 
 thrown in. He, silent as death, and hardly less power-
 
 12 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ful, directed events to their fulfilment, without so much 
 as a twitching of the lips. And so he came to the pic- 
 ture that pleased him more than all. The Bridal March 
 suggested it. Without the preliminary weariness of 
 political clubs, wire-pullers, or contested elections, he 
 passed to the front rank of English statesmen becom- 
 ing at one bound Prime Minister and the foremost ora- 
 tor of his time. The mists gathered, and cleared again. 
 Once more he was lifted on high, to be seen of all men. 
 Buckingham Palace and its balcony constitute a setting 
 worthy genius; and though a greater one than he was 
 present, this only increased his triumph. The courtyard 
 below was thronged with troops bound for the wars, and 
 come to take leave of their sovereign. The Mall held 
 the populace in densely packed masses; and no soul 
 there, soldier, civilian, not Majesty itself, but knew the 
 master mind at whose bidding all this was. Again the 
 mists gathered, bringing the last scene. Within the 
 sacred portals! benches and galleries crowded. He 
 was in the midst of some marvellous peroration, born 
 immortal. He did not miss a single detail from the 
 scene around him, not the piece of paper that, every 
 now and then, floated to the littered floor. He marked 
 the sea of eager faces, upturned to the sea of light above 
 and fixed on his; he heard the breathless stillness, 
 broken only by those tones which uttered soft persua- 
 sion, lulling his foes into acquiescence, binding all with 
 fetters of gold. Muriel was present, fascinated with the 
 rest; and this brought him to the contemplation of his 
 great reward. They were married, and passing through 
 life in sweet companionship: she, his constant consoler, 
 giving him what comfort lies in gentle looks, gentle 
 words, and unlimited admiration, while he repaid her 
 with the protection of his strong arm, governing children 
 and household with the benignant firmness he employed 
 in governing his country. How easy the role of model 
 husband and parent! The opinion of others being among 
 the chief stimulants a man has to virtue; extend the 
 circle of those who think about him, and you augment 
 the incentive. If we behave ourselves because we spend 
 our days amid a narrow surrounding of sisters and cous-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 13 
 
 ins, we shall assuredly be saints, when the time comes 
 that we have the world our audience. Walter knew that 
 his private life would be pure and unselfish and high- 
 minded, provided only he achieved his great desires. 
 
 Oh, the joy of these wild dreams! How could he 
 tell that they were the last of their race, wanderers re- 
 turned home to die? He regarded them very differently. 
 The torch had flickered and almost expired; but now it 
 was burning as brightly as before. To be worthy of 
 Muriel, of his great future, he must possess his soul in 
 patience, ready for the dawn. 
 
 And then the music ceased, and coldness came over 
 him. He turned to reach his hat, and, looking aga*in, 
 found Muriel gone. Except for Carache, the box was 
 empty; the girl and her mother might have been dreams, 
 so quickly had they vanished away. 
 
 What should he go home for? To sleep? Sleep was 
 not for idlers; and a braver heart might well have 
 dreaded the prospect of vigil within those abominable 
 walls. His mood was again despair unutterable. He 
 turned listlessly into the slums round Covent Garden. 
 The "poor" are always to be seen; and Walter, watch- 
 ing the clusters that hung about the evil-smelling streets, 
 and lolled in doorways, thought bitterly of that larger 
 army of poorer men which is invisible, half-starved 
 clerks, struggling ushers and curates and doctors, un- 
 employed lawyers like himself, and the host of those 
 who have the wages of Seven Dials without its simpler 
 wants. And this train of brooding fancies continued 
 long after he had passed into the Strand and mingled 
 with the throng of roysterers whose whim it is to begin 
 where respectable people leave off. He envied them 
 too. Their cheeriness was obviously spontaneous. All 
 seemed friends. And if nine tenths were intoxicated, 
 they could not pay a heavier penalty for drunkenness 
 than he did for sobriety. They enjoyed life while life 
 lasted; basked in the brilliancy of gin-palaces; and went 
 to perdition in battalions. And he he slunk along the 
 shady side of the selfsame road without a single friend. 
 He longed for the companionship of the drunkard and
 
 14 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the harlot, so that he might sink at least with some one's 
 hands in his. And at that moment Some one's face 
 shone down from amid a radiance of another kind, and 
 led him forth into silence, beside the river. 
 
 He leant across the stone balustrade. Not a soul 
 was near him: how easy to slip down unseen into death 
 and sweet forgetfulness! And what about to-morrow in 
 the world he quitted? His body, swollen and repulsive, 
 rose before his eyes. He heard the comment of stran- 
 gers, caught by the sensational headline, "Suicide of a 
 Barrister," and greedy to learn the history of yet an- 
 other incompetent gone to his death because life was 
 more than he could manage. He pictured the talk of 
 his friends. " I say, old man, did you know that that 
 barrister who jumped off the Embankment, a month ago, 
 was ' Frenchy. ' Robertson met him in Piccadilly the 
 same afternoon: the poor chap was looking very seedy 
 and depressed. I say, what a finish to his fine ideas, ay! 
 Going down for the match? " 
 
 From the sanctuary of an empty bench he heard 
 twelve strike, and one, then sunk into a fitful doze. A 
 policeman turned the glare of a dark-lantern on him and 
 let him lie. Other tramps slunk by. He heeded noth- 
 ing, except Muriel and his own misfortunes. When he 
 dreamt, her face was everywhere, and once he started 
 into wakefulness, uttering her name. After that, he 
 could sleep no more. He glanced at his watch; it 
 showed close on three, and the dawn of another hateful 
 day. The sky eastward showed the same: in a final 
 burst of passion, he resolved never to face the light 
 again. He stumbled forward, as though to seek the 
 river, then sank back, overpowered by the old dreads. 
 "I am beaten," he murmured with a sob that might have 
 gone to heaven. "I could have done so well so well; 
 but it seems the chance will never come. I accept de- 
 feat. I submit." No need of further words; the thing 
 was finished. Long had he been hovering on the deso- 
 late confines. At last he was well inside. 
 
 He rose, chilled and weary. The sky was passing 
 into purple. The dawn had come to touch his poor soul
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 15 
 
 with crimson fingers. The crisp air fanned his brow, 
 and whispered hope. Birds awoke to sing the morning. 
 Market-carts lumbered past him, smelling of the country. 
 He almost heard the low murmur of the sea; the sea 
 which has neither dawn nor evening, but always the same 
 eternal freshness. It was the vigour of things born 
 anew; it mingled with his blood. How could he chant a 
 requiem in the midst of youth so universal? How be 
 sorrowful, when the whole world was glad? 
 
 He turned that he might watch the rising sun. The 
 railway bridge lay almost over his head, making the 
 foreground of the broken horizon, and giving him through 
 its trellised ironwork some taste of the copious light. 
 Presently it contributed life as well. An unattached 
 locomotive came forth from the covered way, and com- 
 menced to glide smoothly backwards and forwards, 
 without any apparent object beyond attracting the young 
 man's attention. It succeeded with a shriek of triumph, 
 and vanished across the water, in the direction of South- 
 wark. Walter started, struck by an idea which almost 
 took away his breath. The engine had disappeared along 
 the line towards Dover, before heaven! it was pointing 
 him to France. 
 
 To France ! What a fool not to have thought of this 
 before! If he must endure a life of poverty, let it be in 
 the city which he loved. That was all. No need for 
 further argument. The proposition burst upon him with 
 blinding force. He succumbed at once. Directly the 
 needful preparations were completed, he would leave 
 England, never to return. Nay, he would realize his 
 capital. The six thousand pounds, a legacy from some 
 unknown relative, his sole support hitherto, should buy 
 him one year of gorgeous life. He could not, of course, 
 achieve a tenth part of his extravagant fancies, but he 
 might do a good deal, and as it seemed to him at the 
 moment all that he wanted. And as he went swiftly 
 homeward, walking on air, he made his plans for the 
 coming twelve months. Dreams no longer; instead, 
 plain business calculations, and nothing included which 
 he could not pay for. 
 
 Alas! a point, up till now not thought of, presented
 
 16 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 itself as a bar to the adventure. The obstacle was a 
 certain Count de Morin, who resided in Paris and gave 
 himself over professedly to good works. Louis de Morin, 
 to recount briefly what Walter knew of him, was an 
 elderly French nobleman, formerly an under-chamberlain 
 at the court of Napoleon III. His father, Richard 
 Morin had been confidential valet to the great Emperor. 
 After '70 Louis betook himself, with his title and a hand- 
 some competency, to a small house in the Rue Fabert, 
 alongside the Invalides, where he had continued to live 
 for close on thirty years, ambling about town, always 
 unruffled and placidly benign. His friendship for Wal- 
 ter's dead guardian (as the former had understood) had 
 originated in Louis Napoleon's English investments. 
 He knew all that was to be known of Walter's circum- 
 stances, his unrenumerative calling, his poverty-stricken 
 life; and he never wrote but he bade him work and hope. 
 "Rome was not built in a day," the Count loved to 
 repeat. "You will be Chancellor yet, and have your 
 statue at Antibes. " It would be humiliation indeed to 
 come suddenly face to face with this keen old gentleman, 
 and have to confess that he had thrown away hope and 
 endeavour, and was buying a single year's enjoyment 
 with the price of his life. For a time his brain sought 
 other alternatives. Why not disappear into the unknown, 
 where one always prospers? India, for choice, the 
 labour-house of many happier friends. 
 
 No, no; it must be Paris. 
 
 So he reached his doorstep, and turned to take a last 
 vindictive look at Lupus Street. Somehow it seemed less 
 hateful. It meant the city which once he had loved 
 ardently enough in days when he had regarded it as the 
 scene of his anticipated triumphs. That was a time 
 indeed when he could not bear to leave it for an hour, 
 grudging as wasted every minute not spent within its 
 walls. 
 
 Yes, but his misery had banished all that. Remorse- 
 lessly cruel, the great city went upon its way, draining 
 the life-blood of those who came to serve it. He detested 
 its vanity; for he endued the city, as a whole, with the 
 characteristics of some of its inhabitants, who fancy that
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 17 
 
 the exclusive road to fame lies through the capital. He 
 would demonstrate how false this was. Others might 
 choose to wait with humble front for the smallest token 
 of relenting; not he! life elsewhere offered something 
 better. 
 
 He laughed nervously, and shook his fist at the houses 
 opposite. Lupus Street, so far as one could see on either 
 side, was empty. The spirit moved him. Voice and 
 hand uplifted, he broke into the well-known lines: 
 
 . . . thus I turn my back: 
 
 There is a world elsewhere; 
 then turned his back and disappeared indoors.
 
 Chapter II 
 
 The night journey to Paris, itself delightful, brought a 
 chance meeting worth more than all. At Calais the 
 train was nearly empty. Walter, on his return from the 
 buffet, found an intruder in the farther corner of his com- 
 partment, a young man who surveyed him with lazy 
 indifference. "Hullo, Sadler," this stranger drawled 
 out presently, "I have n't seen you forages." It was 
 Lord Mendril. 
 
 Walter's heart quickened. " Not since we were at 
 Oxford," he managed to reply. My lord, less diffident, 
 proceeded to put our hero through his paces, and dis- 
 covered that he was a gentleman of independent means, 
 who lived most of his time in Paris. And while he was 
 thus exercising the privilege of his class, Sadler searched 
 his face for some likeness to Muriel. He found a strik- 
 ing resemblance to Lady Framlingham. Like her, the 
 young fellow was dark and French-looking, with black 
 eyes and a fair complexion. The down on his lip could 
 not hide her weak mouth; there was the same droop 
 about the corners. And being thus engaged, the bar- 
 rister forgot to answer the other's queries, and they 
 went along in silence for a time in the dim-lit swaying 
 carriage, until Mendril grew tired of this scrutiny, and 
 broke forth into fresh questions mixed with views on life 
 generally. 
 
 He turned next to French politics; how Carache (who 
 was in the train) was going home to change places with 
 Ponte"coulant, the Premier. Then, in a month or less, 
 when the Assembly should have upset Carache, Ponte- 
 coulant would retake the lead, and Carache slip back 
 into his old office. This game of hot potatoes had been 
 going on for several years. " It remains now " 
 18
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 19 
 
 " The Orleanists? " hazarded Walter, bored to death. 
 
 " No leader. As for the Imperialists, that lost Bona- 
 parte paralyzes Victor." 
 
 "What lost Bonaparte?" moaned our hero, already 
 half asleep. 
 
 "You live in Paris and do not know that? Any child 
 can tell you that Victor is not the real head of the 
 family. A more direct article exists somewhere. But 
 where? that is the trouble: herding goats, perhaps, in 
 Corsica." Then Mendril resumed personalities. "Some- 
 how I had an idea, ' ' he said, ' 'that you were a barrister. ' ' 
 
 Sadler gave a sickly smile. " I fear nothing so hon- 
 ourable. I am a mere miserable rentier, a man whose 
 sole aim in life is to kill time." 
 
 " I presume you have some interests? " 
 
 " Really I do n't believe I have. I had, but that time 
 is past. No, I shall die what I was born, a wretched 
 rentier. I shall hover between London and Paris, with 
 occasional winters in Cannes, and a trip or two to India. 
 Whereas if I had, say, six thousand pounds between me 
 and the world, I might do something, become a success- 
 ful blanket-maker or leading Q.C. ; I might even get 
 into the House of Commons and serve on committees, 
 and feel at the end of life that it had not been altogether 
 wasted." 
 
 "I can sympathize with you," said Mendril genially. 
 "Your case is my own." 
 
 "You won't make me think that," Walter replied, 
 encouraged into an affectation of abruptness; "your 
 wings are not clipped like mine. To begin with,, you 
 need n't pine for yachts and moors " 
 
 "If a moor can make you happy," Mendril laughed, 
 "you must come one year to us in Scotland." 
 
 Sadler's face tingled. "I shall be delighted," he said. 
 "You know what I mean; I use 'yachts and moors' 
 merely as a concrete illustration of the power which a 
 fellow can't get from a beggarly fifteen hundred a year." 
 
 "I call fifteen hundred a year very good," murmured 
 Lord Mendril in tones of gentle reproach. Walter felt 
 tempted to say, "So do I." He shook his head gloomily : 
 "Not for a man who wants to ' live.' "
 
 20 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "No, perhaps not," acquiesced the other Walter. 
 If only our hero could have stopped there. "Now 
 your case is very different. You are not hemmed in. 
 Confess, you have a seat waiting for you. With you, an 
 under-secretaryship, once you are in, can only be a ques- 
 tion of a few years; you would would? w///soon be on 
 the Treasury bench. You have shown me how well in- 
 formed you are in French politics" Walter smiled win- 
 ningly at the face opposite. It was staring at him in 
 blank amazement "I make no doubt you are equally 
 well up in English. Own it, you are aiming at the Pre- 
 miership?" 
 
 That minute a station clattered by them. Lord Men- 
 dril peered out of the window, then muttered, "Creil "; 
 and there was a deal of significance in his voice. He 
 said no more. And arrived at their destination, he gath- 
 ered up his wraps so as to fill both hands, and with a 
 curt nod disappeared onto the platform. It was a dis- 
 appointing exit after such geniality. Walter felt it. Nor 
 was he roused from his chagrin by coming face to face 
 with Carache, who stared and seemed on the point of 
 speaking to him, but did not, passing on, instead, with 
 the greatest reluctance. What was Carache compared 
 to Muriel? Alas! it looked as though this first chance 
 had been frittered away. 
 
 Engrossed, however, in the delightful occupation of 
 constructing the new life, Sadler soon forgot about Lord 
 Mendril; and even Muriel faded into the background. 
 The year had begun. Many preparations had to be made 
 before he could sit down to its full enjoyment. 
 
 Our hero alighted at the Terminus Hotel, weary and 
 travel-stained, but full of eagerness. Before ten he was 
 on the b ulevards, busy with the foundations of his fairy 
 castle. There were things, of course, which could not, 
 by any stretch of ingenuity, be purchased until his flat 
 came into actual being. But what he could buy there 
 and then, he did. Oh, the ivory-handled brushes and 
 tortoise-shell combs! the razors and scents and soaps! 
 Boots and shoes, too, and every description of wearing- 
 apparel in a word, a veritable trousseau, mingled with
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 21 
 
 a dash of the conventional colonial outfit. In the mat- 
 ter of furniture, his purse ran riot, striving to incarnate 
 so many departed dreams. Wonderful chairs and inlaid 
 tables, dainty little sofas for nooks not yet created, 
 desks for alcoves which he might have to hew out of 
 solid wall. It was his mood he could not wait. Glass 
 and china involved less risk, while still exercising all his 
 talent. He selected a dessert service which the pro- 
 prietor declared was the most beautiful thing in the shop. 
 It was likewise the most expensive. The common crock- 
 ery, the brooms, the very mattresses, received attention. 
 But choosing wines gave fullest play to the bizarre ele- 
 ment in his nature; that whimsical leaning towards every 
 spot where he did n't happen to be at the moment. The 
 recommendation about his claret was not so much its 
 velvet taste and delicious odour, as the atmosphere 
 and labels of Rauzan-Gassies, Latour, and Lafite, which 
 it brought in its train. He literally went on tour through 
 the Haut Sauternes. Chateau Y'quem, Chambertin, Ru- 
 dersheimer, Asmannshausen, Capri, and Old East India 
 contributed to this curious taste. His cellar promised 
 to be mainly a matter of geography; and the bad habit 
 that obtains among bereaved champagne-growers of call- 
 ing their produce after their own names caused him genu- 
 ine annoyance. So also with tobacco, where the results 
 might have proved fatal. Walter was no smoker. Ham- 
 burg suggested something to him; La Intimidad: Ex- 
 celsos did not. He made a desperate fight to buy the 
 former, only giving in when the dealer smoked one for 
 his benefit. Books formed another item; statuary and 
 pictures; even a pair of antlers (in memory, perhaps, of 
 Lord Mendril's moor) ; in fact, a list of such marvellous 
 completeness as six years' brooding alone could have 
 produced. 
 
 He bought a couple of carriages; engaged the ser- 
 vants; and then at last had to stop just past noon, three 
 days after his arrival in Paris. At his hotel he found a 
 note from a house-agent. It enclosed orders to view 
 two flats. One was a treasure in the Rue de Berlin, be- 
 longing to M. Verre, the ex-Premier. The other was 
 also a gem, in the Rue du Bac; if anything, perhaps a
 
 22 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 little better situated. The present occupant, so wrote 
 the agent, waxing biographical in his desire to fix this 
 wealthy client, was a widow lady, Madame Brisson, 
 mother of the Colonel Brisson who commanded a regi- 
 ment of engineers. The outside view of the apartment 
 prepossessed Walter in its favour. He rang the bell, 
 feeling instinctively that he would know the sound better 
 by and by. 
 
 Madame gave him a gracious reception. As an answer 
 to his request that the servant might show him over and 
 then out, the lady smilingly beckoned him to a chair. 
 Her hair was snow-white, her face very, very pale ; though 
 this pallor was probably heightened by her black dress, 
 which, even when she was seated, showed her stately 
 figure to advantage. A touch of haughtiness, capable 
 of deepening considerably, as Walter soon discovered, 
 marred the sweetness of her expression. 
 
 They talked a while on indifferent topics the weather, 
 and the longing one felt for the country these hot days. 
 She was going there, provided she let her flat. Her son, 
 Colonel Brisson, had no use for home any longer; " they 
 intend to move him to Nancy; so I can end my days at 
 Troyes, where I was born." Her charming frankness 
 had its effect on Walter: his hostess was good enough 
 to express surprise when she learnt that he was an 
 Englishman. 
 
 "But Monsieur is absolutely without accent," she 
 exclaimed. " Surely he must have lived long in France. " 
 
 "No," replied Walter dubiously, his brain mystified 
 by the half-forgotten lies which he had told Lord Men- 
 dril; "no; I am an English barrister." 
 
 "A noble profession. Monsieur perhaps means to 
 practise as an English advocate in Paris?" 
 
 "Exactly. A small opening and and London is 
 so terribly sad." 
 
 "London is not alone in that," she murmured, then 
 added more cheerfully: 
 
 "Monsieur has travelled much over our country? 
 not Provence? Ah, you must go there. Along that coast 
 one spot is more beautiful than another." 
 
 "You frequently visit the south?"
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 23 
 
 " Not since my husband's death: he died at Cannes. 
 Not at all, you could not be expected to know. He was 
 wounded in the war, and died some months later. Ah, 
 Monsieur, what a crime that was! For that alone the 
 Bonapartes can never hope to return. At least the Re- 
 public has given us over twenty-seven years' unbroken 
 peace. It will be an ill day ah, but that can never 
 happen." 
 
 Sadler grasped her meaning. It was a reference to 
 the lost Bonaparte hidden away somewhere in the wilds 
 of Corsica, concerning whom Lord Mendril had spoken. 
 Madame went on: "Others know the bare fact; very 
 few know the reason. I know, and Jean knows, and 
 Monsieur de Morin knows and " 
 
 Walter was bolt upright. 
 
 " Monsieur is acquainted with the Count?" 
 
 " No, indeed not." 
 
 " He is a clever man, and I have good reason to be 
 grateful to him. But I have been talking about matters 
 which cannot possibly interest Monsieur. He must for- 
 give me: we are all so excited in Paris just now. Had 
 it not been for the President and those good men MM. 
 Pontecoulant and Carache, the Republic must have suc- 
 cumbed. But whatever happens to the Republic, none 
 of them can return." 
 
 Walter felt no interest. Or if he did only to this 
 extent, that things might go on quietly until he had come 
 to the end of his six thousand pounds. He said as much. 
 
 Madame reassured him. 
 
 "There is nothing to fear." 
 
 "You take a weight off my mind." 
 
 " M. Carache has to-day settled his ministry you have 
 heard, without doubt. Pontecoulant is to be foreign 
 minister; in fact, the two change places. The kind God 
 preserve us from war!" 
 
 She sighed and glanced at a small miniature of the 
 great Napoleon, which was set above the face of the 
 clock. She started, looked sharply at Walter, turned 
 again to the miniature, then subjected the visitor's face 
 to a second scrutiny. She still had hold of his card ; she 
 glanced hastily down at it. " Walter Sadler? " she mut-
 
 24 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 tered, "Walter Sadler?" and then a sudden light came 
 into her face. She rose to her feet. "Your Royal 
 Highness," said she passionately, "is behaving in a very 
 cruel and cowardly fashion." 
 
 Walter sat glued to his chair, gazing at her in hopeless 
 bewilderment. 
 
 "You are behaving in a very cruel and cowardly 
 fashion," she repeated angrily, "in a very cruel and 
 cowardly fashion. I am not afraid to tell you so to your 
 face." 
 
 "But I am Walter Sadler a barrister," gasped out 
 our hero. 
 
 "Your Highness is good enough to laugh at me. 
 This is one of those domiciliary visits with which we are 
 all familiar. In heaven's name" passing from scorn 
 to piteous pleading "spare me, and go to those who can 
 give you the lives of their dear ones without being ren- 
 dered absolutely desolate." 
 
 " Really " faltered Walter, " I don't know what to 
 say or do?" He began to wonder whether the Due 
 d'Orleans wore a beard. 
 
 "You are all alike, you Bonapartes. Fair words to 
 cover your treachery." 
 
 So that was it. His likeness to the first Napoleon, 
 added to her own highly wrought condition, had resulted 
 in this strange fancy. Evidently she spent her existence 
 on the look-out for the lostling, of whom every one 
 appeared to have heard, save himself. No doubt she 
 suffered from monomania; it struck him that her eyes 
 bore the trace of madness. And he was the Corsican 
 goatherd come to claim his own ! He bethought him of 
 his dead guardian, the quintessence of respectability; of 
 his own humdrum days at their suburban home; of Win- 
 chester and Oxford and the Temple, all of them such a 
 long way off the Corsican mountains, where the real 
 article was doubtless at this moment playing simultane- 
 ously on two pipes and watching half a dozen goats. 
 The bare contrast nearly sent him into a burst of boister- 
 ous laughter. 
 
 He determined to humour her. "Madame has been
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 25 
 
 led astray by my likeness to Napoleon. Believe me, it is 
 a resemblance of which I am no longer proud." 
 
 Madame tapped her foot impatiently on the ground. 
 " Why do you play with me? There are other " she 
 stopped abruptly, turning to the somewhat lame conclu- 
 sion, "Your likeness puts the matter beyond a doubt. 
 You have come to take my " 
 
 "I repeat to you, you are wrong," he said, on his 
 side beginning to lose patience. "Cannot you believe 
 my oath? " 
 
 " I expected oaths." 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders, turning at the same 
 minute to take his hat from the table beside him. She 
 no sooner saw his intention than she seemed seized with 
 a feverish desire to get him out of the place as quickly as 
 possible. She swallowed her indignation sufficiently to 
 hold forth a lifeless hand. She ventured to bow, all the 
 while edging him closer to the door. 
 
 But the manoeuvre failed. The door swung open 
 before she touched it. Her son entered. Walter had no 
 difficulty in making out the relationship; albeit the new- 
 comer was gaunt and iron-grey, nearer fifty than forty, 
 and resembling Don Quixote most of any human being. 
 Madame and he had height in common. They held 
 themselves like steel ramrods. 
 
 His mother's face, Walter's as well, bore unmistak- 
 able traces of battle. Colonel Brisson looked from one 
 to the other in surprise. 
 
 "The Prince has come," said the woman sullenly. 
 
 Brisson started. "Walter Sadler? " he asked of her 
 in an excited whisper, which did not reach Walter's ears. 
 She nodded. Without another word he sprang to where 
 the young barrister was standing, and flung himself upon 
 his knees at the latter's feet. 
 
 "Welcome home, your Majesty! " 
 
 This put the matter beyond a doubt. The mother's 
 monomonia not only existed, but was such a stern reality 
 that it had infected the son. Walter, with his habitual 
 acuteness, which he owed to nature rather than practice, 
 saw at once how the whole thing lay. Here were two peo- 
 ple, Imperialist by tradition, and consequently predisposed
 
 26 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 to keep one eye open for the coming of the lost Bona- 
 parte, whose minds had been unstrung by the instability 
 of affairs. Possibly they did not even go so far afield 
 among absurdities as to suppose him to be the Corsican 
 goatherd, but mistook him for Victor, who no doubt 
 bore some more accountable resemblance to the chief of 
 the race, and made the most of it. 
 
 And yet and yet the homage of this gaunt Don- 
 Quixote-looking man was intensely sweet. 
 
 "Please do not kneel to me. Cannot you see that 
 you are placing me in a very ridiculous position? " The 
 more ardent portion of this appeal was wrung from Wal- 
 ter's lips by an attempt on Brisson's part to kiss his 
 hand. This is a process requiring more practice than 
 even visions afford before a man can submit to it with 
 any sort of grace. 
 
 "Jean," Madame cried out, dragging her son from 
 off his knees, and not over-gently either, "I will not 
 suffer this treason. You are a soldier of the Republic; 
 you shall not betray it." 
 
 He was turning on her with a violent answer, but 
 Walter lifted his hand, already infected by Brisson's 
 homage, and the latter left the fierce words unspoken. 
 
 "Enough of this," exclaimed our hero. "I cannot 
 make either of you believe my story. At least let me 
 depart in peace." 
 
 " His Majesty will surely permit me to escort him to 
 the Rue Fabert? " 
 
 This was the second time Walter started at a reference 
 to De Morin. But the whole thing was more than his 
 brain could manage at the moment. He shrugged his 
 shoulders, suffering that to stand as his answer. 
 
 Brisson repeated the question. 
 
 " I do not understand what you mean. I am not 
 going to the Rue Fabert. I do not know where it is. I 
 have never heard it mentioned before to-day. I am 
 going straight to my hotel. Please allow me to pass." 
 
 "Then the Count de Morin is not in Paris?" hesi- 
 tated Brisson. 
 
 " How can I tell? " Walter cried with attempted flip- 
 pancy. " I do not know him" ; but the uneasy suspicion
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 27 
 
 flitted through his mind that this was some huge prac- 
 tical joke devised by the Count to demonstrate the fool- 
 ishness of this wild freak of his. When we live in per- 
 petual contemplation of our own thoughts and doings, 
 we forget that the rest of the world has something else 
 to think about. 
 
 A sudden idea struck him. " Tell me this," he asked of 
 Brisson, " who do you suppose I am? " The other raised 
 his shoulders in deprecation of so childish a question. 
 
 "Very well," said Sadler. "Anyhow, let me hear 
 what it is that has made you think that I am he who- 
 ever he may be for whom you take me?" 
 Brisson glanced dubiously at his mother. 
 "Your obvious likeness to the first Napoleon," he 
 began in great perplexity. Madame had subsided into a 
 condition of cheerless disdain. 
 'Well?" urged Walter. 
 ' Then the story about the rightful heir." 
 ' Ah, so you take me to be the rightful heir? " 
 'Most certainly," Brisson replied blankly. 
 'But why?" 
 
 ' Your obvious likeness, and your na " 
 'Jean! " broke in Madame with warning voice. 
 Jean, whose grizzled face hardly looked a fitting 
 subject for parental discipline, gazed helplessly about 
 him. "Your obvious likeness," he repeated lamely. 
 
 "Really, Monsieur," came the sharp answer, "you do 
 less than justice to your common sense. My name is 
 Walter Sadler, for the hundredth time, and I am an 
 Englishman. I have lived all my life in London. My 
 parents " 
 
 He stopped in the midst of this new sentence. Per- 
 haps Madame read his thoughts. "I am tempted to 
 believe, after all," said she softly, "that Monsieur is 
 right. Now I come to look well into Monsieur's face, I 
 find the likeness much less striking." 
 
 "If Monseigneur desires, to remain unknown," Bris- 
 son assented, laying a hand upon the knob, "at least 
 he will leave us his address. As for me, I am to be 
 found at the barracks in the Rue de Penthievre, " and 
 the worthy fellow blushed.
 
 28 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "The Terminus Hotel," Walter murmured mechan- 
 ically and with eyes staring. The Colonel went with 
 him even to the street door, much beyond his mother's 
 jurisdiction. At parting he bowed as to an ordinary 
 visitor. The barrister, however, heard a muttered fare- 
 well, " Monseigneur, aurevoir!" 
 
 The latter stood for awhile dazed and motionless. 
 Who were his parents? For answer, the merest breath of 
 remembrance that he had only come to Harrow after a 
 long journey and many changes; that before his arrival 
 there everything in his life had been chaos enshrining 
 the ghosts of tear-stained faces that circled round his 
 infantile person, looking down at him with unceasing 
 pity. Surely the thing began to piece itself together in 
 a marvellous way. He was the Prince, without a doubt, 
 hidden by some one, for some reason, up till this present 
 hour. Some one? say at once De Morin, who should 
 learn that his schemes had failed. Pish! here was he 
 building up a magnificent fabric on the ravings of two 
 lunatics. He must have more to go on than his myste- 
 rious origin before he could satisfy even himself that he 
 was the long-hidden Napoleon. 
 
 And as for rushing round to the Rue Fabert with 
 reproaches, the thing was madness. He must manage 
 De Morin very gently, not breathing a word about the 
 Brissons or his own suspicion, but giving the old fellow 
 an unvarnished account of his late miserable life, thus 
 tacitly inviting a recital of the story so long withheld. 
 
 The whole business, he thought, would afford him a 
 chance of showing what was in him tact, finesse, above 
 all, coolness of judgment. His lightest act upon this 
 eventful afternoon would one day be history. At last he 
 was on the great stage ! and as he went towards the Rue 
 Fabert he hugged himself with a new-found satisfaction. 
 
 At De Morin's door he met with check number one. 
 The Count was absent at Aix-les-Bains, and would re- 
 main there till the end of the month. His address, 
 Poste Restante, the servant could give no information 
 beyond that. 
 
 This rebuff upset Walter's calmness. He no longer 
 suspended judgment on De Morin's conduct. The latter
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 29 
 
 had been guilty of abominable treachery. Nor was it 
 hard to suggest a motive. In all human probability the 
 wretch had embezzled Walter's inheritance. But he 
 should pay a heavy price; and the young fellow indulged 
 in an ugly laugh as he pictured the old fox coming, in 
 the midst of his morning glass, face to face with the man 
 he had so cruelly wronged. 
 
 A train to Aix, he discovered on inquiry at his hotel, 
 was just departing, while the next did not leave before 
 night. Sadler hung about between his bedroom and 
 the boulevards, rehearsing how he should beard the 
 delinquent when they met. In the midst of a bock and 
 an harangue on the duties of honest trustees, he be- 
 thought him suddenly of Colonel Brisson. He started 
 off instantly for the barracks in the Rue de Penthievre. 
 An orderly received him at the Colonel's quarters and 
 administered check number two. 
 
 "Is Colonel Brisson in? " Walter inquired, breath- 
 lessly eager. 
 
 " No, Monsieur. He was here two hours ago, but not 
 since." 
 
 "Perhaps you can tell me when he will be back?" 
 
 " No, Monsieur." 
 
 "When is he usually back of an afternoon?" 
 
 "About now," the servant answered, first consulting 
 a huge timepiece. 
 
 Walter heaved a sigh of relief. "Good; I will wait." 
 
 "I am afraid Monsieur will have to wait a long 
 time." 
 
 "But you said that he would be back about now." 
 
 "Pardon me; I never said so." 
 
 "But usually " 
 
 "Ah 'usually' is different. My master will not be 
 back at his usual hour to-day." 
 
 "Where is he? " 
 
 "In the train," the man stolidly replied, then ob- 
 serving that the visitor had had enough of his soldierly 
 precision, he added: "The Colonel has gone to Aix." 
 
 Walter turned away in silence, a chill, at his heart. It 
 was fear. He trembled to find himself thus suddenly 
 the figure round which others worked and took long
 
 30 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 journeys: his life had not fitted him for so uncanny a 
 position. He fled back to the boulevards and another 
 bock. 
 
 What would happen at Aix? De Morin would know 
 how to persuade this honest but weak Brisson to any- 
 thing, and was likely to use his power, once he learnt of 
 Walter's arrival. Was it to be supposed that the Count, 
 old in cunning as in years, treacherous, would patiently 
 abide the coming vengeance? He must be cautious: he 
 was sure to hear from Aix before long; the message 
 probably an assassin's dagger. To proceed thither 
 would be to place his head into the lion's jaw. He must 
 await the development of events. 
 
 Presently, remembering that he was a Bonaparte, he 
 commenced to mutter "kismet," and so loafed out the 
 remainder of the evening on the boulevards, imbibing 
 bocks. When he got finally to his hotel it was near- 
 ing midnight he felt far too worried to sleep. He tried 
 the papers. Naturally enough he could not take in a 
 single line; but went back, and back, as the minutes 
 ran, to the contemplation of late events. 
 
 All was conjecture and hypothesis. How did he know 
 that he was the missing Prince? Why should De Morin 
 be hostile? If De Morin were hostile, would the weak 
 Colonel disclose his address? With these thoughts chas- 
 ing each other through his brain, one instant he was for 
 starting up and catching the night train for Aix ; the 
 next, for saving the English boat; always, in the end, 
 remaining glued to his chair, prostrate and inert. 
 
 All his thinking life had he been crying unto the Lord 
 to grant him some great occasion. At the moment his 
 need was wellnigh passed endurance, the occasion had 
 been given him, and then and then he could not 
 use it. 
 
 It was the first time he had even questioned his own 
 capacity; and they proved doubts easily allayed. His 
 sluggishness was a foreign importation from the miseries 
 of recent years. A freer life would banish it, as God's 
 bright air some nauseating vapour. Besides, he did not 
 propose to run away from Paris, and it was obvious he 
 could not sally forth there and then to raise the banner
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 31 
 
 of the lost Napoleon. No, no, and he muttered as 
 much out loud, though in the public reading-room, any 
 strong man thrown into the midst of such shadows would 
 act in identically the same way. He must watch and wait, 
 though he had n't the faintest idea how he should do 
 either. The other occupants of the room thought that 
 he was on his way to Charenton "with a friend." De- 
 spite these reassuring reflections, he sought his couch 
 unconvinced. A small table, bought that very day, and 
 delivered at the hotel by mistake, lay in a corner. He 
 examined it listlessly; it was inlaid, a piece of delicate 
 marquetry, supported on a rim, and tapering legs of pol- 
 ished wood. He caressed its shining surface, and be- 
 thought him how it would help the other glories of his 
 drawing-room. His last look, before switching off the 
 electric light, was turned lovingly in its direction. The 
 result proved most satisfactory. The delicate shape 
 acted as a sedative, lulling him into that resigned spirit 
 which alone induces sleep.
 
 Chapter III 
 
 It must not be supposed that the inlaid table pro- 
 cured Walter more than a single night's oblivion, or that 
 the three weeks which this chapter purports to cover 
 was not also a period of torturing anxiety, because one 
 of much apparent happiness. Indeed, not a day passed 
 without some repetition, in a more or less modified form, 
 of those confused fears and jumbled arguments that had 
 floated through his brain on the afternoon of the Brisson 
 incident; and many a time did he hasten round to the 
 flat in the Rue Fabert, led by a sudden and ungovernable 
 impulse, only to stop dead upon the threshold, not dar- 
 ing to risk the chance of an interview with its sinister 
 inhabitant. And as time went on, and there came no 
 sign of life from Aix, he became more and more con- 
 vinced that he was the missing Bonaparte, and De Morin 
 a traitor. These two convictions grew to haunt him 
 wherever he went. So that in the most brilliant draw- 
 ing-room and, thanks to Madame Verre, he visited 
 many very brilliant he never lost sight of his own 
 crown or De Morin's dagger. But he had decided at 
 the beginning that he must " watch and wait " ; in other 
 words, that he must go on with his new existence, and 
 suffer things to take their course. Accordingly, he went 
 on with his new existence, spending far more recklessly, 
 now he knew who he really was, and buying much less 
 happiness. 
 
 Monsieur Verre, the ex-Premier, who, it will be remem- 
 bered, figured on the second card, proved a lucky find. 
 His flat, situated in the Rue de Berlin, the locality Wal- 
 ter preferred, was an exceedingly good one, and a nearer 
 approach than any he had yet seen to what he wanted. 
 The Verres themselves were most obliging. Their furni- 
 ture was already in a new villa at St. Cloud; they were 
 
 32
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 33 
 
 only too glad to follow it, and to leave him in immediate 
 possession. He worked hard. Within fourteen days of his 
 arrival, he was installed, and his dream begun. And at 
 this point the humble chronicler would wish nothing bet- 
 ter than to break away from the thread of his narrative 
 and give a rhapsodical account of the. new abode. The 
 place merited superlatives. The library, in particular, 
 upon which Walter had expended most money and 
 trouble, enchanted all who beheld it. Madame Verre 
 declared that it was a room more often dreamt of than 
 seen; while Monsieur, her husband, never entered it 
 without pretending to forget the position of the door, a 
 little bit of pantomime meant to demonstrate the mar- 
 vellous change effected by the new tenant. The remain- 
 ing apartments came but little behind; but, for Walter, 
 the virtue had gone out of them all. Compared with the 
 Elysee, he found them small and meanly furnished; and 
 the blue silk hangings that adorned his bedroom seemed 
 to harbour the lurking murderer come on De Morin's 
 business. So, perhaps, the less said about the furniture, 
 the better. If it failed to afford the gratification he had 
 looked for, at least the reason was a substantial one. 
 
 Monsieur and Madame Verre as has been indicated 
 already did more than merely let him have their flat. 
 They came and sat in it. Walter had always intended 
 that his landlord or predecessor in the tenancy should 
 introduce him into society, and he succeeded beyond 
 what he had any right to expect. For ex-Premiers, the 
 Verres were wonderfully genial and easy of approach. 
 They accepted the young man's references as establish- 
 ing his eligibility as well as his credit; and when Madame 
 learnt incidentally that he knew Lord Mendril, her cor- 
 diality exceeded all bounds: she and Lady Framlingham 
 having been, as it appeared, acquainted for many years. 
 
 Under their auspices, Walter soon found his way into 
 the best society, mainly ministerial, as was to be ex- 
 pected, and very substantial. And inasmuch as he was 
 able to pay back in kind, giving unsurpassable little 
 dinners and evenings devoted to the most exquisite 
 music, his success was immediate, and promised to be 
 lasting. Of course he was not a lion ; but wherever he
 
 34 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 went, he was always welcome. He began to be known as 
 "the rich Englishman." The women discussed his 
 interesting melancholy; the men, his wines and superb 
 cigars. Newspapers noticed his presence at fashionable 
 gatherings; and in the Bois people commenced to 
 look out for him and his handsome steed, which, by the 
 way, he bestrode without much skill or elegance. And 
 not a few of those who knew him, as an acquaintance or 
 by repute, but had their suspicions that the English po- 
 lice would presently appear and claim him for their own. 
 It was fame, of a tepid order indeed, but still fame; 
 and measuring it by the standard of that to which he 
 was really entitled, he found it so much dust and ashes. 
 
 His position was, more than ever, hateful on occasions 
 when chance, or rather Monsieur Verre, brought him in 
 contact with the really great. Almost the first visit to St. 
 Cloud, his host led him the round of the existing Cabinet 
 the greater part of which was present and introduced 
 him to the various ministers. The eminent Carache did 
 not appear to remember his face ; he gave him two fingers 
 and a frigid stare. Pontecoulant gave him a frigid stare 
 and two fingers. Freron, Minister of War; Petard, 
 Finance Minister; and Graves, Agriculture all smaller 
 men, and therefore less generous, gave him one finger 
 apiece, and did n't even look at him. But this was 
 nothing compared with an experience endured a few 
 nights later in the same place. Walter had been invited 
 to a small reception. 
 
 "Sadler," cried Monsieur, darting down upon the 
 young man the moment the latter entered Madame's 
 drawing-room, "whom do you think I have got to- 
 night? " 
 
 Sadler had not the faintest idea. 
 
 "A compatriot of yours, my dear friend," exclaimed his 
 host, rubbing his hands and smiling gleefully. "Now 
 guess! " 
 
 " Really I cannot." 
 
 "The English Minister of the Interior! Come and 
 let me introduce you." 
 
 The Englishman sat chatting gaily with Madame 
 Verre, a charming smile over his clean-shaven face. He
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 35 
 
 was a rising young man of about forty-two, entirely self- 
 made, by profession a barrister like Walter, and the 
 reputed possessor of an austere character the least bit 
 tempered by society and success. 
 
 "Monsieur," cried Verre the irrepressible, "permit 
 me to introduce a countryman of yours." The minister 
 looked up, and at the same instant his charming smile 
 vanished away. He surveyed Walter with great serious- 
 ness, at though the latter had been recently convicted 
 of murder, and had come in person to pray a commuta- 
 tion of the death penalty; bowed gravely, then turned 
 straightway back to Madame Verre and resumed his gay 
 smile and charming conversation. 
 
 Monsieur Verre, who was blessed with acute, pene- 
 trating eyes which saw nothing, wanted to prolong the 
 torture. But Walter refused. He turned as abruptly 
 from the minister as the minister had turned from him ; 
 and for the remainder of the evening kept the whole 
 length of the drawing-room between them. 
 
 The reception he met with at the Elysee, curiously 
 enough, was in marked contrast to the interviews above 
 alluded to. 
 
 Bitter experience had taught him to fight shy of offi- 
 cial personages. The night he first went to a Presi- 
 dential reception, he made his bow and then slunk into 
 the background, avoiding any quarter of the room where 
 the chief of the state might happen to be, and sternly 
 rejecting M. Verre's offer to obtain him a less formal 
 introduction. 
 
 He was standing alone in a deserted corner of one of 
 the drawing-rooms, with disconsolate eyes fixed on the 
 magnificence around him. His heart was very heavy. 
 John Harmon in contemplation of "Boffin's Bower" 
 might have endured similar misery; that is, had John 
 Harmon been a less philosophical person. Of all earthly 
 torments, surely this is the most terrible, to see one's 
 inheritance in the hands of the stranger. 
 
 A kindly voice murmured in his ear. " Monsieur finds 
 the scene an interesting one?" He turned: it was the 
 President, smiling at him with an expression full of the 
 sweetest amiability.
 
 36 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Yes, indeed," replied Walter. "Especially as I 
 have never been privileged to see it before." 
 
 "You are here with Monsieur Verre, are you not?" 
 asked the President. "Ah, yes, I remember. He has 
 been telling me about you. You are the young English- 
 man who has come to reside here. We Parisians must 
 take your choice as a very great compliment." 
 
 "It is very kind of Monsieur to say so. One does 
 not care to run down one's the country where one has 
 lived all one's youth ; but England is so sad and dismal. ' ' 
 
 "Of course you are quite familiar with our beautiful 
 France? I need hardly ask the question; you speak our 
 language so perfectly." 
 
 " I am afraid, Monsieur," broke out Walter, blushing, 
 "I am sailing under false colours. I have lived all my 
 life up till now in England; that is true enough. I was 
 educated there ; but but by birth I am a Frenchman. My 
 mother and father were both Fren Itali French: I 
 was born in France." 
 
 The President continued to regard him with the same 
 kindly interest as hitherto, neither increased nor lessened. 
 "Pardon, Monsieur," said he, "I did not catch your 
 name." 
 
 "Walter Sadler," blurted out the other, becoming 
 quite scarlet. 
 
 " How deeply interesting. It illustrates the magnetic 
 influence exercised by our dear country; does in not, 
 Monsieur?" and with another bow, more amiable than the 
 first, the gracious, stately presence moved away. 
 
 At home Walter's life was somewhat less varied. His 
 visiting-list did not yet include such giants as Carache, 
 Pontecoulant, or English Home Secretaries. Madame 
 Verre invited for him ; and as she frequently remarked, 
 " The Premier will come in time Rome, recollect, was 
 not built in a day." Once, Walter tried to get Lord 
 Mendril. His lordship was unhappily engaged, and 
 therefore could not come. 
 
 Apart from entertainments, given or received, his 
 days were simple enough. He lounged through his 
 mornings, mostly in rapt adoration of his bindings, 
 lunched, rode in the Bois, or, now and then, made his
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 37 
 
 excursion to the Rue Fabert. And this brought the 
 time round again to the evening party, or the opera where 
 he would sit through Lohengrin without turning a hair. 
 
 The next time our hero came across Carache was at 
 a reception given by the President of the Senate. The 
 indefatigable Verre insisted on subjecting Walter to a 
 second presentation. The Premier welcomed them with 
 momentary closed lids, accompanied by a look of intense 
 pain. He was a man with a pointed face, somewhat 
 resembling a fox's, that contained prominent green eyes 
 and a sharp nose. His hair was brown and wispy > while 
 his ears were almost as prominent as his eyes a touch- 
 ing memento, this last, of earlier days, connecting the 
 middle-aged statesman with the child whose nurse had 
 not done all she might have for his future beauty. Alto- 
 gether, it was a countenance fitted for action rather than 
 repose; its present look of ennui did not suit it. 
 
 "Hullo, Verre, how are you?" he murmured faintly, 
 facing the inevitable. 
 
 "Splendid, thanks. Sadler and I saw you standing 
 by yourself, so we thought we would come and cheer you 
 up a bit. I say, old man, I nearly unhorsed you in the 
 Chamber, this afternoon." 
 
 "M. Sadler?" pondered Carache; " M. Sadler? I 
 have not the pleasure of knowing the gentleman." 
 
 "Good heavens! you shook hands with him at my 
 house, only ten days ago." 
 
 "Did I?" murmured Carache. He at once assumed 
 the levee smile of the third quality, usually reserved for 
 minor government employees; and thrust forward two 
 fingers. "Monsieur, I am charmed to see you"; then 
 he yawned and looked at the chandelier. Presently he 
 pulled himself together, and without further words clave 
 his way through them to another quarter of the room. 
 
 " Carache is often like that," Verre remarked, glan- 
 cing affectionately after him; "and and ah, here is 
 Madame." 
 
 Madame Verre was as incisive as her husband was 
 outspoken. She had, moreover, a curious trick of turn- 
 ing up her eyes so that only the whites were visible. It 
 did not add to her attractions, which, to speak truth,
 
 38 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 were not great. But it contributed much to her gen- 
 erally trenchant demeanour. "There, I can't look at 
 you," these sightless orbs appeared to say, "you are 
 really too weak and foolish for that; but go on, I am 
 listening. " 
 
 "Lady Threpps is going to give a ball," she cried, 
 directly the young man was well within hearing. "We 
 received our cards just before we left home. The last 
 Wednesday in July, the date is. Have you yours yet? " 
 
 " I do not know the ambassadress." 
 
 "Ah, but you are a distinguished countryman of 
 hers; besides, you are a friend of the Framlinghams " 
 
 "Pardon, Madame; I never said so." 
 
 "Lord Mendril, I mean. It is the same thing. I 
 had a letter from Henrietta Framlingham the other 
 night. She says that no doubt her sons have many college 
 friends whom she does not even know by name. Oh 
 yes, Lord Mendril will get you an invitation. He is a 
 charming boy, just like his dear mother. Muriel takes 
 after her father" Walter started "Charles, well, I 
 do not know whom he resembles." 
 
 "Yes, yes," chimed in Monsieur Verre, " it would be a 
 thousand pities if you did not go to your own embassy. 
 You have been everywhere else, and have met every one 
 of note, the President, Carache, Pontecoulant, and 
 been most amiably received by them." 
 
 "Madame," began poor Monsieur Sadler. 
 
 But Madame, who had been displaying the whites of 
 her eyes all through the late marital harangue, they 
 resembled electric advertising discs, recovered her 
 vision in time to prevent any protests. 
 
 "That is settled. Monsieur Sadler will get his card 
 through Lord Mendril." 
 
 " I will po in the morning," murmured Walter. And 
 the fact is more easily recorded than explained,- 
 although convinced that he was the missing Bonaparte, 
 he did not relish the idea of another interview with this 
 disdainful young nobleman. 
 
 "The thing is done every day," responded the good 
 lady. "By the by, the Framlinghams are coming to
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 39 
 
 France this summer; they have a villa near Paris. You 
 must get Lord Mendril to introduce you." 
 
 That same evening our hero made the acquaintance 
 of Count Nicholas Fersen, the young Russian attache", 
 whom he had seen first at Jervis's restaurant among 
 Lord Framlingham's guests. And a very pleasant fellow 
 he found him, at the outset, that is to say. For one 
 thing, the Count had height and a handsome face. He 
 was extremely frank, and he inclined to friendliness with 
 all men, qualities not usually looked for in your youthful 
 diplomat. His comments on the state of Europe were 
 most refreshing. Under the steady gaze of his clear and 
 fearless grey eyes Walter wondered what he had done to 
 deserve such confidences. 
 
 He began with Alsace-Lorraine. Directing Sadler's 
 attention to a group of ministers gathered round Verre 
 and Carache, who appeared in heated argument, he 
 observed, " Had our friends been less interested in their 
 own quarrels, a month or so back, France might have 
 done something over yonder." 
 
 Walter opined that France had forgotten all about 
 the provinces. The other dissented, and not by any 
 means in low tones. "France is sick of the present 
 gang," he declared. "Had there been a decent pre- 
 tender here in April the Republic must have fallen. This 
 place reminded one of Constantinople, or London during 
 a general election," and the boy's face broke into a 
 charming smile. "I assure you both Carache and 
 Pontecoulant went about in chain armour. But no one 
 arose to seize the advantage. We all know the amount 
 of grit in the Bourbons. As for the Imperialists, well, 
 the less said about them and their precious Lost One, 
 the better." 
 
 "You do not credit the story? " asked Walter, com- 
 mencing to tremble. 
 
 "Not I. The supine Victor is at the bottom of it. 
 He prefers Brussels, and quiet. As for Louis, he is too 
 conscientious ever to do any good. An old colonel of 
 his regiment told me once that the fellow seemed always 
 in silent prayer. Obviously, one can't pray one's self onto 
 a throne. My chief holds identical views. "
 
 40 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "The Russian ambassador? " 
 
 "Yes, old Prehlen. You know him, no doubt?" 
 
 "I have not that pleasure." 
 
 "It will come in time. His excellency goes every- 
 where. At present he has a cold, ' ' and Nicholas chuckled. 
 
 "Are you going to Lady Threpps's dance?" Walter 
 asked, anxious to quit the contemplation of his tantaliz- 
 ing inheritance. 
 
 " I did not know she had one. I daresay I shall go. 
 Of course you are." 
 
 "Yes, I am going. I don't much care about those 
 things; but it looks so bad for a man not to go to his 
 own embassy." 
 
 "Well, you won't enjoy it," said the blunt young 
 Russian. " Lady Threpps is an absurd creature. She 
 is awkward, and says foolish things." 
 
 " I believe you know the Framlinghams? " 
 
 "Yes," said Fersen, somewhat grudgingly for so frank 
 a man. 
 
 "I saw you dining with them the other night at 
 Jervis's. Lord Mendril is staying with the Threppses. 
 He and I were gre were friends up at the university." 
 Walter could not get himself to say that he knew only 
 Lord Mendril. But he went gingerly over thin ice. 
 " Lady Framlingham is a Frenchwoman, I believe? " 
 
 " I believe so." 
 
 "She is very charming. I like her husband. I con- 
 fess I am peculiar in that; generally, he is most un- 
 popular." 
 
 "I have never noticed anything of the sort," re- 
 sponded Fersen, now as cold as the coldest part of his 
 native country, and as faraway. "All his friends and 
 I have met a good many speak most warmly of him. 
 You are the first man I have ever heard do the contrary. " 
 
 "You altogether mistake me," exclaimed Walter, 
 flushing with righteous indignation. "I merely state 
 the fact. He admits as much himself. 'Sadler,' he 
 said to me only a few days before I came away, ' how is 
 it I am so hated?' I pooh-poohed the notion. 'My 
 dear Framlingham,' I said, ' I think you make a mistake. 
 You have a great name in the country. You have been
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 41 
 
 a faithful public servant. Not a man but knows your 
 probity and praises it.' But do what I would, I could 
 not convince him." 
 
 Fersen was yawning. Our hero trusted most sincerely 
 that he had not attended to a single word. And as he 
 wiped the perspiration from his brow, he wondered bit- 
 terly how in the world he had descended to such paltry 
 and contemptible lying, so foreign as it was to his nature. 
 
 "Their daughter is very pretty." 
 
 Nicholas cleared his throat, no doubt to avoid any- 
 thing more explicit. 
 
 "Very pretty indeed," Walter persisted, with growing 
 audacity. " If I were not so poor, and a commoner, I 
 should like to go in for I should like to mar to pro- 
 pose to her." 
 
 Nicholas Fersen treated him to an unflinching stare. 
 "Tell me, Monsieur," he asked, still quite courteous, 
 but portentously solemn, " is it the custom in your coun- 
 try to treat a lady's name so lightly? " 
 
 "I am not aware that I have treated her name 
 lightly," snarled Walter; "and, for another thing, my 
 country is France." 
 
 "Where gentlemen are quite as well-behaved as they 
 are in England." 
 
 " Or Russia," sneered our hero. 
 
 "Or Russia. Madame Prehlen beckons me adieu, 
 Monsieur. " 
 
 This bitter humiliation was wellnigh the last straw. 
 Even were he plain Walter Sadler, what did this cub 
 mean by treating him so insolently? He was every bit 
 as good a man as Fersen, or that puppy Mendril. His 
 mind was a perfectly correct one ; all his feelings in abso- 
 lute good taste. Surely they must see that he was their 
 equal. But they did not, and needed teaching. In his 
 heart he knew exactly how the lesson should be given. 
 The icy sarcasm, the bitter monysyllable at the right 
 moment, the distant look, how often had he rehearsed 
 them all. Alas, when the time came, he blundered into 
 quite a different method. He tried to be easy and 
 familiar. 
 
 He resolved not to risk any more snubs that evening,
 
 42 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 so he quitted what Madame Verre could have called the 
 dazzling scene. His brougham was nowhere to be 
 found. He started forth on foot, not sorry to walk home 
 through the delicious night. The Cafe de la Paix tempted 
 him to enjoy it more in detail. He sank into a chair and 
 ordered himself a bock, of all things in the world, to calm 
 his spirits. Two men were conversing at a neighbouring 
 table; one in earnest tones, not much above a whisper; 
 the other lightly, but no louder. 
 
 "Shall I tell you something?" the nearer one was 
 saying in a mysterious undertone; "there is a whisper 
 about that Victor is in Paris." 
 
 "My dear Delaforce! " protested the other. 
 
 " A man the very image of ' Plon-Plon ' has been seen 
 continually of late in the streets near the Gare St. Lazare. 
 Who can he be but Victor? Take my word for it, 
 Jacques, there is mischief on foot." 
 
 "Pooh," returned Jacques, puffing out a series of 
 blue smoke-wreaths, and pausing in his words to watch 
 them mount and expand and vanish. "The lamented 
 creature was not a man of a peculiar type ; his pasty, 
 puffed-out face is common enough. I do not know 
 Victor; but I dare wager he is no more like his father 
 than you are." 
 
 "Wait. The same man has been seen hanging about 
 the Rue Fabert, the other side of the water." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "The Count de Morin lives in that street. A Greek 
 who does some work for the old fellow told me on the 
 Bourse that he has constantly seen this ' Flon-Plon ' 
 hovering outside De Morin's door." 
 
 " How can he possibly know that this is the man seen 
 about the Gare St. Lazare?" 
 
 " Petrophorous lives in the Rue de Berlin," Delaforce 
 answered, evidently delivering himself of his trump card. 
 " He declares ' Plon-Plon ' lives there too." 
 
 "All I can say is, he'll get short shrift if Carache 
 catches him. The Premier is not in the mood for pre- 
 tenders. I was^ in the Chamber this afternoon through 
 that scene between him and the Radicals: he looked as 
 though he would like to have shot Verre."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 43 
 
 " I say, Jacques," said Delaforce presently, in a voice 
 a man generally uses to convey some sudden discovery, 
 "I say, Jacques! suppose this fellow wasn't Victor 
 after all?" 
 
 "That's very likely," murmured Jacques. 
 
 "Suppose he were the mysterious Bonaparte come to 
 claim his own!" 
 
 Walter's bock went crashing to the floor. Neither of 
 the two men took the least notice. 
 
 " Delaforce, you are mad about those precious Bo- 
 na " 
 
 " Hear me out. This De Morin knows more about 
 the missing man than he chooses to make public. Thence 
 my theory. Plon-Plon number two has lived till now in 
 happy ignorance of his name, probably in Paris itself, 
 and constantly seeing De Morin. One day, an old letter 
 or something of that sort discloses to him his secret, 
 as well as the fact that De Morin alone knew it." 
 
 " Comic opera, my dear fellow." 
 
 " He is now hovering about De Morin's doorstep with- 
 out the courage to go in and find out what may be the 
 meaning of his little game." 
 
 " I do not understand you. " 
 
 " It is quite simple. The fellow knows enough of his 
 secret to know that De Morin alone can substantiate it. 
 ' Why has De Morin kept me in ignorance all these 
 years?' he asks himself. The only possible answer is, 
 that the latter is acting in unmitigated bad faith, prob- 
 ably embezzling moneys." 
 
 " The whole idea is balderdash. In this world of weak, 
 lethargic, cowardly human beings, there, nevertheless, 
 isn't one weak or lethargic or cowardly enough to sit 
 quiet under a secret like that. No, not for a thousand 
 De Morins. Why, man, he only has to look round to see 
 how the chance is shouting for him. He would have 
 been across De Morin's threshold much ere this and given 
 that aged conspirator a nasty one on the head. If you 
 are right, all I can add is, that De Morin can't have done 
 him so much harm after all. He may have deprived him 
 of a few dividends; he certainly won't have kept him out 
 of his throne. Such a creature but come, Delaforce; I
 
 44 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 am tired of sitting. Let us go and see whether Marie is 
 back from her supper-party. I have not set eyes on the 
 damsel for days." 
 
 Walter rose at the same time and resumed his road 
 homeward. He could see no way out of the perplexities 
 which hemmed him in. The marvellously acute Dela- 
 force had stated the truth with a simplicity of which 
 Walter's own overweighted brain was quite incapable. 
 The poor, much-puzzled young man went through the 
 well-worn dilemma for about the thousandth time. 
 
 That he was not the coward that Jacques had said, 
 was amply proved by the fact that he continued in Paris, 
 moving about quite openly not so safe an occupation, 
 as the Petrophorous incident showed. Many a less cour- 
 ageous man might have fled, or at least lurked at home 
 daily against the coming of night. Not he. 
 
 But assuredly such a course was absolutely illogical? 
 If he did not fear the chance of De Morin seeking him 
 out, why did he fear to seek out De Morin? 
 
 The difficulty presented itself only to be at once dis- 
 pelled. The Count, having heard Brisson's story, might 
 very well be under the impression that Walter had gone 
 upon his way without suspecting. And so long as this 
 impression lasted, the old vagabond would probably take 
 no steps. 
 
 And then the ever-lurking suspicion returned, that he 
 was not the Prince after all; and that De Morin would 
 receive him with nothing more terrible than shouts of 
 laughter. The thought soothed his troubled brain. It 
 gave him a few minutes' respite from the torturing reflec- 
 tion that the throne stood ready for the first serious pre- 
 tender, a consideration which, it may be added, was 
 always the more bitter, when he remembered his present 
 life of daily snubs. 
 
 The next morning brought a winning appeal from 
 Madame Verre. As Monsieur Sadler, wrote the gifted 
 lady, was intending to call at the embassy, would he 
 kindly inform Lord Mendril that the latter's mother de- 
 sired him to go down to the Villa Henriette in order to 
 see whether the housekeeper there had obeyed Lady 
 Framlingham's instructions? The poor fellow had no
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 45 
 
 choice left him but to obey. His charming namesake 
 had had one ear; and now he must present the other. 
 He put off the evil moment as long as possible, hence it 
 was past noon before he entered the courtyard of Lord 
 Threpps's residence. Mendril had just returned from 
 his ride, and presented himself in the course of some 
 nineteen minutes, still booted and spurred, with flushed 
 face and disordered hair. He waxed gloomy the moment 
 he learnt the identity of his visitor, merely touching the 
 other's outstretched hand. Then he flung himself lan- 
 guidly into an easy-chair and commenced to tap his heel 
 with his whip. Walter floundered through Madame 
 Verre's message. The semi-jocular mode of delivery 
 which he adopted to preserve the lady's little precisions 
 proved unavailing. Walter Mendril heard the recital 
 out with a frowning face, adding not one word when it 
 was finished. He listened in moody silence to Sadler's 
 desperate attempts to pass on to an easy conversation, 
 until the latter desisted from the hopeless task, giving 
 his mind instead to devising a pretext for an immediate 
 departure. But these are not to be had for the asking, 
 so he was driven before long to say abruptly: 
 
 " I must be going. As it is, I have taken up too much 
 of your time." 
 
 Mendril did not move. " I presume you still have 
 something to say to me? " This with a nearer approach 
 to downright insolence than he had as yet been guilty of. 
 
 "Of course how foolish of me; I was nearly forget- 
 ting, " laughed the other, hysterically. "The fact is, 
 Lady Threpps has omitted to send me a card for her 
 dance." 
 
 " It is very wrong of Lady Threpps." 
 
 " No, no; merely a mistake some must be acciden- 
 tally left out." 
 
 "Oh." 
 
 "The matter is not one which I should take very 
 much to heart," Sadler pursued; "I don't care for 
 dancing or that sort of thing, only it looks so bad for a 
 man not to go to his own embassy." 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 "So very bad. People say such unkind things."
 
 46 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "They do." 
 
 "And the report spreads that he is not received by 
 the best people at home, the very best, I mean." 
 
 "Which may perhaps be true," spoken however too 
 low for Walter to hear. 
 
 "And that, of course, is fatal to his chances." 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 "Accordingly, I have ventured to come here this morn- 
 ing to come here this morning and see whether 
 whether " 
 
 "Well." 
 
 " To ask if you would be kind enough to get the error 
 rectified." 
 
 Mendril was on his feet even before the words were 
 out of Walter's mouth. The dear fellow did not seem in 
 the least excited, only very, very decided; and decision, 
 as we all know, does better on straight legs. 
 
 "No, no, Mr. Sadler," he cried, "I never do that"; 
 the lad might have been fifty, and engaged half his life 
 in refusing similar requests. "Never! never! It's one 
 of my iron rules." 
 
 " I am very sorry," murmured Walter. 
 
 "Never! never! If a man gets a name for that sort 
 of complaisance, he may make up his mind never to have 
 another quiet moment. The merest acquaintances, men 
 with whom he has exchanged perhaps half a dozen words, 
 will think it their right to pester his life out. The poor 
 devil might drown himself at once; he would, at any rate, 
 be spared a deal of misery." 
 
 "I am very sorry, " repeated Walter, as indeed his 
 face showed eloquently enough. "I had no idea that 
 you had such a strong objection." 
 
 "The strongest objection," returned Mendril genially. 
 "Consider the terrible responsibility. If one gets 
 a man an invitation, one vouches for his being a respecta- 
 ble person; that he won't insult the ladies, or become 
 intoxicated, or go off with the spoons, or do any of the 
 terrible things invitation-hunters usually do. But how 
 can one possibly answer for a chance acquaintance, whom 
 one hardly knows by sight? Take your own case for 
 instance. I have seen you two or three times up at Ox-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 47 
 
 ford, and once since. I don't know you at home," 
 this with a significance which, at any other time, Walter 
 could hardly have failed to notice, " I don't properly 
 know who you are or what you are. How can I then 
 vouch for your respectability? " 
 
 Even the worm will turn at last. "For the third 
 time, I repeat I am sorry," cried Walter, with blazing 
 eyes. "You may be sure I did not understand your 
 feelings on the subject, else I should not have put you 
 to so much trouble " At that moment the door swept 
 open and Lady Threpps swept in. 
 
 Walter, blinded as he was by anger, took her lady- 
 ship's measure at a single glance. The ultra-regal air, 
 the excessive languor, the too-well-fitting dress, the 
 overwhelming elegance, all spoke Streatham-on-the-Hill. 
 The ambassadress, to be sure, was young, and time 
 might temper her and tone down Streatham into a simili- 
 tude of Mayfair; but, at present, she was Streatham all 
 over; reeked of Streatham; carried it in her glossy 
 blue-black hair; over her face and neck, so elegantly 
 poised; and on her figure, which, for Streatham, was tall 
 and elegant. Last, but not least, her curiosity was un- 
 diluted suburb. The aristocratic repose that lay upon 
 her, and all over her, inches thick, did not prevent her 
 examining Walter very keenly; and she made no pre- 
 tence to withdraw from the room, which, it is to be sup- 
 posed, she had only entered under the impression that 
 it was unoccupied. 
 
 "So sorry, dear Lord Mendril, " she simpered. "I 
 had no idea you were in here." 
 
 "Please do not go, Lady Threpps," she had not 
 evinced the slightest intention of going. "This gentle- 
 man is present as much on your account as on mine. " 
 
 "So charmed to meet any friend of yours, dear Lord 
 Mendril. " 
 
 "Oh, he is not a friend; that is an honour I fear I 
 cannot claim." 
 
 Lady Threpps took the cue at once. Indeed, Men- 
 dril's voice, if not his actual words, could only bear one 
 meaning. Her simpering face at once assumed a look of 
 extreme hauteur. " If you do not know the gentleman,"
 
 48 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 she said, surveying Walter from top to toe, "I am sure 
 I do not." 
 
 "I know him slightly. We have met about three 
 times before. He has therefore come to me with a 
 complaint against your ladyship." 
 
 "Against me ? Really I do not understand." 
 
 " He says that you have neglected to ask him to your 
 dance." 
 
 There was no need of further explanation; Streatham 
 understood. 
 
 The ambassadress showed her intense enjoyment at 
 finding an applicant on such an errand by once again 
 breaking forth into smiles. "So sorry, my dear Mr. 
 
 , Mr. , so dreadfully sorry; but I fear, as it is, I 
 
 have invited too many people, and I could n' t flossz'My ask 
 any more. It 's a horrible bore, yet what is one to do? 
 The space is limited ; and then one gets into such a 
 dreadful mess, if one asks the wrong people. I did some- 
 thing of the sort at my last dance, and Threpps gave 
 me such a terrible scolding. So sorry, so dreadfully 
 sorry," and with an insolent nod and a hasty resumption 
 of her ultra-regal demeanour, my lady walked herself out 
 of the room. 
 
 Lord Mendril prepared to follow. "Before we part, 
 Mr. Sadler," said he, " it may interest you to know that 
 I met Count Fersen this morning in the Bois. " 
 
 Walter became scarlet. 
 
 " I see you take my meaning. Another time, when 
 you are boasting of your English friends, be good enough 
 not to include my people among them." 
 
 "Be good enough not to include my people! " " Be 
 good enough not to include my people! " the insolent 
 words rung in Walter's ears; the insolent look that had 
 gone with them swam before his eyes; he fled along the 
 Faubourg St. Honore, mad with rage and shame, but 
 could escape from neither. 
 
 There was only one road now! It lay straight across 
 the water to the Rue Fabert. The flimsy pretexts which 
 had kept him hitherto from De Morin's door should 
 serve no longer. They were worthless, utterly rotten ; 
 he saw that well enough, now that his mind was clarified
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 49 
 
 by blinding anger. What man, in the whole world, would 
 put up with such insults and again and again their 
 memory stung his face when, in their stead, he could 
 have a throne, and naught but flattery? 
 
 And he would have his throne, too, and keep it; and 
 crunch his heel upon the prostrate forms of these arro- 
 gant Fersens, Caraches, and Mendrils. " I can come 
 to Paris whenever I choose," my lord had said, in his 
 careless, self-satisfied drawl. We should see, we should 
 see. 
 
 Better still. Paris must, first of all, run with blood, so 
 that in the general commotion these creatures might be 
 caught and killed, like rats in a trap. Death was wel- 
 come, if it came as the price of such a revenge. 
 
 So, on and on he went, at times breaking into an un- 
 steady trot; his elegant clothes disarranged, his hat at 
 the back of his head and almost off, the money jingling 
 in all his pockets, and tie and watch-chain streaming to 
 the winds. Men turned to look at him and thought him 
 mad. They would have deemed him madder still, had 
 they known what it was he sought. 
 
 He plunged into the Rue Fabert. The sight of it did 
 not even sober him. He crashed through the common 
 hall of De Morin's house, stumbled up the steep stone 
 stairs, and stood breathless before the old man's door. 
 
 Then he paused to collect himself. Heart and head 
 were throbbing. The place swam before his eyes; and, 
 for an instant, he feared him this was death. But it 
 proved merely the effect of undue exertion on a seden- 
 tary and somewhat puffy subject. The surging subsided; 
 and Walter was presently well enough to tidy the out- 
 ward man. He did so very, very slowly. At last there 
 was positively nothing further to be done; he lifted his 
 hand towards the bell. He merely touched the knob 
 with his thumb; he could not press it. Twice he tried 
 to ring, twice he could not. The old dreads were on 
 him stronger than ever. With a groan of despair he 
 turned and retraced his steps slowly down the stairs. 
 
 He halted in the street, and wrestled with himself. 
 He recalled aloud Mendril's biting words. Their mem- 
 ory brought the blood duly into his cheeks. He repeated
 
 50 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 them. The scarlet thickened. He gave the strength 
 of his imagination to revive the picture. The picture 
 came. The young lord, handsome and scornful, stood 
 before him almost in the flesh. The rage and shame of 
 the whole business was no jot abated. But but he 
 could not turn and re-ascend the stairs. 
 
 He crossed the road; and on the opposite pavement 
 started a fresh rehearsal of the late incentives. Had he 
 turned his eyes at that moment up to De Morin's win- 
 dow, he would have seen the curtain twitched aside to 
 make way for a face which smiled somewhat ironically 
 down on his. But he didn't look; and presently the 
 curtain fell back into position. 
 
 "Be good enough not to include my people," said 
 he, copying Mendril's voice and gesture; "be good 
 enough not to include my people." 
 
 The sting had gained from constant repetition. It 
 dragged him back, step by step, his fears disputing 
 every inch, to the nearer pavement. It drove him 
 slowly, oh! so slowly! into the common hall, and forced 
 him up the steep stone stairs. 
 
 De Morin's flat was at the top. The nearer Walter 
 approached the stair-case skylight, the more his reluc- 
 tance increased. He never actually stopped, but he 
 went so slowly he hardly seemed to move. 
 
 The last step but one! the next, and he would be 
 upon De Morin's landing! Once again, had he not been 
 so self-absorbed, he might have noticed that the front 
 door was moving quite gently indeed, as though there 
 were some one the other side in wait to open it directly 
 the visitor stood well upon the threshold. 
 
 And in truth this must have been the case; for at the 
 moment Walter's foot touched the landing, the door was 
 opened noiselessly by an elderly maid-servant who 
 beckoned him in. 
 
 "Enter, if you please," she said; "my master is at 
 home." Her calm voice and stolid countenance hardly 
 suggested conspiracy, nevertheless Walter drew back. 
 
 "Come in," she repeated. "It is Monsieur Walter 
 Sadler, is it not? My master is expecting you."
 
 Chapter IV 
 
 "My dear Walter," said the Count de Morin, "I am 
 delighted to see you. It must be years since we last 
 met." 
 
 The speaker, who already had both Walter's hands 
 tightly clasped in his, was a venerable gentleman of 
 seventy and upwards, whose still erect figure and scarcely 
 wrinkled face bore witness to an old age free from care. 
 His whole appearance betokened a benign placidity. He 
 had two snow-white tufts of hair, one above either ear, 
 between which the crown of the head rose into a conical 
 point not obtrusively conical, be it said quite bald, 
 and very shiny. He had a smooth-shaved face and 
 diminutive, almost childlike features; he had small eyes, 
 of some colour which was indeterminable, they twinkled 
 so. And altogether he looked as safe and respectable 
 as the Bank of England. His clothes, too, could not 
 but inspire confidence. They were of an old-world cut. 
 The snow-white frill which he was forever intertwining 
 with his fingers, that is, when he was n't curling out his 
 tufts or pointing his shaggy eyebrows; his silver-buckle 
 shoes, which called for black silk hose, but did n't get 
 them ; the ample folds of his rich black broadcloth ah, 
 that man would be indeed an unbeliever, who, seeing 
 these things, still doubted the rectitude of their pos- 
 sessor! Walter gave in at once. The memory of his 
 recent suspicions sent the blood mantling to his cheeks. 
 He returned De Morin's hand-shake with equal warmth; 
 it was the most cordial grasp vouchsafed him for many 
 a long day. 
 
 "Welcome, welcome, my dear child," repeated the 
 Count, still holding him tight, but putting him also at 
 arm's-length, the better to survey him. "You have not
 
 52 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 changed at all. The same intelligent, well-dressed, well- 
 cared-for young fellow I recollect so well. A wee bit 
 thicker about the chin, perhaps," he added critically, 
 "nothing more. Brisson, I told you our young friend 
 would turn up in time, did I not?" 
 
 The room was rendered dark by heavy hangings and 
 a quantity of cumbersome and antiquated furniture. But 
 Walter, hearing this name, peered over De Morin's 
 shoulder till his gaze lit upon the Colonel's gaunt figure, 
 half hidden by the shadow of a black oak cabinet which 
 stood against the window. "Sit you down, my dear 
 child," the kindly old fellow rattled on; "no, not there, 
 like a poor relation; but here, between Brisson and me 
 you know Brisson, Colonel Brisson of the Engineers. 
 Brisson, I told you our dear boy would turn up sooner or 
 later." 
 
 The gallant officer, who was evidently busy all this 
 while keeping himself under some great restraint, bowed 
 without speaking. His face was as long drawn and 
 depressed as ever. And having made his bow, he turned 
 this melancholy visage to De Morin, in obvious ex- 
 pectancy. He remained standing. 
 
 "Come, Brisson, seat yourself. No ceremony here, 
 I beg," cried the Count, a little testily as it appeared to 
 Walter. "Now, dear child, some of your news. How 
 goes the bar, hey? " 
 
 The young man was utterly bewildered by this gush- 
 ing reception. "I have given up the bar," he said 
 vacantly; then, with more warmth, "I hate and loathe 
 its very name. I have abandoned it forever." 
 
 "Now that is extremely curious," said De Morin, 
 turning to Brisson, who was seated on the very edge of 
 his chair, and watching Walter with uneasy eyes, "very 
 curious indeed. Here 's this dear boy as clever as they 
 are made, with heaps of brains, and a great talker, I '11 
 be bound; and yet he hates the bar. Really, it reminds 
 me of another young advocate practising here in Paris, 
 also a dear friend of mine. He took to writing novels, 
 and attended his place of business about once a month. 
 He assures me that finally he came to dread going near 
 the place, sneaking down there as though it were another
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 53 
 
 establishment with with offspring. He is a most im- 
 maculate young fellow, and happily married besides; and 
 I am quite sure he has never had actual cause to feel the 
 sensation he describes so vividly. So you hate it, 
 hey? " The Count broke off abruptly, and began to 
 feel for his pocket-handkerchief. He found it, and 
 passed it across his eyes, then commenced afresh in tones 
 of subdued sweetness, putting the tears into his voice: 
 
 "My dear Walter, I was forgetting. How is your 
 poor guardian? Stop, do not give me that hackneyed 
 answer, I beg. I know it well enough already; and I 
 also know how he is. He is full of joy and happiness 
 and satisfaction. He passes day and night in contem- 
 plating the many good deeds performed during life; and 
 his time is perfect peace. He is happy, as you and I 
 shall be, and possibly Brisson here, when we are sum- 
 moned," and De Morin blew his nose. "You go to 
 mass regularly? " he went on in the same subdued strain; 
 then promptly stifled the question "Ah, I forgot, you 
 and your dear guardian are Anglican. Never mind, we 
 shall meet in Heaven. Thank goodness, there are no 
 religions there," and the old gentleman said it as if he 
 meant it. 
 
 After a decent interval lasting about five seconds, De 
 Morin turned once more to earthly things. "A little 
 more of your news, my dear creature." 
 
 "I have no news," Walter responded sulkily. He 
 fancied that he began to see the meaning of these tactics. 
 
 " Monseig the gentleman has not come to talk, but 
 to listen," growled Brisson. 
 
 "Colonel, I beg! No news, dear Walter? Surely, 
 you must have plenty. To begin with, how do you like 
 Paris?" 
 
 "I like it well enough," came the grumbling answer. 
 
 "And the Verres, and Carache, and the rest of your 
 fine friends? And tell me," this with a wag of his 
 finger and a twinkle of his bird-like eyes, "tell me, 
 how long do you imagine all this is going to last on six 
 thousand pounds? You rogue, you! I hear that the 
 Rue de Berlin, forty-seven B, is a positive dream. No 
 wonder you hate the bar."
 
 54 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Perhaps his perhaps Monsieur does not mean it to 
 last on six thousand pounds," a second growl from 
 Brisson. 
 
 " Colonel, I beg!" cried De Morin, in identically the 
 same tone as before. 
 
 "Walter, Walter, I shall have to come poking my 
 old nose into that flat of yours, and see that you do not 
 go the pace too fast. Do n't forget," he added, with a 
 touch of genuine anxiety; "in a way I am your guar- 
 dian now. I have n't mentioned the fact before, be- 
 cause because you are a trifle too old to need a regular 
 guardian any longer. But always remember that I am 
 the nearest friend, now that our poor, dear, stanch old 
 hero is no more." 
 
 It was the most encouraging thing he had said yet. 
 It moreover gave Walter something of an opportunity. 
 
 "For that very reason," the latter blurted out, "I 
 have come to you to-night." Colonel Brisson at once 
 brightened up, and seemed sorely tempted to give our 
 hero a little verbal encouragement; but Walter could get 
 no further. 
 
 "Of course, of course," the Count said soothingly; 
 " I knew you would always remember the old days the 
 dear old days at Harrow. Brisson told me you were in 
 Paris, and about your curious meeting," and all the time 
 the old gentleman was saying this he kept Brisson under 
 a stony stare, which never varied. "I do call it a 
 curious meeting. You, and he, and his dear mother, are 
 my three nearest and dearest friends, you first; but 
 only a leetle way. and then merely because you are the 
 youngest, and still need protection. Well, Brisson told 
 me you were in Paris, consequently I have been living 
 in daily expectation of a visit. I have not had to wait 
 long. Let me see! I returned from Aix on Monday. 
 This is, one, two, three, yes, this is my third day at 
 home. If I had n't been so old a friend," he cooed, " I 
 daresay I should have had to wait longer; a week or a 
 fortnight at least. You rogue! What, with your Verres 
 and Caraches and Pontcoulants, and your receptions at 
 the Elysee, and your bijou palace in the Rue de Berlin, 
 it 's only the oldest friends who get even a look in."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 55 
 
 Walter glanced across helplessly at Brisson, at last 
 recognizing him as an ally and a friend. And Brisson 
 glanced back helplessly at Walter. But neither could 
 make a way for the other. The kindly old De Morin 
 seemed to be enjoying himself far too much to think of 
 allowing the conversation to become general. 
 
 "Now, that's all wonderfully interesting," he con- 
 tinued, without pausing, as though Walter had just com- 
 pleted a long discourse, " wonderfully interesting. Tell 
 me more more, my child. When did you first make up 
 your mind to quit London? " 
 
 "A little less than a month ago," very sullenly. 
 Colonel Brisson, who had been fidgetting all this while 
 uneasily in his chair, could contain himself no longer. 
 Those trifling outbursts, already alluded to as stillborn, 
 naturally afforded him no relief. He now proceeded to 
 deliver himself of an observation, which the usual "Col- 
 onel, I beg! " from De Morin, could not manage to stifle. 
 In itself the remark was not profound. 
 
 "You should remember, Count" "Colonel, I 
 beg!" "No, pardon me, you should remember that 
 Monsieur Sadler has probably many things to ask you," 
 and the Colonel looked hard at Walter. 
 
 "Yes, truly," cried the latter, seizing upon this op- 
 portunity in sheer desperation, and now utterly careless 
 as to the possible chance of making a fool of himself. 
 "A few moments ago you called yourself my nearest 
 friend? " 
 
 De Morin nodded. 
 
 "And I I regard you as my only friend." 
 
 De Morin nodded again. 
 
 "You know as much about me as I do myself. While 
 I have known you ever since I can remember." 
 
 De Morin nodded a third time. 
 
 "It is not a pleasant thing to be in total ignorance 
 about one's parents," continued Walter, trying another 
 avenue of approach. 
 
 " I quite agree with you. " 
 
 "I am sure that it will be within your recollection 
 that I frequently tried to find out from my guardian who 
 my parents really were."
 
 56 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Quite." 
 
 "And that he always answered that he was not at 
 liberty to tell." 
 
 " Which was the fact, I feel certain." 
 "The week before he died I pressed him again upon 
 this point, and he repulsed me with the same excuse. 
 After his death I went to his papers, hoping to discover 
 therein some mention of my parentage and history. But 
 I could find never a word." 
 
 "What a careful fellow he was," sighed De Morin. 
 
 "Never a word," Walter went on, waxing a trifle 
 more emphatic; "though I searched his papers through 
 and through from beginning to end, and spent days in 
 looking." 
 
 "Possibly you did not get hold of all his papers, " 
 the Count suggested, anxiously. 
 
 "Oh, yes, I did; Mr Wyse saw to that. I went 
 through all his papers without finding so much as a single 
 word about myself." 
 
 "Very distressing indeed, I admit it." 
 
 Walter was at a loss how to continue. He mentally 
 rehearsed half a hundred different ways, shelving the 
 difficulty at last by this abrupt question: 
 
 " Who am I? Who was my father?" 
 
 De Morin became suddenly grave. 
 
 "Do you really ask me that question?" 
 
 "Certainly, I do. If you know, tell me. I have been 
 ignorant too long." 
 
 "I know, "said De Morin dubiously; "I know, but 
 but Be good enough to repeat your request slowly." 
 
 Walter's heart was beating very, very fast under the 
 strain of these preliminaries. "Who am I? Who was 
 my father?" he repeated, this time with a voice that 
 shook. 
 
 " Brisson, you hear him?" 
 
 " I hear him," growled the ever-candid Colonel; " and 
 I regard your precautions as quite ridiculous. " De Morin 
 rose and moved slowly towards the cabinet against which 
 the last speaker had his chair. Unfastening what seemed 
 to Walter an intolerable quantity of locks, he drew forth 
 a bundle of papers, old letters they looked like, mostly
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 57 
 
 begrimed and yellow with age. His next move was to 
 the door: "Marie," he shouted, his glossy head dis- 
 appearing for a moment, " we are not on any account to 
 be disturbed. These gentlemen will not stay to supper." 
 The head reappeared, and the body moved towards the 
 table. He seated himself, and with a single twist of his 
 hand undid the bundle so that the papers lay in a scat- 
 tered heap before him. 
 
 And this had been done with the most intense delib- 
 eration. Walter felt that, having waited so long, he could 
 afford to wait a little longer. 
 
 " Come, gentlemen, " the Count cried presently, "seat 
 yourselves. Brisson here, and Walter on my left; that's 
 right now we are cosy." 
 
 "Walter," he began with great gravity, and turning 
 half round in his arm-chair so as to look that young gentle- 
 man straight in the face, " always remember this, what 
 I am about to tell you, is told you solely on your solici- 
 tation. If trouble comes hereafter, either to you or to 
 others, mind, no responsibility attaches to me." 
 
 "I understand," Walter rejoined. 
 
 "That is settled," more cheerfully. " Now to busi- 
 ness. And, first of all, permit me to remark that our dear 
 friend Brisson here and Madame have considerably dis- 
 counted the surprise you might otherwise have felt, had 
 you come to me direct for your story." 
 
 "Then it is true," murmured Sadler; and, strange as 
 it may seem, he felt no particular emotion. 
 
 "Yes, it is true," De Morin replied, slightly smiling. 
 " You are a Bonaparte." 
 
 " The Bonaparte," cried Brisson. 
 
 " The Bonaparte, if you prefer it. And may you 
 never regret Walter Sadler." 
 
 " My name? " " Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. Your 
 father was Paul Bonaparte, grandson, by an earlier and 
 an unknown marriage, of the great Emperor." "Then 
 I am Napoleon's great-grandson?" gasped Walter. 
 "Yes, I trust it will bring you luck," and De Morin 
 looked dubious. 
 
 "My God! how could I have endured Pimlico? " 
 
 "There is more honour in store for you," the elder
 
 58 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 continued with a grin. "You are my great-nephew. 
 Your mother was a Mademoiselle Zenia, daughter of my 
 lamented wife's only sister. Now for your story." The 
 Count de Morin cleared his throat, threw himself back 
 in his chair to inspect the ceiling, took a deep breath, 
 and so at last began : 
 
 "In the December of 1789, Second-Lieutenant Bona- 
 parte, then barely twenty, being at home on leave of 
 absence, secretly married the daughter of an Italian 
 doctor whose family had been for many generations res- 
 ident in Sartena. Here is the document attesting the 
 marriage. It never quitted Napoleon's possession. He 
 kept it among his scent-bottles: that stain is eau-de- 
 cologne. The sub-lieutenant remained near his wife 
 exactly fourteen months. It was a love-match, you 
 observe. A child was born, December, 1790; and twelve 
 weeks later, Napoleon returned to France. He never 
 saw his wife again. And in a few years, when Pauline 
 found that he had gone forever, she migrated with her 
 child to Cremona, whence her family had sprung. She 
 received a handsome allowance on condition that she 
 never attempted to divulge her secret. She obeyed like a 
 sensible woman. Report says she felt not the slightest 
 envy towards either Josephine or Marie Louise. She 
 kept her boy in total ignorance as to his parentage. 
 1 Dr. Capelli (the lad followed his maternal grandfather's 
 profession, and retained the latter's name) lived his 
 whole life in peace in Cremona, and died in 1840, leav- 
 ing one son. This son, Paul Lucien Capelli, was your 
 father. Here, if you care to see them, are the certifi- 
 cates bearing witness to these facts. 
 
 " Now, my own father, as you doubtless know 
 already, was for many years confidential servant to the 
 Emperor. He alone, of those who surrounded the 
 throne, learnt of this early marriage, and in accordance 
 with his master's orders, handed the story unto me, with 
 this expression of his Majesty's desire no, do not 
 bother to read it all; there are the important words: ' If 
 the line through the Empress fails, then I direct that my 
 descendants by my marriage with Pauline Capelli, now 
 domiciled in Cremona, shall ascend the throne.' Papa
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 59 
 
 died in 1834. I was but fourteen years of age; besides, 
 there was no throne to enjoy: it appeared to me that 
 Capelli was happier giving pills to the people of Cre- 
 mona than chasing phantoms. My trials began when 
 Louis Napoleon became head of the family. Strasbourg 
 threw me into a ferment, quite prematurely, as you can 
 understand. Your father, Lucien Capelli, continued to 
 live on quietly in Cremona with his widowed mother. 
 He had money, and no taste for medicine, and slid into a 
 life of amiable dilettantism, which sometimes roused 
 itself sufficiently to do a little gardening. 
 
 " December, 1848, is a great date in the history of 
 your house. Louis Napoleon, who knew your story, sent 
 for me the night he was elected President, and repeated, 
 in substance, what he had said at Strasbourg twelve years 
 before. ' Your Cremonese family must wait until I, and 
 any son of mine, have done. Should my direct line fail, 
 then the Bonapartes of Sartena may follow.' Could I 
 be anything else but satisfied, I, a poor courtier? Un- 
 happily, though I am exceedingly sagacious, I am also a 
 trifle talkative. My wife divulged the secret to her 
 sister, a woman who was as full of ambitions, intrigues, 
 and schemes as some lemons are of juice. This sister 
 (and you must forgive my speaking ill of your deceased 
 grandmother) went to Cremona in 1860 with the delibe- 
 rate intention of trapping your father into a marriage 
 with her daughter. Cremona is only a small place suf- 
 fice to say, her wild project succeeded. How, I cannot 
 tell you; but Madame Zenia was no ordinary woman, 
 while Mademoiselle, your future mother, possessed a 
 face that certainly could not be termed ill-looking. 
 However that may be, the fact remains. Before he was 
 thirty-one, your poor father found himself burdened with 
 an ambitious and discontented wife, and a secret which 
 was to prove his ruin. 
 
 " They came to Paris and ordered me to place them 
 upon the throne. I ask you, what could I do? I took 
 what I still think was my wisest course: I brought your 
 father face to face with the Emperor. The latter re- 
 peated what he had told me three times already. He 
 consented to make your father an allowance, only stip-
 
 60 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ulating that the matter should be kept the profound 
 secret it still was. Your father, who loved quiet and 
 good living, consented readily. He bought a comfort- 
 able house at Versailles; gave out that he was a wealthy 
 Brazilian coffee-planter; and spent his days tending his 
 garden. Madame, however, and that terrible mother- 
 in-law, took the matter less philosophically. Your birth 
 in 1869 redoubled their bitterness, their passionate re- 
 proaches. The miseries of 1870 gave them their chance. 
 On the morning of the Empress's flight, this poor fellow, 
 urged on by his women, sallied forth at the head of two 
 footmen, a coachman, and a groom, all of whom 
 deserted him at the first opportunity, and made for 
 Paris. At the barrier they strove to capture him un- 
 harmed. He set his back to the wall and fought valiantly 
 for his throne. There was nothing to be done but try 
 and wing him, and in the attempt they shot him through 
 the heart. Thus the Empire devolved upon you and 
 another unhappy little boy who was already a fugitive. 
 
 " I was busy myself at the time, I can tell you. The 
 government were flattering enough to call for me, alive 
 or dead. At Calais I had to hide for twelve whole days 
 in sight of sanctuary! But to get back to your affairs. 
 It fell to my lot to carry the terrible news to Versailles. 
 And, busy as I was, I placed my very being at the disposal 
 of you and your unhappy mother. My poor wife was 
 good enough to take charge of Madame Zenia. Yes, I was 
 devotion itself. It was a danger for me even to be seen 
 about the streets, but in your service I showed myself a 
 lion. First of all, I attended to your father's burial. 
 You shall visit the grave: Paul Lucien Capelli we have 
 called him on his tomb. Then I carried you and 
 Madame over to England, and deposited the two of you 
 in a dear little cottage at Malvern Wells. From Malvern 
 I went to Chiselhurst, and, I can assure you, proved 
 equally invaluable. I spent that winter and the spring 
 of '71 in London. Being thus, so to speak, half way 
 between both families, I was able to assist either with 
 my sagacity and experience. Your poor mother relapsed 
 by degrees into a state of placid resignation. At any 
 rate, she had you with her; and I need scarcely say that
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 61 
 
 every week you gave some fresh signs of your later in- 
 telligence and high character. But dear little cottages 
 in the country need money to keep them up; and your 
 mother's pecuniary outlook caused me a deal of anxiety. 
 The allowance made to her husband during the continu- 
 ance of the Empire had ceased with its fall; and, as 
 you know, or will know, by and by, one cannot go on 
 indefinitely living upon capital. In desperation I ven- 
 tured to speak to the ex-Emperor about the matter. I 
 regret to say, the only time I ever saw him smile after 
 his disasters was when I mentioned your poor father's 
 heroic death. But he behaved very generously, all the 
 same. He could not, of course, be expected to continue 
 the old allowance; but he substituted a yearly sum which 
 amply sufficed for your modest menage, as well as for 
 the amount of education you personally needed at the 
 time it was n't much. He also appointed me your guar- 
 dian, with power to delegate my office if I found this neces- 
 sary. As regards the throne, he informed me, without 
 moving a muscle of his face, that he was not thinking of 
 thrones just then. 
 
 "Prince Louis was present at our interview. 'This 
 is the man you must speak to on that subject,' said his 
 father, with love in his voice, the love which always came 
 at such times; 'not to me. He is fated to restore the 
 fortunes of our house; not I,' and, as I remember, he 
 laid his hand tenderly upon the boy's shoulder. Poor 
 father, " De Morin here paused to ejaculate with a touch 
 of genuine pathos, "he paid a very heavy price for 
 Sedan." 
 
 The upshot of it all was that Prince Louis agreed to 
 take his little cousin under his charge. He visited Mal- 
 vern, and kissed you and petted you, and no doubt 
 looked upon this loving condescension as the first stone 
 in the rebuilding of his Empire. Your mother's cottage 
 stood in the midst of a delightful garden. It was a 
 pretty sight, I can tell you, to see you two children play- 
 ing together upon the shaded lawn, both of you so help- 
 less, despite the thirteen years that lay between you; 
 both so helpless, and both heirs to the same great
 
 62 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Empire, which no one believed for an instant you would, 
 either of you, ever win back. 
 
 "But that was a time when death was very busy in 
 your family. Madame Zenia survived the son-in-law, 
 whom she had assisted to kill, by about three months; 
 and your poor mother took to her bed in the autumn of 
 1871, and never left it. She died the November of the 
 same year. On her deathbed she tried to make me 
 promise solemnly that I would never tell you your story. 
 Obviously, I could give no such undertaking. But I met 
 her half way. I passed her my sacred word that I would 
 never volunteer any statement upon the subject. Of 
 course, if you asked me point blank, the thing would be 
 different. You observe, I have carried out her instruc- 
 tions to the very letter." 
 
 "And acted very foolishly, in my opinion," was the 
 uncompromising suggestion from Brisson. 
 
 "I am the sole judge of that," De Morin rejoined 
 with dignity. " Poor thing, her husband's tragic fate 
 had sobered her wonderfully. She dreaded nothing so 
 much as empire. Prince Louis' visits were her dreariest 
 days. Nothing pleased her more than the thought that 
 he was strong and healthy, and might live to have many 
 children. 'My boy needs no throne,' was among the 
 last things she said to me. ' He will be clever he is 
 clever; he can make a name for himself in England.' 
 You were sitting beside the bed, and she took you in her 
 arms and fondled you. Happily she did not suffer much, 
 nor linger. I verily believe that my qualified assurances 
 helped to ease any physical pain she may have felt. I 
 remember, the night she died, she made me repeat them; 
 then passed into darkness with a radiant face. Poor 
 thing, she was not of the stuff queens are made of. 
 Your future now came forward as a question demanding 
 an immediate answer. The ex-Emperor lay dying at 
 Chiselhurst. They could not take you there, even had 
 they so desired. I felt too confirmed a bird of passage 
 to offer my services. I had, moreover, already moved 
 into this flat, and I did not see my way to housing con- 
 traband, even in small quantities. Your old guardian 
 stepped into the breach. He had managed your cousin's
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 63 
 
 English investments of which there were a good many, 
 I can assure you for close on twenty years. He was 
 thoroughly upright and reliable; and, as you know better 
 than any one can tell you, benevolence itself." 
 
 "You are right there," Walter interposed with 
 softened voice. 
 
 "Well, the thing was arranged; and it proved the last 
 piece of business the ex-Emperor transacted. You were 
 to pass altogether into your new guardian's keeping, 
 taking six thousand pounds with you, exactly half of the 
 amount settled a few months earlier upon your mother. 
 I, faithful to the last, carried you to Harrow, and handed 
 you into my successor's keeping. We agreed that you 
 would do better with an English name, that among 
 other things, of course, to show you with what thorough- 
 ness we managed your affairs. And to show you, further- 
 more, on what small incidents great issues hang, I may 
 mention that we called you Walter after your guardian; 
 and Sadler, because we happened to discuss the matter 
 in a harness-shop in Piccadilly. You must have passed 
 your baptismal font a million times. From Harrow I 
 returned to Paris with the feeling that I might now rest 
 a while as a good and faithful servant. For near forty 
 years had I been working on behalf of the Capelli branch. 
 And right well, so I considered, had I performed my 
 task. This charming flat received me. I determined 
 that it should serve as the haven of my declining years. 
 
 " But God disposes. In 1879 and you must forgive 
 these dates: they are necessary the English slaughtered 
 the Prince Imperial. To the outside world the head- 
 ship of the family now devolved upon Prince Napoleon, 
 son of the late King Jerome. It became necessary for 
 me to start my work afresh; to commence, so to speak, 
 once again with Strasbourg. The grass never grows 
 under my feet. I started out for England at an hour's 
 notice to lay these papers before the new Pretender. 
 Plon-Plon, I beg your pardon,! 'm sure, Prince Napoleon 
 accorded me but a doubtful welcome. The late Emperor 
 had been far too fond of me for the Prince to trust my 
 protestations of fidelity and friendship. The latter was po- 
 lite, but also very, very frigid. My story drove him into a
 
 64 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 paroxysm of rage. He declared the thing to be a ' plant ' 
 a piece of posthumous spite on the part of his late cousin. 
 God knew, he did n't want to be head of the wretched 
 family. He wished to heavens that the whole lot of 
 them, except himself, were at the bottom of the Red 
 Sea. He did n't hanker after the throne. All he asked 
 for was to be left in peace. But but but he had no 
 intention of being supplanted by a wretched supposititious 
 infant. If the firm was to continue at all, the time had 
 arrived for it to be represented by some one of the blood. 
 But he could not get over the documents. And to do 
 Plon the Prince this justice, once he felt really satis- 
 fied, he showed himself overwhelmed with joy. He 
 wrung me warmly by the hand; told me again and again 
 that I had rendered him a great service; and declared at 
 parting that if only the gods were kind enough ' not to 
 make this little Capelli creature inquisitive,' you, and he 
 and I, between us, would stifle all the life out of the 
 Napoleonic legend, and manage to hand down some sort 
 of peace to our respective descendants. I informed him 
 that, personally I had n't got any descendants. He 
 replied it did not matter; he meant figuratively. 
 
 "So I spread your story far and wide. Plon-Plon's 
 children learnt of you, and shrugged their shoulders. 
 They are shrugging them now. ' If Capelli wants the 
 throne,' say they, 'let him fight for it himself. We 
 sha'n't fight for him.' Soon every Bonapartist through- 
 out France came to know your history. The Capelli 
 tomb is a sort of minor Invalides. Carache, when he is 
 very angry, sometimes declares that he will have your 
 poor papa exhumed and scattered to the winds. But 
 not a soul, save Brisson here, and Brisson's dear mother, 
 could say what had become of you subsequent to your 
 disappearance from Malvern Wells. Plon-Plon, to be 
 sure, got this much out of me : that you were living some- 
 where in England, and under an assumed name: and 
 that you were not to be told your history unless you 
 asked for it. That much quite satisfied him. Your 
 advent offered a chance of ending Imperialism for good 
 and all. 'Because one man is an undertaker,' was a 
 favourite saying with him, ' is no reason why his descend-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 65 
 
 ants should be undertakers; and neither I nor little 
 Capelli have any desire to be Emperors.' In this way 
 Plon-Plon, who could succeed in nothing, ' not even in 
 dying,' yet went out of life a comparatively happy man. 
 " It becomes necessary to explain Brisson. And really 
 when I reflect what an unmitigated nuisance he has been 
 in the matter, I find this explanation the most difficult 
 thing of all. I am getting old. I am old. My poor 
 wife is dead, blessed be her memory! She is with your 
 guardian, or, I should say, they are both in the same 
 place. I have no son. My only near relative is my 
 nephew Louis," and the kindly old gentleman looked 
 across at Walter with great affection. "Accordingly, I 
 entrusted the secret to Brisson, my oldest and closest 
 friend; and Brisson entrusted it to his dear mother be- 
 cause well, because she is a lady of somewhat decided 
 character, and because Brisson, though over forty and 
 a colonel of engineers, is still a dutiful son. You and I, 
 dear Louis, who are orphans, cannot understand the 
 influence which a strong-minded mother will always exert 
 over her only child. But that is by the way; and I can 
 assure you, my darling nephew, I have had ample cause 
 to regret taking this docile creature into my confidence. 
 From the day he first learnt the secret he has not left me 
 a single minute's peace. Have you, Brisson? To look 
 at him, one would put down eloquence as the least likely 
 of his accomplishments; but you should hear him on 
 'Walter Sadler.' Couldn't you repeat some of the 
 things for Louis' benefit? Oh, the folly he talked! He 
 declared that I was cheating you out of your inheritance; 
 France out of its rightful sovereign; and the Lord knows 
 whom besides out of the Lord knows what. He main- 
 tained that my promise to your mother was no prom- 
 ise; that she had no right to exact it; that I had no 
 right to give it; and that it could not possibly be kept. 
 And once a week regularly, I do assure you, he would rush 
 out of this dining-room, declaring as he went that he 
 intended to go straight to the Gare du Nord and Pimlico. 
 I had one invariable answer. I always told him that he 
 might go, but if he did, I should burn the papers. Yes, 
 he grew quite mad on the subject. He used to see you
 
 66 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 at every corner. In the streets he would suddenly clutch 
 my arm, and, pointing to some sandwich-man or cab- 
 driver, shout out that you had come. Hence his unex- 
 pected appearance at Aix the other day did not serve to 
 convince me that you were really here. Madame, who, 
 you may have noticed, has rather different views about 
 you, backed up her son's assertion. But I felt convinced 
 that both of them, in their separate ways, had arrived at 
 the same monomania, and I remained incredulous. To 
 satisfy Brisson, I wrote to London. Your landlady replied 
 that you had left for Paris, address unknown. The 
 same day came a letter from Madame Brisson enclosing 
 your card, which she had recovered from the dustbin. 
 After that, of course, further doubts upon the matter 
 became altogether impossible. Another hint as to your 
 doings reached me through my broker, Petrophorous. " 
 
 De Morin cleared his throat for the peroration. 
 " There, my dear Louis, you have your story as com- 
 pletely as I can give it you. Your destiny henceforth is 
 in your own hands. My task is done. Ah, Brisson, in 
 finding this sole remaining relative, you have lost him to 
 me forever. His fond old uncle, who shielded his child- 
 hood and lightened the road of adolescence, must now 
 yield place to an admiring world. The guardian becomes 
 a subject. I lose my nephew; I regain my Prince. Dear 
 kinsman, farewell. Welcome, your Imperial Highness. 
 Brisson, I forgive you." 
 
 Napoleon flung away all remnants of Walter Sadler. 
 
 " Count de Morin," he said impressively, "I thank 
 you from the bottom of my heart."
 
 Chapter V 
 
 Meanwhile Colonel Brisson stood at attention. " lam 
 waiting," he said, in reply to a question from De Morin, 
 " until it shall please his Majesty to address me." 
 
 " My good friend," the Count cried fiercely, " please 
 understand that we Bonapartists do not hold the doc- 
 trine of indefeasible divine right. There is no throne in 
 France, therefore there can be no Emperor. Your 
 Highness, am I not right?" 
 
 " Something might be said for the doctrine," Napo- 
 leon began, pompously. 
 
 " It might, but it is n't. We do n't split such hairs in 
 France. And now I really must be off to my constitu- 
 tional. Come and lunch on the ist of July. Till then 
 we may as well adjourn. There, that is settled. Possi- 
 bly you would like to walk with me. Mind, no busi- 
 ness indeed, it would not be safe in the streets." 
 
 " Thank you, I fear I am too weak-minded to talk or 
 even think of anything save what you are pleased to 
 call 'business.' I daresay Colonel Brisson is of my 
 opinion? " 
 
 "Assuredly, Monseigneur. De Morin's task is only 
 half performed. He has told you the past; it remains 
 for him to help you consider the future." 
 
 "There is no future." 
 
 "At least we two can get to work at once," Brisson 
 went on, unmindful. "The Count can join in, directly 
 he returns. We could sup here, and sit on till a very 
 late hour: well, De Morin? " 
 
 " Absolutely impossible. Marie has the evening off : 
 there can't be any supper here to-night." 
 
 " Perhaps his Highness will accompany me to the 
 Rue du Bac?" 
 
 67
 
 68 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "I shall be delighted." 
 
 "Your dear mother may not prove over-amiable," 
 De Morin interjected, with a malicious chuckle. 
 
 " I forgot. There remains my apartment in the Rue 
 de Penthievre. Monseigneur's homeward road takes 
 him past the gates." 
 
 " Admirable. Let us drive there at once." 
 
 De Morin glared at the two of them, virtuous indig- 
 nation writ large on every feature of his mobile face. 
 
 "Colonel Brisson, lam ashamed of you. The bar- 
 racks! Why not the Prefecture at once? Really, did I 
 not know you, I should commence to doubt your good 
 faith." 
 
 "What do you mean? " shouted the worthy Colonel, 
 his face, his whole frame, working like some volcano be- 
 fore an eruption. "What do you mean, you you " 
 
 Monseigneur, who was really doing uncommonly well, 
 calmed him with a gesture full of dignity and grace. 
 
 "I would accompany Colonel Brisson anywhere," the 
 Prince said sternly. "My dear Colonel, you have for- 
 gotten my own abode in the Rue de Berlin. You shall 
 come home and sup with me. We can have a busy even- 
 ing all to ourselves over my affairs." 
 
 The faithful fellow made his usual answer a deep 
 bow eloquent of intense devotion. 
 
 De Morin meanwhile had drifted back to his former 
 seat by the table. "I suppose I shall have to 
 forego my constitutional," said he, making a plaintive 
 attempt at humour. " It must not be said that I failed 
 my master the very first time he directly demanded my 
 poor services, " and he gazed across at Napoleon with 
 an affection which said quite plainly, " I wish to heaven 
 my dear master had stayed and perished in Pimlico. " 
 
 He next proceeded to smile viciously at the hand-bell 
 which stood at his elbow. "Marie, "he said, "these 
 gentlemen will stop to supper. Now," he continued 
 after the servant had withdrawn, " to business, my 
 friends, if you please "; then, sinking his head onto his 
 arm, he relapsed into sullen gloom. 
 
 "I could not have come at a more propitious mo- 
 ment," Napoleon began.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 69 
 
 "Indeed, no," rejoined Brisson. "France has only 
 to hear your name, to offer you the throne. I have told 
 De Morin so repeatedly." 
 
 " Everything helps to confirm that view. I do not 
 mind confessing I have kept eyes and ears open during 
 the last few days. The man in the street is waiting for 
 me." 
 
 "I disagree altogether," snarled De Morin. "The 
 psychological moment if it was ever with us has gone 
 by. January, yes; your highness might have done some- 
 thing. Since then, however, things have righted them- 
 selves. The chance possibly never existed at all: it 
 certainly exists no longer." 
 
 " De Morin, you are wrong," from Brisson. 
 " I can only say you ought to have summoned me in 
 January." 
 
 "You forget my promise to your mother." 
 " The Emperor has no mother," the Prince exclaimed 
 grandiloquently, regretting these foolish words the in- 
 stant they were uttered. 
 
 "That may be as it may," De Morin sneered. "The 
 one incontrovertible fact remains the time has gone 
 by." 
 
 " De Morin, you are wrong," from the warrior in the 
 corner. 
 
 "If you were to declare yourself to-day, you would 
 be laughed at. Carache would merely send a couple of 
 gens-d'armes down to the Rue de Berlin with orders to 
 effect your arrest. Believe me, not a soul in Paris ex- 
 cept Brisson perhaps, and of course myself, would dare 
 to raise a finger in your defence. The two of us might, 
 and no doubt would, fly to the barricades; but what are 
 two against gens-d'armes? Brisson and I would be com- 
 pelled to surrender. What comes next? I cannot pre- 
 dict precisely. In all probability nothing worse than 
 expulsion. So much for his Imperial Majesty Napo- 
 leon IV!" 
 
 " You are wrong; you are wrong, " Brisson vociferated, 
 growing quite voluble with excitement. "There never 
 was a more fitting time. One has only to walk about the 
 streets to see it."
 
 70 'THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "You and his Highness have sharp eyes," sneered 
 De Morin. 
 
 "We are not intentionally blind," from Napoleon. 
 
 " Everywhere I go," Brisson continued, " I hear the 
 same thing. Not a man but agrees that the time is ripe 
 for a. coup d'etat, while most appear to regret that there is 
 no pretender handy to make one. This feeling prevails 
 especially in the army. I am a soldier; De Morin isn't. 
 Surely I must know better than he." 
 
 "I have yet to learn that one battalion of engineers 
 constitutes ' the army.' >! 
 
 "Your Highness knows what I mean. I repeat, 
 there is not a private through the length and breadth of 
 France who isn't sick to death of the Republic. We 
 want Alsace-Lorraine back. What good are twenty- 
 seven years of work and study, if we are not to use it? 
 We want Alsace-Lorraine back. And we shall never get 
 it while this wretched Republic continues." 
 
 "We should never have lost it," murmured De Morin, 
 "were this 'wretched Republic' a little bit older." 
 
 "We should never have had it to lose, were the Re- 
 public older still," Brisson rejoined, surprising himself 
 and every one else with his knowledge of history. " No, 
 no; a dictator won it, and only a dictator can recover it. 
 If little Mesnil were to capture it for us, he might be 
 Emperor half an hour later. Believe me, Monseigneur, 
 the army will side with you to a man. As for Paris 
 well, you have not been three weeks in Paris without 
 learning for yourself how far the Parisians will go, pro- 
 vided they get the chance." 
 
 "And I maintain exactly the contrary. My dear 
 Brisson, you entirely misapprehend the real significance 
 of the present disquiet. So far from making for a dicta- 
 torship, France is steadily drifting away even from such 
 authority as a republic can supply. Socialism is the 
 next change we shall have to look forward to, not em- 
 pire. Believe me. I am a profound student of politics, 
 and always have been since my father's death. In 1848 
 I was in the thick of things; I saw the coup d'etat of '52 
 from a second-floor balcony in the Place Vendome, and 
 nearly got my nose carried off by a stray bullet. Peo-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 71 
 
 pie were indifferent then, and your Highness will add 
 that they are indifferent now; but take my word for it, 
 their present indifference is of another kind. I cannot 
 tell you how cr why; but you will discover the fact 
 quickly for yourself should you be fo , silly enough to 
 follow this great goose here. He knows that I am right. 
 In his heart of hearts he knows it, only he dare n't own 
 up. The army, above all, is honeycombed with socialistic 
 treason." 
 
 "I deny it," cried Brisson fiercely. "You have no 
 right to tell such an infamous lie." 
 
 "Tut-tut, you are not loyal to the Republic. Why 
 should the rest be? " 
 
 " I don't understand you. I don't understand your 
 long harangue, and I don't want to. I daresay you do 
 not understand it yourself. But I know this, there is n't 
 a word of truth in it from beginning to end. Not a sin- 
 gle word. What you say about socialism and anarchy 
 proves that you are wrong. A minority of discontented 
 failures will be able to throw the country into disorder 
 if the Republic lasts much longer. Why? Simply be- 
 cause decent people are for a dictator." 
 
 " You talk like a child. You cannot argue; and it is 
 impossible to gather from yourwords what it is you mean." 
 
 "Bah, I have had enough of your rudeness. Mon- 
 seigneur, " turning with a very changed demeanour to 
 Napoleon, "you only need show yourself, to be hailed as 
 saviour of society." 
 
 " Brisson, you do his Highness no service to say such 
 things." 
 
 " I presume his Highness desires to hear the truth." 
 
 "If it were the truth." 
 
 "It is the truth," flashed Brisson. "You know it as 
 well as I do. You have some purpose of your own to 
 serve by this." 
 
 " You are childish. " 
 
 " You are dishonest." 
 
 The Count shrugged his shoulders. "After all, it is 
 for the Prince to decide." 
 
 Napoleon looked immensely wise and cleared his 
 throat.
 
 72 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Then, De Morin, you think that I ought not to make 
 an attempt? " 
 
 " I say it with great regret, no! " 
 
 " Never? " 
 
 " Not at present, nor until and unless things change 
 very much from their condition at this moment. And 
 that will be a long time, I fear." 
 
 " And what do you propose I shall do meanwhile? " 
 
 "You can go on living quietly in the Rue de Berlin. 
 Brisson and I alone have your identity: be 'Walter Sad- 
 ler ' still to the rest of the world. And the three of us 
 will employ our spare time watching for the psychologi- 
 cal moment." 
 
 " You say it will never come? " 
 
 "It might not; still there is no harm watching." 
 
 "One cannot go on indefinitely living upon capital," 
 Napoleon murmured with some significance. 
 
 "You need have no fears on that score," said De 
 Morin, eagerly seizing what he took to be the other's 
 meaning. " Not the least in the world. Your party will 
 make that all right. I am positive they won't object to 
 anything in reason. Let me see, there is no one at 
 present in receipt of money. No one needs it. Yes, the 
 time is most propitious for a pension. I daresay I could 
 procure you thirty thousand francs or so. Thirty thou- 
 sand francs a year," De Morin repeated, coaxingly; 
 " twelve hundred pounds a year! Surely that is ample 
 for any man. Many a prince in Europe gets less. Afri- 
 can princes, I understand, have no civil list, but subsist 
 on voluntary contributions." 
 
 "Yes," conceded Napoleon, "I should be content 
 with that." 
 
 Brisson stared from one to the other in mute aston- 
 ishment. 
 
 "You wouldn't consent to live in London, I sup- 
 pose? " hazarded the Count. 
 
 " I will never again put a foot on English soil." 
 
 " I see. I quite understand. Pray forgive my ask- 
 ing. But I was bound to do so; we shall be compelled 
 to tell the party a little about you; hence more may leak 
 out than we had originally intended. Of course if the
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 73 
 
 authorities get wind of your whereabouts, you will be 
 promptly expelled. Your Highness understands that, I 
 suppose? " 
 
 "Of course, of course," Napoleon faintly rejoined. 
 He certainly did not bargain on having to leave the Rue 
 de Berlin. 
 
 "Vienna, Rome, Florence, Washington, Berlin?" 
 enumerated De Morin; "none of these names tempt 
 you? They tell me Tokio has become very gay since the 
 war; thirty thousand francs would go a long way in Tokio." 
 
 "I do not want to leave Paris," pleaded the Prince. 
 "Besides, how can I watch for the psychological mo- 
 ment unless I am on the spot? " 
 
 "There is the 'Lord Warden ' at Dover ah, I for- 
 got, you won't go to England. Well, I daresay it is 
 already engaged. I have it! " he cried, ending up with 
 a brilliant idea; " what do you say to Brussels? It is in 
 every respect exactly the same as Paris without being so 
 draughty." 
 
 " I do not want to leave Paris. " 
 
 " Paris is merely a prejudice, my dear nephew. You 
 will soon get to like Brussels just as well. Then you 
 have the advantage of being near Victor." 
 
 " I do not want to leave Paris," reiterated his High- 
 ness with a monotony that was truly pathetic. "I do 
 not want to leave Paris. I have got my place in the 
 Rue de Berlin; I have furnished it and made it pretty 
 and cosy, and and and why should I leave it when I 
 am beginning to be so happy? " 
 
 "We can move your furniture; Hadamard will do 
 that for you," De Morin soothed him. 
 
 "But it is not only my furniture," Napoleon returned, 
 mindful of the growing horror on Brisson's face. "I 
 do n't want people to think that I am abandoning my 
 pretensions. They will say so, if I go to Belgium." 
 
 "You would n't care for Geneva? " coaxed De Morin, 
 making a last attempt. "In Geneva you will be within 
 twenty minutes' walk of France ten minutes by steam 
 train. You have there a fine theatre and shops and 
 mountains and a lake, I believe. Make it Geneva, and 
 I will come and help install you."
 
 74 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " I do not want to leave Paris." 
 
 "Well, well, we must see what we can do. I shall 
 have to inform the ' Party ' that you have decided to 
 await the psychological moment, and would meanwhile 
 like an allowance. I need not say more than that, save 
 to a trusted few, though, I warn you, that much is risky. 
 The ' Party ' may very possibly refuse to contribute with- 
 out first seeing you. At any rate we can but try. If we 
 fail, we fail." 
 
 "Thank you; you are indeed good and kind. The 
 allowance will, of course, be " 
 
 "Paid quarterly? Most assuredly it will." 
 
 "I hardly meant that. I intended to ask, rather, 
 whether whether there would be certain in fact, 
 fixity of tenure, to use a term borrowed from the English 
 law," and at the same time smiling with much frank, 
 unaffected sweetness. A .fresh sight, at this point, of 
 Brisson's agony cut him short. 
 
 "But are you quite sure it would not be wiser to 
 declare myself at once, and make a bid for power? " 
 
 " Quite sure. I have been guarding your interests now 
 for sixty-three years. You are my nephew. Rest satis- 
 fied that I would not deceive you. I shall watch make 
 your mind easy on that score; I shall watch, without 
 relaxing my vigilance for a single instant. And when 
 the moment comes, if ever it does, a point on which I 
 am not over-confident, you shall receive immediate word 
 from me. I should be only too glad to be able to say, 
 ' Proceed, and God bless you! ' ' 
 
 "I know it. You will attend to this this little 
 money matter as quickly as possible. I have plenty to 
 go on with ; but, naturally, I should like to feel as secure 
 as I could." 
 
 "Without an instant's delay; trust me. I will meet 
 the party to-morrow night, and will come round directly 
 afterwards to the Rue de Berlin. Never fear, I shall 
 bring good news." 
 
 "It would be a serious thing for me, were they to 
 refuse," Napoleon said nervously. 
 
 " Do not be afraid." 
 
 " I am not exactly afraid, but "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 75 
 
 "Your Imperial Highness cannot be in earnest?" 
 Brisson shouted, so suddenly that the Prince nearly 
 leapt out of his chair. 
 
 "Colonel Brisson, I do not understand you," in very 
 faint tones indeed. 
 
 "Do you really mean thus to sell your birthright for 
 a paltry annuity? " 
 
 "Brisson, Brisson, you are so violent, " interposed De 
 Morin. We must proceed with caution. You, a soldier, 
 and not know the dangers of overhaste! " 
 
 " Overhaste indeed! Monseigneur, you are letting a 
 chance slip by such as you will never get again. De 
 Morin is comfortable, and he does not want to jeopardize 
 what he has got. He is well aware that he would not be 
 able to keep his fingers out of any conspiracy, so he pre- 
 fers that there should not be any conspiracy at all. 
 All right, De Morin; you need n't frown at me. I have 
 only said what is the truth." 
 
 "I am satisfied that the Count's advice is absolutely 
 disinterested." 
 
 "Your Highness never made a greater mistake in your 
 life. De Morin thinks of no one but himself." 
 
 " Brisson, you are insolent." 
 
 "And you are selfish. You are worse than selfish; 
 you are untrue to your trust. Why did you preserve the 
 secret, if you only meant to fail it at the eleventh hour? 
 You are prepared to let this poor young man forego the 
 best chance he is ever likely to get, for no reason except 
 that you may not be disturbed. Do not take any part in 
 the attempt, if you are frightened to lose all your pretty 
 things. But, for heaven's sake, do not hinder us. No, of 
 course you are not capable of anything so unselfish," 
 this last with deep scorn, "you would be in a terror 
 lest we might succeed; and then you would not be there 
 to divide the spoil." 
 
 "Colonel, I beg! " cried De Morin, reverting to his 
 usual remedy, this time, however, without the least 
 effect. 
 
 "You may beg as much as you like, you old dog-in- 
 the-manger. " 
 
 " Colonel! "
 
 76 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " None of your high and mighty airs with me, sir. I 
 adhere to every word I have said. You are deceiving 
 his Highness, simply because you do n't want to sacrifice 
 your comforts. Own it! Apart from that, you are will- 
 ing enough to confess that the time is ripe." 
 
 " I will own nothing of the sort. You always were a 
 violent fellow; and I am truly sorry that I ever took you 
 or your mother into my confidence. This is your 
 gratitude! Really. I feel tempted to call you a serpent." 
 
 "Call me a serpent, if you fancy it will give you any 
 pleasure," Brisson shouted fiercely. 
 
 Napoleon gazed helplessly from one combatant to the 
 other. " What am I to do? " said he. " I am absolutely 
 powerless in your hands; it will be a terrible thing if you 
 begin to quarrel. Please, please try and place yourselves 
 in my position. With the strongest will in the world, I 
 can do nothing at this moment, save suffer you two to 
 lead me. I have only just arrived from England. I 
 have no real knowledge of the actual state of things in 
 this country. Consider, too, I did not know my great 
 position half an hour ago! I am bound, absolutely bound 
 to rely on others, that is, of course, for the present. It 
 will be different by and by." 
 
 De Morin answered with great docility. " Brisson 
 and I comprehend this perfectly. Our keen desire to 
 give you the best advice is the very reason why we 
 wrangle. During the twenty-five odd years we have 
 known one another, I do not remember ever having 
 called the dear fellow a serpent. To-day is absolutely 
 the first occasion. Isn't it so, dear Brisson? I cannot 
 help feeling very strongly in this matter, my view is so 
 obviously the right one." 
 
 "Your view is utterly and entirely wrong, " Brisson 
 burst out, still at fever heat. " I do not call it a view 
 at all, seeing that you do not even believe in it yourself. " 
 
 "Oh, I think he does; I really think he does." 
 
 "Your Highness, he does not. De Morin is as insin- 
 cere as he is selfish." 
 
 "Gently, gently, my dear Colonel," the Count inter- 
 posed affably, his eyes closed and a seraphic smile play- 
 ing over his placid countenance, " not so fast. If you
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 77 
 
 will only wait, you will see that I have a compromise to 
 suggest. It is quite obvious his Highness cannot raise 
 his standard to-night. You admit that? " 
 
 "Well?" sullenly. 
 
 "Well, let me meet the party to-morrow night, as 
 originally arranged. I can get the allowance voted ; and 
 listen, you old muddlehead I will gather the general 
 view on the situation, and report to his Highness. We 
 might meet here, we three, the following day, say, for 
 lunch, at one. With the views of the party to guide us 
 we might then come to a definite decision." 
 
 "You know my opinion about the ' Party,' " Brisson 
 retorted. "No good ever has or will come out of that 
 wretched collection of Jews and busybodies. This much 
 is quite certain: you wont even get the allowance unless 
 his Highness appears in person." 
 
 "I have no objection," said De Morin with a signifi- 
 cance he could not altogether conceal. Indeed, so far 
 from objecting, he evidently regarded the idea as a 
 capital one. He commenced to grin and rub his hands 
 cheerfully together, demonstrating thereby a delight 
 which seemed as impossible of concealment as his covert 
 meaning. 
 
 " Not the least objection in the world," he repeated. 
 "Quite the contrary. I am inclined to regard it as an 
 extremely sage piece of advice. It rids me of an unplea- 
 sant duty. The party contains some pretty acute mem- 
 bers; if I don't produce our dear Prince, a thousand to 
 one they will imagine I want the money for myself." 
 
 " I suggest further, " the Colonel went on, " that Mon- 
 seigneur should himself ask them the vital question." 
 
 "Better and better! Brisson, I shall rechristen you 
 Solomon." 
 
 "If their reply is in the affirmative, you, De Morin, 
 will offer no further objection? " 
 
 "That depends on the amount of unanimity dis- 
 played." 
 
 " It will be a matter of voting. " 
 
 " I am prepared to consent to that." 
 
 "And you are also prepared to abide by the decision 
 of the majority? "
 
 78 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 Brisson turned to Napoleon. " Does your Highness 
 approve? " 
 
 "Your suggestions seem to indicate our wisest 
 course." 
 
 " It is good of Monseigneur to say so." 
 
 "Not at all. De Morin accepts them; accordingly, 
 I do too. I am quite sure no Prince of my mv house 
 ever had wiser counsellors." 
 
 Both bowed; De Morin lowest, no doubt to hide his 
 emotion. 
 
 " The worst of it is, when the time comes to think and 
 act for myself, I shall find the task all the more difficult. 
 Uncle, you and Colonel Brisson will have spoilt me." 
 
 "As to time and place? " the latter interrupted with 
 military precision. 
 
 "Oh, the usual hour and the usual place." replied 
 De Morin. "I will send out summonses to-night. We 
 can call for his Highness on our way." 
 
 "You need not trouble to come so far out of your 
 road. I shall be in barracks all the afternoon; I can 
 bring Monseigneur." 
 
 " It is no more out of my road than it is out of yours," 
 the Count said tartly. " I shall be there in any case at a 
 quarter before seven, if your Highness will be kind enough 
 to remember. " 
 
 " Do as you please," said Brisson; and that settled it. 
 
 "And now," cried their host, " let us put business to 
 one side." The others were no longer unwilling. So 
 the three spent a cheerful evening, doing justice to the 
 good things which Marie had provided, and increasing 
 generally in their mutual love and amity until the clock 
 warned them that it was getting near De Morin's bedtime. 
 
 Brisson offered to accompany Monseigneur; but the 
 Count had a word to say in private to that gallant war- 
 rior. Napoleon bade them both a warm farewell, and 
 set forth alone. 
 
 He walked upon air, burying Walter Sadler as he went. 
 No wonder Pimlico had stifled him! At home, the first 
 thing he did was to consult his mirror. He had never 
 seen Prince Louis Napoleon!
 
 Chapter VI 
 
 The next evening, punctual to the hour appointed, De 
 Morin and Colonel Brisson appeared in the Rue de Berlin, 
 and carried Napoleon off to meet his adherents. 
 
 They drove, "because," as the Count put it with a 
 grin, "it does n't do for our worthy friend here to be seen 
 too much in my company. He is above suspicion, lucky 
 dog; and I am not." To which pleasantry, the other, 
 also in the best of tempers, made reply, " All in good 
 time, De Morin; all in good time. A few months, and 
 not a subject in the Empire but will be proud to show 
 himself with you. What do you say to that?" 
 
 Their destination proved to be a third-rate hotel of 
 forbidding aspect, situated in the Rue Boissy d'Anglas. 
 Directly the carriage came to a standstill, De Morin 
 jumped nimbly to the ground; and, leaving the Colonel 
 to pay, led the Prince through a dimly lighted hall and 
 up a narrow flight of concrete stairs. They ascended to 
 a room upon the topmost floor. "Your Highness will 
 kindly wait here a moment," said De Morin. Then he 
 disappeared through a door that led into an inner cham- 
 ber, whence came the buzz of many voices. 
 
 A moment later, the Count's piping treble rose above 
 the rest. "Gentlemen," it said, "the Prince is here." 
 And with no further introduction than that, the missing 
 Bonaparte made his debut before the world. 
 
 The room, a large one, was crowded. No vacant space 
 showed anywhere, save the narrow lane leading from the 
 door to a low dais at the further end. Yet the silence 
 was so absolute, one might easily have heard the ticking 
 of a watch. It betokened a respect which Napoleon 
 found perfectly entrancing. But it also increased his 
 nervousness. Anxious to acquit himself like a man 
 worthy to wear the purple, fully alive to the value of 
 
 79
 
 So THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 first impressions, he, nevertheless, could not take his 
 eyes from off the ground. His first few steps were 
 literal stumbles: his head sank between his shoulders. 
 
 "Be calm, be calm," whispered Brisson. The strong 
 voice encouraged him to an effort; and the effort suc- 
 ceeded. His head was no longer suffered to droop. 
 With eyes that now moved slowly over all, but dare stop 
 on none, and firm, self-reliant steps, he advanced up the 
 centre of the room. At the foot of the dais De Morin 
 and Brisson drew back. Napoleon mounted alone and 
 turned and faced his following. 
 
 All eyes were turned towards him. Every visage was 
 more or less expectant; while the oppressive silence still 
 continued. What made things worse, the lane by which 
 he had reached the platform had silted up; the room was 
 now one close packed throng of human beings, most of 
 whom were in dress clothes, and very funereal. 
 
 The Prince looked across the breadth and down along 
 the length of this formidable multitude, hopeless be- 
 wilderment clearly marked upon his not unexpressive 
 face. The front rank was close enough beneath him for 
 him to have touched it, had he so desired. De Morin, 
 in front of all, turned his face up and whisperingly im- 
 plored his master to say something. But Napoleon, so 
 ready of speech when speech was not wanted, hadn't a 
 single word. 
 
 "Gentlemen," prompted De Morin, "Gentlemen," 
 said the obedient Prince; and that one word undid the 
 flood-gates. The danger now was, not that the latter 
 said nothing, but that he might say too much. De Morin 
 was in a fever until the exhortation was safely over. 
 
 "Gentlemen," this was the gist of it, "you have 
 been expecting me for many years. At last I am come. 
 I must crave your forgiveness for having tarried so long. 
 But you know my story, and therefore also know that 
 I am not to blame. Gentlemen, this is not a time for 
 words. And if it were, I could hardly find them to ex- 
 press my gratitude for your presence here to-night. Let 
 me say only this: with God's help and your assistance I 
 will re-establish the Empire." De Morin shuddered. 
 "Yes, I will re-establish the Empire. I am in direct
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON Si 
 
 descent from the great Napoleon. I pray heaven it 
 may be mine to win back some of the glory which he 
 won for France." 
 
 There was a low murmur of applause. 
 
 " Gentlemen," cried De Morin, " the Prince desires 
 that I shall present you all in turn" ; and in a lower voice, 
 meant for Napoleon's ears alone, "Perhaps your High- 
 ness will descend and stand by me." 
 
 The proceedings now became truly regal. Napoleon 
 got his first taste of the troubles of royalty. He had to 
 make no less than four hundred consecutive and elabo- 
 rately distinct bows, and his neck as may well be 
 imagined was aching before he had reached the forty- 
 fifth. Not that the ceremony was altogether devoid of 
 amusement. He scanned each individual as he approached, 
 and tried in this way to discover the material of which 
 his party was composed. Most were very old or very 
 young. Those that were middle-aged were Jews. So 
 Bonaparte congratulated himself that the sentiment, 
 enthusiasm, and moneyed brains of France were ranged 
 under his banner. His own demeanour throughout the 
 trying ordeal showed sensible improvement. He was 
 warming to his part; bowing yea, even to the four hun- 
 dredth bow with great natural dignity and entire absence 
 of all self-consciousness. 
 
 De Morin did the introducing. His memory appeared 
 to be absolutely marvellous. He straightway named 
 each man as each presented himself, and sometimes 
 threw in a few biographical particulars besides. Every- 
 thing was done with the least possible amount of noise; 
 "for," he explained, "the landlord sleeps just below; 
 and though he is a stanch Imperialist, he likes quiet." 
 
 This somewhat late levee at an end, the inevitable 
 De Morin made a further statement. "The meeting is 
 over. His Highness desires that the Committee will 
 remain." 
 
 The lane at once reopened as if by magic. Napoleon 
 passed down it into the outer room. The door was 
 closed behind him, and he was alone. For a moment he 
 expected to hear a burst of uproarious laughter. Bris- 
 son and De Morin, he thought, were two among the
 
 82 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 leading farceurs in Paris; and this meeting was a practi- 
 cal joke perhaps the subject of some well-advertised 
 wager. But no not a sound except the soft tread of 
 departing footsteps. 
 
 Presently the door was again flung open, and Brisson 
 begged that his Highness would return. A long wooden 
 table had been set in the centre of the room. Round 
 this were seated some thirty or so of those who had 
 taken part in the late proceedings. The Count was in 
 an arm-chair at one end, while at the other, and next to 
 Brisson's chair, stood an empty seat ready for Napoleon. 
 He sank into it, and looked across at De Morin. The 
 other rapped thrice with his knuckles upon the table. 
 
 "If you please, gentlemen, to business. No one 
 may speak for more than five minutes at a stretch, or 
 twice within the same half-hour." 
 
 A perfumed youth, who was hardly able to speak for 
 his airs and graces, rose and bowed towards Napoleon. 
 
 "I propose," he minced, "that the fund originally 
 raised for his cousin, the lamented Prince Louis, shall 
 be resettled on his Highness." 
 
 An intelligent-looking little Jew here sprang to his 
 feet. " His Highness is only to enjoy an inalienable 
 life interest," he cried. "The capit " 
 
 "Thank you," interposed the Prince haughtily, "I 
 do not desire to hear more. I have no intention of 
 touching the capital. It irks me to receive pecuniary 
 assistance at all; but you will understand I cannot very 
 well work for my living." 
 
 The little Hebrew gentleman looked dubiously at 
 De Morin. Monsieur Felix Hadamard was a member of 
 the great financial house of that name: his words de- 
 servedly carried respect. 
 
 "The fund," he began anew, " was vested in the hands 
 of three trustees originally. The Count de Morin, here, 
 was one: the other two are dead." 
 
 "I have no objection to two new ones being 
 elected." 
 
 "I might remark, my own position as a member of 
 the great house of Hadamard peculiarly fits me for a 
 position of trust."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 83 
 
 "The question is that Monsieur Felix Hadamard be 
 joined to the Count de Morin as trustee of the Imperialist 
 fund," cried the latter. "Those who approve the mo- 
 tion say ' Aye.' " 
 
 "Aye," bellowed Hadamard, meaning to swell a 
 triumphant chorus: no one else uttered a sound. 
 
 "The motion is carried by acclamation. Felix, one 
 moment. " The two men put their heads together across 
 the table, and spent a few minutes in earnest whispering. 
 "The trustees are of opinion," De Morin exclaimed at 
 last, " that no further appointment is needed. The com- 
 mittee will now proceed to other business." 
 
 Monsieur Hadamard promptly rose to his feet. "As 
 to residence," said he. " I should suggest some snug 
 little nest in the Quartier St. Germain." 
 
 "He has a flat in the Rue de Berlin," murmured 
 De Morin." 
 
 "What's it like?" asked Hadamard with business 
 promptitude. 
 
 "So so. It is not furnished quite to my taste; still, 
 it does." 
 
 " The china, and glass, and all that? " 
 
 "That would be all right. His Highness has only 
 been in Paris a month." 
 
 " No cutlery? " 
 
 "I should imagine not." 
 
 "I am sorry. I have a bankrupt stock of very good 
 dinner knives and forks, your Highness, " calling across 
 the table, "you couldn't do with some cutlery?" 
 
 "I have no intention of leaving the Rue de Berlin," 
 was Napoleon's sole answer, "except to exchange it for 
 the Elysee." 
 
 "The Committee applauds so wise a resolution. 
 There is nothing more, Hadamard, is there? We can 
 take an informal inventory in the morning. Your High- 
 ness, your trustees will do themselves the honour of call- 
 ing to-morrow forenoon to discuss money matters. And 
 that concludes our business." 
 
 " Stop," cried Brisson, leaping to his feet; "his High- 
 ness still has something very important to say." 
 
 "I thank you, Colonel," assented Napoleon, faintly.
 
 84 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Gentlemen, I thank you for your presence and your 
 generosity. But but gentlemen, it remains for us to 
 consider how I shall win back my throne." 
 
 The surprise, already on every face, now faded into 
 blank consternation. Hadamard voiced the general feel- 
 ing. "The difficulties of such a task," said he, looking 
 round for approval, "are very great. The risks are 
 enormous. Will not his Highness await in peace the 
 psychological movement? The iron is not red-hot." 
 
 "Be firm; be firm for heaven's sake," in undertones 
 from Brisson. 
 
 "The iron is red-hot." 
 
 Monsieur Hadamard indulged in a pitying smile, which 
 effected far more than the soldier's whispered monitions. 
 
 " I tell you, Monsieur Hadamard, " shouted Bonaparte 
 in a blaze, " the iron is red-hot." 
 
 "No, no," purred De Morin, "the peril to the Re- 
 public is from anarchy and socialism; the one-man coup 
 d'etat is over. The days of Authority Imperial or Re- 
 publican are ended. I see the handwriting upon the 
 wall! " and he waved one hand towards it, while steady- 
 ing himself with the other on Hadamard's head. " Felix, 
 surely you see it too?" 
 
 "Yes," said Felix, "I see it." 
 
 "We both see it the old familiar line, * Mene, Mene ' 
 Authority shall pass away from France for evermore. 
 Our country returns to the mountain. Then comes 
 chaos; then the fate of Poland. Englishman and Span- 
 iard, Prussian, Swiss, and Italian, these will divide us. 
 Their boundaries will be planted in our heart. Moulins 
 famous for its gingerbread will be the five-cornered 
 frontier; while the isles, the beauteous isles of our west- 
 ern coasts, will probably go to the United States." 
 
 " How can your Highness suffer him to talk such fear- 
 ful nonsense?" whispered Brisson. 
 
 " I am obliged to you, Count. I desire to hear what 
 my other supporters have to say." 
 
 "Monsieur Hadamard," said De Morin promptly, 
 "you will kindly favour the meeting." 
 
 "With great pleasure My advice is " 
 
 " I think I know all Monsieur Hadamard has to say."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 85 
 
 "I want particularly to add a word about the 
 psycho " 
 
 " I shall take it as a great mark of disrespect unless 
 you instantly desist. As it is, I do not consider your 
 demeanour at all becoming." 
 
 " Oh, I am as God made me," said Hadamard care- 
 lessly. 
 
 "Colonel Brisson, please, your view? " 
 
 " It lies in a sentence. Had your Highness appeared 
 in the spring, your chances would have been better. 
 But " But in the spring his Highness's days had gone 
 for the most part in Appeal Court I, that whirlpool which 
 seems to catch all who are desolate. 
 
 "Unfortunately," Brisson continued, "the chance 
 was lost. But if the opportunity was more favourable 
 six months ago than it is now, it is more favourable now 
 than it will be six months hence. The more quiet peo- 
 ple get, the more quiet they want. Seize the hour, Mon- 
 seigneur, for whatever it is worth. I can answer for the 
 army. The whole Paris garrison is at your disposal " 
 
 "I don't think much of their boots or bayonets," 
 murmured Hadamard. "Both are exceedingly soft. I 
 am sure I have good reason to know." 
 
 "You little dev " began the irate Colonel. 
 
 "Peace," interposed De Morin. "Might we not 
 hear Monseigneur's own views? True, he has not had 
 much opportunity of judging, but they are sure to be 
 intelligent." 
 
 "I side with Colonel Brisson." 
 
 " The result of insufficient data, " hazarded the Count. 
 
 "I have kept my eyes and ears open, my month in 
 Paris. Everywhere I find signs that the moment is ripe. 
 My own strange coming, ignorant of my name, purpose- 
 less, led by some irresistible craving for action, what 
 can it be but my Destiny pointing the road to Empire?" 
 
 Brisson touched his elbow: "You are making a visi- 
 ble impression." 
 
 This encouragement, combined with his own elo- 
 quence, had the desired effect. Napoleon lashed him- 
 self into a condition of ecstatic frenzy. 
 
 "You shall not hold me back rather a thousand
 
 86 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 times the starvation which sent me here. But your pres- 
 ence testifies to a loyalty and courage which will stop 
 nowhere short of the great reward. Follow me, my 
 friends, and success is ours. Quickly too. The flood- 
 tide is ebbing fast. Let us put off at once before it is 
 too late! " 
 
 "Now," sighed De Morin cheerfully, "we will pro- 
 ceed to vote. Those in favour of awaiting the psycho- 
 logical moment say 'Aye ' the ayes have it. That fin- 
 ishes our business. The next meeting will be next June. " 
 
 Napoleon sprang to his feet. "What if I say that I 
 refuse to be bound by the committee's decision? I may 
 or may not make the attempt; it will be for me to 
 choose. But I give the Committee their choice. Those 
 that are willing to follow me at whatever cost, let them 
 stay. The rest may depart as quickly as they like." 
 
 "But is Monseigneur really in a position to behave 
 so?" suggested De Morin. 
 
 "I alone shall suffer if I act rashly. Come, gentle- 
 men; I give you all your choice." 
 
 About twenty-five out of the thirty rose at once and 
 made for the door. Their manner of reaching it varied. 
 Some ran, perspiring freely, as though they had been in 
 deadly peril, and had barely escaped by the skin of their 
 teeth. Hadamard bowed amiably to the Prince, and 
 sauntered out with extreme deliberation. Others sidled 
 up to the exit, as though they merely meant to get clean 
 handkerchiefs from their overcoats. These, like soap- 
 bubbles, began very slowly, to end abruptly. In fine, 
 whatever the manner of their departure, all departed. 
 Even the five who remained with our three friends at the 
 table they were young men who at the outset looked 
 very bold and devoted even these, as their isolation 
 became more and more marked, thought better of it. 
 They, too, suddenly remembered that they wanted clean 
 handkerchiefs, so sauntered towards their overcoats and 
 presently were gone. 
 
 "Brisson," said De Morin, when the three of them 
 were quite alone, and two of them were very glum and 
 silent, " I understand we dine with you to-night. Come, 
 friend; come, dear nephew; let us away."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 87 
 
 And in this manner the Count throttled the subject. 
 A formal decision had been come to, and he did not see 
 why he should go on indefinitely discussing it to the ex- 
 clusion of far more interesting topics. Napoleon indeed 
 made several attempts; Colonel Brisson made many 
 more; but the benevolent old gentleman burked each 
 and all and sundry with resolute impartiality. And he 
 could do this all the more easily, inasmuch as he walked 
 between his two companions, his arms intertwined lov- 
 ingly in theirs. He was quite affable nay, his playful 
 ways rivalled the gaiety of some light-hearted, ingenu- 
 ous child. He sung, he sparkled, he railed at them for 
 their moody abstraction; he chid their silence, and tried 
 by his own generous flow of spirits to galvanize them 
 into life. He could afford it. He was the victor; and 
 he had ever been a generous rival. 
 
 Madame Brisson's urbanity, too, knew no bounds. 
 She accorded the Prince a most respectful welcome. She 
 gratefully recalled the unworthy part her son and she 
 had played in restoring him to his own. She hung upon 
 his words, which, at the outset, were neither very wise 
 nor very plentiful. She would not let him sit under an 
 open window, reminding him of the value of his life, 
 and by half a hundred kindred devices showed him the 
 respect and loyal devotion she felt towards his person. 
 
 She was an old lady, not accustomed to unbend, 
 haughty, and with a temperament more often disdainful 
 than otherwise. To-night, however, she displayed all 
 the simple, unaffected graciousness of some young and 
 charming woman, who has a due sense of the great oc- 
 casion when it comes, but also natural spirits that are 
 invincible. 
 
 De Morin came in for a share of her affability. But 
 not so her son. Indeed, so marked was her indifference 
 to his presence, that the Prince felt certain that the 
 quarrel, caused by his own first appearance, had con- 
 tinued and widened as it went. De Morin, with his 
 keener eyes, knew better. 
 
 Madame, it may further be remarked, did not want 
 to hear a word about their wretched business. She 
 knew that it had commenced at seven and lasted till past
 
 88 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 nine, and she commiserated them; but she showed no 
 sort of curiosity as to the result. When De Morin evinced 
 some little desire to recount his victory, she implored 
 him not to trouble. "Both of you, I feel quite certain, 
 must be heartily sick of the whole matter. Please, no 
 more of it, for my sake." And later, the former having 
 remarked that they had decided on a policy of masterly 
 inactivity, she glanced across at Napoleon with wondrous 
 tenderness, saying in a low voice that trembled under its 
 heavy load of pity, "I trust Monseigneur is not too dis- 
 appointed." 
 
 One could not but be touched by such womanly sym- 
 pathy. Napoleon was, and speedily forgot whatever 
 chagrin the committee had caused him. Towards the 
 end of supper, he became quite cheerful; the probabili- 
 ties being that he did n't notice the malicious look that 
 could not keep out of Madame's eyes on one or two oc- 
 casions. 
 
 Such a look accompanied the following simple ques- 
 tion : "I trust your Highness's present flat is a comfort- 
 able one? " 
 
 "Very, I thank you." 
 
 "I was sorry," continued Madame, "not to get mine 
 let, I am so anxious to leave Paris. But of course it 
 would not have been suitable for you." 
 
 "This is a very good flat," remarked Napoleon, look- 
 ing critically round the room. 
 
 "Yes, it is fairly comfortable; but obviously it would 
 not suit any one who wanted to entertain. Tell me, 
 Monseigneur, does your apartment really repay the 
 trouble you say you have expended over it? Do you not 
 sometimes despair of ever getting rid of that bachelor 
 flavour all bachelors' flats seem to acquire? I am vain 
 enough to think that a woman's taste and judgment are 
 indispensable in these matters. You may command 
 my services at any time: I will give an afternoon with 
 the greatest pleasure. And," archly, "as I am such a 
 very old woman, no one can say a word." 
 
 At this point, Madame's son, who had been alter- 
 nately frowning and yawning all through the entertain-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 89 
 
 ment, sprung to his feet and declared that he must be 
 off to barracks. 
 
 "Very well, Jean," said his mother coldly; "good- 
 night." 
 
 De Morin was stretched full length upon a sofa. 
 "Good-night, Brisson," he cried; "excuse my moving, 
 I am so tired." 
 
 Napoleon consulted his watch. "It is late. One 
 moment, Colonel; I will accompany you. " 
 
 De Morin hurried to his feet; also Madame. 
 
 "We shall both be very disappointed if you leave us 
 at this early hour," cried the latter. "Jean has to get 
 back to perform his duties, otherwise he never departs 
 before eleven." 
 
 "Indeed, yes, my dear nephew; we can't think of 
 letting you off so soon. We must n't make that great 
 mutton-head, Brisson, believe that his presence is neces- 
 sary to the vitality of the party. Surely we three can 
 manage a cosy hour or so without help from him. All 
 right, Colonel, you need not wait. His Highness intends 
 to remain." 
 
 His Highness did remain ; and, with Brisson's restrain- 
 ing presence gone, the conversation became very general 
 and very genial. Madame's offer to come and give a 
 finishing-touch to his apartment was repeated and gladly 
 accepted. And, at parting, she and De Morin, on their 
 side, accepted an invitation for that day fortnight "an 
 old people's dinner-party," she said, and De Morin 
 laughed. 
 
 " I am afraid I can't make the dinner at the Elysee," 
 Walter responded with considerable hesitation, where- 
 upon Madame fell back into her former voice of tender, 
 unobtrusive sympathy: "Never mind," said she; "that 
 will come in time"; and De Morin laughed again. 
 
 Uncle and nephew parted company at the corner of 
 the Rue Fabert. " Hadamard and I will be round at 
 your place about eleven," said the former. " The com- 
 mittee were even more generous than I expected. Your 
 income is close on thirty-eight thousand francs a year 
 that 's not bad in these days, is it? Good-night, dear
 
 90 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 boy. Pleasant dreams; and, above all, be discreet," 
 Then, when they had actually separated, and there were 
 about fifteen yards between them, " Louis, Louis," cried 
 De Morin, "here a moment." Napoleon returned. 
 "Don't be down-hearted, dear child. The committee 
 may, after all, be more favourably disposed to action next 
 year. The wisest are fallible: I may have erred for 
 once. At any rate we can but hope. Good-night, 
 again. Be discreet." 
 
 Arrived at his own door, Napoleon entered without 
 recourse to the bell and passed straight through into the 
 library. 
 
 Brisson broke upon his astonished vision the whole 
 of Brisson, and all at the same time; Brisson reclining 
 in an arm-chair, his eyes shut, and apparently asleep. 
 
 "Colonel Brisson! " 
 
 "Pardon, Monseigneur," replied that warrior, awak- 
 ing at once, and composedly rising to his feet. " My 
 thoughts were so far away, I did not hear you enter." 
 
 " Do not apologize. Have you been waiting long? " 
 
 "I came straight here from my mother's. The ser- 
 vant promised to give you word of my presence." 
 
 "Ah, they have all gone to bed. I am sorry to be so 
 late. Had I but known. You see, De Morin is such an 
 amusing fellow. And Madame, too, what a charming 
 woman she is! It is a house where one easily loses sight 
 of time." 
 
 " I am glad that you have spent a pleasant evening." 
 Napoleon glanced sharply at the Colonel's face. It was 
 absolutely motionless. 
 
 "With your Highness's permission, I will resume my 
 seat." 
 
 The Prince followed Brisson's example, not best 
 pleased at the prospect indicated by such a proceeding. 
 He could easily guess the meaning of this visit. Well, 
 if this blunt ungainly Colonel would come and stir up 
 the "low beginnings of content," at least he should do 
 so without delay. Napoleon wanted to have the busi- 
 ness settled and dismissed from his mind for for one 
 year. The first disappointment had been bitter enough,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 91 
 
 Heaven knew. In the earliest blush of his unlooked-for 
 promotion, he had panted to mount the throne forth- 
 with. But the Committee and De Morin had said other- 
 wise. So be it! The latter's experience was not to be 
 opposed lightly. It could not be opposed at all without 
 assistance from the former. Accordingly, at this mo- 
 ment, he was in a state of tepid acquiescence: quite 
 determined to make a bid for fortune next year, when 
 the time and he himself were riper; and meanwhile in- 
 tending to pass the interval as comfortably as fifteen 
 hundred a year would permit. 
 
 "What does your Highness intend to do?" began 
 Brisson abruptly. 
 
 " Really I I have no choice. I am bound to abide 
 by the decision of the Committee." 
 
 "Then you finally abandon all claim to the throne." 
 "Nothing of the kind, Colonel Brisson; you know 
 better than that. I do n't renounce one iota of my pre- 
 tensions." 
 
 "Does Monseigneur really think, after what he has 
 seen to-night, that the committee will ever counsel 
 action, or, indeed, do anything except talk?" 
 
 "A year may effect a change." 
 
 "A hundred years would not." 
 
 " De Morin says so." 
 
 " De Morin says anything." 
 
 "You seem to forget my inexperience." 
 
 " If I forgot it, I should not be here. I come to 
 proffer my advice simply because I know your Highness's 
 position." 
 
 "Then, cannot you see how much I, personally, shall 
 gain from a year's delay? " 
 
 " I do not follow you." 
 
 " It is simple enough. Twelve months hence I shall 
 be able to judge for myself. More than that, I shall 
 have made friends outside the Party; I shall be no longer 
 dependent on these Hadamards. I can even dispense 
 with De Morin's services, if I choose." 
 
 " Well, cannot you do all this to-morrow? " 
 
 "The question is absurd. Do you seriously propose 
 that I should descend into the streets, and set up my
 
 93 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 banner single-handed? ' Come, good people! here I am, 
 the fourth Napoleon, the missing Bonaparte ! For proof 
 of the same, call on the Count de Morin, Rue Fabert, he 
 will supply documentary evidence and answer all ques- 
 tions. I propose to upset the President. That, to begin 
 with. Afterwards, with your help, I shall restore the 
 Empire. Come, then, in your thousands,' that's the 
 sort of thing, I suppose," and Napoleon laughed at his 
 own humour. 
 
 "I have said nothing that deserves such ridicule," 
 returned Brisson frigidly. 
 
 "My dear Colonel, I give you up. I am not to rely 
 on De Morin, Hadamard, and Company; I am not to 
 rely on myself " 
 
 " I never said so." 
 
 "Well, on myself alone, it is the same thing. Per- 
 haps, then, you will tell me, who am I to rely on? " 
 
 " Rely on yourself and me." 
 
 "You are very kind, but, beyond the fact that you 
 are a soldier and a friend of De Morin's, I know you no 
 better than I do Hadamard." 
 
 " Do you doubt my honour? " 
 
 " No, no, no. But how can I believe in your sagacity 
 and energy any more than I can in theirs? It 's all my 
 wretched inexperience. Surely you see, from this very 
 incident itself, of what immense value a year's watching 
 and waiting would be to me? " 
 
 "Of what use the experience without the oppor- 
 tunity? " 
 
 " Oh, the opportunity will remain." 
 
 " Do not be too sure. " 
 
 "We mustn't be frightened by a bugbear like that. 
 Imagine it to be June of next year. The Committee 
 have given me a second negative. You come to me, just 
 as you have done to-night, with exactly the same pro- 
 posal. Consider how far more capable I shall be of 
 giving a sagacious answer. By that time I shall know 
 your character and the actual power that you wield. 
 
 " By next year whatever power I have will all be gone. 
 You do not suppose that the army will turn against their 
 King? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 93 
 
 " Their King?" 
 
 "Yes, the Due d'Orle"ans. If you do not seize the 
 present opportunity, he will. As it is, he has the start of 
 us." 
 
 " I do not believe you." 
 
 "Really" 
 
 "I beg your pardon, I should have said I could 
 hardly credit it." 
 
 "Then, do you imagine that he has been idle all this 
 time? " 
 
 " Do you actually know of any Orleanist intrigues? " 
 
 "I know of several. The army naturally inclines to 
 the Empire, but it prefers the Monarchy to the Republic. 
 The Duke may easily be upon the throne by the end of 
 the year." 
 
 "This is De Morin's fault," exclaimed Napoleon 
 petulantly; " De Morin's and my mother's. Poor thing, 
 no doubt she did it for the best; but that fool's clause 
 of hers about having me kept in ignorance has ruined 
 our cause. The Count had no business to obey her. 
 Who gave these relatives the right to play such tricks 
 with the welfare of my family? It is scandalous! " 
 
 " No harm has been done, if only you will follow my 
 advice." 
 
 " I do not even know what it is." 
 
 "Will you follow it? " cried Brisson, his eyes gleam- 
 ing. 
 
 " How foolish you are. I tell you again, I do n't 
 even know what it is." 
 
 "Listen," cried Brisson in a voice which struck Na- 
 poleon as a trifle peremptory; "here is my project: I 
 will introduce you to the leading officers of the Paris gar- 
 rison. The safe ones first, and afterwards to those who 
 are a bit doubtful." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "The lot of us will agree upon a night, say a week 
 hence, for them to bring their men to my barracks. It 
 is a perfect rendezvous, and one from which we can get 
 to work at once." 
 
 "The thing sounds delightfully simple," said Na- 
 poleon with a half-sneer.
 
 94 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "It will succeed for that very reason." 
 
 " And if it does not? " 
 
 " We must be prepared to take the consequences." 
 
 "What will they be?" 
 
 "The question is hardly worth asking. However, 
 you may make your mind easy on one point, they will 
 be worst for us." 
 
 "Us?" 
 
 "Yes, the other officers and myself." 
 
 "I do not see that; I shall lose all chance of the 
 throne." 
 
 " Not more effectually than if you trust to the Com- 
 mittee. " 
 
 " I repeat, I should lose all chance." 
 
 "You do not seem to remember Strasbourg and Bou- 
 logne." 
 
 "And you forget Ham." 
 
 " Not at all. Did he not escape? " 
 
 "My Ham will be far more secure." 
 
 "The government can only expel you. We, on the 
 other hand, should have to pay a much heavier price for 
 failure." 
 
 " I do not see it." 
 
 "We should all be shot." 
 
 " And you say that you would have many comrades? " 
 
 "Very many." 
 
 "Then the Republic could not afford such a whole- 
 sale slaughter." 
 
 " It will have no choice, at least so far as I am con- 
 cerned. " 
 
 He said this with the utmost simplicity, but at the 
 same time with an earnestness there was no mistaking. 
 Napoleon had no reply. 
 
 "Of course," continued the last speaker, "if you 
 will only accept my proposals, I can proceed to details. 
 But you understand it is not fair to mention names other- 
 wise. " 
 
 " Quite so. And suppose De Morin comes to hear 
 of this, what then? " 
 
 "You may well ask," replied Brisson gravely. " De 
 Morin has ways and dodges peculiar to himself. He
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 95 
 
 could easily disclose our whole plot without pretending 
 to stir a finger. He must not know." 
 
 " How are we to prevent it? He will be here con- 
 stantly " 
 
 " You have n't yet learnt De Morin. His one aim in 
 life is his own health and comfort. He will be very fond 
 of you, and all that sort of thing; but he won't let your 
 arrival interfere the very least degree with the ordinary 
 course of his existence." 
 
 "Well," said Napoleon with the decided voice of a 
 man who needs such an outward prop to stay his pur- 
 pose, "it is useless to discuss the matter further. I am 
 greatly obliged to you for your offer and the devotion 
 which prompts it, but I cannot and must not enter- 
 tain it." 
 
 "Pray consider " 
 
 "No, I must not and cannot entertain it." And at 
 this point the Prince warmed so much and with such sud- 
 denness he seemed transformed into a glow of sympathy 
 and candour. " I absolutely dare not. Your interests, 
 no less than mine, forbid. Tell me, my friend, and 
 your offer has at last convinced me that you are my 
 friend, what right have I to jeopardize the lives of a 
 dozen brave men, and fling their homes into desola- 
 tion? " 
 
 " That is our chance." 
 
 " Pardon me, it is a deep concern of mine. Take 
 your own case. I owe a duty not to you alone, but also 
 to your dear mother. She is loyal and patriotic, that I 
 know quite well. She would give her life, aye and yours 
 also, to place me on the throne; but your death would 
 break her heart. My chances of success do not justify 
 so great a sacrifice." 
 
 Brisson was on the point of making some not over- 
 complimentary remarks about the character of his 
 mother's loyalty. Filial respect, however, stopped him 
 just in time. He compressed his lips and looked exceed- 
 ingly glum. 
 
 "Accordingly," continued Napoleon, "you must take 
 this as my definite answer. The decision is a painful 
 one, but it is given after mature consideration."
 
 96 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Then you have made up your mind to leave Paris? " 
 
 " No, certainly not. Why do you ask? " 
 
 "You cannot go on living here. You know that, of 
 course," and Brisson glanced round the room with some 
 contempt. 
 
 " Wherefore not, pray? What do you mean? " 
 
 " Surely you do not suppose that the government will 
 permit it? " 
 
 "The government will not know." 
 
 "That is absurd." 
 
 "You are very outspoken, Colonel Brisson." 
 
 " I merely tell you the truth. De Morin says exactly 
 the same thing." 
 
 " De Morin? I do not understand you." 
 
 "This evening, when we were coming to fetch you to 
 the meeting, he remarked that your days in the Rue de 
 Berlin were numbered." 
 
 "Did he say that? " cried Napoleon with flashing 
 eyes. 
 
 "Yes. He said that, do what one would, one 
 could n't keep police agents out of these gatherings." 
 
 " He is an infamous liar. He told Hadamard, in my 
 hearing, he knew every one present." 
 
 "That 's likely enough," said Brisson, grimly. 
 
 " Did he say anything more? " asked Napoleon. 
 
 "A good deal. I replied that it would be as well to 
 warn you. He rejoined, you had not been in France 
 long enough for the government to take extreme meas- 
 ures. They would merely deport you across the fron- 
 tier." 
 
 " He is a traitor," cried Napoleon, as vehemently as 
 before. 
 
 " He went on to remark that you would be quite as 
 happy in Brussels after a little while. Victor might give 
 you a bed in the Avenue Louise until you got a home of 
 your own, and you and he could enjoy many a little ex- 
 cursion to Mons or Marienbourg. " 
 
 " I cannot believe such treachery of De Morin." 
 
 Brisson drew himself up to his full height: " Do you 
 doubt my word? " 
 
 " No, no; but De Morin may have been jesting."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 97 
 
 " His manner did not convey that impression. Here 
 is something more. When we were at Aix, I asked him 
 what was to be done, if and after you learnt your secret. 
 He said that you must be introduced to your party, and 
 get them to vote you an allowance. I naturally pointed 
 out the obvious danger. His reply, so far as I can 
 remember, was in these very words: 'Oh, he will soon 
 get accustomed to Vienna or Brussels; and it 's far 
 better for him and us that he should n't live in Paris. 
 The anxiety would be unbearable if he did.' " 
 
 "I hate him, I hate him. He is an abominable 
 traitor," almost screamed, his Highness. He gazed 
 round the room with fiercely affectionate eyes. Then 
 flinging his arms from him with a gesture of impotent 
 despair, he wildly exclaimed: "I do not want to leave 
 my home! " It was a pathetic sight. 
 ' I do not want to leave my home ! " 
 ' Why should you leave it? " 
 'I will not budge an inch from Paris." 
 'You need not. Only accept my proposal." 
 'I accept, I accept! " cried the other wildly. " De 
 Morin is unworthy of trust; I place myself unreservedly 
 in your hands." 
 
 Brisson showed no sign of triumph. "You will not 
 repent at the eleventh hour? " he asked dubiously. 
 
 "Certainly not. You hardly know me, Colonel Bris- 
 son. When I say a thing, I mean it. I place myself 
 unreservedly in your hands." 
 "Very good." 
 
 "Here is my hand upon it," and Napoleon thrust 
 forward his open palm with great effusion. But no 
 amount of effusiveness could conceal the fact that it was 
 shaking. No quantity of brave words could hide the 
 quivering of his lower lip. It might not have been that 
 he was frightened, but he was nervous and highly strung, 
 and he could not master the outward and visible signs of 
 the intense excitement this sudden resolution caused him. 
 "Yes," he cried, with a gesture no less impotent 
 than before, and this time meant to denote decision, 
 " we will sink or swim together. You shall essay your 
 plan, and we will go through with it to the bitter end."
 
 98 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " There need be no bitter end." 
 
 " I am bound to survey all contingencies. ' He either 
 fears his fate too much ' You know the English saying, 
 Colonel. To the bitter end, that is my final resolve. 
 As you saw, it took me some time to make up my mind; 
 but once my mind is made up, I am invariably adamant. 
 To the bitter end, my dear Colonel, to the bitter end! 
 You and I between us will reestablish the Empire or die 
 in the attempt." 
 
 How long he might have gone on gasconading in this 
 fashion, history has no chance of relating. Brisson cut 
 him short with military precision. " It is getting late," 
 he remarked, "perhaps I had better go now, and return 
 first thing in the morning. I must have a word to-night 
 with General Changarnier. " 
 
 " I would like to hear a little about the plan of cam- 
 paign. " 
 
 "That's simple enough. To-morrow I shall intro- 
 duce you to the General and the other leading men of 
 the Paris garrison. We can then arrange a meeting for 
 the night after, in my rooms, to concert plans. The 
 whole business won't take more than a week." 
 
 "And what am I to do meanwhile?" 
 
 " You must remain indoors as much as possible." 
 
 "They will track me down." 
 
 "Not a bit of it. This is a capital hiding-place. 
 None know about it except a very few. You are safe 
 here, at any rate for a fortnight or so." 
 
 " But I shall go mad if I stay idle." 
 
 "There is plenty to be done. And as for De Morin 
 and Hadamard to-morrow, do n't be too docile. Behave 
 as you did this evening one or two little explosions, and 
 generally agreeing in the end. You may expect me at 
 two." Brisson rose. 
 
 "Good-night, Colonel, and, I say, Brisson, Can- 
 robert was the last of the Marshals, was he not? " 
 
 " Assuredly." 
 
 "If we succeed, Brisson, and I become Napoleon 
 IV, you shall be you shall be the first of the Marshals. "
 
 Chapter VII 
 
 De Morin and Monsieur Hadamard appeared at the 
 appointed hour to take the inventory. They soon came 
 to the conclusion that the flat contained more than 
 enough for a single gentleman; they stopped when they 
 were half-way through the kitchen utensils, and said as 
 much. 
 
 "We needn't waste any more time," said De Morin. 
 "Obviously, the place is complete." 
 
 "There 's the silver," urged Hadamard. 
 
 " Oh, we shall see that at lunch. Come along, we '11 
 take him through the accounts." 
 
 They took " him " through the accounts. They initi- 
 ated him in all the mysteries of his allowance; where it 
 lay; how and from what it was raised; and the process 
 whereby he could get any part of it into his possession. 
 The latter point was the most important. De Morin 
 handed Napoleon an entire cheque-book, that was a 
 virgin; and ventured to hope that he would make good 
 use of it. MM. Hadamard and Son were the bankers. 
 Cousin Hadamard, also a member of the firm, begged 
 the Prince to look upon that great house in the light of 
 some benignant relative, whose sole purpose it was to 
 study his pleasure. Then the two gentleman gathered 
 up their papers, and declared their business at an end. 
 
 After that, they strolled about the room and admired 
 the furniture and pictures. They praised his Highness's 
 taste. Both of them stopped simultaneously before a 
 Japanese screen, worked in heavy glaring gold, and 
 declared, with upraised palms, that rich quiet things like 
 these showed your true man of culture. De Morin made 
 a little excursion into the dining-room to have another 
 glance at a bronze statuette; he admired it so. He came 
 back presently, looking a trifle disappointed. Hadamard 
 
 99
 
 ioo THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 asked the address of the Prince's upholsterer; also, 
 whether their host had any objection to his procuring a 
 copy of the chairs. Encouraged by a favourable reply, 
 De Morin made a second excursion into the dining-room, 
 only to return with a face more woebegone than ever. 
 Napoleon was proof against these hints and blandish- 
 ments. And at last the two trustees had to take their 
 departure, with nothing more substantial in them but the 
 consciousness of their own integrity and virtue. 
 
 As it was, they were hardly gone before Brisson ar- 
 rived, the Colonel being punctuality reduced to frac- 
 tions. He certainly resembled that virtue in his cheer- 
 lessness. He seemed to fancy that the mat in the front 
 hall would be Napoleon's Rubicon; and with but scant 
 regard to the usages of society, and no small talk, hurried 
 the latter across the above-named domestic article into 
 the carriage which was already waiting. 
 
 "To the barracks in the Rue Desaix!" he ordered 
 the coachman ; then following the Prince into the vehicle, 
 banged the door. 
 
 The uncompromising celerity with which the whole 
 thing was done hardly increased Napoleon's confidence. 
 The Prince had spent the greater part of the time since 
 midnight tightening his nerves, that he might carry an 
 unshaken front through the coming venture. But he 
 was once more "all of a tremble" long before they 
 reached the Rue Desaix. His skiff had been caught in 
 a rapid current, and there was no escape on either side 
 to calmer waters. This reflexion didn't quiet his teeth, 
 which were clicking like the piano-keys of an electric 
 telegraph. His restless hands kept raising and lowering 
 the window, on his side, in bursts of feverish impatience. 
 He shuffled with his feet, and most likely would have 
 kicked a hole through the floor, had it been some one 
 else's brougham. 
 
 It did not belong to Colonel Brisson, who sat as 
 rigid as a ramrod, and equally unresponsive. They were 
 almost at the barracks when he first broke silence. 
 
 "I have been fairly successful," said he. "Out of 
 twelve, five have espoused your cause unconditionally. 
 Three join, but with this reservation, that they must be
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 101 
 
 allowed to withdraw if they do not approve your plans. 
 Two promise no more than this, to attend the meeting. 
 Colonel Dreyfus, commanding the One Hundred and 
 Ninth of the line, gives an out-and-out refusal. Let me 
 see, that makes eleven. Changarnier is the twelfth. I 
 went to him first; indeed, straight from your Highness's 
 house. He keeps late hours, and I was with him till 
 past three this morning. But I did not get much out of 
 him, I regret to say. That fellow never will commit 
 himself till he sees which way the cat jumps. However, 
 he asks me to convey his sincere respects. He would 
 bring it in person, he says, only he is indisposed. That 
 means, at any rate, that he won't betray us until after we 
 are beaten." 
 
 "I call this most satisfactory. Colonel Dreyfus is 
 safe?" 
 
 " He gave me his word. He is the soul of honour." 
 
 "Why does he stand out? " 
 
 "The Republic employs and pays him," returned 
 Brisson, not attempting to soften Dreyfus's words. " Ac- 
 cordingly, as he maintains, he would be a traitor to plot 
 against it." 
 
 "You told him that it was his Country, not the Re- 
 public, which employed him?" 
 
 " No. Dreyfus will hardly make much difference. I 
 have got Colonel Klein, one of his commandants; and in 
 these matters one battalion generally means both." 
 
 "Of course, of course," muttered Bonaparte, "two 
 battalions make a regiment." 
 
 "The most important of the entire number, Colonel 
 Bonvalet of the Second Cuirassiers, has come in uncon- 
 ditionally. He is wild with delight. I don't think there 
 exists a stancher Imperialist in France. By the way, 
 we are going to his rooms now. And the other ' uncon- 
 ditionalists ' are all good men. As regards Brigadier 
 Marchmont, who intends to be present, but won't com- 
 mit himself further, your Highness will understand the 
 value of first impressions. He, too, is a most important 
 item. His brigade contains some of the officers likely to 
 prove most hostile to your cause. If you win him over, 
 you will have gone far on the road to ultimate success."
 
 102 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "I will try my best," said Napoleon, clenching his 
 teeth. 
 
 " Marchmont is to be won over by a firm, self-reliant 
 bearing. Indeed, all of them will watch you very closely; 
 and are likely to be much affected one way or the other 
 by your demeanour. Let them see that you are in earnest, 
 and they will work for you heart and soul. If, on the 
 other hand, they suspect you of being merely lukewarm, 
 and ready to fly to a safe retreat at the first reverse, 
 they won't exert themselves very greatly on your behalf, 
 if even they join you at all." 
 
 Napoleon sought composure by jerking up the window, 
 which he fixed, and then jerked down again. In a few 
 minutes he turned to his companion and said: 
 
 "I am obliged to you for your sagacious counsel. I 
 appreciate absolutely all you say. You may trust me. I 
 have been too long waiting for my opportunity, not to 
 seize it when it comes. I am not likely to throw it away 
 by weakness." 
 
 " You may easily find yourself a trifle nervous," replied 
 Brisson coldly. " Any man might, in the midst of such 
 unlooked-for circumstances. After all, you were not 
 born to this sort of thing. That is why I venture to 
 give you the warning." 
 
 "Oh, nervousness is not among my failings," cheer- 
 ily, and Napoleon almost bit off one of his fingers. " I 
 did not feel nervous last night " which was quite true 
 "and it was a much larger meeting than this will be. 
 I had n't a very extensive practice," he added with the 
 frankness that was becoming one of his most charming 
 characteristics, "at the English bar; but I had enough 
 to cure me of shyness." And certainly when he got 
 into Colonel Bonvalet's dining-room, and found himself 
 surrounded by eleven military gentlemen, most of high 
 rank, his tremulousness vanished entirely away. 
 
 The meeting throughout was quite informal, the 
 introductions which prefaced it being devoid of all cere- 
 mony, Colonel Brisson rapidly presenting each officer in 
 turn according to his rank. General Breheville led off. 
 The General was short and effeminate-looking, with a 
 dainty little pointed beard, brown and silken, and very
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 103 
 
 much waxed moustaches. Marchmont followed. He 
 looked almost as incompetent, with his eyeglass that 
 would n't stick on, his loose, weak mouth, which his beard 
 could not conceal, and his flabby manner, that had a trick 
 of never taking him any forwarder. Bonvalet of Cuiras- 
 siers followed upon these like a whiff of the sea. All Paris 
 knew Bonvalet of Cuirassiers, the sturdy colonel who had 
 risen from the ranks and still kept his original manners; 
 and Bonvalet of Cuirassiers knew that all Paris knew him. 
 He gave Napoleon a hearty grip of the hand, welcoming 
 him in a lusty voice that appeared to say, "I am Bon- 
 valet of Cuirassiers, I am ; the bluntest, roughest, most 
 honest good-fellow in the French army." Colonels 
 Klein, Douay, and Favoust took their turn after Bonvalet 
 of Cuirassiers was disposed of; and they were succeeded 
 by others whom Napoleon scarcely had time to notice, 
 they came and went so rapidly. 
 
 Besides, our hero was busy rehearsing a little speech 
 wherewith to commence the real business of the after- 
 noon. He had considerable difficulty in selecting a suit- 
 able invocation. " Gentlemen " might be well enough for 
 the Rue Boissy d'Anglas; it certainly would not do here. 
 On the other hand, he could not call them " Comrades " 
 or " Fellow-soldiers." " My friends " sounded Biblical; 
 " My men," impolite. " Officers of the French army " 
 seemed the sole remaining alternative; but it erred by 
 being too descriptive and not sufficiently terse. So, when 
 the last man had departed, he whispered to Brisson, 
 "What shall I call them?" 
 
 The Colonel stared. " Call them? " 
 
 "Yes, how shall I address them?" 
 
 "Oh, there won't be any set speeches," Brisson re- 
 turned abruptly. 
 
 And there were n't. Bonvalet handed round a box of 
 big cheroots, and his guests disposed of themselves as 
 they listed about the room, some on sofas, some in easy 
 chairs, one or two even standing. Breheville, ever in 
 the front rank where elegance was concerned, draped 
 himself with careless grace along the broad back of a 
 settee, one arm resting on the mantelboard. Brisson 
 alone, of all present, took a seat at the table. As for the
 
 104 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Prince, before he even knew it Bonvalet of Cuirassiers 
 had gently pushed him into alow, deep easy-chair, where, 
 when he reclined its full length, his head came on a level 
 with his knees. Here he lay through most of the subse- 
 quent proceedings, tearing a giant cheroot to pieces and 
 then trying to roll it together again, his mind in about 
 the same heaped-up condition as his body. 
 
 Bonvalet, who settled himself in the settee under the 
 cover of the back which Breheville had so gracefully 
 appropriated, and opposite Napoleon, asked the General 
 what he thought of the cigar. 
 
 "So, so," said Breheville, "your last box was bet- 
 ter." 
 
 "Same price, General, identically the same price. 
 Brisson, you are n't smoking! Pass him the box, March- 
 mont, there 's a dear fellow. Your Highness likes these 
 cheroots, I hope? They are big; but I gave a big price 
 for them." 
 
 Napoleon's twitching fingers crumpled the outer leaf 
 into snuff. He tried to kindle the smouldering remnant 
 into a glow, and muttered that it was divine. 
 
 "Cheroots are generally big," began Brigadier March- 
 mont with a vacant smile. " That is, some cheroots are 
 big. I prefer them smaller myself. Not very much 
 smaller; indeed, hardly any smaller. No, no smaller; 
 these are about the right size. I don't think I have seen 
 any quite so big as these before. I am certain I have 
 not. Nowadays, cheroots are generally made small. I 
 prefer them big, myself. If anything, just a shade bigger 
 than these." 
 
 " I have n't offered any of you men anything to drink. 
 Your Highness would like a cup of coffee, or a claret and 
 seltzer? " 
 
 ' No thank you." 
 
 ' Bre"heville, a claret and seltzer? " 
 
 ' Not for me, thanks. I never drink between meals." 
 
 ' Marchmont? " 
 
 'Well, if you insist; but really I'd rather not. To 
 tell you the honest truth, I don't care much for claret 
 and seltzer. There are many other drinks that I prefer; 
 coffee, for instance, beer, lemonade, sherbet. Not that I
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 105 
 
 object to claret and seltzer. Indeed, on a hot day like 
 this, it is one of the most refreshing of drinks, the most 
 refreshing, I should say, and certainly the one I prefer 
 to any other. So, if it is n't inconveniencing you " 
 
 " Not in the least," said Bonvalet, preparing to rise. 
 
 "So, if it isn't inconveniencing you," Marchmont 
 repeated, in a species of vacant flicker, "I think I 
 won't." 
 
 Bonvalet of Cuirassiers relapsed into his settee. 
 "Good heavens!" he shouted presently, "Brisson, you 
 look as though you were sitting on the receipt of custom. 
 Why in the world cannot you come and make yourself at 
 home, like the rest of us? You are positively the only 
 man not smoking! Prince, I wish you would order Bris- 
 son to light up." 
 
 The Prince's own cheroot was by this time a rag of 
 mangled tobacco. He therefore kept clear of a delicate 
 subject. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Klein, who commanded a battal- 
 ion of the One Hundred and Ninth, and looked and was 
 inarticulate, at this point asked Marchmont for a match. 
 
 "I am afraid I hav n't any," that veteran replied. 
 " I had some matches half an hour ago", wistfully, as 
 though their memory thus lamented would suffice to 
 recall them, : " I 7/a</some matches, half an hour ago, but 
 I gave them away to a beggar in the street. He looked 
 so hungry, poor fellow. It 's a very curious thing; ordi- 
 narily, I am never without matches. Not that I am a 
 great smoker; but they always come in handy for a 
 friend, or in case one has dropt anything on the floor or 
 wants to burn anything. Yes, indeed, matches are in- 
 valuable. All men ought to carry them; I wish I was 
 more in the habit of doing so myself. I am ashamed to 
 say I very rarely do. I wish I did. I had some, half an 
 hour ago. Really, I do n't know what you had better do. " 
 
 Klein did nothing. He had got his match some five 
 minutes back, and was now well hidden behind his cigar 
 and usual wall of impenetrable silence. 
 
 " Your Highness has n't been to any of our race-meet- 
 ings yet?" Breheville inquired, smiling down from aloft, 
 like some sort of scented deity.
 
 106 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "God bless my soul," Bonvalet responded for the 
 Prince, " his Highness has something better to think 
 about." 
 
 " Surely, any man, however busy, can find time to at- 
 tend an occasional race-meeting," lisped the General. 
 "Look at me. I 've got my division to attend to. It 
 is ' asleep, ' certainly, and does not give me much trouble ; 
 but I am compelled to keep a constant eye on it. Then 
 there is my work at headquarters; and you know for 
 yourself what a troublesome creature Clisserole is. He 
 would not let a man in the garrison rest for five minutes 
 together, if he had his way. But I manage to get an 
 afternoon now and then at Longchamps. So does March- 
 mont; I meet him there frequently. And you won't 
 find a man in the army who works harder than March- 
 mont. " 
 
 Marchmont, thus appealed to, straightway fell to 
 maundering. "Oh, yes, I get down to Longchamps or 
 Enghien occasionally. It is rather a job, as Bre"heville 
 justly remarks. Clisserole drives one so. I confess I 
 am exceedingly fond of a good race. There is some- 
 thing so fresh, so diverting, in the spectacle. One can 
 see as much, if only from the crowds that are present at 
 all first-class meetings. The sport is becoming more 
 and more popular every year. Thousands go nowadays 
 who, a couple of years ago, no more thought of attend- 
 ing a horse-race than of flying to the moon. I cannot 
 say I care much for the sport myself. I have only been 
 to Longchamps half a dozen times, and to Vincennes 
 about once; and I do not fancy I shall ever visit either 
 place again. Clisserole is such a terrible slave-driver. 
 When I want to get away to see a race and that's pretty 
 often I have to put up with some abominable midday 
 train, which naturally spoils the whole enjoyment." 
 
 " Marchmont, you are a funny fellow," simpered 
 Breheville. 
 
 " My good friend," the other replied with for him 
 a phenomenal access of energy, "we are all funny fel- 
 lows, if it comes to that. The world contains so much 
 to make us funny peculiar strange I can't get the 
 right word, but you, all of you know, what I mean."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 107 
 
 Then he tailed off into fresh vapourings, which Brisson 
 brought to a somewhat abrupt conclusion. 
 
 "Concerning what I have already said to all of you 
 separately," broke in the latter. 
 
 "Business! business!" groaned their host; "it's 
 always business with you, Brisson. Cannot you let us 
 settle down a bit? Look at the Prince; he isn't half 
 through his cheroot yet. We have the whole afternoon 
 before us." 
 
 "Nothing of the kind," Brisson responded. "His 
 Highness and I have much to do before evening." 
 
 " As you please," was the muttered rejoinder. "For 
 my part, I do not see what on earth we have got to talk 
 about. The whole thing is settled. It merely remains 
 to fix the date." 
 
 Klein looked as though he wanted to say something. 
 Marchmont said it for him. 
 
 " Hardly that not quite that. You are nearly right; 
 but not quite." 
 
 "Well, most of us are agreed. I am, I know. Your 
 Highness need only say the word, and I would have my 
 boys out to-night," he waved his hand in an airy, care- 
 less manner towards the window. "We should n't want 
 Klein or Marchmont. We could manage the trick single- 
 handed. " 
 
 " Nothing equals artillery for street-fighting, ' ' Colonel 
 Douay interposed coldly. He had not spoken before; 
 but he had violet eyes and a cheerless manner, features 
 which entitled him to consideration. He was, moreover, 
 an artillerist of some merit. "Cavalry isn't in it," he 
 continued ; "your Highness will know that as well as any 
 man." 
 
 " His highness was n't present at Vendemiaire, " sim- 
 pered Breheville. 
 
 "I did n't say he was. There are some men who 
 know a little about their ancestors." 
 
 " It depends entirely whether they have any ancestors 
 to know." 
 
 " Precisely. That is exactly what I meant." 
 
 " Come, come, " cried the bluff Bonvalet, "we must n't 
 get to high words. What with your bickerings and in-
 
 roS THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 nuendoes, you two are just like a couple of old maiden 
 ladies. You have both got very nice ancestors, so you 
 need not malign them." 
 
 Brisson cleared his throat. 
 
 "It is extremely necessary, "he began, "that we 
 should all be of one mind. We are not in line yet. 
 General Marchmont, cannot you now give me a definite 
 answer? " 
 
 " Well, I do n't know ; really I do n't know, ' ' faltered 
 Marchmont. He hardly appreciated the sudden promi- 
 nence into which the question thrust him. "You see, it 
 does not do to make up one's mind too hastily in these 
 matters. I am exceedingly pleased to meet his Imperial 
 Highness. I was a subaltern in sevent in the late Em- 
 peror's time. Nevertheless, I can't think it is right to 
 throw France into confusion, unless we can be quite quite 
 certain of success. Consider the quantity of innocent 
 blood we shall shed, not excluding the Prince's. No, I 
 can't think it is right. Mind, I do not say it is wrong; 
 but it isn't right that is, it isn't safe." 
 
 "We must do without the Brigadier for the present," 
 said Bonvalet. " He '11 come in by and by when he has 
 heard us chat a bit. Who is the other malcontent? 
 There were two, I believe." 
 
 "Major Gorin," said Brisson, consulting his note- 
 book. 
 
 "Damn it all! " bellowed Bonvalet; "one of my offi- 
 cers! I won't have it, Gorin, you know. I won't have 
 it. Come out of that corner and get Brisson to alter 
 your name." 
 
 Major Gorin obeyed at once. 
 
 " Mutiny in my own regiment," growled the still irate 
 Colonel. "I never heard of such a thing. It's the 
 fault of that blasted St. Cyr. /won't stand any of their 
 humbug." 
 
 " Colonel Bonvalet, Third Cuirassiers," Brisson began 
 in a sing-song voice, " you can answer for your men? " 
 
 " Every blasted one. " 
 
 "General Breheville?" 
 
 "It is rather difficult to answer for a division," 
 smirked that officer. "For myself, I am with you,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 109 
 
 heart and soul; but at present my division is asleep, if I 
 may be permitted to use the expression. It is not by 
 any means complete. Half of it is in Algiers; and of 
 the other half, one battalion is with Mesnil in Lille my 
 best too. That horrid little fellow gets the pick of 
 everything; I do n't like him at all. However, all said 
 and done, I daresay I could manage three battalions for 
 you, three battalions and possibly a squadron of dra- 
 goons. The latter, though, are shaky; kindly bear that 
 in mind. Their commander is not to be relied on." 
 
 Brisson followed him patiently to the end of his ha- 
 rangue, making occasional notes the while, then turned to 
 Colonel Favoust: 
 
 "Colonel Favoust, commanding a battalion of the 
 Seventh of the line?" 
 
 'My men are well-affected; I cannot say so much 
 for the officers. Still, I think I could promise a solid 
 five hundred." 
 
 "Sometimes the officers influence the men, " began 
 Marchmont; "sometimes they do not. I know, when I 
 enjoyed a regimental command, my officers exercised an 
 influence over the rank and file that was paramount." 
 
 "Colonel Donremy, commanding the Third?" 
 
 "The officers are Imperialist to a man; they will 
 carry the regiment." 
 
 "Precisely what would have happened in the Tenth 
 when I commanded it," murmured Marchmont. "The 
 effects were sometimes a trifle inconvenient; but on the 
 whole it is best that the rank and file " 
 
 " Gerardt, how about your dragoons? " 
 
 "They are all right. You need have no fear about 
 them. Their sole anxiety is to get to work as quickly 
 as possible." 
 
 Commandant Laurent, who had to answer for a bat- 
 talion of the Ninety-seventh, and Colonel Douay, who 
 could promise a couple of mounted batteries, both gave 
 the same reply. Klein alone demurred. He, it may be 
 remembered, had charge of half Dreyfus's regiment, the 
 One Hundred and Ninth; and when Brisson asked him 
 the now familiar question, he gave an affirmative answer 
 as regards his men, but said in addition:
 
 no THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " My stipulation must not be lost sight of. I do not 
 finally join until I see the plan." 
 
 "Klein, you're worse than any old lady," Bonvalet 
 remarked. "What would become of the Prince's chance, 
 of success, do you suppose, were the remainder of us to 
 make the same ridiculous reservation?" The taciturn 
 Klein, however, had a soul above polemics. He had 
 said his say, and now he went back into silence. 
 
 Brisson turned to Napoleon: 
 
 "Your Highness hears these gentlemen? So far, 
 things are quite satisfactory." 
 
 " Thanks to you, " murmured Napoleon, endeavouring 
 to raise his head. 
 
 " Now my idea was," Brisson went on, addressing the 
 general company, "that we should at once, and in this 
 place, agree upon a night. I suggest next Wednesday. 
 We know pretty well the number of troops we shall have 
 at our disposal. Before we separate we can arrange how 
 best to post them through the city." 
 
 " Wednesday is rather close," said Breheville. "It 
 only means two clear days." 
 
 " The sooner, the better, say I," cried Bonvalet. 
 
 "I think Bonvalet is right," said Favoust. 
 
 "And so do I," muttered Major Gorin, with that 
 conviction which comes from a sincere desire to please. 
 
 "There cannot be a doubt about it," urged Bonvalet. 
 "What does the Prince say? " 
 
 "I am inclined to agree with you." 
 
 "That settles it," from Gorin. 
 
 " I am not sure," insisted Breheville. " There are a 
 good dozen men yet to be seen and talked to. Bris- 
 son has done marvels, considering the short time: with 
 five or six days more, and all of us working together, 
 we shall capture every officer of note in the garrison. 
 Why, we are not altogether certain of Marchmont yet, 
 are we, Marchmont? " 
 
 " Oh, I would n't quite say that. The fact is " 
 
 " Then there is Clisserole. We cannot possibly move 
 without Clisserole. And Changarnier is another." 
 
 "I think you are right," said Brisson. "Shall we 
 make it the second week in July? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON in 
 
 "Good Lord, no!" ejaculated Bonvalet; "that is 
 really a bit too strong. All Paris will get to hear of it. 
 I am no scholar, but I always understood a ' coup ' to 
 signify something sharp and sudden." 
 
 "What do you say to the fourth of next month? " 
 Brisson inquired of Breheville. 
 
 "Make it the fifth," the other replied. "A much 
 better day, and it will give us a clear week." 
 
 " I do not object. Does any one else? " 
 
 "I should prefer to-night," grumbled Bonvalet. 
 
 "Any one else? You, Klein and Douay, what do you 
 say? " 
 
 "I do not object to the date," said Klein, "but I 
 shall have to hear more about the details before I finally 
 consent." 
 
 "General Marchmont? " 
 
 The Brigadier began to move his ponderous, flaccid 
 mouth, but Bonvalet got in before him. " Let us get to 
 the arrangements. Brisson, that is a plan of Paris at 
 your elbow. Spread it out on the table, and we can all 
 have a look at it." 
 
 "Thanks, I need no plans," Brisson replied, con- 
 sulting another of his many documents. " I have already 
 drawn up a small disposition. It is quite simple, and 
 can easily be modified." 
 
 " Really, you think of everything," said Napoleon in 
 genuine admiration. 
 
 Brisson cleared his throat. " I suggest nine at night 
 as a good time to begin; except for Laurent and Don- 
 remy, who have farther to go, and must therefore start 
 at eight. 
 
 "At nine, then, precisely, the rest of us will parade 
 our men in our separate barracks; let them into the 
 secret, mind, not a word beforehand to a living soul 
 and march them off to the following destinations. Klein 
 is to surround the Elyse"e, and get hold of the President. 
 He can take him across the way to my barracks. I pro- 
 pose myself to send a couple of companies to bring in 
 Carache and Pontecoulant; none of the other ministers 
 are worth taking. My barracks can serve as the house 
 of detention; it is central, and shall be strongly guarded.
 
 ii2 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 When Klein has managed Monsieur, he is to rendezvous 
 on the Champs Elyse"es. My arrangement contemplates 
 further that Douay should have a half-battery stationed 
 by the Ministry of Marine, facing down the Rue de 
 Rivoli " 
 
 "I cannot see the good of that," interrupted the 
 cuirassier. "Much better let me place a squadron 
 there. We could clear the street very much faster than 
 Douay." 
 
 Douay curled his upper lip. 
 
 "It is merely a suggestion," Brisson answered, "we 
 shall have plenty of time to make alterations." He 
 resumed his recital: "Half a battery by the Ministry of 
 Marine, half a battery in the Place de 1'Opera, half a 
 battery on the Pont de la Concorde, and a couple of guns 
 in the Place de la Republique. " 
 
 " I do n't agree with your disposal at all," said Douay. 
 
 "You must be somewhere, you know," Bonvalet 
 interjected. 
 
 "Quite so, but who is to support me at those dis- 
 tances? I might as well scatter one gun apiece over the 
 different quarters of the city, and leave any one who 
 chose to come and take them. No, I mean to stick to 
 the Place de la Concorde. I do not mind a dash now and 
 again down the Rue de Rivoli. But I 'm not going to 
 shed fractions of my batteries over the highways and 
 byways." 
 
 Brisson looked appealingly across at Napoleon, who, 
 on his side, had for the last five minutes been gazing 
 abstractedly at him, and thinking how very much he 
 resembled Don Quixote. The Prince roused himself and 
 turned to Douay. 
 
 "The plans will be modified hereafter," he mur- 
 mured. " Brisson is only indicating his ideas. And I am 
 quite certain he would not place you anywhere without 
 support." 
 
 Douay mumbled something under his breath. 
 
 "I am quite certain of it. Please, for my for for 
 on your loyalty, let him go on." 
 
 Somehow this little appeal did not make a very good 
 impression.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 113 
 
 " Go on, Brisson," said Bonvalet shortly. 
 
 "Laurent," continued the Colonel from his paper, 
 "is to remain on the other side of the river until he 
 hears from his Highness. He will guard the bridges 
 between Crenelle and the Orleans railway station. No 
 one must be suffered to cross who cannot give the 
 countersign. I also propose that he should tell off three 
 companies: one for the Palais Bourbon, another for the 
 Luxembourg " 
 
 "What nonsense, " cried Bonvalet. "They do not 
 sit at nine o'clock at night." 
 
 The portion of the table in front of Brisson was by 
 now littered with papers. He made no direct reply to 
 Bonvalet's interruption, but selecting a scrap from 
 among the documents before him, commenced leisurely 
 to peruse its contents. 
 
 " I merely follow De Moray," he said at last. " Lis- 
 ten to this. He is writing in 1852: If 'I had to make 
 another coup d'etat,' says he, 'I should seize two points, 
 and two points only. The meeting-place of the Con- 
 stituent Assembly is the first and the most important. 
 Get hold of that, even though it be only of pasteboard, 
 and you silence the Assembly. It is as though you were 
 to shut the sea against a whale. The second point is 
 the Ministry of War.' ' 
 
 "The Ministry of War?" from Breheville; "really I 
 do n't see the force of that." 
 
 "Leave him alone," the colonel of Cuirassiers en- 
 treated; "he will only give us more De Morny. " 
 
 Brisson returned to his arrangement. 
 
 "Therefore, as I put it, Laurent will also detach a 
 company to guard the last-named building. These three 
 companies are to remain at their respective posts all 
 through the night. The remaining five " 
 
 "Good God!" broke in the irrepressible Bonvalet; 
 "the fellow knows the merest details. There will only 
 be one place for you, Brisson, when his Highness is on 
 the throne, the Ministry of War." 
 
 "Don't be foolish, Bonvalet," General Breheville 
 said tartly. " You have no right to influence the Prince's 
 mind in that way."
 
 ii4 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "At least you won't get the job," the other retorted, 
 glancing maliciously up over his right shoulder at the 
 recumbent General. 
 
 " I shall withdraw from the whole undertaking if Bon- 
 valet is to be allowed to indulge in these personalities." 
 
 "The remaining five, which are scattered over the 
 bridges will, directly word comes from his Highness, 
 march in to the Place de la Concorde. Favoust I 
 have told off to patrol the boulevards from the Made- 
 leine to the Gare de Vincennes. He will also take 
 charge of the St. Lazare, Northern, and Lyons Termini." 
 
 " Much too dispersed," Breheville objected. 
 
 Brisson's left hand commenced to wander among his 
 papers. 
 
 "More De Morny, " groaned Bonvalet. 
 
 "The Count says," Brisson remarked imperturbably, 
 " ' in street-fighting divide et impera is the safest maxim. ' 
 Favoust, like the others, will, on receiving word from 
 his Highness, bring his men into the Place de la Con- 
 corde. Donremy is to march straight from his barracks, 
 to the rendezvous and to hold it with all its approaches, 
 being especially careful to keep in touch with his second 
 battalion, which I have detailed to patrol the Avenues 
 des Champs Elysee, and Kleber. Gerardt attaches him- 
 self to Colonel Laurent and keeps to the other side of the 
 river. He must have his men well in hand, so that he 
 may be able to cross at a moment's notice." 
 
 "I do not approve of that," said Marchmont, feeling 
 that it was his turn to create a diversion. 
 
 "What is your objection? " 
 
 "Oh, I don't know exactly; but I do not approve 
 of it." 
 
 "Let him be Brisson; he will never stop, once he 
 begins." 
 
 "As regards yourself, General Breheville," Brisson 
 resumed, " I have put you down for two regiments." 
 
 "I cannot possibly manage as much." 
 
 " Call it one and a half then? " 
 
 " If you choose. But even that is not certain. It de- 
 pends entirely upon the commanding officers, and two of 
 them are crotchety creatures."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 115 
 
 " I want you to give Favoust a battalion. He is not 
 over-strong, and we must keep an eye on Montmartre. 
 A second battalion should go to Laurent across the river, 
 and the third the third might help Douay with his guns. 
 By the way, did you say cavalry? " 
 
 " I daresay I could give you a few dragoons." 
 
 "They must keep with Donremy along the Rue de 
 Rivoli for choice." 
 
 "I have no objection," said Breheville. 
 
 "What the devil do I do?" cried Bonvalet of 
 Cuirassiers, who had been growing more fidgetty as the 
 minutes went on, and could now restrain himself no longer. 
 
 "The Prince has no more faithful servant than your- 
 self," Brisson responded, without, however, any change 
 in the sing-song of his tone. "I have accordingly 
 allotted to you the task of guarding his person." 
 
 " It won't take a regiment to do that," replied Bon- 
 valet, glancing with a not over-genial expression at the 
 recumbent figure opposite. 
 
 "You could lend Donremy a squadron. The Place 
 de la Concorde is the heart of the position ; I have chosen 
 it as the general rendezvous. So our friend cannot be 
 too strong." 
 
 " I will take that job. Major Gorin, you will keep a 
 couple of troops and guard his Highness. Do you 
 hear?" 
 
 "But I propose that you should have charge of the 
 Imperial escort," Brisson made haste to say. 
 
 "I prefer street-fighting," Bonvalet rejoined grimly. 
 
 " Oh, I do hope there won't be any bloodshed," fal- 
 tered Napoleon. 
 
 Breheville alone took any notice of this altruism. 
 "Yes," he remarked gingerly, "blood is horrid, espe- 
 cially when you can do without it." 
 
 "No, no," Brisson insisted, "you must take charge 
 of his Highness's person. It is quite as important as the 
 Place de la Concorde. What should 'we do if, after we had 
 got the whole city into our possession, the Prince wasn't 
 forthcoming? " 
 
 "Very well," Bonvalet consented sullenly. "Gorin, 
 you will put yourself under Colonel Donremy's orders.
 
 n6 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Do n't let me hear afterwards that you permitted the men 
 to use the flat of their sabres." 
 
 " Oh, I do hope there won't be any bloodshed." 
 
 " Go on, Brisson. What 's to be done with Bonaparte 
 during the play? " 
 
 " I propose that he should remain in my barracks until 
 things are ready for him outside." 
 
 "Oh!" said Breheville, glumly. 
 
 "Oh! " muttered one or two others, with the same 
 deprecatory emphasis. 
 
 Brisson kept on his course quite unperturbed. 
 
 " It is the most central place of its kind in Paris; the 
 Prince can be in the Champs Elysees three minutes after 
 we send for him. Again, the barracks are to be strongly 
 guarded. Bonvalet will be present with his Cuirassiers, 
 and I shall leave some of my own men. Other distin- 
 guished people," he added without the flicker of a 
 smile, "will spend the evening there, out of harm's way. 
 I am convinced it is the best plan. The Prince is to 
 move into my quarters at four o'clock that same after- 
 noon, so as to be in safety before the business begins. 
 Bonvalet, you, of course, will not start from here until 
 nine: I ought to have added that." 
 
 "And I am to stay hanging about the barrack square 
 from half-past nine onwards? Thank you! " 
 
 "You must do what his Highness orders." 
 
 " His Highness does not order me to stand kicking 
 my heels for two, perhaps three, hours in your miserable 
 back yard. Flesh and blood can't stand it ; at all events, 
 my flesh and blood can't. I must see some of the fun." 
 
 Brisson appealed to Napoleon. 
 
 And Napoleon remarked plaintively, "Oh, I do hope 
 there won't be any bloodshed." 
 
 Bonvalet, despite the grievance rankling in his breast, 
 burst into a rough laugh. 
 
 " Brisson and I will settle it between us afterwards. 
 Continue, my dear Minister of War." 
 
 " I find I have forgotten to mention, whatever troops 
 I can spare will be at Douay's disposal. And that fin- 
 ishes the general arrangement. As you see, it has been
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 117 
 
 made in outline. Any more men we can get hold of can 
 be planted on that skeleton." 
 
 There followed a short interval of silence, which was 
 broken at last by Breheville. 
 
 " It sounds reasonable enough. I cannot think of any 
 important omission. Your arrangement provides for 
 every strategic point in the whole city; and, after all, 
 that is the main question. Once we dominate the city, 
 the rest will be quite easy. In fact, there will be no 
 'rest'; everything will have been done." 
 
 "The arrangement seems to me fairly complete," 
 Brisson admitted ; " Marchmont, what do you say? " 
 
 "Oh, I hardly know. Is not this attempt of yours 
 rather a leap in the dark? The army is Imperialist to 
 the core, and all that sort of thing. And the lot of us 
 have only to speak half a dozen words to our men to get 
 them to join cordially in the project; but but isn't 
 the business rather, rather sudden; isn't it, so to speak, 
 rather a leap in the dark? I do not mean that it won't 
 be successful. I am sure it will be successful ; and I am 
 one of your Highness's most loyal partisans at heart, 
 that is, but the project does involve a leap in the dark, 
 I am convinced. I should say, nearly convinced." 
 
 "There is never any discovering what you mean." 
 
 "Colonel Bonvalet, I am addressing myself to his 
 Highness." 
 
 "I appreciate your point thoroughly," Bonaparte 
 replied, bending forward, and literally bristling with 
 impatience to get out a satisfactory reply. "There is 
 much truth in your remarks. We are going to make the at- 
 tempt a trifle too suddenly for me to feel altogether easy. 
 A week is hardly time enough, I agree, where one has to 
 arrange the preliminaries of such a gigantic undertaking. 
 I comprehend, too, the difficulty which seems to weigh 
 with you most. The various regiments, according to 
 Brisson's plan, are only to receive an hour's notice of 
 what is required of them. Is this can this be wise? 
 Had we not far better take the first opportunity to let 
 them know my story and my aims? at once invite their 
 co-operation? A few pamphlets judiciously distributed,
 
 uS THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 a word here and there from a commanding officer, and 
 the matter would soon spread in every direction through 
 the rank and file. A month to filter through ; a month 
 to germinate in their minds! Tell me, General March- 
 mont, what do you say to that? " 
 
 "I am sure I do not know," said Marchmont, so 
 puzzled and woebegone he might have been explaining 
 the reason for assets nil to the official receiver. 
 
 "That would put the date somewhere about the end 
 of September," Napoleon continued, much encouraged 
 by the awe-inspired silence which greeted this first at- 
 tempt on his part to assume the reins. "We could 
 employ the time in spreading our net outside Paris. 
 Why, in about six weeks, we might have every officer in 
 the service on our side. Little General Mesnil among 
 them; we want him. Yes, yes, I am convinced this is 
 the better course. What say you, gentlemen? " 
 
 There was a dead silence. All eyes were turned on 
 the Prince's face. The prevailing look was one of deep 
 consternation. 
 
 He did not notice. He imagined that his words had 
 put things in their right place. He was master; they 
 were there to listen and obey. He commenced afresh 
 without a qualm: 
 
 "The question arises, what shall I do in the mean 
 time? Paris would scarcely be safe. I have it! I can 
 hide a little way out; some town thirty miles distant, 
 where they will never think of looking for me." 
 
 "I withdraw my services," said Klein. 
 
 "With great respect to Monseigneur, so do I," ex- 
 claimed Douay and Laurent almost simultaneously. 
 
 "I shall have to reconsider my position," minced 
 Breheville. 
 
 "And I," "And I," from one or two others. 
 
 "I am not sure I don't follow suit," cried the bluff 
 Cuirassier. " By heavens, / won't wait till September. " 
 His fierce eyes were starting out of his head; he puffed 
 out both cheeks, possibly to keep the former from drop- 
 ping altogether. 
 
 The defection was now general. It would have gone 
 beyond recall had not Brisson rudely deposed his master
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 119 
 
 from the box-seat, a retreat into private life which the 
 latter accepted readily enough. 
 
 "We keep to July 5th!" he said decisively. "His 
 Highness merely offered the suggestion. We cannot 
 accept it. Well and good ; no harm has been done. Once 
 for all, gentlemen, whatever else may change, the date 
 will not." 
 
 These words were received with an unanimous 
 chorus of approval. Every man p~esent seemed to 
 breathe again. 
 
 " My word," exclaimed Bonvalet, only he employed a 
 stronger expletive, "what an absolutely insane idea. 
 The end of September! Why, the lot of us would have 
 been in glory by then." 
 
 "As for General Mesnil," said Breheville, drawing a 
 scented handkerchief over his marble brow; " that was 
 a most fatal proposition. He has a reputation certainly, 
 but believe me, Monseigneur, it is quite unmerited. 
 Those who really know him consider him the most incom- 
 petent, chattering, self-sufficient little jackass between 
 here and Moscow. And when a man has a bad name in 
 the service, you can be positive there is something wrong 
 with him. " 
 
 "September indeed!" resumed Bonvalet. Brisson 
 cut him short. 
 
 "The incident is at an end," said he. "Concerning 
 General Marchmont, I propose to include him in my list. 
 I put him down at four battalions. Two battalions should 
 go to Laurent, for use on the south side. The remainder 
 had better co-operate with Favoust and Donremy. " 
 
 A great weight seemed at once to be lifted off the 
 Brigadier's mind. He dropped his eyeglass with a sigh 
 of relief. "Very good," he murmured with genuine 
 gratitude. 
 
 " It only remains that we should appoint some one to 
 take the chief command," said Brisson. 
 
 Breheville slid gracefully to the floor. " Exactly so," 
 he remarked, at the same moment beginning to move 
 absent-mindedly towards the table and Brisson's papers. 
 
 "General Clisserole," the latter continued, "will 
 naturally have the post, if he joins us."
 
 120 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Breheville came to a dead stop. 
 
 "But the question is," said Brisson, "whether we 
 ought to approach him." 
 
 " He certainly is a dangerous fellow," said Breheville. 
 " One can never be sure what he will do. He might go 
 off straightaway, and disclose the whole business to 
 Carache. " 
 
 "He would be an immense acquisition," Brisson 
 returned dubiously for the other side. " He carries such 
 weight with the men, besides being head of the garrison. 
 Then there is Changarnier. " 
 
 "Let us sleep upon it," suggested the Brigadier; 
 "let us sleep on both of them." 
 
 ' ' Better leave it, ' ' Breheville said with decision ; ' ' the 
 risk is too great. As for Changarnier, he is out of the 
 question." 
 
 "Yes, I am afraid you are right. We must choose 
 one of ourselves." 
 
 " That will be best. Of course, if Clisserole or Chan- 
 garnier do come in, the other fellow can easily hand over 
 the command," and the General resumed his interrupted 
 progress towards the results of Brisson's labour. 
 
 No one seemed anxious to commit himself to a sug- 
 gestion. Bonvalet gazed with sinister eyes at Breheville's 
 moving form. 
 
 Klein was the first to speak. 
 
 "I propose that Colonel Brisson take the command." 
 
 "I second Colonel Klein," cried the Prince. The 
 proposal passed with a minority of one, who did not say 
 anything; Brisson was accordingly declared elected. 
 
 Br^heville went quite up to him, and leant affection- 
 ately over his chair. 
 
 "Brisson, I congratulate you with ail my heart," he 
 purred. "Your industry merited such a compliment. 
 But put a little initiative and dash into it as well, dear 
 friend; industry alone, remember, never yet sufficed for 
 a coup <T etat. Make a determined effort to copy the 
 Morny, whom you are so fond of quoting. It will be 
 hard; still, a man of your perseverance may reasonably 
 hope for a fair amount of success. Elan is what you 
 need most. By the way, I think you said the fifth? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 121 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "I rather fear I shall be absent from Paris on that 
 date. I hope not. Sincerely, I hope not; but I am 
 afraid. I shall be able to let you know for certain, a day 
 or two hence." 
 
 " At any rate, we may count on your division? " 
 
 "Oh yes, you may count on my division. I am 
 afraid, though, you will not find them much use without 
 me; the regimental officers are so pig-headed." 
 
 Brisson collected his papers, and rose from the table, 
 at which he had sat with such patience during the greater 
 part of the afternoon. "The full number of us," he 
 said, "must not meet together again in one room. I 
 should like to see the infantry officers at the club the first 
 thing in the morning. Bonvalet, Gorin, and Gerardt, 
 perhaps you will call at my quarters to-night between 
 eight and nine. Monseigneur, I am ready." 

 
 Chapter VIII 
 
 The Prince's brougham stood waiting at the gates. 
 But their next place of call was evidently too near for 
 driving. Merely ordering the coachman to follow them, 
 Brisson led his companion out into the Boulevard de 
 Crenelle, and stopped before a lofty block half-way down 
 that thoroughfare. 
 
 The aspect of the place was not inviting. The hall, 
 especially, told of jerry-builders and grasping landlords 
 and tenants belonging to the lower bourgeoisie, who did 
 not care for elegance. The very atmosphere was rigor- 
 ous " unsuperfluity. " Only the most genuine solidity of 
 structure could compensate for such pervading baldness. 
 But one felt instinctively that the place was as flimsy as 
 it was unadorned. Nor did its character alter as they 
 mounted the stairs. The walls, mottled to represent 
 marble, though free from dust, and scrupulously clean to 
 the touch, had here and there great grimy patches, show- 
 ing where the damp of less clement days had trickled 
 through. Iron wire globes guarded the gas-jets on the 
 various landings: the banisters were of the same metal, 
 and somewhat worn. They came to a standstill on the 
 second floor, opposite a door which displayed immedi- 
 ately beneath its knocker a small white card bearing the 
 inscription, "M. AnatoleGodefroy. Theatrical Printer. " 
 With his hand raised to tap, Brisson turned and whispered 
 to Napoleon: 
 
 "You observe, we shall have to trust one man out- 
 side the garrison. Old Godefroy is a stanch Bona- 
 partist, and absolutely safe." 
 
 Having given this explanation, he rapped. The door 
 was opened almost immediately by a cheerless female, 
 half-servant, half-housekeeper, who conducted them to
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 123 
 
 the sitting-room without comment, and then went off in 
 search of her master. 
 
 Napoleon's mind was not too busy to take in the 
 features of the apartment. These weren't numerous. 
 The walls were littered with playbills old and new, the 
 latter variety predominating. The clouded mirror that 
 extended the length of the mantelpiece and went up to 
 the ceiling was stuck with photographs of theatrical cele- 
 brities, most of whom had enhanced the value of these 
 presentments by autographs and dedications couched in 
 friendly terms: the majority being "To my dear Gode- 
 froy " from the affectionate, sometimes even grateful, 
 donor. Apart from these meagre ornaments, however, 
 the room fulfilled the promise of the stairs. The furni- 
 ture was scanty, and, what there was of it, ponderous. 
 The wall-paper, so far as the posters permitted one to see, 
 vied in ugliness with the mottled marble outside. The 
 carpet was mainly linoleum, and linoleum, too, of an 
 attenuated kind. In short, the place displayed itself to 
 Napoleon's eyes as scrupulously clean, but totally devoid 
 of either comfort or beauty; and a second look at the 
 photographs over the fireplace showed that they, too, had 
 taken a tone from the surrounding gloom, and imported 
 rigid lines not possessed by the various sitters. 
 
 Presently the door swung slowly open. Nothing 
 appeared. Nothing appeared for full three minutes ; then 
 amid a deal of wheezing and creaking the owner of this 
 forbidding abode slowly emerged into view. 
 
 The gentleman in question was phenomenally fat. His 
 face was phenomenally red; his eyes phenomenally small. 
 Good living, good nature, acuteness, contentment, all 
 these virtues shone forth from his refulgent countenance. 
 For the rest, he wore bulky trousers and a black alpaca 
 coat, which presumably kept him cool, though it did n't 
 look like it. 
 
 "Good-day, Godefroy, " the Colonel commenced. 
 "You got my message, I suppose? " 
 
 "I did," replied Godefroy, in the rich, hoarse voice 
 which one is apt to connect with many meals: "lam 
 quite at your service. Pray be seated," and Godefroy 
 fixed his keen little eyes on the Prince's face.
 
 124 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "I presume this is the gentleman?" he said after a 
 short scrutiny. 
 
 "You are right," Brisson replied. 
 
 The printer turned to his Highness. "You have been 
 a long time coming. For my own part, I began to think 
 I should never see you. I am delighted to find that I 
 was wrong. Well, Colonel, and what do you propose to 
 do with the young gentleman, now you have got him? " 
 
 "We mean to make a stroke." 
 
 " Hum." 
 
 "A very rapid one too; and you will have to help 
 us." 
 
 "Hum." 
 
 "In fact, the night of the fifth is the agreed date. 
 We shall want some proclamations printed." 
 
 " I don't mind getting them done for you." 
 
 " Four or five thousand? " 
 
 " Yes, I daresay I can manage that. But I am too old 
 to go running about myself. I shan 't take any personal 
 part in the coup d'etat; so don't count on me." 
 
 " My dear Godefroy, certainly not. You will get the 
 placards posted, of course? " 
 
 " On the same night? " 
 
 "Between ten and eleven." 
 
 "I'll do that much for you. Is there going to be 
 bloodshed?" 
 
 li ~Ldo hope not," Bonaparte murmured. 
 
 " Not if we can help it, you may be quite sure. Per- 
 sonally, I do not anticipate any resistance. The govern- 
 ment are hardly likely to make a stand; and certainly 
 no one else will. Paris will probably be favourable." 
 
 " The public will be right enough," Godefroy assented, 
 "provided you do not make too much noise. The thing 
 must be short and sweet. We do not want business or 
 the theatres interfered with. By the way, did you say 
 the fifth? " 
 
 "The fifth." 
 
 Godefroy ambled up to the mantelpiece and examined 
 a memorandum planted among the photographs. 
 
 "What a pity!" he cried, " I had almost forgotten. I 
 am exceedingly busy on that night. There are powerful
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 125 
 
 claques wanted for the new opera and the Hippodrome. 
 Could you manage to postpone your little affair till the 
 evening of the sixth? " 
 
 " Impossible." 
 
 " I suppose I shall have to put up with it," he grum- 
 bled, as he returned to his seat; "but certainly your 
 business will cause me a deal of inconvenience. All these 
 things seem to happen together. Make it the fourth!" 
 
 "Out of the question. Our arrangements are nearly 
 all complete. It must be the fifth. " 
 
 " As you please, as you please," the other responded 
 sullenly. "You will leave a copy of the manifesto? " 
 
 "I will write one out directly I get home, and bring 
 it round myself before noon to-morrow." 
 
 " That must do," still sullenly. " Try and write more 
 distinctly; and don't use both sides." 
 
 But good nature was the rule with Godefroy. He 
 thawed before very long, remarking with a winning smile: 
 
 "You won't make a noise near the Opera House 
 promise me." 
 
 " We will try our utmost not to make a noise any- 
 where. " 
 
 " No shots nor groans nor horrors of that kind? It 
 simply means ruin to the piece if you do." 
 
 " Rely on me to do my best. " 
 
 "That's a good fellow. In return, I will have the 
 proclamation put up in my most expensive type. It 
 sha'n't cost you much more." 
 
 "We do not consider the expense." 
 
 " Ah, but the young gentleman will have to. We 
 cannot have an extravagant rule: things must henceforth 
 be done on the cheap. Remember, young gentleman, 
 the country has not too much money to throw away." 
 
 "Yes, yes, we shall see to that. The third Empire 
 will alter many things." 
 
 " I am glad of it: many things need altering. Among 
 others, my office, I consider, ought to be made a govern- 
 ment appointment. At present I depend for a living on 
 the good will of the various managers. What a mon- 
 strous position for a man of my age! Why, to-morrow 
 I might find myself with my sole means of livelihood
 
 126 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 entirely gone, compelled to quit so much comfort and ele- 
 gance, " he looked complacently round the room, 
 " and dependent altogether on the charity of kind friends 
 like Colonel Brisson here for my daily bread. " 
 
 The poor fellow grew quite depressed by this melan- 
 choly picture, which he had been at such pains to conjure 
 up. He shook his head sadly from side to side, gazing 
 now at Napoleon, now at Brisson, for some little re- 
 sponsive mark of sympathy. 
 
 "You mustn't take such a despondent view," said 
 the Colonel. " You have heaps of friends who would be 
 only too glad to help you if the need came, which it 
 never will. All the managers in Paris swear by you. 
 Probably you are a capitalist by now. You must have 
 saved? " 
 
 " Not a farthing," the other replied emphatically. 
 
 " Never mind. Give us satisfaction, and his High- 
 ness no doubt will find you an independence." 
 
 "I do not desire an independence." 
 
 "A permanent post? " 
 
 "That's more like it. That is exactly what I do 
 want. And when this young gentleman is on the throne, 
 I shall take the liberty of reminding him." 
 
 "I trust I shall not need reminding." 
 
 "Oh, they all say that. In point of fact, there is 
 nothing makes a man forget so quickly as a throne." 
 
 " Not when he has lived so long as I have among the 
 forgotten." 
 
 "I daresay you will be much the same as all the 
 rest." 
 
 Brisson here intervened, making a successful effort to 
 rally the old gentleman out of his ill humour. 
 
 "Godefroy, " he cried, "you are one of the pillars of 
 the party. You surely aren't going to turn crusty at 
 this time of day? His Highness says he will remember, 
 and I do n't for an instant doubt he will. If he does n't, 
 you shall remind him; you are likely to have plenty of 
 opportunities for so doing. We must get on. Here is a 
 second job for you. Upon the night in question, we 
 want fifty strong and trustworthy men, all with power- 
 ful voices, in each quarter of every arrondissement. They
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 127 
 
 should be at their several posts by nine of the clock, 
 and should start at once to patrol their districts, shouting 
 for Napoleon IV, and against the Republic." 
 
 Godefroy kept nodding his head backwards and for- 
 wards in unison with Brisson's words, something after 
 the fashion of a toy China mandarin. 
 
 "That means about four thousand men. It is rather 
 a lot; especially side by side with the opera and the hip- 
 podrome. You really could n't make it the sixth? " 
 
 " The men are to be had I suppose? " 
 
 "They are to be had; but, all the same, it will be a 
 difficult job to get them." 
 
 " You can draft some up from the provinces." 
 
 " Not the same thing at all. Provincials are no sort 
 of use in Paris; people spot them at once. I will do my 
 best with what I have got; I cannot say more. They 
 won't all be trustworthy." 
 
 "We must risk that. Mind, not a soul is to know a 
 word of this until the night of the fifth! Get your men 
 together, of course; but tell them nothing before the 
 hour arrives. The same with the bill-posters." 
 
 "You need not waste time on foolish details," re- 
 marked Godefroy. "I may not be a colonel of En- 
 gineers, but I am not quite an idiot for all that." 
 
 "You must forgive me if I am over-cautious." 
 
 "Oh, I forgive you. I offered the advice more for 
 your own sake. You cannot have too much time to 
 waste." 
 
 "You are right. Indeed we have not." 
 
 "Then don't waste any of it on me. I know about 
 as much of these things as most men, though I say it, who 
 should n't." 
 
 " Our visit is sufficient proof of that." 
 
 "Then we won't say another word. You military 
 men do get so precise and minute. I suppose it is be- 
 cause you have mostly to deal with one another, and the 
 majority of you enjoy weak intellects." 
 
 Brisson rose. "There is nothing more, I think. We 
 trust implicitly in you. You shall have the manifesto 
 before noon to-morrow." 
 
 "There you are again!" and Godefroy held up a
 
 128 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 warning forefinger which looked uncommonly like a 
 thumb. "I have already heard twice about that mani- 
 festo, and made a note of it. I do n't want to hear of it 
 a third time. I shall send my bill to the Elyse"e. Good- 
 day, gentlemen. You will excuse my coming to the 
 door." 
 
 Colonel Brisson saw Napoleon to his carriage, and 
 there said good-bye. " I need not trouble you further 
 to-day," he added. "I shall hope to find you in be- 
 tween one and two to-morrow. Go out as little as pos- 
 sible; and then not on foot if you can possibly avoid it." 
 
 The Prince arrived home to find Monsieur Verre in 
 possession of his apartment. The ex-Premier was pa- 
 cing up and down the library, his hat on his head, and 
 evidently something equally weighty on his mind. 
 
 "My dear Sadler," he shouted, directly he caught 
 sight of our hero, "I bring news of great importance. 
 Prince Felix Bonaparte dines with us to-night. You 
 must be present. The Bonapartes are useful people to 
 know. Mark me, Victor is not destined to stay in Brus- 
 sels much longer." 
 
 "I fear I cannot come." 
 
 "Nonsense, we won't hear of a refusal. The Prince 
 may take a fancy to you, if you are only as witty as you 
 sometimes can be. He will possess sufficient influence 
 to get you, say, an under-chamberlainship. Your ability 
 entitles you to such an office; while your likeness . . . 
 forgive me ... ha, ha," and Monsieur indulged in a 
 softly significant chuckle. 
 
 " No, really I shall be unable to accept." 
 
 " You must come, and there 's an end of it. Au revoir 
 dinner at seven-thirty, sharp." 
 
 And in the end Napoleon went. Prince Felix Bona- 
 parte was an attraction. Every one knew the little fel- 
 low. He had won fame for his unbridled profligacy, 
 which made the capital, as he used to say, the only place 
 he could comfortably live in. It certainly rendered the 
 city possible. Carache and Pontecoulant knew his little 
 ways, so exempted him from the effects of the law pro- 
 scribing the other members of his family. They turned 
 his peccadillos to account. The official journals kept a
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 129 
 
 discreet eye upon his intrigues; detectives tracked him 
 behind stage doors and into more than one cabinet par- 
 ticulier. While Felix himself went on his path pleasure- 
 seeking, with a reckless cynicism which helped more 
 towards publicity than a whole universe of spies and gov- 
 ernment organs. 
 
 The prospect of a meeting tickled our hero im- 
 mensely. The danger seemed inconsiderable. With a 
 found Bonaparte in their midst, the company would 
 scarcely be likely to think of the lost one. But the situa- 
 tion proved far more novel than he anticipated. It was 
 also less amusing. Prince Felix had the face of a liber- 
 tine. His features were bloated and puckered, combining 
 into a point which was neither the eyes exactly, nor the 
 mouth, nor the nose, but a little of all three, a point, in 
 fact, which one felt rather than actually saw. Before and 
 after dinner he stood in the centre of the drawing-room, 
 directly underneath the Venetian glass chandelier, and 
 gazed with bedimmed eyes on an astonished world. In 
 the dining-room he had other things to think about. 
 Every one was on their knees to him. The atmosphere 
 seemed to breathe the word " Monseigneur " ; and more 
 than once our Napoleon turned sharply, under the im- 
 pression that he himself was being addressed. Once he 
 did this when Verre was by; the ex-Premier took half 
 his meaning. 
 
 "Not yet, my friend," laughing and tapping the 
 young man on the shoulder. "We should all like to 
 be princes; your turn will come. But this time I meant 
 his Highness yonder." 
 
 It was gall and wormwood to Napoleon to see this 
 ungainly creature strutting about in borrowed plumes. 
 Perhaps the bitterest pill of all was the way his hosts 
 neglected him. Save for a single hearty ' ' Hullo, Sadler ! ' ' 
 and the remark about princes just referred to, the hus- 
 band took no notice of the guest he usually treated so 
 well. As for Madame, she gave our friend a frigid bow, 
 and nothing more. She had evidently heard of the Men- 
 dril fiasco. Now Napoleon had no special regard for 
 this good lady; but cold looks from any one invariably 
 upset him. So he worked his way round to where she
 
 130 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 was standing, and, calling her attention off the porpoise, 
 she was gazing with rapt eyes on Felix, ventured 
 the remark that it was a brilliant evening. Her rejoinder 
 was civil, but totally devoid of cordiality. Walter, how- 
 ever, persevered. 
 
 "I appreciate being asked on such occasions," said 
 he, looking across affectionately at his cousin. 
 
 " My husband said you would. For that reason he 
 asked you. You Englishmen are so fond of notorieties 
 4 lions ' you call them? " 
 
 "Yes, but they are rather exacting in England," 
 Napoleon answered with a genial laugh. "I fear his 
 Highness would only be rated a tiger over there." 
 
 Madame bridled. "He is third in the succession, 
 and may well be Emperor. He will be Emperor, very 
 shortly too. I ought to know; I have helped govern this 
 country." 
 
 "Indeed." 
 
 " Indeed, Monsieur Sadler. And then, my dear 
 friend, you English will have to quit Egypt." 
 
 " Madame is very kind. She forgets, perhaps, that 
 I am a Frenchman." 
 
 "Ah," Madame exclaimed sweetly, "that accounts 
 for your unlucky attempt at the Faubourg St. Honore" 
 the other day. They are not over-fond of Frenchmen 
 there." 
 
 " I am obliged to Madame for having reminded me of 
 an unpleasant incident. I should hardly have ventured 
 here to-night had I foreseen what was in store." 
 
 "Oh," she replied, making a great show of indif- 
 ference, " my husband asked you on the spur of the 
 moment, without having first obtained my permission. 
 Naturally, when he told me, I pointed out that you 
 would probably not put in an appearance." 
 
 "You are extremely frank," cried our hero, now 
 blind with rage. "You affect to despise England, 
 Madame. No hostess in that benighted country ever 
 thinks it worth while to insult her guests." 
 
 "But, dear Monsieur, your English ladies have more 
 effective ways of excluding undesirable people." 
 
 "I sha'n't give you much trouble henceforward,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 131 
 
 Madame. And your wretched flat too; I have nearly 
 done with that." 
 
 "Ah, my husband will know how to deal with any- 
 thing of that description. We have poli lawyers in 
 Paris." 
 
 What would have happened next it is difficult to say, 
 for they were commencing to attract general attention. 
 Fortunately, Monsieur Verre intervened at this critical 
 juncture. He pushed himself with considerable ostenta- 
 tion between the combatants, remarking in his loudest 
 and most cheerful tones: "You wicked people, you are 
 talking politics. Come, dear Monsieur Walter, permit 
 me to introduce you to his Highness," and thus they 
 left Madame in sole possession of the field of battle, and 
 blinking furiously. 
 
 " Monseigneur, " Verre continued with a deal of unc- 
 tion directly they were under the shadow of the great 
 man, "may I present Monsieur Sadler to your High- 
 ness? " 
 
 Prince Felix turned his dull eyes upon the new-comer, 
 and surveyed him slowly from top to toe. Then his tiny 
 imperial moved ever so slightly, his debased mouth 
 assuming the ghost of a smile. Presently he spoke; 
 instead of a heavy, guttural bass, such as one would look 
 for from this torpid mass, his tones were thin and piping 
 and shrill. The effect was weird in the extreme. 
 
 "Monsieur," he asked point-blank, "are you an 
 adherent of Victor's? " 
 
 " I can hardly say that." 
 
 Felix looked immensely pleased. "You do not mean 
 to say that you are one of those infatuated people who 
 deny the right of the late Plon Prince Napoleon? " 
 
 The young man hesitated. Verre whispered: "You 
 are doing finely. Persevere on that tack." 
 
 " I confess I do not, under present circumstances, 
 regard Prince Victor as the rightful heir." 
 
 "Prince Louis is in the same boat," responded Felix 
 promptly. "From the personal aspect he is even a 
 weaker candidate than his brother. Victor is bilious; 
 he is devout. Last winter De Morin and I had all the 
 difficulty in the world to keep him out of a convent."
 
 132 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " His religion might temper down were he to find 
 himself face to face with the throne." 
 
 Verre treated his companion to a secret nudge. Felix's 
 visage resettled into its native ugliness. 
 
 "Louis will never be Emperor," said he with convic- 
 tion. "He has practically renounced his rights. The 
 crown lies between Victor and me, and Victor is almost 
 out of the running." 
 
 " Would you like the task? " Napoleon asked bluntly. 
 If this absurd creature saw no objection to discuss such 
 things publicly, he himself saw none either. 
 
 "It is not a question of liking or not liking," said 
 Felix with great disdain. " An historic name, such as we 
 three young men inherit, has its responsibilities as well 
 as its pleasures. Victor and Louis forget that; I do 
 not. The former nurses himself in Brussels, and is 
 supremely happy. Louis has his regiment and his con- 
 vent in Siberia, and is contentedly miserable. I but 
 come into that recess yonder; I am tired of standing. 
 You are an intelligent young man, and it is a pleasure to 
 listen to you. Verre, you need n't come. Go across and 
 talk to Madame: she looks quite angry at your long 
 neglect." 
 
 When the two cousins were comfortably seated, Felix 
 resumed: 
 
 "I, alone of the three, live on in Paris, braving 
 Carache and a thousand dangers, having eyes and 
 thought for nothing but the duty I owe France. I do 
 not say that the throne will be as easy as the compara- 
 tive privacy which I now enjoy. Nevertheless, I mean 
 to bear every trial with extreme fortitude, and make no 
 doubt I shall adorn my position. 
 
 "You surprise me." 
 
 "I do not understand why. As it is, I am de jure 
 Emperor: it is but natural that I should be ready and 
 waiting. Now, you might well confess yourself surprised 
 when you hear how I work. I rise at nine, and spend 
 the whole morning from nine-thirty to eleven over 
 political history, constitutional history, strategy, higher 
 mathematics, and dynamics. I do n't intend to let Ger- 
 man William do all the lecturing, as you may suppose.
 
 THE. FOURTH NAPOLEON 133 
 
 I receive practical instruction in building earthworks, 
 fortresses, and ironclads. I know the Code Napoleon 
 off by heart, and mean, by and by, to alter the part of 
 it which deals with divorce. I can tackle, and usually 
 vanquish, the most expert political economists in Europe. 
 In a word, I am encyclopaedic. There are not three 
 crown prices put together, between here and Japan, who 
 know a tenth as much as I do." 
 
 ' ' This is good hearing for one of your future subjects. ' ' 
 
 " I imagined you would be pleased." 
 
 "You mentioned strategy," pursued our hero; "I 
 trust you do not mean to involve us in war with Ger- 
 many? " 
 
 "Not the least intention," the absurd creature an- 
 swered promptly. "We French have no need of Alsace- 
 Lorraine. Why should we bother? we can procure better 
 pate's from Perigords. Here is a secret for you, my 
 young friend, and take care you do n't breathe a word 
 to a living soul." 
 
 Felix bent forward so as to bring his unwholesome 
 mouth on a level with Napoleon's ear. 
 
 "What I do mean to have is the kingdom of Italy! 
 Mind, there won't be any fighting. That old ballet- 
 dancer Panani will succumb as soon as he sees that I am 
 in earnest. Once master of the Peninsular, I shall be 
 able to buy chianti a drink to which I am very partial 
 at one third the price. Chianti and Italian produce! 
 think of it, my dear Monsieur! But no more on this 
 topic at present. Not a word to any one, not even to 
 your mother! " 
 
 " My mother is dead," the other replied with impres- 
 sive simplicity. "She" apropos of the chianti, per- 
 haps, and the Italian produce "she was married at 
 Cremona." 
 
 A shade passed across the Prince's face. "I pity 
 her," he said, "the place is a dustbin, and not fit for a 
 cat to die in. To return to my day!" brightening up 
 " listen to this as a sample of how I work. At eleven I have 
 dejeuner. You may imagine, I eat very sparingly. The 
 stomach and the brain are close relations; and it is im- 
 perative that I should keep my head clear. I begin on
 
 134 THE' FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 an hors-d'oeuvre, prawns, anchovies, sardines, or any- 
 thing of that sort. Then follows soup, fish, a couple of 
 entrees, a wing of a chicken, some pastry, cheese, and 
 dessert. I also drink a half-bottle of champagne as a 
 specific against influenza, which, like the poor, is always 
 with us. My sole indulgence is a glass or so of maras- 
 chino and a couple of cigarettes. After dejeuner, I take 
 a couple of hours' nap. At two I go out for a drive in 
 the Bois. Four to seven, my only quiet time in the day, 
 I read the papers, and eat cakes to prevent an empty 
 stomach. At seven I have my one good meal, after 
 which I feel I can fairly devote the remaining hours of 
 the twenty-four to my own pleasure. I usually visit the 
 opera or spend an evening at a friend's house. At mid- 
 night I have supper. It is an arduous life, I confess; 
 but, as I said before, men situated as I am have respon- 
 sibilities no less than advantages. I am bound to be 
 ready for the day." 
 
 "When do you think it will be here? " Napoleon in- 
 quired. 
 
 " I cannot give any exact date, one not far distant, 
 of that you may be sure. Carache says six months; I 
 say three. We have got a bet on it. If he is right, and 
 I begin my reign six months from now, he is to be my 
 Prime Minister for six years from the date of commence- 
 ment. If wrong, then he will only get the job for half 
 that period, after which I am to choose whom I like. 
 And furthermore, in the latter case, he is to pay me two 
 thirds of what he makes over and above his salary. He 
 is such an amusing dog that Carache." 
 
 Napoleon was dumbfounded at this frank confession. 
 He looked quickly up, half expecting to see a smile 
 hovering round the other's mouth. But Felix main- 
 tained an absolutely grave demeanour. 
 
 " I suppose Carache helps you?" asked the former 
 with failing heart. He felt powerless to fight against a 
 combination which included the Prime Minister. 
 
 "Help me! to do what, pray? I don't want any 
 help." 
 
 "But surely you are working laying the ground for a 
 Restoration a coup d'etat, or something of that sort? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 135 
 
 " A coup d'etat! Good heavens! you do n't imagine 
 I am going in for that kind of antiquated bosh? I am 
 always in Paris. And when the day comes that the na- 
 tion declares for Imperialism, I shall send a reply-tele- 
 gram to Brussels; give^ Victor an hour to decide; and 
 then take a cab to the Elysee. " 
 
 " Your Highness does not mean to leave the President 
 much time in which to pack." 
 
 "My dear friend, he won't need it. His things are 
 packed already. I assure you, he is reduced to the dis- 
 agreeable necessity of taking shirts and collars from his 
 portmanteau as he wants them. I like you," he went on 
 with that frankness princes alone may use; " I shall hope 
 to see you at the Elyse"e. " He shuffled his swallow-tails 
 and pulled forth a note-book bound in crocodile and 
 edged with beaten bronze. 
 
 " Let me see," he resumed, reading therefrom, 
 "Grand Chamberlain, the Count de Morin; Comptroller 
 of the Privy purse, Monsieur Hadamard; Premier, 
 Carache. Vice-Chamberlain yes, I can manage an un- 
 der-chamberlainship for you. What do you say? " 
 
 Napoleon was far too overcome by this sign of De 
 Morin's perfidy to make any direct reply. " Who did 
 you say was to be Grand Chamberlain? " he faltered. 
 
 "The Count de Morin." 
 
 "Ah, I am acquainted with him." 
 
 "A venerable old man, but also somewhat of a nui- 
 sance. It was his duty, you may perhaps remember, to 
 drown that Capelli-Bonaparte brat. He performed the 
 task most punctually, as I have good reason to know. 
 Yet the old wretch now declares that the insect is alive; 
 and, the other night, he paraded an impostor at a meet 
 but I have no patience with him. How much will you 
 give for that under-chamberlainship? There will be 
 pickings." 
 
 " I am not rich." 
 
 " I daresay you could manage a thousand or so. 
 Sleep on it." 
 
 Madame Verre came rustling up. 
 
 " Really, Monsieur Sadler," she exclaimed, all smiles, 
 " we cannot have you monopolizing his Highness in this
 
 136 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 way. Monseigneur, I still have numbers of people to 
 present to you." 
 
 "Bother!" muttered the crazy fellow. "We were 
 happy enough in this corner. Mind, Monsieur, you are 
 to come and see me. By the way, " he whispered, "I 
 should have told you. I am not going to take the title 
 of Felix too Eastern, you know. The good old name 
 will do for me. The Emperor Napoleon IV, that 's my 
 future description. Good-night, Monsieur. I shall ex- 
 pect you to make it two thousand francs. The job is 
 cheap at the money."
 
 Chapter IX 
 
 July the 5th came at last, dawning cloudless and 
 brilliant. Napoleon, who had spent the night in a fever 
 of wakefulness, could not have welcomed victory more. 
 He sprang out of bed, and after a hurried toilet, de- 
 scended into the street. 
 
 But no amount of fresh air could dissipate the fears 
 which haunted his brain. The memory of '51 swam 
 scarlet before his eyes. He had no desire to wade 
 through blood. Notwithstanding the inordinate thirst 
 for fame which still survived the glories of the Rue de 
 Berlin, the thought that the search for it might mean 
 death t'o many quite appalled him. Strangely, too, there 
 arose a shrinking dread of notoriety. How different it 
 looked, now it was imminent, this prominence he had 
 once desired so fiercely. The antipathy grew with the 
 day, until, when it was time to seek Brisson's barracks, 
 he would have given much to stay at home and spend 
 a cosy evening reading in bed, the electric light conve- 
 niently above him, his face turned towards the wall. 
 
 Four of the clock was the hour appointed to cross 
 the Rubicon or rather the threshold of the Colonel's 
 quarters. The latter had not yet returned. A servant 
 conducted our hero into the library. Newspapers littered 
 the table ; but any other token of a regard for higher things 
 was conspicuously absent. The book-cases were an arid 
 waste. A posthumous work on " Street-Fighting, " by 
 De Morny, proved the sole oasis in this intellectual 
 wilderness. It lay open, face downwards, on the arm of 
 a chair; Napoleon glanced at the title and turned away 
 in disgust. 
 
 The room contained two doors beside the one by 
 which he had entered. His listless mood tempted him 
 
 i37
 
 138 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 to examine both. One was locked. The other opened 
 into a bedroom. The bed looked particularly cool and 
 inviting. Without a second thought to his boots, or his 
 position as a guest, he flung himself down and gazed 
 onto the ceiling. He was a man who met all his difficul- 
 ties upon his back. 
 
 He may have lain two hours, and would no doubt 
 have continued another two, had not the pangs of hun- 
 ger driven him back into the library. The servant was 
 busy setting the table for dinner. The whole thing be- 
 gan to resemble a page out of the Arabian Nights. For 
 a few minutes neither man spoke a word. 
 
 Napoleon broke silence first. 
 
 "What time is it? " he asked, forgetting his watch. 
 
 "Ten past seven, Monsieur," without looking up. 
 
 " Has the Colonel returned? " 
 
 "No, Monsieur." 
 
 The Prince began to feel uneasy. " He will dine 
 with me? " 
 
 " My orders are to lay for Monsieur alone." 
 
 "It is very curious," was the muttered rejoinder. 
 "Did Colonel Brisson leave no message for me?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Nor mention at what hour he would return? " 
 
 "No. Monsieur is served. " 
 
 Bonaparte desisted from further questions, suddenly 
 recalling to mind that he and this precise orderly had met 
 before. He went through his dinner, then lit a cigarette. 
 No one came, until he began to fancy that his present 
 isolation was to be like chloroform, ending only when 
 the whole trouble was over. Nor was it unwelcome in 
 such a guise. Our hero suddenly meditated a return to 
 bed. With his head buried among the pillows, he might 
 reasonably hope to escape the noise of battle. He was 
 rising slowly to put this plan into execution, or at all 
 events to reconsider it nearer the door, when the ser- 
 vant brought word that Brisson was at length returned 
 to barracks and would be with Monsieur almost immedi- 
 ately. The Prince's only answer was an additional glass 
 of wine. Ordinarily abstemious, he had tossed off a 
 good many to-night. The last, as always happens,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 139 
 
 proved the most potent. His whole body became as 
 calm and inflexible as death; his mind ready to face 
 and beat back the worst. It was marvellous; and as he 
 stood with arms folded and squared shoulders awaiting 
 the Colonel in the centre of the floor, he seemed to be 
 conscious of this himself. To employ a homely picture, 
 he had tight hold of the elbows of his chair. 
 
 Brisson, however, came in smiling, so Napoleon's 
 shoulders fell back insensibly into their original drooping 
 position. 
 
 " My dear Brisson," said he, " where in the world 
 have you been? This room is pleasant enough, but four 
 hours in it, without a soul to talk to, is more than even 
 I can stand. " 
 
 "I must ask Monseigneur to forgive me. At least, 
 my afternoon has been spent in his service." 
 
 " I am sure of that. Still, you might have left me 
 something to read." 
 
 "There were the newspapers," replied Brisson, glan- 
 cing round the room, "and De Morny's book. I felt 
 sure the latter would amuse you." 
 
 "Quite the contrary. Tell me, are matters going 
 satisfactorily? " 
 
 "Yes, so far. I got rather a fright, though, this 
 morning. Bonvalet came rushing round here with a 
 cock-and-bull story that Mesnil was in Paris. There is 
 no truth in it, I am glad to say. I have telegraphed 
 to Lille, and have received a reply from the little fellow 
 himself. He has not been in town this year, so he de- 
 clares, and hopes not to be. The government clearly 
 can suspect nothing." 
 
 "And Clisserole, what about him? " 
 
 Brisson became quite gleeful. "He has gone sud- 
 denly to Royat to take the waters. Changarnier sent me 
 word last night. Your Highness will have to bear the 
 latter in mind when the time comes. It is a great tri- 
 umph. Not counting Changarnier himself, Breheville is 
 now the senior officer left in Paris. We must be moving. " 
 
 " I am ready." 
 
 " One word before we go. The part which your High- 
 ness will be called upon to play in to-night's proceedings
 
 HO THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 is small. I propose that you should say a few prelim- 
 inary words of encouragement to my officers, and then 
 return to this room and await events in safety. Bonva- 
 let will remain on guard below. Directly we are ready 
 for you it cannot be much before midnight he shall 
 receive word to bring your Highness to the Place de la 
 Concorde. On the other hand, if we are beaten " 
 
 "Which heaven avert! " muttered Bonaparte. 
 
 "If we are beaten, he has orders to call in Major 
 Gorin and to escort you with his full strength to the 
 Gare de 1'Est, where a special train will be waiting to 
 carry you into North Germany. May I add a single 
 other word of advice? " 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 " Monseigneur has appointed me to the chief com- 
 mand; and whether this arrangement turns out right or 
 wrong, it is the best I can devise. One thing is sure, it 
 cannot possibly succeed unless all concerned from the 
 highest to the lowest do their allotted task with scrupu- 
 lous fidelity. Your Highness will bear this in mind. 
 Your task is small, but it must be performed faithfully 
 and correctly. You ought not to budge from this room 
 until you are sent for; and and " 
 
 "Well, my good Brisson?" 
 
 " This is the most difficult part of all. When need 
 arises for you to show yourself in public, now, at once, 
 in the messroom, later on in the Place de la Concorde, 
 remember this before everything else: The eyes of all 
 present will be turned upon your face. Be careful, I 
 pray you, that it shows no sign of fea , nervousness. 
 Calmness and self-possession will stand you in the stead 
 of a dozen regiments, take my word for it." 
 
 " I know, I know." 
 
 "I am bound to mention it," persisted the blunt, 
 outspoken Brisson. " The thing would be different, did 
 you possess some experience in these matters. You have 
 none." 
 
 " Calmness does not come with experience," retorted 
 Napoleon with an air of profound wisdom. 
 
 " But you will remember my warning? " 
 
 "Yes, I will remember it. Lead the way."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 141 
 
 The officers of the regiment, with Br^heville, Bon- 
 valet, and one or two more from outside, stood about 
 the messroom awaiting their arrival. A deep silence 
 hovered over all, a silence which was neither broken nor 
 intensified when Napoleon entered. The gravity of the 
 occasion bore its presentment on every face. Bre"heville 
 had lost his simper. The purple Bonvalet looked more 
 like a damped furnace than a colonel of Cuirassiers. 
 
 "Welcome, your Highness," said the former of the 
 two. A faint murmur traversed the length of the 
 room. 
 
 At that very moment, as if to heighten the effect, the 
 jar of the barrack gates swinging open floated through 
 the summer night. Presently they could hear the clat- 
 ter of cavalry in the barrack square. 
 
 "My men," muttered Bonvalet. He stood behind 
 Bre"heville, near the door. 
 
 "Do they know?" asked Colonel Brisson. 
 
 "No," replied Bonvalet. "They were simply told 
 that they would be paraded with your Engineers at nine 
 o'clock. Good; Gorin is five minutes before his time." 
 
 "And your men, Brisson? " put in General Breheville. 
 
 "They will be told at nine o'clock, like all the rest. 
 The only thing is, he went on dubitatively, "who is to 
 tell them? Bonvalet understands his men, and I under- 
 stand mine. But you are senior to both of us. Perhaps 
 you will address them? " 
 
 "I have no objection," said Breheville, glancing at 
 Napoleon. 
 
 "But surely," interposed Bonvalet in a voice that 
 was a cheerful change after such a surfeit of subdued 
 tones, "that is a task for his Highness and for no one 
 else!" 
 
 "I should have thought so too," murmured another 
 officer. 
 
 " But the men may prove hostile," hesitated Brisson. 
 
 "They most certainly will, if they know that the 
 Prince is lurking in here and daren't face them," re- 
 marked Bonvalet, bluntly. 
 
 "We ought not to let him run any risks." 
 
 "We all have to run some risk."
 
 142 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "But his life and liberty are of such vital impor- 
 tance." 
 
 " He stands to win the most, if that 's what you 
 mean." 
 
 "I don't know how to decide," returned Brisson. 
 
 "It is n't for you to decide at all. It is for his High- 
 ness. Monseigneur, what do you say? " 
 
 Napoleon wavered and looked at Brisson ; but the 
 Colonel's face showed utter perplexity and nothing more. 
 To tell the truth, this direct appeal to himself took the 
 Prince somewhat by surprise. It came upon him when 
 he was vacantly noting the distinction of his morning 
 clothes among so many uniforms. From Brisson's coun- 
 tenance his eyes moved round the room. Every one 
 present appeared to be awaiting his choice with great 
 anxiety, and this made the task all the more difficult. 
 
 Nor was he permitted any lengthened period for de- 
 liberation. An officer entered with news that the troops 
 were drawn up and waiting. 
 
 " We are coming," said Brisson. 
 
 "Well, your Highness?" said Bonvalet. 
 
 Napoleon made a second circuit of the room for in- 
 spiration, with identical results. 
 
 "I really do not know how to answer you," he fal- 
 tered. " Brisson's view has much to commend " The 
 look of consternation, unveiled and ample, dawning on 
 Bonvalet's face gave him pause in the midst of his sen- 
 tence. 
 
 "We have no time to spare," urged General Brehe- 
 ville. 
 
 "We are waiting for his Highness," Bonvalet said 
 stonily. 
 
 "You must make up your mind," from Brisson. 
 
 Napoleon shut his eyes tight and drew a long breath. 
 "I will address them," he cried. "I am ready, " a 
 sigh of relief rose from all sides. 
 
 " That 's right, " cried the Cuirassier. " Lead off, Bris- 
 son. You are at home here, you must remember; and 
 we aren't." 
 
 The Colonel at once resumed his usual business-like
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 143 
 
 demeanour, issuing orders right and left in a monotonous 
 tone of command. 
 
 " Commandant Kendall and Lieutenant Mascaut, with 
 Major Gorin of Cuirassiers, will remain in the messroom. 
 Should they hear from me that the regiments are unfa- 
 vourable, they will come and assume command in the 
 Republican interest." The officers named withdrew to 
 a corner of the room, evidently comprehending the un- 
 spoken part of their instructions. Brisson had not quite 
 done with them, however. 
 
 "If all goes well," he continued, " Rendall, you are 
 to join the regiment. Major Gorin has his orders, I be- 
 lieve. Lieutenant Mascaut remains in attendance upon 
 his Highness. Now, gentlemen, ' ' turning to the others, 
 " to your places, if you please. His Highness follows 
 presently." 
 
 "Wait," interposed General Bre"heville, as the subor- 
 dinate officers commenced to file out; " Monseigneur 
 means to address us first." 
 
 "There is no time," from Bon valet. "The speech- 
 making must be done outside." 
 
 Bre"heville showed some disposition to contest this curt 
 objection, but Bonvalet waved his hand brusquely towards 
 the door, and the Indian file which had stopped for an 
 instant went on again. In a few minutes only the four 
 of them were left Napoleon and Brisson, General 
 Breheville, and the colonel of Cuirassiers. 
 
 They stood for an instant without advancing, round 
 the open door. Brisson looked inquiringly at his com- 
 panions; they at one another; then the former set out to 
 lead the way. The Prince went second: Bonvalet and 
 Breheville, side by side, brought up the rear. Horses 
 awaited them below. They mounted in silence; and, 
 keeping to the same order, rode slowly forward through 
 the inner yard. 
 
 It was a striking sight. These sombre horsemen ad- 
 vancing slowly and without so much as a whisper on such 
 an errand. Here and there a gas-lamp shed its fitful 
 glare upon them as they passed. Above, the vault of 
 heaven, patched with many different hues of darkness,
 
 H4 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 and gemmed with a myriad stars. And everywhere a 
 wondrous stillness, deepened by the deadened roar of life 
 that flowed outside, and broken only by the clang of their 
 horses' hoofs upon the flags, or an occasional sharp word 
 of command, which grew scarcer as they approached the 
 outer square. 
 
 Brisson took a sudden turn and disappeared through 
 a low-roofed archway, the walls of which were so narrow 
 they appeared to Napoleon to scrape the worthy Colonel's 
 knees. He himself hardly dared follow. " Straight on," 
 whispered Bonvalet from behind. The Prince obeyed. 
 He pushed forward, bending his head, though there was 
 no need, and tightening both legs against his horse's 
 belly. A minute later, he was in the barrack square and 
 face to face with the Praetorian Guard. 
 
 Brisson reined to one side to let him pass. In this 
 new order the cavalcade advanced, Napoleon leading. 
 
 The tension of the last few hours had reduced him to 
 a state of drowsy indifference akin to the calmness of 
 despair. He looked listlessly in front of him. What he 
 saw those two black, shadowy masses, separated only a 
 little from one another, each so silent and so menacing 
 left him totally unmoved. The whole thing might have 
 been a dream. 
 
 The two regiments, drawn up at right angles to one 
 another, formed the farther sides of a square, towards the 
 centre of which Bonaparte and his companions were now 
 slowly moving. The Cuirassiers, sitting cloaked and mo- 
 tionless upon their horses, looked more like statues. 
 Their greater height attracted his idle gaze and kept it, 
 although he was soonest under the shadow of Brisson's 
 Engineers. Presently they were well within the two con- 
 verging lines, and a fixed shape settled down over the de- 
 tails of the picture. The infantry, upon their left, stood 
 like a solid wall. No order to salute had been given. 
 The men's white faces went in and out of shadows under 
 the flickering lights, being thrown, when lit up, into 
 ghostly relief against their sombre uniforms. Not that 
 Napoleon noticed them, having eyes alone for Bonvalet's 
 horse in front. He watched the faces, half hidden though 
 they were by the peaks of their shining helmets. He
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 145 
 
 marvelled how the men could sit so still; all the more, 
 as here and there a restive steed would start to paw the 
 ground, or to shake its head violently with every piece of 
 brass upon its bridle. 
 
 Nearer and nearer he approached, not knowing when 
 to stop, nor greatly caring. Brisson spurred abreast of 
 him to lay his hand upon his wrist. 
 
 "Halt," he murmured; "this is far enough. Be 
 brave ! " 
 
 It seemed to the Prince that the speaker, and not he, 
 was most in need of the admonition. In after days he 
 used to declare that he heard Brisson's heart beating 
 with absolute distinctness, while he himself, as he main- 
 tained, remained devoid of all emotion, whether of fear 
 or excitement. 
 
 "What must I do now?" he asked indifferently. 
 Brisson glanced back over his shoulder. " Bonvalet, 
 Bre"heville, " was all he said. Then, motioning Napoleon 
 to stay where he was, himself advanced another ten 
 paces or so towards the frontmost lines. Bonvalet and 
 Breheville, meanwhile, brought their horses' heads to a 
 level with the Prince's boots. He could hear them 
 loosening their swords, and his mind, prolific of incon- 
 sequent fancies, straightway instituted the comparison 
 between himself and a magistrate about to read the riot 
 act. 
 
 "Soldiers!" began Brisson in tones that rang out 
 sharp and clear. 
 
 It was the first sound to break the terrible stillness. 
 A faint rustle of curiosity passed along the ranks, like 
 the soughing of the wind, leaving breathless attention 
 behind. 
 
 "Soldiers! Prince Louis Napoleon the lost Bona- 
 parte has come to Paris! " 
 
 No sound greeted this announcement. No sound ex- 
 cept Bonvalet still loosening his sword, "My God!" 
 the latter muttered, "our good friend does not mince 
 matters." 
 
 " The Prince has come, " continued Brisson. " Listen, 
 my comrades. I will tell you why he has come so 
 late."
 
 146 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 The Colonel thereupon proceeded to give the brief 
 outlines of Napoleon's story. The greater part of it 
 the Capelli marriage of 1789, the wishes of the great 
 Emperor, the history of the Capelli-Bonapartes down to 
 the death of our hero's father, and his mother's flight to 
 England he treated as too well known, as in truth it 
 was, to need much repetition, dwelling instead with 
 greater detail on the Prince's English existence, his 
 ignorance of his lineage, and his strange return to 
 Paris. 
 
 The entire narrative hardly lasted five minutes. At 
 the end of it Brisson paused for some sign from those 
 terribly silent auditors of his. 
 
 But no sign came. 
 
 "The Prince," he went on, no trace of despair in his 
 voice, "having learned about his birthright, immediately 
 resolved upon its recovery. But how? that was the 
 question. The Count de Morin took him to a meeting 
 of the Bonapartist party. They accepted his identity 
 without a murmur. They were overjoyed to see him. 
 They voted a handsome allowance; but they would not 
 lift a little finger to put him on the throne. It was at 
 this moment that he fell in with some of us of the 
 army, Generals Changarnier and Breheville, Brigadier 
 Marchmont, Colonel Bonvalet, and myself." 
 
 "That ought to fetch 'em," groaned the penultimate 
 warrior in Brisson's list. "Curse them, the dogs, why 
 do n't they cheer? " 
 
 They gave no reasons; but they did n't. 
 
 "We felt certain that the army would accord him an 
 unanimous welcome. We told him so. Were we " 
 but the silence was too appalling. He dare not put such 
 a direct question at that juncture. 
 
 "We told him so, and he believed us. He determined 
 to place himself unreservedly in our hands. And we 
 we resolved upon almost immediate action. Mind, I am 
 speaking of what occurred only eight days back: you 
 will admit we have not dawdled. The first, indeed the 
 only, step was to give you his story and invite your aid. 
 At this identical moment three fourths of the Paris gar- 
 rison are learning these matters, as you have just learnt
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 147 
 
 them, and are being asked to declare in his favour. Aye, 
 and more than that. They are being asked to march 
 out forthwith and help overthrow the Republic. We do 
 not anticipate for a single instant that they will refuse. 
 Nor that you will, either. If we did, do you imagine we 
 should come thus and ask you point-blank to draw your 
 swords on his behalf? Should we not rather spend months 
 in preliminary plotting, getting hold first of this man, 
 then of that, trying to leaven the lump only by degrees? 
 We have attempted nothing of the kind. Let me repeat. 
 The Prince has been barely a month in France. But 
 eight days have elapsed since he, acting on our advice, 
 made up his mind to rely solely upon the army. And 
 here we are inviting you to co-operate in a coup d'etat 
 which is to begin at once. This does not look as though 
 we had left any room in our calculations for your refusal. 
 The other regiments won't refuse, you may be sure of 
 that. It is more than likely that some of them are 
 already at work. Shall it be said that you hang back? " 
 
 Here at length was the direct question. It elicited 
 absolutely no reply. 
 
 Colonel Bonvalet drew his sword, and commenced 
 abstractedly stroking his horse's mane. The animal was 
 startled, and bounded forward. The clatter evidently 
 caused Brisson some alarm. He turned sharply to dis- 
 cover the cause. Then he waited till the beast was qui- 
 eted before resuming. 
 
 "Engineers!" he cried, but without much passion, 
 being unable to simulate a quality foreign to his nature, 
 "have you forgotten that Arcola and Lodi are engraven 
 on your standards? All of you, are you French soldiers 
 and yet able to remain dumb in the presence of the great- 
 grandson of Napoleon? Yes, in his presence. The Prince 
 is here! " 
 
 A second and deeper whisper of surprise passed along 
 the ranks, followed again by silence the same hateful, 
 interminable silence that bore presage of so much evil. 
 
 " He remembers Arcola and Lodi, if you do not. He 
 might have had the escort of any regiment in Paris. Yet 
 he has chosen to commit his safety to your keeping. 
 And you are dumb ! So you mean to disgrace your
 
 148 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Colonel. You are going to show yourselves unworthy 
 of this great mark of trust! Cuirassiers, Colonel Bon- 
 valet is behind me will you not follow him?" 
 
 No sound. 
 
 " For God's sake, do you try! " whispered Bonvalet 
 in the Prince's ear; "otherwise the whole thing is lost. 
 These accursed fellows won't rise to Brisson; it's no 
 sort of use. My men shall smart for this in the morn- 
 ing. " At the same moment he twisted his heel and 
 flicked the Prince's horse with his spur. Napoleon made 
 no attempt to stop it as it started forward and carried 
 him ahead of Brisson. 
 
 "lam the Prince," he shouted wildly, hardly con- 
 scious of what he was saying; "I am here to fight for 
 the throne and for the glory of France. The Republic 
 has brought nothing but disgrace. Will you not trust 
 me and give me your aid? See, how I have trusted you! 
 My fortunes, my very life, are in your hands! " 
 
 The only answer was Bonvalet's hoarse whisper from 
 behind: 
 
 "Brisson, draw! What are you thinking of? Get 
 closer up to him, man!" and then there followed the 
 sound of Brisson obeying. 
 
 Napoleon got a little nearer the frontmost lines. 
 
 "Engineers! Your Colonel has told you I am a 
 great-grandson of the first Napoleon. Remember what 
 he did for France! how he carried her eagles over the 
 length and breadth of Europe. Remember, too, I be- 
 seech you, what you did under his leadership. Are 
 you going to forget the Bridge of Lodi? I have not for- 
 gotten it. Otherwise, for what reason am I here, when 
 I might at this moment be on my way to the Elyse"e? I 
 implore you, prove to me that my confidence has not 
 been misplaced. I promise most solemnly I promise 
 if you help me now, once I am on the throne I will have 
 thought alone for the glory of our dear country." 
 
 His voice rose in despair. "A second time I implore 
 you, give me an answer. Behold, behold how I trust 
 you! " And to the horror of his three companions he 
 put spurs to his horse and rode right into the first line 
 of Cuirassiers.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON . 149 
 
 "The game is up," said Bonvalet to Breheville; "they 
 will kill him." 
 
 " Won't you answer me? " the Prince almost sobbed. 
 " I swear to you, make me your Emperor and I will lead 
 you to your revenge across the Rhine. Or kill me if you 
 choose, but pass over my dead body to Alsace-Lorraine ! ' 
 
 He had been a long time groping here was the right 
 note at last. The fearful silence was broken. A wild 
 shout greeted his words. "Vive Le Prince!" "Vive 
 L'Empereur!" they shouted; "Alsace-Lorraine!" 
 " Alsace-Lorraine! "
 
 Chapter X 
 
 But the night's work was only just beginning. Already 
 the two colonels had restored silence and drawn their 
 men apart. The Engineers commenced to leave the bar- 
 racks, company by company, under Commandant Ren- 
 dall. Major Gorin led off one battalion of Cuirassiers. 
 The second, after furnishing an escort for Brisson and 
 Bre"heville, were kept behind to guard his Highness, not 
 to mention any other distinguished personage whom 
 Colonel Klein might bring in. Soon our hero was left in 
 almost total solitude. The barrack square assumed 
 sombre proportions. A couple of cavalrymen patrolled 
 the farther corners; while a dismounted picket guarded 
 the archway. A young lieutenant of Engineers, Adolph 
 Mascaut by name, had been left in attendance on his 
 Highness. Accompanied by this guide and protector, 
 the latter found his way back to Brisson's library, where 
 the remains of his dinner still lay in enticing profusion 
 under the gleams of a hanging lamp. 
 
 The two of them had scarcely crossed the threshold 
 when the faint roar of musketry broke in upon the still- 
 ness of the summer night. "Good Heavens!" cried 
 Napoleon, "what was that? " 
 
 "The street," the Lieutenant replied, looking wist- 
 fully at the food. 
 
 " No no there it is again! " 
 
 "That," answered Mascaut, "is some one following 
 us up the stairs." 
 
 "We have failed! They are coming to ar " 
 
 " It sounds like a lumbering cavalryman. Probably 
 it is Colonel Bonvalet. " 
 
 It was that truculent warrior. He came stamping and 
 prancing in, aglow with good news. 
 150
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 151 
 
 "Five minutes of the game," he shouted, "the first 
 five minutes! and we have actually made a haul." 
 
 "But but I thought I caught the sound of firing 
 the second you came up the stairs. The Lieutenant here 
 heard it." 
 
 " I say it was the street." 
 
 "No, no; it was a rattle of musketry." 
 
 "I don't know anything about that," Bonvalet re- 
 turned. " All I can tell you is, that Klein has collared 
 three of them, including Old Boots. The dear old chap 
 has given us a deal of trouble; but I have him safe and 
 sound in the inner guardroom. He will calm down by 
 and by, when he finds that events are too strong for 
 him. I am compelled to lodge one of the malefactors in 
 this part of the world in this house, in fact. None of 
 the d d rooms possess keys. But he won't interfere 
 with you, I daresay. By the way, one of them turns out 
 to be that old Judas, Verre. He had quite a quarrel with 
 me in the guardroom. He pretends that he is one of 
 the chief props of the Bonapartist cause; and that Prince 
 Felix, if only I will send round to him, can easily prove 
 it. As though I could spare men to scour all the dis- 
 reputable corners of Paris. I told him as much." 
 'Oh,' says he, 'if that's your objection, send instead 
 for Monsieur Walter Sadler, who lives quite close, in the 
 Rue de Berlin.' ' Nonsense,' says I; and that finishes 
 it. I think I have persuaded him that he will be quite 
 comfortable for a night or so with us ; we certainly sha'n't 
 need him longer. I have also promised to send a mes- 
 sage to his wife if I can." 
 
 "I think you may safely release Monsieur Verre," 
 said Napoleon. 
 
 "Oh, I can't interfere with Brisson's arrangements," 
 replied Bonvalet curtly. " I only came to give you word 
 how things were going. I must be off." 
 
 " Monsieur Verre is a friend of mine." 
 
 " I have my orders, Monseigneur. Make a good meal. 
 Above all, keep up your spirits." 
 
 " How very forgetful of me," said Napoleon to Mas- 
 caut, when Bonvalet had walked himself off; "you must 
 be hungry. You would like to eat something."
 
 152 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Indeed I should." 
 
 " Pray begin at once." 
 
 " But your Highness? " 
 
 " No, I cannot eat. That horrible sound still echoes 
 in my ears." 
 
 "It will be worse later on," said the young fellow 
 cheerfully. He sat himself down without more ado and 
 presently became lost in the pleasures of the table. Not 
 for long, however. He was in the midst of a refreshing 
 draught of claret when a message came from Bonvalet, 
 desiring his immediate presence in the guardroom. With 
 a muttered imprecation and a second draught by way of 
 stirrup-cup, he rose and departed. 
 
 So it came that our hero was driven to the " street- 
 fighting " for diversion. He found the book swollen to 
 twice its natural size by loose scraps of paper cigar- 
 bills mostly all scrawled over with Brisson's views 
 on De Morny. The fly-leaves had been used for the 
 same purpose. Here and there choice passages showed 
 heavily scored with blue pencil. Indeed, not a page but 
 bore some such token of approval. Nor did these finger- 
 posts at all interfere with Napoleon's enjoyment. On the 
 contrary, they helped to fix his attention. He speedily 
 became quite interested. Brisson's plans then possessed 
 some cohesion after all. They were not the haphazard, 
 loosely knit concoctions he had previously imagined. 
 Every feature of this coup d'etat, so far as he could dis- 
 cover, took its rise in De Morny's wonderful book. 
 Even this ignominious seclusion to which he was sub- 
 jected, while others did the fighting, had chapter and 
 verse. It was a point whereon his distinguished con- 
 nexion was especially emphatic. 
 
 "The man," De Morny remarks in more places than 
 one, "on whose behalf the coup d'etat is made, should 
 be careful not to venture out of doors during its contin- 
 uance. For one thing, consider the terrible conse- 
 quences should he lose his life or be taken prisoner 
 either contingency a very possible one! At the supreme 
 moment at the moment of victory, he is nowhere to be 
 seen! Such a catastrophe is to reduce a noble political 
 engine to absurdity. Again, it will not assist him to the
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 153 
 
 good graces of his subjects, if afterwards it be discovered 
 that he showed himself out of doors when blood was 
 flowing." 
 
 Brisson had added a marginal note: "I agree abso- 
 lutely." 
 
 The room, it will be remembered, contained a third 
 door. This Napoleon had endeavoured to open on the 
 occasion of his first entry, but without success. Since 
 then he had not given it a second thought. 
 
 He was so immersed in De Morny, he did not observe 
 the handle of this door slowly twitching backwards and 
 forwards. Some one on the outside was trying to get in. 
 Napoleon turned a page; the key turned softly in the 
 lock. He stooped down to recover one of Brisson's 
 hieroglyphed cigar-bills which had fluttered to the floor, 
 and at the same instant the door moved gently forward 
 and a man stepped into the room. 
 
 "Well, Monsieur Walter Sadler," said an unfamiliar 
 voice. 
 
 De Morny fell with a thud. Bonaparte's heart nearly 
 went with it. He looked quickly up. Monsieur Ca- 
 rache, Prime Minister of France, stood smiling down on 
 him with seraphic tenderness. 
 
 "Well, Monsieur Sadler!" he repeated in the same 
 playfully admonitory voice, " so this is your doing, is it? 
 Oh Cossar, Caesar, what a baneful example you have 
 bequeathed to mankind! " 
 
 "I am sitting at dinner with my wife and little girl," 
 he continued, striking an attitude, but still sweetly smil- 
 ing, "I have taken my first mouthful of minestrone a 
 dish to which I am especially partial when a servant 
 rushes in and informs me that a company of soldiers are 
 encircling the house. The same minute, a clod-hopping 
 lieutenant with dusty boots comes tramping up the stairs 
 and into the dining-room, and declares me his prisoner, 
 me, the Prime Minister of France, prisoner of a mean 
 little subaltern on ninety sous a day! Naturally, my wife 
 and little girl are terrified out of their lives. I am hustled 
 off then and there, thrust into a four-wheel cab, already 
 containing Verre and other malefactors, and brought 
 round to these disreputable barracks, where I am made
 
 154 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 to sit half an hour in a very unclean guardroom. I, the 
 Prime Minister of France! awaiting the pleasure of a 
 sodden colonel of Cuirassiers! Prince, Prince, I thought 
 we had long ago relegated this sort of thing to Sofia." 
 
 " I am very sorry you should have suffered any incon- 
 venience, " ejaculated the Prince. As yet he hardly 
 knew what to make of this intruder. Prime Ministers, 
 as a rule, don't carry knives; and Carache's affable 
 smile, tinged though it was with intense melancholy, did 
 not look suggestive of murder. 
 
 " Inconvenience you may well call it so. Really, had 
 I known the description of treatment in store for me, I 
 should have clapped your Highness into gaol three days 
 ago. ' ' 
 
 "But " began Napoleon, aghast. 
 
 "There are no 'buts' about it," returned the Min- 
 ister, wagging his finger. " The man has to get up very 
 early in the morning who wants to circumvent Carache. 
 Three days ago? Why, I may say, I had a suspicion of 
 your very identity before you yourself even knew it. I 
 call it exceedingly ungrateful of Colonel Brisson. Here, 
 I might have had the lot of you arrested three days ago. 
 Instead of doing anything of the kind, I simply ordered 
 Clisserole off to Royat. And this is your return! You 
 lock me up in an unlighted room with nothing in it but 
 the smell of food. How long do you intend to keep me 
 there? " 
 
 " I cannot say, indeed I cannot. It does not rest 
 with me." 
 
 " Until the morning, I will wager that much. Me, the 
 Prime Minister of France! And I haven't had a mouth- 
 ful to eat -since noon to-day." 
 
 "Won't you take something? " 
 
 "I shall be glad to. I am positively famishing, " and 
 Carache sat him down and began where Mascaut had left 
 off. 
 
 The food, whereof he partook with an ungrudging 
 hand, could not make him any sweeter than he was. But 
 it helped to dissipate his depression. 
 
 "I mustn't be understood as imputing any blame to 
 your Highness," he remarked presently, between two
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 155 
 
 mouthfuls. "I know, better than most, a man cannot be 
 everywhere. Doubtlessly, it annoys you quite as much 
 as it does myself, to hear how I have been served." 
 
 " Most certainly." 
 
 "A man of my rank," taking a deep and refreshing 
 drink, "who has been Premier I do n't know how many 
 times, and will be Premier again about as often." 
 
 Napoleon saw no reason to dissent from this state- 
 ment. 
 
 " But he won't benefit by it Brisson won't. No man 
 ever benefits by crossing me. This chicken is uncom- 
 monly good: they live well in the army." 
 
 Carache took some of everything, smiling at the viands 
 much as he had smiled upon Napoleon. When he had 
 had enough, which was not for a considerable time, he 
 came and sat himself down opposite the Prince in the 
 most natural manner possible. 
 
 " You have been pretty quick about this business," 
 he remarked, holding one hand in front of his mouth, 
 while he picked his teeth with the other; " it cannot have 
 been more than a month ago since we met in London." 
 
 " I do not remember the occasion," said Napoleon. 
 Even Muriel had for the time being escaped his memory. 
 
 " At Jervis's restaurant. " 
 
 "Ah, yes; you were there that night." 
 
 "I noticed you. I had an idea that something of 
 this sort might happen." 
 
 "It is more than I had," laughed the quondam bar- 
 rister. 
 
 " Exactly. So I may claim to have discovered you 
 even before De Morin. Your marvellous likeness to 
 Plon or, I should say, to his uncle, the great Bona- 
 parte, first put me on the right track." 
 
 " Many men possess that likeness." 
 
 " Not in such a marvellous degree. You have their 
 gestures their little mannerisms. I knew Plon-Plon, 
 so I can say it. Does not De Morin tell you as much? 
 By the way, Monseigneur will pardon me, but he was not 
 in a very cheerful frame of mind, that evening? " 
 
 " I was poor, if you mean that? " 
 
 " I saw it at once. Your whole appearance denoted
 
 156 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the great soul ground down by poverty. Lord Fram- 
 lingham's daughter is pretty, is she not? " 
 
 Bonaparte started. Muriel had only that instant come 
 into his mind. He was not fickle-hearted, that he did 
 not remember her always; but any man might be for- 
 given forgetfulness in such a whirl as this. 
 
 " She is very pretty. " 
 
 "I thought your Highness admired her. I under- 
 stand she is to be over in France this year. No doubt 
 we shall see something of her at the Elysee. " 
 
 "The Framlinghams, then, know the President?" 
 said Napoleon abstractedly. 
 
 Carache laughed. "Your Highness has taken lessons 
 of De Morin, I perceive. No; the President's days are 
 numbered. " 
 
 Napoleon joined him in his mirth, blushing a little. 
 
 " So you think we are going to succeed? " 
 
 'Of course you are. Have I not assured your suc- 
 cess? Didn't I send Clisserole, the commandant of the 
 garrison, off to Royat? More than that, I discovered, 
 this very morning, that old Monsieur had got wind of 
 the affair. Monsieur le President had actually sent for 
 Mesnil from Lille on his own initiative. I I, Carache! 
 countermanded the order. To-morrow morning, Paris 
 will be patting Brisson on the back as the hero of the 
 coup d Mat; but your Highness, and he likewise, will 
 know that one man, more than any other, deserves most 
 of the credit." 
 
 Bonaparte could not stifle a smile of self-conscious 
 complacency." 
 
 " And who may he be? " 
 
 " Myself! When you are Emperor you will not forget 
 that?"' 
 
 " Then you will be prepared to serve the Empire? " 
 
 " ' France and duty before all '; there you have my 
 motto. Whither my motto points, I go. I presume 
 there will be no radical change in the constitution? " 
 
 "I can promise you that," was the decisive reply. 
 "I promise to leave every institution, excepting the 
 Presidency, of course, absolutely intact." 
 
 "Then I do not anticipate that you will have to
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 157 
 
 change your advisers. The Electorate is very fond of me 
 me, tempered with your merest flavour of Ponte"coulant. 
 We can commence in the morning where we left off to- 
 night. " 
 
 "I do hope they are treating the President properly 
 over there in the guardroom. Bonvalet seems to me 
 such a rough diamond," murmured Napoleon, suddenly 
 calling to mind that tall and gracious presence, which 
 had bestowed such genial courtesy upon him only a few 
 weeks back. 
 
 "He is all right. You may trust Bonvalet not to 
 commit himself too deeply before he knows for certain 
 the side that is going to win. I know the fellow well. 
 It is just those rough diamonds you mention that have 
 facets to catch the light, whichever way it comes. Sup- 
 pose you get beaten after all, do you think Bonvalet 
 will be caught? Not he! He will produce a dozen un- 
 impeachable witnesses to prove that, on the night in 
 question, he was ill in bed with influenza, the other side 
 of Siberia. The evidence of the President and myself 
 will go for nothing." 
 
 "He is such a kind and genial fellow," continued 
 Napoleon, still thinking of Monsieur, " I should be 
 indeed sorry were he to suffer any annoyance. Do you 
 think that this business will chagrin him very much? " 
 
 "Not in the least. He Jias finished half his term, 
 and is already sick of the Elyse"e. He won't care two 
 sous either way, provided he is given time to remove his 
 effects. I am the man to complain." 
 
 "Do you fancy he could be prevailed upon to take 
 office under the new order?" hazarded the Prince. 
 Carache looked glum. 
 
 " I do not anticipate any immediate change in the 
 opinion of the Electorate. It is likely to remain content 
 with me tempered by Ponte"coulant for some little time 
 to come. Still, if you wish it, I will ask him if he would 
 care to go back to the Marine. I daresay I can find 
 another job for the present man." 
 
 "If you see him to-night, you might convey my 
 respects to him, also my sincere re " 
 
 " I am not likely to see him. That abandoned Bris-
 
 158 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 son has established a sort of martial law. Neither Mon- 
 sieur, nor I, nor you, will be suffered to budge until he 
 gives permission. It is very overbearing. He certainly 
 won't advantage by it ; no one ever does who treats me in 
 this cavalier fashion. I presume Monseigneur has prom- 
 ised him some reward?" 
 
 Monseigneur blushed. "Yes, I have," he blurted 
 out. " He is to receive a Marshal's baton, provided we 
 win." 
 
 "My dear sir, you mustn't think of such a thing, 
 really you must not! " cried Carache, altogether dumb- 
 founded. "A Marshal's baton! Why, we dare n't give 
 more than one, and that is promised already." 
 
 "I was not aware of it." 
 
 "Yes; I have promised it to Changarnier, " replied 
 the Premier. "A brigade will be ample reward for 
 Brisson's services. He and Bonvalet shall have one 
 between them, the latter to be commandant." 
 
 "But" 
 
 "No 'buts,' my dear Prince. I will manage it for 
 you, never fear. The Premier has to do these unpleas- 
 ant little duties. A Marshal's baton! I have never 
 heard of such a thing! Changarnier quite understands 
 that he is to receive the only one. If we deceive him, 
 we shall have him in open revolt. After Mesnil, he is 
 the most influential soldier in France. He would very 
 soon pull the Empire about our ears, I can tell you. My 
 word, how that fellow Brisson has been imposing on your 
 inexperience." 
 
 " Perhaps you may be right." 
 
 But these are depths of meanness which even an irre- 
 sponsible chronicler shrinks from laying bare. To do 
 the Prince this justice, the next minute he was sorry for 
 what he had said. His foot by chance touched Brisson's 
 book upon the floor. The picture straightway rose 
 before his eyes. The heroic, silent man, gauntly erect 
 upon his horse, steadfast in the presence of death itself, 
 winning him a throne. But what can a man do, slung up 
 between earth and heaven? Everything would be dif- 
 ferent, later on.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 159 
 
 Carache went to the table and poured himself out a 
 glass of wine. 
 
 "Now as to higher politics," he said comfortably, 
 after this refreshment. "Your Highness will find my 
 and Ponte"coulant's experience of invaluable assistance 
 in these matters. Let me say this much of Pontecoulant, 
 in passing. He is no leader, but one of the most com- 
 petent of servants. On the few occasions when he has 
 presided over the Cabinet, I have been the real leader, 
 stooping to the second place merely temporarily, and 
 owing to the exigencies of party warfare. I think it will 
 be generally admitted, not least by the Minister of the 
 Interior himself, that I am head and shoulders his 
 superior in eloquence, initiative, and indeed all the 
 qualities requisite to one who is called upon to com- 
 mand." 
 
 "I am afraid I do not know Monsieur Pontecoulant." 
 
 "That is a pity. One has only to see Pontecoulant 
 to know what type of man he is. But surely you have 
 met him? I even remember having observed you talking 
 together, at Verre's house, I think it was." 
 
 " He may have given me a couple of fingers, now and 
 again. I never get more from important people like 
 Pontecoulant and " 
 
 "You mean me," said Carache, suavely. "I know 
 the occasions you refer to. I did it, you may be sure, 
 with a purpose." He did not add what purpose, but 
 contented himself with a knowing look. As for Napoleon, 
 he neither knew nor cared to know the point of those 
 disciplinary measures. 
 
 "We shall be all the better friends for it," Carache 
 went on. 
 
 " I do not doubt it." 
 
 "I cannot tell your Highness how I have appreciated 
 this little talk of ours. Brisson's rudeness has turned 
 out a blessing in disguise. It has solved a problem 
 which, during the last few days, has bothered me very 
 much. I wanted a word with you, and did not know 
 how to get it." 
 
 A sudden impulse drove Bonaparte to a very obvious 
 question.
 
 160 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "What will happen, supposing we are beaten? " 
 
 "I shall shoot Bonvalet and Brisson," returned 
 Carache, without an instant's hesitation. " I do n't ap- 
 preciate their Bulgarian tricks. As for you," survey- 
 ing the Prince meditatively, " I suppose we should have 
 to deport you and leave you to return another day. If 
 we decapitated you, we should only have Victor to deal 
 with, or Louis, or, worse still, that worm Felix. And 
 you know the saying, ' One decapitated pretender goes 
 farther than four live ones.' Nevertheless, I should 
 give you a baddish quarter of an hour before I let you 
 go. In France," he wound up, with a burst of involun- 
 tary self-congratulation, "a really clever man may be 
 Premier, off and on, from the time he reaches his 
 majority to the day of his death. Hark ! What was that?' ' 
 
 The Prince knew the meaning of the sound only too 
 well. It rudely recalled all the miseries of his present 
 position. 
 
 The noise came closer. "What was that? " repeated 
 Carache with an approach to peremptoriness. 
 
 "I fear it is the sound of firing," Napoleon said 
 apologetically. A cold sweat suffused his brow. He 
 felt like a man seated at the bedside of some suffering 
 friend. The symptoms of the feared and fatal malady 
 have been absent for a while; there arises in their place 
 the faintest glimmering of hope. Alas! the dreaded signs 
 return, resummoning despair, and tinging with a retro- 
 spective bitterness the lightened moments that have 
 passed away. 
 
 "There it is again," snappishly from Carache. "My 
 word, what a mess there will be in the morning! Paris 
 won't get over this for days. Thank heavens, Victor 
 Hugo is dead! Curse that blundering Brisson and his 
 Balkanizing. He sha'n't even get his brigade if this 
 sort of thing continues. On second thoughts, Monseig- 
 neur, you had better begin with Pontecoulant. He is 
 more the man for this sort of work. I shall be found 
 more suitable later on, when things have quieted down a 
 bit." 
 
 " Some one is coming across the yard, " said Napoleon, 
 anxious to be alone with the firing.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 161 
 
 " Bonvalet by the sound. I am not anxious to meet 
 him. These swashbucklers are intolerable when they 
 get a little power into their hands. I suppose you will 
 leave Monsieur a day or two to get comfortably moved. 
 I daresay I shall find you at the Rue de Berlin in case I 
 want you in the morning. Good-night, your Highness." 
 
 Carache disappeared, to return, however, a moment 
 later. " I beg your pardon, could you oblige me with 
 the loan of your matches? That brute Brisson " but 
 the passage door burst open, and Carache's burst to, 
 with a simultaneity which nipped in the bud any further 
 remarks the latter might have desired to make, while 
 reflecting the greatest credit on his presence of mind. 
 
 It was Bonvalet, Bonvalet as breezy and boisterous 
 as ever. 
 
 " Better and better! " he cried. "I have just looked 
 in to tell you the good news. Laurent and Gerardt are 
 masters of the south side, from Crenelle to the Gare 
 d' Orleans. The troops have everywhere met with the 
 most enthusiastic reception. One of my own men, who 
 has just brought in a message from Gorin, tells me that 
 the throngs of people round your proclamations still con- 
 tinue as thick as ever. You might be the Prodigal Son, 
 the way you are being welcomed home." 
 
 "There has been some firing," hesitated Bonaparte. 
 Some more "firing" came pat upon his words. 
 
 " Oh, there may be a little tiff here and there," Bon- 
 valet returned carelessly. 
 
 "You do n't expect these things to go along quite on 
 castors, especially when one remembers that Douay has 
 only just got hold of his new guns." 
 
 " Good God! You do n't mean to say that the artil- 
 lery have been in in action." 
 
 "They have done a little," Bonvalet admitted; 
 "nothing else could be expected. Years ago Douay 
 used to say that he would like to knock a hole in the 
 Tour de St. Jacques. It is not in human nature to 
 reject so long looked for a chance when it does come." 
 
 "This is terrible," moaned the Prince. "I did hope 
 there would be no bloodshed. You do not know how 
 many people are killed so far, I suppose? "
 
 162 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " I certainly do not. Brisson does not keep me 
 posted in worthless particulars of that description. When 
 they are dead, they are dead, and all the counting in 
 the world won't resurrect them. By the way, Brisson 
 himself is wounded, so they tell me: a bullet through 
 his hand, or something of that sort." 
 
 "I hope he is not disabled," exclaimed Napoleon, 
 with a rapid resumption of worldliness. 
 
 "No, he 's all right," grinned Bonvalet. "We always 
 anticipated that the fighting would be round the Opera 
 House, and you see we were right." 
 
 "Oh dear! oh dear!" the poor Prince commenced 
 moaning anew, in a paroxysm of terror, "to think that 
 these things are happening not quarter of a mile away, 
 and I am sitting hidden in this corner. It is contemptible ! 
 People will say I am afraid." 
 
 " They would say so were they to see you now, " Bon- 
 valet ejaculated bluntly. 
 
 "I cannot endure this inaction any longer. It is 
 killing me. It is killing me, I tell you. I shall go out 
 and join Brisson!" He started to his feet, and seized 
 his hat and the riding-whip which the Colonel had lent 
 him. 
 
 "Impossible. Your Highness cannot move from 
 here. I have my orders; I must obey them." 
 
 One of Douay's mitrailleuse spluttered out concur- 
 rence. The noise that followed was not the crumbling 
 St. Jacques. Bonaparte became hysterical. 
 
 "Am I your Prince, or am I not? I order you to stand 
 aside. I will go and stop this slaughter. I would to 
 God I had never assented." He strode to the window, 
 flinging it wide open. Bonvalet half imagined that he 
 contemplated this avenue of escape. 
 
 "Fetch my horse! " he shouted down to the sentinel. 
 "Now, Colonel Bonvalet, if you please, stand aside from 
 the door! " 
 
 "I am sorry," doggedly from the Colonel; "I am 
 compelled to refuse." 
 
 " How dare you say that to me? Am I not the Prince? 
 Who compels you to refuse? " 
 
 "Colonel Brisson."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 163 
 
 "Who is Colonel Brisson? Brisson Brisson always 
 Brisson! He directs every one and everything. He 
 orders this, and forbids that, his hand is everywhere. 
 One would imagine that he was fighting for his throne, 
 not for mine. " 
 
 "I daresay he thinks so himself when he looks at 
 his wounded hand." 
 
 " No sneers, if you please. " 
 
 "It was agreed that he should take the chief com- 
 mand," persisted the Cuirassier. 
 
 " Yes, but under me. There is my horse. Come, let 
 me pass." 
 
 "Not so loud, I beg. The men will hear us." 
 
 " I do not care. Away from the door, I say! " 
 
 Bonvalet turned his eyes to the ground, lost in deep 
 thought. He seemed about to relent. His opponent 
 waxed more imperious than ever. 
 
 "Suppose I let your Highness out of barracks what 
 then? What can you do? What do you propose yourself ?" 
 
 "I am not called upon to render you or any one an 
 account of my intentions," the Prince replied; so he 
 straightway did, though with excessive hauteur. 
 
 " I propose to ride down to the Opera House and put 
 an end to this slaughter." 
 
 " Satan himself could not do it. The coup d'etat has 
 begun; it must go on to the bitter end. No power in 
 heaven or earth can stop it. You should have thought 
 of your scruples before." 
 
 " I did not know." 
 
 " You might easily have guessed," rejoined Bonva- 
 let with something approaching a sneer. 
 
 "You surely did not expect that you had only to ap- 
 pear to be received with acclamation. Thrones are not 
 to be got that way. At any rate it is no use your inter- 
 vening at this stage. You can do nothing." 
 
 " I mean to have a good try," said Napoleon, em- 
 ploying that voice of muffled determination so habitual 
 among thoroughly weak men. 
 
 " I fear it is impossible. I beg you, do not lay me 
 under the necessity of a further refusal. Please try and 
 comprehend the difficulties of my position."
 
 1 64 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Napoleon's sole answer was a step towards the door. 
 
 " Be reasonable, I beg of you." 
 
 " I will go. Let me pass. I insist. My horse is wait- 
 ing below. I refuse to be made to appear ridiculous." 
 
 " You will certainly ruin all if you do go out." 
 
 "I will risk that." 
 
 " You may be killed or taken prisoner." 
 
 " I do not care." 
 
 "And all for what? You can do no good." 
 
 " I can try. " 
 
 "What about us, then, who are risking all on your 
 behalf? Do n't we deserve some consideration? " 
 
 " It is just on that account that I mean to put an end 
 to this butchery. " 
 
 Douay's accursed artillery, which had been silent 
 a while, recommenced its horrible splutterings, causing 
 the humane creature the most atrocious agony. He 
 danced about, now on one leg, now on the other, in 
 turns imploring and commanding to be allowed to go 
 forth and put a stop to such horrible carnage. It did 
 him infinite credit. Bonvalet said as much, while re- 
 maining obdurate. At last Monseigneur came quite 
 beside himself with rage. 
 
 "Once more, and for the last time, I order you to 
 stand aside! " 
 
 " I refuse." 
 
 Napoleon clenched his teeth and hands and made a 
 dart towards the door. The burly Cuirassier, however, 
 was too quick for him. He flung one arm round him, 
 holding him in a vice. 
 
 "I am sorry indeed that your Highness should drive 
 me to violence. For God's sake be quiet! We shall 
 have the whole barracks here." 
 
 " Let me go! " shrieked the Prince, struggling madly 
 in his efforts to be free. He was startled by the touch 
 of something hard and cold upon his forehead. Its effect 
 was magical. 
 
 ' ' I shall be forced to do it, ' ' said Bonvalet sadly. * ' I 
 should be very distressed, of course; but if you will make 
 the thing necessary in any case, you had better be 
 killed in here than in the streets."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 165 
 
 "Take it away, " said the Prince, shutting his eyes 
 and trembling violently. "I will be quiet." 
 
 Bonvalet at once withdrew both the restraining arm 
 and pistol, which latter implement, by the way, was un- 
 loaded. Napoleon sank back panting into a chair. 
 
 " Monseigneur will give me his promise not to renew 
 the attempt? " 
 
 "No," ejaculated the vanquished man sullenly. 
 
 "Then I shall be compelled to spend the rest of the 
 evening in this room. It may seriously affect the suc- 
 cess of our enterprise." 
 
 "Let it! " rejoined our hero, falling into the tone of 
 a whipt child. "I have good reason to know what a 
 valuable servant you are." 
 
 Bonvalet took the arm-chair lately vacated by Carache, 
 folding his arms with a great show of patience. 
 
 For a while no sound was heard beyond the ticking of 
 the clock and the tread of the sentinel below. The 
 Prince's horse had been discreetly withdrawn. 
 
 Presently the Colonel began to fidget. He muttered 
 something about its being a shame that many should be 
 made to suffer for one. "I am afraid I must go," he 
 said at last. 
 
 " You hardly expect me to press you to stay? " 
 
 "I shall double the guard." 
 
 "You may do as you please." 
 
 "And and your Highness may as well know it 
 they will have orders to hinder your egress at all costs." 
 
 " Had n't you better send for a file at once and have 
 me shot without more fuss? " 
 
 Bonvalet shrugged his shoulders. " Monseigneur 
 will think differently later on when he recovers his 
 senses," and, nodding slightly towards the unhappy 
 young man, he left the room. 
 
 Napoleon lay back in a half stupor, hardly knowing 
 whether to be glad or sorry that his quixotic intentions 
 had been thus effectually frustrated. He heard them 
 double it sounded almost as if they were trebling the 
 guard underneath his window. He wondered what the 
 sentinel who had been down below throughout the late 
 scene must think of him; the groom who had brought
 
 1 66 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 his horse and taken it away again; Carache, who, he 
 did n't doubt, still had his eye glued to the keyhole. He 
 wondered. But did not greatly care. His brain had 
 settled into a lethargy of despair, that anodyne of 
 nature wherewith he had been endowed far beyond his 
 legitimate share. 
 
 Lieutenant Mascaut disturbed this comatose condi- 
 tion. The young man, also, was in but a gloomy frame 
 of mind. So much appeared evident from the abrupt 
 manner of his entry. The room might have belonged 
 to a brother subaltern instead of being the shrine it was. 
 His Highness, however, was far too limp to take um- 
 brage. He lifted his head with excessive languor. 
 
 "Did you meet Bonvalet on your way here?" he 
 asked. 
 
 Mascaut replied in the negative. 
 
 " I am afraid that there is a deal of blood being shed 
 over in the Place de 1'Opera. " 
 
 " Monseigneur is quite right," was the gloomy re- 
 joinder; " there is." 
 
 Napoleon recommenced softly moaning. "Oh dear! 
 oh dear! How can the government be so foolish! I 
 am certain to win; even Car , every one says so." 
 
 "I am not so sure of that. The report goes that 
 Changarnier is out for the government, and that our 
 men are being driven pell-mell from the Place de la 
 Concorde. One of Douay's officers young Miiller of 
 the Ninth Artillery Brigade has come in wounded: he 
 tells me that it is all they can do to hold their guns. 
 The government have telegraphed for troops from Rouen, 
 Amiens, Clermont, and I don't know where else besides. 
 If these can be brought up quickly enough, we shall as- 
 suredly get beaten." 
 
 " This is terrible news. Does Bonvalet know of this?" 
 
 " He '11 hear it, when he gets back to the guard- 
 room." 
 
 " Ought I not to be on my way to the Gare de 1'Est' 
 Brisson said I was to be taken there, if things went 
 against us." 
 
 " I fear you would find the government troops in 
 possession," Mascaut replied with a contempt that
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 167 
 
 was scarcely veiled. "They come that way from 
 Chalons." 
 
 "What a fool I am," cried Napoleon wringing his 
 hands. "I might have guessed this would result from 
 trusting in Brisson. Would to heaven I had listened to De 
 Morin and Hadamard! And for a certainty that drunken 
 bully Bonvalet will no more think of conveying me to a 
 place of safety than than The lot of you are traitors ! 
 When the time comes you will save your own precious 
 skins. I shall be left here to be taken and shot. My 
 God, I shall become the laughing-stock of Paris! " 
 
 "Take the matter into your own hands," Mascaut 
 suggested. 
 
 " I do not follow you." 
 
 "Assume command in person." 
 
 " I should only be too glad, " said his Highness, know- 
 ing how impossible it was. 
 
 " Muller says that our people are already commencing 
 to ask where the Emperor is. If it came out that you 
 were lurking in here, the effects would be disastrous. 
 Brisson made a mistake at the very outset; most of us 
 said so. Obviously, your Highness's proper place is at 
 the head of your supporters. Take my advice, and 
 assume it. You may yet retrieve the fortunes of the 
 day." 
 
 "But Bonvalet?" 
 
 "What about him? " 
 
 "He won't let me go. I asked him only a few min- 
 utes before you came in, and he refused." 
 
 "I do not understand you. I think your Highness 
 must be labouring under some strange delusion." 
 
 Napoleon gave a sickly smile. "I would I were. 
 Brisson is in command, you see; and he has given Bon- 
 valet his orders." 
 
 " He cannot interfere with your Highness." 
 
 "He does, all the same. They have put a double 
 guard outside the house, with orders to shoot me if I stir. 
 I am as much a prisoner as the President himself." 
 
 ' ' Whew ! ' ' whistled the young officer ; "I had no sus- 
 picion of this." 
 
 " Not that I do n't see the truth of your argument,"
 
 1 68 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 continued Napoleon, feeling quite safe under the pro- 
 tection of the double sentry, and waxing warmer and 
 warmer as he proceeded; " I am exceedingly anxious to 
 get out of this ignoble position. But what can I do? 
 You see for yourself, it is a case of ' force majeure. ' ' 
 
 Mascaut remained silent for a while, wrapped in 
 thought. 
 
 "I daresay I could get round Bonvalet, " he said, 
 suddenly returning to life. 
 
 Napoleon had his own opinion upon that point. 
 
 " My dear lieutenant," he accordingly cried with great 
 warmth, " I should be forever grateful." 
 
 " Your Highness's position must be at the head of your 
 troops? " 
 
 " Unquestionably. " 
 
 "Or, at all events, on Brisson's right hand? I know 
 where the Colonel is to be found." 
 
 " But how to get to him, my dear young friend? " 
 
 " Suppose I undertook to show you the way? " 
 
 "I repeat, I should regard you as one of the chief 
 contributors to my final success." The Prince was still 
 cordial enough; but he was growing a trifle weary of all 
 this. 
 
 "Very well, then," cried Mascaut flinging aside his 
 doubts and scruples in a sudden burst of excitement, 
 "follow me; I will take you to Brisson. " 
 
 "What do you mean? " said Napoleon, with a startled 
 look at the young man's flashing eyes. 
 
 "We need not go through the barracks at all. This 
 house has a small door opening almost direct into the 
 Rue Mirome'nil; we officers use it sometimes. Bonvalet 
 knows nothing about it. Follow me! " 
 
 "But " began Bonaparte dubiously. 
 
 "I can find the key. There is absolutely no danger. 
 We shall have joined Brisson before they learn of our 
 escape. Quick, quick, Monseigneur! you and I will 
 save the day yet." 
 
 "But " again from Bonaparte. 
 
 "I assure you there is not the least chance of our 
 being seen. Remember, they are already calling for you, 
 out of doors! "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 169 
 
 For very shame Napoleon could hesitate no longer. 
 He took up hat and stick, and with a sinking heart fol- 
 lowed Mascaut out of the room. 
 
 They had been gone but a few minutes, when Mon- 
 sieur Carache stole in on tiptoe in pursuit of the matches 
 and a little more refreshment.
 
 Chapter XI 
 
 The Lieutenant, stealing along on tiptoe, led Napoleon 
 downstairs into the dim-lit hall. The front door lay 
 open. Within the porch a sentinel stood motionless, 
 wellnigh a figure cast in bronze. His back was towards 
 them: his eyes, no doubt, were fixed on space; his ears 
 alert after fresh disclosures from above. Mascaut en- 
 joined caution with a finger against his lip; while as for 
 the Prince, he felt sorely tempted to crash everything 
 conveniently detachable upon his person, quite regard- 
 less of its value, loudly to the floor. 
 
 They made their way safely through the hall, and en- 
 tered a narrow passage terminating in the postern door 
 Mascaut had mentioned. Our hero was already commenc- 
 ing to curse its very existence. He did so all the more when 
 he caught his first glimpse of the key considerately repos- 
 ing in the lock, and felt hope crumbling away. Adolph 
 proved a practised hand at these excursions. He went 
 noiselessly to work. Within five minutes of their sudden 
 resolve they found themselves underneath the stars, and 
 compassed all around by a straggling court, which led, 
 after many turns, into the Rue Miromenil. 
 
 The street stretched before them, silent and deserted. 
 Not a soul appeared to be stirring. The Rue de Pen- 
 thievre they were careful, to cross it a long way above 
 the barracks was empty, as also the Faubourg St. 
 Honore, which they struck exactly opposite the British 
 embassy. The ambassador and his wife, with Lord 
 Mendril as a cheerful third behind them, stood at one of 
 the windows chatting merrily together. It could not be 
 that they knew the cause of the firing, which it was im- 
 possible they had not heard. Presuming they did, my 
 lady might still have stood at the window, talking gaily 
 170
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 171 
 
 with some irresponsible and youthful friend, doubtlessly 
 reminding herself of the days when she was wont to 
 watch Brock's benefit from a balcony of the paternal 
 mansion, but Lord Threpps assuredly would have been 
 busy elsewhere. His presence helped to reassure Na- 
 poleon. There was a possibility, after all, of reaching the 
 Place de la Concorde without having first to wade through 
 gutters that ran with blood. 
 
 Things, however, thickened towards the bottom of 
 the street. They came across companies of linesmen, 
 all marching with fixed bayonets, the glint of which 
 restored Napoleon's terror to its former dominion. At 
 times, too, a squadron of dragoons galloped past them. 
 The first such whirlwind, it may be remembered inci- 
 dentally, nearly cause the Prince a fit. He clutched hold 
 of his companion's arm, and expressed the fervent hope 
 that they might not discover that they had committed a 
 blunder. Mascaut, in reply, pointed out that these 
 troops were all bound in one and the same direction 
 towards the Place de la Concorde; and indeed, as far as 
 it went, this sign was satisfactory enough. From it one 
 might reasonably deduce that the fighting in these 
 quarters if fighting there had been at all was now fin- 
 ished. The men, having paraded the streets in accord- 
 ance with the earlier part of Brisson's instructions, were 
 on their way to the common rendezvous. The attitude 
 maintained by the civilian element helped out this com- 
 forting view. All sexes, all ages, all classes, stood about 
 the footways and street corners, staring at the military 
 with the completest apathy. No one interfered with the 
 soldiers, and the soldiers interfered with no one. When 
 a detachment came upon a crowded crossing, it waited 
 till the way was clear. Half-battalions of cavalry can- 
 tered along, taking the whole road as they went, and 
 carts and carriages drew uncomplainingly to one side. 
 Godefroy's proclamations, too, which were scattered 
 here, there, and everywhere with the least possible re- 
 gard for vested interests, seemed to arouse scarcely more 
 excitement. Men read them gravely and without com- 
 ment, then turned to have a fresh look at the soldiers. 
 The whole thing was eminently soothing to the nerves.
 
 172 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Napoleon always so quick to fall under the sway of the 
 prevailing tone once more took heart of grace. His 
 anxious face relaxed into a smile. He dropped his com- 
 rade's arm, and bore himself alone in the independent 
 grandeur of his own self-sufficing strength. He re- 
 marked, more than once, with an engaging smile the 
 entire absence of blood in the gutters or of other signs of 
 carnage. He was still a trifle puzzled on the score of 
 that terribly recurring roar of musketry which had so 
 alarmed him; but he soon succeeded in convincing him- 
 self that it had been made with blank cartridges, and 
 solely for the purposes of intimidation. The Engineer 
 thought otherwise, but did not say so. Towards this 
 last-named individual, Napoleon showed himself profuse 
 in his gratitude. He declared, again and again, what a 
 happy chance had lurked in Brisson's choice. "Without 
 you, my dear Mascaut, as my aide-de-camp, I should 
 probably never have been here." He proceeded to 
 expatiate at considerable length on the advantages of 
 ' being here ' ; among which this was not the least im- 
 portant, that, at the moment of victory, the Colonel 
 commanding in chief would not need send all the way 
 to the Rue de Penthievre. " I shall be on the spot to 
 take over the reins at once, and none, save a very few, 
 will know anything about our ignominious sojourn in that 
 abominable library." 
 
 " Gently, " ventured Mascaut, in reply. " You must 
 not speak so loud. Above all, we ought not to hurry." 
 
 "Ah, I forgot." 
 
 They turned into the Rue Boissy d'Anglas as one of 
 Douay's half-batteries thundered down it towards the 
 Place de la Concorde. " Have they been inaction?" 
 queried Napoleon. 
 
 "No," replied Mascaut, giving the guns a single 
 glance; and his interlocutor could have sung aloud for 
 joy. 
 
 But the crowd was becoming very much denser, as 
 well as a great deal more demonstrative. Cries for and 
 against the new Pretender rang out in heated altercation 
 on every side. In one corner, three men they looked 
 like Godefroy's supers were defending a proclamation
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 173 
 
 against half a dozen gens-d'armes. In another, some 
 too-active adherent of the new order was already in the 
 hands of the police, and being marched off to gaol. The 
 Prince soon began to feel his undisclosed identity heavy 
 upon him. So heavy, indeed, that it brought the sweat 
 to his brow. He suggested a return to barracks; but 
 Mascaut would not hear of it. He looked back anx- 
 iously over his shoulder. The lieutenant urged him to 
 keep his mind directed on their destination in front, mak- 
 ing light of the surging, shouting mass of human beings 
 that lay between. 
 
 "Come, give me your arm," said the Engineer; "and 
 we we will carve our way through." 
 
 Napoleon obeyed mechanically. Mascaut welded the 
 weak grasp into his, and forged ahead. The attempt 
 was unavailing. They could not advance a single step. 
 Indeed, a sudden backward rush from the front swept 
 them off their legs, carrying the two of them a substan- 
 tial distance in quite an opposite direction. By a series 
 of superhuman efforts Mascaut dragged his master into 
 the shelter of a convenient doorway. 
 
 "This will never do," he muttered uneasily. "We 
 must reach the Place, somehow " 
 
 " Let us return to the barracks," pleaded Napoleon. 
 
 "No, no, we must get forward, now we have come 
 so far." 
 
 " But Brisson may have already sent for me." 
 
 "All the more reason why we should reach him with 
 the least possible delay. We will wait here a minute or 
 so, perhaps a detachment may be passing. It can es- 
 cort us." 
 
 "And I shall be recognized and killed." 
 
 " Not so loud, I do implore you. As it is, your you 
 are beginning to attract attention." 
 
 No detachment passed, however. And presently Mas- 
 caut decided to make another attempt, keeping this 
 time a good way to the left, and approaching the Place 
 from the Rue de Rivoli. " Come along," he said un- 
 ceremoniously. 
 
 "But there has been fighting bloodshed!" ex- 
 claimed Napoleon, with a terrified look at a couple of
 
 174 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 sergents-de-ville with bleeding faces who stumbled past 
 them at that minute. 
 
 "Obviously," Mascaut drily responded. 
 
 Their first step into the Place de la Madeleine showed 
 them where. A wagon belonging to the field-ambulance 
 was drawn up a little way to the left of the church, 
 while half a dozen bearers moved in couples like vul- 
 tures, Bonaparte thought about the open space. Across 
 the mouth of the Rue Royale stretched the debris of a 
 demolished barricade. The overturned omnibus which 
 had formed its centrepiece was now smashed to atoms, 
 and wellnigh level with the ground. A squad of en- 
 gineers from Mascaut's regiment guarded the remains. 
 
 Pontecoulant, Minister of the Interior, stood hatless 
 and forlorn upon the steps of the portico. A small group 
 of adherents were gathered round the great man's feet. 
 All looked ruefully in the direction of the splintered ve- 
 hicle. Poor fellows, like their leader they were mostly 
 more or less hatless and dishevelled. Not a few still 
 had hold of some useless weapon, a broken sword or a 
 musket with its barrel torn and twisted out of recogni- 
 tion. By way of background, Godefroy's sacrilegious 
 proclamations papered the fluted Corinthian columns; it 
 looked as though the church were up for auction. 
 
 "Oh! "said the Lieutenant; "so Pontecoulant was 
 the driver. Well, our men do n't appear to have been 
 very impressed." 
 
 "They ought to have taken him prisoner," put in 
 Napoleon. " He will only start another barricade some- 
 where else." 
 
 "Let him. We can bowl it over again. Come along, 
 Monseigneur, our troubles are at an end. My men will 
 pass us through." 
 
 "Look," urged the Prince, "he has begun an ha- 
 rangue. Oh, dear! there '11 be more blood spilt." 
 
 "They won't be such fools. Come along, I beg of 
 you. Brisson is probably waiting for us." 
 
 But Napoleon would not advance a step into the arena 
 which lay between the church and the barricade. 
 
 "Don't you see?" he gasped a second time, draw- 
 ing back under the shelter of the ambulance. "They
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 175 
 
 will be firing directly. My heavens! What does the fel- 
 low mean by it? " 
 
 For Monsieur Pontecoulant, having spent a considera- 
 ble time in glowering at the military from between his 
 folded arms and frowning brow, something after the 
 manner of a magnified Mr. Simon Tappertit, had now 
 proceeded to reprisals. To begin with, he shook his 
 fist menacingly at all whom it might concern. 
 
 It apparently did not concern Brisson's Engineers. 
 Not, indeed, that they could not see him; for the inter- 
 vening space, it will be remembered, is small, and always 
 well lighted. Doubtless their orders were to take notice 
 of nothing short of brickbats; accordingly, this little 
 outpost stood at ease among the wreckage, gazing forth 
 upon Pontecoulant without the least emotion. Most of 
 them, in all probability, were thinking about the new 
 ruler, whether he was likely to go one better than his 
 predecessor, and make it half a bottle of wine each 
 man. 
 
 "Cowards! " shouted Pontecoulant. 
 
 "Cowards!" echoed his followers, looking the while 
 into the master's face, like faithful dogs. 
 
 "Don't lurk behind that omnibus, " continued Pon- 
 tecoulant, rather figuratively than otherwise, "come out 
 and fight! " 
 
 " Come out and fight! " chorused the others. 
 
 "Produce your Pretender! Produce him, I say! If 
 he is man enough to do it, let him step forth into the 
 arena, and I will plunge my my " looking askance at 
 his umbrella " my knife into his breast. Caesar! " 
 
 The concentrated bitterness which Pontecoulant threw 
 into this epithet was not without its effect upon our hero. 
 " Let us get away from here," he murmured uneasily. 
 
 " I am ready. They are men belonging to my own 
 company. It is a most fortunate accident." 
 
 "No, no; not to the barricade," pleaded Napoleon, 
 hanging back. "Pontecoulant will certainly catch us 
 before we can reach them. His people are in the mood 
 to tear us limb from limb. Do you not hear what he 
 says?" 
 
 "I wish they would put a bullet into his windpipe,"
 
 176 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 muttered Mascaut savagely. " There is no danger, pro- 
 vided we keep well in the shadow of the houses." 
 
 "In that case, we may very likely get shot. Please, 
 not the barricade! Let us creep round by the back of 
 the church, and get that way into the Rue de Rivoli. It 
 was our original intention ; let us follow it, I beg of you. " 
 
 "Caesar!" began Ponte"coulant anew, with a gulp 
 which clearly denoted the last earthly remains of a cough- 
 lozenge, "come out into the open and fight like a man. 
 You are not on the throne yet, do n't think it. You have 
 collared Monsieur le President, and Carache; but you 
 have n't got Ponte"coulant, and you never will. Who is it 
 that stands in your way? Ponte"coulant does, the Minister 
 of the Interior! " The voice hurtling this defiance grew 
 louder and louder, till at last it dominated the whole 
 Place, penetrating also some way up the boulevards, and 
 drawing therefrom a considerable addition to its original 
 audience. 
 
 "Citizens!" rang out the clarion note again, after 
 another imperfectly digested jujube, "shall we suffer 
 ourselves to be intimidated by half a dozen hired assas- 
 sins? No a thousand million times no! Back to the 
 barricade! " 
 
 " Back to the barricade! " cried the citizens with one 
 voice. No one moved. 
 
 " The villains have captured Monsieur. Carache 
 the fearless, lion-hearted Carache is in their hands. I 
 was present when they came to seize him, and bear him 
 off to the fetid dungeon, where he now lies. ' Ponte- 
 coulant,' he said to me hurriedly, ' this may mean death. 
 Good-bye, old friend,' " the Minister gulped down a 
 sob, " 'Good-bye, old friend. Into your hands I com- 
 mend our dear country. Let Paris swim in blood before 
 she be suffered to prostitute herself to the yoke of Caesar! 
 Also, be good enough to look after my wife and little 
 girl.' My poor Carache," mused Pontecoulant, in a 
 pathetic aside, which, by the way, was bellowed out at 
 the same high pitch as the rest of his harangue. "My 
 poor Carache, where art thou now? Dead, perhaps? 
 Yes, dead! The angel-face is wreathed in marbled im- 
 mortality; the silver trumpet-tones are still. But, citi-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 177 
 
 zens, be not afraid. I am left. Paris shall swim in blood 
 before I give her over to this English Bonaparte. You 
 may also rest assured that I will look after Carache's 
 wife and little girl." 
 
 " Vive Pontecoulant! " 
 
 "You may well applaud me. For to-night, at least, 
 and until this insurrection is quelled, I am in the position 
 of dictator. Back to the barricade, I say! Let us recap- 
 ture our omnibus! Citizens, the eyes of Europe are upon 
 you." 
 
 "Do you lead us, Monsieur," suggested a voice from 
 among the rapidly increasing crowd at his feet, "and we 
 will follow." 
 
 " Oh, no, " said Pontecoulant, shrinking back into the 
 shadow of the fluted columns, "I am bound to reserve 
 myself for higher things." 
 
 " But it is useless going for that omnibus," repeated 
 the voice. "It is smashed to smithereens." 
 
 "Are there no more Madeleine buses about?" in- 
 quired Pontecoulant, peering into the gas-lamps on either 
 side. 
 
 "The last bus has gone; you will have to take a 
 cab," shouted a humourist. 
 
 "No ribaldry, I beg," cried Pontecoulant sternly. 
 " Is there nothing we can make use of? " 
 
 " The ambulance," hazarded one or two. 
 
 " No, we must n't rake that. Let us treat our enemies 
 humanely." 
 
 "These fools will go on all night," burst out the 
 Lieutenant. ' 'I do not mean to stay here another minute. ' ' 
 
 "But not the open, I implore you. Listen, listen 
 Pontecoulant and I have met frequently; I honestly 
 believe he knows who I am. If we are seen, I am lost. 
 I shall be killed to a certainty. Round by the boule- 
 vards, I entreat! " 
 
 "No," replied Mascaut, with an imperative gesture, 
 " I dare not delay another minute. I ought not to have 
 brought you. God knows, they may be already waiting 
 for us. I shall get all the blame. Be brave; come 
 straight across to the barricade. No one will notice." 
 
 Without further ado he took Napoleon by the arm,
 
 178 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 and advanced boldly out of the shadow of the ambu- 
 lance into the open space which lies between the church 
 and the Rue Royale. 
 
 But they did not know their man. Ponte"coulant had 
 spotted Mascaut's uniform in the space of a single 
 second. He broke off in the first word of a fresh exhor- 
 tation, and pointed towards them. 
 
 " Hullo," said he, " what is that hired assassin doing 
 out here? He is a spy." 
 
 "Run! " whispered Mascaut, but just too late. The 
 crowd had already surged down upon them, like some 
 great sea. It caught them up, and swept them right for- 
 ward to Ponte"coulant's feet. The Minister placed his 
 umbrella against his hip as though it were a sceptre, and 
 prepared to pass sentence. 
 
 "What are you doing this side of the omnibus? " he 
 asked severely of Mascaut. 
 
 "To the lamp-post with the traitors!" cried some 
 among the crowd. 
 
 "Leave me to deal with them," said Pontecoulant 
 magnificently. The Minister was clean-shaven, and red 
 and bloated, like a butcher or a successful lawyer. 
 With his gingham poised upon his right hip, he looked 
 regality itself. 
 
 " What are you doing here? " he repeated ; "answer, 
 bandit! " 
 
 Lieutenant Mascaut, with admirable promptitude, had 
 already decided upon a course of action. He drew him- 
 self up to his full height, and looked Pontecoulant 
 straight in the face with an air of great disdain. 
 
 "I do not know who you maybe," he was beginning, 
 when a man in the crowd shouted out that he had the 
 same uniform as the pigs at the barricades. 
 
 "That settles it," said Pontecoulant. "You are 
 spies. I am dictator: the Republic looks to me for 
 safety. I have no time to waste over spies. Where are 
 the sergents-de-ville? I saw some only a moment 
 ago." 
 
 Half a dozen forlorn and puny policemen were pushed 
 forward to Ponte"coulant's feet. All of them, without a 
 doubt, had long ago retired into private life. They
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 179 
 
 resembled sheep without a shepherd, wearing the woe- 
 begone expression which marks the face of that useful 
 animal when publicity is thrust upon it. 
 
 "The little fat man first, if you please," cried the 
 dictator. "Now, then, malefactors. " In obedience to 
 this command, four of the sergents-de-ville hurried up 
 the steps and closed round the stupefied Napoleon. They 
 were recovering their agreeable habits under the influ- 
 ence of business, hustling our hero with quite unneces- 
 sary violence. 
 
 "Lock him up anywhere," shouted the Minister. 
 " Make way for the Republic! " 
 
 And with this send-off the little procession started on 
 its way, Napoleon well in the middle, bewildered and 
 quite passive. His brain had sunk into semi-somnolence. 
 He heard the corporal in charge mutter to his compan- 
 ions something about the violon in the Chapelle quarter; 
 but he took no notice. He felt conscious that they were 
 moving northward, steadily northward, with their backs 
 forever turned upon the Place de la Concorde. But it 
 did not add to the bitterness of his spirit. Perhaps it 
 could not. The One Hour of life was speeding away, 
 and how! Side by side, in sharply contrasted pictures, 
 whose framing was his anguish-laden heart, he saw Bris- 
 son's great army drawn up and waiting to acclaim him 
 Emperor, and these four undersized thief-catchers, who 
 held him tight. He compared the gilded throne, the 
 ermined robes, delights almost within his grasp, with 
 the Round House which had actually grasped him. 
 Above all, he contrasted the to-morrow which he might 
 have had which any other man in his position would 
 have had with the real fate that was in store. This 
 wretched blunder of his meant the sacrifice of all the 
 promised pomp and wealth and power; substituting for 
 them the ruin of his followers and total self-obliteration. 
 In any case, the latter. For, if Brisson managed to keep 
 firm hold of victory, despite his own compulsory 
 defection, then Prince Victor would reap the benefit 
 Prince Victor, or that unwholesome Felix. Men do not 
 wait very long in sudden emergencies. When the author 
 of a coup d'etat chooses to disappear within the recesses
 
 :8o THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 of an unknown Round House at the psychological 
 moment, the next best man is taken. To-morrow he 
 would slink forth into the daylight, to be received by 
 mankind with thunders of Gargantuan laughter. As for 
 the rest of life but he really could not take contempla- 
 tion beyond the next twelve hours. The old days in 
 Pimlico, when the impossible was forever dogging his 
 actual condition, had nothing in them so terrible as this. 
 Like the gentleman in the "Jackdaw of Rheims " he 
 cursed every one and everything, Brisson, for having 
 left him at home; Mascaut, for bringing him out; 
 himself, for staying at home and coming out. The 
 merest trifle which could be said to have contributed to 
 this fiasco became anathema. The dinner at Jervis's 
 Restaurant, Lohengrin, the night on the Embankment 
 if a night in the open, anywhere, can be called a trifle. 
 Indeed, this all-embracing combination extended to life 
 itself. While round it, and above and below, there floated 
 the listless apathy of utter despair. 
 
 Their northward course carried them by degrees into 
 regions that were comparatively deserted. The firing 
 had ceased a considerable time. The centres were 
 being choked by an ever-increasing multitude, curious to 
 know who had been fighting and who had won. 
 
 The farther, too, the sergents-de-ville got away from 
 Ponte"coulant, the more abrupt became their manners. 
 It was quite evident they thought small-beer of their 
 captive; and they contributed their little mite to his 
 discomfort with an abundance of zeal. 
 
 " Walk up, you rebel," growled the Corporal, kicking 
 Napoleon savagely. "If only we hurry up with this 
 fool, we can get back and see some of the fun." 
 
 "Devil take your fun," said the left-hand man 
 behind, "I want none of it. Give me bed and a pipe 
 at this time of night." 
 
 " You are a lazy dog. Promotion does n't come to 
 ' lay-abeds. ' " 
 
 " No; it goes to the men with pretty wives." 
 
 "Don't be insolent," said the Corporal, jogging 
 Bonaparte's arm. 
 
 "You are right," put in the Corporal's companion in
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 181 
 
 front, Hauptman was his name, "and the Corporal 
 here knows it as well as anyone." 
 
 "I won't stand rudeness from you, at all events," 
 said the officer in charge, turning fiercely on Haupt- 
 man, and giving the Prince another jog. "You two are 
 lazy hounds, always thinking about your sleep and your 
 stomachs. Both of you like to believe that promotion 
 is n't for personal merit. That 's the way with all you 
 lazy men." He appealed to the fourth, who brought up 
 the rear, upon Napoleon's right: "You agree with me, 
 do you not? " But the other shook his head. 
 
 The Prince began to see the faintest glimpse of day- 
 light. He roused himself from his lethargy. 
 
 " Suppose I could tell you of a means of promotion 
 for those without pretty wives?" he commenced in a 
 hesitating voice. He looked to be rudely silenced, and 
 was agreeably surprised. 
 
 Three of them softened perceptibly and at once. 
 The left-hand man behind said plaintively: 
 " Ah, we should like to hear of that." 
 " Nothing simpler, " replied his Highness. "By now 
 the new Emperor is proclaimed. I don't mind telling 
 you, I am one of his chief adherents. Release me, and 
 I promise you not one of you shall be forgotten." 
 
 Two of them became violent Bonapartists on the 
 spot. Hauptman remained doubtful. The Corporal was 
 altogether hostile. 
 
 " What do you say, comrades?" cried the left-hand 
 man. "I myself am perfectly willing." 
 
 "You shall all be commissaries, with a handsome 
 present into the bargain," murmured the tempter. 
 
 "If only we could believe him," groaned Hauptman. 
 "That's exactly what we can't do," snapped the 
 Corporal. " Keep your mouth shut," roughly, to Napo- 
 leon. " I am in charge here, and I won't have you tam- 
 pering with my men. I warn you, if you try to escape, 
 I will run you through the body." 
 
 "You think yourself no end of a fellow," grumbled 
 Hauptman, "simply because you happen to be a cor- 
 poral. If we make up our minds to let this gentleman 
 go, we sha' n't permit you to stop us."
 
 182 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Hauptman, I shall report you, if you don't hold 
 your tongue." With these words, the Corporal drew his 
 sword. And that clinched the attitude which he had as- 
 sumed. Napoleon was hurried along at a redoubled 
 pace, not another word being said about his tempting 
 offer. 
 
 But aid was at hand aid from an altogether unlooked- 
 for quarter. The silence, so long surrounding them, 
 fell precipitately before a confused murmur of voices 
 which grew as they approached the Gare du Nord, until 
 it outrivalled Babel itself. And an abrupt turn brought 
 them out on top of some forty-five to fifty ruffians who 
 were advancing in open order over the entire breadth of 
 the road. 
 
 These no sooner caught sight of our hero and his es- 
 cort than they dropt what, it seems, had been merely a 
 desultory conversation on current topics, and commenced 
 shouting at the top of their voices: 
 
 "Vive 1'Empereur Napoleon IV! Vive Bonaparte! " 
 
 The Prince started into life again. He braced him- 
 self for a final effort. So did the Corporal. " Draw! " 
 the latter whispered to his companions. They paid no 
 heed. 
 
 "Help! " shouted the captive, "help! in the Empe- 
 ror's name! " His eyes lit upon the unmistakable form, 
 the round, unwieldy, Falstaff figure, which, though 
 seen only once, could never be forgotten. 
 
 "Godefroy! Godefroy! You know who I am. Res- 
 cue me, I pray! " 
 
 "Who calls me?" said the claqueur, shouldering his 
 way into the little cortege without the least regard for 
 the Corporal's sword; "why, bless me if it ain't little 
 Bonaparte himself! Come on, lads! "and Godefroy, 
 who was a man of action, sent the policeman sprawling 
 to one side. The three others fell away readily enough. 
 In this manner, then, our hero passed at one step from 
 the depths of despair to the command of fifty enthusias- 
 tic, if unkempt, individuals, who flocked round and com- 
 menced to stare at him with open mouths. 
 
 Anatole Godefroy was not among the least surprised. 
 He surveyed Napoleon from head to foot.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 183 
 
 "How the deuce did you get into this plight?" he asked 
 abruptly. Bonaparte was on the point of retailing the 
 whole history, but the other stopped him. 
 
 " Is Brisson beaten? " 
 
 "No. I am inclined to think that he has won." 
 
 "Then come along men: before you have lost 
 thrones through dawdling." 
 
 He motioned the Prince to the place of honour upon 
 his right, giving the signal at the same minute to re- 
 sume the onward march towards the boulevards and the 
 Place de la Concorde. 
 
 They followed the route which Napoleon had lately 
 traversed in captivity. The streets grew more crowded 
 as they advanced. And his nerves, hardly equal to such 
 sudden changes, either of fortune or of attendant cir- 
 cumstances, tightened by leaps and bounds. The gang 
 of organized partisans was making noise enough to wake 
 the dead. "Vive Bonaparte! Vive 1'Empereur! " 
 "A bas La Republique! " they shouted with wearisome 
 iteration. Soon, too, the procession fell in with other 
 gangs, all equally demonstrative and unclean. 
 
 " I have done my work well? " suggested the Prince's 
 stout companion, complacently smiling. 
 
 " Too well," was the reply which the latter's heart 
 tempted him to make. 
 
 He had a holy horror of anything in the nature of 
 bathos. What with organized hordes of claqueurs and 
 legitimately inquisitive citizens, his army a band no 
 longer was swelling at every corner. Suppose they 
 should reach the heart of the city only to find it in the 
 hands of government troops! He shuddered at the 
 sight of their ridiculous figures he, with Godefroy as 
 his knight behind him. 
 
 This fear was not without its effect upon his pace. 
 "Hurry, hurry! " Godefroy urged more than once, "we 
 still have a long way to go." The Prince sometimes 
 suggested sending a scout in advance, but the other 
 always laughed at the idea. "Not the slighest use," 
 would be the invariable reply, "we must go in and win, 
 whatever may have happened to Brisson." 
 
 The crush in the boulevards was terrible.
 
 184 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Thousands upon thousands were hurrying forward to 
 the selfsame goal. An unnatural silence brooded over 
 this close-packed throng. The mercenaries still con- 
 tinued shouting; but the effect proved truly piteous 
 among the myriads who simply looked at them and 
 wondered. 
 
 There was no anger, no signs of hostility against his 
 cause, no enthusiasm for the Republic, nothing except 
 one all-pervading bewilderment, coupled with an univer- 
 sal desire to get forward and see what was actually hap- 
 pening. 
 
 Napoleon blushed to find himself in such disreputable 
 company among a crowd so silent and respectable. But 
 his phalanx went boisterously forward, forging ahead 
 slowly but surely, like some great ship that fights on 
 against heavy seas. 
 
 Godefroy's "get-up" upon this memorable occasion was 
 likewise of a kind to attract attention. His substantial 
 form and well-worn broadcloth were tied with waist-belts 
 and cross-belts and shoulder-belts and satchel-thongs 
 and sabretache-thongs, and thongs of all sorts and 
 shapes and sizes. Wherever he could hang a thong, he 
 hung one. And each strap had its purpose, inasmuch as 
 he carried field-glasses, a brandy-flask, a leathern sand- 
 wich-case, a folded overcoat, and what looked suspi- 
 ciously like a second pair of pantaloons. His weapons, 
 moreover, betokened a catholicity of taste highly cred- 
 itable to a law-abiding citizen. A Roman dirk, gar- 
 nished with the cavalry sabretache aforesaid, and which 
 had obviously done duty in "Anthony and Cleopatra," 
 wobbled upon his hip. Two pistols of a blunderbuss pat- 
 tern, from "Thermidor," adorned his waist. A net 
 whether for his enemies or edibles it is not in the power 
 of this chronicle to say balanced the dirk upon the 
 other side. His Wellingtons were of enormous dimen- 
 sions, and one of them carried a brass spur which jin- 
 gled. The Panama hat which crowned this interesting 
 figure had a conscript's ticket also a "property" in- 
 serted in the broad black silk band. He might have 
 been on his way to Moscow, or marauding across the 
 Rhine.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 185 
 
 And so they reached the Madeleine. Monsieur Ponte- 
 coulant no longer dominated the Place. The little out- 
 post guarding the mouth of the Rue Royale was with- 
 drawn, and that thoroughfare abandoned to a multitude 
 denser and more silent than any they had yet encoun- 
 tered. It covered every inch of ground, omnibus and 
 all. 
 
 Godefroy ordered a halt in front of the church. He 
 wanted it badly. He shifted his belts and mopped his 
 brow, which was glistening under the gaslight, and 
 ascended to the portals to have a look along the Rue 
 Royal, and came down therefrom with a groan, half sin- 
 cere, half comic, and went up again to have another 
 look, this time through his field-glasses, and redescended 
 as depressed as ever. He then proceeded to refresh 
 himself with sandwiches and neat brandy, pressing both 
 upon his companion with a warmth which grew in direct 
 proportion to Napoleon's resolve not to take nourish- 
 ment of any kind. 
 
 "Now, lads," he merely remarked, when this repast 
 was satisfactorily concluded, " on we go." 
 
 The thing was easier said than done. They flung 
 themselves in one great mass, after the fashion of 
 a battering-ram, upon the closely knit throng which 
 blocked their passage. They shoved, .and strained, and 
 swore, and shouted, at the outset with only the slen- 
 derest results. However, in matters of this kind, the 
 first inch is everything. Once in motion, the effort is to 
 stop, not to go forward; accordingly they went forward, 
 fighting and cursing to the uttermost. Of the thousands 
 present, only Godefroy and the Prince himself had space 
 wherein to move. Their bodyguard took care of that. 
 The narrow circle round them never lessened. What- 
 ever the condition of their minds, they now moved for- 
 ward with all the outward composure of Egyptian prin- 
 cesses. 
 
 On and on they went, through denser masses, and 
 amid a silence growing ever more terrible, until they 
 were rewarded by the first glimpse of their destination. 
 The sea of human beings, wherein they were battling, 
 extended as far as the Ministry of Marine. At that
 
 i86 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 point a breakwater, in the shape of .some thirty cuiras- 
 siers, effectually barred all further progress; and Napo- 
 leon, catching the glint of the helmets, felt, with a burst 
 of joy, that his task was wellnigh ended. The others 
 saw it as well. They fought with redoubled vigour; it 
 proved necessary enough; for the wave which guards the 
 harbour bar is always the most formidable. This caught 
 them, and was like to smash and scatter them; but they 
 clung together with wonderful tenacity. A final wrench 
 landed their passenger in safety. 
 
 The soldiers of the detachment, save for a few, busy 
 backing their horses into the crowd, sat dejected and 
 motionless. The lieutenant commanding, who had sta- 
 tioned himself at the corner of the Ministry, kept rising 
 in his stirrups to peer anxiously in the direction of the 
 fountains. Twice did Napoleon observe him sink back 
 from his attitude with a gesture of disgust, which prob- 
 ably did not fail of its effect upon the troopers. Beyond 
 them, the Place was packed with infantry. These, their 
 white faces in strong relief against the night, were 
 turned towards the Prince, and one and all wore the 
 look of weariness that follows hope deferred. 
 
 Godefroy summed up the position in a single sentence : 
 "But for me," said he, comfortably, "the curtain would 
 have fallen without the prima donna. Back, boys! we 
 can manage alone now. Monseigneur, keep well behind 
 me." 
 
 With these directions, he drew Napoleon out of the 
 crowd, and made straight for the lieutenant. The 
 troopers seemed too dejected to take any notice; and 
 the two men were almost as close to the young officer as 
 the head of his own horse before he saw them. 
 
 "Well, Lieutenant, " Godefroy said, softly, " here we 
 are!" 
 
 The cuirassier gave a single hurried glance in their 
 direction. It was sufficient. His face broke at once 
 into a laugh of happiness. He plucked his sword from 
 its scabbard, and waving it high aloft, shouted: 
 
 "The Emperor! " 
 
 "The Emperor! " the battalion opposite took up the 
 cry, and passed it on behind them, and to the left and
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 187 
 
 right. "The Emperor! " rolled back like thunder from 
 beyond the Obelisk, the Avenue des Champs Elysee, and 
 the Cours de la Reine. The excitement, so long pent up, 
 resulted in a scene of indescribable enthusiasm. Those 
 who had sight of the lost one did everything short of 
 break their ranks to testify to their devotion, while those 
 who had not, nearly committed the same unpardonable 
 breach of discipline in their desire to be equally fa- 
 voured. 
 
 Meanwhile a corporal of horse had dismounted at a 
 sign from the Lieutenant, and now stood holding his 
 stirrup in readiness for Napoleon. And the latter, who 
 was quite dazed by the noise, and the serried ranks 
 hovering among shadows on every side, suffered him- 
 self to be hoisted into the saddle. 
 
 "Come, Monseigneur," the officer said laconically, 
 "Colonel Brisson will be rejoiced to see you." 
 
 And then for a time, with the Prince at least, all 
 things passed into dreamland. He was dimly conscious 
 of being carried along in the Lieutenant's wake through 
 lines upon lines of shouting men. Their cries, "Vive 
 Napoleon IV! " for the most part, which were absolute- 
 ly unintermittent, sounded in his ears like the far-away 
 roar of the sea. The plash of fountains mingled. So, 
 too, the silence which, dazed as he was, he knew brooded 
 over remaining Paris. Presently he found himself un- 
 derneath the Obelisk and among a throng of officers. 
 They were shouting with the rest, waving their swords 
 and helmets and kepis, stretching out to grasp his hand, 
 which he extended with equal impassiveness to all who 
 wanted it, and a few of them even patting him upon 
 the back, in an excess of delight. Indeed, he only re- 
 covered consciousness when he discovered Brisson lean- 
 ing forward half across his horse, with glistening eyes, 
 clasping both his hands in his.
 
 Chapter XII 
 
 "At last! " said the Colonel, with a sigh of immense 
 relief; "we thought you were never coming. Sire, this 
 escapade of yours has nearly ruined us." 
 
 "I am sorry," murmured Napoleon contritely. 
 Nevertheless the fact that the first words addressed to 
 him as Emperor contained a reproof did not pass un- 
 noticed. Without attempt at rejoinder, he turned to 
 survey the faces of those gathered round him. 
 
 Most proved familiar. Klein and Douay were there, 
 the latter evidently well satisfied with the results ob- 
 tained from his new guns. General Breheville also, 
 neat as ever, and Brigadier Marchmont, who, though he 
 shouted with the loudest, hardly yet looked altogether 
 convinced. Colonel Bonvalet of Cuirassiers made a 
 fifth, besides being the most conspicuous figure present, 
 as he sat, mum and glum, scowling resentfully at his 
 sovereign lord, newly arrived in more respects than 
 one. His brow of thunder caught Brisson's eye. 
 "Look," the latter continued, the faintest vestige of a 
 smile passing across his face, "the Colonel there, has 
 been half over Paris to find you. We were beginning to 
 think seriously about proclaiming Felix." 
 
 "I am truly sorry," the other repeated, leaving the 
 scrutiny of the staff for a wider view, which almost 
 drove him back into his former dazed condition. To 
 his unaccustomed eye it seemed as if the whole French 
 army not alone the Paris garrison were assembled 
 to acclaim him Emperor. Bonvalet's Cuirassiers and 
 another mounted regiment, that he took for dragoons, 
 though not altogether certain, occupied the lines near- 
 est at hand. Beyond them, interminable columns of in- 
 fantry stretched far along the Avenue des Champs 
 1 88
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 189 
 
 Elyse"es, becoming lost at last in the mingled blur of 
 illuminated darkness. Leftwards, towards the river, the 
 sight of serried ranks rose tier above tier as far as eye 
 could reach. 
 
 All the while, too, the shouting continued, and the 
 noise was deafening. The period of expectancy had 
 been too long drawn out to suffer the welcome to be 
 anything else. The men roared and bellowed, and 
 waved their arms in a frantic demonstration that prom- 
 ised to be endless; and when, presently, Colonel Brisson 
 felt that the time had come for a renewal of silence, he 
 found it no easy job to get it. 
 
 But, thanks to indefatigable aides-de-camp, who 
 spurred forth in all directions, it came at last. To 
 Napoleon it proved even more oppressive that the fore- 
 going uproar. For one thing, it disclosed the unpleasant 
 fact that the civilian element, which looked on from the 
 Rue Royale, was ominously still. He tried to comfort 
 himself with the assurance that it must be due to one of 
 Brisson's messengers. But the Colonel dispelled the 
 illusion. 
 
 "Those pigs don't seem over-enthusiastic," said he. 
 " No," was the dubious response. 
 "Well, they do n't signify one way or the other. I 
 congratulate your Majesty," he added presently, by way 
 of afterthought, "on the complete success of your 
 plans. " 
 
 " We shall first have to hear what the provinces say," 
 Marchmont murmured from behind. 
 "I am not frightened about them." 
 " Clisserole willbe. sick," simpered General Brehe- 
 ville; "and the President too. I wonder how the dear 
 old fellow takes it. Bonvalet, you can tell us." 
 
 "No, I can't," said the Cuirassier brusquely. "Bris- 
 son," turning to the first speaker, " I do n't see the force 
 of prolonging this business indefinitely." 
 
 "That is for me to say," Brisson rejoined. 
 " I know, I know. All the same, the men have been 
 introduced to his Majesty and have had a good look at 
 him, and it is high time they got back to hold the streets 
 and railway stations."
 
 190 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "You must be good enough to take your orders from 
 me." 
 
 "Thanks, I 've got them already," replied Bonvalet, 
 not in the least abashed. "So, if you are quite done 
 with the Emperor, I will convey him back to barracks. 
 That is, provided he do n't prefer to return the way he 
 came," and Bonvalet glanced scornfully at the Prince. 
 
 The prospect did not by any means commend itself 
 to Napoleon. He suffered himself to be betrayed into a 
 plaintive appeal: 
 
 " Oh, I am not to go back to those horrible barracks, 
 am I?" 
 
 Bre"heville smiled significantly for the Brigadier's 
 benefit, who took no notice, but went on biting his nails. 
 As for Colonel Brisson, he made no answer. 
 
 Napoleon repeated the question. 
 
 " That was the idea," the Engineer said at last, after 
 a prolonged pause. "Your Majesty needs rest." 
 
 " Not more than any one else. I do not want to lie 
 sleeping while others are working for me. Indeed, I 
 could not sleep. I want to remain in the saddle." 
 
 Bonvalet gave a grunt of impatience. 
 
 "The coup d 1 e'tat is not ended yet," said Brisson 
 very gently; "and until it is, your Majesty ought to 
 obey orders. " 
 
 " Meanwhile we are wasting precious time." 
 
 "Be quiet, Bonvalet," from Breheville. "First of 
 all, sire, we propose that you should address the troops. 
 After that, you positively must go home, as Brisson bids 
 you." 
 
 This was a new horror. The young man looked about 
 in absolute consternation. " How can I possibly make 
 myself heard by these thousands? " he gasped. 
 
 Breheville speedily reassured him. "We do n't ex- 
 pect that of you," he remarked with unvarnished conde- 
 scension. " If a couple of regiments or so manage to 
 catch what you are saying, it will be ample; we shall 
 feel more than satisfied. ' 
 
 " But what in the world am I to talk about? " queried 
 Napoleon, not yet sufficiently recovered to remember 
 that talking was among his strongest points.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 191 
 
 "Oh, the usual thing. Say that your sole motive in 
 this business is the glory of our dear France." 
 
 "Also," Marchmont hazarded, "that you mean to 
 retire, unless the country is genuinely willing to have 
 you. " 
 
 Bre"heville brushed the other aside with a gesture of 
 contempt. "Come, Brisson," he said simply, "lead 
 off. We have no time to spare. Bonvalet was right 
 just now. " 
 
 The Colonel in command rode forth from under the 
 shelter of the Obelisk. His staff, with Napoleon in their 
 midst, kept close behind him; and in such order the lit- 
 tle cavalcade passed along the front of Bonvalet's regi- 
 ment. The men showed some desire to recommence 
 cheering. But their chief quickly silenced them with 
 objurgations which carried the leaders through silent 
 ranks long after they had left the Cuirassiers. 
 
 It turned out that a hollow square of infantry, drawn 
 up in a corner of the "place" and round one of the 
 statues (which Napoleon did n't recognize, but hoped 
 was Strasburg), was to be " urbs et orbs " for the recep- 
 tion of his remarks. His companions brought him so 
 far; then drew back and left him solitary at the foot of 
 the pedestal, with nothing in his mind but the over- 
 whelming desire to be home in bed. Whip himself as he 
 would, he could not rise to the occasion. During that 
 evening, he had been in turns nervous, impatient, rest- 
 less, nervous again, dazed, and absolutely alarmed ; but 
 he could not get hold of the merest spark of heroic ex- 
 citement that should pass from him in a torrent of glow- 
 ing words to galvanize his immediate audience into mad 
 enthusiasm, and thus infect the thousands beyond, as 
 well as that moody, sinister Rue Royale, which was for- 
 ever in his thoughts. How could he possibly throw 
 himself heart and soul into the present situation? for he 
 was quite unable to realize it, and it seemed to him the 
 vaguest, most fleeting of dreams. The result might 
 have been different had he had any part in the actual 
 fighting, and lost an arm, say, or a leg; or made some 
 other tangible sacrifice by way of exchange for the crown 
 which every one assured him was now his.
 
 192 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 So he suffered his tongue to carry him languidly into 
 the midst of those generalities and commonplaces tradi- 
 tion prescribes as befitting these occasions. His audi- 
 ence did not help him. In truth, they could not: his 
 platitudes were not of a sort to kindle enthusiasm. He 
 went on and on through chilling silence, and got deeper 
 and deeper into the mire. His only accompaniment 
 not exactly a reassuring one came from the horses 
 behind him, who began to fidget under their restless 
 riders. 
 
 With a single striking exception, jejuneness is the 
 badge of all monarchs; and Napoleon, had he been 
 firmly established, might, by this performance only, have 
 shown his fitness to be numbered among the brotherhood 
 of viceregents, and have won the usual loyal applause. 
 But he was n't firmly established, so so he went on and 
 on through chilling silence and got deeper and deeper 
 into the mire. It is on such occasions that your orator 
 finds the value of insensate things. Our hero, in the 
 midst of an interminable sentence about abiding by the 
 verdict of a plebiscite a sentence which he dare not fin- 
 ish, even if he had known how to cast his eyes above 
 him, as a relief, perhaps, from the hollow square, and 
 caught a full view of the statue, which he hoped was 
 Strasburg, but did n't recognize. That was enough. 
 The plebiscite was abruptly abandoned and a more 
 promising topic taken in its stead. 
 
 "Soldiers! " he cried, with a gesture not altogether 
 ineffective, "Strasburg looks down upon you. In her 
 stone image, under the shadow of which we stand, the 
 city hears you. I can well believe that at this moment 
 her citizens are wakeful and watching, knowing naught 
 indeed of what is happening here, but moved by some 
 vague restlessness which whispers them, Deliverance is 
 at hand! It is your cry of triumph, comrades, passing 
 over the land amid the stillness of this summer night to 
 stir their hearts. I have no more to say. The statue 
 has borne its drear significance too long without result. 
 Too long, also, has it been meaningless." 
 
 What need to add that the air was once more rent in 
 twain, even before Napoleon had arrived at his paradox-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 193 
 
 ical conclusion? He was glad enough of it. He was 
 delighted to have finished, and rejoiced at the lucky in- 
 spiration which had enabled him to finish so well. He 
 listened complacently to the cries of " Vive Napoleon 
 IV!" "Vive 1'Empereur! " "Vive Bonaparte! " which 
 rose on every side. 
 
 But when all this personal adulation gave way, as it 
 did before very long, to open shouts for the " Revanche," 
 the Prince drew back. His words had been a direct in- 
 centive; but he himself, at all events, had not heard 
 them, and now that he was face to face with their inter- 
 pretation, he did not like it. Presently a few, braver 
 than the rest, began to shout "A Berlin! " Their lead 
 was soon generally followed. And then for the first time 
 that evening he entered into the actualities of his posi- 
 tion. At last the thing was real. The dream-mists had 
 floated away. 
 
 He looked up at the buildings along the northern side ; 
 he surveyed so much of the " Place " itself as the troops 
 and the darkness permitted, and bethought him that this 
 fair quarter was earnest of his inheritance. The thou- 
 sands that surrounded him were they not his servants? 
 Before long, if things went well, his name would be the 
 lodestar of their loyalty. The parsimony which lurks 
 somewhere in most men's breasts rose to the surface. 
 These things were very, very good; why should he put 
 them to the hazard of a laborious war? Hence he 
 prayed with all fervour that, though these cries of menace 
 reached Alsace-Lorraine, they might not find their way 
 across the Rhine. 
 
 It was now once more Brisson's turn. His aides-de- 
 camp scattered with fresh messages; the hollow square 
 dissolved; and soon Bonaparte was the only man present 
 not on the move. And he didn't remain so for long. 
 Colonel Bonvalet, a squadron of his faithful Cuirassiers 
 behind him, sat fidgetting in his saddle, a little distance 
 off, watching our hero with malevolent eye. Brisson 
 gave the desired signal. He advanced, literally swal- 
 lowed Napoleon, and trotted him off in the direction of 
 those hated barracks. 
 
 He Bonvalet, that is was evidently of a brooding
 
 i 9 4 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 and resentful disposition. No sooner were they clear of 
 the press, than he ordered his men to change their trot 
 into a gallop. The suddenness of this manoeuvre took 
 Napoleon completely by surprise. In the Avenue Gabriel 
 he lost his stirrups : Bonvalet noticed it and increased the 
 pace. Outside the Elysee he lost his hat: the troop only 
 closed tighter round him, without slackening in the least 
 degree. And thus, hatless and breathless, clinging sur- 
 reptitiously but, all the same, for dear life to his sad- 
 dle-bow, he was swept into the barrack-yard. 
 
 Even then Bonvalet was not satisfied. He whipped 
 Napoleon off his horse, and conducted him between two 
 troopers back to Brisson's residence. They accompanied 
 their prisoner to the door itself of the well-known cham- 
 ber, parting with him only on the threshold. "Your 
 Majesty may be interested to learn that Mascaut will be 
 shot," Bonvalet said grimly. And that was his good- 
 night. 
 
 With one foot in the room and one still outside, Na- 
 poleon decided to go straight to bed. But his plans lay 
 at the knees of the gods or, to speak more accurately, at 
 the knees of Carache. For the Prime Minister had taken 
 advantage of the Prince's absence to make himself at 
 home. He had had a second supper, as the viands amply 
 showed; then had wheeled the table to the right- 
 abouts, and was now seated in a comfortable arm-chair 
 directly underneath the hanging-lamp, composedly read- 
 ing De Morny's book. It interested him. He must have 
 heard the clatter of Bonaparte's guard, Bonvalet's gentle 
 farewell, and the noise caused by the former's entry. 
 Nevertheless, he did not look up, but pursued his course 
 with added eagerness, as if fearful of having to break off 
 in the midst of a most interesting passage. 
 
 The new-comer behaved like any less exalted person, 
 and coughed. Carache fled along the printed lines in 
 frantic haste. He skipped fifty pages, skimmed the con- 
 tents of fifty more, tearing himself away at last only 
 with the most obvious effort, and sighing heavily as he 
 laid the book to one side.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 195 
 
 "Ah, Monseigneur! " said he, "so you are back. 
 Well, how have you been getting on? " 
 
 Napoleon was commencing to feel tired, and wanted 
 to get to bed in the shortest time possible, so he put the 
 question to one side with a show of complete indifference. 
 "To confess the truth, I do not know." 
 
 "But, Monseigneur! " exclaimed Carache. "Why, 
 I thought you went out into the streets to see for your- 
 self? " 
 
 "So I did, and have only just returned. Unfortu- 
 nately, my aide-de-camp and I were able to learn nothing. 
 It was impossible to get even within sight of the Place de 
 la Concorde." 
 
 " So you returned? " 
 
 "So we returned." 
 
 At this point the Premier, who had already vacated 
 his arm-chair, offered it to Napoleon. The latter needed 
 something far more rest-giving; but, for all that, he ac- 
 cepted. Carache sank into a second, and smiled across 
 at the Prince with great sweetness. 
 
 " So you came back? " he repeated. 
 
 "Yes, I came back. Let me also tell you, Monsieur, 
 that I am very tired. The day has been a terribly ex- 
 hausting one. I do n't think I shall wait for the result; 
 really I do n't." 
 
 Carache raised both hands in mild expostulation. 
 " Surely your Highness would not like to be roused from 
 your bed in the small hours of the morning. Picture the 
 degradation, to be carried off to Ham in one's night 
 night-garments! " 
 
 "That is not very likely," and his Highness smiled 
 faintly. 
 
 "I would not be so sure. Ponte"coulant is a rough 
 diamond. If the government wins, he won't give you 
 long for your preparations." 
 
 Napoleon gave a yawn of unconquerable weariness: 
 "At any rate, I will chance it." 
 
 The Prime-Minister straightway shifted his ground. 
 
 "Whose voice was that bidding you good-night, out- 
 side the door? " 
 
 "Colonel Bonvalet's."
 
 196 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " He does not appear to have any doubts concerning 
 the result." 
 
 "Oh," cried the other, with a little burst of half- 
 comic impatience, "I am not going to beat about the 
 bush any longer. I told you I did not know, simply be- 
 cause I wanted to get to bed and not be put through my 
 paces. I am sure, Monsieur, you must have been bred a 
 lawyer; you cross-examine so ferociously. As a matter 
 of fact, I have been on the Place de la Concorde. The 
 troops hold it, and indeed the entire city. Brisson tells 
 me that they have met with little or no opposition. At 
 the present moment, Paris is quite tranquil. If only the 
 provinces show themselves equally complacent, I am, I 
 suppose, Emperor of France." 
 
 Carache had already risen to his feet. He stood gaz- 
 ing gravely at Napoleon; for a long time without utter- 
 ing a word. 
 
 "Sire," he began at last, so impressively that the 
 Prince felt nervous, " I congratulate you. Very heartily 
 do I congratulate you. But don't be too sure of the 
 provinces. They are n't to be relied on, by any manner 
 of means." 
 
 "I am not so foolish as to imagine that the business 
 is ended yet," the other replied. "Still we have got a 
 good way." 
 
 "Oh, yes, we have got a good way. Paris is ours; 
 and she is a host in herself. Nor do I anticipate that 
 the army will refuse to follow the example set by the gar- 
 rison here. But, nevertheless, we must walk warily." 
 
 "I know it quite well." 
 
 "And none of us you and I are especially concerned 
 in this must think of going to bed for more than a week 
 to come. " Accordingly, Carache settled himself down 
 to a comfortable chat which should last over the seven 
 days. 
 
 "The great thing in these matters," he resumed, 
 placidly, "is to be on the spot at the helm, so to speak. 
 This room " glancing critically round it " will make a 
 capital place to work in. The whole suite is marvellously 
 adapted to the requirements of two people who have to 
 labour side by side. True, I do n't like to administer
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 197 
 
 the Empire in its birth-throes from a barracks; and we 
 must get to the Elysee with the least possible delay. On 
 the other hand, you are well advised in giving ' Old 
 Boots ' time to remove his effects: any consideration 
 shown to him or Madame will repay you fourfold. But," 
 said he, breaking abruptly away from the main topic, 
 " you have n't told me any of your adventures yet. Give 
 me the pleasure of hearing them; they are certain to 
 be worth hearing. Let me see, what happened to you 
 directly after you and your aide-de-camp stole I mean, 
 left these rooms? We may as well begin at the begin- 
 ning." 
 
 Napoleon's drowsiness was increasing every minute. 
 
 " I am too tired," he said bluntly. 
 
 " Tut, tut, your Majesty must not talk like that. Take 
 something to overcome your languor: coffee is an excel- 
 lent remedy. Possibly the colonel in charge will make 
 you a cup, if you ask him to. I suppose you did n't come 
 across Pontec'oulant? " 
 
 " Yes, I did. He gave me into custody." 
 
 " Noble fellow! " ejaculated Carache. 
 
 " It nearly ruined the business, " Bonaparte responded 
 in an aggrieved tone. 
 
 "Noble fellow!" 
 
 " I do n't like him at all. " 
 
 "You will, when you know him better." 
 
 " I doubt it." 
 
 " I shall now send telegrams to Clisserole and Chan- 
 garnier and little Brigadier Mesnil. They are powerful 
 people; whither they lead, the army is sure to follow," 
 and Carache rang the bell. No one answered. He 
 crossed over to the window, which was still wide open, 
 and called down to the sentry: " Hi, you there! I want 
 to send some telegrams. Hi, are you deaf? I am Carache, 
 Prime Minister and President of the Council." 
 
 "Very well, Carache," the private returned gruffly, 
 lifting his carbine, "if you don't withdraw your ugly 
 head before I count five, I will put a bullet through it. 
 One" 
 
 The Premier recovered his head without waiting for 
 "two." "Martial law! " he gasped out; " Brisson and
 
 198 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 that myrmidon below shall smart for this. Private," he 
 shrieked, keeping, however, a careful six yards off the 
 window, "furnish me with your name and number. I 
 shall be compelled to punish you for your insolence." 
 
 A second and even a third such allocution, eliciting no 
 reply beyond the man's heavy boots, Carache docketted 
 the incident for future reference, and put it on one side. 
 It never took him long to recover his equanimity. 
 
 "What attitude am I to adopt towards the ambas- 
 sadors? " he went prattling on. 
 
 "We had better wait and hear what Brisson has to 
 say. I am so sleepy." 
 
 "What an absurdity, with all respect to you, sire. 
 Brisson's work is done. He shall receive promotion, 
 and be put on half-pay. I have said it, and I do not 
 mean to go back upon my word. He has performed his 
 part very well, but we are now getting into deeper 
 waters. The soldier must give way to the statesman." 
 
 " I am so tired." 
 
 "Courage, my king. Prehlen will need very special 
 treatment; those Russians are so sly. You know the 
 gentleman? " 
 
 " Not personally," and Napoleon's head nodded for- 
 ward on his breast. 
 
 "Beware of him; he will twist you round his little 
 finger." 
 
 " I do not doubt it," in sleep there is the truth. 
 
 "Who is that?" 
 
 It was Brisson, come to deliver the Emperor. The 
 gallant warrior looked almost as weary as his master. 
 His face, habitually drawn and furrowed, was longer 
 than ever. His erect figure bent the least degree for- 
 ward. Beyond doubt, the tension, having been relaxed, 
 had left his fibres very loose. 
 
 Of Napoleon and Carache, the latter was the first to 
 catch sight of the new-comer. 
 
 " My dear Colonel," he cried enthusiastically, bound- 
 ing to his feet, "permit me to congratulate you. You 
 are a hero, my beloved friend." 
 
 Brisson stopped short in amazement. 
 
 "I fear I have not the pleasure of your acquaint-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 199 
 
 ance," he returned coldly. "I was under the impres- 
 sion that the Emp and he is here," and Brisson looked 
 inquiringly from the Premier to Napoleon. 
 
 "Ah, Brisson," the latter exclaimed, "so you are 
 back. Well, you have done admirably." He stirred 
 himself while he was speaking, shook off a portion of his 
 fatigue, and noticed that the Colonel was still staring 
 helplessly at Carache. 
 
 " Surely you recognize Monsieur Carache? " 
 
 "You ungrateful fellow," interrupted that last-named 
 individual. "When, several days ago, I got wind of 
 your little plans, I was at pains to procure your photo- 
 graph. At least, you might have returned the compli- 
 ment. Yes, I am Monsieur Carache, Prime Minister and 
 President of the Council." 
 
 " Indeed." 
 
 "Yes; and I congratulate you upon your success. 
 You have managed very cleverly, very cleverly. Not 
 that you could have effected anything without me. I 
 was only just telling his Majesty, had I chosen I could 
 have clapped the lot of you into gaol more than a week 
 ago. Besides, I discovered the Emperor's identity before 
 any one." 
 
 Brisson turned to Napoleon. 
 
 "Things are going satisfactorily. A message has 
 just come in from Nancy to say that the garrison there 
 has declared for you. I am expecting to hear every 
 minute from Lille and Bordeaux." 
 
 "They won't give any trouble," said Carache. 
 " Rouen and Havre, and Normandy generally, are what 
 we have to fear. But you have taken precautions, no 
 doubt. I feel inclined to send Clisserole into Normandy. 
 I wonder whether he is back in Paris yet. " 
 
 Brisson took no notice. He went on with his remarks 
 to the Emperor. 
 
 "You look tired, sire. You may safely turn in for a 
 few hours' rest. Bonvalet will continue under arms 
 through the remainder of the night. The city is quiet." 
 
 Napoleon was touched by the other's solicitude. 
 " And you, Colonel? You also look tired; you must take 
 rest too. I heard you had been wounded? "
 
 200 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Merely a scratch. I am already due at the Gare 
 St. Lazare. We are nervous about Rouen. I have got 
 Marchmont in charge of the station, and I do n't alto- 
 gether trust him." 
 
 "Quite right," burst out the irrepressible Carache. 
 " 'If you want a thing well done,' you know the say- 
 ing. We none of us must sleep. Brisson must get back 
 to the streets, and I to the helm. Sire, I cannot permit 
 you to go to bed. To the bridge with you! that is your 
 proper place." 
 
 This time the Colonel treated the Prime Minister to 
 a fixed and withering stare. Carache was not in the 
 least degree disconcerted. 
 
 "I emphatically oppose any such withdrawal. Take 
 it that, an hour hence, I, your principal adviser, deemed 
 your presence necessary at Rouen, consider what a 
 waste of precious time would ensue if you were asleep 
 when my summons came. Ah, Colonel Brisson, you stili 
 here? I think you can safely leave me to deal with this 
 matter. We need hardly detain you any longer. You 
 may return to your post. And take my cordial approval 
 with you. So far the thing has been managed excellently. 
 ' So far,' what am I saying? Rather, all your part has 
 been managed magnificently. But deeper waters, Col- 
 onel, deeper waters! you understand me." 
 
 The other was not ready of speech, but he looked 
 vocabularies. 
 
 "Colonel Bonvalet " he began. Carache promptly 
 stopped him. 
 
 " Never you mind Colonel Bonvalet, or any one else. 
 My dear fellow, you do n't need me to tell you that you 
 ought to be looking after Marchmont, over at the Gare 
 de 1'Ouest. Off with you! " he added with playful per- 
 emptoriness, "off with you! " 
 
 Brisson's mouth opened wider and wider. 
 
 " Stay, there was one thing I had to mention to you," 
 Carache added, still quite friendly, but the least bit less 
 playful than before, "that sentinel whom you have seen 
 fit to station at the front door is an ill-bred, impertinent 
 fellow. He actually offered to shoot me just now." 
 
 His words came to Brisson as an inspiration. He
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 201 
 
 thrust his head forth into the night, and called down to 
 the sentry to come upstairs. The Premier meanwhile 
 assumed his most judicial attitude, at the same time 
 nodding across to Napoleon, who was busy nodding to 
 himself. Colonel Brisson mindful, no doubt, of the 
 other's tongue burst out with his orders directly the 
 soldier entered the room. 
 
 "Conduct this gentlemen to the guardroom," he 
 said, pointing to Carache. 
 
 "Not at all," said the latter, in no wise compre- 
 hending the order. "I am content to lodge my com- 
 plaint with you. I have no desire to have the poor fel- 
 low severely punished. All I want is to make him 
 understand that we are in Paris, not in Nicaragua, and 
 that he cannot put bullets through the head of any one 
 he chooses. Do you hear, sir? " 
 
 The soldier looked towards Brisson, who renewed his 
 previous order. 
 
 "Conduct this gentleman to the guardroom." 
 
 " I keep telling you I do n't want to go. Brisson, you 
 are pig-headed; there 's no denying that, though it may 
 be a rude thing to say. All right, sentinel ; you may 
 return to your post. Do n't offend again. You can con- 
 sider your present little slip as condoned. It is his Ma- 
 jesty's wish that you should be pardoned." 
 
 "Conduct this gentleman to the guardroom," Brisson 
 repeated in a sort of monotonous chant. 
 
 Carache commenced to look a trifle nervous: "What 
 do you mean? " 
 
 " Conduct him to Colonel Bonvalet. " 
 
 " But I do n't want Colonel Bonvalet. " 
 
 " Monsieur, I regret the Colonel wants you. He has 
 long been looking for you. Arrangements have been 
 made to lodge your Excellency in another part of the 
 barracks." 
 
 "I protest " 
 
 " It is useless." 
 
 "I appeal to the Emperor." 
 
 " My dear Carache, I have no voice in the matter." 
 
 The Premier seemed to regard this last remark as 
 final. Like the wise man he was, he bowed to force
 
 202 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 majeure and followed the sentry. Not but that he left 
 his protest behind him. "You had better take care," 
 said he to Brisson calmly enough, when he was by the 
 door, "or you won't get your promotion. It will all 
 depend on their behaviour in the guardroom." 
 
 Brisson waited until the retreating footsteps had died 
 away; then turned to Napoleon. "Your Majesty should 
 follow my advice and go to bed. You are dead tired, I 
 can see; you can hardly keep your eyes open. No won- 
 der you have had a fatiguing day." 
 
 "And a very glorious one, thanks to you." 
 "I knew we should win," Napoleon's companion 
 responded deprecatingly, "if only we worked to- 
 gether." 
 
 "We could never have won without you. It was a 
 lucky chance which brought me to your mother's house 
 that day. Hadamard and De Morin will look blue when 
 they come to know of this." 
 "They know already." 
 
 " Then they are gnashing their teeth. Well. I shall be 
 ready to deal with them. I am certain of that. With 
 Hadamard especially. I have not forgotten the little 
 viper's insolence." 
 
 "He certainly needs a lesson." 
 
 "He shall get one. But do not, my dear Colonel, go 
 away with the impression that I shall only have room 
 enough in my memory for those who have wronged me. 
 There are others besides Hadamard and De Morin with 
 whom I shall know how to deal." 
 "Ah?" 
 
 "With you, for instance, and all those who have con- 
 tributed in the least degree to my success." 
 "Your Majesty is very kind." 
 " Not at all. I am merely grateful." 
 " You won't be grateful if I keep you up much longer. 
 You can go to bed with a light heart, whatever that 
 meddling busybody may say. Good-night, your Ma- 
 jesty." 
 
 Napoleon roused himself into a momentary condition 
 of absolute wakefulness. The chance had come for one 
 of those "curtains," to which he was always very partial,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 203 
 
 and which he had often promised himself during the last 
 few days. 
 
 "Good-night, Marshal Brisson. No, not a word! 
 Good-night again, Marshal Brisson. " 
 
 And then an unfathomable silence came over every- 
 thing. And our hero flung himself upon his couch, and 
 passed at once into a profound slumber which remem- 
 bered nothing, not even that the mysterious God had 
 given him the opportunity he had sought so long in bit- 
 terness and tears.
 
 Book II 
 A BERLIN
 
 Chapter I 
 
 Breakfast at the Elyse"e had just finished: Napoleon 
 passed through into the library and flung himself with a 
 show of weariness upon a sofa which lay between his desk 
 and the door. 
 
 His Majesty was not in the best of tempers. Though 
 no later than the third week of his reign, already those 
 petty disagreeables of life, from which even emperors 
 are not exempt, were beginning to make themselves felt. 
 Godefroy (our old friend the theatrical printer, whose 
 whim it had been to select the post of valet) would per- 
 sist in drawing the blinds at an hour when no self- 
 respecting monarch ought to be in bed. The first day 
 of a new sovereign, even the third or fourth, might sup- 
 ply their own excuses; but this was the twenty-second, 
 and in France too, where, so far as sovereigns are con- 
 cerned, a little goes a long way. Napoleon glanced 
 wearily at the clock. And from this piece of furniture 
 his eyes moved slowly round the room. What he saw 
 lent no colour to his discontent. The apartment, half 
 study and all library, was lined on three sides with books 
 which reached the ceiling. The fourth exhausted itself 
 in a number of narrow windows, leading to a balcony 
 overlooking an inner courtyard of the palace. Within, 
 the rich furniture glittered and creaked with youth ; and 
 not a single item but surpassed in splendour the beauties 
 of the Rue de Berlin. The latter habitation was once 
 more dissolved into shadows, the shell decomposed into 
 Verre and some new tenant not yet found, the goods 
 settled down (at a reduction) into a sort of sedimentary 
 Hadamard, who, moreover, had secured the contract for 
 furnishing the Elyse"e. Napoleon found no regret in his 
 heart for those scattered movables: he easily tired, lov- 
 207
 
 208 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ing nothing more than to fit himself, his brain, character, 
 wardrobe, and surroundings out anew from top to toe. 
 
 The old gang, however, had refused to humour this 
 love for change. At the first opportunity they had ral- 
 lied round the Empire with a devotion which wrung tears 
 from Monsieur Carache's eyes. Released at dawn on the 
 first day of the reign, that worthy had repaired straight- 
 way to the Imperial presence. The presence was break- 
 fasting. The Premier took a vacant chair and plunged 
 into business. His promptitude merited the success 
 which it obtained. "Your Majesty," said he, "I have 
 thought the matter well over. I mean to do a little re- 
 constructing. " The Imperial mouth, which was full of 
 bread and butter, ejaculated "Ah " ; and there the mat- 
 ter ended. Carache did his reconstructing, which was 
 apparent rather than real. The clock struck eleven, and 
 put Napoleon in mind of a third misery the greatest of 
 all. It was nearly certain (Carache had told him so two 
 days back) that a conspiracy had thus early sprung into 
 existence with the object of casting him from his throne. 
 Its leading spirit was a certain Eurasian, Nadez, a filthy 
 negro who had been expelled from every country in the 
 world, from France included, being allowed back into the 
 latter state under a special clause of the general amnesty 
 granted at the commencement of the reign. Carache 
 stated further, that if some prominent personages were 
 not already implicated, they soon would be. That was 
 the extent of his information. As to the means likely to 
 be employed well, the Premier favoured explosive bul- 
 lets. Our hero shuddered as he thought of the nasty 
 wounds these utensils made. Then he sprung from his 
 resting-place with a cry of wild defiance, and started to 
 pace the floor. 
 
 Let them kill him with explosive bullets, or dynamite, 
 or any other devilish weapon they chose! He was not 
 afraid. The other people weren't; why should he be? 
 And this Nadez should discover whether he was to be 
 shot at with impunity. He would enlighten this Eurasian 
 scum pretty quickly upon that point. Napoleon rushed to 
 his desk. Still standing, he scribbled off the four words, 
 " Let Nadez be arrested," on a sheet of paper, that and
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 209 
 
 a bold and flowing N, nothing else, and thrust this mes- 
 sage into an envelope (one from a large bundle) which 
 bore M. Carache's printed name and address. He des- 
 patched it forthwith, hardly delaying to make it secure. 
 
 "So much for the explosive bullets," he exclaimed, 
 when he was once more alone. "The rest shall find in 
 the same way that I am not to be played with. I won't 
 stand their dictation much longer." 
 
 He would deal with Carache as he had with the assas- 
 sin; Verre, too, who had been included in the recon- 
 structed Cabinet, an appointment which Madame Verre 
 had ascribed to Imperial favour. Ponte"coulant, whose 
 resurrection went without saying, he regarded with some- 
 what different eyes. Even already he had conceived a 
 sneaking affection for him: doubtless he looked forward 
 to the next occasion on which it would be necessary to 
 throw up barricades. Hadamard resuming the list of 
 the proscribed he had hated from the first. His own 
 importations were not more satisfactory. The Count de 
 Morin, who, it need hardly be said, had not found it 
 necessary to accept his post at the hands of the universal 
 dispenser, had made number two of Napoleon's visitors 
 that morning in barracks after the coup d'etat; and 
 there, in the midst of much gay raillery concerning 
 unfledged Machiavellis, had cursorily informed his 
 kinsman that he was too old to take upon himself any 
 post more onerous than that of Grand Chamberlain. So 
 Grand Chamberlain he was, with apartments in every 
 royal palace; his cat-like dictation and causticities daily 
 galling Napoleon more and more. Even blunt old Gode- 
 froy jarred. He wanted to surround himself with devoted 
 adherents, men who should only have known him from 
 the commencement of his prosperity. But he must have 
 a little time wherein to look about him. First, he must 
 gather the threads. Then he would pull them. The 
 world should see that he meant to govern as well as rule. 
 
 His thoughts took a higher flight. He meant to be 
 great; but he meant to be noble and high-souled, like- 
 wise. His reign should make for goodness. Like Arthur 
 the King, whom he loved, he would right the wronged 
 throughout the realm, and ensure peace in the land.
 
 210 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 And inasmuch as nothing makes us so happy as the 
 thought of the good we mean to do, he started a blithe 
 air, going over, meanwhile, the memory of the few 
 pleasant things which had befallen him since his acces- 
 sion. How he had been present at Lady Threpps's ball 
 after all, without, however, managing to pay off old 
 scores. His kind hostess had completely forgotten 
 Walter Sadler. Both Mendril and Fersen treated him 
 with a genial friendliness that was eloquent of a pre-exist- 
 ing acquaintance. Madame Verre likewise took the 
 opportunity the function offered to show that she had a 
 soul above resentment. Prince Felix was another little 
 source of pleasure to our hero, who smiled even to recall 
 the look on his cousin's face at their first meeting after 
 coup d'etat. The poor creature was still recouping at 
 the hired villa of a friend down at Auteuil. A beautiful 
 Swedish actress, who possessed a house of her own, may 
 be trusted to calm any one's nerves. The next minute 
 Godefroy flung wide the door. 
 
 "The Prime Minister and Marshal Brisson!" They 
 had brought the redoubtable little General Mesnil with 
 them, the French Moltke, and the commandant of Lille. 
 Carache led the way. He waved a sheet of note-paper 
 above his head "Let Nadez be arrested. N. " Na- 
 poleon's own message. "Really, sire," he expostulated, 
 though in perfect good humour, "you must not send me 
 these silly things. Please leave me to deal with Nadez 
 my own way. Your Majesty must, so to say, mark time 
 for a year, and observe how we manage. We are all 
 devoted to you, heart and soul. You need have no fear. " 
 
 " But I thought " stammered Flos Regum Arthurus. 
 
 "Thinking comes later on," rejoined the Premier. 
 And he wagged his finger. Mesnil and Brisson mean- 
 while had got well into the room. The command- 
 dant was short and thin, with wrinkled, clean-shaven 
 face and wispy hair and ferret-like eyes. To some extent 
 nature had cast him in the mould of another great war- 
 rior, now defunct; only the little Frenchman could 
 scarcely be termed "silent," even by his most admiring 
 friends. 
 
 Brisson led him forward.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 211 
 
 "This, your Majesty," he commenced, gloomily 
 enough, "is General Mesnil. " 
 
 "Ah," Napoleon exclaimed, not budging from his 
 place in the centre of the room, and bent on not com- 
 mitting himself. "I was under the impression, General 
 Mesnil, that you were stationed at Lille." 
 
 The little fellow glanced with a puzzled air from 
 Brisson to Carache, and from Carache to Brisson. Then 
 he turned his twinkling eyes upon his master and 
 smiled. 
 
 "I sometimes come to town. Even your Majesty 
 would find perpetual life in Lille dull." 
 
 "No doubt, no doubt. It is warm?" and his 
 Majesty thawed the least little bit. 
 
 "Very warm." 
 
 " How long do you stay here? " 
 
 "That depends on our two friends," replied Mesnil, 
 once more turning to survey the others. Carache sat 
 with his head well back and his eyes shut, peace over 
 every part of him. Brisson, on the other hand, made no 
 attempt to conceal how he smarted under the hasp of 
 these inanities. 
 
 Napoleon, too, glanced at his War Minister. "He 
 keeps us all in order," he observed, smiling faintly. 
 The next minute he remembered his position and became 
 iron. 
 
 "How does your Majesty like the Elysee? " Mesnil 
 began, on his side. 
 
 ' ' Very much fairly well, thanks. I find it draughty. ' ' 
 
 "One would have gathered as much. What sort of 
 bedroom have they given you? " 
 
 "A good enough bedroom," distantly. His Majesty 
 was not quite sure that he ought to discuss these things. 
 
 " Hein, " he cried, including the three of them in an 
 acute survey; "we are pretty strong at Lille, hein? " 
 
 Brisson brightened. Carache nodded, without, how- 
 ever, opening his eyes; and Mesnil continued an inspec- 
 tion of the furniture on which he had just embarked. 
 
 "Very strong," the last-named individual replied. 
 
 " That 's right, that 's right," and Napoleon subjected 
 the three of them to another of his searching glances.
 
 212 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " It could stand a siege, I suppose, or a bombardment, 
 or anything of the kind." 
 
 "Yes," Mesnil answered, with undisguised disdain, 
 "provided anyone were fool enough to want to bom- 
 bard it." 
 
 "Precisely. I meant that. And you, my dear Bris- 
 son, how go things with you? Everything satisfactory, 
 hein? " 
 
 Brisson made a moody inclination of his head. 
 
 "You see, my dear General," Napoleon rattled on, 
 "we still have something to do in Paris. Neither Bris- 
 son nor I ever seem to get a minute free. Really, I 
 sometimes regret the old days in London. Carache is 
 the only one of us three who does not work any harder. 
 Responsibility is not all delight and glory, that you may 
 guess. You lucky people at Lille. " 
 
 "Yes, we have no responsibilities at Lille," Mesnil 
 acquiesced sweetly. "At least I haven't. I don't 
 know about my subordinates they may have a little. " 
 
 "I didn't mean that. I meant I meant your 
 responsibility cannot compare with ours." 
 
 "General Mesnil's responsibilities," Brisson burst in, 
 "are very great. They soon will be much greater." 
 
 "I do not follow you," the Emperor replied with 
 overwhelming haughtiness. 
 
 "It's merely Brisson's way. He merely wants to 
 point out that I have enough to do at Lille." 
 
 "I desire to suggest more than that. The Emperor 
 has my meaning." 
 
 " Really you ought not to address me in that fashion; 
 ought he, Carache?" 
 
 Carache, his eyes still closed, nodded his head ob- 
 liquely from left to right. 
 
 " It is not more than the truth," pursued the Mar- 
 shal, commencing to fumble with the handle of his sword. 
 "I gave your Majesty notice of General Mesnil's visit." 
 
 "I do not recollect." 
 
 "You can hardly forget." 
 
 " Tut, tut, it really cannot signify. His Majesty 
 knows that I am one of his most faithful servants." 
 
 "I am certainly very glad to make your acquaint-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 213 
 
 ance " ; here the Emperor glanced resentfully at Brisson. 
 " I do not know why I should have waited till the Mar- 
 shal saw fit to bring you." 
 
 "So I told them." Mesnil exclaimed gleefully. "I 
 came to Paris twelve hours before you were proclaimed 
 Emperor, but Carache " who was in a deep slumber 
 " would not let me see you." 
 
 Napoleon made haste to get to new ground. "When 
 do you go back to Lille? " 
 
 " He is not going back." 
 
 " Indeed." 
 
 "Yes, the Premier intends to speak to you on the sub- 
 ject. He has made his selection. Carache, Carache," 
 but that wise and eminent fellow would not be roused. 
 His device succeeded admirably. The Emperor looked 
 at him helplessly for a few minutes, and then gave way, 
 falling instead into the traditional brusquerie of his 
 family, and turning upon Mesnil with an impatience that 
 was meant to be half jocular. 
 
 " So you are their candidate? Well, am I to say yes, 
 or no, hey? " 
 
 The General grinned. " I must not venture to advise 
 your Majesty." 
 
 " Do you think you are equal to the post? " 
 
 "Time will prove me." 
 
 "It may be at too large a cost. " 
 
 " Your Majesty confirms the selection of the Cabinet? " 
 Brisson interrupted. 
 
 "Provisionally," Napoleon replied with extreme 
 caution. The next minute he must have forgotten his 
 qualified consent; for he went on, looking through the 
 General's eyes into the General's soul, "I think I have 
 made a wise choice. I have heard much about you; and I 
 think I have made a wise choice." 
 
 "You flatter me." 
 
 " Not at all. Your name is very well known. Yes," 
 with growing conviction, " I am sure that I have selected 
 the best man for the post. If trouble should come, you, 
 without doubt, are the fittest man to deal with it." 
 
 " Trouble will come. " 
 
 " I did not say that."
 
 2i 4 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " But you must know that it will. " 
 
 "Marshal Brisson, I know nothing of the sort. I 
 have not made up my mind." 
 
 The Marshal assumed the look of irritated dismay 
 with which by now Napoleon was well familiar. 
 
 " I do not know how your Majesty can say that? " 
 
 " I am sorry." 
 
 " I do not indeed. The matter was settled before 
 you ascended the throne." 
 
 "I take a different view. I said or did nothing at 
 that time to justify this assertion of yours." 
 
 " But your pledges " 
 
 " I gave no pledges. I won't have you say that I 
 gave pledges. I did no such thing. It 's a not true." 
 
 The voices of both men were raised. Brisson evi- 
 dently had no intention of budging from his position. 
 
 " I repeat, your Majesty gave specific pledges before 
 ascending the throne." 
 
 "You ought not to say such a thing." 
 
 " But I do say it." 
 
 "Then you must say it out of my presence. I shall 
 look for another Minister of War. Carache, Carache, 
 do you hear me? " 
 
 "Tut, tut," put in Mesnil, "our good Brisson is only 
 a little excited. He does n't mean half he says. If you 
 maintain that you gave no pledges, of course we believe 
 you. You believe him, do n't you, Brisson? " 
 
 "Very well, he gave no pledges," Brisson rejoined 
 with an alacrity which was a new phase in his character. 
 "But he must see the need of giving them." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "How can you ask me such a fo such a question? 
 The choice between peace and war is not in your hands. 
 You can merely choose between the defensive and the 
 offensive." 
 
 " I do not altogether agree with you." 
 
 " Then declare at once that you mean to try and keep 
 peace." 
 
 " I shall declare nothing of the sort." 
 
 "But " 
 
 "Marshal Brisson, you had much better leave the
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 215 
 
 matter where it stands. I am not going to make a 
 momentous decision like this at a day's notice. And 
 you know well enough that I am not the man to yield to 
 dictation. I must have time, gentlemen, time." 
 " How long do you want? " 
 
 "That is not a question for you to ask. I shall 
 take as long as I think fit, without binding myself 
 to any settled period. And when I have made up my 
 mind, I shall give you instant word. At present," he 
 went on, " I lean towards peace. But do not be afraid, 
 I shall not suffer any personal bias to influence me. 
 Something may easily occur within the next few weeks 
 to change my mind. I, however, warn you, Brisson, if I 
 do finally choose peace, you will have to give my choice 
 a loyal acceptance. Once my mind is made up, I am 
 always adamant." 
 
 Brisson's face had been growing gradually redder under 
 this harangue. His sole answer was to unhook the 
 buckle of his sword-belt, and let the weapon, with all its 
 belongings, fall clattering to the floor. Then he turned 
 upon his heels, and walked straight out of the room. 
 
 Monsieur Carache opened his eyes wearily. "I 
 think, ' ' said he, stretching himself preparatory to rising 
 "I think we need hardly trouble your Majesty further. 
 Come along, Mesnil. " And when he was by the door he 
 looked down impassively at his colleague's leavings, 
 murmuring under his breath: 
 
 "I think I will offer the post to Clisserole. He is 
 not as tractable in many things as this one, but he will 
 take teaching. Mesnil, after you. Adieu, your Ma- 
 jesty." Later on Godefroy came in and removed the 
 sword.
 
 Chapter II 
 
 Two miles west of Meaux, and on the Paris road, 
 there stands, or rather there stood at the time of this 
 story, for every token of the Emperor capable of destruc- 
 tion has since been destroyed, a small, square house, 
 remarkable for nothing, except perchance the dazzling 
 whiteness of its walls, and the still more dazzling green 
 of its door and shutters. In front it abutted directly upon 
 the main road; but behind, were you so fortunate as to 
 be allowed to enter, you might see that it commanded 
 acres upon acres of park-like lawn and beauteous flower- 
 beds that ran down to the river Marne, and marched for 
 miles with its sweet-flowing stream. 
 
 Villa Yvonne, for such was the name, had been bought 
 only the previous autumn to serve as one among number- 
 less presidential summer-houses; and Napoleon, passing 
 it on his way by road from Lagny to Meaux, six days after 
 his accession, cast longing eyes upon it, so charming was 
 it, with its air of trim, well-kept repose and its glimpses 
 of paradise beyond. 
 
 The Emperor was on his way to a public function, the 
 invitation to which had reached him the day after the coup 
 d'etat. Such alacrity on the part of the city fathers in 
 recognizing the new order had gratified him exceedingly, 
 while the recollection that the Earl of Framlingham 
 owned a villa in the neighbourhood had been an ad- 
 ditional inducement. 
 
 A band of school-girls dressed in white, bearing 
 flowers, and a shrill song which they sang so it seemed 
 to Napoleon over and over again, delayed his carriage 
 nearly five minutes outside this nestling pleasure-house. 
 The noise and glitter worried him. Even thus early he 
 had come to connect these melodious young virgins with 
 216
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 217 
 
 infernal-machines. And he turned to such parts of the 
 Villa Yvonne as were visible, for some relief. 
 
 "Perhaps she lives here," he reflected with a half 
 indifference. " Perhaps that balcony yonder leads into 
 her room. She may be in it now. I wonder whether it 
 is so or not? I wonder whether I shall ever see her 
 again, now that I am more than her equal? " He turned 
 to the Prefect of the department, who sat beside him. 
 
 " Can you tell me to whom that villa belongs? " 
 
 The Prefect could not. He rather fancied it belonged 
 to the state. 
 
 " It does not belong to the Earl of Framlingham by 
 any chance? " 
 
 That, too, the Prefect could not answer for certain. 
 He rather fancied it did not. 
 
 " He lives near here, does he not? " 
 
 To this question the Prefect was happy to be able to 
 give a definite reply. The Earl had a summer-house in 
 the department. He rather fancied that it was near 
 Meaux. 
 
 All that sultry July afternoon, in the midst of tire- 
 some town folk and speechifying mayors and prefects 
 (he was opening a new wing of the Public Library), his 
 mind would keep wandering away from the business in 
 hand to revisit the small, unpretentious white dwelling 
 which lay so peacefully among soft rolling hills beside the 
 shining river. He envied its possessor from the bottom 
 of his heart; for, as yet, he did not know the extent of 
 his belongings. Had he indeed, his envy might have 
 been less ardent. And he half made up his mind to bid 
 for it before quitting the town. But tea with the munici- 
 pality, and a triumphal progress to the Paris railway 
 station, put the whole matter, the Framlinghams in- 
 cluded, out of his head. Amidst the shouts and plaudits 
 of the mob he forgot the Villa Yvonne; nay, even all 
 memory of Muriel Mendril lay slowly dying in his dis- 
 tracted brain for want of sufficient nutriment; and but 
 for a chance word, a few days later, he might perhaps 
 never have thought of it or her again. 
 
 The Grand Chamberlain was reciting the list of royal 
 residences. He gabbled them out monotonously, and the
 
 218 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Emperor lay back in his chair listening, his eyes closed, 
 and to all appearances asleep. 
 
 "Chateau of Fontainebleau," jabbered De Morin. 
 "Villa Napoleon, near Fecamp. A house, building, and 
 unnamed as yet, at Nay, in the department of the Basses 
 Pyrenees. Villa Henri Quatre, Cannes. Villa Alaise, 
 Jura. Villa Yvonne, outside Meaux. Vil ' 
 
 Napoleon started up, now wide awake. 
 
 "What! do you mean to say that the Villa Yvonne 
 is mine? " 
 
 " Certainly," the other answered, opening his eyes. 
 
 " But I thought it might possibly belong to, " and 
 his Majesty came to an abrupt ending. 
 
 "To?" cooed De Morin. 
 
 " Nothing, it does not matter. I happened to notice 
 the house when I was down at Meaux the other after- 
 noon; that is all. The place struck me as being an 
 exceedingly beautiful one; I am glad to find that it 
 belongs to me." 
 
 "To you and your successors," the old gentleman 
 corrected him softly. 
 
 "Yes, yes, I mean that. I shall certainly stay there," 
 and the memory of Muriel Mendril came back to him, 
 not with the full force of reawakened passion, but softly, 
 like some temptation which one meets and welcomes, and 
 which first needs kindling before it gathers its irresistible 
 way. The chance of seeing her again, he felt languidly, 
 was worth the journey. 
 
 Napoleon added nothing more at the moment, and the 
 next few days were entirely taken up by the events nar- 
 rated in the preceding chapter. 
 
 But the morning which followed his stand against the 
 dogs of war found him in just such a mood as needed the 
 calm of the placid country. Even King Arthur must 
 have had his moments of weakness and reaction; our 
 hero, for his part, yearned to escape the turmoil of the 
 Elyse"e, and substitute tranquil meditation among green 
 fields. 
 
 So he sent Brisson his sword, accompanied by a genial 
 little note to the effect that he was not going to let a 
 faithful servant go so lightly. He understood and for-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 219 
 
 gave his outburst. He really had not made up his mind 
 one way or the other, and only wanted time in which to 
 be allowed to come to a satisfactory decision. He sent 
 a second note to Carache, saying that he was going down 
 to Meaux, to remain there at any rate till the following 
 Monday, and that in the mean time the Premier need not 
 bother about a new Minister of War. It was King 
 Arthur with the chill very much off or rather on ; and 
 the best of us grow cold at times. 
 
 He quitted town much past midday, Godefroy his sole 
 attendant. It was his first experience of a voyage 
 incognito, that exclusive appanage of kings. Ah, now 
 he felt an Emperor indeed ! They can never have been 
 royal, even in their dreams, who say that the purple 
 mantle makes the monarch. It is in the clothes of vul- 
 gar men that he is really regal the homely grey frock- 
 coat with facings of slate-coloured silk, the once well- 
 known white pot-hat these are the fittest setting, and 
 the best calculated to show himself and the world how 
 he outstrips the common run. But to resume. The 
 two men smuggled into Meaux, and out of it again the 
 latter journey in a hired landau, the Villa Yvonne not 
 yet being fully equipped without recognition, reaching 
 their journey's end with the evening sun upon it, the 
 first shades of diamond-decked darkness stealing through 
 the trees. 
 
 His first impressions had not deceived him. Napoleon 
 could tell as much directly the villa came in sight. The 
 bright white and green of the house itself, the many 
 glimpses of flower-set lawns, through foliage that was a 
 delicate frame rather than a curtain, and the conscious- 
 ness of the unseen river, were charms which had no 
 fading. 
 
 How happy these things made him. The rooms were 
 so bright and elegant, and yet so simple. What a relief 
 to get away from even such modified magnificence as the 
 Elysee afforded. It was Harrow over again. Harrow, 
 rid of the Damoclean sword, the prospect of struggling 
 days. He ate a heartier dinner than he had done for 
 years, then went out to enjoy the twilight, and explore 
 the length and breadth of his domain. It was not yet
 
 220 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 seven. He made for the silver thread of water that lay 
 far down yonder among the poplars, gradually disappear- 
 ing in the twilight. Around him on every side was the 
 stillness of evening, broken with ever-increasing rarity 
 by the passing cry of birds, and merely intensified by the 
 ceaseless hum of invisible insects. 
 
 His chosen path, once he reached the river, ran 
 through an avenue of interminable poplars, with the nar- 
 rowest strip of velvet sward between him and the gently 
 rippling stream. Upon the other side he could descry 
 the dim outline of woods, which ran in ridges over 
 undulating country, and, beyond, the rich fields and or- 
 chards now beginning to darken of this pleasant 
 " Pays Meldois. " 
 
 Amid such beautiful surroundings and in so peaceful 
 an atmosphere he forgot the purpose with which he had 
 started on his walk. Brisson and Mesnil, Felix with his 
 precious Italian produce, German intrigues, the Revenge, 
 faded away into the lengthening shadows. A trifle suf- 
 ficed to recall them. A hare started across his path, and 
 his temperament, prone to superstition, set him at once 
 imagining possible misfortunes. 
 
 His throne flung upon the hazard of war, this at once 
 introduced itself as the most terrifying, and jostled aside 
 the presentment of any minor ills. And thus he came 
 straightway back to the consideration of the vital ques- 
 tion which had brought him down to Meaux. The all- 
 pervading calm attuned his mind to anything but war. 
 It was not that he dreaded to convert the smiling scene, 
 and many another like it, into a vast weal of desola- 
 tion. It was not that he feared to turn the song and 
 laughter of passably contented folk into wailing and 
 lamentation. It was nothing more than this: that he 
 trembled to risk a country that showed so rich and gra- 
 cious, even though there might be a chance of adding to 
 its boundaries and the glory of his name. 
 
 It was the soul of Laetizia Ramolino moving within him, 
 the parsimonious ancestress. What he had already was 
 good; why strive for more, and jeopardize all? 
 
 "No, no," he murmured, "my family no longer sig- 
 nifies a war of revenge. It means this: men are grown
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 221 
 
 tired of corrupt bourgeois rulers and the unstable govern- 
 ment resulting from a too-rapid succession of ship- 
 broking presidents and grocer-premiers. They want a 
 figure-head who has some distinction of his own be- 
 sides the distinction which they can give him. They see 
 in me an equal with William of Germany, not necessarily 
 a rival." 
 
 The remark, especially the latter part, pleased him 
 very much. He went over it several times afresh, 
 smiling all the while. "William of Germany," as he 
 was pleased to style his long-lost cousin and brother, 
 had worried him much in days gone by. It was a pleas- 
 ure at last to be able to number himself among the few 
 equals of this remarkable potentate. " No, no," he re- 
 peated with redoubled emphasis, "it shall be peace"; 
 and then out loud, in all the energy of conviction : 
 
 " France is big enough for me." 
 
 "You would indeed be hard to please if it were not 
 so," came a girlish voice from among the trees, a voice 
 that spoke under the constraint of suppressed laughter. 
 
 Napoleon started as though he had been shot; then 
 moved gingerly in the direction of the sound. 
 
 "Who is there?" 
 
 No answer came, save the rustling of hastily parted 
 leaves and the soft tread of light feet stealing away. 
 
 "Who is there? " he cried again, this time with ex- 
 ceeding boldness, though not so boldly as to conceal all 
 traces of a tremor in his tones. He felt it more than 
 likely that the beautiful voice might turn out to be a 
 decoy. He ducked his head to escape an explosive bul- 
 let, and in so doing caught a sight, in dim outlines, of the 
 intruder, through a tunnel made by low-hanging boughs. 
 A young girl from her figure she could not have been 
 over twenty was creeping hurriedly on tip-toe towards 
 a small stone bridge which formed the river gateway to 
 the villa grounds. Her lithe and graceful figure satisfied 
 him that her face must be beautiful, in keeping. He felt 
 more certain than ever that she came from the Eurasian, 
 Nadez, and that he, Napoleon, was meant to follow and 
 to be destroyed. Nevertheless he dived through the 
 thicket. He strode after her, loudly calling upon her to
 
 222 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 stop. Directly the girl saw that escape was impossible, 
 she turned and faced her pursuer with a show of utter 
 indifference. At the same moment the feeble gas-jet 
 which professed to light the bridge flared into a momen- 
 tary brightness and disclosed her face. 
 
 " Mademoiselle! " he muttered with all the reverence 
 of a love that likewise had just flared up out of a feeble 
 flame. 
 
 "I am sure I beg Monsieur's pardon, " she exclaimed, 
 breaking abruptly away from her air of careless disdain 
 into a bright smile; " I am very sorry. But, honestly, I 
 could not help it. Monsieur looked so very comic, it was 
 with the greatest difficulty that I could keep myself from 
 laughing outright, " a difficulty the recurrence of which 
 she seemingly experienced at that moment. 
 
 "I am glad I afforded Mademoiselle some amuse- 
 ment." 
 
 "Indeed, you did. I regret to confess that I have 
 been watching you for many minutes. At first I 
 thought you were a mad that you were lying in wait to 
 kill the Emperor; but your concluding remarks showed 
 me that your intentions were peaceful. I am so sorry. 
 Once more, Monsieur must believe that I apologize most 
 sincerely; and at the same time permit me to wish him 
 good-night," and with a casual nod she turned and strode 
 away across the sward, disappearing presently over the 
 bridge, into the blackness of the other bank. 
 
 Napoleon stood for a while motionless in a transport of 
 ecstasy. This meeting was worth kingdoms; and he felt 
 convinced that there lurked some hidden providence be- 
 hind it, for good or for evil, it had followed so close 
 upon his recent stroke of fortune. Here was the very 
 sweetness of triumph indeed; and of a triumph that con- 
 tained something still sweeter, albeit fraught with a 
 thousand dangers. 
 
 Every word Muriel had uttered, every ripple of her 
 happy laughter, rang through his ears, haunting him long 
 after he had returned to the Villa Yvonne. The pale, 
 somewhat pinched face, illumined by the wonderful 
 eyes, and crowned with the wealth of hair that shone like 
 burnished copper, was once again as vividly before him
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 223 
 
 as it had been a few weeks back. Her image flitted 
 across his dreams and told him of what his waking 
 thoughts were but faintly cognizant that it had found 
 its way for good and all into his heart. 
 
 The next day brought a return of the brilliant sun- 
 shine, but also, unhappily, numerous important letters, 
 among which, one showing that the good people of Meaux 
 had not taken long to spy out the angel in their midst. 
 They craved leave to present an address. Napoleon 
 sighed as he bent over his desk, and accepted gladly, 
 fixing to-morrow, and sighing yet more heavily as he re- 
 flected that it was a Saturday. He went with the same 
 grudging spirit through the remainder of his correspond- 
 ence, and it was close upon three before he could give 
 his mind free range over last night's delicious meeting. 
 
 " Godefroy, " he exclaimed with a fine assumption of 
 indifference, his valet had just brought in a cup of tea, 
 "Godefroy, the good people from Meaux seem to use 
 these grounds of mine pretty freely." 
 
 " H'm," grunted Godefroy. " Sugar?" 
 
 " No sugar, thank you. I found one of them strolling 
 by the river yesterday evening." 
 
 "They do no harm," grumbled the servant. 
 
 "They do no harm; but " 
 
 "I note your Majesty's complaint. The keepers 
 shall have word to stop it." 
 
 " Oh, no, I scarcely mean that. As you say, they do 
 no harm; and one does not wish to become unpopular. 
 No, no, Godefroy; you needn't go to those lengths." 
 
 These last words must have come forth with suspicious 
 eagerness. At any rate, Godefroy darted a quick glance 
 at Napoleon's face; then turned away without ceremony 
 and busied himself with the tea things. 
 
 For a few minutes neither spoke. 
 
 " Then it was a lady whom your Majesty found stroll- 
 ing beside the river yesterday evening? " Godefroy said 
 at last, in a tone quite unlike any he had used hitherto. 
 
 The young man smiled. "Yes, Godefroy, it was a 
 lady." 
 
 "Take care! take care!" the other rejoined with 
 growing earnestness. "You will ruin yourself, us your
 
 224 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 adherents, and possibly France." He had already 
 turned full upon the Emperor, and was now stretching 
 out both hands (his fingers were like gherkins) towards 
 the latter in earnest supplication. 
 
 Napoleon smiled a second smile of even greater satis- 
 faction. 
 
 "Never fear, honest Godefroy, " he returned with a 
 reassuring nod; " I will be circumspect. I promise you 
 that much. You don't, you cannot, suppose that I in- 
 tend to drop this fine empire over a petticoat? " 
 
 " Many a better man has dropped a finer empire from 
 the same cause," honest Godefroy rejoined. "I know 
 something about the women, and I can tell you they are, 
 one and all, dangerous. Take my advice, your Majesty, 
 and get married as quickly as you can. For heaven's 
 sake don't delay it under the impression that you can 
 enjoy yourself a bit beforehand. Ugh! " the old fellow 
 went on with a genuine shudder, "I never can forget 
 how that poor Archduke met his death shot lying on 
 his bed! shot like a cowardly dog! assassinated under 
 the cover of a pretended duel ! Do n't you ever get your- 
 self into the same predicament. I do n't think you would 
 put up with it quite as brav quietly as a Hapsburg; you 
 are not the same sort of man at all." 
 
 "Come, come," Napoleon cried, hardly knowing 
 whether to be amused or angry, " are you not jumping 
 rather to conclusions? I nourish no evil designs against 
 against against any living soul." Then with a sud- 
 den access of pompous dignity, "it is n't my way, I can 
 assure you. Besides, this this young stranger is a 
 lady." 
 
 " All the worse. So was she. That's why he died 
 like a dog." 
 
 " Thank you," very haughtily, " I have heard enough 
 of the late Archduke. Tell me, Godefroy," this more 
 cheerfully, " do you happen to know anything of a cer- 
 tain Earl of Framlingham, an English nobleman who has 
 a villa near here? " 
 
 " You mean the late ambassador? " 
 
 " That is he." 
 
 "Nothing at all," the valet said slowly, making a
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 225 
 
 mental note to the effect that he would find out a good 
 deal. 
 
 "I think it is the same man," Napoleon pursued; 
 "though I am not quite certain. His wife is French, I 
 understand, and owns property in this neighbourhood. 
 I wish you would discover where; and all about it and 
 them. He has a son two sons; one of them was my 
 dearest friend over in England. Two sons, and perhaps 
 a daughter." 
 
 ' Mademoiselle was by the riverside last night? " 
 * 'Yes, she was." 
 
 'Worse and worse," groaned Godefroy. 
 
 ' You need not wait," Napoleon replied coldly. 
 
 'Ah, your Majesty," his servant persevered a last 
 time, his hand upon the door, "take care, take care! " 
 And to point the value of this warning it may be added 
 that the master spent his evening to no purpose by the 
 steps of the little bridge. 
 
 The following morning he made another attempt. In 
 the middle of breakfast the sudden thought came to him, 
 that she might at this identical moment be down there 
 beside the river. He started up to go and see. But 
 Godefroy intercepted him before he had even crossed 
 the gravel path which lay beneath his veranda. 
 " M'sieu forgets," murmured the domestic, a faint smile 
 playing about the corners of his mouth; " his letters re- 
 quire attention. Then there is the deputation at eleven." 
 "M'sieu" felt that he had been caught in the act. 
 He said no word, but merely obeyed with a comfortless 
 little laugh, retracing his steps to the house. There he 
 shut himself up in his library, opposite those hateful un- 
 opened missives, which descended upon him daily for no 
 other purpose than to interfere with his pleasure. 
 
 To-day they were more disagreeable than ever. The 
 Minister of War alone sent three urgent appeals. " Come 
 back to Paris at once! " ran one of them, a fair sample 
 of the whole, "things are far worse than I have stated 
 in the two other letters which will arrive by this post. 
 Clouds of Germans hover about the frontier. Couriers, 
 just arrived from Provence, inform me that Piedmont is 
 a camp. The blow may fall at any moment. In God's
 
 226 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 name, be here to defend, since you have let slip the 
 chance to attack." 
 
 It cannot be denied that these outbursts frightened 
 him. For one thing, they were so very nastily worded. 
 In time, with the advent of greater experience, he would 
 know how to value them at their proper worth. But it 
 was mean of the Minister thus to take advantage of his 
 callow state, especially after his own magnanimous be- 
 haviour. He did n't mean to forgive him for it. He 
 proceeded to deal with Brisson's missives on their merits, 
 and by a chain of viva voce reasoning, which may or may 
 not have been convincing, came to the conclusion that 
 these were nil. So he said "Bah!" once or twice with 
 considerable vehemence, and spent the next two hours 
 in absolute and unconquerable idleness. With an arm 
 supported on the elbow of his chair, and his head droop- 
 ing wearily upon his arm, he suffered his gaze to travel 
 mournfully through the open windows. "She is down 
 there by the river, " he kept murmuring. "Possibly 
 waiting for me," his love continued, deducing as love 
 does such warm and cheering conclusions from such 
 slender premises. He made an attempt to begin a reply 
 to Brisson; but in vain. He flung his pen from him. 
 "She is down there by the river," was the only coher- 
 ent thought he could get to; that, and occasionally, 
 "Bah! the fellow is an incompetent. No one wants to 
 fight us. " 
 
 What had become of his energy, his powers of in- 
 dustry, of former years? What indeed? Alas, it was 
 many a long day since he and they had had aught in 
 common. Pimlico the Abomination had killed them. 
 But surely, surely they were not quite dead. Responsi- 
 bilities, not to mention decent clothes and a full stom- 
 ach, would revivify them The thing went without say- 
 ing. Already his "application" as they call it in 
 young ladies' schools was a shade better than it had 
 been a few months back. Just to prove as much, he 
 opened his remaining letters and strewed them about 
 the table. 
 
 Comforted in this belief, he gave himself over alto- 
 gether to the demon of idleness. He dipped_his pen into
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 227 
 
 the ink to have it ready for Godefroy, then he strolled 
 through the open window to the balcony which ran 
 along the length of the gardenside. This balcony 
 encased, besides his own, the three windows of the small 
 reception-room which had to serve for any Imperial en- 
 tertainments. Our hero gazed in mournfully at the dec- 
 orated chamber. His spirits were at a low ebb indeed, 
 when furniture had lost its power to charm. He only 
 thought how cold and desolate it looked, lacking as it 
 did that touch of a woman's hand which alone can ren- 
 der these places of ceremony habitable. The sunlight 
 fell in rich rays across the enamelled walls, the rugs, and 
 polished floors. To his dreaming brain it set its halo 
 round something far more beautiful, the ivory-tinted 
 skin, the deep grey eyes, the shining hair, and, more 
 than all, that indefinable smile which made his heart 
 ache merely to think of. He was an Emperor, truly, 
 with a good large stage, but what he wanted most was 
 still far out of reach. 
 
 But the sound of carriage wheels, followed by the con- 
 tinuous shuffling of feet in the hall below, warned him 
 of the coming deputation. He had barely time to fling 
 himself into the midst of his papers, when Godefroy en- 
 tered with word that it awaited his pleasure in the coun- 
 cil chamber. Numerically as he learnt to his great joy 
 from the hats in the hall the deputation was a small one. 
 In weight and importance, however, it proved the largest 
 which Meaux could produce. 
 
 Monsieur Verre accompanied it as sponsor, and, so to 
 speak, pervaded every part of it. The Mayor was present, 
 the fat gentleman over there in the corner, muttering the 
 skeletons of an oration. Beside him stood the Prefect 
 of the department, who was engaged in a critical survey 
 of the furniture and painted ceiling. Two members of 
 the Municipal Council, a prominent Meaux manufacturer, 
 and the Sub-prefect completed the gathering. 
 
 They all bowed as the Emperor made his appearance. 
 Verre raised his hand, and the Mayor and Prefect ad- 
 vanced, in step, and side by side, towards their master. 
 
 These two functionaries differed widely. The Prefect 
 had an aspect of great acuteness. His habit was to cast
 
 228 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 scrutinizing glances in all directions, and scan every face 
 as though he were piercing into the inmost recesses of 
 the heart. Then he would close his jaws with a snap, 
 pursing his thin lips, as though to say, "I have taken 
 your measure, my dear creature. Do not trouble to try 
 and deceive me." Yet in truth he was an irreclaimable 
 ass, the incarnation of obtuse self-sufficiency. As for 
 the Mayor, he looked the fool the other was. In face 
 and figure not unlike Godefroy, he lacked the latter's 
 bright, twinkling eyes. Indeed, the head of the town 
 always seemed half asleep. He moved about with 
 extreme slowness. He breathed stertorously, and he 
 gazed out through half-closed eyelids upon a world that 
 was habitually careless of what he said or did. Yet the 
 pupils of the lazy eyes often hardened to observe minute 
 points left unnoticed by men with almost as an acute 
 gaze, and fifty times the intelligence of his official 
 superior. 
 
 Monsieur Verre hovered behind them; he began: 
 
 "Majesty, this is an honour which Meaux has for 
 many years merited, but never received." 
 
 They all bowed. The Prefect laced his long white 
 hands cupwise, while the Mayor left his head bent for- 
 ward upon his bosom. Possibly he had forgotten it. 
 The Minister resumed: 
 
 "You are very welcome. Our most earnest prayer is 
 that our beautiful district will have a beneficial effect 
 upon your health. We all not least myself know the 
 cares and trials of your arduous position. If I may be 
 permitted to refer to it, I, too, was at the helm of state 
 for for a short time. I venture to think that the 
 country still bears some imprint of my beneficent rule." 
 He waved a majestic forefinger in the direction of the 
 Mayor. 
 
 The Prefect took this as a signal. 
 
 "Monsieur speaks the truth," said he. "All of us 
 who enjoy, or who have enjoyed places of responsibility, 
 know the fearful inroads they make upon the constitu- 
 tion. Meaux is especially adapted to nervous com- 
 plaints, ' ' he pierced his Majesty through and through, 
 "nervous complaints, and maladies arising from brain-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 229 
 
 worries. Your Majesty must have many such, none can 
 doubt. In a few months you will have many, very 
 many, more. For your o.wn sake we hope to see you 
 often among us, soothed and calmed amid the foliage of 
 our beautiful department. How greatly we shall benefit 
 thereby, I need not mention." 
 
 Verre gave him the millionth part of a second. 
 
 "These gentlemen," the Minister then resumed with 
 a comprehensive wave, "represent all that is best and 
 wisest in our small society. They, and their fellow- 
 townsmen through them, bid you welcome." 
 
 There was a brief silence, broken only by the Mayor's 
 stertorous breathing. Napoleon fancied this might be 
 the prelude to a short harangue. In point of fact it went 
 unconcernedly on, neither lessening nor growing greater, 
 but keeping ever the same gentle even murmur. 
 
 So his Majesty commenced in his turn. 
 
 " I thank you, gentlemen, for your kindly welcome. 
 I thank you for the promptitude with which it has been 
 given. At present I am a stranger in your beautiful 
 city, but I trust soon to wipe that reproach away. I can 
 well believe, as Monsieur the Prefect maintains, that its 
 calm has an especially beneficial effect upon the nerves. 
 I have found out so much, even before he told me. We 
 have all been through stirring times lately, and need 
 soothing. The future, however," and he looked fixedly 
 at the Prefect, who, for his part, was just then subjecting 
 the Mayor to a somewhat severe scrutiny, "the future, 
 however, is likely to yield that, no less than Meaux. At 
 present, I can foresee nothing calculated to shatter our 
 already sufficiently broken spirits." 
 
 With this significant remark, he made an end of 
 speaking. After a few incoherent words from the 
 Mayor, the deputation adjourned to the dining-room, 
 and Napoleon .saw them no more. 
 
 Such expedition could have but one reward. The 
 Emperor did not wait for the deputation to finish its 
 lunch and depart, but passed almost immediately from 
 the council chamber into the villa grounds. He took the 
 only path he knew, that leading to the strip of sward 
 beside the river and the small stone bridge. And he
 
 230 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 sought this sacred spot without much hope, the reason, 
 perhaps, why his search at last succeeded. 
 
 He hardly dared believe his eyes. Yet it could be no 
 one else. She stood at the water's edge, her back 
 towards him, gazing intently into some placid pool. 
 Her parasol, and an open book turned face downwards, 
 lay a little way up the sloping bank. Of what was she 
 thinking so earnestly, that she did not hear the beating 
 of his heart? Her beautiful head was bent forward ; did 
 it seek some likeness of his face in the still waters? It 
 must be so. She loved him as he loved her. His 
 vigils in her name, his hours of agony, had gone forth, 
 as they always do from heart to heart. He had seen 
 her twice, once without speaking, he had never written. 
 Yet she knew, inasmuch as his great love had assuredly 
 brought her into that real spirit world, wherein it needs 
 neither presence, nor pens nor ink, to tell one's secrets. 
 For the rest, if she had really fashioned his face upon 
 the surface, she did not keep it long. Lifting an arm, 
 she loosed a pebble from her grasp, then, with her head 
 fallen forward once more upon her breast, she relapsed 
 into dreams. 
 
 "Mademoiselle," he whispered, oh, so softly. 
 
 Still she did not hear. He left the path, coming 
 closer than her book and parasol, quivering nervously 
 all the while, but resolved not to let the chance slip by. 
 He had been here too often already. 
 
 "Mademoiselle," once more, and this time with 
 trembling voice. 
 
 Mademoiselle turned full round. Her brow was heavy 
 with something that perplexed it, something not Na- 
 poleon, for it cleared at once. 
 
 " Ah," said she composedly, " so it is you." 
 
 He was a trifle taken aback by this cool reception. If 
 she knew what he felt, and felt the same herself, she 
 managed to conceal her love and knowledge remarkably 
 well. 
 
 "Yes, Mademoiselle," he murmured, "it is I; and I 
 did not look for such a pleasure." 
 
 She must have just then recalled the memory of their
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 231 
 
 first meeting. Her mouth twitched; she seemed des- 
 perately inclined to burst out laughing. 
 
 "Look," she cried instead, turning back abruptly to 
 the water, and with all the apparent inconsequence of a 
 child, " have you ever seen it so clear? " 
 
 "Never indeed," he was beside her now, and he 
 could catch the reflexion of her face. 
 
 "How they glisten," she cried again; "that tiny one 
 there, especially. Its scales might be diamonds." 
 
 "And how one envies them their element." 
 
 They spoke in English; and he regretted next minute 
 that he had not employed a simpler term. Element 
 seemed so strained; the word one expects from a man 
 who is not "quite the thing" and knows it. But that 
 is the worst of love, at all events in its earlier stages 
 three parts a paralyzing self-consciousness, and the rest 
 one mad desire to display before the loved being all one's 
 virtues and social advantages. 
 
 Certainly, he felt no desire yet a while to disclose his 
 kingship. But he did want her to know that he had re- 
 ceived his education at Winchester and Oxford; that he 
 had been a popular member of his school, and by no 
 means a pariah at college; that he had always been able 
 to "draw" the largest union audiences, and that he 
 might have done more in the rowing line, had he been 
 less industrious. She ought to hear, besides, that he 
 had passed through his English life incognito, a sort of 
 fairy prince only half disguised. How explain otherwise 
 his modified success among earls and marquises and the 
 grandsons of defunct prime ministers and the grand- 
 fathers of prime ministers not yet born? What sort of 
 life would he, the ward of a suburban bourgeois, have 
 had at Magdalen, had not these guessed something of 
 his lineage, while he as yet was ignorant? Birth, like 
 murder, will out. De Morin could not rob him of his 
 eloquence, his magnanimity, his noble bearing. Later 
 on, when she did know his kingship, he would weave her 
 a little romance showing how two especially important 
 noblemen neither of them Lord Mendril had actually 
 taxed him with using an alias. He would give names,
 
 232 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 too, chancing it whether she knew them or not. For he 
 felt justly that, as things stood, he might safely claim 
 a posthumous acquaintance with half the peerage in 
 Great Britain. 
 
 But most of all he desired to tell her about his char- 
 acter. Very few words on his part would suffice to show 
 her how far he was from being either vain or conceited 
 or a prig, despite his many accomplishments. Ah, he 
 had tasted too deeply of the world's bitterness to be 
 any of these things. A gentle cynicism lay deep within 
 him; but not so deep that she should not learn all about 
 it in time. 
 
 And this is love! How much simpler if one could go 
 through it without troubling the young lady. What a 
 saving in tearful partings, blistered letters, and locks of 
 hair! We merely inveigle a second person with fine 
 eyes and a white skin into worshipping at our shrine. 
 Well, and she is doing identically the same thing! Lucky 
 the man who can perform his devotions without help from 
 outside. He is self-sufficing indeed. 
 
 "Yes, truly, one envies them their element," he re- 
 peated. 
 
 The young lady was actually chewing grass. She 
 paid not the least heed to his nervous phrases, but in- 
 stead gazed across the river into space, the trace of 
 laughter still about her lips. 
 
 " Do you live in this neighbourhood? " Napoleon asked 
 presently. 
 
 "We are here this summer. And you? " 
 
 " I? oh, I I am a visitor here; that is all." 
 
 "Indeed," murmured Mademoiselle, while the smile 
 deepened. She stuck bravely to her grass, however, and 
 overcame it. 
 
 " It is a charming spot," he continued with growing 
 complacency, now that he was fairly started. "And I 
 I fancy I have seen Mademoiselle in London." 
 
 " Very possibly." 
 
 "Are you not a daughter of the Earl of Framling- 
 ham? " 
 
 She laughed outright this time: " I had no idea I was 
 so well known," she said.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 233 
 
 " I assure you it was by the merest chance," he has- 
 tened to rejoin with questionable deprecation. "I hap- 
 pened to be dining in Jervis's restaurant one night last 
 June. Your father and mother were there, and you were 
 with them. The Earl's face, at least, is a familiar one 
 to all Londoners. Seeing you side by side, I had no 
 difficulty in finding the relationship." 
 
 She was studying his face with some care, and a puz- 
 zled look had come into her eyes. 
 
 " I do not remember," she murmured. 
 
 " Monsieur Carache, and Mervan the singer, were of 
 the party, if I recollect rightly." 
 
 "And still I cannot remember," she persisted. He 
 began to falter under her steady gaze. 
 
 "Your brother also made one. And you went after- 
 wards to the opera Lohengrin, you know; and I was 
 in the stalls and and had a good view of Made of 
 Monsieur Carache, who sat in your box." 
 
 "No, I cannot remember." 
 
 "Ah, Mademoiselle was there many times this sea- 
 son," he hesitated. 
 
 "No, no, I recall the occasion perfectly. But your 
 face I cannot recall that." 
 
 He broke into a nervous laugh, the humility of Pim- 
 lico back upon him. " That may well be. Probably I was 
 in a very modest corner behind one of the pillars. Jervis 
 has one or two pillars, you know, large pillars, very 
 suitable for shrinking natures." 
 
 " It may be so," and she resumed her survey of the 
 other bank. 
 
 " Mademoiselle sees something very interesting over 
 yonder? " he ventured with a new note of softness. 
 
 "I was thinking," she answered gravely; and then, 
 brushing her reveries away with strange abruptness, " It 
 is pretty from here." 
 
 " Very pretty. We are near your father's grounds? " 
 
 "Those across the river. We have an illustrious 
 neighbour." 
 
 "Yes. I wonder his Majesty allows strangers to 
 roam about pardon, Mademoiselle, I was thinking of 
 myself. I might be a particularly dangerous conspirator. ' '
 
 234 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "You! Forgive a smile, Monsieur, but you do not 
 look like one. I think I should always trust you." 
 
 "You flatter me. Remember, however, anarchists 
 and nihilists and the rest of them have wonderful dis- 
 guises. " 
 
 " Probably the Emperor has not begun to think of 
 those things yet," she said; "they come later on." 
 
 "You would know better than I. You are his neigh- 
 bour." 
 
 "We never see him. Both he and we are here very 
 seldom." 
 
 "Is he not here now?" Napoleon asked, too intent 
 on his own movements to notice the curious look which 
 she gave him or the brusque laugh that accompanied her 
 answer. 
 
 " Really, Monsieur, I cannot tell you. I do not study 
 his doings quite so carefully." 
 
 " His story is a very romantic one," he began again. 
 " In my opinion it is that more than anything else which 
 recommends him to his countrymen." 
 
 "Perhaps," she answered. Next minute, very ab- 
 sently indeed, "He will soon be getting married. I 
 suppose they already talk about it in Paris? " 
 
 " He will find it a difficult task. His throne is scarcely 
 quite secure enough at present to tempt any eligible 
 princess." 
 
 "True. His lineage, too, will hamper him." 
 
 " Oh, I don't know about that," Bonaparte answered, 
 a trifle ruefully. " He has Hapsburg blood in his 
 veins." 
 
 "Dear me, no," she laughed and he began to hate 
 that flute note; "I wonder you make that mistake at 
 this time of day. " And \vith more vivacity than she had 
 hitherto used, she proceeded to unfold to him the story 
 of the Sartena marriage. 
 
 " Italian on both sides, you observe Italian, with an 
 English training. The result may be good enough in its 
 way; but one can hardly imagine that it fits him for his 
 present position." 
 
 " Mademoiselle studies politics? " 
 
 "No," she hastily rejoined; "I merely repeat what
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 235 
 
 my father says. He studies them" ; then, with a resump- 
 tion of her former indifference: 
 
 "They say he is to marry a Russian princess." 
 
 "I have not heard so." 
 
 " Perhaps I ought not to have mentioned it; the thing 
 is not generally known. We got the report from the em- 
 bassy itself." 
 
 " A good source." 
 
 "Most certainly. Monsieur Prehlen knows every- 
 thing." 
 
 " More than the Emperor himself? " 
 
 " Quite likely. Men in his high position are very often 
 puppets." 
 
 " He would be flattered to hear what Mademoiselle 
 says." 
 
 "You may be sure I should never say as much in his 
 presence." 
 
 "One has an idea that English young ladies always 
 say what they think." 
 
 " Monsieur is English? " 
 
 "I was educated in England in fact, I am an old 
 Wykehamist. I was also at Oxford. " 
 
 "At Oxford?" 
 
 "Yes. Magdalen." 
 
 " My brother's college was Christ Church. Did you 
 come across him up there?" she asked, with perhaps 
 something more than the delightful vagueness of all 
 young ladies. 
 
 "No," he answered gallantly; "I fancy that I must 
 have been a good deal senior to him. I confess I do not 
 remember having met him." 
 
 She did not answer and he had nothing more to say. 
 Bristling as he was with every sort of information, bio- 
 graphical and otherwise, he had nothing more to say. 
 First he watched such faint reflexion as the waters gave, 
 then let his glance steal upwards. The old look of per- 
 plexity once more covered her brow. The faint lines 
 about her eyes were puckered, and the faint lines about 
 her mouth. She gazed straight before her at no ascer- 
 tainable object; and he might have been miles away or 
 out of existence altogether.
 
 236 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Clearly, she was not thinking about him; for he stood 
 beside her, and reveries about him would surely keep till 
 he was gone. The Russian ambassador and the Russian 
 embassy were not less likely he did not give his mind 
 free range over the entire personnel. If only he could 
 break the ice. He had never made love before ; that was 
 the worst of it. And so she would leave him this second 
 time as well, without finding out that she was something 
 more to him than than the multitude of other young 
 ladies that clustered through the world. Surely it was 
 not much? Yet it was more than he could do. 
 
 The next minute came the dreaded words which had 
 hung over him all along. "I must be moving home," 
 she cried. "Oh, dear, my book " 
 
 " Let me. " He yielded up her property with extreme 
 reluctance; asking her as he did so if he might accom- 
 pany her to the bridge. Alas, it was but a moment's 
 respite, and he could not use it. She would not cede 
 him an inch beyond his boundary. 
 
 " Our roads part here," she exclaimed. "Adieu, your 
 Majesty. ' ' 
 
 And she was far out of sight before he had recovered 
 his composure.
 
 Chapter III 
 
 It is not given to every one to penetrate into the family 
 circle of a genuine earl who owns a mansion off Berkeley 
 Square and a place in Devonshire and a house in Paris 
 (through his wife) and a villa at Meaux (also through his 
 wife), and a garter (through his father the late Lord 
 having died just as that enviable distinction was coming 
 his way) some ten years before he has rightly earned it. 
 And his garter and his title and his dwellings are not 
 among the least of my lord of Framlingham's distinc- 
 tions. He had been ambassador in Paris for exactly four 
 calendar months; while the Indian viceroyship never be- 
 came vacant without his being nominated by Fleet Street 
 to fill the post. Whether because of his obvious fitness, 
 or his heavy mouth, or his tired eyes, history telleth not. 
 The fact remains. Eight years ago, just after his sixteen 
 weeks in Paris, a new satrap being required, no one was 
 held to have a better chance. Lord Rensmore got it 
 that maternally American baron who introduced the 
 Yankee accent in its purest form into Government House. 
 At the expiration of his term, seven years later, our earl 
 once again took the field. This time, an evening jour- 
 nal which has the greatest circulation among marquises 
 in the United Kingdom declared him to be the only pos- 
 sible candidate. There was one impossible one: he got 
 it. The Earl's name went over for future use. The oc- 
 casion came quickly enough. The new vicereine could 
 not stand the climate. Her consort trembled before the 
 prospect of six long years in single blessedness. Many 
 other little things cropped up to worry him. One day, 
 when the prickly heat lay thick upon him, he sat him down 
 and sent in his resignation. This event occurred a week 
 prior to the commencement of our story. The new ruler 
 
 237
 
 238 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 had not yet been chosen; but every one knew who it 
 would be. And at the point of time wherewith this pres- 
 ent chapter deals to wit, the evening of Napoleon's 
 arrival at Meaux and of his first meeting with Muriel 
 probably the only people who had an inkling to the con- 
 trary were my lord himself and my lord's good lady. 
 
 The reasons for such persistent failure were not far to 
 seek. They take us back to his abortive embassy. That 
 had started under the fairest auspices. Comparatively 
 unknown before his appointment, he had come to it with 
 a French wife and an unsullied accent at an age (forty- 
 two) when learned juniors are commencing to rake in 
 their earliest guineas amid the acclamations of their 
 maiden aunts. This was in the year of jubilee. It 
 proved the only untoward event of that festive season. 
 His measureless pride, his coldness of manner, which 
 was mostly diffidence, soon raised many enemies. Week 
 by week he involved himself in some fresh little mess. 
 And not content to let these accumulate into their own 
 goodly pile, he must needs crown the growing edifice 
 with a betise that nearly ended in war. 
 
 The history is quite short. He had come over to 
 England on leave. While opening a Parish Institute at 
 Tipton-St.-John, he made some perfectly harmless re- 
 marks anent his present employment. These leaked into 
 the Gallic newspapers, which were pleased to take 
 offence. Most gave him the merest lick with the rougher 
 side of their tongues, saying that they did expect some- 
 thing better from the husband of their charming country- 
 woman, and hinting a little about crocodiles and the 
 Nile. Our poor friend had never been crossed before in 
 the whole of his fair-weather life. He met the reproof like 
 an earl. He allowed it to touch him on his weakest 
 spot, his ungovernable temper. He went back to the 
 Parish Institute, and gave the Gauls such a dressing as 
 they have not had since Waterloo, of odious memory. 
 Paris lashed herself into a ferment. Journals, without 
 distinction of party, clamoured for his head. On the 
 boulevards men talked gloomily of extradition, and the 
 " Rue de Bow." Orators in the Chamber seriously sug- 
 gested a punitive expedition against Tipton; many of
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 239 
 
 them fancied that it lay near Samory's sphere of influ- 
 ence, and that England would not notice. A hostile 
 mob demonstrated in front of the embassy, much to the 
 alarm of the Honourable Charles Mendril, my lord's 
 second son, who happened to be there from Eton, and 
 who did not count personal courage among his accom- 
 plishments. Illustrated papers came out with full front- 
 page crocodiles, the Mendril motto, Gut Gewissen wiirzt 
 den Bissen, issuing from their capacious jaws. So the 
 Earl had to resign. Lord Threpps took his place; and 
 took his example too, being careful, above all, not to 
 number Parish Institutes among his vices. And the 
 incident ended. My lord's temper remained. Alas, it 
 claims a paragraph all to itself. Congenital, as is the 
 case with most tempers, it had been fed and fattened in 
 a foolish home. He was the only child of his parents; 
 and they, though honest, had been " demned silly. " The 
 late Earl, his father, rests enshrined among the pillars of 
 the church. The good old soul was president of the 
 House of Laymen for many years before his death. The 
 May meetings of two decades ago used to number him 
 among their most punctual attendants. His party went 
 to him for bishops, and had been on the point of giving 
 him a garter, as the most spiritual article within its gift. 
 A soft and foolish mother and this devoted old ecclesi- 
 astic, between them, guided the lad almost to his seven- 
 teenth birthday. The modified discipline which Eton 
 purveys to earls was denied him. Mendril Court clung 
 to him year by year. Sycophantic tutors (mainly cu- 
 rates out of a job), at so much the gross, prepared him 
 for " Smalls," which, by the way, felled him three times. 
 Servants, his parents chief among them, ministered to 
 all his wants and fostered his passionate temper upon 
 indulgence, as the good people of Perigord fatten the 
 livers of geese. Christ Church, Oxford, is always ready 
 to continue these benevolent beginnings. Thackeray 
 and Tennyson have dealt with a certain class of don; so 
 the present humble stumbler must not attempt to touch 
 it. But it still exists. From college, my lord went 
 degreeless on the grand tour. This was in the autumn 
 of seventy. And inasmuch as his bent lay towards hair-
 
 240 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 breadth adventures, his grand tour resolved itself into a 
 jaunt to capitulated Sedan. It was at a table d'hdte in this 
 city that he met his fate, a certain Mademoiselle Henriette 
 de Murinac, a young lady who even in those far-off days 
 was short and dark, and possessed of a glistening skin. 
 Her father, Count Gustave de Murinac, one among the 
 former intimates of the captured Emperor, had retired in 
 disgrace to his estates in Champagne just before the war. 
 The girl and her mother were at Sedan to tend a wounded 
 brother. The poor fellow died during Lord Mendril's 
 stay, and the manner in which the dark young lady's 
 eyes used to fill, and overflow into her soup, as day by 
 day the loved life ebbed, stirred the young fellow's 
 heart. 
 
 For it must not be supposed that my lord was all 
 ungovernable temper and nothing else. Devoted parents 
 and clerical tutors certainly are among the best means 
 heaven has yet devised for inculcating the vices, the 
 fleshly vices above all. But the Earl's youth had been 
 singularly stainless, so stainless indeed that the flesh 
 remained a topic which he ever shrank from touching 
 upon with his children, to the great loss of the Honour- 
 able Charles. And as a consequence, the native kindli- 
 ness of his heart remained unimpaired. He was full of 
 right feeling and tender pity, when his overbearing 
 temper and his diffidence had not got the better of him. 
 Violent enough when roused, his nature contained no 
 touch of domineering. The young lady whose dark 
 eyes used to fill with tears at the Sedan table d'hdte, 
 found him a most gentle and forbearing husband. (He 
 certainly was an indulgent father, as this history hopes 
 to show.) From her wedding-day forward, she went her 
 own gait entirely; and had you asked her at what point 
 of time her husband's love had yielded place to their 
 present strained relations, she would have found some 
 difficulty in giving you the date. The thing had hap- 
 pened so silently. 
 
 To speak the bitter truth, the young man did a bad 
 stroke of business for himself that month at Sedan. His 
 Right Reverend father told him as much, directly the 
 old nobleman set eyes upon Lady Mendril. The fond
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 241 
 
 and foolish mother bared undreamt of strata of her char- 
 acter for the benefit of the charming Henriette. No 
 wonder that little creature always hated Tipton. Be- 
 fore she had been there a week, in those far-off days of 
 honeymoon, she used to go off and weep in not too 
 remote corners, until her hulking Walter (with his heavy 
 mouth and his beginnings of a beard) should stumble 
 over her and gather her to his arms, and console her and 
 splutter out: "Really, mother!" "Really, father!" in 
 tones, which she found extremely soothing. 
 
 But these far-off days of honeymoon soon went. The 
 old Earl went with them. And the new one, year by 
 year, discovered his foreign countess to be a distinct 
 mistake. She, too, had a nice temper of her own, and 
 there all similarity between them ended. She was a 
 Catholic, but her Romanism had not been militant at 
 Sedan. Her early days at Tipton had not been void of 
 offence. Indeed her delicious disdain of all things that 
 concerned the heavens above proved the principal cause 
 of friction with the parents-in-law. The old people 
 hated Papists, but they abominated pagans. They 
 soon had reason to suspect that their dark-eyed little 
 connection was both. But my lady grew more assiduous 
 as the years advanced. She found the convent chapel 
 at Sidmouth such an excellent weapon. For "what is 
 bred in the bone, " as all the world knows. Before he 
 became a father, the Earl had not cared a twopenny 
 expletive what communion she belonged to. Her earlier 
 impieties had only made him laugh. Even now, he 
 recalled with a smile that first Christmas day, when he 
 and the old people had returned from church to find her 
 devouring "The Mysteries of Marseilles," by clever 
 young Zola. With the advent of his family, his feelings 
 changed. He could not bear to see the long-robed 
 Misery from Sidmouth prowling round his little Muriel, 
 his little daughter whom he loved as he loved no one 
 else in the whole world. The child was not yet five 
 before he commenced to suspect attempts at proselytism. 
 When she reached eleven, he would carry her into his 
 study and tell her fables about the Scarlet Woman. 
 And though, like the late Mrs. Gamp, "which as 'ow he
 
 242 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 never mentioned no names," she grew up with the hazy 
 notion that the lady in question, and the Countess, her 
 mother, were one and indivisible. To get back to 
 the latter. Her diurnals, and rosaries, and breviaries, 
 and her attendances at "Messe," grew more and more 
 offensive as her married life progressed. As has been 
 already mentioned, they were potent implements in the 
 smouldering hostility which soon sprang up between my 
 lord and her, just as they were among its most effective 
 causes. 
 
 Others naturally existed. She was more French than 
 France itself; he was Tipton-St.-John to his toe-nails. 
 The woman, vivacious and voluble, unstable as Reuben 
 and water, dashing like a child from every subject, 
 exchanging tears for laughter after the fashion of mon- 
 keys, and wearing what heart she had upon her sleeve: 
 the man, silent and reserved, self-contained to the point 
 of secretiveness. The course resolved on in some gust 
 of passion, he stuck to with all the persistence of a steam- 
 roller, and a tenth its noise. The difference between the 
 two characters was national and fundamental. Her 
 earliest dislike for him arose from her antipathy towards 
 dull and sober England. He soon commenced to loathe 
 France on her account. That beautiful land grew to be 
 a fresh bond of union. My lady possessed two dwelling- 
 places therein. One, the small Villa Henriette, on the 
 Marne, below Meaux, she had inherited direct. The 
 other, old Gustave's town house in the Avenue des Vil- 
 liers, she had purchased from the executors of her dead 
 brother's will, thus exercising an option also left her by 
 her father. The villa at Meaux lodged them once per- 
 haps in every fifth summer. Her town house she had 
 never been allowed to occupy at all. Their sixteen 
 weeks' fiasco in the Faubourg St. Honore", and a week on 
 her honeymoon, had been the sum of her sojourn in Paris 
 during twenty-six years of married life. Berkeley Square 
 she could have tolerated as an inferior substitute. But 
 she merely got about six weeks there per year, while the 
 residue of her twelve months was massacred in that 
 odious, infamous Tipton. He laid no compulsion upon 
 her. She was free to live in Paris from year's end to
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 243 
 
 year's end alone. Her nature, however, was of a 
 clinging kind. 
 
 And so the breach had widened through their mar- 
 ried life. And to-day, when the whirligig of time had 
 brought men round to a new Napoleon, and Madame (as 
 befitted an ardent Imperialist) desired to resurrect the 
 glories of her mansion, it was very wide indeed. The 
 worthy couple now hardly exchanged half a dozen words 
 per week. They met at meals, a sort of "water 
 truce," if one may borrow from the wizard of the jungle, 
 and they separated. They faced one another from 
 either end of their long table, at Tipton or Meaux, or in 
 Berkeley Square, and talked to their guests and their 
 children, and at one another. My lord would watch his 
 wife, wondering how he had come to marry her. She 
 never looked at him. But when so be he annoyed her 
 more than usual, she would talk gingerly about the Paris 
 embassy and the Tipton Institute, and her devotions, 
 and Father Kahn. And once a month, like clockwork, 
 she would bewail her hateful English life and her empty 
 houses. 
 
 Their children, alas, drew them no closer. Our poor 
 friend gathered his daughter to his heart, and left the 
 boys to the Countess. Not that he neglected the latter. 
 He was a just man, and an affectionate father. Walter, 
 his heir, the young gentleman who had administered such 
 disciplinary taps to our Walter, before the latter had shed 
 his cocoon, found his lordship everything that filial exi- 
 gencies can desire. Even the Honourable Charles, that un- 
 appetizing young patrician, never received cause to com- 
 plain. Heaven knows, he was blotchy and sallow and 
 squat enough to disgust the most indulgent parent. 
 
 But the Earl possessed but one daughter, and she was 
 his all in all. From earliest times they had been insepa- 
 rable. Mendril Court, accursed of Madame and the 
 Honourable Charles, was Mecca to them. Till Muriel 
 reached eighteen, neither of them was ever happy out 
 of it. And, the chronicler regrets to say, they liked it 
 best when the boys were absent at school or college, and 
 when Madame kept sulkily to her room save for an occa- 
 sional sabbatical maraud to the convent chapel.
 
 244 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 They knew the whole country-side, those two, from 
 the heights whence you can catch the first faint 
 glimpse of Exeter to the red cliffs that keep Seaton from 
 Salcombe Regis. They loved April best, April when the 
 evenings lengthened and Madame sighed most for Paris. 
 They used to take their horses to the water's edge, and 
 watch the promise of spring twilight brightening the 
 foam, and tempt the waves with shouts of laughter, 
 the waves which still held a touch of winter in them. 
 And then, as the shadows settled, they would race home, 
 Muriel always leading, and with flying hair. And some- 
 times her father would call to her, "This is better than 
 Paris, little one? " 
 
 "And Meaux too," she would laugh back, "and that 
 trickling Marne! " 
 
 So the little creature, with her wide grey eyes and 
 her flying hair, was banded with her father into a sort of 
 dual alliance. And thus she came to rule the household. 
 Not dumb and saturnine like him, she possessed his 
 silent weight behind her, and her own indomitable little 
 will. What he wanted, she wanted, and said so; and 
 what she said she wanted, she generally got. Madame, 
 truth so tell, lived somewhat in awe of her. She seemed 
 so different from Henriette's notions of what a young 
 girl should be. Even at thirteen the little minx dis- 
 played twists in her "foolish character" incomprehen- 
 sible to my lady. And she turned them into overt 
 action, too, whenever she and her mother came to blows. 
 She never asked sympathy or advice. She made no 
 attempt to conceal her scorn for the priests and devout 
 women whom the Countess sometimes collected round 
 her. No, the absurd child remained ever the same wild 
 thing with wide eyes and flying hair and bloodless skin; 
 and, unlike most wild things, kept some solid character 
 not very deep below the surface, the metallic feel of which 
 my lady did not like at all. Above all, the child had 
 secrets with her father: the two imbeciles never being 
 happy out of one another's presence. 
 
 " Would you believe it," Madame wrote on one occa- 
 sion, now several years old, to her confidante Madame 
 Verre, "would you believe it, dear Louise, I found
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 245 
 
 him last Saturday loafing about outside her schoolroom, 
 waiting for Mademoiselle who is most satisfactory, 
 though she joins me in hating the place to set her free. 
 You can imagine I promptly went in and ordered that the 
 little imp should be detained an hour after her usual 
 time. No sooner had I turned my back, than he went in 
 and carried her off then and there. And I did not see 
 either of them again until seven that same evening (April, 
 recollect, dear Louise, and bitterly cold), when they came 
 clattering up the drive like a couple of maniacs. Her 
 new serge was saturated with salt-water, and the little 
 wretch wanted to sit down to dinner just as she was. 
 Oh, dear Louise, these barbarians! You won't tell me 
 Verre equals my wretch." Neither the Honourable 
 Charles nor his elder brother were very satisfactory sub- 
 stitutes for a kempt and clinging daughter. The latter 
 young nobleman has already been sufficiently described. 
 He resembled his mother too much not to have a shallow 
 heart. Never aught but gentle and dutiful towards his 
 parents, neither could cherish any illusions as to his real 
 nature. A thousand little unconscious acts daily showed 
 it up beyond dispute. Kind words slipped from his 
 tongue like the best lubricant invented; unchangeable 
 kindness shone from his dark eyes (except, of course, 
 when he had to deal with cads); but no one had ever 
 known him to go a half-inch out of his way to oblige any 
 living soul. He liked Muriel fairly; Charles he thought 
 of as little as possible. Sometimes the two discussed 
 their parents, when the young lord would invariably 
 come to the conclusion that both had many good quali- 
 ties. And also, that if each only saw the evil in the 
 other, it was not for their seed to forget their virtues. 
 His brother generally differed. 
 
 For the Honourable Charles had a profession that 
 required nursing; he also had a coming career. So he 
 could not possibly be gentle or amiable or too respectful. 
 Possessing deeper feelings than his brother, he had, un- 
 fortunately, up to the present, been compelled to expend 
 them in dislikes and hatreds and discontents. It took 
 little indeed to drive him into fits of sullen anger that 
 endured goodly periods. But then, it is the privilege of
 
 246 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 men with exigent professions and possible careers not to 
 have parents nor sisters nor brothers but only them- 
 selves in all the wide, wide world. They don't have 
 any friends, that is quite certain. 
 
 In public the Countess always took care to laud her 
 children to the skies. It was one of her most indecent 
 characteristics, in her husband's view. Privately, how- 
 ever, she could not help lamenting the fact that her sec- 
 ond boy showed to those who did not know his beauti- 
 ful nature, and judged by externals blotchy and sallow 
 and squat, with a bull-neck and a libidinous chin. Why 
 this should be so, she could not tell. Earl Walter was 
 a fine enough man, while the other three members of 
 the family were distinctly handsome. She feared his 
 plain face might stand in the dear boy's way. The dear 
 boy himself had no such anxiety. The only thing which 
 seemed likely to do that, in his opinion, was his foolish, 
 blundering father. For the Honourable Charles, though 
 about to enter the diplomatic service, had destined him- 
 self ultimately for the Treasury Bench. He deemed 
 himself cut out for the House of Commons. But the 
 Honiton division of the county, where the Mendril influ- 
 ence lay strong, was to go to Walter. Again, if his father 
 could only become Viceroy! The Honourable Charles 
 would then be ris private secretary, and spring into 
 public life that way. But his father had proved himself 
 a hopeless failure; accordingly, he disliked him very 
 much. He, however, talked to him sometimes about his 
 great ambitions. 
 
 " Sir," he would say, "the present time is the rule of 
 lieutenants. We have Harcourt and Salisbury in Eng- 
 land, and Crispi in Italy, and and " 
 
 Or, again: 
 
 "Sir, I wonder how I shall look on paper. Nowa- 
 days, character-sketches of public men are carried to 
 absurd lengths. Become an Under-Secretary of State, 
 and you will be able to get any number of hysterical 
 journalists to analyze your inside, as though you were 
 Pitt or Hamlet, or the latest woman who did something 
 she ought not to have done. I wonder how I shall look 
 on paper, sir."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 247 
 
 Or, again: 
 
 "Sir, the great secret of Mr. Rodenham's success 
 lies in the fact that he used to work nineteen hours a 
 day when he had nothing to do. There is no merit in 
 the Attorney-General always being busy. There is 
 great merit in the briefless barrister. The latter will 
 reach the woolsack first, if you will pardon a trope from 
 common things. I, sir, work twenty-two hours out of 
 the twenty-four." 
 
 And his father would invariably answer: 
 
 1 ' Charles, do n't be a fool. ' ' 
 
 Madame's own private relations brought hardly more 
 comfort. Of old Gustave's hordes, some were dead, 
 like poor Paul (whom she never thought of without 
 tears), and all save one were scattered. Louis de Muri- 
 nac, the youngest, alone remained in the old home at 
 Avize among the vines. He had married a Swiss woman 
 from Lausanne, and she and he and their two children, 
 Paul and Yvonne, lived a placid, drowsy sort of life in 
 the grim old chateau. Louis himself was a confirmed 
 idler. He spent his day walking to a neighbouring rail- 
 way station for the Paris papers, and pottering among 
 his books. These were very numerous, and all dealt with 
 the times and life of Louis XIV. De Murinac had col- 
 lected them at great expense, during the last seventeen 
 years or so, to help him carry out the purpose, the grand 
 purpose, of his life. This was nothing less than a com- 
 pendious history of that great monarch. Up to the 
 present, however, he had only written the preface and a 
 skeleton index. The authorities were so terrible. One 
 book of reference led to a thousand more. By the time 
 the thousandth had been purchased and read, the first 
 was altogether forgotten. Then there were the Paris 
 papers. What these had in common with Louis XIV, it 
 took a man of De Murinac's ingenuity to tell. But he 
 went along, quite satisfied that no one can be an historian 
 unless he keeps up with current topics. So he had four 
 of the leading journals daily, and worked diligently 
 through them, hardly missing an advertisement, and 
 taking copious notes. His method left nothing to be 
 desired: he had reached his forty-second note-book.
 
 248 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 But seeing that the papers did not get to Avize till close 
 on noon, and that the station was four miles from the 
 chateau ; and seeing further, that a man who aspires to 
 be an historian must take exercise and regular meals, it 
 always came about that he was never ready to tackle his 
 namesake till five of an afternoon. He would then lock 
 himself in his library, and proceed to tackle him. But, 
 having added another word to the skeleton index, he 
 always concluded that he owed it to his reputation, as 
 well as to his readers, not to write any more so late. 
 Accordingly, he salved his conscience by altering the 
 current scheme to account for another wasted day. 
 
 Oh, those schemes! On paper he parcelled out day 
 and night with scrupulous exactitude. Such had been 
 his habit from earliest infancy. They ran something 
 after this wise: " Scheme of life, begun on such and such 
 a day of such a year, and kept down to the commence- 
 ment of my last mortal illness." Then the document 
 proceeded to enact minute regulations for every depart- 
 ment of human doings, sleep included. 
 
 So each day at four he altered the date, and when 
 the programme became too illegible he wrote a new one. 
 This generally took about an hour. Which labour done, 
 he would settle down to a cosy evening among the more 
 scandalous chronicles of his period. They had to be 
 read sometime; hence he preferred to get them through 
 and docketted before his new scheme came into opera- 
 tion. ' 
 
 His boy Paul, now approaching his thirteenth year, 
 was a different stamp of man altogether; but Madame 
 never did care for children. Besides, she only saw her 
 brother and her brother's family about once in four 
 years. He could never be got to Tipton. 
 
 But we have left Meaux and our hero long enough. 
 The night he first set eyes upon this interesting family 
 (at Jervis's Restaurant, it may be remembered), the 
 Countess had just scored a notable victory. She had 
 prevailed upon her husband to pass the summer at 
 Meaux. The point was won only after twelve days' 
 fighting and three years' absence. She had fought it
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 249 
 
 more on Charles's account than her own; the dear boy 
 proposing to join the Paris embassy after September. 
 
 Curiously enough, the Framlinghams arrived at their 
 charming country seat on the identical day in late July 
 that Napoleon reached his. The troop of them, includ- 
 ing Louis de Murinac and Count Nicholas Fersen (who 
 came uninvited), actually left Paris two trains in front 
 of his Majesty. Muriel had not even assisted at the 
 unpacking of her trunks, when she fell in with him for 
 the first time across the river. 
 
 Dinner that night at the Villa Henriette partook of 
 the nature of a family reunion. Louis de Murinac was 
 there, and he and his sister had not met for over four 
 years. Fersen was there, and he and Muriel had not 
 met for over eight weeks. He had n't been asked. That 
 made no difference; he had come to stop the night. 
 
 The history of this young attache's devotion to Lord 
 Framlingham's daughter is simplicity itself. Napoleon 
 had not misread his secret that night at Jervis's. Had 
 our hero been present at this cheerful table, he would 
 have seen that every one else read it too. Happily for 
 him, the monarch was moaning and groaning in his own 
 little villa, half a mile off. 
 
 The history of the boy's intimacy with the Framling- 
 ham family is less straightforward, and justifies, perhaps, 
 a few words' detailed explanation. It originated in a 
 letter of introduction. Some six years back, the Earl 
 had taken advantage of a visit to Berlin to get a month 
 in St. Petersburg. The month in St. Petersburg tempted 
 him on to Moscow. And from Moscow he had gone to 
 shoot over the domain of the widowed Baroness Fersen, 
 Nicholas's mother. The latter, then a lad of sixteen, 
 had been my lord's constant companion in their daily 
 excursions. For some reason he would single out this 
 taciturn Englishman from the rest of the sportsmen 
 usually his uncles and cousins, of which he had a good 
 many and stick to him like a limpet through the live- 
 long day. Why, it is difficult to say. There only ex- 
 isted one child for whom the Earl had any very special 
 attractions, and she was down with German measles over 
 in the sea-spider's lair. Possibly the boy had learnt
 
 250 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 that his guest was to be the next Indian viceroy, and 
 therefore knew also that they would meet again. Any- 
 how, he stuck to him, and polished his French on him, 
 and now and then gave him a little Russian, which the 
 Englishman put by for future use. And the boy showed 
 him where the capercailzie nested among the rotting 
 autumn leaves. And his manifest devotion flattered my 
 lord, as devotion flatters any one, even his Beatitude 
 the Grand Llhama, provided he gets any. And it minded 
 the Earl that his usual companion was about the same 
 age as this sturdy youth who trudged at his side, and 
 that she also had fearless eyes of grey. And when, some- 
 times, the two of them had got deep into the forest, some 
 way from the uncles and cousins, whose host Nicholas 
 was, the Earl would tell him about his daughter over in 
 England, which was a very great mark of confidence 
 indeed. So the fortnight ended, and Framlingham hied 
 him back to the German measles, carrying the very live- 
 liest recollections of his young companion. Two years 
 later Nicholas paid a return visit to Tipton. The friend- 
 ship thus started promised to endure. 
 
 Henriette had found him charming from the very com- 
 mencement. She ventured to write as much to the dear 
 Baroness, his mother, who answered in faultless French, 
 and violet ink. Then came the boy's appointment to 
 his Paris embassy, about twelve months prior to the coup 
 d' etat. That brought him well within the lie of Devon- 
 shire. The Havre-Southampton route proved a very 
 good friend. And every one commenced to know why 
 he was so fond of Tipton-St.-John, and she as much as 
 anybody. And he knew that she knew it; though he 
 had never yet dared speak to her about his love. 
 
 He had loved her from the hour of their earliest meet- 
 ing, on the occasion of his first visit. He remem- 
 bered the incident well. She was seventeen at the time; 
 he a year her senior. She had worn the serge which she 
 had saturated on a former occasion, and her face had 
 borne the tiniest trace of colour; for she had ridden with 
 her father to the lodge gate to welcome the young Rus- 
 sian upon their threshold. 
 
 From that first meeting forward, then, he loved her.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 251 
 
 And his love grew with every sight. His mother was driven 
 permanently to an antiquated photograph whenever she 
 wanted to remind herself of his comely features. The 
 forests near Moscow Dmitroff was the name of his 
 native place knew him no more. Prehlen, his chief, 
 found him most neglectful. But Prehlen did not mind; 
 his methods differed from those employed in neighbour- 
 ing embassies. 
 
 This was Muriel's first visit to France since his ap- 
 pointment. No wonder he attached himself to her 
 train from the moment she alighted at the Terminus 
 Hotel, and dogged her down to Meaux without an invi- 
 tation. 
 
 My lord's feelings in the matter can be summed up 
 in wellnigh a single sentence; so can my lady's. He 
 did not want his daughter to marry yet a while. And 
 and one cannot deny it, Russia is a long way off. But 
 he never lost his first affection for the boy. Rather it 
 strengthened as the years went on. For he found him 
 honest and fearless and manly. Accordingly, he had no 
 objection, and meant to leave the choice entirely to her. 
 My lady, for her part, felt that with her face and parent- 
 age the girl might hope to do a good deal better. But 
 then, she was such an impudent little minx, that really 
 Henriette hardly cared what she did. Meanwhile, Nicho- 
 las still adored in silence, and they all sat at the cheer- 
 ful dinner, which partook of the nature of a family re- 
 union. For it also included Walter, gathered in from 
 the Faubourg St. Honore, where as Madame informed 
 "dear Louise" the young monkey had been behaving 
 rather indiscreetly with that contemptible Lady Threpps. 
 And it numbered last, but not least, the Honourable 
 Charles, who had turned up that morning from a solitary 
 ramble among the Jura "to collect ideas." 
 
 With the exception of Fersen, they were all very 
 lively. Even my lord unbent. He and his Countess ex- 
 changed one or two civil words. Louis, soft, amiable 
 fellow that he was, gave his home news with charming 
 desultoriness. He had silken chestnut hair and a pointed 
 beard and regular features, but a fatal weakness lingered 
 over all and negatived those advantages. He told his
 
 252 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 sister what a charming child Yvonne had grown, and all 
 about the skeleton index; and what a terrible little Impe- 
 rialist he was rearing in Paul. The child's present excite- 
 ment upset the whole chateau. He positively wanted to 
 be enrolled in the Emperor's body-guard there and then, 
 laughed Louis. And that sent Henriette off musing on 
 dear old days, and the Avenue des Villiers. 
 
 " I notice, dear Louis, " said she, "a certain Count 
 de Morin who appears to have had a considerable share 
 in the late glorious restoration." 
 
 "I also observe the name; and may add that I have 
 made a note of it for my history," Louis replied. "You 
 refer to the Grand Chamberlain? " 
 
 "I wonder whether he can be any relation to our old 
 Count? " 
 
 " I thought of that. " 
 
 ' ' What a dear, kind man he was, ' ' the sister continued, 
 her eyes softening. " Do you recollect how we used to 
 take complete possession of his apartment and declare it 
 in a state of siege? Poor Paul always the ringleader; 
 hours do I sit thinking of those dead days. How the 
 Count loved our darling." 
 
 " Oh, I must have forgotten. I was too young to re- 
 member the things you mention." 
 
 "Nonsense," Henriette rejoined tartly; "you were 
 past fourteen when we left Paris. Curious, we should 
 none of us ever have set eyes on the dear Count since 
 that feverish day. He must be dead this many a year." 
 
 "I expect so," Louis said in comforting tones. 
 
 " How does my little girl like Meaux, now that she "s 
 got here? " asked my lord. The tactless creature replied, 
 " Not very much, " adding that she pined for the sea. 
 Her candour broke the first beginnings of harmony at 
 that festive board. The Countess bridled at once. 
 
 "Naturally," she exclaimed, fixing Louis's blonde 
 beard with glittering eyes, "I might have expected that 
 Muriel would grudge me my visit to my old home " (which 
 latter substantive was poetic license). " Many weary 
 months do I have to await her pleasure in that soaking 
 Tipton; but my turn, it seems, never comes." 
 
 "Oh, mother "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 253 
 
 "It is unnecessary," Henriette pursued, her orbs still 
 fixed on Louis, "it is quite unnecessary to expostulate. 
 Deeds, not words, are what I judge by. Since July the 
 first, of last year, I have spent three weeks in Cannes, 
 six weeks in London, and the rest of the twelve months 
 in that living tomb. My dearest Charles, how did you 
 enjoy the Jura? Sweet boy, you have not told me one 
 word of yourself." 
 
 " I 'm all right," grumbled the favourite. And he 
 turned at once to Count Fersen, who was immersed in 
 the sayings and doings of his beloved. 
 
 " Nicholas, what does your chief think of affairs? " 
 
 The Russian did not trouble to look round; he hated 
 the Honourable Charles. " I do not know," he snapped 
 out. 
 
 "I think dear Walter's experience was the most ex- 
 traordinary," broke in Madame. "Dearest, give your 
 uncle your adventures with his Majesty." 
 
 "Oh please, mother," pleaded the charming young 
 fellow, " please spare me another recital. I have told the 
 story about nine hundred times already." 
 
 So Madame told it for him. How he had been up at 
 Oxford with this strange imperial foundling. How the two 
 of them had travelled to Paris in the same compartment, 
 that memorable night in June when Walter Sadler was 
 really on his way to win his throne. How they had met 
 frequently during the few weeks prior to the coup d'etat; 
 and how, on one occasion, dear Walter had been able to 
 perform a trifling service for his namesake in connection 
 with the dance at the British embassy. She narrated 
 these incidents just as our hero would have had them 
 narrated, had he been present; and the gentle young 
 lord listened and did not even smile. Count Fersen 
 heard never a word. 
 
 Madame wound up. 
 
 " Another coincidence. Our dear Louise Verre and 
 her husband also became very intimate with this Walter 
 Sadler. His Majesty remembers Walter Sadler's friends. 
 Verre, as you know, is almost the sole new minister; 
 and Louise writes me he is soon to be Premier. Indeed, 
 I hear on all sides the young fellow is really charming.
 
 254 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Dear Charles, your brother's good luck will help you 
 immensely. " 
 
 "Oh, I don't know," grumbled the saffron-coloured 
 lad. 
 
 "This week's L' Ilustratton," Madame rattled on, 
 "contains a portrait of him. Have you seen it? Walter 
 says that it is a good likeness." 
 
 Louis had not seen it, so his sister continued: 
 
 " I read in the papers that he means to come down to 
 the Villa Yvonne this summer. He will find it sadly out 
 of repair; the President never even knew of its existence. 
 Oh, dear, they will be gay in Paris this winter! Louis, 
 you may buy my house " Her husband was gazing so 
 benignantly at the chandelier that she kept the remainder 
 of her sentence over for future use. 
 
 "Well, my boy," the latter said at that moment, 
 breaking his long silence, "has the Jura helped you to 
 make up your mind? " 
 
 "Yes, sir," Charles replied. "I shall accept, and go 
 in October." 
 
 " Like a wise fellow. Let me tell you, you would not 
 get many men to work a thing in your favour as Lord 
 Threpps offers to do." 
 
 " I know, sir." But this was the pattern of the duti- 
 ful lad's mind, while he was giving such gentle acqui- 
 escence: 
 
 "The old muff will miss this vacancy just as he did 
 the others. We shall never get to India. A second-sec- 
 retaryship is better than no bread. That pig, Fersen, 
 seems to thrive on his. He and Muriel are about on a 
 par. I wish to heaven he 'd take her off to Moscow, 
 married or single. I should be well rid of them. The 
 fool looks business to-night." And, as a matter of fact, 
 the Honourable Charles, with an acumen befitting a 
 coming premier, had smashed down the right nail. The 
 young Russian not only looked business: he meant it. 
 The late two months of absence had convinced him that 
 he really could not get on without her any more. So 
 he had spent weeks writing reams to his mother. The 
 Baroness preferred a daughter-in-law in Dmitroff to her 
 son always in Devonshire. She sent back any number
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 255 
 
 of motherly blessings, all in faultless French, and violet 
 ink. The young fellow had taken his final resolve that 
 very night he and Walter Sadler had made one another 
 so angry. (Our hero probably did not know how near 
 he had come to having his nose whacked on that inter- 
 esting occasion.) Nicholas had confided in Lord Men- 
 dril; and they had decided that the first evening at the 
 Villa Henriette would be a fitting opportunity. That 
 was the reason for the former's unrequested presence. 
 
 The family took their coffee on the lawn that night, 
 and the good-natured Walter gave his prospective 
 brother-in-law a lift. The latter was standing disconso- 
 lately in the centre of the croquet-pitch, watching 
 well, we need not say what. Henriette and her brother 
 had settled to rest in easy-chairs underneath a pear tree; 
 while the Earl and the Honourable Charles were slowly 
 pacing the gravel walk behind them. Muriel had just 
 dropped her father's arm: she was now standing by 
 Madame's chair, running through the latest L 1 Illustration. 
 Its front page seemed to amuse her very much. 
 
 Mendril approached the unhappy young Russian and 
 nudged his arm. 
 
 "Nicholas," he said, "you get more timid and fool- 
 ish every day. Pluck up your courage, man: she can't 
 eat you. Muriel, put away that little yellow image " 
 he meant the presentment of his Majesty "and come 
 with us. We are going down to the river." 
 
 So Muriel put Napoleon away, and joined her brother. 
 And the worldly fellow slipped off to write some letters 
 before they had gone a hundred yards; and the two 
 survivors continued their course alone, and one was 
 smiling. 
 
 He had been with her like this half a hundred 
 times during the three and three quarter years of their 
 acquaintance and his love, and he had never been dumb 
 before. It was most annoying, just as he had made up 
 his mind to speak his heart. They reached the water's 
 edge in silence: they struck it almost opposite the spot 
 where she and the little unknown had had their meeting, 
 less than two hours back. 
 
 "Look!" said she, pointing across the river, "you
 
 256 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 can see the lights of the Villa Yvonne. Perhaps the 
 Emperor is already there," and she laughed. 
 
 "I hope not," he muttered; "the little beast." 
 
 She laughed again. "Nicholas, you do not seem to 
 like his Majesty." 
 
 " I met him when he was plain Monsieur Sadler." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " He did not strike me as a nice fellow in those days. " 
 
 "I do not agree with you." It was her way to tease 
 him; he merely said: "His portraits give you no proper 
 idea." 
 
 "But I have "and she laughed yet once more. 
 "Walter says the one in this week's L" Illustration is fairly 
 faithful." 
 
 " May be." And Nicholas's brain reverted to his own 
 business. 
 
 The stone bridge tempted them across into the Empe- 
 ror's grounds. They ascended the sloping path towards 
 the villa lights; and even came near enough to descry a 
 dumpy little figure upon the first-floor balcony, whom 
 both were at no pains to recognize. 
 
 "Muriel," the young man flung out, at length. "I 
 heard from my mother yesterday." 
 
 " Did you, Nicholas? Surely there is nothing wonder- 
 ful in that?" 
 
 "But she spoke about you." 
 
 "And that is not wonderful, either," said the girl. 
 He always loved her ten times more for these little 
 tokens of conscious sovereignty she was accustomed to 
 indulge in from time to time. " She knows what a great 
 goose her boy is. Father and I are going straight to 
 Dmitroff directly we get into Russia. We have mapped 
 out our tour. Moscow and your mother to begin with, 
 then Nijni-Novgorod, and a full month in St. Petersburg 
 to end up. You are going to be with us the whole time. 
 You shall interpret for us and do our shopping. And 
 perhaps, if we have the chance, we will spend a week in 
 those vast forests of yours, where you and father seemed 
 to have struck up your friendship. " Did I ever tell 
 you" she had, about a hundred times "what an 
 impression you made on him the first time you met? For
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 257 
 
 months after, he never tired of saying what a manly crea- 
 ture you were, how independent and brave, and yet how 
 gentle. He quite horrified the boys by wishing that they 
 had had a little more of you in them. He did not know 
 what a great goose you were in reality. But I know; 
 don't I, Nicholas?" 
 
 Nicholas's eyes were glistening. 
 
 "Won't you and your father come this autumn? " he 
 cried. It was then that they got nearest to the Empe- 
 ror's villa, and saw the outline of the dumpy figure. They 
 turned their faces once more to the river and their own 
 domain. 
 
 "Won't you come to Russia this autumn? I am going. 
 I have promised my mother; and there is my examina- 
 tion in November. Excepting for those three or four 
 days, the whole of my time shall be devoted to you." 
 
 " It is worth considering," the girl answered gravely. 
 "We must see what father says. I am afraid he will 
 have had enough of the Continent for one year." 
 
 "Muriel, he will go if only you want it very much." 
 Fersen pleaded. 
 
 " But I am not sure whether I do want it very much," 
 she laughed. " I must think about it a bit first. " 
 
 "Oh, Muriel." 
 
 " Nicholas, you are a terrible egotist. You are fright- 
 ened to make the cold journey all by yourself. There is 
 another thing," dropping her voice " father's chances 
 really are pretty decent this time. We may all of us 
 have to start for India in December: how would you like 
 that, goose? " 
 
 " I should not like it at all," he groaned. 
 
 " Mind, you must not breathe a word to a living soul. 
 I have been horribly indiscreet to tell you. I know you 
 will give the news to Prehlen; and he will sell it to the 
 Tsar. Well, I have put you on your word of honour. 
 Nothing is settled for certain; nothing beyond this, that 
 father saw Mr. Rodenham on Sunday night, and heard 
 then that his chance was as good as anyone's. 
 
 "I really do not know what I shall do, if you go to 
 India," moaned Nicholas. 
 
 "Come too, stupid. Monsieur Prehlen won't mind;
 
 258 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 you can send him secrets from Government House. You 
 may be of more use that way than you are at present. 
 Father says you 're the idlest young attache he 's ever 
 seen. Charles is quite shocked with you." 
 
 "I hate Charles," he snapped out. 
 
 Muriel's reproof lacked conviction. 
 
 "He is not respectful to your mother," Nicholas re- 
 torted. 
 
 "But he is her favourite." 
 
 " Then why does he speak to her so rudely? I never 
 address my mother in that way. And he cringes to his 
 father." 
 
 "Ah, that is because they are not on very good 
 terms." 
 
 " His conceit is unfathomable." 
 
 " Charles is very clever. He is going to be a great 
 man some day." 
 
 " How did he come to fail in his university examina- 
 tions? Walter got through. " 
 
 "You are a spiteful old thing. You sha'n't malign 
 him any further. You must try and like him. And you 
 will be kind to him this winter, for my sake." 
 
 "I '11 be kind to him," he grumbled; "but like him 
 I never can. Muriel," and his voice resought the old 
 softness, " Muriel, I heard from my mother yesterday." 
 
 Her voice softened too, though somewhat against 
 her will. She could but feel sorry. 
 
 "So you told me, Nicholas." 
 
 "And, Muriel, she she knows all. " 
 
 " Does she, Nicholas?" 
 
 "I told her everything." 
 
 "Oh, Nicholas, I am afraid you are a great, great 
 goose." 
 
 "She knows everything, Muriel, and she approves. 
 She gives her unqualified consent." 
 
 "What to, pray? " cries Muriel. 
 
 "You know I love you." 
 
 "Yes, silly boy, I know," once more quite low. 
 
 " Won't you be my wife? " 
 
 The question which had hovered on his tongue this 
 two years past was out at last. And they reached the
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 259 
 
 bridge while he spoke. They halted underneath the 
 flickering lamp. It had shone down upon another of 
 her admirers not so long ago. " Answer me, Muriel. 
 Do you not love me? " 
 
 "Oh, Nicholas," she pleaded, "really I do not 
 know."
 
 Chapter IV 
 
 Napoleon soon discovered how quickly time slips by 
 for the man with an engrossing occupation. Instead of 
 returning to Paris upon the Sunday evening, as he had 
 half promised Brisson, he lingered on from day to day 
 in this enchanting neighbourhood. A second Sunday was 
 already close at hand. 
 
 Not that his success justified so protracted an absence 
 from business. The girl gave him no direct encourage- 
 ment; and he was forced to extract as much comfort as 
 he could from the fact that he occasionally found her in 
 his grounds. In love, we argue much from slender prem- 
 ises: he took it she did not view his suit with absolute 
 disfavour. 
 
 But even this solacement proved of a diluted kind. 
 For days together, he caught no glimpse of this loved 
 being, though he loitered about the usual spot until a 
 late and often chilly hour. The third evening, perhaps, 
 after a couple such total disappearances, he would come 
 upon her reclining at full length with a book in front of 
 her (as she had lain just prior to that second interview 
 of famous memory), or strolling along the river path, 
 flinging stones lazily into the still lazier pools. She 
 always greeted him calmly, and with half-impudent sur- 
 prise; though she must have known full well that he 
 came here every evening on one exclusive errand, and 
 counted it a day lost and not worth the living, when it 
 failed of success. At times indeed and this was the near- 
 est approach to direct encouragement he could ever get 
 she would allow the merest tinge of dominion to colour 
 her attitude towards him, asking him to perform trifling 
 services that were absolutely unnecessary; and this for 
 no other conceivable reason so it seemed to him than 
 260
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 261 
 
 to show even the trees and river and the evening sky the 
 sway exercised by a fragile girl of twenty over a mighty 
 emperor. Beyond this, his exalted position seemed to 
 make no impression upon her. She treated him with 
 absolute and unquestionable disrespect, never giving 
 him any title, unless, as sometimes happened, he had 
 been induced by her pretty little assumptions of sover- 
 eignty to employ, on his part, tones of increasing tender- 
 ness. Then indeed, by means of frigid but never 
 exaggerated politeness, she would recall him to his 
 senses. 
 
 Either she was fortunate in her ingenuousness, or else 
 very, very clever; for she could have adopted no means 
 more calculated to fascinate and enslave. Each hour 
 her lover sank deeper into the morass of infatuation. It 
 was a complete surrender of body and soul. Apart from 
 her, he could do naught but think on the next meeting; 
 in her presence, he was paralyzed by the dread of a 
 speedy parting. Godefroy found that his powers of ap- 
 plication had disappeared entirely, and the old man felt 
 sick at heart, as much for the living cause of so much 
 idleness as for the idleness itself. 
 
 "Poor thing! poor thing! " he would mutter five or 
 six times a day in the privacy of his own peculiar cham- 
 ber, which already managed to resemble the green-room 
 of a transpontine theatre; "emperors and kings are 
 dangerous folk to play with, and this young woman will 
 fare like all the rest." He had seen her, and felt almost 
 a father's pity towards her fragile beauty and innocent 
 face. 
 
 Moreover, Godefroy was a stanch Brissonite, who 
 laboured under the conviction that any delay in taking 
 the offensive meant ruin to France. But like a wise man, 
 and one possessing deep knowledge and experience of 
 his brethren, he refrained from all remonstrance. He 
 left Napoleon severely alone, obeying his slightest order, 
 indeed, with the utmost punctuality; but not venturing 
 upon those small conversations, which up till now had 
 imparted a genial flavour to their mutual relations, be- 
 sides affording his Majesty an excuse for many a morn- 
 ing spent in idleness.
 
 262 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 But on a certain sultry afternoon (perhaps the tenth 
 of their sojourn there), as the genial fellow lay in his 
 basement room, gazing disconsolately at a dust-begrimed 
 vignette of Sarah Bernhardt, and feeling sick to death 
 with worry and weariness, a brilliant idea shot across his 
 brain. The clouds cleared from his brow almost by 
 magic. Writing generally came as an abomination to 
 him, yet he sprang without a moment's hesitation to a 
 small desk in an unobtrusive corner, and flung himself 
 full length over a sheet of blue-lined paper which slowly 
 very slowly took the shape of an urgent missive. It 
 was to Marshal Brisson, and it implored the latter to 
 come forthwith to Meaux to protect national interests 
 seriously imperilled. It was, furthermore, for Godefroy, 
 exceedingly long and eloquent. Save in times of stress, 
 his letters were like his utterances laconic; and he felt 
 considerable surprise, and no small amount of pride, when 
 he surveyed the four closely written sides of mingled 
 warning and entreaty produced by an hour's unremitting 
 toil. The concluding paragraph, in his opinion, showed 
 especial acuteness. 
 
 " An additional danger, " so he wound up, " threatens 
 us from the fact that this poor girl is half-English. 
 Might she not or rather, might not her father, the in- 
 solent Earl of Framlingham use her growing power to 
 betray us? Do not hesitate a moment, I beseech. Al- 
 ready some uncanny spirit whispers me that this may be 
 the beginning of the end." 
 
 Godefroy covered the back of the envelope with red 
 sealing-wax, and the wax with numberless impressions 
 taken from an unwieldy bronze and agate seal, which 
 had in earlier days stamped the death-warrants of the 
 Thedtre du Peuple. This completed, the valet summoned 
 the most trustworthy among his subordinates and sent 
 him off as a special messenger to Paris. Then he threw 
 himself once more upon his baize sofa to await the Min- 
 ister's reply. 
 
 Nor did he have to wait long. Near eleven the same 
 evening, while he was making ready to carry up the can- 
 dles, Brisson walked unannounced into his room. 
 
 The Minister of War looked gaunt and soldierly as
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 263 
 
 ever; no trace of emotion over his thin face. His voice, 
 when he spoke, was equally unconcerned. "Aha, Gode- 
 froy," said he, nodding slightly, "here I am. I know 
 you are not the man to write 'urgent' without good cause." 
 
 The butler turned slowly round from his candles and 
 surveyed the new-comer with a countenance no less im- 
 passive. ' ' Marshal, ' ' he exclaimed, ' ' you remove a load 
 from my mind. Be seated. And pray pray excuse me 
 for a few minutes. ' ' He shambled off with the Emperor's 
 night-lights, saw to all his master's requirements, tested 
 a few bolts and shutters, and then returned, always de- 
 liberately, to this quasi-midnight conference. 
 
 Their conversation lasted until close upon twelve. 
 Godefroy's narrative came slowly, but it was full of local 
 colour, and the Marshal listened to him without inter- 
 ruption. The whole history of the intrigue soon lay 
 bare before him. The valet had heard from Napoleon 
 of the earlier meetings, both in London and by the river- 
 side on the first afternoon of their arrival. What later 
 ones had taken place he could not tell ; but this he knew, 
 that the Emperor went every day towards the river, and 
 that they were lingering on here without open purpose. 
 He passed on from this recital of his master's infatua- 
 tion to a description of the girl's innocent beauty. Brisson 
 interrupted him with an exclamation of disgust. 
 
 "Faugh!" he cried in an abrupt manner not usual 
 with him, " Godefroy, where are your brains? I have not 
 seen this fairy, but your description convinces me that 
 she is a scheming, designing adventuress, notwithstand- 
 ing her blue blood, on which you seem to lay such stress. 
 Why, you must have come across many a score of her 
 sort in your day." 
 
 "I am an older man than you," Godefroy rejoined 
 harshly; " and as you say, I have seen women of all sorts 
 in my time. Mark my word, Marshal Brisson, this girl 
 is as delicate and pure and innocent as " 
 
 "Oh, never mind her. At present we have to think 
 only about him. Finish your tale." 
 
 So the valet finished his tale, with sullenness now, 
 but no change of pace, and Brisson sat for a while, 
 after it was ended, wrapt in thought.
 
 264 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " It is no use, ' ' said he at last, breaking a long silence, 
 "I must speak with his Majesty at once." 
 
 " Quite impossible. The Emperor went to bed an 
 hour ago." 
 
 " I will beg an interview the first thing in the morn- 
 ing." 
 
 "More and more absurd," Godefroy returned with 
 acrid monotony. The other's remarks about Muriel had 
 ruffled him. 
 
 "Why is it absurd? " asked the Marshal. 
 
 " His Majesty will stand no hectoring from you. He 
 would bid you mind your own business, and want to know, 
 besides, why you came here uninvited. No, no, not even 
 that poor little master of ours is likely to tolerate dicta- 
 tion on such a subject." 
 
 Brisson passed a hand across his brow with a gesture 
 betokening absolute impotence. " I am afraid you are 
 right," he groaned. Then, caught by a sudden burst of 
 unconquerable anger, he sprang to his feet and strode to 
 and fro about the room. 
 
 " I made him, I made him," he cried, savagely; " and 
 behold his gratitude! But for me, he might have found 
 himself compelled to return to his miserable London gar- 
 ret. Why did I risk my head, the blood of countless 
 better men? He is not " . 
 
 The Minister came to a broken ending from sheer 
 emotion. Godefroy gave him a few minutes' grace in 
 case he might desire to add anything. He did not, but 
 instead threw himself wearily into his chair. So the valet 
 began : 
 
 " Do not let us be foolish. There must be a plan 
 somewhere, and we shall not get at it by shouting up and 
 down the room like maniacs. Now I make this sugges- 
 tion: you go straight to the young lady herself and " 
 
 Brisson sprang bolt upright. 
 
 "The very thing. I will go to-morrow." 
 
 "Then there is nothing more to be said," the old fel- 
 low answered, rising, "except that I am dead tired, and 
 it is close on midnight." 
 
 Brisson rose too, and suffered a candlestick to be 
 thrust into his hand. His thoughts were far away;
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 265 
 
 so far indeed that the valet was tempted to ask ab- 
 ruptly: 
 
 " How will you deal with Mademoiselle? " 
 
 " I shall beg of her in the interests of our dear coun- 
 try. If that fails, I shall venture to remind her of her 
 good name. If that fails, I shall warn her" here his 
 eyes kindled "that France of to-day has neither love 
 for kings' mistresses nor fat places for their bastards." 
 
 "Take care, take care," said Godefroy; and he 
 sought his own chamber, not quite so satisfied with his 
 afternoon's work as he had hoped to be. 
 
 The Minister of War took breakfast in his bedroom, 
 and set about his errand immediately this meal was 
 ended. He chose the most roundabout way, keeping 
 along the high road and by-lanes, in order not to pass 
 through the grounds which lay directly underneath the 
 library window. Even then his visit was an early one; 
 and Monsieur Pons, the hall porter of the Villa Henriette, 
 made no effort to conceal the suspicion wherewith he 
 regarded the tall, ungainly man who stood quite at his 
 ease beneath the glass-roofed porch, and demanded not 
 even apologetically an interview with the Lady Muriel. 
 
 Brisson's card, however, sufficed to soothe the zealous 
 domestic. The Minister was ushered into a small wait- 
 ing-room, while Pons went off to inform his mistress of 
 her distinguished visitor. He speedily returned, and de- 
 sired his Excellency, with many bows, to follow him to 
 Mademoiselle's boudoir. 
 
 " She is accessible, for a future empress," the visitor 
 muttered grimly, as he obeyed. 
 
 Lady Muriel's boudoir had, once upon a time, and 
 that not so long ago been Lady Muriel's schoolroom; 
 for she was but just now grown altogether free of com- 
 pulsory education. Signs of its quondam scholastic char- 
 acter still lingered; and the first thing that the Minister 
 noticed upon entering was a large globe which stood in 
 the embrasure of an oriel window. It appeared to con- 
 sist of some soft, cork-like substance; small flags were 
 stuck about it in disordered and apparently planless pro- 
 fusion. The western hemisphere was uppermost. With 
 his keen glance Brisson could see distinctly that two
 
 266 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 flags, the tricolour and the union jack, were stuck side 
 by side in the very heart of France. His brain, how- 
 ever, was less keen. He found no significance in this 
 geographical demarcation. 
 
 He turned at once to the young girl, who stood expect- 
 ant beside the door. She still held his card; and the 
 bright flush which had not yet died from out her cheeks, 
 lending lustre to the eyes, made him look at her with 
 added interest. In this case, his brain was more acute. 
 "God alone knows what she thinks my errand is," he 
 murmured. 
 
 " Marshal Brisson desires to speak with me? " 
 
 "If Mademoiselle will allow? " 
 
 She motioned him to a chair, which he would have 
 much rather foregone, feeling, as he did, that his present 
 task needed his full six-foot. The girl herself remained 
 standing beside the globe, and within the windowed 
 recess. 
 
 For all her high-bred bearing, she could not quite 
 conceal the smile that played about her mouth and lent 
 so great a charm to her youth. But it was a smile which 
 died away by pin-points as Brisson proceeded. 
 
 Never very eloquent, he spoke to-day with the utmost 
 difficulty, sometimes hesitating a minute or two for a 
 single word. But it must be confessed that his errand 
 was a delicate one. Now that he found himself face to 
 face with the girl, he kept wondering how he had ever 
 had the temerity to seek an interview upon such meagre 
 grounds. 
 
 " Mademoiselle," he began forlornly, gazing the while 
 with undue concentration into the crown of his hat, 
 "Mademoiselle cannot but be aware of the impression 
 which she has made upon the Emperor? " 
 
 Mademoiselle made no answer. Only the smile deep- 
 ened. As for Brisson, he did not notice her face, inas- 
 much as he was still busy with his hat. He took the 
 silence to imply an admission of his premises. 
 
 "But does Mademoiselle reflect that any distraction 
 at this moment may turn the Emperor from imperative 
 duties, and prove, perchance, disastrous to our beautiful 
 France? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 267 
 
 By the time he had finished, the smile was gone en- 
 tirely, leaving the face as motionless as marble. 
 
 " I am English," she answered coldly. 
 
 "Ah, yes," he urged, still all persuasion; " but there 
 is some of our blood in your veins. And France gives 
 you a beautiful home." 
 
 " We pay for it, Monsieur," she replied with a cheer- 
 less laugh. 
 
 This schoolgirl answer and her grating manner nearly 
 stung him into an impatient rejoinder. But, though no 
 De Morin, he was diplomat enough to recognize that he 
 was already and altogether on the wrong tack. Accord- 
 ingly he very wisely bridled his tongue and suffered a 
 minute to elapse in silence. 
 
 When he spoke again, it was in a modulated, wellnigh 
 honeyed manner, common enough among many of his 
 countrymen, but hardly in keeping with his own stern 
 and flinty appearance. 
 
 " There is something that a young girl should love 
 even more than her country," said he, now looking her 
 fairly in the face "her honour. Believe me, my dear 
 young lady, you imperil it by even thinking of the Em- 
 peror. He could never marry you, however sorry he 
 might feel for having wronged you. He may grow to 
 nay, perhaps to-day he loves you tenderly enough; but 
 in his love lies your danger. You alone can guard your- 
 self. Just as you alone will be to blame, if this ends in 
 your disgrace and the shame of a noble family." 
 
 Her face had grown ashen. 
 
 "This is intolerable! " she cried shrilly. "How do 
 you know that I have exchanged a single word with your 
 parvenu Emperor? " 
 
 "You did not deny it a few moments back." 
 
 " Oh, well, if I have," she went on vehemently, like a 
 passionate child who hardly knows what she is saying, 
 " it is his fault, not mine. I do n't seek him out. He 
 forces himself upon me. Besides," and these next 
 words were uttered with great disdain, "I should think 
 that a Mendril might be trusted to guard her honour 
 against the wiles of a little attorney." 
 
 There was something so childish, so immature, so im-
 
 268 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 potent, about her rage, that for the life of him he could 
 feel nothing but a half contemptuous pity in return. In 
 addition, he was more than twice her age, and he would 
 have thought it shame to have been angered by her, had 
 her methods been ten times as skilful. But either he 
 underrated her capabilities or, overestimated his own 
 powers of endurance. 
 
 "If I have done you wrong," he said gravely, "I 
 am truly sorry. My desire in this matter is to serve you 
 no less than my master. If, however, on the other hand 
 and your anger seems to me to bear out this latter 
 alternative, I am right, and you are jeopardizing your 
 good name, then I beg you to pay heed to my warning." 
 
 " And I, in return, beg you to relieve me of your pres- 
 ence, " she replied, with a deliberation which strove to re- 
 semble his, "you have been guilty of an unpardonable 
 rudeness, thus to force your way into a private house and 
 insult a defenceless girl." Her passion once more got the 
 better of her, shaking her slender frame from head to foot. 
 "If my father or my brothers were here," she cried, 
 " they should whip you. But of course you take good 
 care to come when they are away from home. You 
 French are all alike. You need the Germans back to 
 show the world that bullies are always cowards." . 
 
 An oath leapt to his lips. "We French will show 
 in good time whether we are cowards or not. For the 
 rest, Mademoiselle, be sure of this: we have not re-es- 
 tablished the Empire to benefit harlots or royal bas- 
 tards." And with this cruel insult he turned upon his 
 heels and quitted room and house, without bestowing so 
 much as a nod in acknowledgment of Monsieur Pons's 
 elaborate bow. 
 
 To do him justice, his anger was mainly shame for 
 his unwarrantable words. After all, her outburst had 
 not been altogether without justification; while no taunt, 
 however bitter, could excuse his own. So he returned to 
 the Villa Yvonne full of blind rage, and Godefroy ob- 
 tained the merest skeleton of the fiasco. 
 
 Brisson, the calm, precise, soldierly Brisson, in- 
 stead, strode up and down the pantry like a caged tiger 
 suddenly become talkative.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 269 
 
 "I will go to Turkey," he said fiercely, "and offer 
 my sword there. France is no place for me, nor for 
 any one who is a man. I will leave it, and try and for- 
 get it." 
 
 When Muriel returned from her morning walk not 
 that they all took her into other people's parks she 
 found a stout and elderly gentlemen waiting patiently at 
 the farther end of the hall for what seemed nothing in 
 particular. His eyes were closed, and as she passed 
 him on her way to the drawing-room, she took stock of 
 his close-cropped iron-grey hair, his fat, ruddy face, his 
 shining alpaca coat, and the soft white Panama hat with 
 broad black silk ribbon which lay some little distance in 
 front of him upon the tessellated pavement. Indeed, 
 the last-named article nearly tripped her up, for the hall 
 was badly lighted, and dark on the brightest days. 
 
 "Is it Mademoiselle the daughter of the house? " he 
 asked softly, with eyes peering forth from such nar- 
 row slits she could hardly believe that he was awake. 
 
 " Yes," she replied. 
 
 "Then may I have a word with Mademoiselle in 
 private? " 
 
 " Pons !" she cried, turning angrily to the hall porter, 
 " Pons, I thought I ordered you not to let any strangers 
 in! What is the meaning of this? " and she pointed 
 disdainfully at Godefroy, who kept his seat with stolid 
 unconcern. 
 
 Monsieur Pons hurried forward, all zeal and anxiety. 
 
 "This is only a gentleman from the library at Meaux. 
 He comes to change my lady's books." 
 
 "I have no subscription," she said with contempt. 
 "You have no business here, sir. Be good enough to 
 go this instant. " 
 
 Pons, meanwhile, had again withdrawn to a discreet 
 distance. He was a little man, and one with a horror of 
 bloodshed; Godefroy seized the opportunity. 
 
 He rose, and advanced a step towards her. 
 
 " Of course I will depart, if Mademoiselle so desires it. 
 But may I not first set right this morning's terrible mis- 
 take? "' 
 
 It was the persuasiveness of Got and Bernhardt rolled
 
 270 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 into one, and yet restrained within the limits of a sim- 
 ple intensity that was absolutely devoid of gesture. And 
 she, who scarcely knew the great originals, could not 
 fail to be touched and moved from her set purpose. 
 
 Moreover, she yearned for some apology, some com- 
 paratively healing salve for the unmanly wound which 
 Brisson had inflicted. Were they altogether undeserved, 
 these insults which he ought never to have uttered? 
 She did not feel quite easy on that score. Truly 
 the first meeting was innocent enough. It occurred 
 on the day of her arrival in France. She had never 
 before knowingly set eyes upon the Emperor; and 
 she had no means of recognizing the sallow little figure 
 whose soliloquy she interrupted by the river-side. But 
 behold ! at home, that same evening, on opening the 
 front page of the new L 1 Illustration, she came across 
 the yellow unknown once more face to face, and there 
 could be no further doubt as to his identity. Yet two 
 days later she permitted herself to wander back into the 
 Park Yvonne, and ask questions about Russian princesses ! 
 And then, when she had let him know that she knew 
 who he was, she still met him, rarely indeed, and al- 
 ways by accident, and only for a few minutes each time; 
 but in love, as in law, the principle is the thing; and 
 where you dig the trenches, the water soon comes, for 
 the land lies much below the level of the sea. She did 
 not try to blink these unpleasant facts. Nay, if any- 
 thing, she exaggerated them, now that they were thus 
 arrayed before her, giving them more than their full sig- 
 nificance. The cowardly Frenchman the only name 
 she had for Brisson was armed with a weapon of her 
 own forging. She had spent the morning, after his de- 
 parture, in sharp regrets for her imprudence. In her 
 first agony she called it something worse. Nor did she 
 get much solace from the hastily registered vow which 
 promised greater circumspection in all her future deal- 
 ings with mankind. 
 
 But she was, after all, little more than a child, and an 
 erring mortal besides. Only in novels is it permitted to 
 paint the character a single colour black or white or 
 grey at the outset, and to launch it upon its changeless,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 271 
 
 immutable course through three volumes. Real life 
 gives the lie to any such arbitrary labelling, and reiter- 
 ates, day by day, that one everlasting commonplace which 
 declares the good in men to be mingled with the evil. 
 Our characters are kaleidoscopic, having in them the 
 materials for every pattern the ugliest as well as the 
 most beautiful. Or, and the writer claims for these 
 tropes merely that they convey the faintest shadow of 
 his meaning, we resemble church organs, with pipes for 
 every note, and notes for every melody, when it pleases 
 favouring Circumstance to sit at the stops. This young 
 girl must be judged by the common standard. Barely 
 twenty, full of animal spirit, and conscious enough of her 
 own rank to be careless of conventionalities, she had 
 dallied with a danger which might one day plunge her 
 into disgrace. She knew this well, that emperors are 
 ticklish people to meddle with; that she did wrong in 
 ever putting foot within his gates. But she was far from 
 being the scheming woman that Brisson imagined, or the 
 vicious one that, in his rage, he had suggested. Indeed, 
 her mind was fresh, and healthy, and coldly pure. She 
 was not ignorant; but she was entirely innocent, and 
 felt merely indifferent contempt for passions which she 
 had never known. But she appreciated Brisson's insult 
 to the full. The very memory of it burnt the blushes 
 into her pale proud face. 
 
 Her schemes were equally the phantoms of his brain. 
 Her cold, disdainful nature was not incompatible with 
 an ardent and rich imagination and an overpowering 
 ambition, both of which may have come to her with her 
 mother's blood. From the days of her earliest thinking 
 childhood, it had been a habit with her to wander soli- 
 tary, now beside the river Marne, now among the red 
 chalk downs of her English home, her mind busy with 
 the building of innumerable magnificent castles, wherein 
 she always held the proudest place. 
 
 Passing events had their effect upon the structure. 
 To-day, she pictured herself a famous lady doctor, bring- 
 ing hope into many a home where death impended. To- 
 morrow, she would figure as the wife of some great pre- 
 mier, having, herself, no mean voice if hidden in the
 
 272 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 councils of the nation. At another time her day-dream 
 wrought the sheen of literary creation into its texture. 
 A marvellous novel, a poem which shook men's hearts, 
 one or the other, and she did not much care which, 
 would burst with meteoric abruptness upon an astonished 
 world: the question of the hour, who wrote it? and the 
 answer not long withheld. 
 
 She resembled Napoleon in this. She resembled 
 many a better man too; for these vagrant fancies are 
 not the exclusive monopoly of flabby wills. Most of us 
 at times build castles in Spain; though, as a rule, they 
 are constructed very much in outline, and are hastily 
 demolished. "How I should like to be a great general," 
 says one, and then directly the guards and their music 
 have passed by, and his bus can get on again, he straight- 
 way loses this haphazard martial ardour, and resumes 
 his study of the money column. "What would I give to 
 be a leading parliamentarian and the friend of royalty," 
 says another as he gazes enviously at the right-hand box 
 on the first tier. Behold! when he is in the very midst 
 of a ghostly dinner-party at Marlborough House, and no 
 less a person than his royal host has asked him what he 
 means to do with the next Employers' Liability Bill, up 
 goes the curtain, and all sinks into nothingness beside 
 the troubles of some lady who does for three acts. 
 
 With Muriel it was different. Much alone, and fonder 
 of the open air than of books, she made these palaces 
 often, and always elaborately; every nook and corner of 
 them all being, so to speak, furnished ; and every room 
 inhabited. 
 
 Hence, for days she had been walking about as Em- 
 press of the French, the central figure of a dazzling court. 
 Even this morning, since Brisson's abrupt departure, she 
 could not banish that absorbing picture. The Marshal's 
 disgrace and exile were, for the moment, the phantom 
 results of ^r phantom greatness. 
 
 It must be confessed, however, this last dream differed 
 from all the others that had preceded it. Those had 
 never contemplated actual fulfilment. For one thing, 
 they were too varied; while, moreover, most of them 
 predicated some opportunity which never offered, or an
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 273 
 
 effort which was effectually barred by the comfort of her 
 position. They gave her the warmth that she did not 
 need, just as they give warmth to poorer folk who have 
 nothing else. She recognized them to be merely exhil- 
 arants, and she did not enjoy them any the less on that 
 account. But here came a dream suggested by the 
 chance itself. It was not in human nature to cast it 
 boldly to one side. 
 
 The laughing side of her nature no inconsiderable 
 element must also bear some portion of the blame. 
 After all, it was a great joke, this playing tricks on his 
 Majesty Napoleon IV, and a joke wherein only two 
 people need take any part. Her inexperience contributed ; 
 for it caused her to overlook their relative positions. 
 A few meetings had sufficed to show that he was her 
 slave, or well on the road to that devout consummation; 
 consequently she felt no reverence towards his person. 
 As for his name, she did not give the matter a thought. 
 She was a Mendril. " In the beginning God created 
 the heaven and the earth," and the Mendrils. That was 
 sufficient. If any question arose at all, it touched his 
 eligibility rather than hers. 
 
 "I will hear you," she said simply. "Come," and 
 she led the way into her small boudoir. She offered 
 him Brisson's chair, which still stood where the latter 
 had left it, facing the globe and the oriel window. Gode- 
 froy shook his head. " I am a plain serving-man, and I 
 prefer to stand." Muriel herself moved to a position in 
 front of the fireplace, and was now directly underneath 
 a large engraving of her father, resplendent in the robes 
 of his order, with the garter round his knee. It was not 
 altogether unpremeditated, this shielding of herself 
 beneath the aegis of "Walter, twenty-ninth Earl of 
 Framlingham, K. G. ," and much more besides. Gode- 
 froy caught the significance. He compared the portrait 
 with the living face, and saw in both the same haughty, 
 high-bred air, which gave to them a likeness, though 
 their features were entirely dissimilar. 
 
 "Before anything else," he began, "I must convey 
 to you Marshal Brisson's heartfelt apologies." 
 
 She went crimson, but did not stop him.
 
 274 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " He bids me express his very deepest regret, though 
 he is well aware that he can never hope for an absolute 
 pardon. But I abase myself on his behalf. Whatever 
 reparation Mademoiselle suggests shall be made. So 
 much I am authorized to promise." 
 
 " It would have been better not to have recalled this 
 matter." 
 
 Godefroy began to think so too. But he could not 
 now draw back. " Mademoiselle," he implored, stretch- 
 ing out both hands, "please hear me out. Figuratively, 
 Marshal Brisson eats the dust in his contrition. Unless 
 you forgive him, he declares his heart never will. Unless 
 you forgive him, he dies. He told me so himself; and I 
 know him of old to be a man of his word." 
 
 "I do not desire to hear his name mentioned again." 
 
 " But, Mademoiselle, won't you accept this offer? 
 Whenever you are in Paris, he will leave that city, as 
 being unworthy to breathe the same air. And he will 
 remain away until you again depart. You need but give 
 me, say, two days' warning, and he goes within the forty- 
 eight hours, whatever be his duties, or however great 
 their importance." 
 
 She could not hide a faint smile. From this point of 
 view the thing seemed so absurd. 
 
 "Possibly Mademoiselle would prefer some other 
 atonement?" he urged with anxious eagerness. "Let 
 the Marshal but know of it, and I am convinced it is as 
 good as done." 
 
 "I go to Paris too seldom," she answered, still 
 smiling, " for this to be much of a punishment." 
 
 "You cannot mean that he is to kill himself? " the 
 valet implored. " Reflect, dear lady, the Minister is a 
 useful public servant, as well as being the only son of his 
 mother." 
 
 " No, no," she laughed outright; " he may live; only 
 do not say any more about him. Don't imagine for an 
 instant that I do not blame myself as much as I do him: 
 I did wrong to make game of his Majesty. It was merely 
 a foolish, schoolgirl joke." 
 
 "Am I to take it that Mademoiselle cares nothing for 
 Napoleon's happiness? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 275 
 
 " I deny your right to link his name with mine,*' she 
 retorted hotly. " I freely admit I have played with fire. 
 That I have burnt my fingers, can need no admission. 
 But at this point, Monsieur, the matter must end for 
 good and all. I desire that you will leave me." 
 
 Brave words! decided enough in manner and in sub- 
 stance, but Godefroy was convinced that he could detect 
 in them the flicker of a dying resistance. He flung his 
 last card upon the table. Coming a single step nearer to 
 her and the fireplace, and stretching out his hat, clasped 
 tight in both hands, prayerfully towards her, he whispered: 
 
 " The Emperor loves you to distraction. I know it; 
 I am his valet. Why should you not marry him? do you 
 forget the Countess de Teba? " 
 
 "The Mendrilsare far above the Montijos, " came the 
 beating of her heart. But she did not answer; and he, 
 following up his victory now half won, poured out a pas- 
 sionate tale of Napoleon's love. 
 
 According to his faithful servitor, the sovereign of 
 France neither ate, slept, nor worked. He could not be 
 said even to live, except during the two or three hours 
 spent at eventide beside the river in seeking after after 
 Mademoiselle. " And be sure of this: in the end he will 
 marry you. I knew the under-valet to Louis Napoleon, 
 and I declare that this young Emperor has a tenacity of 
 purpose far greater than that ever possessed by his 
 cousin, or indeed suspected by any one connected with 
 him, aye, including himself. His iron will is hidden under 
 an amiable discursiveness, especially towards ladies, 
 which many mistake for weakness. Believe me, Made- 
 moiselle, sooner or later he will marry you, whether you 
 like it or not." 
 
 Then, without giving her a chance of repudiating this 
 confident assertion, Godefroy hurried on to more vital 
 matters. This dalliance at Meaux he had full authority 
 for what he was saying meant a terrible danger to the 
 Empire. The triple alliance hung, a much overdue thun- 
 der-cloud, over their borders. The Emperor had been 
 deceived, in his ignorance of diplomatic ways, by the con- 
 gratulations from the various embassies. He was march- 
 ing daily towards the edge of the abyss.
 
 276 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 It was at this point that the old fellow extracted the 
 only sentence from Muriel which could in any way be 
 construed as an assent to his scheming. And as she 
 uttered it, her eyes shone with a curious lustre. 
 
 " I, for one, hope that we may soon have a chance of 
 beating Prussia." 
 
 "Will Mademoiselle kindly repeat?" exclaimed Gode- 
 froy. " I am hard of hearing." 
 
 "My mother is French;" she blushed, and relapsed 
 into her former nervous silence. 
 
 "The destinies of France," Godefroy solemnly re- 
 turned, "are in Mademoiselle's keeping. In every way 
 is Mademoiselle worthy of the Emperor. If she permits 
 him to become her suitor, and at once, without an in- 
 stant's delay, uses the great influence she will thus pos- 
 sess, to meet the storm which is about to burst over us, 
 all may yet be well. If, on the contrary, she shows my 
 master that she is a prize reserved for higher hands," 
 he bowed to cover a smile, " or if, worse still, she per- 
 sists in making fun of the devotion of a noble heart, in 
 enchaining a brain which ought to be perfectly free to 
 guard France, then Mademoiselle, and Mademoiselle 
 alone, must bear the blame. She will have blotted out 
 her mother's nation from the earth." 
 
 He bowed, and half turned toward the door. 
 
 "Neither the Marshal nor I intends to remember that 
 we have even seen you. Mademoiselle, adieu! " and he 
 bowed once more, and this time departed. A very dif- 
 ferent exit to Brisson's. Yet of the two interviews, this 
 one left by much the nastier taste. 
 
 He had put his suggestion with such delicate tact that 
 it was some time before she fully grasped the depths of 
 its enormity. This low-born valet had dared to counsel 
 her, the daughter of almost a hundred earls, to entrap 
 the Emperor and seal their betrothal with the sacrifice 
 of millions of lives? The thought alone was monstrous; 
 and, worse still, her silence had given an apparent assent 
 to so abominable a proposition. 
 
 Such an apprehension must be immediately dispelled. 
 She rushed to her escritoire and commenced a haughty 
 impersonal disclaimer, which would have amused Code-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 277 
 
 froy very much. Presently she reflected that she did not 
 know the miserable creature's name. Besides besides, 
 the Emperor loved her that point no man could gain- 
 say. And how her heart yearned for the ermine-bor- 
 dered purple. 
 
 So she tore the note into many pieces. Presently she 
 walked once more to the fireplace; and, leaning with 
 both her elbows upon the mantelpiece, gazed long and 
 earnestly at her reflexion in the mirror of its marble 
 ledge. 
 
 " The Emperor loves you," said she under her breath. 
 "You can see so much for yourself, without butlers to 
 tell you. Why should he not marry you? There need 
 be no plotting: go your own way quietly, and if he seeks 
 you out, let him, you are his equal. As for war, my 
 father declares that Germany might any day burst across 
 the frontier; my mother is always sighing for the 
 'revanche,' there can be no harm, his knowing what 
 they think." 
 
 Her eyes wandered to a faded cabinet group leaning 
 against a clock that did not go. It represented the 
 efforts of some young lady friend at Tipton; and it dis- 
 closed the family, Fersen among them, gathered on the 
 lawn before Mendril Court. 
 
 "Oh, Nicholas," she murmured plaintively, "if only 
 you were more determined."
 
 Chapter V 
 
 Godefroy went back to his pantry, certain of victory. 
 The fates were working in his favour: on his arrival at 
 the Villa Yvonne, he found that a telegram from the 
 War Office had summoned Brisson to Paris, "which will 
 simplify matters very much," he muttered, with a com- 
 placent smile. 
 
 It was Sunday, and the eleventh day of their stay. 
 Even Napoleon marked the flight of time. The calendar 
 began to worry him. That, among many other things. 
 He turned the telltale face towards the wall; but he 
 could not keep his mind from running on a picture of 
 Brisson's impatience, or the reality of Godefroy's glum 
 demeanour. So his morning went its way with all the 
 rest; though he might have been a trifle less torpid, had 
 he known how the two gentlemen mentioned above were 
 spending theirs. And the valet's appearance to an- 
 nounce lunch, came as an agreeable diversion. 
 
 It proved also somewhat of a surprise. The man's 
 face was wreathed with smiles. A change indeed from 
 the thunder-clouds of the preceding week. 
 
 "Why, Godefroy! " stared his Majesty, "what in the 
 world has come to you? " 
 
 "To me, sire?" replied Godefroy, hastily opening his 
 arms and gazing down the front of his waistcoat. 
 
 " Yes. You are as lively as a cricket." 
 
 "Oh, the beautiful country air always affects me." 
 
 "It takes time." 
 
 "His Majesty is right, it does take time. But it 
 wins in the end." 
 
 "I am glad that it has won; for we shall soon have 
 to be gone from Paradise. 
 
 The other opened his eyes. 
 278
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 279 
 
 "Yes," continued Napoleon, not marking this exhi- 
 bition of surprise. "There is a council of ministers at 
 twelve on Wednesday, besides an interview afterwards 
 with Brisson and the Commandant of Paris." 
 
 " But General Changarnier comes here to-morrow. " 
 
 "On quite separate business. See to a train about 
 nine Tuesday." 
 
 Godefroy bowed, and turned in silence to the Em- 
 peror's Beaune. 
 
 "His late Majesty," he said presently, dusting the 
 mouth of the bottle, "never spent anytime in the coun- 
 try without at least one small dinner-party. It forms 
 little nests of partisans in various widely distant neigh- 
 bourhoods. " 
 
 Napoleon started. Godefroy imperturbably extracted 
 the last speck of cork. 
 
 "And both he and the Empress always liked to have 
 people round them. Now I could manage a small affair 
 for to-morrow night. The Grand Chamberlain and 
 General Changarnier will be here in the morning." 
 
 "Do as you please," drawled Napoleon; "you 
 have forgotten the seltzer thanks; do as you please. " 
 
 Godefroy did as he pleased, and in consequence spent 
 an exceedingly busy afternoon. He issued invitations 
 to Monsieur Verre and Madame, to the Mayor and his 
 good lady, and last, though not least, to the Earl and 
 Countess of Framlingham, Lord Mendril, and the Lady 
 Muriel Mendril. De Morin and Changarnier would com- 
 plete the number. Prince Felix Bonaparte might possi- 
 bly make a twelfth. He had already thrown his shadow 
 before him in the shape of a post-card directed to his 
 cousin, asking for a few days' invitation "to your 
 charming little box, which I hear is replete with every 
 convenience. My health needs change: Auteuil is re- 
 laxing, and contains no restaurants." 
 
 The following morning Napoleon took on his lawn in 
 the enjoyment of a little unconcealed idleness. It was 
 very peaceful out of doors; and he was all the more 
 contented and tranquil, as he lay sunning himself, be- 
 cause he had definitely chosen peace. The resolve had 
 come to him by easy stages, but it was none the less
 
 280 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 firmly fixed. And one of his reasons for this forenoon 
 spent al fresco was to rehearse the speech wherewith 
 to communicate the decision to his ministers the follow- 
 ing Wednesday. 
 
 "Yes," he meditated, " I shall make the statement 
 on that day. If they do n't like it, they may go. They 
 won't like it; Brisson will influence them, and Carache 
 is so weak. They won't find me very docile. Indeed, 
 now I come to think of it, this is a favourable opportunity 
 to get rid of the old gang. I '11 dismiss Carache, and 
 get get oh, well, there are plenty of ex-premiers avail- 
 able. I can consult Godefroy. " 
 
 The Grand Chamberlain broke in upon his reveries 
 all too soon. The old gentleman came trotting across 
 the lawn long before lunch-time. Napoleon noticed he 
 looked strangely perturbed. 
 
 " Dear master," he burst out, so soon as he had got- 
 ten himself a comfortable chair, and a promising cigar 
 from Bonaparte's box, "I have had the most surprising 
 adventure. " 
 
 " Indeed," said the other, looking at the cigar. 
 
 "The most surprising adventure," De Morin re- 
 peated. He rather fancied his powers of narration, 
 and settled himself down to a pleasant half-hour. 
 
 "You have heard me mention the De Murinacs? " he 
 commenced, after a decorous interval. His nephew 
 started; and the old fellow, without waiting for a verbal 
 answer, went gaily forward. 
 
 " And if you have n't, it does not mean that I am 
 not continually recalling their memory. Old Gustave 
 de Murinac was the greatest friend I ever had, besides 
 being the noblest character the Lord ever created. We 
 lived next door to one another in the Avenue des Villiers 
 for many, many years. That was in the sixties, about 
 the time when your dear father first came to seek his 
 fortunes in Paris. All Gustave's children loved me as an 
 uncle. There were hordes of them, I remember, poor 
 Paul, the eldest, and Louis, and Claire, and Victor, and 
 Henriette, with whom my surprising adventure is con- 
 cerned. You must know, Gustave, who was for a long 
 time a great power at court, had a quarrel with your
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 281 
 
 cousin some few months before the war. He shut up 
 his town house, and carted furniture and wife and chil- 
 dren and underlinen to his estates in the Champagne. 
 He and I never met again. I got news of poor Paul's 
 death at Sedan, of Gustave's own demise a year or so 
 later, and of his daughter Henriette's marriage about 
 the same time. I heard that the bridegroom was a cer- 
 tain Lord Mendril, nothing further. And so this whole 
 group of loved ones sank altogether out of my horizon." 
 
 The Emperor had gone hot and cold by turns during 
 this recital. But the Chamberlain seemed so frank and 
 straightforward, he could not doubt him. So bit by bit 
 he recovered his composure, without, however, daring 
 to indulge in any comments. 
 
 "To-day, in the train from Paris, I met an English 
 milord and his young son. We got into conversation. 
 Something about the boy's face and in his voice re- 
 minded me of I know not what. I say to him, ' My 
 dear young friend, have I not seen you before? I recol- 
 lect your face perfectly? ' He laughs. ' No, Monsieur,' 
 he says, ' I fancy not. ' ' What is your name, dear 
 young sir? ' I rejoin. He tells me Walter Mendril. It 
 means nothing to me; for I am not then thinking of 
 Henriette de Murinac. His father also tells me his 
 name; he is Lord Framlingham. 'Very strange,' I 
 mutter. At Meaux, I am waiting in the station porch 
 for my luggage, when my attention is attracted by a 
 beautiful lady, who keeps walking round and round me, 
 gazing intently at me all the while. Her face also is 
 familiar. I feel sure that she and Walter Mendril are 
 mother and son. But why their faces should be familiar 
 to me I cannot tell; for I am not then thinking of Hen- 
 riette de Murinac." 
 
 "The whole thing is very curious, " yawned Napo- 
 leon. " Uncle, you will be pleased to hear that I do 
 not mean to fight." 
 
 "I am pleased. But, dear nephew, let me finish. 
 The lady at last ventures to address me. ' Pardon me, 
 Monsieur; lam sure I know your face.' 'Madame, I 
 was about to say the same to you. ' ' Pardon me, Mon- 
 sieur; what is your name?' 'I am Louis de Morin,
 
 282 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Grand Chamberlain to his Majesty.' She gives a great 
 shriek of joy, 'I am Henriette de Murinac. ' We em- 
 brace. Her son appears at that moment. He does not 
 look at all pleased. ' Father and Muriel are walking 
 home by the fields,' he says curtly. His mother tells 
 him who I am, and he unbends a little. The three of us 
 drive out together. The dear creature tells me all her 
 history since our last meeting in seventy. She is a great 
 English lady now. She has three children, a girl and 
 two boys. And she tells me that her eldest, Walter, was 
 your bosom friend at Oxford. Is that so? " 
 
 "Yes," Napoleon assented. 
 
 "Well, what do you think of it as a strange coinci- 
 dence? Just picture it in your own mind! my word, 
 those weary, wasted years! " 
 
 "I have never heard anything stranger," drawled his 
 Majesty. "You understand, I do not mean to fight." 
 
 " I understand." 
 
 " I shall tell the Council so on Wednesday. You will 
 be present." 
 
 "I am flattered by your summons." And presently 
 De Morin trotted off to repeat his surprising adventure 
 to Godefroy in the pantry, where perhaps he found out 
 that it was even more curious than he originally sup- 
 posed. 
 
 The second visitor, the bluff Changarnier, arrived 
 later in the day. Napoleon really could not stand his 
 breezy manner and bad language (both of which were 
 assumed to hide a heart as black as ink), so he hid him- 
 self in his study until such time as it was necessary to 
 shave and dress. 
 
 Seven o'clock found the guests assembled in the white 
 enamelled-wood apartment which served as reception- 
 room upon these occasions. De Morin tripped about in 
 all directions, welcoming them with great urbanity. 
 
 " Mesdames are admiring the apartment?" said he, 
 stealing up with pretty playfulness to where Madame 
 Verre and the Mayor's good lady stood critically exam- 
 ining their surroundings, dead and alive. 
 
 "Indeed, Monsieur," replied the former of the two, 
 "we are doing nothing of the kind. Certainly, the pur-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 283 
 
 pie curtains harmonize well with the white panelling. 
 The Corots, too, with their thin gold frames, are charm- 
 ing. But surely salmon-coloured silk is not the right 
 material for the furniture. Besides, who in the world 
 uses lamps? You want the electric light. Believe me, 
 my dear Count, we do this sort of thing better in the 
 Avenue de Marigny. " 
 
 " Without doubt. Madame, however, must give us 
 time," and he ambled gaily off to Monsieur Verre, who 
 was examining one of the Corots in question with all the 
 airs and graces of a connoisseur. 
 
 From the Minister, Monsieur de Morin made his way 
 to the Mayor. That dignitary stood conversing with the 
 Earl of Framlingham upon the topic of soup-kitchens 
 for Meaux, a matter which, his lordship was careful to 
 state not infrequently, the Countess had very much at 
 heart. 
 
 "As a girl," said he, placidly solemn, "her inclina- 
 tions were strongly benevolent. Her father, the late 
 Monsieur de Murinac as you, Monsieur, will doubtless 
 remember was the founder of your Paul Charity ; indeed, 
 it is named after my wife's brother, who died at Sedan. 
 The Countess feels that similar institutions might be set 
 up with advantage in other parts of the town. Now at 
 home, we ah, Monsieur de Morin, how do you do?" 
 
 His wife had already told him about their curious 
 meeting. And as, in his heart of hearts, he did not 
 think great beer of her belongings, he did not quite 
 know what sort of treatment to employ to this old friend 
 of other days. As a chance acquaintance he had not 
 cared for the Chamberlain overmuch. 
 
 " Is my dear Henriette here? " 
 
 "Lady Framlingham is seated yonder." 
 
 "Good. And Muriel" the kind old fellow was 
 making up for lost time "and Walter?" 
 
 " My daughter is here. My eldest son has unfortu- 
 nately left again for Paris, but we have brought we 
 have brought ah, we have brought Charles," and my 
 lord's eye wandered uneasily to where "Charles," the 
 sallow and debased edition of himself, sat in the com- 
 pany of his wife and daughter.
 
 284 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Delightful," murmured De Morin; "his Majesty 
 will be pleased to hear that you have brought dear 
 Charles. Now I have seen the three. My word, how 
 she resembles her grandfather. Forgive me, my lord, 
 I must go and speak with my long-lost Henriette. To 
 think of it! all these weary, weary years! " 
 
 But Prince Felix and Changarnier, both of whom 
 were also discussing soup-kitchens, kept him from his 
 pleasure. 
 
 "Come here, you old fox," grunted his Highness, as 
 the little Chamberlain tried to steal by under the lee of 
 the great leviathan; "come here and answer my ques- 
 tion. How long are we to wait for Parchments? " 
 
 "Hush, your Highness, I beg " 
 
 " Don't presume to dictate, sir," mumbled the Prince. 
 "I am dying perishing, I tell you, from inanition. 
 Except for a pint of cherry brandy, I have n't touched a 
 morsel of food since I left Auteuil. My word, Changar- 
 nier, she can make it, and no mistake. She got the 
 receipt from her convent in Malmo. She lives in a con- 
 vent, 'you know, when she 's at home. Chamberlain, 
 do n't try and get away. We want Parchments, and we 
 won't let you " 
 
 " Here is his Majesty," cried De Morin, hurrying off, 
 as he spoke, towards the small, side door which led into 
 Napoleon's study. It was flung open before he could 
 reach it. He halted at once, and with closed eyes and 
 a sublime dignity announced: "His Majesty the Em- 
 peror." 
 
 Napoleon advanced, all smiles. His ease and com- 
 posure would not have disgraced a Hapsburg. Madame 
 Verre was especially charmed. As wife of a present 
 Minister, she followed Prince Felix, and it greatly in- 
 creased her delight. 
 
 "Why not more often at the Elysee? " the Emperor 
 genially inquired. " I shall commence to think that you 
 have forgotten old days." 
 
 " This," the lady remarked later on to the Mayoress, 
 "is decisive. The death sentence of the Carache- 
 Brisson combination is signed. Verre becomes Prime 
 Minister."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 285 
 
 "Verre, " she added, later still, and in another place, 
 "you resign, first thing to-morrow morning." 
 
 The Countess of Framlingham followed Madame 
 Verre. She ought to have gone before. In her turn, 
 my lady presented Muriel. She did so in a short and 
 perfunctory manner, verging on disrespect. Clearly, in 
 her opinion, the girl counted for little upon these occa- 
 sions. The Earl watched this scene with considerable 
 annoyance. True, he had long given up looking for the 
 manners of a Mendril in a De Murinac; but he did feel 
 that twenty-six years of married life ought to have sub- 
 dued some of her ladyship's brusqueries. How different 
 Muriel. Her calmness under trying circumstances this 
 was the first time she had been presented to a monarch 
 slightly allayed his irritation. "That will do," he 
 murmured, "if only she is like that at Buckingham 
 Palace." 
 
 The girl's self-possession was remarkable. Her eyes 
 met the Emperor's, and they had in them not the glim- 
 mer of a recognition. The moment which she had dreaded 
 the whole twenty-four hours foregoing was here at last. 
 It found her absolutely unconcerned. 
 
 On Napoleon's side the first emotion was one of dis- 
 appointment. Here in the drawing-room, with her hair 
 well brushed off her face and tightly set in unbraided 
 coils upon her head, and in evening dress, she looked 
 a different being to the careless schoolgirl of the river- 
 side. The change at least, he thought so at first 
 served only to make her insignificant. But this impres- 
 sion soon passed away. She sat silent through th\_ A^hole 
 of dinner, and before they rose the process of forging 
 chains for his absolute enslavement was once again in 
 full working order. It 's work was nearly done. 
 
 Without daring to glance at her, except at infrequent 
 intervals, and then only en passant for monarchs 
 seated at oval tables must walk warily he felt her 
 presence as a subtle essence through his frame. Her 
 silence heightened the spell; it seemed to him that she 
 must be marking his every utterance, watching him with 
 wide, open eyes, which had not as yet clearly grasped the 
 secret of his growing passion. Not that this self-con-
 
 2S6 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 sciousness displayed itself either in his words or manner. 
 He treated his neighbours with an easy condescension, 
 which converted Madame Verre's former pleasure into 
 very present ecstasy, while it was not without effect upon 
 the Honourable Charles, who sat on the Emperor's left, 
 the Alpha and the Omega of the feast thus coming side 
 by side and who felt surprise to find himself visited 
 with an unconquerable shyness in the presence of this 
 semi-foreign potentate. 
 
 With all his brother's haughty bearing, this young 
 fellow lacked the others handsome face. He had a suf- 
 ficient likeness to his father to make him ask in what 
 ugly mood he was begotten. Most large families, patri- 
 cian as well, rejoice in such a member. 
 
 " Were you at either university? " the Emperor said, 
 kindly, and in English. 
 
 "Oxford, sire." 
 
 " Ah, no doubt at the same college as your brother? " 
 
 "Yes, Christ Church." 
 
 "I was at Magdalen." 
 
 The young fellow murmured " Indeed," then relapsed 
 into silence, more and more disgusted with this unwonted 
 dumbness. He wanted to launch out upon an easy, yet 
 brilliant, account of the university wherein he had played 
 for four years no inconsiderable part. Alas, he could 
 not, so Majesty very kindly started a new topic. 
 
 "Have you any profession? You are at the bar, 
 perhaps? " 
 
 "We do not go to the bar. I am destined " with a 
 nervous laugh, and a not altogether pleasant look across 
 the table at my lord "for the diplomatic service. I 
 should much prefer to enter Parliament. Public speak- 
 ing is at low ebb just now in England; there is plenty 
 of room. I shall, by and by, when when " and the 
 lowering glance once again settled upon the ex-ambas- 
 sadorial countenance. 
 
 "When? " Napoleon asked absently. 
 
 The boy mumbled something under his breath. His 
 host continued, a curious smile flitting across his face: 
 
 "Ought you not to be at home, nursing some con- 
 stituency? We do not seem far off a dissolution."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 287 
 
 "Oh," replied Charles, dropping his voice, "those 
 things don't affect me. Eventually eventually " 
 then with a desperate dash, "I shall get the Honiton 
 division later on. Walter is playing with it at present. 
 Beastly mean of him, I call it; he has the title. Well, 
 he will soon find out that the letters don't make the 
 orator. Then comes my chance." 
 
 " Lucky young man, " murmured the other. The smile 
 still hovered about his mouth. " If I had had even the 
 tenth part of your prospects, I should never have come to 
 France." And this was the only chance he ever took of 
 paying off old scores. He enjoyed it very much. He 
 turned back to Madame Verre. She was discussing Paris 
 with Felix. The Prince did not in the least comprehend 
 her harangues; he usually approached the city from 
 quite another road. Both were glad of Napoleon's in- 
 tervention. 
 
 "What I want, your Majesty," cried the lady, her 
 eyes still closed from too much Felix, "is to seethe 
 Faubourg St. Honore straightened, even though it be at 
 the expense of the barracks in the Rue de Penthievre. 
 Another crying grievance, to my mind, are such dirty 
 little streets as the Rue Boissy d'Anglas and the Rue de 
 Richelieu. They might do for the suburbs; in a good 
 quarter they are a disgrace!" 
 
 " Oh, I don't know," groaned Felix. "The Rue de 
 Richelieu is a pleasant enough street. I have had many 
 happy nights I should say, mornings there." 
 
 "Madame forgets," Napoleon put in hastily, "that 
 the memory of Boissy d'Anglas has an especial claim 
 upon my family." 
 
 " No, I do not forget. Surely you will honour it 
 more by a wide boulevard, which shall connect the Bou- 
 levard Haussman with the Place de la Concorde." 
 
 "Haussman," Felix commenced afresh, "was the 
 curse of Paris. Many a little nook " Napoleon heard 
 no more. He was watching Muriel, this time without 
 the least attempt at concealment. In taking one of his 
 periodical surveys of the company, made that he might 
 rest his yearning gaze for one unsatisfied second upon her 
 face, he caught therein a look of intense agitation pass-
 
 288 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ing hurriedly, like a light cloud before high wind in sum- 
 mer-time. What could it be? He wondered greatly. 
 Certainly no word uttered by either of her neighbours, for 
 at the moment Godefroy was holding a dish of ice-pud- 
 ding before her. 
 
 He continued to watch her, long after her face had 
 resumed its usual calm. Madame Verre tried vainly to 
 bring him back to Paris. Cousin Felix smiled dully at 
 him over Madame's head, striving to interest him in 
 Auteuil and the Swedish nation; even Charles hazarded 
 a guttural sentence. Their well-meant seed was scat- 
 tered upon rocks. He heard nothing and saw nothing, 
 save the pale face that was searing its every line into his 
 heart. He woke with a start, to find Godefroy wetting 
 his ear with hot breath in an ineffectual attempt to tell 
 him that he ought to make a move. 
 
 He recovered himself in the drawing-room, where he 
 wandered quite unconstrained and self-possessed among 
 his guests. He listened smilingly in turn to Monsieur 
 Verre's hearty effusiveness, to the Mayor's drawling 
 common sense, to the bluff Changarnier, and to the Earl's 
 veiled condescension. 
 
 " Over in England," said the last-named," people are 
 talking about an Imperial visit. We have not forgotten 
 the formerly existing friendship between your cousin and 
 her gracious Majesty." 
 
 " Nor have I, your Lordship may be sure. And your 
 beautiful England has other claims upon me." 
 
 "Your Majesty is personally acquainted with our 
 royal family? " 
 
 "No. You see, Lord Framlingham, a poor lawyer 
 living in lodgings has not much opportunity." 
 
 "Ah, yes, I forgot." 
 
 " Are you staying here for any length of time? " 
 
 "Probably till the end of October." 
 
 "I trust we shall meet again "; they bowed, and Na- 
 poleon resumed his rounds. And so he at last achieved 
 his object, and reached Paradise by process of this semi- 
 regal progress across the white drawing-room. Alas, 
 he was allowed only the merest glimpse of the celestial
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 289 
 
 regions. The Countess and her daughter were together 
 and by themselves in a remote corner. Prince Felix had 
 just left them, and they were slowly recovering in silence. 
 The illustrious lady if it may be permitted to give a sec- 
 ond description of a beautiful thing was small and dark, 
 with raven-black hair surmounted by a superb coronet, 
 and a dazzling skin that showed the remainder of her 
 jewels to perfection. Twenty-six years' daily intercourse 
 with her noble husband had but succeeded in covering 
 with the thinnest veneer of solemn " great ladyship " her 
 inborn vivacity. The result was often curious. Sitting 
 serious and still, and haughtily reserved, with now and 
 then a solemn monosyllable in guarded accents, lo! on a 
 sudden, something exciting her, she would burst into a 
 torrent of lively French, with laughter or anger (as the 
 occasion demanded) writ large upon her face, and espe- 
 cially in the dark eyes, which alone, at times, showed 
 those first signs of weariness that come from forty years 
 upon the earth. 
 
 Napoleon put out a hand to prevent them from rising. 
 His first words concerned Madame's health. She had 
 been ill, he had heard. 
 
 ''Only slightly," she answered, with eyes half closed 
 and a general air of well-bred weariness. 
 
 "This is Madame's native town? " 
 
 "Almost, sire," still subdued, severely subdued. 
 
 "You must love the place." 
 
 She flung her repose to the four winds. "You are 
 right. I suppose by now I am an Englishwoman," and 
 she pouted prettily; " but my heart will never desert our 
 beautiful 'Pays Meldois.' 1 
 
 "And Mademoiselle, is she as enthusiastic?" He 
 spoke with harshness, obstinately averting his gaze. 
 And her demeanour made faithful copy. 
 
 " I am English." 
 
 "Muriel, do not be rude," snapped out Madame. 
 "Your Majesty must forgive her; she is a child." 
 
 "I, too, have something English in me," he softly 
 rejoined, still without looking. 
 
 Matrons, like great men, have no country. Lady
 
 290 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Framlingham cast a keen glance at his face. She began 
 to think that Muriel, after all, might not be so out of place 
 upon this occasion. 
 
 At this moment the Grand Chamberlain approached 
 the group. He divided a low bow among the three of 
 them, begging that he might be permitted to interrupt 
 their charming conversation. Napoleon followed him 
 to one side. 
 
 " It is close upon ten," he whispered, " and some of 
 the guests have far to drive. No one can leave the room 
 before your Majesty has withdrawn." 
 
 "Oh." 
 
 " Possibly your Majesty is on the point of retiring? " 
 
 The Emperor looked disconsolately at this smiling 
 disturber of his pleasure. Then, turning back to re- 
 enter Paradise, saw that the Earl of Framlingham and 
 the Honourable Charles had anticipated him. The 
 former nobleman was examining his watch with uncon- 
 cealed solicitude. 
 
 "Ah, yes," sighed impotent Majesty, "I forgot." 
 
 He slipped away unnoticed, and sat him down beside 
 his writing-desk, his head upon his arms, his eyes mutely 
 reproaching the little door tunnelled through the book- 
 case, covering the partition wall which cut him off from 
 his beloved. He could hear the murmur of their voices. 
 How he cursed the harsh etiquette which forced such a 
 withdrawal on him. His frame of mind resembled that 
 of some apprentice who listens "outside " to the silence 
 of an unapproachable enchantress. In the same way he 
 heard every word which Muriel did not utter; and in the 
 same way he yearned to cross the intervening gulf. Yet 
 he was a great Emperor, too important by far to be left 
 behind in his own drawing-room. 
 
 A stray gust blew open the window beside his chair. 
 The sound roused him; he crossed the threshold to the 
 balcony. There, along to the left, the unshuttered 
 drawing-room shed its light upon the latticed iron and 
 the moving trees. The temptation was sore upon him 
 to creep up and get one more sight of the face, whose 
 picture constant calling had made it hard for him to 
 summon.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 291 
 
 Truly the gods were very good to him. Presently 
 the handle of the nearest divine casement clicked, the 
 glass doors were opened inwards, and the Honourable 
 Charles led his sister into the cool night air. 
 
 "Ah," she murmured, giving a little sigh of relief, 
 "this is better. The heat was quite intolerable." 
 
 "You girls," said the Honourable Charles, "seem to 
 me to be always fainting. You make a feature of your 
 nerves." 
 
 She was leaning against the iron balustrade. Her 
 eyes wandered over the dim mass of swaying foliage that 
 lay beneath them. Her thoughts were busy with some- 
 thing far more profitable than the Honourable Charles. 
 
 The Emperor meanwhile had withdrawn into the far- 
 ther shadows. Eavesdropping was not one of his accom- 
 plishments; but he could not tear himself away. 
 
 "Rum chap, our host," resumed the Honourable 
 Charles. " His bearing and all that are unimpeachable; 
 but the touch of the Temple lingers about him still." 
 
 " Charles," said she coldly, "please run in and let 
 them know where we are. The carriage may come any 
 minute. " 
 
 Chivalry was the tradition of their house. The Hon- 
 ourable Charles departed with a growl ; while she was 
 left alone amid the minglings of light and darkness. 
 
 It was an opportunity which no erring mortal could 
 resist. He moved towards her; and she, without turn- 
 ing, felt his presence. 
 
 "Is it not shameful? " he began, taking her attitude 
 against the railing, when about two yards distant, "to 
 be sent to bed like a naughty little boy! " 
 
 "It is the penalty of greatness." 
 
 She was once again the unconcerned acquaintance of 
 the river-side, treating him as carelessly as she would 
 have done the merest companion. It was the treatment 
 yearned for of his heart; sweet indeed did it come to him 
 after the ceremony within. 
 
 " What have you been talking about, since I left? " 
 
 " About you and your policy." 
 
 He tried to copy her refreshing directness. " May I 
 ask what conclusions you came to? "
 
 292 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "None at all." 
 
 " Perhaps you will tell me what part of my policy 
 was under discussion." 
 
 "Foreign affairs. General Changarnier maintained 
 that you ought to fight the Germans, while the Mayor 
 said no." 
 
 "And the Count de Morin? " asked Napoleon, open- 
 ing his eyes. 
 
 " He had left the room with Prince Felix and the 
 Verres. Otherwise " 
 
 "Otherwise you would not have indulged in so indis- 
 creet a conversation." 
 
 " Exactly. General Changarnier started it. My 
 father looked scandalized, and refused to take any part. " 
 
 "I should have expected it of him. And you, 
 Mademoiselle, what do you think about it? " 
 
 " About Changarnier's indiscretion? " 
 
 " No, about the war? " he would have dearly loved to 
 edge a shade closer, but he dare not. 
 
 "I," she answered carelessly, " I have no opinion." 
 
 " Do you not think that peace is wiser? " he per- 
 sisted. 
 
 " How beautifully the light falls upon the trees." 
 
 " Tell me. I beg you for your opinion. " 
 
 "I am afraid I do not. Of course," she went on 
 hastily, as she turned and saw the blank look of despair 
 stealing over the Emperor's face, " I do no more than 
 repeat what my father says." 
 
 " What does he say? " 
 
 "If you really must know, that in your place he 
 would not endure a peace which is merely on suffer- 
 ance." 
 
 "Oh, Mademoiselle!" 
 
 "There, I hate these foolish politics. Sentiment and 
 honour, in my view, alone should govern such ques- 
 tions," she said in a strangely halting voice. 
 
 " And what does honour enjoin? " he whispered. 
 
 "We English are different," with a constraint that 
 was visibly increased. 
 
 " Pardon me." 
 
 "Well, if we had lost the two provinces, we should
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 293 
 
 not be content with the 'permanence of aspirations.' 
 There is my father looking for me. Good-night, your 
 Majesty." With a careless nod which increased her 
 charm to him, and wiped away the last trace of chagrin 
 caused by her words, she disappeared into his drawing- 
 room, whither he might not follow.
 
 Chapter VI 
 
 The Board of Green Cloth at the Elysee stood in a 
 chamber communicating, by means of a long passage, 
 with the Emperor's library. The Council table had been 
 newly covered since the commencement of the reign, 
 and the whole room refurnished, but the collective wis- 
 dom of the nine or ten gentlemen therein assembled, 
 from time to time, did not shine much brighter than in 
 days of yore. At least, so thought De Morin, who lost 
 no opportunity of airing this opinion ; although his sneers 
 may well have arisen from the fact that he had no part 
 in their deliberations. To-day, however, he was to be 
 present by the Emperor's direct summons. And he 
 strutted through the great folding-doors which led into 
 the room from the Minister's vestibule, a smile of in- 
 tense satisfaction flickering over his pale face. 
 
 He found the full Cabinet assembled. Carache, Min- 
 ister of State, advanced to meet him. 
 
 "Executive business," said the latter, bowing po- 
 litely, whilst laying the merest touch of emphasis on the 
 leading word, " executive business, my dear Count. His 
 Majesty will be free again at twelve, or you might even 
 catch him now, provided your matter is not of a kind to 
 detain him. " 
 
 " My matter, dear Monsieur," replied the other even 
 more sweetly, " is with the Council. I am here in ac- 
 cordance with the Emperor's command." 
 
 " Then you are very welcome. Your seat will be 
 beside Monsieur Pontecoulant yonder, "and the Premier 
 turned once more to Brisson and the Minister of Marine, 
 to resume the earnest colloquy interrupted by De Morin's 
 little invasion. 
 
 Napoleon had not yet appeared, and his advisers were 
 294
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 295 
 
 still scattered in groups about the room. The Grand 
 Chamberlain, slipping into a chair beside Pontecoulant, 
 who alone was seated at the table, commenced a 
 critical scrutiny of everyone present. "There's that 
 fool Carache jabbering away to Brisson and Fre"ron. It 's 
 quite clear he thinks war a certainty. I suppose I am 
 the only person in the room who knows better, " reflected 
 the old gentleman, warm all over with an immense self- 
 satisfaction. "I wonder who is nearer the Imperial ear, 
 I, or these blockheads with their precious ' executive 
 business'?" He turned to his neighbour, and inquired 
 softly what the matters to be dealt with to-day might be. 
 
 Monsieur Pontecoulant was enveloped in official docu- 
 ments. He looked up at his interlocutor, and stared at 
 him with an expression half-suspicious, half-impudent, 
 which only served to increase the latter's gratification. 
 
 "Well, Grand Chamberlain," the Minister began 
 presently, gathering up his papers to prevent prying, 
 "who would have thought of meeting you here! This is 
 indeed an unexpected pleasure. One looks for you in 
 the ballrooms on the other side of the Palace." 
 
 "And for you, Monsieur, in the correctional courts." 
 
 "Aha," with a boisterously good-humoured laugh, 
 " my advocate days are over. You will have to engage 
 a younger man, Count." 
 
 "You mistake my meaning." 
 
 "Perhaps, perhaps," Pontecoulant retorted, still 
 smiling blandly. Of a sudden, a deeply anxious look 
 drove all the laughter from his ruddy face: 
 
 " You have n't got a portfolio, have you? " he asked. 
 
 " Not at present." 
 
 " You are expecting one? " 
 
 " I cannot tell you. Be satisfied with my first answer. 
 I have not got a portfolio, and it is a thousand pities 
 that I have not. The Emperor needs a few genuine 
 adherents among his advisers. He is beginning to see 
 it himself. Look round the room, my esteemed Mon- 
 sieur, you must confess that the lot of them present a 
 most mangy appearance. Not a single one of them but 
 has served in one or other of the Republican cabinets." 
 
 "That hits me," said Pontecoulant.
 
 296 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Ah, with you, dear friend, the thing is different. 
 What you do, you do from iron conviction. I have 
 heard" with an arch smile "of your little betise on 
 the night of the coup d'etat. His Majesty values you for 
 it. He knows how to appreciate honesty, does the 
 Emperor. He often says: 'Pontecoulant is the only 
 honest man among them. What he does, he does from 
 iron conviction. As for the rest ' But you know for 
 yourself, why should I repeat what the Emperor says 
 of them? They are a batch of foxy opportunists. Take 
 Carache, for instance. He possesses a single political 
 axiom, and he spends his days cackling it forth to a 
 credulous universe : ' There is but one God, and Carache 
 is his prophet; there is but one Carache, and France is 
 his lawful prey.' How a clever man like you, Monsieur 
 Pontecoulant, can be gulled by his petty knaveries 
 passes my comprehension." 
 
 "Carache," began the other, lowering his mouth to 
 a level with De Morin's ear, "Carache is a very good 
 servant. When I have had the lead, I have always found 
 him an invaluable lieutenant." 
 
 " He is a wretch, ' ' rejoined De Morin, " and his days 
 are numbered." Monsieur Pontecoulant he resembled 
 a butcher somewhat looked happy enough to hear the 
 other use such language. He saw himself once again 
 Premier. 
 
 At this point an usher announcing his Majesty put an 
 end to all further conversation. The Ministers got to 
 the table, and waited the majority of them dozing 
 among their papers for one or the other of the two 
 great men to begin. 
 
 The greatest opened. "Brisson," exclaimed Carache, 
 "the War-Office, I understand, sees more and more 
 reason to suspect " 
 
 "Oh dear, oh dear," murmured Napoleon, "surely 
 I have heard all this? " 
 
 "A circumstance I should say circumstances of 
 great significance, " persisted Carache, "are reported 
 from Vienna. The War-Office has quite convinced me 
 and my colleagues that the situation is most critical." 
 
 Their words seemed like the constant "drip-drip"
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 297 
 
 of water upon a stone. Our poor friend had heard the 
 same old story under different guises so often before, 
 that he could not now receive it with those signs of 
 emotion which his advisers evidently expected. Yet, from 
 some cause or another, which he was unable to explain, 
 these alarming reports and rumours were less distasteful 
 than hitherto. The truth was, they fell in with the first 
 faint inclining towards a new purpose. This is the way 
 of love. It cannot endure to separate itself from its idol 
 in so little a thing as a political opinion. The question 
 of peace and war so a sane man would imagine is, 
 after all, a purely mundane one, not requiring slavish 
 imitation as part of a lover's homage. 
 
 But he made an heroic effort to be free. 
 
 "Suppose I refuse to be beguiled into war on the 
 ground of mere rumours and conjectures? Gentlemen, 
 what then? " 
 
 " Why, your Majesty must look for other advisers," 
 said Carache. 
 
 "Surely this is intimidation! " 
 
 " Monsieur de Morin, " shouted the Premier, " kindly 
 keep silent." 
 
 "Monsieur Carache," returned his Majesty, " I do 
 not permit these outbursts in my presence." 
 
 The Minister heaved a sigh of philosophic resignation. 
 "His Majesty must pardon me; my temper overcame 
 my respect. And at the same time he must permit me 
 to retire into private life." 
 
 He rose mournfully from his chair, an example fol- 
 lowed by all his colleagues, save Monsieur Ponte"coulant, 
 who dived instead under the table in order to recover a 
 paper which had opportunely fallen to the ground. 
 Verre went with Carache. 
 
 " Let me add this," came Brisson's mournful bass, 
 "there is not an honest man in France who can advise 
 peace, while professing to be anxious to preserve your 
 crown." 
 
 "Marshal Brisson," exclaimed De Morin, he was 
 leaning back in his chair and smiling at the forlorn 
 Premier, "you have no right to say that." 
 
 " But I do say it," blazed Don Quixote.
 
 298 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " My dear friend, reflect one moment. Surely you 
 do not mean seriously to affirm that because I do not 
 want to plunge France into the horrors of war, I am 
 therefore a traitor to the throne? " 
 
 " I do affirm it." 
 
 " But, my beloved child " 
 
 " Monsieur de Morin, so long as I am Prime Min- 
 ister, I must ask you to hold your tongue. Your be- 
 haviour to-day has been most irregular. Well, sire? " 
 
 His Majesty was in the throes of making up his mind. 
 The anticipated moment had arrived. How should he 
 dismiss them? curtly, or with comfortable assurances? 
 He chose the latter course, and so began: 
 
 " Dear and faithful servants " Carache dashed away 
 a tear. Napoleon felt deeply touched; he would dis- 
 miss them by letter instead. 
 
 " Surely it is not necessary for us to come to a final 
 decision now? We have plenty of time. I cannot part 
 with you thus at a moment's notice." 
 
 Eight eminent gentlemen sank back into as many 
 hardly less eminent chairs, with signs of intense relief. 
 
 "Really I cannot be expected to make up my mind 
 at a minute's notice. I must have time to turn about 
 in. I must see Prehlen and hear what he says," and 
 with this outburst of petulance he swept out of the room. 
 
 Monsieur Oscar Prehlen sat in his library at No. 79 
 Rue de Crenelle, Boulevard St. Germain, smoking a long 
 cigar and complacently stroking a longer beard. 
 
 The whole Embassy lay open, but he had selected 
 this dingy back room for his private abode, in preference 
 to the more luxurious apartment inhabited by his prede- 
 cessors. And the reasons which he always gave for this 
 curious choice did infinite credit to the goodness of his 
 heart. 
 
 "My dear friend," he would say to you, supposing 
 you asked him why he thus hid himself away among his 
 attache's " my dear friend, tell you the reason ! Of course 
 I will, and with pleasure. This modest little sanctum 
 of mine recalls to me the memory of a room in the Carl- 
 Johann, wherein I used to live, when I was a little, golden-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 299 
 
 haired boy. That" pointing to a noble view of the 
 backs of certain houses, whose frontage looked upon 
 the Rue de Varennes " represents the university; while 
 the courtyard down there stands for the dear old Eids- 
 vold Plads. Ah me! but that was long ago, before ever 
 I wandered forth into big, cold, cheerless Russia." 
 Then he would heave a sigh and for it behooves us to 
 make the picture as lifelike as possible flick the ash of 
 his cigar onto the window-sill, blowing it thence lightly 
 away, so that it might descend leisurely, a little cloud of 
 grey dust, through streaks of sunlight, onto the burning 
 pavement of the yard, recalling Eidsvold Plads to his 
 tenderly retentive memory. 
 
 Others gave reasons rather less sentimental. Leave 
 Prehlen ; tap next door,and question one of those irrespon- 
 sible young attaches of his that overgrown boy, Fersen, 
 for choice, with his angel-face and his six feet and his 
 illimitable capacity for champagne and bad brandy at 
 present in abeyance. He would furnish you with a very 
 different story. He would tell you of Madame's fearful 
 tempers; and how that life near her was a veritable hell. 
 Then he would proceed to whisper, with sundry, deep- 
 chested chuckles, of Monsieur Prehlen's consolation, 
 which came by way of a certain secret spiral staircase, 
 and which presented itself (in winter-time, at least), 
 garbed in costly sables that had belonged to his Excel- 
 lency's maternal grandmother. 
 
 But young men are so notoriously unreliable. 
 
 Besides, even if Monsieur Prehlen did indulge in a 
 semi-platonic friendship, he performed his duties with 
 considerable skill. 
 
 He was the most talkative, and to first appearances 
 the most communicative, man that has ever issued forth 
 from bowelless Muscovy. His kindness even surpassed 
 his loquacity. Were you prince or peasant, he would 
 fondle you and pat your shoulder and lovingly stroke 
 your hand, the whole process, mind, within two minutes 
 of making your acquaintance. He would overwhelm you 
 with an account of his family affairs, telling you about 
 his dear, dead mother; his aunt Ottilia; his elder brother, 
 the rascally Christiania ship-broker and ice merchant;
 
 300 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 and his wife and her impossible temper. An especial 
 friend might also hear a little about the Sables. 
 
 The Ambassador would next proceed to inveigh against 
 Russia, and impress upon you how he hated the country, 
 its institutions, and its people. That topic satisfactorily 
 disposed of, he would wind up by discussing his ailments 
 and vehemently damning his digestive organs. This 
 was the process with every comer, and on all occasions. 
 
 Opposing diplomatists usually met his first advances 
 with intense suspicion. "This fellow is exceedingly 
 dangerous. He is trying to wheedle me." But by the 
 time he had reached his Aunt Ottilia all suspicions were 
 lulled to rest, and the opponent's sole feeling was one of 
 sensitive dread lest he might take too great an advan- 
 tage of so fearful and wonderful a fool. 
 
 Generally speaking, their fears proved groundless. 
 Monsieur Prehlen knew his business. The conversa- 
 tional expansiveness, which never left him, was part of his 
 modus operandi. And it rarely failed. He was in- 
 deed wise in despising the old school of diplomats, with 
 their icily courteous exteriors and their not too hidden 
 acuteness; and the new school, made up of austere young 
 noblemen who mimicked the little tricks and graces of 
 their predecessors, especially those timeworn assump- 
 tions of absolute calmness under all circumstances, but 
 who could not see that these things were mere surplus- 
 age, and, without sagacity and knowledge of men, noth- 
 ing worth. 
 
 But to return to the particular occasion on which 
 Monsieur Prehlen sat smoking a long cigar. He was in 
 the best of spirits. The morning had been given over 
 to dry official correspondence; the forenoon to a still 
 drier official reception. Here, at last, was rest after 
 toil, and the prospect of a pleasant little evening with 
 Mademoiselle the Consoler. He puffed away leisurely, 
 and thought of nothing unless, perchance, of that little 
 dinner for two which was even now preparing in the am- 
 bassadorial kitchen. 
 
 Mademoiselle the Consoler, known to the outside 
 world as Mademoiselle Leduc of the Vaudeville, acted 
 up to her beautiful title. She never failed to shed an
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 301 
 
 ineffable peace over the necessarily secluded portion of 
 the Embassy graced by her presence. In her society 
 the soft-souled Norwegian forgot all about his violent 
 wife. His brother, the fraudulent ice merchant, passed 
 likewise into the realm of dreams. 
 
 Alas! there was a skeleton even at this romantic little 
 table. Dear, cosy little feasts, which might very well 
 have gone scatheless! Fersen's presence hovered over 
 it. For Nicholas dealt amiably and gently with all the 
 world. His heart lay elsewhere (as we know), but that 
 did not hinder an engaging courtesy to such of the chief's 
 visitors as came his way. The Sables appreciated polite- 
 ness from whatever source, even upon the threshold of 
 her wealthiest admirer. She likewise had a leaning 
 towards personal beauty. Accordingly, she used to speak 
 so maternally of the lad in Prehlen's presence, that his 
 Excellency the Russian Ambassador commenced to har- 
 bour unworthy suspicions. The weakness of women was 
 in their (self-declared) strongest link, in the eyes of this 
 cheerful Mystic. To-day, however, the Count was safely 
 off the premises. There would be no accidental meeting 
 to-day. And this is partly why Monsieur Prehlen was in 
 the best of tempers. 
 
 But even ambassadors must expect sometimes to be 
 disappointed. A hurried step along the passage; a hur- 
 ried tap at his study .door to his eager ears they seemed 
 the heralds of approaching happiness. 
 
 Eager ears are frequently mistaken. 
 
 "An Imperial messenger," announced his Russian 
 servant. 
 
 "The Emperor begs your Excellency's immediate 
 attendance at the Elysee. " 
 
 "Curse you, Peter,'' cried Monsieur, "why the devil 
 did you say I was at home? I cannot possibly go; I 
 won't go. Tell your master, tell the Emperor that my 
 digestion is in a state too damnable for words. I cannot 
 budge from this room without danger." 
 
 "Your Excellency, I was to say that the Emperor 
 begs you not to disappoint him." 
 
 "The Emperor is at Meaux. " 
 
 "He returned this morning."
 
 302 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " I thought he meant to remain there for another week. 
 All my engagements are made upon that assumption. I 
 will come to-morrow morning." 
 
 "I have to beg you to come at once." 
 
 "My dear friend," Prehlen said, laying an affectionate 
 hand upon the servant's shoulder, "it is no use you 
 positively must return without me. Inform your Imperial 
 master that I am overwhelmed with grief. But were I 
 to venture out into the open air, my life would not be 
 worth a second's purchase. An aged aunt, by name 
 Ottilia Eger, an inhabitant of Arendal, depends entirely 
 on me for her daily bread. She doesn't eat bread; but 
 you know what I mean. Drag me out to the Elysee, 
 and you deprive her of all means of subsistence." 
 
 The lacquey, though much bewildered, was terribly 
 urgent. He merely reiterated doggedly that the Em- 
 peror begged and begged and begged. His persistence 
 gained the day. 
 
 "You have no bowels," cried his Excellency, at last, 
 with an angry stamp. " May you never know what it is 
 to have an aged aunt who depends on you for her daily 
 bread. Return and inform his Majesty that I am 
 coming." 
 
 When, half an hour later, the Russian Ambassador 
 entered the Imperial presence, he found Napoleon deep 
 in conversation with Monsieur Carache. The Premier 
 sprang forward to greet him, seizing both his hands in a 
 grip of frenzied affection. 
 
 "Welcome, dear colleague in the Continental sys- 
 tem ! " he cried ; ' ' thrice welcome ! ' ' 
 
 " The sea-spider grows, " the new-comer replied grave- 
 ly; he always commenced thus with Carache. 
 
 "The crocodile grows," our Frenchman answered. 
 " She grows, but she will soon burst. Dear Monsieur 
 Prehlen, we are so sorry to trouble you." 
 
 "Pray do not mention it," he politely rejoined, bow- 
 ing with deep reverence to Napoleon; "it is my duty. 
 Also, anything I can do to show my intense regard for 
 his Majesty is pleasure enough without thanks. When 
 I was a boy in Norway, in my dear, dead father's office 
 he dealt in timber and was exceedingly unfortunate,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 303 
 
 dying some fifty thousand pounds in debt I frequently 
 used to spend whole nights reading about your great 
 ancestor. What a hero! Everything connected with 
 him, however remotely, is of priceless interest. Only 
 last Sunday my Aunt Ottilia wrote and begged me for a 
 lock of your hair. I replied Mater on.' ' 
 
 "We have summoned you," Carache softly inter- 
 rupted, "on very important business. The Emperor 
 would like you to be seated." 
 
 The Emperor himself was already in his chair. A 
 box of pencils lay among his implements upon the desk; 
 he commenced fidgetting with them. The Imperial pulse 
 and brain, however, were perfectly calm. Truly, em- 
 perors are born, not made. 
 
 The Ambassador sank upon a corner of the sofa. 
 
 "The sea-spider grows," he murmured. 
 
 "The crocodile grows. Dear friend, my master bids 
 me make you a grave announcement." 
 
 Prehlen stroked his beard. 
 
 "We hear from an authentic source," the Minister 
 pursued, "that one of the great powers is meditating 
 war. ' ' 
 
 "Indeed!" and for the merest fraction of a second 
 Prehlen's watery blue eyes rested on the Imperial face. 
 "War is a terrible scourge." 
 
 "You speak truly," Napoleon's shaking voice broke 
 in; "I hope to God that it may still be avoided." 
 
 "For the present, we cannot consider that," said 
 Carache. "As the situation stands to-day, our opponent 
 is determined to draw the sword. We must draw in 
 self-defence. Monsieur Prehlen, is it not so? " 
 
 "Please do not ask me," Prehlen cried, much agi- 
 tated. " War is such a terrible scourge." 
 
 " We must indeed," Carache continued relentlessly. 
 "Be sure, France and the Emperor both love peace too 
 much to yield to aught but the strongest compulsion." 
 
 "I know, I know," moaned the other. "It makes 
 my heart ache. When I first got this Embassy, my dear 
 aunt wrote me a sweet little note of congratulation, 
 wherein she bade me ever be a peacemaker. 'Oscar,' 
 she wrote in that neat copper-plate hand of hers, ' they
 
 304 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 are very blessed.' And have I not always striven to 
 obey her beautiful words? The bare thought of the 
 desolation war leaves drains my heart of its blood." 
 
 " How true, how true." 
 
 Prehlen glanced sharply at Napoleon, then inquired 
 of Carache in an undertone: 
 
 " I presume it will be mainly Asiatic? " 
 
 "Asiatic?" 
 
 "Yes; we really are n't in a condition to go mess- 
 ing about in these northern seas. You will have to do 
 that for us." 
 
 " Really, I do not understand you." 
 
 "I thought you said that England was meditating 
 war. ' ' 
 
 " No, Germany. I meant Germany, if I did not say 
 it." 
 
 " Ah," rejoined Prehlen, not the least abashed, "that 
 rather alters things. I do n't know that we have any 
 quarrel with Germany." 
 
 "You did not talk like that, two years ago, when you 
 helped to make the convention of Contrexeville," Ca- 
 rache said sharply. 
 
 "Ah, things have changed since then. His Majesty 
 is a sign how much. As far as my own personal feelings 
 are concerned, the Prussians are welcome to the whole 
 of Poland, and as much of our upper western border as 
 they care to be bothered with than which an uglier, 
 dirtier, more miserable country I never did see." 
 
 "Pardon, Monsieur, but the Emperor's time is valu- 
 able. What attitude will your country assume, in the 
 event of hostilities? Can you, and will you, tell us that? " 
 
 Napoleon's teeth chattered. 
 
 "Can you, and will you, tell us that?" he echoed 
 faintly. 
 
 " I daresay I can." 
 
 " Well? " also from trembling Majesty. 
 
 "The attitude of peacemakers I feel convinced." 
 
 Carache could scarcely stifle an exclamation of im- 
 patience. "Monsieur Prehlen need scarcely trouble to 
 remind us of the benevolence of his government. Sup- 
 pose, however, its efforts prove unavailing, what then? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 305 
 
 " The thought is too terrible. Your master must 
 permit me to telegraph. I will let you have the answer 
 directly I receive it, say the first thing in the morning." 
 
 "We beg you to let us have it to-night." 
 
 "Could not Monsieur Prehlen send a telegram from 
 here? " hazarded Napoleon. 
 
 " Oh, I do not think we can ask him to do that." 
 
 But the Ambassador smiled sweetly and remarked 
 that he had n't the least objection. 
 
 " I have my cipher and my servant. I need nothing 
 except writing materials and a quiet room." 
 
 "This way then! " cried the Premier. 
 
 "And you will let us know as quickly as possible? " 
 hazarded Bonaparte. 
 
 " Directly I hear myself." 
 
 " Nonsense nonsense," Carache interposed. "Take 
 your own time." 
 
 Peter, the Muscovite valet, who sat patiently waiting 
 in the Emperor's private hall, followed his master into 
 the secretaries' room. The chamber was full of cur- 
 tained doors and windows. Monsieur Prehlen proceeded 
 to examine each in detail, to make sure that none of the 
 secretaries had been left behind, either by design or acci- 
 dent. He jerked open the principal door, hoping that 
 the impossible Godefroy might be surprised, with his eye 
 glued to the keyhole, a benignant desire which was not 
 fulfilled. Nevertheless, he took good care to whisper 
 his commands, standing on tiptoe that he might get his 
 mouth level with Peter's ear, which, judging from Peter's 
 face, was constructed by nature to receive more than it 
 could comfortably digest. 
 
 "Return to the Embassy and get Monsieur Wadern 
 to give you a foreign telegram one received to-day, be 
 careful of that. Bring it back here in exactly an hour." 
 
 Once alone, Monsieur Prehlen walked across to the 
 secretaries' private shelf. "These will suit me," he 
 sighed, taking out five bound volumes of Le Charivari. 
 With them in his arms he sank into an easy-chair. They 
 served to pass the time. And Peter returned to find his 
 master buried in the contemplation of numerous delight- 
 fully questionable pictures.
 
 306 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Napoleon and his first minister were not so patient. 
 The latter sat down to voluminous despatches, and pre- 
 tended to be engrossed. The former, more candid, per- 
 haps, paced up and down the room with a show of agita- 
 tion which boded ill for his behaviour under greater trials. 
 
 " Carache, Carache," he said at last plaintively, " do 
 you think they will fight on our side? " 
 
 "How can I tell?" 
 
 "I thought you might be able to give a shrewd guess. 
 You were mixed up with the affairs of Cronstadt and 
 Toulon and Mirecourt, is n't it so? " 
 
 "Yes, yes," Carache replies, and not too respectfully, 
 " but that was different. We were never near war in 
 those days." 
 
 "I hate war, " cried our hero peevishly. " I do n't 
 want to go to war. Why should I? I have got every- 
 thing I require. I wont fight. Into the next room, 
 quick! Tell him he need n't trouble." 
 
 " Sire, be calm. And for heaven's sake modulate 
 your voice." 
 
 " I refuse to be calm. You are all in a league to ruin 
 me. You wish to drive me into another Sedan." 
 
 " Your Majesty is worried. There, there, we need n't 
 talk any more about the horrid business. Our Muscovite 
 will be back presently ; do not let him see that we are per- 
 turbed." 
 
 So both men relapsed into silence; the Premier re- 
 suming his occupation, and Napoleon moving restlessly 
 about the room, all impatience for the Russian reply. 
 It soon came. Exactly one hour after Prehlen's depart- 
 ure the door opened to readmit that artless creature. 
 He advanced, all smiles, brandishing a crumpled tele- 
 gram. Napoleon slid into his chair, and set to work on 
 papers which vied with Carache's in sternness of appear- 
 ance. He looked vacantly up at his Excellency. Ca- 
 rache did likewise from his side. 
 
 "Ah, Monsieur Prehlen," said the latter, " pray give 
 us a single minute. Most important despatches, you 
 know." 
 
 ' ' I know, ' ' cooed Prehlen, sliding into a chair ; ' ' take 
 as long as you like."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 307 
 
 He looked the picture of contented peace. So much 
 of his cheeks as golden hair had not covered were tinged 
 with a delicate pink which a woman might have envied. 
 His eyes, though now a trifle moist, had once upon a time 
 been blue; and eyes in a well-fed, well-clothed man are 
 the last features to coarsen. His beard, albeit a trifle 
 too yellow near the corners of the mouth, was truly a 
 noble ornament, and the frequency with which he stroked 
 it showed that he was conscious of its beauty. 
 
 He gazed genially at Napoleon's bent head. Its 
 studious aspect did not conceal from him the fact that 
 the Emperor was gnawing his quill and cursing his ser- 
 vant's procrastination. Nor was the latter's pose any 
 more effective in deceiving so wily an antagonist. 
 
 " Forgive me," cried Carache at last, throwing down 
 his pen with a little sigh of relief, "I had to finish this 
 letter for his Majesty." The Premier wheeled round to 
 face the Ambassador, and thereafter sat watching him 
 like a tiger out for a picnic. The Norwegian's infantile 
 expression arid modesty of demeanour strengthened the 
 illusion, giving him much the appearance of some startled 
 antelope which feels a dread presentiment of its part 
 in the coming feast. 
 
 " Before anything else, sire," Prehlen returned, "may 
 I make one last appeal? I beseech you sheath the half- 
 drawn sword." 
 
 "Impossible!" said Carache. 
 
 " No,it is not impossible, " muttered Napoleon. " The 
 sword, as you say, is only half drawn. I am not sure 
 that it will come out any farther." 
 
 "Ah," said Prehlen. 
 
 " Not at all sure. But there was no harm our put- 
 ting the question to you, was there? Your answer may 
 help to decide us me." 
 
 "Oh! " again from Prehlen. 
 
 "What does your government say? " Carache asked. 
 
 " We propose to put ourselves on a war footing at the 
 very outset of hostilities." 
 
 "Yes," eagerly. 
 
 "You may be sure that in doing this," dawdled the
 
 308 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Ambassador, "we shall not have far to go. We are 
 pretty near a war footing now." 
 
 " Pray go on." 
 
 " Navy and army, remember, will be placed on a war 
 footing. Naturally, we shall need subsidies." 
 
 "You shall have them; you may take his Majesty's 
 word for it. Go on." 
 
 " Being on a war footing, and receiving your sub- 
 sidies, loans, you know, we shall observe the strictest 
 neutrality. " 
 
 He stopped dead short and smiled benignly at his 
 fellow-negotiators. 
 
 The Emperor drooped his shoulders in utter prostra- 
 tion. Monsieur Carache cried "Pah!" his favourite 
 expletive. 
 
 "The strictest neutrality." Prehlen repeated, linger- 
 ing unctuously over this part of his communication. " If 
 you conquer, as you no doubt will, we shall look to par- 
 ticipate in your good fortune. We should regard such a 
 share in the light of compensation." 
 
 "Compensation! What in heaven's name for?" 
 hotly from Carache. 
 
 " For not siding with your enemies. " 
 
 "Pish! I am quite sure you are joking." 
 
 " Oh, dear, no. I am giving you my government's 
 instructions word for word." 
 
 "You must specify your share." 
 
 " We can do that later on. It would look too greedy 
 just at present. " 
 
 " There will probably be no war." 
 
 "That is as your Majesty pleases." 
 
 "And if we are beaten? " asked Carache. 
 
 " Need we talk of that? " purred Prehlen. 
 
 "Certainly, we need." 
 
 Prehlen turned and gazed at Napoleon in deep com- 
 miseration. The moisture in his eyes increased. Two 
 "erring pearls" quivered over the nose-corners of his 
 lower lids, hung there a while for re-enforcements, and 
 then rolled gently down his tinted cheeks. 
 
 " Majesty," he gulped, " may heaven avert defeat! " 
 
 "Oh!" burst out Napoleon, himself much affected,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 309 
 
 "you know I have not finally made up my mind to 
 war. ' ' 
 
 " Do n't; take my advice, and do n't! " 
 
 "Honestly, I do not think I shall." 
 
 " If we are beaten? " persisted Carache. 
 
 "I can't bear to hear you," Prehlen answered. He 
 endeavoured to make his lips quiver, forgetting that they 
 were hidden beneath heavy hair, and that, accordingly, 
 success in such an undertaking could not be counted 
 unto him for righteousness. It took him some time to 
 master his emotion. But, like the brave man he was, 
 when he did speak again, it was in a manner altogether 
 business-like and self-possessed. 
 
 "We shall stand at attention. His Majesty will only 
 have to send us word that the Germans have penetrated 
 one yard west of a line drawn between Thionville and 
 Belfort, and we shall be en route for Berlin." 
 
 "In fact a defensive alliance." 
 
 "Exactly." 
 
 Napoleon heaved a sigh of relief. "Your words, 
 Monsieur, have removed a weight from my mind. I 
 thank you for them." 
 
 "You fill me with pride." 
 
 "Monsieur may well be proud. He has bound two 
 great nations together. Come adversity " 
 
 "Which God forbid," cooed Prehlen. 
 
 " Russia and France will stand shoulder to shoulder; 
 if success " 
 
 "They will share like brothers," grinned Carache. 
 
 "What about the preliminaries?" asked Prehlen 
 drawing out a note-book. 
 
 "We can leave those till the morning," answered 
 Carache. 
 
 " Mind, even when we have signed them," Napoleon 
 made haste to say, "we do not bind ourselves to fight." 
 
 " Of course not." 
 
 "I must have time to think the whole matter over 
 quietly. I haven't been on the throne above a month; 
 it is preposterous to expect me to decide so momen- 
 tous a question in so short a time." 
 
 " I thoroughly understand. Very well, Monsieur
 
 310 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Carache, to-morrow morning. Sire, permit me to offer 
 you the assurances of my most devoted respect. Mon- 
 sieur, adieu," and in the hall his sharp ears caught these 
 words, spoken by Napoleon, "Carache, Carache, I 
 wonder whether we have made a judicious bargain? "
 
 Chapter VII 
 
 His Excellency the Russian Ambassador was troubled 
 by no such sinister reflexions. He returned home to the 
 Rue de Grenelle, feeling that his country might well .con- 
 gratulate itself on the possession of so clever a public 
 servant. And his satisfaction increased tenfold when he 
 discovered what the kind gods had prepared for him in 
 his little room, to wit, Mademoiselle the Consoler, more 
 beautiful than ever, and ravishingly dressed. Like a 
 wise ambassador who must have lighter moments, he 
 suffered her to partake of his good humour without shar- 
 ing in his good news. And when she had departed, and 
 the moon in its turn had done the same, he mumbled 
 some perfunctory prayers for much the same reasons 
 that induced mediaeval men to wear bits of dried frog 
 and necklets of strung teeth and slipped into bed, well 
 pleased with his afternoon's work. He would write to 
 Aunt Ottilia in the morning; this would gratify her more 
 than a dozen locks of hair from the Imperial brow. 
 
 Three days later, and at twilight, Monsieur stood in 
 his wife's boudoir buttoning white kid gloves, and smil- 
 ing at the reflexion of his pink complexion and yellow 
 beard. Madame was more than usually unpunctual, and 
 they were due at the table of a hostess who counted that 
 virtue high. But no shade of vexation crossed Prehlen's 
 contemplative face. He was a man who deserved hap- 
 piness, for he made good use of it when it came. He 
 chewed the cud of some past piece of fortune for days on 
 end, and the whole Embassy, save such part of it as was 
 dedicated to Madame, shared in his high spirits. On 
 this occasion, it is true, he had grave doubts about the 
 intrinsic merits of the treaty. But the first duty of Rus- 
 sian servants is to obey instructions. He had done so 
 
 3"
 
 312 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 to the letter, and if the home authorities chose to change 
 their tactics at the eleventh hour, when possibly it might 
 be too late, that was no concern of his. 
 
 So the Ambassador smiled at himself affably, and 
 hummed an air, and patted his beard and his orders, and 
 waited in patience for Madame. 
 
 There came the sound of hurrying feet along the pas- 
 sage. Next minute the door burst open. 
 
 "Ah, Fersen, it is you? " said Monsieur; he still sur- 
 veyed himself in the chimney-glass. 
 
 The lad's face was flushed with excitement. He 
 brandished a much-mangled Soir. 
 
 "Look here!" he shouted, "Excellency, what do 
 you think of this? " 
 
 " My child, pray be calm. You will burst an im- 
 portant blood-vessel. What shall I say to your mother, 
 then?" 
 
 " Read this! " was the only answer. 
 
 Prehlen wheeled round slowly. He extracted a small, 
 gold toothpick from his fob-pocket, examined it minutely 
 for several seconds, then commenced exploring his false 
 teeth. 
 
 "I never read without my glasses," he drawled out. 
 " Do you read it to me. ' ' 
 
 The attache" obeyed, reciting the three or four preg- 
 nant lines in an uneven voice, which enhanced their sig- 
 nificance. It was the usual "authorized account." If 
 it could be believed, war had been declared against Ger- 
 many at half-past three that same afternoon. 
 
 At dinner the table rang with this thunderbolt. Mon- 
 sieur Prehlen alone steadily ignored the one absorbing 
 topic. He sighed a little now and again when he be- 
 thought him what a terrible scourge war was, but for the 
 most part he busied himself with such light conversation 
 as he could get, and the pleasures of the table. 
 
 At six o'clock on Wednesday evening, Carache took 
 his final decision. He spent until half-past nine trying 
 to convince his master. He merely succeeded in leaving 
 the last-named potentate prostrate on his sofa, in the 
 attitude of a defunct jelly-fish, and faltering upon the
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 313 
 
 brink of idle tears. Next morning the Premier returned 
 to the attack, without avail, suffice to say that at six 
 o'clock, two days later, war was declared. The seventy 
 hours or so intervening were full of military preparations 
 and feverish diplomacy; the former intensified because 
 concealed, the latter embittered by its very hopelessness. 
 
 But it would take an abler pen than the, one now 
 striving to piece out these stray pages to describe those 
 movements of great armies, or the thunder of shrieking 
 trains which tore towards the frontier from all corners 
 of both empires, or the tears and prayers which rose 
 like some thick vapour, and rolled in dwindling masses 
 against the pitiless heaven. 
 
 Another pen, too, must describe the virtuous indig- 
 nation at Berlin, when out of a clear sky there fell a 
 document unpleasantly like an ultimatum, desiring to 
 know the meaning of that military restlessness along the 
 western frontier. As the Imperial Chancellor plaintively 
 exclaimed to one of his subordinates, he was not aware 
 of any especial military restlessness along the western 
 frontier; in his opinion, that frontier was particularly 
 quiet, considering the number of troops massed thereon. 
 
 He was old and sagacious, and knew the meaning of 
 war. 
 
 But the young blood about the Council table was 
 ready enough to use the pretext in the spirit it was 
 given. The federal princes, not to mention the nu- 
 merous scions of their houses, were mostly callow and 
 ardent. They were also a trifle weary of chanting the 
 praises of their fathers, the "Empire founders," and 
 were anxious to show that they could defend what the 
 want of opportunity alone had prevented them from 
 winning. The same spirit pervaded the army, though in 
 a lesser degree, as was to be looked for in men of thinner 
 blood. Count Rumpenheim, especially, who commanded 
 in chief, had long ago come to hate those frequent pil- 
 grimages to the shrine of the great strategist, which 
 as his enemies declared were the only things the latter 
 had left him. Accordingly, defiance met defiance. The 
 telegraph wires, those bearers of modern-day gages 
 clicked out their miserable task, with the result already
 
 314 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 known. The details of this final rupture are full of in- 
 terest. But they should be looked for in serious his- 
 tories, not in a petty domestic chronicle, which can essay 
 such minor matters as the vagaries of the human soul, 
 or eternity, but which must once and for all crave per- 
 mission to leave the higher politics severely alone. 
 
 A curious feature of these curious days was the apathy 
 with which the news was received in both countries. 
 The actual troops, and the reservists behind them, were 
 naturally filled with martial ardour, and they communi- 
 cated it to their relatives in diluted doses. A delicious 
 little flutter, too, went through the independent classes; 
 those lucky people who live on unearned increment, and 
 who can breakfast at twelve, and spend as long as they 
 like over the morning paper. These got out their maps 
 of eastern France and western Germany, and purchased 
 compasses and whole hogsheads of pins. Their wives 
 and daughters, at the same time, commenced to pluck 
 lint and chop up the lids of wooden wine-boxes. One 
 or two bourses had feverish days, and not a few "ope- 
 rators" had feverish nights. Army contractors, from the 
 makers of ordnance to the purveyors of adulterated 
 groceries, also became excited, cheerfully excited, 
 these; and full of prayer that the single flame might 
 result in a general conflagration. The British ship-owner 
 shared in their rejoicing, hastening to collect his craft 
 from all waters, at the cost, it is true, of many a broken 
 charter-party, and the consequent innocent delight of 
 those middle-aged gentlemen who charm the Queen's 
 Bench and the Admiralty Divisions with their eloquence 
 in the hope of French expeditions to the Elbe and Ger- 
 man reprisals on the lower Seine. One patriotic mer- 
 chant went so far as to offer his own Admiralty the use 
 of his line of China tea-ships, though with what precise 
 object, this offer did not proceed to specify. 
 
 But these were the limits of excitement. 
 
 In Paris and Berlin, and in the other large towns of 
 either country, men went to and fro with the same light- 
 hearted indifference, or the same apathetic misery, as 
 had marked them prior to the happening of this great 
 event. There was no gathering in excited clusters along
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 315 
 
 the boulevards or Unter den Linden; there were no 
 huge crowds thronging round abducted prima donnas, 
 and clamouring for songs of war. In truth, a bitterness 
 which war seemed but these are still high politics! 
 
 The indifference of the streets found no counterpart 
 within the palace. Interviews, councils of war and state, 
 despatches from every town in France, had followed each 
 upon each with breathless rapidity. So much so indeed, 
 that now, towards the evening of his last day in Paris, 
 the Emperor seemed to have reached the end of all 
 preparations, with nothing left to do but start forthwith 
 for the eastern frontier. 
 
 Appearances may have been deceptive. Likely as not 
 there were generals and officials innumerable still to be 
 interrogated, and many important despatches yet to be 
 written. Certainly, hundreds were thronging his ante- 
 chambers, all waiting and praying for interviews, on 
 which in their several estimations, at least hung the 
 whole chance of the war. Be this as it may, Napoleon's 
 attitude was one of restless idleness, which could hardly 
 endure even to contemplate the twelve hours that must 
 elapse before his departure. 
 
 He had always been high-strung. From his earliest 
 youth, the least thing had sufficed to unhinge him and 
 rob him of his sleep or powers of application. And for 
 this reason because he had never been able to attain 
 to calm under petty cares and worries he imagined that 
 his nature must contain vast reserves of stoicism, which 
 it only needed heroic circumstances to summon to the 
 surface. He "imagined"; for he imagined so still, 
 while he wandered restlessly about his library, turning 
 from every attempted occupation with equal impatience. 
 At last he relinquished the struggle, though not the 
 faith. Taking his stand by a corner window, he com- 
 menced to tap listlessly upon the glass. 
 
 His brain whirled under the memory of the incidents 
 of the last few days. Especially was he haunted by the 
 recollection of that first interview with the German am- 
 bassador on the Thursday evening preceding, in this 
 very room. He could not forget the deepening gravity 
 of the latter's pleasant face, which, for the one brief
 
 3 i6 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 second after he had grasped the full bearing of the Em- 
 peror's words, had been positively distorted by rage 
 and disappointment. The blow was so sudden, and 
 peace had been his pride. To be sure, the look was only 
 momentary, and at once gave way to a frigidly-polite 
 demeanour, preserved to the end of the interview; but 
 Napoleon could not blot out the ugly picture of this man 
 standing like some wild beast at bay. Then there were 
 those "soundings" of other powers, with more or less 
 equivocal results; and those furious articles in the Times, 
 which galled and disquieted him at one and the same 
 moment. No, these meditations were anything but 
 pleasant; and it would have been well for him had he 
 been able to throw them aside and bury himself in some 
 book which contained no single reference to the Conti- 
 nental system, historical or geographical. 
 
 The Grand Chamberlain broke in upon his listlessness. 
 The old wretch's business proved of the most trifling 
 character. First of all, he delivered a message from 
 Felix, to the effect that his Highness would be delighted 
 to act as regent during the continuance of the war. 
 Napoleon brushed the impertinence contemptuously 
 away. 
 
 " Carache has his instructions." 
 
 Secondly, De Morin asked a place among the pages 
 for Paul de Murinac, the grandson of his dear old friend. 
 Napoleon brushed that aside, but without comment. So 
 De Morin took the thing as agreed and made a note of it. 
 
 Lastly, the old gentleman informed his nephew that 
 the custom obtained to set aside certain of the smaller 
 residences as homes for the wounded and convalescent. 
 On this point he sought no instructions. 
 
 Then he embraced his kinsman, "in case we never 
 meet again," and gave him a time-table showing the 
 best connexions with Belgium, and so ambled away. 
 But his intrusion had set the stream of visitors and de- 
 spatches going once more. Every one and everything 
 was urgent, refusing to take any denial. The butler 
 quite collapsed under the strain, and was eventually 
 compelled to depute his duties to other hands. All 
 things, however, must end in time. By eleven the palace
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 317 
 
 was silent. Napoleon left his laden desk, and walked 
 across the passage to trifle with his dinner. 
 
 The clock struck midnight before he returned. He 
 glanced with genuine dismay at the work that remained 
 still to be completed. He flung himself in an arm-chair. 
 With vacant eyes fixed upon the chandelier, he surveyed 
 his circumstances with equally vacant brain. 
 
 The war was none of his seeking; and, try as he 
 would, he could not summon any enthusiasm for it. He 
 felt regretfully though also in the most apathetic man- 
 ner imaginable that it was far too soon to hazard all 
 the pomps and pleasures of his great position. The 
 power, such as it was, that he enjoyed, the respect which 
 he received, the luxury wherein he lived, all were very 
 dear to him; while he reflected with some bitterness that 
 none of those more especially sweet sensations, so con- 
 fidently looked for at the outset of his reign, had as yet 
 been vouchsafed to him by the otherwise complacent 
 gods. Not one of the friends of his earlier days had 
 visited him, or given him a chance of displaying for their 
 admiration his perfectly natural and modest demeanour. 
 His former enemies mostly those who he had imagined 
 disliked him showed themselves equally shy and unin- 
 trusive; and the biting scorn which he had rehearsed for 
 more than one who in the past had been guilty of some 
 real or fancied lightness towards his hidden Highness, 
 remained, alas, nothing but an ardent dream. 
 
 The great one, too, of that now faded horizon, whom 
 he had most envied, to wit, the Lord High Chancellor of 
 England, went on witnessing any number of summonses 
 which reeked of Bell Yard and bad beer, but never would 
 adventure himself across the straits that he might behold 
 the dazzling elevation of an obscure member of his own 
 profession. The judges, those lesser luminaries, who 
 to his fevered brain had been wont to cast many a 
 pitying glance at his sodden brieflessness, stayed severely 
 away, preferring Norwegian fiords and Scottish moun- 
 tains to the courtly patronage which awaited them at 
 the Palace of the Elysee. The English Home Secretary 
 (another of his worries in bygone days) seemed satisfied 
 with the contemplation of his own magnificence.
 
 3iS THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Accordingly, our hero had to content himself with the 
 actual reverence and envy meted out to him by his own 
 subjects. There was plenty of it, and it came very 
 sweetly to his bourgeois soul, as did the heavy robe of 
 purple and ermine which hung around him on state occa- 
 sions. For the rest, he was forced to believe that among 
 his old friends and enemies he formed the one engrossing 
 theme of conversation. 
 
 Another grievance lay in this: the labour expended 
 on the conduct of affairs seemed likely to be altogether 
 wasted. What profit that he rose at five a habit en- 
 gendered by the example of other monarchs and toiled 
 sometimes till midnight? What profit indeed to pore 
 over plans for a bridge for Vienne or a breakwater for 
 Brieuc, if, before ever those works were completed, he 
 should find himself a nameless fugitive, with the break- 
 water and bridge left behind him to embellish the epoch 
 of the fourth Republic? Ah, no profit at all; and these 
 hours would be just as much wasted as those had been 
 which he had spent sitting briefless in his desolate 
 chambers. 
 
 Muriel ended the procession. And well she might. 
 Her word had done its little part towards the war. She, 
 more than many, had finally decided him. He could 
 admit as much, communing thus with his own heart and in 
 his chamber. He began to see the face he loved; and 
 beginning, pined for Meaux. 
 
 But he pushed this last phantom vigorously aside. 
 He still was able. And he reverted to those less disturb- 
 ing ruminations over royal splendour so soon to pass 
 away. 
 
 So he sank back into discontented dreams: and pres- 
 ently Godefroy crept in on tiptoe and turned out the 
 lamps which stood about his master's table, as well as 
 the gas-jets, save one, which he left, a glimmering star to 
 illumine the surrounding waste. On his way back to the 
 door, the servant passed close to Napoleon's chair. 
 
 "The poor little one," said he softly, his hand for a 
 brief instant upon the other's shoulder, "the poor little 
 one. He will sink under the burden like all the rest,"
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 319 
 
 and he glided out, leaving the shadows to surround and 
 swallow the sleeping form. 
 
 When Bonaparte awoke, it was to feel the sun about 
 his brow. He rose as though he had never been asleep, 
 and followed its rays onto the balcony. He found the 
 calm of early morning. Even yet, the walls around him 
 moved from violet to purple. The light air, not yet dis- 
 coloured by smoke or summer haze, fanned him, fevered 
 as the night had made him. He drank it in longingly. 
 
 The faint sound of music reached his ear. It grew 
 as the dawn had grown it swelled into a stirring march. 
 "Troops bound for the war!" he muttered, his gloom 
 returning. They proved the Eightieth of the line, a 
 regiment lately garrisoned at Orleans. Neither the 
 bandsmen nor the foremost companies noticed the dumpy 
 figure. But a young subaltern, recalling, no doubt, 
 some wistful face left behind, looked skyward to crease 
 out his tears, and thus caught sight of Majesty. He 
 recognized him at once. " Vive L'Empereur! " he cried, 
 saluting smartly with his sword. Napoleon waved back 
 an acknowledgment. All took up the cry. A shout 
 of triumph went to heaven and the balcony. Bonaparte 
 felt a strange joy at his heart. And when, in the midst 
 of a lull, a pert recruit from the Loire bawled out " Au 
 revoir a Sedan, Monsieur," the^ Emperor bawled back 
 the more dangerous memory, " A Berlin."
 
 Chapter VIII 
 
 Half-way up a certain valley of the Moselle lies the 
 little town of Pont-a-Mousson, beautifully placed amid 
 rolling hills, and almost in a straight line between Metz 
 and Paris. 
 
 Its ordinary atmosphere is deep calm, notwithstanding 
 the fact that a stiff walk five miles eastward will bring a 
 man out onto the frontier. The two countries have 
 marched in peace for nigh thirty years; and even now, 
 on this August afternoon, with a crowned Bonaparte 
 hurrying thither from the capital, the spot was wrapped 
 in sunlit stillness which gave no sign of those huge armies 
 scattered about the border from Montmedy to Belfort. 
 The streets were empty. Not a dog stirred along the 
 heated pavements. Such wayfarers as were abroad kept 
 to the shelter of the arcades. One or two loafers 
 sprawled about the cafes; and a party of merry children 
 sat devouring ices round a table at the principal con- 
 fectioner's. 
 
 Pont-a-Mousson, be it said, is not a town of much 
 importance. The guide-book will tell you about its 
 Place Duroc, or its Maison des Septs Peche"s Capitaux; 
 but to Napoleon it had a significance of a different kind. 
 As he came upon it from Frouard, and caught a first 
 glimpse of its outstanding houses, he felt convinced that 
 the placid-looking city was to be the name-place of yet 
 another tragedy. Its beauty afforded him no refresh- 
 ment, though he saw it after the dust and fatigue of a 
 seven-hours' journey. Rather the contrary ! He regarded 
 it at best as a jewel about to be plucked from the Im- 
 perial crown. He could feel no sort of confidence in 
 little General Mesnil, who went composedly forward, 
 twiddling his thumbs, blinking his little ferret eyes, and 
 320
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 321 
 
 deftly manipulating a game, the very rudiments of which 
 were a sealed book to his master. 
 
 The journey from Paris had not been a triumphal 
 progress. Majesty had only met with a qualified recep- 
 tion along the route; he was consequently very glum and 
 silent. The commander-in-chief the only other occu- 
 pant of the Imperial carriage did not suffer himself to 
 be infected. He prattled away with delightful inno- 
 cence. He pointed out the various objects of beauty to 
 be seen from the carriage windows, though he took care 
 not to refer to their strategical significance. Indeed, 
 he avoided "shop" of any sort; while his appearance 
 hardly betokened a great general about to guide the 
 movements of over two million men. His uniform was 
 shabby and ill-fitting. He had discarded his kepi, such 
 as it was, at the outset of the journey, and his head was 
 now swathed in a skull-cap of palatial dimensions. His 
 hand-packages filled both racks. He had dragged them 
 into the carriage, under the pretext that they contained 
 maps. Towards, mid-day, however, he had gone to them 
 for quite other kind of nutriment. Every bag and box had 
 furnished its quota, whether of brandy or sandwiches or 
 fruit, towards his lunch. To crown all, he kept up a thin 
 trickle of conversation throughout the entire journey; 
 that is, except when he was eating, and even then he 
 tried hard to combine his gulps with easy demonstration. 
 Not that he really demonstrated. He chatted about 
 everything save business. Now and again the Emperor 
 strove to decoy him into the strategic value of some hill 
 or valley or river alongside of which they might happen 
 to be passing. He could always avoid an answer, diverg- 
 ing instead into another topic all-engrossing, such as the 
 inner arrangements of one of his beef sandwiches. 
 
 ''This is Frouard! " he burst out, when they were 
 approaching that town; " one changes here for Nancy. 
 Now," he shouted a few minutes later, "we enter the 
 valley of the Moselle! that is the Moselle." So he went 
 on, and so he had gone on, in an even more incessant 
 strain, from their first minute together. Small wonder 
 then that Napoleon hailed the distinguishable " clank " 
 of the carriages which heralded the journey's end.
 
 322 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Mesnil jumped briskly onto the cushioned seat to 
 collect his hand-things. "I trust very much," he ex- 
 claimed, in the intervals of getting an unwieldy bag onto 
 the floor, " I trust very much that there will be porters 
 at Pont-a-Mousson." He dashed to the window, and, 
 craning his head forward, endeavoured to catch a glimpse 
 of the station platform. He drew it in with a sigh of 
 relief. "Yes," he murmured, " I see some." 
 
 There were, besides, half a dozen general officers, a 
 brace of mayors, three prefects, and most of the leading 
 citizens. Napoleon had to listen to a patriotic welcome, 
 which was drawn up, moreover, upon the assumption that 
 General Mesnil, "but yesterday the obscure command- 
 ant of a garrison town, to-day the director, under his 
 Majesty, of the entire army," would be stationed in a 
 modest attitude on the Imperial right hand. As a mat- 
 ter of fact, the director of the entire army was far more 
 profitably employed. He had gone off to have a look at 
 his luggage; and although the station-master assured 
 him that the van would go on entire to Pagny, he insisted 
 upon breaking bulk, and carrying off a little square 
 wooden case, asserting roundly that it contained plans 
 priceless beyond the dreams of avarice. " I mean to 
 keep it henceforth by me," he said emphatically. This 
 small matter unfortunately diverted him from his bags 
 and hat-boxes. As a result, over-zealous officials car- 
 ried them to the carts outside. Breathless with agita- 
 tion, he flew up and down the platform, asking of all men 
 whether they had noticed any goods marked "M. " 
 Before long he reached the group round the Emperor. 
 General Changarnier prevented him with the greatest 
 difficulty from rushing up to the Mayor and inquiring 
 what the devil that potentate had done with his be- 
 longings. 
 
 "General Mesnil," said Napoleon, when they were 
 once more alone, in one of the larger sitting-rooms of 
 the hotel, "you and I must have a little talk about 
 business." 
 
 "By all means, sire," the other replied; but he made 
 no attempt to seat himself, although the Emperor mo- 
 tioned him to a chair already drawn up to the table. He
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 323 
 
 was standing by the doorway, buttoning on white kid 
 gloves, and he had changed his uniform for a brighter 
 and a newer one. " By all means, sire," he repeated in 
 the most accommodating manner, but he still went on 
 buttoning his gloves, and edged one step nearer the 
 door with every fresh button achieved. 
 
 "Won't you sit down? " the Emperor asked. 
 
 " No, no, your Majesty must rest. You look pale 
 and fatigued. " 
 
 A spasm shot across the young man's heart not a 
 real one, but a fancied one, which was very nasty all the 
 same. This always happened whenever any one criti- 
 cised his physical appearance. 
 
 " O, I feel well enough," he said nervously. 
 
 Mesnil pursued his advantage. "Your looks, then, 
 belie you. Two or three times in the train this after- 
 noon I thought you were on the point of fainting." 
 
 " I assure you I feel quite well. Oblige me by doing 
 what I ask." 
 
 " To tell you the truth, I desire to do a little shopping. 
 I positively must purchase some soap and a sponge-bag. " 
 
 Napoleon could not stifle a groan of impatience. 
 " Cannot your servant do these things for you? " 
 
 " He is at Pagny with my trunk. " 
 
 "You are trying to make me ridiculous," cried the 
 Emperor, lashing himself into a sudden fury. "You 
 must stay and and have a short consultation with me. 
 I insist upon it. The soap must wait." 
 
 Mesnil bowed, and advanced a few steps into the 
 room." 
 
 " Be seated, if you please," curtly. 
 
 Mesnil bowed again and sank into the chair. But his 
 kepi lay to his hand, while he made no attempt to re- 
 move his gloves, though it was easy to see that these 
 elegant garments helped to fan the flame. He was per- 
 fectly respectful. His little twinkling eyes gazed into 
 Napoleon's with absolute calm; and the fussy, trifling 
 demeanour, which was his usual one, had departed, and 
 left him a quiet, somewhat ordinary, little gentleman, 
 with clean-shaven and wrinkled face, no hair to speak of, 
 four foot and a third of height, and a gorgeous uniform.
 
 324 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Napoleon cast about him for a fit beginning; it was a 
 painful process. 
 
 " I have fixed ten o'clock in the morning for a coun- 
 cil of war," said he at last, and he marvelled at the 
 thinness of his voice. "It will take place at Pagny, I 
 need hardly say." 
 
 "I sincerely trust that your Majesty will counter- 
 mand that order." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Because I cannot consent to discuss my plans with 
 any one save yourself." 
 
 " Suppose I command? " 
 
 "Then you must find another Chief of the Staff." 
 
 ' ' Your words amount to a threat ! ' ' the Emperor cried 
 with great vehemence. 
 
 " His Majesty must place whatever construction upon 
 them he desires." 
 
 There ensued an uncomfortable interval of silence. 
 The Emperor broke it; and his voice was a shade softer. 
 
 "General, you are a little premature. I have not 
 said that the council was to criticise your plans. What 
 if it is merely to take your orders? " 
 
 "Not the least difference. I should prefer to give 
 them my orders separately." 
 
 "Very 1 well, have it your own way," and Napoleon 
 laughed nervously, while a look of miserable doubt 
 passed across his face. It was a look which said very 
 plainly, "I don't know whether or no I am playing the 
 part of a great commander, or whether I shall be suf- 
 fered to enter upon that role at any future time in this busi- 
 ness; but I have never had an opportunity of learning 
 strategy, and that is my misfortune." 
 
 "You, sire, will have all the glory." 
 
 "Really, my dear Chief, you seem very certain of 
 victory. Furthermore," and he assumed a look of 
 intense sternness " each of us will get what honour he 
 deserves." 
 
 But sternness was of no avail. Mesnil merely gazed 
 serenely back. So Napoleon dropped his frown, seeking 
 comfort in a survey of his finger-nails. It was very curi- 
 ous, all this, and quite unlike his preconceived notions
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 335 
 
 concerning the reticence and general correctness certain 
 to mark the behaviour of a great monarch and his first 
 lieutenant. He supposed Mesnil knew more about these 
 matters than himself; but to his mind the transactions 
 so far resembled nothing so much as company-promoting. 
 
 "I have still another request to make of your Ma- 
 jesty." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " May I be excused from discussing my plan even 
 with you? " 
 
 "But" 
 
 "At all events till to-morrow morning. I am expect- 
 ing important despatches from Epinal: they should be 
 here every minute: and then " 
 
 With dramatic suddenness there came a tap at the 
 door. 
 
 "A telegram from Epinal for his Majesty's Chief of 
 the Staff." 
 
 Napoleon took the despatches and handed them on 
 to Mesnil. 
 
 And then ? " said he. 
 
 "And then I shall beg for a few hours in which to 
 consider them," and he gently lifted his ke"pi from the 
 table. 
 
 "I suppose you must have your way," sighed Na- 
 poleon. 
 
 Mesnil rose, bowed, and passed on tip-toe out of the 
 room. He sought his own apartment, which was directly 
 above the Emperor's, and full as pleasant, having been 
 fitted up by mine host, with a view to expediting his 
 meditations. The General deposited the unopened tele- 
 gram upon the green-cloth card-table, which the land- 
 lord had imported thither, because as he had told his 
 wife it reminded him of the Congress of Berlin. He 
 then proceeded to have a draught of water. Next, he 
 consulted the looking-glass, and smoothed down the 
 wispy hair which, to his practiced eye, had evidently got 
 ruffled in the late encounter. These duties done with 
 intense deliberation, he turned to the news from Epinal. 
 He took it up languidly, seating himself on the pillow of 
 his bed, and read it through twice with the utmost calm-
 
 326 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ness. It was from General Clisserole. It was evi- 
 dently what he wanted, so he went out for another little 
 promenade. 
 
 The Hotel de France next morning was early astir. 
 The thunder of cannon, though faint and intermittent, 
 had yet been heard distinctly all through the night. 
 Towards dawn the ominous noise seemed to come closer, 
 and those who were awake and watching felt it their 
 duty to arouse the Emperor. 
 
 It was an easy task. Major Gorin, Bonvalet'sGorin, 
 the officer of the guard, did not need knock twice at 
 the door of the outer bedroom where Godefroy lay 
 garbed in his trousers and semi-military ulster. The 
 unhappy butler had passed hours listening to the first 
 low mutterings of the storm. His head was throbbing 
 with fatigue. Gorin's unimpassioned summons came 
 upon him at the moment he first lost consciousness. It 
 sounded like a pistol-shot. 
 
 He started up quivering. 
 
 " Who is there? " he shouted in tremulous voice. " If 
 it 's the Prussians, I sha'n't open." 
 
 Gorin, his mind busy elsewhere, suffered himself to 
 be betrayed into a burst of laughter. He stifled this in- 
 decorous mirth, but only succeeded in rendering its 
 sound the more coarse and brutal. Godefroy shivered. 
 
 "I know who you are," he murmured, prostrate, 
 "you are the Emperor William. Go away! I am sur- 
 prised at your want of tact." 
 
 Napoleon, from his inner chamber, could hear every 
 word. He, too, reclined, half-dressed and in a feverish 
 doze, ready for any emergency. Springing to the floor, 
 he hurried through and admitted Gorin. The officer 
 quickly imparted the cause. 
 
 "Have you awakened General Mesnil? " he asked, 
 before anything else. 
 
 " No, sire." 
 
 Napoleon was visibly relieved. " You did well, Major 
 Gorin, to come first to me. Perhaps you had better 
 wake him, though. Tell him I await him in my sitting- 
 room." 
 
 The sound of cannon still continued, but at longer
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 327 
 
 intervals. It wrung Napoleon's heart. Each rever- 
 beration seemed fraught with carnage. His was the 
 guilty hand ; he felt that it was stained with blood. 
 
 If only he had obeyed the promptings of his con- 
 science! 
 
 He returned to snatch up coat and sword, and, com- 
 pleting his toilet as he ran, fled down the stairs. The 
 sitting-room smelt sickly and unwholesome, but he had 
 not leisure to open windows. He strode up and down, 
 up and down, waiting angrily for Mesnil, and every now 
 and then hearing that terrible sound of cannon which 
 echoed through his brain. The morning air began to 
 chill his bones. The dawn delayed unconscionably. So 
 did the General. Napoleon waited five minutes, and 
 then set off in person to rouse the sluggard. 
 
 Major Gorin had got no farther than Mesnil's un- 
 opened door. 
 
 " I have knocked a dozen times," he told his master. 
 "I believe he has barricaded himself in with a chest of 
 drawers. " 
 
 At that moment the answer came. 
 
 "What the devil do you want? " 
 
 The Major informed him that it was his Majesty's 
 commands that he should be roused. There had been a 
 heavy cannonade all through the night, from the south- 
 east. Though now slackening, it was also coming closer. 
 
 " From the southeast?" the Chief of the Staff inquired. 
 
 "From the southeast," the Major replied. A brief 
 silence ensued. They could hear the General fumbling with 
 his pillow : presently what sounded like a china candlestick 
 fell with a crash to the floor. Then followed the crack- 
 ling of stiff paper. 
 
 " From beyond Nancy, I suppose?" he said at last. 
 
 The Major imagined so. 
 
 " It is quite clear," Mesnil said emphatically. " That 
 blasted fool Breheville has been trying to hold the line 
 of the Vezouse. Telegraph him at once to Luneville, 
 and bid him keep to the Meurthe, as I ordered." 
 
 Gorin bowed to the door-handle. "Very good, Gen- 
 eral. Shall I also wire to Marainvillers? General Brehe- 
 ville may be absent from Luueville. "
 
 328 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " He won't be at Marainvillers that is, unless the 
 Germans have got him," and a grim chuckle floated 
 across the barricades. 
 
 Gorin turned away. "Hi! " shouted the Chief after 
 him, " come back. Send a telegram also to Clisserole at 
 Epinal. Tell him, if he does n't keep Br6heville in order, 
 I '11 invite his Majesty to chop off both their heads, 
 when we get 'em back to town. They 've both got their 
 orders, let them follow them." The General swathed 
 his head in the bedclothes. "I cannot add more," said 
 he, his voice much muffled. "If his Majesty has risen, 
 tell him to go to bed again." Had the two men tarried 
 there five minutes longer they would have heard faint 
 sounds of snoring, irregular indeed, but replete with 
 comfort and suggestive of perfect peace. 
 
 Four hours later, joy and exquisite sunshine filled the 
 streets of Pagny-sur-Moselle. The Emperor had just 
 arrived, and was on his way to Imperial headquarters, 
 La Grange-en-Haye, a small farmhouse perched among 
 the gentle hills behind the town. Majesty received quite 
 an ovation along the route. It did n't comfort him 
 much. A man cannot be very cheerful after being roused 
 at five to listen to cannon. 
 
 Mesnil jogged along some two horses'-lengths behind 
 his master. The dashing Changarnier rode beside him. 
 
 "What keeps you so silent, Mesnil? " the latter asked, 
 a look of anxiety passing across his bloated face. 
 
 The other shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "Surely you would not have me sing? If you must 
 know, I am wondering what brings Mademoiselle Leduc 
 here." He nodded in the direction of a balcony just 
 above them on their left. It was shaded with a pink 
 and white striped awning, while beautiful flowers peeped 
 out from among the carnation-coloured railings, and 
 formed a suitable bower for so much loveliness. Chan- 
 garnier rapped out a horrible oath, without, however, 
 varying the genial smile which shone forth from his 
 blood-stained eyes. 
 
 "That blasted Prehlen is up to some of his tricks. 
 If it had not been for him, and for for we should 
 have had the Russians fighting with us in this business."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 329 
 
 "Who knows?" 
 
 "I do. Carache mismanaged the business badly, 
 damn him. And of course the of course there is no 
 one to keep the blasted fool in hand," and Changarnier 
 glared at the bent figure in front of them. The next 
 minute his blood-red visage was wreathed in smiles. 
 "General, his Majesty is beckoning you." 
 
 "There will be news from Luneville over at the camp?" 
 the Emperor commenced, as soon as Mesnil was abreast. 
 
 " Yes, bad news." 
 
 "Thanks, that is all I desired to know." Mesnil 
 bowed and fell back. Napoleon resumed his look of 
 studied calm. For a short time he made no change in 
 the easy trot at which they were proceeding. By and 
 by he set spurs to his horse, and three minutes later the 
 whole cavalcade was sweeping along in a cloud of dust 
 towards the farmhouse of La Grange-en-Haye, the Im- 
 perial headquarters. 
 
 For once the omniscient Mesnil had gone astray. 
 Telegrams telling of a French retreat awaited them at 
 the farm, but the details were less unpleasant than might 
 have been expected. As the Chief of the Staff had con- 
 jectured, Bre"heville had tried to hold the line of the 
 Vezouse, and had failed. With the Germans about three 
 to one Mesnil was careful to explain he could hardly 
 have hoped otherwise. But he had retired in perfect 
 order to Luneville, and was now behind the Meurthe, 
 his righc wing in touch with Dreyfus at St. Die, his re- 
 treat clear to Epinal, where Clisserole lay ready to re-en- 
 force him at a moment's notice. The worst feature of 
 last night's encounter was the desperate conflict which 
 waged for close on two hours round the village of Marain- 
 villers, and which resulted in the almost total destruc- 
 tion of a French regiment "the Eightieth!" said 
 Mesnil, going through the various telegrams. 
 
 "The Eightieth!" shouted Napoleon; "they can 
 barely have reached Luneville yesterday afternoon." 
 
 Mesnil looked surprised. " That is so, your Majesty. 
 They were delayed twenty-four hours at Orleans." 
 
 "And you mean to tell me they went into action the
 
 330 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " It appears so." 
 
 Napoleon declared that the thing was scandalous, 
 and Mesnil agreed with him. " Breheville, " the latter 
 grumbled, " had strict orders not to fight east of the 
 Meurthe. He had no business to be at Marainvillers at 
 all." 
 
 "Go on," cried the Emperor with a shrug of disgust 
 that was not all pretence. But not much more remained 
 to tell. Breheville trusted, in language as modest as 
 telegraphic language can be, that the next forty-eight 
 hours would bring him a chance of redeeming his char- 
 acter, and that was all. 
 
 Alas, that these sanguine expectations should prelude 
 an afternoon of terrors! 
 
 The first note of evil reached headquarters close on 
 mid-day. Breheville, misled by clouds of Bavarian 
 uhlans, who would persist in heading towards St. Die, 
 had kept continually moving in a southeasterly direction ; 
 while the inarticulate Klein, commandant of Nancy, 
 could n't be got to budge from his shaded pavements; 
 that was all to begin with; and the wording of the tele- 
 gram, indicating as it did that Klein was already ap- 
 prised of some mistake, gave hope that he would be able 
 to rectify it before too late. 
 
 But two o'clock brought tidings of genuine disaster. 
 "Ten thousand Bavarians have crossed the Meurthe at 
 Varangeville-St. Nicholas, eight miles below this city," 
 wailed Klein. " Direct communications with Breheville 
 no longer possible. Line to Luneville, St. Die, and 
 Epinal intercepted. Have informed Clisserole." 
 
 Napoleon and his staff were returning from a general 
 inspection when this message was put into Mesnil's 
 hands. The latter passed it to his master directly they 
 were alone together in the farmhouse dining-room. For 
 very shame, the Emperor, with his heart throbbing, forced 
 himself to copy the other's imperturbable demeanour, 
 while he waited with a sickening dread for him to speak. 
 But the General was plunged in a profound reverie, 
 which might have lasted hours, had the usually silent 
 Klein permitted. The Lieutenant-Colonel's messages
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 331 
 
 came pouring in in reckless profusion. The ten thousand 
 Bavarians soon swelled into an army. They were coming 
 northwards towards Nancy. They were moving south to 
 cut off Breheville from Epinal. He, Klein, had sent 
 repeated messages to Clisserole, but without result. He 
 was himself ready to face the enemy, and only waited 
 for instructions. 
 
 "He shall go at once," Napoleon cried, all excite- 
 ment; "these people must not cross the Moselle." 
 
 "With all respect to your Majesty," said the still 
 thoughtful Mesnil, " Klein must stay where he is. He 
 must guard the Malze"ville gate. This little job is for 
 Clisserole, and for no one else." 
 
 The General sank a second time into dreams. "Yes," 
 he repeated before long, " Clisserole will have to tackle 
 these people. The only thing is where 1 " 
 
 The next minute "these people " were kind enough 
 to answer the question. For, while Mesnil was still 
 rapt in thought, a telegram purporting to come from 
 General Breheville was laid upon the table. It told with 
 military precision how that the enemy had crossed the 
 Meurthe, and was now marching to the line of the 
 Mortaigne with a view to cutting off Clisserole from his 
 lieutenant, the sender. "Which is absurd," cried Mes- 
 nil, and he gave a sigh of relief. "In the first place, 
 Breheville is no longer able to telegraph via Nancy. 
 Secondly, what in God's name should the Prussians want 
 down at Rambervillers. They have sent this message 
 themselves: they fancy they are in Zululand. I'll be 
 even with them yet." So saying, the little gentleman 
 sprang forward to the table, seized pen and paper, and 
 commenced to scribble unciphered instructions to Bre"he- 
 ville and Douay at St. Die. He bade them to continue 
 to watch the Meurthe from Luneville to Fraize; and to 
 keep irregulars along the hills about La Plaine, even 
 unto the Donon if they could, "Clisserole has orders 
 to march on Rambervillers. If that do n't bring 'em 
 post haste to Pont St. Vincent," he concluded, with an 
 evil snigger, "my name's not Claude Augustus." 
 
 Napoleon watched him, himself helpless and be-
 
 332 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 wildered. Everything seemed so simple, yet he dared 
 not make a suggestion. He could not so much as think 
 of one that seemed in the least degree reasonable. 
 
 " Clisserole must make a dash for Pont St. Vincent," 
 Mesnil went on; "the railway is " 
 
 "But, my dear General," the Emperor broke in des- 
 perately, " why bring him thirty-six miles northwards? 
 Have we not an army corps at Toul? " 
 
 " B-r-r-r we will not talk about that, if you please. 
 I have other work for them."
 
 Chapter IX 
 
 "Why not Klein? " Napoleon persisted. 
 
 "I have told you, sire, Klein must remain at Nancy. 
 I want to keep him fresh for Mayence, please God." 
 
 "It seems to me that every town along the frontier 
 has its army corps, and meanwhile the enemy are suffered 
 to pierce into our territory. Take Longwy; I cannot 
 for the life of me see why we should keep troops in that 
 rat-trap. Do you forget Sedan? " 
 
 "Hardly." 
 
 "It seems to me that we shall repeat it. " 
 
 "Tell me," Mesnil interposed, dropping his voice to 
 a mysterious whisper, "am I to have a free hand in this 
 business? " 
 
 " I suppose so." 
 
 "Then his Majesty's strictures do not apply. For I 
 intend, if all goes well, to violate the neutrality of Lux- 
 embourg. " 
 
 Napoleon stared. 
 
 "It is quite simple," Mesnil urged with extreme 
 cheerfulness. "That Nassau fellow, Adolf, or whatever 
 he calls himself, won't make much fuss about it. He 
 can't love his Imperial cousin not if he has any bowels, 
 and hankers still in memory after Bieberich and the 
 Kochbrunnen. And if he does n't mind, no one else will. ' ' 
 
 " Carache may object." 
 
 "Oh, Carache! " muttered Mesnil, full of contempt. 
 " I trust I am not to be answerable to him. Neither 
 your Majesty nor I want to be bothered by these triflers 
 at such a moment. I am forgetting Clisserole. " 
 
 " There," he cried, after five minutes' labourious writ- 
 ing, " I think that will meet the case. It contains all 
 that your Majesty has recommended, so I need hardly 
 trouble you. I '11 see to its going myself." 
 
 333
 
 334 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 The little man had his hand upon the door. 
 
 " Mesnil, Mesnil," cried the Emperor with an abrupt- 
 ness that did not lack pathos, " are you sure that you are 
 doing right? Suppose Clisserole fails to catch the en- 
 emy, they will assuredly get between us and Paris. Let us 
 break camp now, at once, and march to Commercy to 
 Vitry anywhere, anywhere, so that we may get away 
 from this cursed inaction." 
 
 "Impossible. My plan alone is practicable. Whether 
 it is also right is another matter. This time to-morrow 
 we shall know patience, patience." 
 
 "This time to-morrow!" Napoleon murmured bit- 
 terly; " how shall I pass the time till then? There must 
 still be much to do tell me, tell me, is there no task 
 with which I can busy myself? " He flung all reserve to 
 the four winds, holding out both hands to his lieutenant 
 in an attitude of piteous supplication. 
 
 "I should recommend your Majesty to busy yourself 
 with a good supper and as long a night's rest as the 
 enemy permits." With this gentle admonition given, 
 he stole away. 
 
 So this, then, was the glorious excitement of a great 
 campaign! At last he was tasting the fierce joys his 
 soul had dreamt of in bygone days, when the sound of 
 music or the sight of some beauteous face had stirred 
 his emotions to their depth. 
 
 But where were those sudden midnight marches? 
 those eagle swoops upon his careless prey? those bril- 
 liant strokes of generalship, made at the eleventh hour, 
 and turning disaster into victory? These had all been 
 details in the vanished picture. Alas, where were they? 
 
 The net was tightening, truly, but he himself was in 
 it. And instead of being suffered to cut the woven 
 meshes by some great coup de theatre that should mak, 
 men talk significantly about the reputation of Alexander- 
 he was compelled to move cautiously inside a faste 
 narrowing circle, so that, provided he got out at all, he 
 might get out in accordance with established rules. The 
 drudgery of it! How vividly it reminded him of those 
 dreary pleadings which used to come his way so seldom 
 that he could never properly understand them.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 335 
 
 And then, the terrible anxiety, the perpetual brood- 
 ing. Fighting by deputy seemed to have deprived him 
 of all else. Save for a few brief moments, the period 
 since the declaration of war had gone by in a series of 
 horrible dreams. Try as he would, he could not cast them 
 from him. One morning, early, a regiment, full of 
 valour and enthusiasm, passes beneath his balcony and 
 infects him with a genuine touch of its own brave spirit. 
 Before another day has broken, half its strength lies 
 dead, and he at once slides back into his former terror. 
 
 In a word, the burden was too heavy for his shoul- 
 ders. He carried it into his bedroom, but it became no 
 lighter. As he lay full-length upon his bed, with face 
 turned upward to the low-pitched ceiling and mind hope- 
 lessly prostrate, he found himself vaguely regretting the 
 old days, filled as they had been with mean cares and 
 wants, yet rarely ruffled, and then only by nervous half- 
 hours at Nisi Prius. 
 
 Godefroy made repeated noisy entries. His heart 
 was chilled by the sight of this relapse, but nothing he 
 could do could end it. The summer afternoon drifted 
 off into evening, and his Majesty still lay prostrate. 
 
 In time the butler could endure the ignominy of the 
 thing no longer. He laid a not over-gentle hand upon 
 his master's shoulder. "Come, it is close upon seven. 
 You must eat something." 
 
 Napoleon groaned out that he did not care for food. 
 
 "I see," Godefroy rejoined with biting emphasis, and 
 forgetful of his own weak hour, "the dry rot has got in. 
 We are close to Bouillon, that 's one comfort." 
 
 The Emperor closed his weary eyes, opening them 
 again the very next minute, as though on second thoughts 
 he preferred the ceiling. 
 
 Godefroy assumed a gentler tone. " Be brave, my 
 Emperor! What shall we do if you lose courage? " 
 
 "Godefroy, Godefroy," faintly smiling, "we ought 
 never to have tempted Providence. If only I had been 
 allowed to remain content with what I had." 
 
 "God bless my soul, you mustn't talk like that. 
 What would folks say if they could hear you? Listen to 
 this! " and he produced a newspaper cutting from his
 
 336 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 waistcoat pocket: "I got it this morning from Paris. 
 'The Emperor, on ascending the throne, came into a 
 sacred trust, whereof war forms part. No Bonaparte 
 may rule this land shorn of its fairest provinces. To 
 Napoleon III France without Alsace-Lorraine meant 
 Chiselhurst; to Napoleon IV it would signify a speedy 
 return to Pimlico and the Royal Courts of Justice, where 
 his early life was spent not too prosperously, if report 
 speaks true.' There, that 's your real position; that 's 
 the way you ought to look at things. You will never 
 make a great general if you worry about yourself and 
 what you stand to lose. You shall get up. Take food 
 if you can; if you can't, go and get a breath of evening 
 air." 
 
 Numbed as he was by three hours' prostration, Napo- 
 leon yet could appreciate the wisdom of Godefroy's 
 counsels. Nor had he any desire to stay longer in this 
 smoke-begrimed and crooked little room, with its un- 
 gainly bed, all smelling feathers, and crowned by an 
 uncovered canopy-frame which scraped the ceiling. So 
 he gathered his forlorn limbs into a sitting posture, and 
 waited resigned while Godefroy collected his coat and 
 cap and sword from their haphazard resting-places upon 
 the floor. 
 
 They went together down the wooden staircase: yes- 
 terday, maybe, it had creaked under the feet of merry 
 children. 
 
 "Is he within?" Napoleon asked as they passed 
 Mesnil's door. 
 
 "He is over at Chambley," Godefroy said, not rel- 
 ishing the contrast. When they reached the hall, he 
 turned and implored his master to be brisk and lively, 
 and to remember what depended on his personal de- 
 meanour. 
 
 The evening air fanned Napoleon's brow and helped 
 to wake him from his lethargy. He stood a while with 
 face turned westward, gazing upon the belt of reddening 
 wood that edged the plateau and sloped away to Jaulny. 
 Beneath it he could descry the Mad winding towards 
 Moselle, and Villecey, sober and peaceful, content with 
 the narrow ledge of valley the river left it. The pros-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 337 
 
 pect soothed him, but it soon palled. He set out at a 
 sharp pace eastwards, in the direction of Pagny. 
 
 His way for about two miles ran in delicious solitude 
 along the edge of a forest glade and within sound of 
 falling water. The slowly dying light among the trees 
 increased the charm; he felt he had strayed into fairy- 
 land. The town came as an unwelcome interruption. 
 Had Mademoiselle Leduc been on guard at her bowered 
 window, she would certainly have gathered some intelli- 
 gence for Prehlen. She was, however, more agreeably 
 employed, so the dejected little figure in general's uni- 
 form passed beneath her window unobserved. 
 
 He strolled slowly along the Vandieres road. Why, 
 he could not tell ; perhaps the choice was a piece of un- 
 conscious imitation Mesnil had visited Chambley at 
 one end of the lines; he would visit Vandieres at the 
 other. Whatever his reason, it did not seem strong 
 enough to carry him along the mile or so of darkening 
 road that divided him from his destination. He began 
 to wish himself back at La Grange-en-Haye on his tomb- 
 like bed. His present mood was one that preferred 
 short-cuts to contradiction. Accordingly, utterly care- 
 less of the woods and rivulets in his way, he turned off 
 the main road and started to mount a likely upland 
 path. 
 
 It was a steep pull. The infirmity of purpose that 
 had dogged him hitherto dogged him still; he speedily 
 grew dubious as to the value of this lane of his, which 
 was already winding suspiciously southward. He vowed 
 that every step should be his last, but he still pushed on. 
 And his patience was rewarded after a mile of incessant 
 climbing, when he lit upon a broader road, which led in 
 a more favourable direction. 
 
 It crossed the ridge a few yards to the right of its 
 highest point. Before following it, Napoleon turned on 
 the close-cropped grass and breasted the incline: per- 
 haps it, too, trended southward. 
 
 The light still favoured. No point among these spurs 
 of the Argonne affords a very extensive view, but the 
 Emperor could see far enough eastward to make him 
 forget to sweep his glasses over the tract behind him,
 
 338 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 which held La Grange-en-Haye. For, over there, be- 
 yond the broad river that lay glistening at his feet, he 
 could descry the half-dozen dull white stones which 
 marked where the deserted, transpontine fragment of 
 his empire sank away into Lorraine. He scanned the 
 frontier from the point it touches the Moselle, opposite 
 Pagny, to its wooded heights above Villonville. And 
 there came into his much-haunted brain the thought 
 how ominous it looked that sweep of silent hills, 
 crowned, here and there, with dense lines of forest 
 whose foremost trees stood with their leaves absolutely 
 still, unmoved by the faint breeze which fluttered the 
 ends of his unbuttoned overcoat, lifting the wispy hair 
 from his sallow temples. 
 
 Not a soul stirred along the confines of that sombre 
 realm. No turf-clad fortress disclosed the hideous out- 
 line of its cannon. The sole sign of life, perhaps, the 
 flickering reed of transparent smoke ascending from 
 some cottage chimney to lose itself in the darkening 
 crimson of the sky. How full of menace that summer 
 stillness looked! How pregnant with fearful vengeance 
 and destruction ! So a fresh wave of fear found its way 
 into the heart of this little figure on the hilltop. He 
 thought shudderingly upon the terrible foe who was 
 hurrying forward to take up the gauntlet he had flung. 
 "To take up!" Why, it had been taken up already; 
 and the great God alone could say what horrors were 
 enacting at this moment outside Toul. 
 
 Darkness settled down over the hills and left only 
 shadows. The wind grew colder. Napoleon commenced 
 to shiver. He drew his great-coat closer round him, 
 and hurried to resume his homeward way. 
 
 "You are late on your rounds to-night," said a voice 
 behind him. 
 
 He wheeled about sharply. A young soldier fair, 
 and Teutonic-looking, and dressed in the uniform of a 
 captain of artillery advanced towards him out of the 
 gloom of a clump of trees. His hand was lifted to his 
 cap, but he bore himself with so much easy confidence 
 that it was clear that some degree of familiarity existed 
 between himself and the general for whom he mistook
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 339 
 
 Napoleon. His smiling countenance straightened di- 
 rectly he caught sight of Napoleon's face. 
 
 He stopped, and saluted again. 
 
 "I am sure I beg your pardon, General," he mut- 
 tered in a deprecatory tone, "I took you for Brigadier 
 Marchmont. " 
 
 "Captain, I wish I were," was the gracious answer. 
 Napoleon liked the modest appearance of this young 
 officer, with his well-knit frame and open face. He was 
 indeed a refreshing change after the wine-stained Chan- 
 garnier and those dapper little aides-de-camp who flitted 
 to and fro with Mesnil s messages, and spent their leis- 
 ure waxing their moustaches. 
 
 " I wish I were. The Brigadier is a brave and capa- 
 ble officer. You are doubtless no doubt you are under 
 his command? " What would he not have given at that 
 moment for one touch of Mesnil's omniscience? 
 
 "I am his nephew," the Captain murmured, "the 
 son of his eldest sister." 
 
 "Aha," laughed his Majesty, "that 's it, is it. Well, 
 Captain Captain ' ' 
 
 "Miiller." 
 
 "Well, Captain Miiller, may you turn out as good a 
 man as the Brigadier." Then he remembered the weak- 
 mouthed man with watery eyes and unruly eyeglass, and 
 wished he had n't spoken. 
 
 "Thank you, General," laughed Miiller. "That is 
 my battery behind the trees yonder. You are probably 
 from headquarters? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " What do you think of Mesnil?" the young officer 
 proceeded naively to inquire. " For my part I think he 
 is inclined to look southward too much. He must watch 
 not southward only, but north and east, yes, and west- 
 ward. Be sure of this, General: the key of the whole 
 position in their eyes is, Napoleon, alive or dead." 
 
 The picture was not a pleasant one. The Emperor 
 shuddered and looked furtively across the shrouded 
 valley. 
 
 "What is that? " he asked, pointing straight in front 
 of him."
 
 340 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Miiller levelled his glasses. " You mean the light 
 in front of Vittonville? " 
 
 "Yes look, it is moving! Now it has gone." 
 
 "This same thing has happened twice before," 
 Miiller answered. "Last night, and three nights ago. 
 I should say it meant an attack. Ah, there comes my 
 uncle." 
 
 They could hear heavy footsteps trudging along the 
 roadway beneath them. Presently a dark figure came 
 into view. 
 
 "A peasant," added the Captain in disgust. " Shall 
 I challenge him, General? " 
 
 " No need he has satisfied the sentries. It is quite 
 certain that the Brigadier will come this way? " 
 
 " He has never missed yet. That fellow means to 
 speak with us." 
 
 The peasant had stopped. He was of a goodly size, 
 and Miiller's companion did not at all like the look of 
 him. " The peasants about here are treacherous I have 
 heard," said he. 
 
 "Hi, there," shouted the stranger at that moment, 
 " am I right for La Grange-en-Haye? " 
 
 "What can he want there? " muttered Miiller. 
 
 "Cannot you answer a polite question?" vociferated 
 the peasant in the thick patois of Lorraine. "Why do 
 you stand there like a couple of scarecrows? " 
 
 " Speak to him." 
 
 "Have you business with the Emperor? " cries the 
 Captain. 
 
 "Yes, I have." 
 
 "Ask him what it is." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 "That's for him and me to talk about when we 
 meet," the peasant answered. 
 
 He showed signs of moving on. "Wait," cried 
 Napoleon, "we will join you down there." The next 
 minute they were face to face with one had almost 
 said under the shadow of this Lorrainer of herculean 
 proportions. 
 
 "Now," said the Emperor, "what do you want?" 
 
 "I want his Majesty, and no one else."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 341 
 
 "Be careful how you behave, my friend," interposed 
 Miiller. " Monsieur is of very high rank." 
 
 " That is nothing to me. I want his Majesty. I 've 
 got to speak with him, and with no one else." 
 
 "And you shall speak with him," said Napoleon. 
 " I, also, am bound for the farm. Do you care to accom- 
 pany me? " 
 
 The old fellow grumbled out an ungracious yes. 
 Napoleon turned gaily to his companion. 
 
 " Good-night, Captain. The Emperor shall hear of 
 you and your views, never fear. Who knows, you may 
 yet end your days as a Marshal of France." 
 
 "Perhaps the young gentleman has horses to lend 
 us?" 
 
 "Is your matter so urgent as all that?" asked Na- 
 poleon. " It cannot be over three miles." 
 
 "Besides," Miiller added, "horses would not help 
 you, as you know well enough." 
 
 " I know! " cried the peasant, staring with wide eyes 
 at the last speaker, "why, man, I have never been in 
 France before. I am from Mardigny, in Lorraine." 
 
 Both officers were visibly startled. "I made sure 
 this was some yokel from the neighbourhood," muttered 
 the younger man. 
 
 "So you are from Lorraine? " commenced the elder. 
 But the peasant would tolerate no more conversation. 
 "Come, sir," said he roughly, "if you mean to lead me 
 to his Majesty, please set out at once. Otherwise I 
 must find my way as best I can alone. I 've no time to 
 lose. When I left home, five hours back, half a dozen 
 Prussian swine were ransacking my place for beer. If I 
 do not get back quickly, they '11 be walking off with my 
 cows." 
 
 "Then the Prussians are in Mardigny," Miiller cried. 
 
 " In Mardigny! " with a fine contempt. " Bless your 
 silly soul, that 's only the sick. Most of the regiment 
 has been in Vittonville since ten this morning." 
 
 " Is that your message? Miiller, a horse! here, you 
 Lorrainer, you need not accompany me. I will carry 
 your news." 
 
 "Oh no, you won't. You haven't got it yet; and
 
 342 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 you 're not likely to. I have had all the trouble of com- 
 ing so far; and now I'm here, I mean to see his 
 Majesty." 
 
 Hark, what was that? No need to ask a second 
 time; for there it came again! the roar of cannon well- 
 nigh in their ears. The whole valley sprang for an 
 instant into a lurid glare, then sank back into darkness. 
 Their own hills, beneath them and on either side, took 
 up the tale. Shell went screaming forth from grassy 
 nooks which just now stood silent and deserted, and 
 which, only half an hour ago, had shone forth in dying 
 purple havens of sweet repose. From Vandie"res came 
 the sharp crackle of mitrailleuse, and with it a pall of 
 smoke, darkening the night. 
 
 " So this is it," muttered Napoleon. "Well, make 
 your mind easy. The Emperor already knows of this 
 attack, while Mesnil will have had word from Vandie"res 
 full three minutes ago." 
 
 " They do n't and can't know what I have got to tell 
 them. You may be a general, but you are not doing 
 your master much good by keeping me from him. And 
 you sha'n't any longer. I 'm off. " 
 
 There came a fresh burst of thunder from below. 
 Voices mingled with the roar of artillery and the clatter 
 of approaching horsemen. 
 
 "Quick, quick, you imbecile; say what you have to 
 say. I am the Emperor." 
 
 " I thought as much. My wife has a bust of you at 
 home," and he contemplated his Majesty with gentle 
 satisfaction. 
 
 The small cortege which they had heard far off swept 
 into view. " It is General Marchmont," muttered Miil- 
 ler, as the foremost rider drew rein abreast of them and 
 flung his hand high above his head as a signal to his 
 companions. 
 
 "General Marchmont," said Napoleon, stepp ; ng for- 
 ward almost to touch that officer's bridle, " I am glad of 
 this opportunity." 
 
 Marchmont peered down at him : ' ' My word, the Em- 
 ror! The gam< 
 across the valley.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 343 
 
 " Truly. " Our hero could already scent the faint 
 odour of gunpowder, and he did not like it at all. 
 
 "We expected this," resumed the Brigadier. 
 
 " Surely they have not crossed the Ca " 
 
 "Pardon, one moment, " interrupted the other, his 
 eyes fixed sternly on his nephew. ' ' To your battery, sir. 
 What the devil are you doing here? " 
 
 ' f You do n't take this for the commencement of a real 
 attack? " Napoleon asked. 
 
 The General glanced down at the other's eager face. 
 "Real attack," muttered he; "I am sure I hope so. 
 I certainly cannot tell." 
 
 "I can, though," boomed in the deep voice of the 
 Lorrainer. It might have been a signal for the storm to 
 begin again. The mitrailleuse indeed had never quite 
 been silent; they spit forth now with a redoubled vigour. 
 Marchmont pricked his ears. He felt convinced that the 
 greatest noise came from the nearer side. Both he and 
 Napoleon had already turned with looks of eager inquiry 
 to the last speaker, "out with it, then," he exclaimed 
 brusquely"; neither his Majesty nor I have time to 
 waste." 
 
 " You 're not the only people with that complaint. 
 If you had n't had so much to say among yourselves, 
 you might have had my story twenty minutes ago." 
 
 "My name is Caspar Schmidt," he went on after a 
 short pause, and relapsing into sing-song narrative, " I 
 am a Lorrainer from Mardigny. My old woman says, if 
 only you French can win back the provinces we shall 
 have lighter taxes and better weather for the pigs. And 
 I, I have no objection to doing you a good turn." 
 
 "You are a noble fellow," said Napoleon. 
 
 Caspar did not heed this tribute. He shut his eyes 
 tightly, and, with his head thrown well back, continued 
 his narrative. 
 
 " Five days ago the first gang of Prussians entered 
 Mardigny. My son John he 's been in Germany, you 
 know declares that they were Wiirtemberg infantry; 
 but I think they must have been Prussians, they looked 
 so damnably ugly. There were about five hundred of 
 them. They halted in the square for about two hours,
 
 344 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ate their dinner, then marched on toward Vittonville and 
 Champey. From that time forward up to mid-day 
 to-day our street has never been empty. The Prussians 
 seemed to pour through, and my son John he 's been 
 in Germany, you know says that at least eight thou- 
 sand men must have got through from first to last." 
 
 " But my wife, she thinks different. She came to me 
 yesterday afternoon in our back kitchen and she said to 
 me: 'Caspar,' she said, winking and nodding, 'how 
 many men should you think have gone through the vil- 
 lage since last Sunday?' 'My dear,' said I, 'John has 
 been in Germany, and he says that quite four regiments 
 must have passed through.' 'John may have been in 
 Jericho,' she answered, she doesn't think much of 
 John, my wife do n't, ' I '11 wager my life that not more 
 than a thousand men have gone through this village since 
 the commencement of the war. I 've seen the same 
 faces march in at one end and out at the other over and 
 over again for the last five days.' ' 
 
 ' ' Sire, they are fighting hand-to-hand below, ' ' March- 
 mont interrupted, under his breath. "I must not stay 
 here any longer. " He shook out his reins; his following 
 did likewise. 
 
 "At least, my dear General, leave me a horse." 
 
 "Lieutenant Severin," jerked out Marchmont, "dis- 
 mount for his Majesty and attach yourself to Captain 
 Miiller's battery. Dubost, do you accompany the Em- 
 peror. " 
 
 " One thing more," cried Napoleon, with a laugh that 
 was intended for an apology. Marchmont reined up 
 again in obedience to this summons, but some of the 
 black clouds overhanging the valley seemed to have 
 wreathed themselves about his brow. 
 
 "Mesnil shall have ample reinforcements ready for 
 you." 
 
 "We shall not need them. Good-night, your Ma- 
 jesty." 
 
 "Good-night, General." 
 
 All sound of Marchmont and his staff died speedily 
 away. 
 
 Caspar resumed: "As I was saying, my old woman
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 345 
 
 put thoughts into my head which would not go. Three 
 Prussian malingerers were billetted on us. At first they 
 wanted to sit in the kitchen, but my old woman got John 
 to tell them he 's been in Germany, you know that 
 they were too good for peasant folk like us. So they sat 
 in the front parlour and jabbered away at the top of their 
 voices. You see, they didn't know that the partition 
 was only thin wood or that John had been in Germany; 
 but we did n't forget, you may be sure of that. They 
 talked a deal about their ailments, and last night one of 
 them said, 'I shouldn't stay behind like this, even if my 
 feet were twice as bad, only I know that this is not to be 
 a real attack. We shall have to go back by Metz, to 
 Conflans, so we lose nothing by resting. ' For my part, 
 I do n't believe there is a single German between Metz 
 and Vittonville. All this noise and shouting," waving 
 his hand toward the valley, "is merely to turn your 
 attention from the north. The Emperor and Rumpen- 
 heim are at Conflans by now. That 's all I have got to 
 say." 
 
 "And quite enough too. Captain Dubost, hurry after 
 Marchmont and tell him what our friend has just told 
 me. He and Favoust must be ready to evacuate Van- 
 dieres and inarch northwards at a word from me. Here, 
 give me the bridle thanks, Caspar" the peasant had 
 helped him into the saddle "be off with you, Dubost. 
 Good-night." 
 
 He turned to the peasant. 
 
 " Will you follow me up to the farm? Or perhaps you 
 prefer to stay with Captain Miiller on the summit yon- 
 der? " 
 
 "Neither. I shall go back home. " Caspar turned off 
 the roadway, down the grassy slopes shelving to the river. 
 
 " Good-night, then, Caspar Schmidt of Mardigny. If 
 I conquer, we shall meet again." 
 
 "Good-night," growled Caspar. "Make the taxes 
 lighter; that 's all we want over at Mardigny." 
 
 "It shall be altogether exempt." Laughing gaily, 
 Napoleon set spurs to his horse and sprang forward on 
 his homeward road. 
 
 With weighty work like this to his hand, and the dying
 
 346 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 roar of battle in his ears, he could not go fast enough. 
 The main road became a cart-track. The cart-track 
 dwindled away into pathless downs and reappeared fit- 
 fully. Winding streamlets interposed their double, triple 
 barriers of sluggish water. He conquered every obstacle. 
 His only thought, the Prussians close to Conflans; and, 
 without prompt action, himself cut off from Verdun and 
 driven into Toul. 
 
 The great occasion was come at last. Thank God, 
 his soul and brain were rising to it. He knew he knew 
 that he had always had it in him.
 
 Chapter X 
 
 The Emperor, still red-hot, breasted the last incline 
 that cut him off from victory. La Grange-en-Haye lay 
 shrouded in darkness. A feeble light flickered at a sin- 
 gle window. Napoleon recognized it as his own. A 
 strange silence brooded over the narrow plateau. Not a 
 soul stirred. The gay young aides-de-camp, the officers 
 of the staff, the mounted messengers who had pressed 
 about and around the house three hours back, all were 
 gone. The Imperial guard had struck their tents and 
 likewise departed. A solitary dismounted cuirassier stood 
 motionless before the porch, and the candle from our 
 hero's bedroom flickered its reflection on his sword. 
 
 But the gloom outside was nothing to the dreariness 
 within. A first step across the threshold dissipated Na- 
 poleon's ardour. A chill went to his heart, and weighed 
 it down like lead. 
 
 The hall staggered along in semi-obscurity under the 
 rays of a petroleum-lamp. The doors round it stood 
 wide open, and each one let out darkness. An oaken 
 table, the sole piece of furniture the passage boasted, lay 
 prostrate. The pegs and hat-racks had been swept of 
 their contents. Envelopes, addressed to himself and 
 minus theirs, lay scattered about the floor. 
 
 What did it mean? 
 
 " Godefroy ! " he cried. 
 
 The gallery above his head commenced creaking 
 under the familiar step. His own bedroom door drew 
 open. The valet emerged onto the landing and peered 
 over the balustrade. He held a candle, the candle 
 which had lit Napoleon from his window; it cast a lurid 
 halo round the old man's head. 
 
 " Godefroy," Majesty repeated pathetically, straining 
 
 347
 
 348 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 up at him, "Godefroy, it 's not yet ten o'clock! What 
 does this mean? " 
 
 "Sire, ascend. You will find it cosier up here." 
 
 But the other would not mount a single stair without 
 further and better particulars. So his servant craned 
 over the banister and told him all he knew. 
 
 How Mesnil had come racing in from Chambley ten 
 minutes after Napoleon had started on his evening stroll; 
 how, thereupon, messengers had torn off in all directions; 
 how the telegraph-hut had been crowded nearly out of 
 existence; and how the shaky old farm had reeled under 
 hurrying feet. The Imperial guard had taken the road 
 first. The General, surrounded by the headquarters 
 staff, had brought up the rear. He did not know their 
 destination, save that it lay somewhere in the direction 
 of Etain. With the exception of a troop of horse under 
 Major Garin, and himself and Lieutenant Mascaut, the 
 old fellow understood that there was not a single fighting 
 man left in the whole camp. The Chief of the Staff, he 
 wound up, had left a note. 
 
 " Fling it down," exclaimed Bonaparte with biblical 
 brevity. 
 
 Godefroy disappeared a second, then lumbered down 
 the staircase bearing Mesnil's missive. 
 
 ' ' Honoured Master, ' ' the General wrote, ' ' your health 
 causes me grave anxiety. Your pallor, your want of 
 appetite ever since I have been in your company, that 
 excessive lassitude of which M. Godefroy complains, all 
 point one way. De Morin warned me before we started. 
 Sire, I know of your disease. Your illustrious father 
 would probably have perished of angina pectoris, had 
 heaven not preferred the Dauphine Gate. Without a 
 doubt the malady has marked you for its own. Courage, 
 O my King! I hear that you spent the afternoon upon 
 your bed; that you have now gone out for a little prome- 
 nade. You are wise, dear sovereign. Pursue this regi- 
 men, and all will yet be well. Need I tell you how much 
 hangs upon your frail body? Pardon the pitying epithet. 
 You are not alone among great captains in your physical 
 infirmities. Instance Dutch William, not to mention 
 Francois-Henri de Montmorency, due de Luxembourg.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 349 
 
 Eat well, cherished leader; drink plenty of nourishing 
 beverages, port, brandy, and the like (Godefroy com- 
 plains that you imbibe too much tea), and above all get 
 your fill of sleep. Procure a good night's rest at La 
 Grange. Major Gorin remains to bring you on betimes, 
 to-morrow. Marchmont, who preserves our retreat to 
 Frouard and the railways, will be close at hand to guard 
 your slumbers. Au revoir, Majesty. (Signed) Mesnil, 
 Chief of the Staff." 
 
 " P.S. The wily Rumpenheim is well on his way to 
 Verdun. I am off to try conclusions with him; and shall 
 hope to catch him not far from Conflans. Plenty of 
 time to join us in the forenoon, dear lord. Come with 
 rosy cheeks, and without that ashen look of death in your 
 face and weary eyes. Such a coming will equal two 
 brigades. Second P. S. Clisserole has caught the enemy 
 this side of Toul. With what result I know not. M." 
 
 The Emperor crumpled the note between twitching 
 fingers. 
 
 " Godefroy, I feel very faint," said he. 
 
 "The General said you might," murmured the ser- 
 vant. 
 
 " Godefroy, look at me. " Godefroy looked. " Do I 
 appear very pale, Godefroy? " 
 
 "You do n't show over-grand," consented the other. 
 
 "Waxen, would you say, Godefroy?" 
 
 The old fellow nearly singed the Imperial nose. 
 
 "H'mn, a bit suety perhaps." 
 
 " Godefroy," and the young man's voice grew even 
 fainter, "would it be correct to say that there was an 
 ashen look of death in my weary eyes? " 
 
 " Sire, I think you had better go to bed." 
 
 " I mean to go to bed, Godefroy. But first, Gode- 
 froy, tell me, do I look like a man who might expire any 
 minute of heart disease? " 
 
 " The little chap has been laying it on rather thick," 
 muttered the servant under his breath. 
 
 "Answer me," insisted his master. 
 
 "You do not look well." And the butler could not 
 be prevailed upon to commit himself any deeper. 
 
 So the Emperor went very gingerly to bed. And
 
 350 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Godefroy brought him a steaming glass of brandy and 
 water. Dr. Mesnil had thoughtfully ordered it before 
 his departure. And the one flaring light was snuffed; 
 and our hero turned on his side to escape the dim out- 
 lines of the frowsy canopy, and prepared himself for a 
 sleepless night that should hover on the brink of the 
 grave. 
 
 His pulse was extremely feeble. He could hear his 
 heart against the pillow. Once he felt tempted to ring 
 for Godefroy and a trifle more hot brandy ; but on second 
 thoughts he deemed it wiser not to stir. But presently 
 an unaccountable drowsiness settled upon him. He sank 
 into a dreamless sleep (which, later on, cannon could 
 not break) murmuring: " Angina pectoris De Morin 
 never told me that poor father." 
 
 And, meanwhile, Mesnil and his merry men were 
 marching through the summer night towards Etain. 
 
 When our hero awoke, the sun was peeping in beneath 
 his canopy. He thought of his ailment the minute he 
 opened his eyes. He felt no better. His head sang. 
 His pulse, though a trifle harder, still went along in 
 jerks. The heart itself made less noise, but that was 
 the malady. Sleep could not refresh him; the daylight 
 brought him no encouragement. He was in a parlous 
 state indeed. He looked at his watch. Five o'clock. 
 He could lay abed another hour. He would rise at six, 
 snatch a hearty breakfast, and follow Mesnil to Etain. 
 He knew quite well that he would never get there alive. 
 
 But the day waned instead of brightening. He 
 glanced at his watch a second time. A quarter past five, 
 and not a soul stirring, to judge by the silence out of 
 doors. 
 
 And yet the day was waning, of that there could be 
 no shadow of doubt. Presently he understood why. 
 He was dying. The sky, which grew dimmer as he 
 looked at it, waned only for him. He was dying in the 
 midst of his legions, here, in this deserted farmhouse, 
 beneath the faded pall. Had ever earth beheld such 
 another tragedy? He commenced to think of the head- 
 line in to-morrow's Times. Tears welled to his eyes and
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 351 
 
 rolled down the front of his pyjamas. He would n't ring. 
 Godefroy should find him dead. 
 
 But Godefroy tapped at that moment. 
 
 "Come in," murmured the sufferer. He noticed that 
 his servant looked kempt and fresh, considering the early 
 hour. 
 
 " Do you feel any better? " broke out the domestic, 
 cheerily. 
 
 " Godefroy, I am dying," very faintly. "The day is 
 growing dim." 
 
 "And what else does your Majesty expect at this 
 hour? You are not dying. You have had a good long 
 sleep. Come, sire, you must get up and eat something." 
 
 " I cannot eat," in the articles of death. 
 
 " Oh yes, you can if you try. Your supper has been 
 ready this half-hour." 
 
 "Supper! " murmured the invalid. 
 
 "Yes, supper. Surely you do not expect breakfast 
 at six o'clock at night? Is your Majesty aware that you 
 have been sleeping nearly eighteen hours on end? " 
 
 "I thought the day was closing in," remarked the 
 Emperor in rather firmer tones. 
 
 "You will shave?" asked Godefroy, who was now 
 bustling about the room. 
 
 "Why did you not wake me?" came the peevish answer. 
 
 "The General left orders that you were not to be 
 disturbed." 
 
 "It 's like his impertinence. I still feel exceedingly 
 unwell, but I suppose I must push on to Etain. No, I 
 sha'n't shave; I have n't got the strength. Saddle my 
 horse, and take word to Major Gorin. Good God, to 
 think I have been lying here nineteen hours! The whole 
 army may very possibly be paralyzed for want of me. 
 Mesnil may have been beaten! " 
 
 "Do not fret," grinned Godefroy; "we are not to go 
 to Etain after all. The Chief hopes to be back here to- 
 night. Did you not hear the firing? " 
 
 "Heavens, no!" shrieked his Majesty, bounding to 
 the floor and flinging his angina pectoris to the winds. 
 "You do not mean to tell me that General Mesnil has 
 dared fight a battle in my absence? "
 
 352 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Godefroy grew stolid as death. 
 
 "I can tell you nothing. Your Majesty will shave; 
 you have not done so since we left Paris. Aha, that 
 sounds like the little General " horses below "he is 
 early. Get back into bed, sire, while I fetch your hot 
 water. ' ' 
 
 Napoleon obeyed. 
 
 The valet instantly reappeared. 
 
 "Brigadier Marchmont is here. He must see you at 
 once." 
 
 "But I am in my pyjamas," pleaded Bonaparte. 
 
 " He will take no denial." 
 
 " Show him up," came the sullen answer. And Bona- 
 parte leant back among his pillows, and commenced to 
 think afresh about his heart. 
 
 The Brigadier came thumping in, and took his stand 
 at the foot of the Imperial bed. The flabby lines about 
 his mouth (so far as the beard had shown them in former 
 days) had creased themselves entirely out. All that 
 hesitancy and aimlessness which had marked him hitherto 
 had gone their way. The eyeglass with them. Napo- 
 leon, who kept his own eyes pretty tight on the canopy, 
 ventured to cast a few side glances in the officer's direc- 
 tion. He noted the great change in the latter's bearing. 
 He marked the metallic ring in the voice. How dif- 
 ferent all this from that moaning imbecile he had met in 
 Bonvalet's quarters. He regarded this new phase as so 
 much affectation. He also considered it extremely ill- 
 timed. Surely the fellow must know that he was at the 
 bedside of a man whose father would have died of an 
 acutely painful constriction of the chest " had not heaven 
 preferred the Dauphine Gate." 
 
 Majesty opened the interview by a gentle reference to 
 his complaint. He was looking into the pall once more, 
 so he did not notice how Marchmont chafed. He dwelt 
 touchingly on the premonitory symptoms which were on 
 him now to warn him of the return of an ancient foe. 
 He murmured, " The heart, Brigadier! " giving a wag of 
 his head that was meant to mingle sorrow and laughter. 
 He went on to explain with growing faintness that his 
 father had nearly died of angina pectoris. He wound up
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 353 
 
 that both he and Mesnil had thought it better that he 
 should take a day off. And that he was now merely waiting 
 for his shaving-water and his break supper to rejoin 
 his army and give the enemy battle. 
 
 Marchmont here broke in that he was sorry to hear 
 it. He, however, brought news which might help to re- 
 store his Majesty to something like his usual health. 
 The sovereign felt better at once, though he did not 
 admit it. For one thing, Clisserole, making good use of 
 the strategic railway, had caught the enemy at Franche- 
 ville, this side of Toul, late last night. Toul, he added 
 parenthetically, was not twenty-two miles from Imperial 
 headquarters. Whereat Napoleon shuddered. Well, the 
 General had held the foe at Francheville, and had beaten 
 them in the small hours of the morning (when the day 
 was softly dawning, and and your Majesty was on 
 your sick-bed), and had driven them pell-mell on to 
 Nancy, where Klein was dealing with them at his leisure. 
 Mesnil, for his part, had fallen in with Rumpenheim by 
 Parfondrupt-Manheulles, this side of the Orne. Parfon- 
 drupt-Manheulles, he added parenthetically, was not 
 twenty-five miles from Imperial headquarters. Whereat 
 Napoleon shuddered. Well, the little Chief had caught 
 the Prussians towards three of the morning, and no 
 doubt the contending armies were at it now. Marchmont 
 himself was on his way with his brigade to Giraulmont, in 
 obedience to an express just come in. 
 
 The invalid naturally asked what about his own Im- 
 perial person. Gorin's troops, he justly pointed out, 
 was hardly a sufficient force to guard bedridden angina 
 pectoris. 
 
 It was the first time Marchmont showed the least 
 symptom of his old indecisive manner. His kepi was 
 hidden by the bedboard from Napoleon's view. He 
 commenced fumbling with it. Then he remarked hur- 
 riedly that Mesnil had directed him to make arrange- 
 ments. "Your Majesty will be perfectly safe at La 
 Grange. If all goes well, Mesnil hopes to be back here 
 towards midnight on his way to Pont-a-Mousson." 
 
 " Did the General mention that in his express? " 
 
 "Yes," and Marchmont recommenced fumbling. Hap-
 
 354 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 pily he got away from the note without reading it. The 
 part about Napoleon ran after this fashion somewhat: 
 
 "Give a look in at headquarters on your way. You 
 will probably find Suet still abed. Let him know as much 
 as you deem advisable about Francheville and Rumpen- 
 heim. Tell him that you 've got the word for Giraulmont. 
 Leave Gorin a regiment for the protection of his val- 
 uable person. It 's not enough, but we '11 chance him 
 for an hour or so. Throw in a word about heart disease, 
 if you have time. Inform him that his nose looks bluer 
 than usual." 
 
 The sufferer seemed satisfied, and tried to get back to 
 his complaint. But the Brigadier cut him short, inform- 
 ing him that Giraulmont was fifteen miles away, and that 
 he was an hour behind his rear guard. And with that fare- 
 well Marchmont thumped out of the room. Napoleon 
 heard him jingle down the stairs, and mount his horse 
 and clatter away. Then Majesty lay back and waited 
 for the hot water. 
 
 So the two first moves had been in his favour. Really, 
 he began to feel a trifle more robust. But he did not 
 permit himself too great a rebound towards hopefulness. 
 Nor did he think it would be wise to dress over-quickly. 
 In fact, he half made up his mind to use the shaving- 
 water when it came with a little more brandy, and 
 thus go three quarters of the road to meet the coming 
 night. He must husband his strength for that Napo- 
 leonic dash into the Reich ordained by Mesnil's skill. 
 He did not grudge his lieutenants their victories. The 
 old Emperor had kept to Mayence in the early days of 
 seventy. La Grange was his Mayence: and the old 
 Reich's founder had n't heart disease. He must tighten 
 his weakly frame. If it smashed up in the struggle 
 well, France would gain. He pictured himself in his 
 death-throes just the wrong side of the Bradenburg Gate, 
 and it was with the greatest difficulty that he stifled two 
 more tears. 
 
 His thoughts fled back to Muriel. If only she could 
 see him now. She was thinking of him, that he knew. 
 He knew also that she was romantic. All girls are, and 
 this one had shown him the colour of her soul the night
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 355 
 
 of his Meaux dinner-party, when she had derided the 
 " permanence of aspirations " so satisfying to most of his 
 countrymen. 
 
 He contrasted the visions which he pictured in her 
 mind with the stern reality. 
 
 She saw him, he doubted not, mounted upon his 
 champing steed, his own mouth tight shut beneath a 
 brow of thunder, directing the battle from a foolhardy 
 eminence well within range. She noted his eagle eye 
 and he stretched out a hand to take a mirror and have a 
 look at it himself as it wandered over the combatants 
 at his feet. She even heard the shells as they whistled 
 round him. And she marvelled at his cool demeanour. 
 
 So much for fancy. Here was the truth. He lay 
 stretched upon his couch of suffering, his massive brain 
 and his frail body equidistant between two battle-fields, 
 and in a sense he hovered over either. In a sense his 
 master mind was at this moment sending two great 
 armies to victory. Mesnil did well to rank him with 
 Luxembourg. 
 
 What a strangely deceptive thing was glory. He had 
 made identically the same mistake as his beloved in days 
 gone by. Why, this farmhouse room was more squalid 
 than Pimlico; yet it held a great captain, equidistant 
 between two battles, and directing both, and at the same 
 time dying of angina pectoris. 
 
 The rumble of approaching wheels floated through 
 his open window. Mesnil had come early. Nor was it 
 like the little General to drive. His master hoped that 
 this was not growing pride. He felt that at all hazards 
 he must see what sort of visage Claude Augustus wore. 
 So he slipped again out of bed and crept to the window. 
 
 A barouche and pair came thundering down towards 
 the farm from the ridge of the Villecey road. It was 
 enveloped in an escort of his own Cuirassiers, and a cloud 
 of dust. Mesnil should pay for this. The Emperor 
 cowered behind the curtain as the new arrival swept into 
 his gates. He recognized the imprudence, in pyjamas, 
 too, but he must have a look at the victor. It would 
 regulate his future conduct. 
 
 And it was not Mesnil after all!
 
 356 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 But, instead, a gentleman garbed in the glittering uni- 
 form of Prussian Cuirassiers, with shiny helmet and 
 familiar face. The stranger fondled his sword between 
 his knees, and looked straight in front of him at the 
 coachman's back. Napoleon guessed at once. His lieu- 
 tenants had been beaten; this was his summons to 
 Wilhelmshohe. He cursed them both. He likewise 
 crept trembling into bed. 
 
 Godefroy did not give him many minutes' respite. The 
 old fellow came plunging into the Imperial bedroom, 
 every sign of astonishment over his ruddy countenance. 
 
 " Count Merode-Neustadt is here, and desires to 
 speak with you." 
 
 "I thought I knew the face," murmured Bonaparte. 
 He added out loud: 
 
 " I won't see him. Tell him that I am over at 
 Parfondrupt. " 
 
 "He says he has heard the contrary from Brigadier 
 Marchmont. " 
 
 Napoleon groaned. 
 
 " Tell him, then, that it is very bad form for a late 
 ambassador at Paris to come on such an errand." 
 
 " But you do n't know what he has come for yet. " 
 
 "I can guess," the Monarch gloomily rejoined. "I 
 suppose I must bow to superior force. Let him know 
 that I will be with him directly." 
 
 But Godefroy merely shut the door carefully and 
 came quite close to his master's bed, bending his mouth 
 almost to touch the uppermost ear of the recumbent 
 figure. 
 
 "I thought the same as you at first. But Major 
 Gorin's men would surely not have brought him? And 
 one of them whispered me the fragments, of a rumour 
 that Mesnil has beaten Rumpenheim. " 
 
 The Emperor pushed him to one side and bounded 
 onto the floor. 
 
 "I see it all! " he shouted. "I see it all! Shaving- 
 water, Godefroy! and my campaign uniform the old 
 and dirty one! " 
 
 " Sire, be careful how you deal with him."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 357 
 
 " Never fear, honest friend. They have had their 
 innings; this is my turn." 
 
 Twenty minutes later, our hero walked sedately into 
 the dining-room. Clean-shaven and kempt as regards 
 his person, he wore his most faded uniform. Godefroy 
 had swathed it in summer dust. The sovereign's boots 
 were coated as well, and he laid kepi and sword upon 
 the table with an air of extreme weariness. Then he 
 held out both hands to his visitor. 
 
 "Welcome, your Excellency," said he, not abating a 
 jot of his gravity. " Your visit recalls happier times." 
 
 Merode-Neustadt stood beside the window, fondling 
 his whiskers. The poor fellow looked as cheerful and 
 ruddy and good-humoured as ever. If Mesnil had won 
 a victory over at Parfondrupt, certainly the late Ambas- 
 sador's demeanour contained nothing to show it. And 
 when he spoke, he did not even balance his words the 
 first thing a legate does who is in difficulties. 
 
 "Sit down," resumed Napoleon, himself dropping 
 into a rocking-chair which brushed the only seat avail- 
 able for his guest. " Sit down, and have a ci " then he 
 remembered his role in time to break off before reaching 
 the cheroot. 
 
 "Your Majesty is extremely condescending," Merode 
 replied. "You must pardon this little intrusion of 
 mine. But war excuses all sire, you know that better 
 than any one." 
 
 " Yes, indeed." 
 
 "This will be bad weather for the harvest," the 
 Count began again. "We want rain. I trust this ex- 
 treme drought is merely partial ; I have a good deal of 
 stuff over in Posen," and for the fraction of a second 
 he looked less genial. 
 
 "Ah, I do n't farm," Napoleon rejoined. "Ruina- 
 tion, you know, to all but the richest men." 
 
 "Ruination in truth," said his Excellency, cheering 
 up. 
 
 Then they moved from the weather to a discussion on 
 the relative merits of London and Vienna. Merode had 
 spent many years as first secretary in the Austrian capi-
 
 358 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 tal ; but Napoleon doubted whether there was any city 
 to touch the great metropolis for real enjoyment, "pro- 
 vided, of course, one is in the swim and manages to see 
 the best people." 
 
 " I have heard that your English ladies are extremely 
 beautiful." 
 
 " Have a cheroot? " the Emperor hurried out. " How 
 rude of me not to have offered you one before." 
 
 " Thank you; I should enjoy one. I have been in the 
 saddle a good deal to-day." 
 
 Bonaparte glanced at the clock. 
 
 "Ahem," he muttered, "that reminds me my time is 
 limited. I have to get over to ah towards Chambley 
 before dusk. I, too, have been on horseback since day- 
 break this morning, over in the direction of Francheville, 
 you know. The country is beautiful about here." 
 
 "It cannot touch Posen, in my opinion." 
 
 " Maybe not." 
 
 "Nor the scenery round Berlin," Merode added 
 eagerly. 
 
 "Ah, I do not know Berlin." 
 
 "It is a beautiful city." 
 
 " Oh well," the Emperor retorted with consolation in 
 his voice, " you and I, dear Count, must hope to be back 
 in Paris before very long." 
 
 The Ambassador relapsed into dreams. The same 
 happy smile played about his mouth as heretofore. His 
 thoughts dwelt clearly on something, the memory of 
 which pleased him very much. 
 
 "Sire," he commenced at last, "we none of us 
 think anything at all of General Mesnil." 
 
 " You surprise me." 
 
 "His methods are antiquated to a startling degree. 
 Only just before I came away, Count Rumpenheim was 
 remarking how much he reminded him of Turenne. 
 And who follows Turenne nowadays? He has the first 
 two moves of the game; but we are bound to smash him 
 in the end." 
 
 "So he has the first two moves," the Emperor mur- 
 mured under his breath; "I am glad to hear that 
 much." Aloud, he merely repeated:
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 359 
 
 " You surprise me." 
 
 Merode lost no part of his good-humoured tranquil- 
 lity. 
 
 "Yes, we shall catch him the other side of Metz, 
 when, sire, look out for another Sedan." 
 
 "So Rumpenheim is retreating?" Napoleon burst 
 out. 
 
 "We are falling back to gather reinforcements from 
 Coblentz and Maintz. Besides, our advance along the 
 Verdun road was merely a feint." 
 
 " I understand." 
 
 And now the Ambassador became a trifle graver. 
 
 "You must have lost very heavily at Francheville? " 
 he said. 
 
 " Nothing very terrible, I fancy." 
 
 "Our reports say that the field is saturated with 
 blood French blood. You certainly have suffered 
 severely over yonder," and he jerked his head in the 
 direction of Parfondrupt. 
 
 "Oh, I don't know," murmured his fellow-nego- 
 tiator. 
 
 " I do, though. Before I left I saw your dead, moun- 
 tains high. Sire," he burst out, with no great change of 
 voice or manner, " cannot you and I stop this carnage? " 
 
 Napoleon stared at him. 
 
 "Let us show these butchers that peace has its 
 victories, no less than war. They despise diplomatists 
 and emperors some emperors, that is. Let us show 
 them what we are good for! " 
 
 "I daren't," faltered the Monarch. " Carache, 
 Mesnil, Brisson, the papers," he poured forth in reck- 
 less confusion, "the Assembly Mu de Morin, what 
 would they all say? Really, I dare n't.' 
 
 "Come, come, sire, do not excite yourself. Be 
 tranquil. You will see at once that you are answerable 
 to no one. You can do exactly what you please. And 
 you may take it from me, your subjects will welcome 
 such a gift." 
 
 "What do you offer?" said the Emperor, still 
 trembling. 
 
 " We off er peace; each side to pay its own costs."
 
 360 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "After our my ahem, the two victories, we can- 
 not possibly accept such terms." 
 
 "Very well," Merode promptly rejoined, "I will 
 add to them. My master will give you all Alsace south, 
 a straight line drawn between Belfort and Basel." 
 
 Our hero thanked God for his liberal education. 
 
 "The offer is absurd." 
 
 "We throw in Mulhouse. " 
 
 "I must have the two provinces," the Emperor 
 rejoined with growing decision. 
 
 "Oh, come," Merode soothed him; "you have no 
 grounds on which to base such a demand." 
 
 " Then I must go on until I get grounds." 
 
 "We will help you in any designs against England," 
 pleaded his Excellency. 
 
 " I must have the provinces, or nothing at all." 
 
 The Ambassador sighed. 
 
 " Won't Egypt do instead? " 
 
 "I must have the provinces. I went to war for the 
 provinces; and the provinces I must have." 
 
 "You shall have all Alsace north of Markirch and 
 Markolsheim Lower Alsace in fact. And my master 
 will throw in the corner of Lorraine southwest of 
 Moyenvic and the canal." 
 
 " I want the provinces." 
 
 "That is the provinces except for one or two odds 
 and ends." 
 
 "I want Metz and Mulhouse." 
 
 " Then the butchery must go on," exclaimed Merode, 
 rising from his chair. 
 
 "Stop!" cried Majesty, "your last offer is final? " 
 
 "The Count slid back. "Absolutely final. My 
 master only makes it out of his deep love for humanity." 
 
 "I fully comprehend," sympathised Bonaparte, only 
 too glad to get off on a side issue. 
 
 "His deep love for humanity," Merode repeated. 
 " Philanthropy is one of the most distinguishing features 
 of his glorious and ever-to-be-emulated, never-to-be- 
 surpassed character. Of course he had the best tutors 
 procurable, who received instructions to pay special 
 attention to this branch of science."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 361 
 
 "I understand perfectly." 
 
 " His tenderness," pursued the legate dreamily, "is 
 not straightened by such arbitrary lines as those of race 
 and country. 'Count von Merode-Neustadt, ' he said 
 to me just before I left, 'I cannot bear to see these 
 brave Frenchmen die.' That 's chiefly the reason why 
 I have come." 
 
 "It is very noble of both of you." 
 
 "We throw in a slice of the provinces simply to 
 sweeten future intercourse." 
 
 This return to business set the other high contracting 
 party once more groaning. 
 
 "Really I don't know what to say. I am quite 
 certain I ought not to listen to you. What will people 
 think in Paris, if I return without the provinces? " 
 
 "In Berlin," Merode retorted, "people don't 
 think; they are not allowed to." 
 
 "Oh, yes, that 's all very fine; but we can't do those 
 things with us. The French are a free people." 
 
 " Sire, so are my countrymen." 
 
 "Yes, yes, I know only only the thing is different. 
 Your Emperor is eloquent, while I am that is, he 
 is allowed to make up his own speeches, and Carache 
 makes mine. Then he is stronger than I am," Na- 
 poleon winced. " He can sit up half through the night 
 writing newspaper leaders, at least so Godefroy says; 
 whereas if I tried to do the same thing, I should be dead 
 in a month. Heart disease, you know." 
 
 The Count assumed a look of great concern. 
 
 " Indeed! I am deeply grieved to hear it." 
 
 " Oh, it is inherited," the warrior went on, attempt- 
 ing to introduce a note of laughter into his shaking 
 voice. "Most of these things are. My poor father, 
 you know. He would have died of angina pectoris, 
 only " 
 
 "Only?" 
 
 " Only only he died of something else." 
 
 "Ah," Merode sighed, "lam sorry." 
 
 "So you see I have to spare myself. The doctor at 
 Harrow used to declare that a sudden " Bo! " would be 
 enough to send me into my grave."
 
 362 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 For a minute or so the German looked sorely tempted 
 to have a try; but he kept resolutely to his whiskers, 
 saying presently: 
 
 "This war can't be good for you." 
 
 "It is n't, " Napoleon assented. "I haven't been 
 able to sleep a wink all day for the sound of that infernal 
 cannon." 
 
 "You can hear it even at this distance?" inquired 
 the guileless envoy. 
 
 "Certainly I can. We are not more than twenty 
 miles from Parfondrupt. " 
 
 "I should have thought it more." 
 
 "Oh, dear, no," maintained his Majesty, much hurt; 
 "I have measured it on one of Mesnil's maps." 
 
 "You doubtless know best. Sire, you have recalled 
 to my mind the memory of that blood-stained field. Be- 
 hold, I shudder! " 
 
 "The thought of it frightens me as much as it does 
 you. But, unhappily, these things are necessary." 
 
 "You and I can stop them." 
 
 Napoleon's face was already puckered in anxious 
 folds. He now began to sway his body to and fro in an 
 agony of doubt. He dared not accept, equally he dared 
 not refuse, so he swayed to and fro. Before long he 
 muttered: 
 
 " Let me hear exactly what you offer? " 
 
 "Lower Alsace, and the piece of Lorraine southwest 
 of Moyenvic and the canal. Observe," Merode whipt 
 out a pocket-atlas from his cuirass, and drew his chair 
 up to the table, " the two pieces together form a com- 
 pact and convenient wedge, should you desire hereafter 
 to avenge yourself for Mesnil's blunders." 
 
 "What am I to say?" murmured Bonaparte. "It 
 certainly looks very compact." He likewise was now 
 up to the table. Merode pushed the atlas under his 
 nose, and left the matter to simmer for a while. 
 
 "Monsieur Prehlen," said he, in a conversational 
 aside, like a tutor who permits his pupil a break in the 
 midst of Latin prose, "has given great offence to his 
 government. I have it on the best authority that he has
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 363 
 
 already been recalled. Heigho, how we shall miss him 
 in Paris. What an amusing dog he was." 
 
 The bait took instantly; though Napoleon saw the 
 hook, and, with it in his mouth, vowed mentally he would 
 not be caught. 
 
 " I think you must be wrong. " 
 
 " No, the thing is beyond the region of possible doubt. 
 I have it from our Russian at Berlin. Prehlen exceeded 
 his instructions in his treaty with you. Have n't they 
 repudiated some of the terms yet? " 
 
 " No," the Emperor replied with increasing nervous- 
 ness. 
 
 "Ah, they will. Probably the Russian government 
 has written direct to Carache. He would naturally keep 
 bad news from you." 
 
 " Let him dare " 
 
 "Sire, no sudden bursts of rage, I beg. Remember 
 your heart. Talking of Carache, would you summon 
 him from Paris, and agree to an armistice to cover his 
 arrival? " 
 
 "Why?" His Majesty had now become very fierce 
 and uncompromising: this fresh instance of his Premier's 
 officiousness and treachery worked miracles in Merode's 
 favour. Luckily for the latter, his fellow-negotiator 
 could always be satisfied with the flimsiest evidence. 
 
 " My master suggested that you might not like to 
 assume any of the responsibility yourself. He and Ca- 
 rache would put the thing through in a quarter of an 
 hour. " 
 
 " Be good enough to inform your master that I can 
 do exactly the same in my country as he can in his, and 
 no more and no less. Carache is merely my servant." 
 
 "Then accept this compact little wedge," cried Me- 
 rode, bringing his hand down with a bang on the open 
 map. 
 
 " I mean to," shouted the other. 
 
 " That 's a brave and independent ruler. My master 
 and you must meet: you would be very fond of one 
 another. " 
 
 "But," Napoleon hesitated, beginning once more to
 
 364 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 sway to and fro in his chair, "couldn't you throw in 
 Upper Alsace as well? " 
 
 " No, I am afraid I could not, much as I should love 
 to oblige you. I '11 tell you what I will do, though." 
 
 "Yes?" 
 
 " I will procure you the hand of her serene Highness 
 the Princess Vera of Hesse-Cassel." 
 
 "Thanks, very much," Napoleon exclaimed with a 
 sudden access of energy, " I am already engaged." 
 
 Merode pondered for a while. " Is there no part of 
 the British Empire which would tempt you? " he asked 
 at last. " Canada or Cape Colony, for instance? My 
 master could manage the matter for you with the great- 
 est ease. He has only to send a few telegrams, and the 
 thing is as good as done." 
 
 The Monarch's reply to this tempting offer rather 
 startled the envoy. He clapped both hands to his head 
 and sprang to his feet, at the same time shouting: 
 
 "I accept, I accept. Quick, pen and paper! " 
 
 " Is it to be Cape Town?" 
 
 " No, no what you offer in Alsace. " 
 
 " Sire, I congratulate you on your sagacity. We most 
 certainly should have smashed Mesnil the other side of 
 Metz." 
 
 "Put the thing to paper at once," Bonaparte per- 
 sisted, now fully ablaze with excitement, "else I shall 
 assuredly go back upon my word. They will make me. " 
 
 Merode rummaged inside his cuirass. " I have the 
 preliminaries here." 
 
 "Quick, let me sign," shouted our hero, brandishing 
 a quill, which, with a small bottle of ink, the Ambassador 
 had also produced from his inexhaustible bosom. " I 
 do not want it read I trust you." 
 
 "One minute. I ought to inform your Majesty that 
 this does not include any part of Lorraine in our resti- 
 tution." 
 
 " Only Lower Alsace? " 
 
 " Only Lower Alsace." 
 
 " That 's not fair. You offered me a strip of Lor- 
 raine southwest of Moyenvic and the canal, and I 
 accepted it. I sha'n't sign."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 365 
 
 "You must please yourself. After all, I am doing this 
 mainly to oblige you. We Germans have nothing to fear 
 from a continuance of the war. Italy and Austria have 
 this very morning given us a renewal of the triple alli- 
 ance. You will have Nice under water before the week 
 is out." 
 
 "Lower Alsace, then," shrieked the bewildered mon- 
 arch. "Where do I sign? thanks, I see," and he 
 scratched his signature with twitching hand. 
 
 Then he cast the quill to the floor. " Thank God 
 for that! " he cried. 
 
 Merode stooped down to recover the little weapon: 
 
 " I have yet to sign. I shall put the pen away among 
 my most treasured possessions." 
 
 Five hours later, and upon the stroke of midnight, 
 General Mesnil burst into the farm. He was smothered 
 in dust from head to foot; his eyes glittered with rage. 
 Learning from Godefroy that the Emperor had long ago 
 retired to rest, the excited little warrior sprang like a 
 tiger up the stairs. Nothing could stop him. He gave 
 one hurried tap at Napoleon's door, then pushed into 
 the room. It was in darkness. The General could 
 descry only the dim outlines of the bed; the canopy had 
 assumed fearful proportions, it covered the whole 
 ceiling. 
 
 "Godefroy," came a peevish voice from the black 
 chasm of bedding, "what do you want? My heart is 
 causing me fearful agony. Can't you let me die in 
 peace? " 
 
 " It is not Godefroy," rapped out Mesnil. 
 
 " Oh," exclaimed the voice from the abyss, already a 
 trifle more robust, " who is it, then? " 
 
 "It is I, General Mesnil." 
 
 "I can't see you now. You must wait till the morn- 
 ing." 
 
 "My message won't wait. I have come to tell you 
 that you have betrayed France. Good dreams, my 
 master."
 
 Book III 
 
 "VOILA! ENCORE UNE DECEPTION"
 
 Chapter I 
 
 The victor of Parfondrupt got back to the Elysee as 
 quickly as he could, having due regard to the just claims 
 of the towns upon his route. Verdun, Chalons, Rheims, 
 even little Chateau-Thierry, wanted a glimpse of their 
 conquering hero. And he, conscious of both battles 
 won simultaneously from his bedroom window, felt 
 neither the desire nor the right to balk such legitimate 
 curiosity. Nor did he altogether object to this part of 
 the business. He "progressed" almost up to Paris 
 itself. He made little speeches which did not omit 
 one may be sure to accord their fair share of praise to 
 his lieutenants Clisserole especially, whom he persist- 
 ently placed number two on the roll of honour. The 
 reason may have had something to do with the fact that, 
 one night at Rheims, Mesnil complimented him to his 
 face as the " pacificator of La Grange-en-Haye." It also 
 came to his ears that the little fellow went about saying 
 how greatly he regretted his master's meagre practice at 
 the English bar. His words at the farm he had forgot- 
 ten. So he was right glad to find himself back once 
 more in Paris. Even a palace grows its household gods. 
 Napoleon (he might not have owned to it himself) always 
 succumbed to the sway of familiar places. He liked to 
 have his books and pictures around him, the desk he 
 seldom sat at, and the sofa he used a good deal. He 
 liked his usual mattress. Not that there was anything 
 weak in that: Leonidas's self might have dreaded the 
 multiplication of nights under the farm-house canopy. 
 Above all he was able now to enjoy these things in the 
 knowledge that they were amply deserved. He had put 
 two victories between himself and Pimlico. And if, in 
 men's eyes, he had ever resembled his famous progeni- 
 
 369
 
 370 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 tor, the likeness was never greater than at this memora- 
 ble period. Parallel pictures of the illustrious kinsmen 
 filled front sheets even of journals which as a rule 
 despised illustrations, and flooded shop windows wherein 
 customarily you might look for anything rather than 
 photographs. One enterprising trader, an Italian ware- 
 houseman in the Boulevard Malsherbes, managed to 
 get both monarchs onto the same surface. The device 
 passed into instant favour. It enabled Parisians to note 
 how much the present Emperor outstripped his ancestor 
 in modesty of demeanour. 
 
 This modesty was an especial feature. Every one 
 who caught a glimpse of Napoleon as he passed on his 
 triumphal progress noted it; and every one who noted 
 it was pleased. All things considered, it may not have 
 been difficult to assume, but none the less it was extremely 
 meritorious. It did not serve in any way to give undue 
 prominence to the services of Marshal Mesnil, General 
 Clisserole, or subordinate leaders, yet it created a favour- 
 able impression. Most of all, it helped to counteract the 
 first low mutterings of discontent which came from those 
 who held that Berlin ought to have been blotted out. 
 
 Unhappily, there were many such, Prince Felix among 
 them. A letter of his, written from Auteuil about this 
 time, was redirected by a paternal post-office to the Pre- 
 mier, who put it away among his most cherished pos- 
 sessions. It shows the kind fellow's view of the 
 situation. 
 
 It invoked "My beloved Hadamard, " whom it ap- 
 prised of " our continued good health. Both Christina 
 and I send you best wishes for the new year, though it 
 is four months off. I, for one, sha'n't be sorry to bid this 
 current Abomination good-bye. It has proved a poor 
 friend to me. First, it places that wretched Capelli on 
 the throne; secondly, it keeps him alive. My doctor, 
 who meets him constantly about town, tells me that his 
 death from delirium tremens is merely a matter of weeks. 
 Yet he does n't die! Felix, pity me! At least I am pre- 
 pared for any emergency. De Morin has promised to 
 summon me at the first approach of dissolution; and, as 
 you know, omnibuses pass this door every few minutes.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 371 
 
 I say omnibuses advisedly; I cannot any longer afford 
 even a fiacre. Christina has been compelled to sell the 
 victoria which the young English milor gave us two win- 
 ters ago. The theatres, you see, are empty, while Eng- 
 lish milors do not dare venture into this perturbed land. 
 The dear child talks gloomily of returning to her con- 
 vent in Malmo. Come to us, Felix, or we perish. Succour 
 us of your moneybags, cherished Judas, or I lose the 
 noblest friend Sweden ever gave mortal man. The cana- 
 ries in the hall are dying for want of water. We can 
 give them no food; we are compelled to turn them out 
 to get their meat as best they can from richer neigh- 
 bours. Two of them have already had a pleasant time 
 with a strange cat. Felix, our need is such that I have 
 been compelled to enter into a conspiracy to hasten 
 Capelli's approaching end. General Changarnier is the 
 pivot. He, it seems, owes Parchments a grudge for not 
 giving him a baton when Mesnil and Clisserole received 
 theirs. He has got hold of a certain Senator Loog, 
 whom I do not know, and your humble namesake. Join 
 us, Hadamard! You and I are both Felix; let us put 
 our fortunes on the same chance. We mean to approach 
 Monsieur Nadez. He does these things very expedi- 
 tiously, I understand; and I hear on all sides that his 
 terms are moderate. Naturally, we shall leave the weapon 
 to him; he has had experience. Personally, I prefer ex- 
 plosive bullets they are so conclusive. Changarnier 
 says knives. Loog oh, he is merely a cipher, no one 
 cares what he says. Christina suggests hemlock ; but it 
 is so deuced hard to administer. She calls! Do not 
 forget to come to me, dear one. Farewell." 
 
 But Monsieur Carache preserved a discreet silence 
 upon these unpleasant topics. And Majesty went bliss- 
 fully forward in contented ignorance. He felt that he 
 might now regard himself as secure in the saddle. He 
 doubted whether the great Emperor, even after Ulm, had 
 been more popular. Nevertheless he was glad enough 
 when all the pageantry was over, and he and the Grand 
 Chamberlain could once more resume their tranquil occu- 
 pations. 
 
 " I think a few days in the country," he suggested to
 
 372 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 this venerable relative directly the first chance offered, 
 "may soothe my nerves." 
 
 " You have just come from the country. And people 
 will expect you to remain in Paris." 
 
 " I only meant a day or two, to breathe the fresh 
 air. ' ' 
 
 "The Villa Yvonne at Meaux," says De Morin 
 bluntly, " has been converted into a home for conva- 
 lescent officers. By his Majesty's orders, let me add." 
 
 "Oh." 
 
 "Moreover, the Earl and dear Henriette and their 
 sweet children are proposing to spend the winter in 
 Russia." 
 
 "Oh," repeated his Majesty. 
 
 The Chamberlain's communication like so many of 
 that genial gentleman's utterances was intended as a 
 nasty one. He delivered it with great deliberateness, 
 then waited blandly for Napoleon to wince and flush 
 crimson. He waited in vain, and began to think that the 
 other had been studying his own imperturbable de- 
 meanour. He was, however, too keen a reader of the 
 human countenance to belong deceived. The first faint 
 look of surprise, followed instantly and obliterated by a 
 nod of indifferent acquiescence, gave him full insight 
 into the Imperial heart wherefrom all memory of Muriel 
 was slowly passing. Maybe the spell was dead alto- 
 gether. In any case it was no longer strong enough to 
 make this ardent lover aught but coldly desirous of a 
 fresh glimpse of her, who, but a month ago, had wholly 
 filled such part of his universe as was not already occu- 
 pied by the contemplation of his own magnificence. 
 
 So the Grand Chamberlain went upon his way rejoi- 
 cing. He knew well enough that the Framlinghams 
 never came to Paris. His brilliant manoeuvre rendered 
 it equally certain that his master would never return to 
 Meaux. He chose, as a last string, to credit the rumour 
 given him by Carache of the Earl's forthcoming visit 
 to Russia. So the two young people would never meet 
 again. Whenever his thoughts turned to the contempla- 
 tion of this little piece of diplomacy, he hugged himself. 
 Indeed, he became so elated, that he resolved to run
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 373 
 
 down to the Villa Yvonne and have a look at the maimed 
 patriots who had proved such useful allies. 
 
 In Meaux itself these warriors had not been viewed 
 quite so complacently. The inhabitants of that charm- 
 ing spot saw their town little by little assuming, under 
 the third Empire, the position held by Compiegne under 
 the second. Had not Majesty favoured the villa first 
 among his many retreats? Had he not lingered there two 
 out of the nine weeks which composed his reign? The 
 war satisfactorily concluded, they looked for a period of 
 gaiety that should fill their streets with guests and lackeys 
 and gold. The authorities had already ordered plans 
 for a private theatre, to be built in the villa grounds. 
 They offered it as a mark of loyal esteem. Likewise in 
 the hope that it might attract. 
 
 Picture, then, the dismay of every patriotic citizen 
 when invalids burst into the sacred precincts as though 
 they had come to stop. The entire community lashed 
 itself into a fury. The chief drug-store threatened to 
 boycott the invaders; but, luckily for its reputation, 
 repented. The other tradesmen went in a body, tearful 
 and indignant, to pray the Mayor's good offices. The 
 Mayor consulted the Prefect; the Prefect sought Madame 
 Verre. Madame Verre, after much weary meditation 
 and sundry little furtive expeditions to view the invalids 
 from behind a quickset hedge, came to the conclusion 
 that they were merely acute, and that happy days would 
 come again. This opinion was in due course communi- 
 cated to the tradesmen, who thanked the Mayor and 
 withdrew; while Madame flitted hither and thither, nar- 
 rating to her friends how she had presided at the dawn- 
 ing of hope. 
 
 " My dear Henriette," she exclaimed to Lady Fram- 
 lingham in the course of one of these visits, "you may 
 be quite certain that Napoleon will not remain in Paris 
 longer than he can help." It was the morning after 
 " Grand day "; the two ladies were seated in the draw- 
 ing-room of the Villa Henriette. 
 
 " No, most certainly he will not stay in Paris a mo- 
 ment after it is necessary," Madame went on. " There 
 is the meeting of the Legislative Assembly to-day, and
 
 374 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the review on Friday. Mark my word, he will leave the 
 capital on Saturday! " she leant forward with a show of 
 great mystery. 
 
 " You ask, where will he go? " Madame paused for a 
 reply. The Countess, however, contented herself with 
 a nod of infinite wisdom. 
 
 "Where will he go?" insisted Madame. "Not to 
 Cannes, surely. Brittany is too cold. Compiegne he 
 dare not revive. He loathes Fontainebleau, I have it as 
 a fact." 
 
 "The Chateau d'Urville? " Henriette suggested 
 faintly. 
 
 Madame shut her eyes tight. " It would be in shame- 
 ful taste. No, Meaux alone is possible. Remember 
 my words, dear Henriette, the Emperor will sleep here 
 on Saturday." 
 
 "And the convalescents? " 
 
 "The convalescents," the other rejoined, now going 
 quite blind, " will return to their homes. Twelve were 
 despatched yesterday; my coachman met them on their 
 way to the station. Six alone remain; and of these, two 
 looked so ill when I last saw them, that I expect they 
 are already dead. The other four, if worst came to the 
 worst, might be billetted over the neighbourhood. I have 
 calculated the whole thing out from end to end. Monsieur 
 Verre says I am wrong. I say I am right. We have 
 been friends now so long, dear Henriette, you won't 
 mind my adding that Verre is a perfect fool. " 
 
 "Not at all," murmured Lady Framlingham lan- 
 guidly, like the high-born English lady she was; " not in 
 the least. " Next minute she had left repose, and dashed 
 off into a violent diatribe against England in general 
 and one Englishman in particular. 
 
 "Why should he want to leave Paris just as the 
 winter season is commencing? You must be wrong, dear 
 Louise; I feel convinced of it. The Emperor is not a 
 fool. Why should he disappear at a time when every one 
 is thinking of him; applauding his conquests, and madly 
 craning forward to catch a glimpse of his face? No, no, 
 a thousand times no! He will lead Paris this winter; 
 there will be balls at the Elyse"e, concerts and dinner-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 375 
 
 parties. All the world will be there, save our wretched 
 selves. Poor me! my fate is a miserable time at that 
 soaking Tipton-St.-John! Fugh, the place has a name 
 like a cannibal island! Ah, Louise, you were wise not 
 to marry out of your own country." 
 
 At dinner, that same evening, my lady renewed her 
 lamentation. It was a family gathering of so select a 
 character that not more than eight persons were present. 
 Nicholas Fersen counted one, and he was the only 
 stranger. My lady's audience included her brother, and 
 her brother's little boy, and all her children. She 
 addressed her grievances to every one in turn, except her 
 husband, for whom they were principally intended. 
 
 The Earl sat facing his consort, watching her gesticu- 
 lations, and wondering how in the world he had ever 
 come to marry her. And his look one regrets to have 
 to confess it contained the merest touch of direct repul- 
 sion towards his helpmeet of twenty-seven years. Her 
 volatility shocked him, as it never failed to do; while her 
 assumption of repose the quality of all which he valued 
 most highly struck him as more odious to-night than 
 ever before. Our men at Ulundi, who saw the enemy in 
 their dead comrades' clothes, must have had much the 
 same feeling. Madame, on her side, never repaid his at- 
 tention by so much as a momentary glance. Her quick- 
 moving eyes scrutinized every one and every thing the 
 room contained, but they always avoided her husband's 
 face. Maybe they were so very restless because of this 
 one corner of forbidden ground. 
 
 Lord Mendril, more than ever like his mother, now 
 that he was beside her, enclosed my lady between him- 
 self and the Honourable Charles. The two young men 
 did not pay much heed to their voluble relative. They 
 were discussing the end of the cricket season, and 
 the Countess hated cricket almost as cordially as she 
 detested England. Uncle Louis, on the other side of 
 Charles, threw in an occasional remark. He did not 
 share in his sister's antipathy, but then he knew about 
 as much of the game as he did of the Grand Monarch. 
 The farther end of the table was far more subdued. 
 Lord Framlingham's engrossing occupation has received
 
 376 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 its mention; Count Fersen's probably needs none. Little 
 Paul de Murinac was busy with the one consuming 
 thought that to-morrow night would see him inside the 
 sacred portals; his cousin, Muriel, sat equally silent 
 before the prospect of her approaching return home. 
 
 Was she sorry? really she hardly knew. Since 
 Napoleon's departure her fancy had been just as busy 
 as before with crowns imperial and bee bespangled 
 robes. But she would not scheme, she could not scheme, 
 to get them. She preferred, rather, to leave herself pas- 
 sive in the hands of fate or of her mother. She 
 intended so to leave herself, and her only contribution 
 would be to dream, to dream, to dream. She knew his 
 love; she had no notion that it only needed a fortnight 
 to evaporate. She knew, too, that the war was mostly 
 of her making. Curious as it may seem, she did not at 
 all connect herself with the slaughter. If she had, prob- 
 ably it would not have frozen her blood. Nothing is 
 really of any importance in this world. Any one who 
 chooses to become, say, a parricide can find out so much 
 for himself. Dear reader, you won't talk any more non- 
 sense about " sinking into the earth " once you have had 
 your first half-hour in the dock. In a single sentence, 
 the young lady flung away rudder and compass at a 
 time when she wanted them most of all. 
 
 "Paul," cried his aunt, bursting through the County 
 Averages that cut her off from the lower end of the 
 table, "Paul, you are very silent. Muriel, amuse the 
 little one." 
 
 "I do not know why you should be so silent," she 
 went on, not noticing that Muriel made no visible effort 
 to obey her. "I only wish I were going to winter in 
 Paris. Muriel, you agree with me? " 
 
 Muriel did not answer. 
 
 "I suppose you will remain there a week or so?" 
 asked the Earl of his brother-in-law. It was the nearest 
 he and Madame usually got to direct conversation. 
 
 Louis straightened himself. " I return to Avize to- 
 morrow night," and he closed his mouth with a decisive 
 click. He was thinking of that brand-new scheme 
 reposing in his desk at home, and wherein it was laid
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 377 
 
 down that he should actually, and for the last time, com- 
 mence "the new mode " of life on the evening of Sep- 
 tember 10, 189-. 
 
 "You will change your mind when you get there," 
 said his sister maliciously. 
 
 " Pardon me, Henriette. Pray, allow me to know my 
 own business best. I shall spend but a few hours in 
 Paris in fact, merely long enough to buy Paul some 
 things, and introduce him to Monsieur de Morin." 
 
 "How absurd! You and your good wife might just 
 as well pass the winter there. What is there to keep you 
 at Avize? Of course, you will say you prefer the coun- 
 try. Well, in my humble opinion, you ought to sacrifice 
 yourself sometimes " with a savage look at the chandelier 
 "for the sake of your family." 
 
 "Nothing to keep me at home?" he cried, full of 
 indignation; "dearest Henriette, surely you forget how 
 busy I shall be throughout the entire winter. I can 
 barely spare these few days." 
 
 "Dearest Henriette," however, remained uncon- 
 vinced. 
 
 "What can you find to make you busy." 
 
 "Plenty of things," he retorted, with a pompous 
 defiance. " In the first place we are trying a new manure 
 for the cucumbers. Then there is my history." 
 
 "Oh, your history! I had forgotten that," exclaimed 
 Madame, indulging, at the same time, in a malignant 
 little simper. "I should have thought that Paris was 
 far the most convenient spot for writing in. You have 
 no libraries at Avize." 
 
 ' ' I buy my books, ' ' and Louis could not be got to say 
 another word about his magnum opus. 
 
 " Henriette, " her husband said coldly, addressing 
 De Murinac, "does not understand country life. She is 
 not fond of Tipton-St. -John. " 
 
 "No, indeed I am not," she answered on her side, 
 looking at Walter; "it is damp, and dull, and disagree- 
 able. As children, I remember, we used to complain 
 bitterly of Avize. It is paradise to Tipton." 
 
 The two young men left Grace and the Somersetshire 
 brethren who played in top-hats and frock-coats at a
 
 378 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 county match, an incident which all cricketers worthy 
 of the name seem to have on the brain, and listened. 
 The Honourable Charles got him ready to help my lady, 
 while Walter prepared to keep the peace. 
 
 "Tipton!" resumed their mother, in tones of deep 
 contempt that grew shriller by degrees; " the only thing 
 that makes the place endurable is the Convent Chapel at 
 Sidmouth. Oh, Nicholas, you do not know how I appre- 
 ciate that one blessing." 
 
 "I am sure I wish you were coming to Paris instead," 
 the young Russian answered, his eyes where they always 
 were in Muriel's presence. 
 
 My lady's reference to her religion at this early stage 
 in the game showed what amount of hope she had in 
 achieving success. Curiously, it was not followed by the 
 expected outburst. 
 
 The Earl's sole reply was to smile across at Muriel. 
 "We have been in France long enough. My little girl 
 wanted to spend an extra week here, and we have done 
 as she desired. But the fortnight is up, and she is as 
 eager as I am to get home. Is it not so, dearest? " 
 
 She smiled back at him, but she did not trust herself 
 to speak. Her silence evidently came as a surprise. 
 
 "Why, Muriel, you surely do not want to go to Paris? " 
 
 She did not answer. Nicholas Fersen flushed with 
 pleasure. He fancied that he could read her meaning; 
 he began to see victory within his grasp. 
 
 "Always Muriel," the Countess put in, looking sav- 
 agely at Louis's beard. "Why should I never be con- 
 sidered? I am your wife. I say I am treated cruelly. 
 Winter after winter I am dragged off to that abominable 
 Tipton, while my house in the Avenue de Villiers, the 
 house which came to me from my father, through my 
 dear dead brother, is suffered to rot away, a scandal to 
 our name. Louis, you may purchase the house." 
 
 "Thank you, sister; I have no uses for it." 
 
 "I agree with mother," added the Honourable 
 Charles. "Paris will be very lively this winter, and we 
 shall be asked everywhere. And as I am to go into the 
 service, I think some regard ought to be paid to my 
 interests in the matter."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 379 
 
 " At your age, my son," said the father, with a grave 
 wisdom which caused the Honourable Charles unspeak- 
 able annoyance, "I didn't think of my interests." 
 
 The abruptly ended embassy and the viceroyship 
 muddled away pulled at the young man's tongue. He 
 had grace enough to stop short at a mumbled whisper. 
 
 " During my whole married life I have only spent 
 about fifteen weeks in Paris. One of those, moreover, 
 was on my honeymoon." She got no nearer to the 
 blighted mission. 
 
 "But, mother, what do you propose?" asked her 
 eldest son suavely. 
 
 "Ask your father; he knows well enough," she 
 replied, glaring at Louis. 
 
 "What your mother wants is that we should close 
 Mendril Court and live in Paris half the year." 
 
 "Nothing of the kind," she retorted with extreme 
 heat, this time giving him a look which ought by rights 
 to have killed him; " it is a monstrous falsehood." 
 
 " Then, what do you want? " 
 
 "What do I want, indeed! You know well enough. 
 Pray, spare me that assumption of ignorance. It is very 
 correct, no doubt; but it annoys me." 
 
 " Really," muttered my Lord under his breath, "your 
 manners are atrocious." 
 
 Walter interposed. 
 
 " Mother would be quite content with three months 
 in Paris." 
 
 "Three months are better than nothing," she 
 grumbled. 
 
 "What does my little girl say?" the Earl asked, 
 softening. " I know she wants to get back to Mendril." 
 
 But even yet she could not find her tongue. The 
 father's mouth hardened. He bent over his plate in 
 silence. Then, dropping his fork and spoon with a 
 clatter, he shook himself free from the table, and flung 
 out of the room. It was among his little habits, and it 
 accounted for his unpopularity. 
 
 But on the lawn afterwards, whither Muriel and 
 Fersen alone, of all the rest, had gone to tempt the 
 autumn evening, he approached them with softened face.
 
 380 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Nicholas had just that moment asked a familiar question, 
 and Muriel had given a familiar and unsatisfactory 
 answer; and neither of the young people was looking 
 over-pleased. 
 
 " Sir," the Russian burst out, as Framlingham fell in 
 line with them and took his daughter's arm, "I am try- 
 ing to persuade Muriel to come to St. Petersburg this 
 winter. " 
 
 "The Earl laughed. "Oh, you have got farther 
 than Paris now! " said he. "And what about Muriel's 
 poor old father? " 
 
 " I mean the two of you, sir. I am going in Novem- 
 ber: I will take charge of you." 
 
 " I daresay you will, you young diplomatist. One 
 thing at a time, though," and he turned lovingly to his 
 daughter. " Does my little girl really think she would 
 like to spend the winter in Paris? " 
 
 "It will be a change, father," she managed to 
 murmur. 
 
 " Then she shall have the change." 
 
 "Come to Petersburg," pleaded Fersen. "It's 
 every bit as gay; and not so common." 
 
 "You egotist," laughed my lord. " How long are 
 you away? " 
 
 "Till the end of the year," the boy muttered rue- 
 fully. "You won't be persuaded to come? My mother 
 will make you very welcome. She has never seen 
 Muriel." 
 
 " Another year, Nicholas." 
 
 "It is always that." 
 
 "Come, my little girl." 
 
 With her arm still linked in his he led her into the 
 centre of the drawing-room, Fersen following. 
 
 "Very well, then," he exclaimed aloud, "since my 
 little daughter wishes it, we will spend the next few 
 months in Paris." 
 
 Madame clapped her hands with joy. She even ven- 
 tured to pat her husband's disengaged arm, an attention 
 which he did not relish. 
 
 " How sweet of you, dear Walter," she cried. I will 
 write to Marie to-night." It was not long, however,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 381 
 
 before she called to mind her husband's manner of con- 
 ferring this boon. By bedtime she discovered that she 
 disliked him as much as ever. As for Muriel, her sole 
 response to her father's kindness was the cold remark 
 that he was mistaken if he fancied she pined for Paris. 
 And, as a fact, she did not now that the boon had been 
 granted.
 
 Chapter II 
 
 For the next few days De Morin was busy very 
 busy, but also very cheerful. The storm and stress of 
 the Revenge had terminated happily; the Empire, which 
 he had, so to speak, refounded, seemed firmly set upon 
 its feet; and it now remained to make it socially suc- 
 cessful. This was his department, and he approached it 
 with all the vigour of a youth of fifty. His office table 
 groaned under lists classifying men according to their 
 quality, marking off some as worthy to be dined or 
 danced, or both, and others as only to be received in 
 herds and regaled on sandwiches and lemonade. It was 
 an arduous undertaking, but none the less enjoyable. 
 For the Chamberlain knew well that no man, save per- 
 haps a judge on gaol delivery, had greater power than 
 himself to inflict pain and annoyance on so many virtu- 
 ous people. Then, his experience gained as Vice-Cham- 
 berlain under the second Empire materially lightened his 
 task. He refreshed his memories of that gilded time, 
 determined, if he could, to revive its Catholic invitation 
 lists. And he rubbed his hands as he bethought him 
 how he would gather all Paris, all France, into his net; 
 how that there should not be a villa at Neuilly, a retired 
 family house at Versailles, which did not in some form or 
 other bend beneath his sway. 
 
 Yes, it was to be a period of widespread gaiety. He 
 would show the insolent Carache, the enigmatical Mesnil, 
 the dull, well-meaning Brisson, their limitations. Not 
 one of them had any real power to popularize the new 
 order; it needed his own department to do that. 
 
 So Monsieur de Morin was busy and cheerful. And 
 when in course of time the Framlingham family came up 
 for consideration, he placed them on the most exalted
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 383 
 
 list with the greatest pleasure in life. It was a privilege 
 thus to be able to humour his master without doing any 
 real damage. He knew all about the abandoned town 
 house and my lady's woes; and he felt deep sorrow not 
 to be able to grieve as he should do for these miseries of 
 his dearest and best friend. For, after much pondering, 
 he had come to the conclusion that a Bonaparte-Mendril 
 marriage was not desirable. To be sure, it was after 
 very much pondering indeed; and the conclusion, when 
 arrived at, did not show an imposing front. The reasons 
 on one side and the other were so equally balanced that 
 to decide meant the deepest searchings of heart. 
 
 It certainly would strengthen his own position to 
 have Muriel Mendril, the grand-daughter of his bosom 
 friend, now dead, upon the throne. But then, what 
 profit to strengthen his own position at the cost of 
 weakening the Empire? That that must fall about was 
 beyond question. The upper classes would be con- 
 sumed by jealousy, while the whole nation would rise 
 in protest against an English alliance, even though the 
 bride had been a member of the ruling family. Again, 
 there was another objection. Napoleon needed the 
 strength of kinship with some sovereign house. Why, 
 on "Grand Day" itself, Monsieur Oscar Prehlen had 
 taken the Count into a convenient corner and hinted at 
 a Russian princess, whose name he did not specify, but 
 whose face he declared to be a dream. 
 
 But the Grand Chamberlain had also private reasons. 
 Strange as it may seem, there lurked one soft spot in 
 his heart; and it was the growth of many a solitary 
 hour to wit, the memory of his old friend Gustave de 
 Murinac, that fiery whirlwind of a fellow, who, having 
 walked with him as a brother for wellnigh twenty years, 
 had disappeared one day in a blaze of lurid flame. He 
 could not commit the chances of the poor child's hap- 
 piness to Napoleon's tender mercies. With King Arthur 
 for her consort, her life would be bounded on all sides 
 by trouble. And De Morin knew his master: thrice 
 unhappy the woman who had to lean on him. But to 
 resume. Our old friend placed the Framlinghams on 
 the most exalted list, humming a cheerful little air as he
 
 384 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 did so. It brought a smile to his face to think of 
 the Imperial mandate left unopened, and to rot upon 
 some dust-laden kitchen table among the basement 
 cobwebs. 
 
 One afternoon occasion took him into the neighbour- 
 hood of the Avenue de Villiers. He had business with 
 Marshal Mesnil, wh'o lived in the Rue Legendre. The 
 business done, he could not deny himself the pleasure 
 he never could of having a look at number forty-seven, 
 and recalling those days that were as dear as they were 
 long departed. It was quite six weeks since his last 
 visit, accordingly he came back to it with all the delight 
 of a hungering heart. 
 
 Alas, a first glance showed him that it was about to 
 pass into the hands of the alien and the stranger. They 
 were actually painting the facade, that dear old yellow 
 fa?ade which had been filthy in Gustave's time. Yes, 
 they were painting the facade, and papering the walls 
 he could see as much through the windows and white- 
 washing the ceiling, obliterating the stains which he had 
 made with Gustave's regalias. So it was to pass at last. 
 Others would surround the board at which his dead 
 friend had shouted and roared and bellowed and drunk. 
 Children's voices would once more break the silence 
 which had held sway for twenty years. Ah me! he 
 thought, how vain and fleeting were all human things. 
 Folks, especially very old ones, tried to make time lag 
 by hanging tender memories round rustic stiles and 
 bricks and mortar and river banks, forgetting that they 
 themselves were part of the procession, and that what 
 they mourned as so long departed was really only a very 
 little way in front. But, but and he came to the 
 present tense and the first person in his very present 
 misery the rush of life shows us our folly. Strangers 
 burst into our silent rooms. They fling open the 
 windows, fugh! with harsh voices that chide our sacred 
 dust. Relentlessly they cleanse them of their damp and 
 and of our sweet regrets which have dwelt in them 
 so long. 
 
 These pleasing reflections carried him well on his 
 backward way. Crossing the Palace courtyard, he
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 385 
 
 stumbled upon Paul de Murinac, who, on his side, was 
 hastening to meet his good-natured Aunt Henriette at 
 the Gare de L'Est. 
 
 "My poor little Paul," said the venerable Chamber- 
 lain, with his smile of tender melancholy, and a gentle 
 hand upon the crown of the lad's hat, "my poor little 
 Paul, they have sold your dear grandfather's house in 
 the Avenue de Villiers. " 
 
 Paul stared at him. 
 
 " But, Monsieur, it has been sold many years. My 
 aunt Henriette bought it from the executors before I 
 was born." 
 
 "I know, I know. Child, what I mean is, your aunt 
 has just sold it." 
 
 The look of perplexity deepened upon the boy's face. 
 
 "But Monsieur," he repeated hopelessly, "my aunt 
 and uncle are coming to live in it themselves. My 
 aunt is to be in town this morning, to see about some 
 furniture. I am to'meet her at the railway station and 
 to lunch with her," and perceiving that the Chamber- 
 lain's only answer was an impatient gesture, as of dis- 
 missal, Paul started off once more on his way to meet 
 his good-natured aunt Henriette at the Gare de L'Est. 
 
 De Morin went back to his lists, and to a disconso- 
 late survey of the Framlingham entry. His old friend 
 Henriette had not treated him quite fairly in this matter. 
 She had assured him on several occasions that she 
 never obtained a single day in Paris from one year's 
 end to another. He felt disappointed in her; it was not 
 grateful, considering how good he had been to all of 
 them in bygone days; how frequently he had suffered 
 them to proclaim his apartment in a state of siege. 
 But the mandates had gone forth and left him power- 
 less. In any case he could not have drawn back now. 
 Old days forbade. 
 
 He took comfort in the thought that the danger was 
 not so very threatening. He fancied and not without 
 due cause that he knew his master by now and his 
 master's little ways. He considered the latter's shallow 
 heart, his weak and yielding nature. And he made no 
 doubt that with a leetle skilful handling, not to mention
 
 386 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 one or two hours by the way, he would get him past his 
 dearest Muriel, and land him in Monsieur Prehlen's 
 capacious net. The girl and her mother might live to 
 thank him. So he suffered in silence, and bore Hen- 
 riette's invitations with fair equanimity. He receive/1 a 
 good many; for my lady possessed a warm heart: she 
 soon promoted him to the position of long-lost parental 
 uncle. The Earl and Countess and two of their children 
 came to the first grand reception of the season. Na- 
 poleon welcomed them with marked distinction. He 
 bestowed a smile for the two scions of the house to 
 divide between them. And while he smiled, not a trace 
 of colour came into his sallow face. Muriel was curtsey- 
 ing low at the moment, consequently De Morin could 
 not see how she took her half. 
 
 The Earl and Countess and two of their children 
 came to the second grand reception of the season. The 
 whole previous formula was repeated; only Lord Mendril 
 merely got a quarter this time. Then they came to a 
 dance, and Bonaparte danced half a dance with the 
 Countess, but made no attempt to get the other half 
 with her daughter. 
 
 Then they were invited to dine. After dinner, the 
 Emperor exchanged a dozen words with Lord Framling- 
 ham, and succeeding in making for the first time in 
 De Morin's view a polite remark to Muriel, who was 
 standing beside her father. 
 
 And the Count, who always kept lynx-eyes upon 
 them whenever they came into the same orbit of vision, 
 grew daily more calmly confident. It simplified matters 
 very much to have to deal with a master who was weak 
 enough to like to toy with temptation, and not deep 
 enough to hold a lasting passion. 
 
 But upon a certain evening the night of another 
 ball at the Elysee, whereat the Emperor had also danced 
 half a dance with Lady Framlingham there came a 
 slight rebuff. De Morin was standing some few paces 
 off his master, as usual watching him and wondering 
 whether the Meaux affair had not been, after all, a fig- 
 ment of Brisson's brain. Suddenly the grey eyes, which 
 smiled without sweetness, and wandered restlessly over
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 387 
 
 everything without observing anything, became fixed. 
 A spasm of pain shot across the mobile face. De Morin 
 wheeled sharply. Yes, there at the farther end of a 
 smaller chamber stood Muriel; she was in the act of 
 exchanging her brother's arm for Count Fersen's, and 
 Lord Mendril seemed content with the exchange. 
 
 What a handsome pair they made. Napoleon's look 
 of anguish flashed a brilliant idea into the old fellow's 
 brain. It seemed a way out of all difficulties. He 
 broached it gingerly to Henriette the next time he found 
 himself at number forty-seven. She, however, did not 
 let him get beyond his first sentence; declaring that he 
 was an old match-maker, and that no child of hers should 
 ever become a Muscovite, no, not to be Empress of 
 Russia. Then she proceeded to ask him, with fascinat- 
 ing archness, whether it was really true that Napoleon 
 intended to revive the glories of Compiegne. 
 
 " When sorrows come. " The Chamberlain returned 
 to the palace from Lady Framlingham's to find Godefroy 
 wandering about his official suite like an afflicted soul. 
 The valet unfolded a woeful tale. Within three short 
 weeks of " Grand Day," and but fourteen days of their 
 second meeting, this great Conqueror Godefroy 
 wheezed and blinked more than ever was once again 
 prostrate at the feet of Muriel Mendril. And this time 
 the disease had him tight within its grasp. Another 
 little war might free him nothing less would. He sat 
 for hours in his library, without stirring hand or foot, 
 listless and lovelorn, waiting for the dragging hours to 
 bring him to another of those meetings, which gave him 
 half a dozen unsatisfactory glimpses, and a fresh lease of 
 his heartache. It was pitiable to behold Caesar thus in 
 chains. It seemed an accursed mischance that brought 
 the girl a second time across his path. Innocent 
 or not, ignorant of this passion, or fully conscious, she 
 was bound to be its victim. Godefroy felt anxious to 
 save her, but of course he had most at heart to heal his 
 master and restore that atmosphere of complacent 
 industry which should pervade all well-conducted palaces. 
 At present the business of state, so far as it came under 
 Napoleon, lay totally neglected. Despatches were
 
 388 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 placed before him at nine of mornings, for him to read 
 and sign: they were removed at one, unsigned, unread. 
 Public ceremonies were scamped in a manner calculated 
 to destroy all reverence for the throne. Carache grum- 
 bled. Marshal Brisson grumbled. Marshal Mesnil 
 grumbled no, he did something else; and, really, Gode- 
 froy dared not blame him. The two warriors were busy 
 with garrisons for Lower Alsace. Many points could 
 not be so much as discussed between them without first 
 advising with his Majesty. And Napoleon, barricaded 
 in his library, reclining upon the sofa that lent itself 
 most to the abandoned condition of his mind, and gazing 
 blankly at the portion of his laden book-shelves which 
 might be said to cover the Avenue de Villiers, would 
 not be advised with. When they did penetrate into the 
 Presence, they met with no success. His powers of 
 application were at the lowest ebb compatible with 
 sanity; consequently he left them to settle their point 
 according to their liking. The only tangible result was 
 a sharp reprimand for Godefroy from both sides. 
 
 The valet wound up his story with a bitter complaint. 
 The Chamberlain might not be prepared to end this 
 infatuation, said he, for the sake of his master; nor, per- 
 haps, for the sake of the young lady; nor of the business 
 of the country. Very well, then, he must implore him 
 to stop it for his sake his, Godefroy's; for stop it must, 
 if Napoleon was to retain one of the most devoted of 
 body-servants monarch ever had. 
 
 The Chamberlain replied that he was only too anxious 
 to do all he could to terminate this unhappy madness; 
 but that he was not God, to interfere with the human 
 heart. Neither was he a powerful body-servant, but 
 merely a poor Grand Chamberlain whose main function 
 lay in watching that the guests did not misappropriate 
 the forks at Imperial receptions. And he bowed him out 
 of his presence. 
 
 Godefroy withdrew in a condition of sombre astonish- 
 ment. He had not looked for such curt treatment; it 
 convinced him that his hours as personal attendant upon 
 royalty were slipping to their end. 
 
 But, in reality, his words had sunk deep into De Morin's
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 389 
 
 heart. Nor were they allowed time to lose their sting. 
 Thirty-eight hours after this last warning, came step 
 number three in the sad process of disillusionment. 
 
 It dealt with Compiegne. On this occasion, also, the 
 Chamberlain was returning home after an afternoon 
 visit this time to the Rue de Crenelle. The Russian 
 Ambassador had been very cheerful and communicative, 
 telling him a great deal about his Aunt Ottilia and his 
 departed parents, and something about the Russian 
 marriage. He might not yet disclose her identity, but 
 he assured De Morin that the Princess's face was a dream 
 of loveliness. The Chamberlain made his way to his 
 rooms, with these things heavy on his mind, and in the 
 course of his journey came across his august master. 
 
 The Count stood respectfully to one side. Napoleon 
 stretched out his arm and drew him gently along toward 
 his own apartment. Upon their way they passed a 
 group of pages lounging before a blazing fire, who sprang 
 to their feet directly these great ones came in sight, not 
 a little ashamed of their lazy attitudes. 
 
 "So, young gentlemen," the Emperor said gravely, 
 stopping to survey them with all the majestic delibera- 
 tion of a certain well-known head master, "you waste 
 your time in front of fires on a beautiful afternoon 
 like this?" His eyes lit upon Paul de Murinac. The 
 boy held a book in his hand. He had not been lounging 
 with the rest; and he gazed boldly at his master, think- 
 ing how fine and noble the latter looked, and what a 
 privilege it would be to die for him upon the field of 
 battle. His three companions continued to hang their 
 heads. 
 
 "We are on duty, sire," stammered the elder of 
 them. 
 
 "That is no excuse for idleness. Why do you not 
 read, like your comrade yonder? What is the book, my 
 lad?" 
 
 Paul handed it up without the least embarrassment. 
 It proved to be one of those shilling productions, at that 
 time flooding Paris, which purported to give a faithful 
 account of the late campaign. Napoleon laughed when 
 he saw the title-page.
 
 390 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " You are an Imperialist, that is quite clear." 
 
 The boy blushed. How genial this great Emperor 
 was, and, withal, how penetrating thus to discover who 
 were the devoted hearts in his service. Napoleon had 
 handed the book to De Morin, who now restored it to its 
 owner without comment. 
 
 " You are a brave little fellow, and I like to think that 
 France holds many such as you." Majesty spoke in a 
 louder voice than before, and with something of an 
 aggressive touch, as it seemed to his faithful servant. 
 He bestowed a stern look on Paul's companions, and 
 swept on his way, leaving the Chamberlain to follow at 
 his pleasure. In the library, Napoleon sat down straight- 
 way at his papers. He elaborately forgot the other's 
 existence. It was an ugly sight, the servant, bent 
 with years, waiting the pleasure of a master perhaps a 
 third his age. To do our hero justice, it was not a sight 
 his inclinations would ordinarily have tolerated. But 
 his uncle's behaviour over that book had touched him in 
 a tender spot. His future happiness, if nothing else, 
 called for some token of resentment. 
 
 "His Majesty will forgive me if I am seated," De 
 Morin presently exclaimed, sinking gratefully into a 
 chair; " I am an old man. " 
 
 " My dear friend," Bonaparte rejoined he employed 
 a grave manner hardly in keeping with his cordial words 
 "my dear friend, what a question! You entered so 
 quietly, I did not know that you were there." 
 
 " I understood that your Majesty desired to speak 
 with me." 
 
 " No and yet, now that you are here " Napoleon 
 subsided into a fit of gloomy abstraction. 
 
 "You desire my opinion about Alsace-Lorraine? " De 
 Morin suggested. 
 
 "Why? are not Mesnil and Brisson enough?" 
 
 " You wish to confer with me concerning a change of 
 ministers? " 
 
 "My word, you are in a very presumptuous mood 
 to-night. I want to consult you about nothing more im- 
 portant than Compiegne. "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 391 
 
 The Chamberlain indulged in a respectful little sigh 
 of grateful relief. 
 
 " Do you remember Compiegne? " 
 
 "Certainly I do. The Emperor forgets that I was in 
 the service of his august cousin." 
 
 "Tell me something about it." 
 
 "Compiegne is a small town situated at the edge " 
 
 " No, no. About the life that was lived there in my 
 cousin's time." 
 
 "Ah, sire, you push my memory hard." 
 
 " Surely no eyewitness can ever forget the glories of 
 those days? " 
 
 "At the time, I do not think any of us treated them 
 as such. I remember we used to eat and drink a good 
 deal." 
 
 "Historians have so described them." 
 
 "You refer to the journalists who used to visit there. 
 Journalists always speak of ' glories ' where there is 
 plenty to eat and drink." 
 
 The Emperor took a new line. " Is the place still 
 habitable? " he asked. The question caught De Morin 
 off his guard. 
 
 "The court could move there to-morrow." 
 
 "Ah, uncle, I am very miserable," with a burst of 
 melancholy, which showed how pleased he was to get this 
 answer. 
 
 " Nephew, it goes to my heart to hear you say so." 
 
 " And the grounds," Bonaparte went on, still plunged 
 in gloom, "are they in a satisfactory condition? : ' 
 
 " They ought to be. Men are paid to keep the place 
 in order." 
 
 "Then why should we not revive the eating and 
 drinking? " 
 
 " The expense." 
 
 " Surely they will not grudge me that! " His petulance 
 might have been born and bred in the purple. " I have 
 won them back the provinces ahem, Lower Alsace." 
 
 "But " 
 
 "There are no buts. Recollect how useful these 
 gatherings were to the late Emperor."
 
 392 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Napoleon was already busy with his engagement 
 book. "Yes," he said before long, "the fourth Satur- 
 day in October. On that date, my dear De Morin, we 
 will resurrect the glories of Compiegne. " 
 
 "As you please. I will note your Majesty's com- 
 mands. Whom would you desire to meet? " 
 
 "Oh, you can see to that," supremely indifferent. 
 
 "Good, I will see to it," and the Chamberlain 
 promptly snapped his engagement-book and returned it 
 to his waistcoat pocket. And without another word, he 
 rose from his chair and walked leisurely towards the 
 door. 
 
 "De Morin." 
 
 "Sire?" 
 
 "Spare me a few moments longer. I have more to 
 say to you." 
 
 " My time is always at my master's disposal." 
 
 " Be seated, then, no, not so far off; come nearer." 
 
 The Chamberlain came nearer. 
 
 " De Morin." 
 
 "Sire?" 
 
 "Oh, De Morin, I am very unhappy." 
 
 "You have said so. I am grieved to hear it." 
 
 "I have no one in whom I can confide, no one." 
 
 "It is the penalty of your position." 
 
 The Emperor was striding up and down the room. 
 He stopped short in his perambulations, and tapped ner- 
 vously upon the ground. 
 
 " Count de Morin." 
 
 "Your Majesty?" 
 
 "Concerning Compiegne: have you settled upon the 
 guests?" 
 
 "I think the first party should be more or less mili- 
 tary. We might have Mesnil, and Brisson, and Clis- 
 serole; the General is just leaving for Strasburg, it will 
 be a delicate compliment." 
 
 " But, dear friend, we must have another element, else 
 it will be all war, and nothing else. Bring Carache. And 
 you might have an ambassador or so. Lord Threpps, for 
 choice; the English take less amusing." 
 
 There ensued a chilly silence; the Chamberlain's
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 393 
 
 note-book was open upon his knee, but beyond that he 
 gave his master no assistance. The latter had to fight 
 the thing out single-handed. 
 
 "Let me see," Bonaparte mused deeply, "we had 
 better have Lord Framlingham to keep his countryman 
 company. ' ' 
 
 " Lord and Lady Framlingham? " 
 
 "Yes, and their eldest son, of course, and their 
 daughter in the usual way," the young man responded 
 gruffly. 
 
 The Chamberlain laid aside his note-book; he had 
 grown suddenly tender and full of pity. 
 
 " Will it not serve to render you the more unhappy? " 
 
 "You think it will always be impossible? " 
 
 "Quite impossible." 
 
 " Please, please include them. If it is impossible, no 
 harm can come." 
 
 An afternoon in mid-October; the north wind fled 
 along the Avenue de Villiers in gusts that moaned as 
 they stirred the rotting leaves. The lamps flickered in 
 the grey twilight, without, however, helping to dispel 
 the pervading gloom. It wanted the glow of the central 
 boulevards to do that. Most men seemed to think so 
 too; the thoroughfare was deserted, save for a sombre 
 file of carriages outside number forty-seven. 
 
 Number forty-seven! What a change had come to it 
 during the last few weeks. For years it had stood empty 
 and neglected, without so much as a single caretaker to 
 mitigate its loneliness. The neighbouring landlords 
 were wont to complain bitterly of its begrimed facade 
 and filthy windows; of its front door, from off which the 
 paint had been ruthlessly burnt and blistered. It grew 
 to be known as a scandal to Paris, the most beautiful of 
 cities; as a reproach to Albion, the most perverse of 
 nations. Was it to be endured that a haughty English 
 noble should engird himself (and the key) within the 
 walls of his castle and leave this terrible eyesore to de- 
 populate a fashionable suburb? No! a thousand times 
 no! goddam! So the landlords, concerting, flung down 
 the gage of battle. They were ignominiously beaten in
 
 394 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the court of first instance. They appealed. While their 
 appeal was pending, indeed only a fortnight before the 
 case came on for trial, number forty-seven was suddenly 
 thrown open to an invading horde of painters and clean- 
 ers and upholsterers, and the house was purged of its 
 offending from top to toe. A few short days, and the 
 front could vie for whiteness with any the street con- 
 tained. The glistening windows gave out that faint shade 
 of purple only to be found in glass of the most aristo- 
 cratic kind. The door shone with green. The neigh- 
 bouring landlords forgave and forgot. Most of them 
 were wealthy shop-keepers, so their advances took the 
 form of trade circulars. Nor was their generosity unde- 
 served. My lord and my lady made up for past years. 
 They gave balls and dinners and afternoon receptions, 
 and their threshold admitted all that was best in Paris. 
 They were, moreover, intimate at the Elysee. Indeed, 
 men whispered that the only daughter, Lady Muriel, was 
 making some impression on the Imperial heart. 
 
 Madame was holding one of her receptions upon this 
 afternoon in mid-October when the north wind fled along 
 the Avenue de Villiers in gusts that moaned as they 
 stirred the rotting leaves. 
 
 Slowly the twilight darkened. Every minute the 
 street lamps became more useful, though not more 
 cheering. The sombre file of carriages began to 
 sparkle. 
 
 The great door of forty-seven was flung open. It let 
 forth the Russian Ambassador and the Count de Morin, 
 both enveloped in a blaze of light. These eminent per- 
 sons stood for a brief period on the doorstep. Monsieur 
 Prehlen surveyed the shrouded sky with a certain anx- 
 iousness, while the Grand Chamberlain gazed serenely 
 into space, waiting for his companion to lead the way. 
 
 "Shall we drive? " asked the Ambassador, using a 
 tenderness which seemed to take into account De Morin's 
 venerable age. 
 
 " By all means." 
 
 Monsieur Prehlen turned to the footman. " Call the 
 Count de Morin's carriage." 
 
 "Bless you," blithely, "my carriage is not here."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 395 
 
 " Nor mine." 
 
 The footman drew back, an expression of poignant 
 grief upon his face. 
 
 "Gentlemen, there are no cabs." 
 
 "Then we must walk. Come, Prehlen, you are a 
 younger man than I am." 
 
 "So you are meaning to revive the glories of Com- 
 piegne? " the Norwegian began, when they had got some 
 little way. 
 
 " I have to make the attempt. " 
 
 "The Grand Chamberlain can never fail." 
 
 "You flatter me," with a deprecatory gesture. 
 
 "An impossibility. The other day, in writing to my 
 Aunt Ottilia, I mentioned that the Emperor lived in an 
 atmosphere of flattery; that the Marshals lived in an at- 
 mosphere of flattery; that the Premier lived in an atmos- 
 phere of flattery; and that the only man whose virtues 
 were of a kind to render flattery impossible was the 
 only man I forget the rest, but you can guess it." 
 
 " And what did your aunt say? " 
 
 "She has not answered." 
 
 The file which they had left before Madame's door 
 was rapidly diminishing. Every now and then a carriage 
 dashed past them to disappear into the grey. Prehlen 
 followed it with sad eyes. " How I wish I was snug at 
 home," he murmured more than once. 
 
 " Prehlen, you cunning dog, shall I tell you what it is 
 you most desire at the present moment? " 
 
 His Excellency's gloom increased. 
 
 " What, you have pierced my front of forced cheer- 
 fulness? Then it is useless to dissemble. You have half 
 my secret, take all ! I am suffering from an unmerited 
 domestic affliction." 
 
 It was a curious thing how De Morin, so sleek and in- 
 sinuating with everybody else, ever having some allotted 
 task of destruction or circumvention before his eyes, and 
 always moving towards it by means of innuendo and on his 
 belly, became, by contrast with the Russian Ambassador, 
 an open and hearty old gentleman. The wrinkles about 
 his eyes smoothed themselves out. His voice lost its 
 purring note : his happy smile, so eloquent of inward
 
 396 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 calm, gathered greater directness and candour. He now 
 looked at men or rather at one man not at inanimate 
 objects, and at the present juncture his gaze was one of 
 intense astonishment. 
 
 "Domestic affliction," he murmured; "I did not 
 know that it affected you in this way. Is your wife very 
 outrageous? " 
 
 Prehlen gulped down a sob. " It 's not my wife. My 
 accursed elder brother " 
 
 The Chamberlain's surprise widened into a grin. 
 
 " My dear Prehlen, what has your elder brother to do 
 with Compiegne? You have drunk too much of that 
 English ' grog ' ; it was very nice. " 
 
 "Who spoke about Compiegne? You say you can 
 read the great desire of my heart. Well, I desire before 
 aught else to slay my brother the Christiania ice mer- 
 chant. This monster as I learnt yesterday has taken 
 advantage of my prolonged absence to appropriate the 
 whole of my dear dead mother's estate, wherein we were to 
 share and share alike. He has robbed me of fifteen 
 thousand crowns me, an orphan with a Muscovite wife! 
 The villain! the black-hearted villain! " 
 
 It was more in sorrow than in anger. An "erring 
 pearl " hung for a single instant upon either eyelid, 
 then rolled slowly down each cheek, and disappeared 
 into his beard. 
 
 But a diplomatist must not indulge in private woe. 
 With a superhuman effort he mastered his sorrow, swal- 
 lowing down a couple more sobs. 
 
 "You were speaking about Compiegne? " he recom- 
 menced softly. 
 
 "Ah, yes, Compiegne. My master will hope to see 
 you there before the winter finishes." 
 
 "I shall be overjoyed. I presume one need not 
 bring one's wife? " 
 
 "I will remember to omit her." 
 
 "How curious," resumed Prehlen, "to be back at 
 dear old Compiegne. It was there that you and I first 
 met. Count, you recollect? It must have been in '67; 
 I was low down the ladder in those days, while you 
 you had already gained some taste of your future emi-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 397 
 
 nence. Dear, dear place, a fresh sight of it will bring 
 tender memories." 
 
 "Let me see, how often were you there?" 
 
 "Only once," the Norwegian responded, with a 
 cheerfulness that never faltered. "One visit always 
 suffices me to sow pleasant memories." 
 
 " To me those memories are not so pleasant. I would 
 to God that the house were suffered to moulder on in its 
 solitude of thirty years. I hate it. I hate every memory 
 that clings around its bedizened walls. I hate its very 
 name. Monsieur Prehlen, you are a friend, with you I 
 may speak frankly. This direct invitation to the world 
 to compare us with the second Empire will not benefit us 
 much in public estimation. Believe me, the comparison 
 is already being made." 
 
 "In more particulars than one," murmured the Am- 
 bassador. De Morin took no notice, so the former came 
 a step nearer. 
 
 " They are very successful," said he with a backward 
 nod, which seeing that they were already on the Quai 
 des Tuileries might have referred to any one or any 
 thing. 
 
 De Morin took it to refer to the panorama in the 
 Champs Elyse"es. 
 
 "Very. Only last week fifty thousand people passed 
 through the turnstile. It is the battle of Manheulles, 
 you know. Mesnil assures me that it is a capital repre- 
 sentation. 
 
 " I meant the Framlinghams. " 
 
 "I mistook. Yes, they are very successful. Madame 
 resembles her father, old Gustave de Murinac, in more 
 ways than one. He also was very fond of gaiety. In 
 his time the house was always full. The late Emperor 
 had a great affection for him." 
 
 They were crossing the Pont de Solferino. Prehlen 
 drew his friend out of the stream of wayfarers towards 
 the parapet, and the two men stood for a while silently 
 facing the island spires. 
 
 " De Morin, do you remember our conversation of a 
 fortnight back? " 
 
 "Certainly."
 
 398 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Are not these Framlinghams in the way?" 
 
 "Your Excellency is a Northerner, you can stand the 
 cold," shivered the old gentleman. " I cannot. And I 
 want to get my dinner," and he recommenced walking. 
 
 " Where are you dining? " 
 
 " At Brisson's. " 
 
 "Come to me instead. You can send him a note 
 from my place." 
 
 " I dare not. His mother takes such things to heart. 
 She is another old friend of mine, and I never get a 
 chance of seeing her outside her own house." 
 
 " Why does she never go to the Elysee? " 
 
 "Oh, she lives a very retired life." 
 
 " They say she had an affair with Napoleon, before 
 he gra before the coup d'etat.'" 
 
 " My God, man ! she might be his great-grandmother. " 
 
 "Well, she will keep. Dine with me, dear friend." 
 
 " Do not tempt me. They certainly do have very bad 
 food," he added, by way of wistful afterthought. 
 
 "I will give you caviare, and a bottle of my very 
 dry. ' ' 
 
 " They won't have caviare," murmured De Morin. 
 
 "And we will dine alone," urged the tempter. " My 
 wife sha'n't be there." 
 
 " I '11 write a note." 
 
 Accordingly, the Grand Chamberlain went to the Rue 
 de Crenelle and wrote his note, which intimated, with 
 many tears, that Madame and the Marshal would have to 
 devour their fried soles, boiled mutton, and treacle pud- 
 ding as best they could alone. Then the Ambassador 
 summoned Michael to remove the Chamberlain's boots. 
 And this operation successfully performed, he plied his 
 aged guest with caviare and many other delicacy, and 
 filled him with bucketf uls of the ' ' very dry, ' ' and dragged 
 him through the gamut of weird narratives dealing with 
 his family and his indigestion. After supper he de- 
 posited him in the warmest corner, putting the port 
 within call, for port was the Chamberlain's only weak- 
 ness, a memento of many exiles. He gave one last little 
 anecdote about his brother, the ice merchant, which 
 summoned two more glistening tears; for Prehlen, too,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 399 
 
 liked port. And thus he came back to uninteresting 
 business, sighing out: 
 
 " Let us return to the bridge of Solferino. " 
 
 "By all means." De Morin took two sips, as if he 
 were gathering them to his heart. Then he closed his 
 eyes, at peace with all mankind. 
 
 "If you and I, dear Count," Prehlen said abruptly, 
 "are working together, we must most certainly consider 
 the Framlinghams. " 
 
 " God bless them! You mean " 
 
 " I mean the young lady." 
 
 " I was her grandfather's bosom friend. How strange 
 it seems, how strange, how strange, and yet how like the 
 world! In the autumn of '67, the year of our first 
 meeting, my dear Prehlen, Gustave de Murinac had a 
 terrible quarrel with the Emperor, which ended in his 
 being forbidden the Palace. I used to live next door to 
 him, in those days. That same night (October, I re- 
 member, and just such beastly weather as this) he burst 
 into my apartment and bade me, amid a torrent of im- 
 precations, never to put my trust in princes; also to be 
 sure and give him a call whenever I was near Avize. He 
 told me that he had shaken the dust of Paris off his feet; 
 he left some of it on my carpet. He gave me an em- 
 brace that nearly destroyed me: he departed, and I 
 never saw him more. Through the entire night I heard 
 them hammering and rushing to and fro. Next day, I 
 had to attend, unexpectedly, at Fontainebleau; when I 
 returned home, number forty-seven was empty and de- 
 serted. 
 
 Those were days of tribulation for the faithful. I 
 made many attempts to get to Avize, but never suc- 
 ceeded. Five years passed away, and one sad morning 
 news reached me in England that my old friend was 
 dead. The death of his eldest son had killed him. That, 
 and the unhealthy nature of Avize ; the Champagne dis- 
 trict did not fit in with his gouty tendencies. Poor Gus- 
 tave, what a whirlwind he was. And yet, what a poetic 
 soul as well. My dear Prehlen, he had the richest im- 
 agination of any man I ever knew; he was an invet- 
 erate dreamer of dreams."
 
 400 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "It's very sad, no doubt," Prehlen broke in, " but I 
 do n't see anything strange about it." 
 
 "Wait. Gustave rejoiced in hordes of children. 
 There was Paul, the eldest," De Morin commenced to 
 tell them off on his fingers; "he was killed at Sedan. 
 There was Prosper, and Pierre, and Henriette " 
 
 "The present Lady Framlingham? " 
 
 " Prehlen, you know everything. She was one of my 
 favourites. She could not have been more than fifteen 
 at the time they left Paris, but even then she had the 
 sense of a grown woman." 
 
 " I can believe it." 
 
 " What handsome children they all were! And what 
 unflagging spirits! Sometimes they would proclaim my 
 apartment in a state of siege, and I was not even allowed 
 to move about the corridors. Poor Paul, he was always 
 playing at soldiers," and for a few weak moments the 
 Chamberlain saw only the bright young face, which would 
 have been by now every bit as dead if Paul had lived. 
 
 "To get back to Henriette," whispered Prehlen. 
 
 " The last I heard of her was that she had married a 
 certain Lord Mendril, some six months after her father's 
 death. Then I lost sight of the lot of them for close 
 upon thirty years. She and I met again at Meaux rail- 
 way station, one morning in the summer of this year." 
 
 "Where were you during Lord Framlingham's em- 
 bassy? " 
 
 " I did not recognize the name. Their term was very 
 short; and I never visited." 
 
 "And yet you are with me?" exclaimed the Nor- 
 wegian, coming back to the present at a single bound. 
 
 "Your project is likely to benefit France, so I am 
 with you. But, dear friend, no one thinks of a Mendril 
 marriage. The whole affair is a figment of your fevered 
 brain. " 
 
 Prehlen shook his head. 
 
 " I will tell you a secret," urged the Chamberlain; 
 "the dear child is already engaged." 
 
 "To whom?" "To your attache, Count Fersen. " 
 " You surprise me." "I had it in strict confidence. 
 You won't mention it? " " Not to a living soul except
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 401 
 
 to Fersen." "You are a vampire. But it is quite true 
 that he loves her." " He has a Catholic heart." " And 
 she she is not averse to him." "So he tells me 
 sometimes. " " I wish she would have him. " " So do I ; 
 but she never will." "Why? " 
 
 " Because the Emperor loves her, and she knows it," 
 exclaimed Prehlen; and he leaned back in his chair and 
 gave himself over to deep thought. 
 
 "Is it not a fact," he asked presently, "that the 
 Framlinghams are going to Compiegne? " 
 
 "I daresay they will be included in one of the par- 
 ties." 
 
 "They are included in the first next Saturday's? 
 Am I not right? " 
 
 " You are a spy. " 
 
 " Not at all. " He paused for a minute. " I did not 
 notice Lord Framlingham at his wife's reception." 
 
 " Do you attend all Madame's? " 
 
 " The gods forbid! He is not so busy as I am." 
 
 "He does a good deal of shopping when he is in 
 Paris." 
 
 " I understand that he has gone to England? " pur- 
 sued Prehlen. 
 
 "On important business." 
 
 "Then he has gone. lam commencing to see the 
 thing complete." 
 
 "You have the advantage of me," moaned De Morin. 
 Next minute, in a burst of undiplomatic frankness, he 
 exclaimed: 
 
 "Listen, you wretch. This is what happened this 
 afternoon," and he plunged forthwith into the story. 
 Lady Framlingham had taken him on one side to inform 
 him that her husband had left suddenly for England, on 
 business which she evidently despised; and that it was 
 doubtful whether he would be back in time to escort them 
 to Compiegne. Might she therefore adhere to her accept- 
 ance, at any rate until Thursday, and then if her hus- 
 band was not back she would let her old friend know 
 " it will be very sad to have to refuse after all," De 
 Morin repeated her actual words, " but Walter may be 
 back; and, dear, dear uncle, I don't want to with-
 
 402 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 draw our acceptance unless it becomes absolutely nec- 
 essary. " 
 
 Prehlen heard him gravely through. 
 
 "Then Lord Framlingham does know," he exclaimed, 
 when the Count had told his story, and the other made 
 no attempt to refute this assertion. 
 
 Lord Framlingham did know. His eyes were every 
 bit as keen as De Morin's, and he had seen what he had 
 seen. Only a week prior to this afternoon in mid-Octo- 
 ber, with the Compiegne invitation just arrived (and 
 refused, as he had ordered and fondly believed), he had 
 resolved to take his little daughter back to the protec- 
 tion of Mendril Court and the western seas. Then had 
 intervened a sudden summons to London; and it looked 
 as though the gods meant to give her a safer sanctuary 
 to wit, Calcutta.
 
 Chapter III 
 
 Napoleon stood at the window, watching the autumn 
 mists as they crept along the terrace at his feet. 
 
 He had arrived from Paris barely an hour back, to 
 find the Count de Morin waiting for him upon the thresh- 
 old of the Salles des Gardes. And the Grand Chamber- 
 lain, without a thought for his master's travel-stained 
 garments, or for the footmen that thronged the corridors, 
 had carried him off, then and there, to view this Palace of 
 Compiegne, so rich in memories of his race. Their 
 progress was a slow one ; for the Count, so bent and shriv- 
 elled that he seemed himself merely a ghost from the 
 vanished world he spoke of, grew garrulous, repeo- 
 pling with brother phantoms the courts and galleries 
 through which they passed, recalling a thousand mem- 
 ories long forgotten, and only now remembered at this 
 sight of long-forgotten places. The task showed the 
 Chamberlain's character in a new and not unsympathetic 
 light. As he stood upon the first step of the Apollo 
 staircase, and, pointing at the god himself, lamented 
 departed glories, the Emperor reflected that he might 
 not be merely the cold-hearted, bitter-tongued old cynic 
 he had originally supposed. But the building is a small 
 one. Presently De Morin made a little gesture signify- 
 ing that the show was over. They were in the court- 
 yard of the chapel. With quickened step he led the way 
 towards the Imperial apartments. After many twists 
 and turns, but without a single error, he brought his 
 master out in the left wing of the Palace and onto the 
 threshold of the latter 's bedroom. "Behold," he cried, 
 his hand upraised against the polished door, " the sleep- 
 ing-room of Napoleon III! " then, hurriedly and with a 
 deprecatory smile, "Sire, a thousand pardons! your 
 Majesty's bedroom: there, to the right, is the Council 
 
 403
 
 404 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Chamber; to the left, your study." Upon their left, 
 and at right angles to the passage wall of Napoleon's 
 suite, so as to bring the long corridor to an abrupt ter- 
 mination and make it bend, also leftwards and at a right 
 angle, there stood a pair of folding-doors which evi- 
 dently led into a room of larger dimensions than any of 
 those immediately facing them. Napoleon turned half 
 round. De Morin followed his glance, and lifted the 
 cicerone's forefinger with another comprehensive gesture. 
 " Those doors down there," said he, "open into a wait- 
 ing-room for all who may have business with his with 
 your Majesty. The rooms beyond used to form the pri- 
 vate apartments of the Empress and the Prince Imperial. 
 Dear me, it is already five; the guests will be arriving. 
 I must go and see that the prefect is in his place to 
 receive them." Napoleon pushed forward into the bed- 
 room, where Godefroy, with everything ready for his 
 master's coming, sat gazing upward in rapt attention 
 at Justice careering about the painted ceiling. He 
 assisted the Emperor to make his toilet; then threw open 
 the door into the study, that the latter might pass through 
 and enjoy half an hour's solitude. Left to himself, the 
 latter had attempted some settled occupation. The 
 book-shelves were crowded, a writing-desk lay ready to 
 his hand, all to no purpose. He walked for a while 
 listlessly to and fro, and now stood at the window, watch- 
 ing the autumn mists as they crept along the terrace at 
 his feet. 
 
 So this was Compiegne! and that melancholy, mist- 
 beshrouded landscape yonder, wherein park and forest 
 mingled without distinguishable boundary, was the hunt- 
 ing-ground that had provided happiness for kings and em- 
 perors. 
 
 The spirit of the place took possession of his brain. 
 He forgot himself and his own doings, his greatness and 
 his littleness, being at most times fully conscious of 
 either, everything, in fact, except the sadness stretching 
 wide beneath him, that moaned for the glory of vanished 
 days. 
 
 And then a procession of phantoms appeared from out 
 the gloom and made their way across the terrace.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 405 
 
 In the van, a mist of legendary Carollings, passing 
 quickly enough, and for no reason beyond this, that the 
 man who saw them had been at pains to learn something 
 about the earlier occupants of the chair he sat on. 
 
 But it was different with the figures that followed. 
 
 Foremost among these came St. Louis, his delicate 
 face enshrining grave, sweet eyes, which rested upon the 
 Emperor with a smile of infinite pity. Louis XI next, 
 and close upon his heels. There was not much tender 
 pity about him; his eyes were mainly on the ground, with 
 now and then a furtive glance on either side. To Na- 
 poleon's perturbed fancy he seemed a mixture of Mesnil 
 and De Morin. Then Queen Henrietta of England 
 moved slowly forward, journeying towards her husband's 
 scaffold; and Louis XVI upon his way towards his 
 own. 
 
 For a while the stone walk stood empty, a repetition of 
 the time when the roar of life was elsewhere, and Com- 
 piegne deserted. 
 
 But presently new shapes appeared, the most distinct 
 of those summoned by his heated brain. 
 
 Napoleon the Great, the founder of the race, came 
 first; his arms behind him, in that pose which he, the 
 descendant, so often strove to reproduce. Bonaparte, 
 the sallow-faced, eagle-eyed, diminutive Italian, whose 
 bankruptcy and liquidation were the greatest that this 
 world has ever seen. So great indeed that his wife's 
 chastity and his child's love had to be flung into the 
 assets, and divided ratably among his creditors. 
 
 In his train there floated a crowd of modernized 
 Bourbons, animate anachronisms, conscious themselves 
 of their own absurdity. 
 
 And last of all, the third Napoleon! also wound up 
 in bankruptcy, but suffered to keep his home about him, 
 because he had been wise, and had not sought for it 
 among princes, and because bourgeois do not dissolve 
 partnership in adversity. And so they passed, carrying 
 along with them the breath of vanished ages. Kings, and 
 emperors, and princes; all bowed to in their day, and 
 called Monseigneur; all dead; their goods surrendered 
 up to the Universal Receiver, who sits without adjourn-
 
 406 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ment or vacation, exercising jurisdiction over all the 
 world. 
 
 And thinking on these things, Napoleon endeavoured 
 to recall those miseries of unsatisfied ambition that had 
 given him a throne. For his life he could not. He 
 commenced to wonder how it was that he had ever 
 wanted to leave Pimlico. Merely to enjoy fame and 
 power? things, in themselves, short-lived enough, and 
 fleeting, yet invariably too heavy for men's shoulders, 
 always a mockery and undeserved. He turned away with 
 sorrow at his heart, and passed once more to that uni- 
 versally favourite occupation, the survey of his own hopes 
 and fears. 
 
 The comfortable wood fire, the lamps shining forth 
 from ever so many corners, had no attraction for him. 
 He could not remain many minutes seated; the space 
 was too confined to walk in; he stepped forth into the 
 corridor, and stood there irresolute. 
 
 His first impulse was to repair to the Sallesdes Gardes 
 and find out whether the most important guest had 
 come. He yearned for fresh sight of her; for another 
 mouthful of the exquisite misery that only increased his 
 hunger. Besides, he lay in terrible doubt she might 
 not come at all. De Morin had said no word to show 
 how far he had obeyed his master's half-hearted direc- 
 tions, while Napoleon himself had not ventured upon a 
 single question. Accordingly, he advanced exactly three 
 paces nearer to the realms which held the final answer; 
 then stopped, and stood for a second time irresolute. 
 
 What place was there for him in the entrance-hall, 
 among the lacqueys and the smaller baggage? What 
 place, indeed? Uncanny dreams were making him forget 
 his station. He turned upon his heels, recovered those 
 three errant paces, and moved forward to the great fold- 
 ing-doors which led through the waiting-room into the 
 Empress's apartments. It was like the first cold touch 
 of death to see their emptiness. Oh, that he might fill 
 them as he chose, and break with joyous talk and 
 laughter the silence brooding over them from close on 
 thirty years. And his memory took him back once more, 
 and for a last time, to the realm of phantoms.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 407 
 
 He beheld Eugenie among her gorgeous furniture and 
 beneath painted ceilings, leading the talk of witty men 
 and women. The beautiful Eugenie, with her hasty, 
 generous temper and easy tears. Her husband appeared 
 again, making, so to speak, his second entry. How 
 happy in his home-life, this man, ever bending tenderly 
 over his only son, at once his Reuben and his Benjamin. 
 How happy, and oftentimes how gay. Napoleon pic- 
 tured his cousin, the cares of Empire laid upon one 
 side, leading a romp, calling for a change of games; 
 abandoning "Re Roi de Maroc est mort, " and begging 
 them to substitute "La toilette de Madame" as the 
 more amusing; while "Madame" herself the how- 
 manyeth Madame that had presided there moved 
 hither and thither in that superb way of hers, paying the 
 little heed to all this homage that betrayed how worth- 
 less this homage really is. Would not God give him 
 such a home! 
 
 The prayer was scarcely out of his mouth when Gode- 
 froy thrust his head in at the boudoir to warn him that 
 dinner was served and the guests assembled. 
 
 A first glance showed our hero the military nature of 
 the gathering; a second, its woeful incompleteness. 
 Muriel was absent. So cruel a disappointment darkened 
 the whole room. A reckless mood came over him: he 
 did not attempt to conceal his chagrin. With a few cold 
 bows to right and left, he brusquely led the way into 
 dinner. And through four courses he spoke monosyllables 
 and looked daggers. 
 
 Unfortunately, he found himself surrounded by sea- 
 soned veterans, who cared just nothing at all for the 
 thunder-clouds that played about Jove's brow. They 
 were quite respectful; and to begin with, waited for him 
 to suggest the conversation. His obstinate silence drove 
 them at last along their own road. They commenced to 
 chat about the late glorious campaign. Little by little, 
 Mesnil took the lead, assuming his master's place at 
 this round table. He usurped in all innocence; indeed, 
 a sort of tacit unanimity (which included one dissentient) 
 forced the position upon him. As for the one dissentient, 
 he sat and glowered straight in front of him, down a vista
 
 408 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 of palms and roses and geraniums terminating in a view 
 of De Morin's eager face. What right had Mesnil to 
 talk about Manheulles in the presence of his sovereign? 
 What business had the whole company to listen? Why 
 should his ugly little voice enjoy the homage of an 
 absolute silence, only intended by God for crowned 
 heads? The situation grew more and more intolerable. 
 Lady Threpps, upon Majesty's right, actually stopped 
 midway in one of her silly sentences to listen to the 
 Marshal, who at that moment was describing the camp 
 at Pagny, with the help of his champagne-glass and one 
 of Napoleon's salt-cellars. 
 
 The Emperor cleared his throat. 
 
 " My dear Marshal," he cried, "are you quite sure 
 that you have got the farm right? " 
 
 De Morin smiled. 
 
 Mesnil glanced hurriedly at his champagne-glass. " I 
 think so," said he. 
 
 " In my recollection the farm was ever so much nearer 
 the river. " 
 
 "I bow, sire, to you," Mesnil gaily responded, lifting 
 the farm to his lips; "and really it don't signify one 
 way or the other." 
 
 "Surely, it is of the greatest importance," urged the 
 Emperor. 
 
 Monsieur Verre, at the other end of the table, mut- 
 tered, "naturally, of very great importance. " 
 
 His wife, who was on the Emperor's left, turned to 
 her left-hand neighbour, the British Ambassador, and 
 asked him whether he did not find this conversation 
 between the heroes most touching and instructive. 
 Lord Threpps said "Yes," and gazed somewhat keenly 
 at Napoleon. 
 
 The latter had already relapsed into moody silence. 
 The Marshal left Pagny for Manheulles, and recounted 
 an incident of the battle amid breathless interest. He 
 was on safer ground. 
 
 "The funny thing is," he wound up, "I had just 
 been treating Captain Miiller to a severe wigging. His 
 battery was the only one lost, the whole day through ; 
 naturally, I did not care for that. ' Captain Miiller, ' I
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 409 
 
 said, ' it 's little better than a harlequin's trick for an 
 artillery officer to go prancing about in charge of a squad 
 of infantry. They can do better without you. If their 
 lieutenant is killed, let the sergeant take command, and 
 so on till there is not a single man left. You can't do 
 just as you like, simply because you 're the nephew of a 
 brigadier.' He didn't relish it, you maybe sure. With- 
 out him " 
 
 "Without him "simpered Lady Threpps, so inter- 
 ested, you know. 
 
 "Without him, Madame, I and my staff would have 
 been captured to a man." 
 
 "And his Majesty," rejoined her Ladyship, clasping 
 frightened hands. 
 
 "Oh, he was at another part of the field." 
 
 " What reward did Captain Miiller get? " asked Verre. 
 
 "The reward coveted by all brave men," said Mesnil, 
 gobbling down a last morsal of partridge; "he died for 
 his country." 
 
 "Marshal Clisserole," broke in the Emperor, "do 
 you tell us a little about that march of yours after Franche- 
 ville? Mesnil and I do not want people to imagine that 
 we are the only men who saw any any ahem any 
 fighting." 
 
 Clisserole, however, was far too shy to launch into 
 narrative. A grizzled veteran with gentle eyes, he had 
 had to wait almost to the end of his career for his oppor- 
 tunity. He made good use of it, when it came. That 
 rapid march from Epinal, the brilliant victory at Franche- 
 ville, and his smartly effected junction with Marchmont 
 outside Nancy, were the three incidents of the war which 
 had gained the greatest individual praise from experts. 
 Many went so far as to term them Napoleonic, an epithet 
 which at other times caused his Majesty considerable 
 annoyance. To-night, however, Clisserole's useful side lay 
 uppermost. Our hero reiterated his request. The Marshal 
 gasped out that he was not able. Mesnil, who had lis- 
 tened to this interruption with a peaceful smile upon his 
 face, made leisurely commencement of another story. 
 
 "Are you familiar with Paris?" the Emperor asked 
 curtly of Lady Threpps.
 
 4>o THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " I am improving. My husband is teaching me." 
 
 "You will have a competent guide." 
 
 Lady Framlingham, too, has taken me in hand," 
 giggled the young woman. She was more or less of an 
 ingenue", half the age of Lord Threpps, and a wife of 
 about a year's standing. Streatham where stood her 
 ancestral home was still rampant in her. She rattled 
 on with a charming winsomeness which ploughed its way 
 through countless indiscretions. 
 
 Napoleon glanced cautiously across the foliage. His 
 Chamberlain was conversing with Monsieur Verre about 
 the extermination of caterpillars. 
 
 " I had hoped," said he, dropping his voice, " to have 
 had the Framlinghams to meet your ladyship." 
 
 "So she told me. But her husband had to go unex- 
 pectedly to England at the commencement of the week. 
 You know," she added in an arch aside, "the Viceroy 
 has suddenly resigned. You must not breathe a word: 
 it is in none of the papers. Dear Lord Framlingham will 
 very likely get the post." 
 
 " India? " his Majesty gasped. 
 
 " Yes," she nodded; " is n't he fortunate? " 
 
 If the room was dim before, it was now quite dark. 
 She was not coming! She had been asked, and she was 
 not coming! How he commenced to hate this talkative 
 doll beside him, decked out in jewels, a coronet upon 
 her head fit to vie with the crown imperial. How differ- 
 ent Muriel. In the midst of his terrible yearning he 
 gathered a touch of indefinable delight in whatever title 
 to possession this fact could give him, that he, the centre 
 of so dazzling an assembly, was miserable because she 
 was absent. 
 
 "Yes, many a time," came De Morin's voice across 
 the table. "We used to be merry enough then. We had 
 people to make us merry Octave Feuillet, Countess 
 Metternich, Prosper Merime'e, Rouher, De Morny, Lord 
 Clarendon often, Lord Malmesbury sometimes, and many 
 another whose name I have forgotten." 
 
 " How you must regret them." 
 
 "Well, Monsieur Verre, I suppose every man would 
 wish to recall his youth."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 411 
 
 "I don't want my youth back," grumbled Chan- 
 garnier. " I had not such a pleasant time. While you 
 were eating and swil drinking at this table, I had to keep 
 my stomach full on a franc and a half a day. Not exces- 
 sive, that, for a growing man, was it, Monsieur Verre?" 
 
 " No, one cannot call it excessive," responded Mon- 
 sieur Verre. " I also had a hard youth. For the first nine 
 years of my practice, I did n't erect so much as a brick 
 wall." 
 
 "You have built a good deal since then," De Morin 
 said gracefully. 
 
 "You are right. Very few architects who began life 
 with my poor prospects have managed to become Prime 
 Minister of France." 
 
 "Even for three weeks," mumbled De Morin. 
 
 "Have you built much?" asked the literal Lord 
 Threpps. 
 
 De Morin replied for his bashful friend. 
 
 " A great deal. The new houses at Neuilly are his 
 design. Then he has erected some charming villas in 
 the country." 
 
 "At Meaux," said Madame Verre. "Why, Lady 
 Framlingham's villa there was by my husband. Your 
 Lordship has visited it? " 
 
 How the remainder of that disagreeable evening 
 passed by, Napoleon never could discover. It seemed 
 interminable. The Chamberlain had warned him that, 
 on this his first guest-night at Compeigne, he must not 
 withdraw too soon, so that his visitors might grasp how 
 thoroughly he enjoyed their society. He had to move 
 round the hateful circle, swallowing inanities. The only 
 person present who consoled him in the least was Madame 
 Changarnier. He fancied that he could detect in her 
 the faintest trace of a likeness to his beloved. He talked 
 to her longer than was customary, orshe cared for. Her 
 husband noticed it he was much her senior and felt 
 that he might become a Marshal after all. But poor 
 Napoleon could not warm himself all night in the rays 
 of this borrowed refulgence. He had to move on. And 
 when he found himself face to face with Lord Threpps, 
 the Ambassador, who looked as though he hailed origi-
 
 412 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 nally from the Dogger Bank, he could endure the en- 
 tertainment no longer. Heedless of De Morin, of every 
 thing save his aching heart, he fled the festive throng. 
 He reached his bedroom and disrobed in a frenzy of 
 despair. Then blew down the chimney of his lamp with 
 a fervour which nearly caused an explosion, and plunged 
 into bed. No, he could not sleep. There was nothing 
 for it but to rise and resume his garments, flung off with 
 so much eagerness. Godefroy must have expected him 
 to finish the evening in his study. The lamps were still 
 alight. Very well, he would finish the evening there, 
 aye, and the night too. 
 
 The window, which showed the panorama of Com- 
 peigne, lay open. The mists had gone, leaving the dark 
 limits of the land cold and clear beneath the moonlit 
 sky. Faint strains of music mounted from the covered 
 courtyard; it helped to stir his emotions. His soul 
 seemed to become purified and ennobled. He was rising 
 to unknown heights of heroism. 
 
 He would forget her. The horrible pain should go 
 about with him, and none should know. Having yearned 
 long for it, he had at last tasted the applause of millions 
 to find it worthless. He would taste that which he had 
 rarely longed for, and never had, his own. Yes, hence- 
 forth he would behave in a manner worthy his own com- 
 mendation. Ah, the delight of it. But stay, he, a great 
 emperor, with nothing left to gain, what incentive was 
 there to make him lead a life like this? Surely, the same 
 that had urged him on in days when he was a heart- 
 worn barrister able to gain nothing. If that picture had 
 been a pleasing one, the threadbare failure moving 
 along the road of life triumphant, this new one was far 
 more beautiful. 
 
 Far, far more beautiful. The great, silent Emperor; 
 his strong face bitter and saturnine, but bearing a tender 
 smile for little children; the canker ever at his breast. 
 The mighty conqueror carrying this horrible pain about 
 with him, so that not even the closest knew. And that 
 should be his role, when his turn came to join the shades 
 upon the terrace. Yes, God helping him, he would for- 
 get her.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 413 
 
 There came a tap at the door. Napoleon knew the 
 finger for De Morin's; here was a chance to test his great 
 resolve. 
 
 "Come in," he cried, looking half round with radiant 
 face. 
 
 The Chamberlain may have expected a different re- 
 ception. He showed no surprise. 
 "Your Majesty has sent for me." 
 "Not I. But come in, De Morin, I am always glad 
 to see you." 
 
 " You were satisfied with to-night's entertainment? " 
 " More than satisfied. Your skill in these matters is 
 wonderful." 
 
 " To hear such words from my master is a very great 
 privilege." 
 
 " Count, you are a terrible old courtier. Come over 
 here; does not the park look beautiful by moonlight?" 
 " Very beautiful." 
 
 "And the forest beyond? How sombre it stands 
 against the sky." 
 
 "Truly. His Majesty was satisfied with my choice 
 of guests? " 
 
 " In every way. " The heart-anguish which he was 
 to carry with him always had begun. 
 
 " Pardon me, may I close the window? " 
 Napoleon nodded; De Morin went on complacently: 
 "Yes, I flatter myself they are well matched. Brisson 
 is such an excellent foil to Marshall Mesnil. Then, 
 Clisserole and Changarnier are a good pair; both of 
 them so similar in outward appearance, so different in 
 everything else." 
 
 ' I prefer Marshal Clisserole." 
 
 ' You are right in that. He is loyally attached to 
 your Majesty's person." 
 ' And Changarnier? " 
 ' Changarnier is disappointed. " 
 ' He is dangerous? " urged Napoleon. 
 ' No, no, I never said that." 
 'You implied it." 
 
 ' His Majesty will do well to be very careful." 
 ' He will be very careful."
 
 414 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " The Verres are a useful couple," De Morin pro- 
 ceeded in his enumeration. 
 
 " I do not like her manners. She is too brusque." 
 
 "The Republican way." 
 
 " I wish she would keep it for the next Republic." 
 
 The Chamberlain smiled and shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "They were stop-gaps," said he. " The Prime Min- 
 ister and Madame Carache were coming originally. Un- 
 fortunately, their only daughter is dangerously ill." 
 
 " I am sorry." 
 
 "They shall know; it will help them to bear up under 
 their misfortune." 
 
 It was his Majesty's turn to smile. He did so, very 
 charmingly. 
 
 "I wish I could think so." 
 
 "Lord Threpps," the old man continued, "stopped 
 me just now to tell me what a charming evening he had 
 spent." 
 
 "He looks a perfect fool." 
 
 " Fre"ron, who was at Vienna with him, says he is 
 anything but . Now, Lady Threpps presents no difficul- 
 ties." 
 
 "Indeed, no," Napoleon cried, some of his former 
 radiance returning. "I cannot gauge high-born diplo- 
 matists like Lord Threpps; but I fancy I know all about 
 my Lady. Indeed, I was brought up among that class. 
 Oh yes, I can take her measure." 
 
 " Did you notice how she jarred upon her husband? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Ah, those unequal marriages! " moralized De Morin; 
 "they always end miserably. You may be sure she fears 
 him, while he hates and despises her." 
 
 He accompanied his words spoken so significantly 
 with a particularly hideous little smile. Napoleon com- 
 menced to suffer in real earnest. His resolve had not 
 been lightly taken: he would need all his endurance to 
 keep it. He crossed to the fireplace and flung himself 
 into an arm-chair. 
 
 De Morin seemed ruthless. He followed his master, 
 and stood looking down into the moody face, just now 
 so radiant. It was a failing of his, this insatiable craving
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 415 
 
 to gloat over victory. Yet he would hardly have been 
 so unwise thus to stir sleeping dogs had his victory been 
 an absolute one. Alas, it was merely apparent. He 
 held in his hand a letter, arrived that evening, wherein 
 Lady Framlingham begged to be allowed to come one 
 day late. Her husband returned that night. Accord- 
 ingly they could, and with the Emperor's gracious per- 
 mission, would present themselves at Compiegne at noon 
 on Sunday. De Morin had no alternative but to send 
 back a cordial telegram, neverthless he regarded the 
 matter in a very gloomy light. 
 
 "Our numbers are not complete," he commenced 
 softly. 
 
 " I did not notice." 
 
 "I am glad. I feared his Majesty might." 
 
 "Then why do you dispel my ignorance?" was the 
 sullen answer. 
 
 " Because the absent guests will be here to-morrow." 
 
 "Good God, man," his Majesty burst out, "am I 
 the major-domo? What do I care whom you ask, and 
 when they arrive? I have n't got to find rooms for them, 
 have I? I am not paid to do that, am I? If you are too 
 old to do your work yourself, I can easily find some one 
 else to take your place." 
 
 "The Framlinghams " the Chamberlain said pla- 
 cidly; but his Majesty broke forth again, this time more 
 gently: 
 
 "Dear old friend, do first be seated. You will send 
 me quite mad if you continue thus to stand over me." 
 
 "The Framlinghams were invited according to your 
 instructions. They accepted the invitation." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "Well, a few days after their acceptance Lady Fram- 
 lingham informed me that her husband had been sud- 
 denly summoned to London, and that she feared in con- 
 sequence that they would not be able to come." 
 
 " Why am I worried with these details? Cannot you 
 see that they do not interest me? " It was almost a cry 
 for quarter. 
 
 " I do not like your Majesty to suppose that I would 
 wilfully disobey your orders."
 
 416 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Napoleon sprang from his chair. 
 
 "I know that you are one of the most zealous of 
 servants. If I asked you to invite the Framlinghams, it 
 was for a reason which you suspected and which I made 
 no effort to conceal. That reason exists no longer. De 
 Morin, De Morin, you are old enough to be my father; 
 you placed me on my throne. Can you not be my 
 friend? Listen: I did love this girl my God, I love her 
 still. But I see quite well I can never marry her; and, 
 heaven knows" his voice trembled with emotion "I 
 would not harm her for all the world. I have resolved 
 to banish her from my mind. Just before you came in 
 I had been looking looking out upon the lovely night. 
 A great strength seemed to fill my heart; the resolve 
 came with it. Why do you come probing the wound? 
 You know well enough that I love her; you know, too, 
 I can never marry her? Why do you come probing the 
 wound? " 
 
 If the Grand Chamberlain felt no pity, at least he 
 could simulate it. His face became puckered with an- 
 guish. 
 
 "Alas," he cried, almost in tears, "your Majesty 
 makes my heart bleed. Be strong, sire; be strong; and 
 the good God will aid you." 
 
 He remembered the letter in his hand; and carelessly 
 forgetting that as yet he had said nothing about it, he 
 added: " I will send a message forthwith to the Avenue 
 des Villiers to let them know that the party is breaking 
 up early on Monday." 
 
 " But why? If they are not coming " 
 
 De Morin saw his blunder, but he could not remedy 
 it. Napoleon saw it too. 
 
 " Then they are coming? " he asked slowly. 
 
 " Yes. Lord Framlingham returns to Paris this even- 
 ing. Hen her Ladyship has pleaded permission to come 
 to-morrow. What could I do? " 
 
 "Lord and Lady Framlingham," Napoleon recom- 
 menced after a long pause, and in quite altered tones, 
 "have done nothing that we should insult them. They 
 must come to-morrow, and Mu their daughter with 
 them."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 417 
 
 " And your unhappy Majesty? " 
 
 "I can trust myself," came the haughty answer. 
 "Besides besides " said the voice, slipping from dis- 
 dain to despair, "besides, she is going away, De Morin; 
 she is going away to India, and I I shall never see her 
 any more." 
 
 And without more ado his Majesty burst into tears. 
 
 " My poor Louis," soothed the other, " how you re- 
 mind me of your poor, dear father."
 
 Chapter IV 
 
 As a matter of fact, Lord Framlingham did not return 
 home that evening. It made no difference; Lady Fram- 
 lingham, her daughter, and her eldest son arrived at 
 Compiegne on the Sunday morning. 
 
 The days which followed were very happy, and also 
 very miserable. Very miserable; for Napoleon saw little 
 of his beloved. Whatever words passed between them 
 were cold and formal: he could not gather from her 
 manner whether she knew of his great sacrifice. 
 
 He did, though ; and the thought of it alone sufficed 
 to comfort him those interminable mornings when his 
 guests had scattered through the forest and left him to 
 the undisturbed enjoyment of state papers. He worked 
 at these with a will, stopping merely now and again to 
 snatch five minutes at the window or to admire his own 
 heroism. It was a great thing to be so brave. It prom- 
 ised well for those drear days, not far ahead, when hours 
 at his window could not yield a glimpse of her sunshade, 
 and when the Gare de Lyon, which leadeth to Brindisi, 
 would be the sole memento of her left in all his Empire. 
 Your really heroic man likes an audience. It is pleasant 
 to have folks round you when you are about to display 
 moral grandeur. And if these onlookers should happen 
 to include the young lady whose existence causes the 
 commotion, so much the better, it will increase the 
 sense of satisfaction. 
 
 Surely, such exquisite misery needed no recompense. 
 Yet full recompense was vouchsafed it, and every even- 
 ing. The round dinner-table suddenly betook itself to 
 paradise; the drawing-rooms became Elysium. Mesnil 
 no longer led the conversation. Lady Threpps found 
 that she had lost a listener, while Napoleon himself for- 
 418
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 419 
 
 got where he had been during the battle of Manheulles. 
 My word, how he talked! How he basked in the Pres- 
 ence! that silent, silent Presence which he knew heard 
 all he said. 
 
 And afterwards, in the drawing-room, he would be 
 permitted the felicity of half a dozen words. 
 
 " Mademoiselle enjoys her visit to Compiegne? " 
 
 "Yes, sire. No one could fail to do so. It is so 
 beautiful." 
 
 " Mademoiselle has visited Pierrefonds? " 
 
 "We went there yesterday, my brother and I." 
 
 Never more than this; but it always sent him away 
 with joy at his heart, resolved to carry out the battle to 
 the bitter end. 
 
 On Tuesday night, however, his Majesty went a step 
 further: a host is bound to do something for the amuse- 
 ment of his guests. 
 
 Muriel was seated beside her mother. The Em- 
 peror stood a few yards off, talking with the English 
 Ambassador. Suddenly he turned to Lady Framling- 
 ham. 
 
 " His Lordship is anxious to see Pierrefonds. I have 
 offered to take him there to-morrow afternoon. I tell 
 him that Madame would be a far better guide." 
 
 "Sire, you flatter me." 
 
 "Will you join our excursion? Lady Threpps is 
 coming, and the Chamberlain shall take charge of us and 
 show us all there is to be seen." 
 
 "Delighted, I am sure. I love Pierrefonds; it is 
 many years since I was there." 
 
 "And and Mademoiselle?" 
 
 "I shall be very glad," murmured Mademoiselle. 
 
 " I will go and consult the Grand Chamberlain." 
 
 " De Morin," he said, " I am arranging a little excur- 
 sion to Pierrefonds for to-morrow afternoon. Will you 
 join? " 
 
 "I shall have to take your Majesty's place," the 
 Count replied. 
 
 Napoleon flushed. "What do you mean? " 
 
 "You forget you have given M. Prehlen an appoint- 
 ment at three."
 
 420 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "He is staying the night. We can postpone our 
 interview until after dinner." 
 
 "Impossible. Carache is to be present. He will be 
 here at two. His daughter's serious condition makes it 
 imperative that the Premier should return to Paris with 
 the least possible delay." 
 
 "We must do without Carache." 
 
 "Simply to visit Pierrefonds! " Napoleon winced. 
 
 "I suppose I must submit," he grumbled. 
 
 " Make your mind quite easy. I will do all to make 
 the excursion a success." 
 
 Monsieur Prehlen and the Prime Minister appeared 
 punctual to their appointed time. They were over- 
 whelmed with grief when they learned how they had 
 interfered with the Emperor's happiness. He begged 
 them not to mention it. He had become reconciled since 
 last night. There is such dignity in absence. She would 
 think of him hard at work in his solitary grandeur. That 
 is, provided the party were a dull one. It promised well 
 in that respect. 
 
 "I feared something of the sort," persisted Prehlen, 
 who never could have enough of apologizing; "we met 
 them starting, just as we entered the Palace. That idle 
 young dog of a Fersen fastened himself onto them with- 
 out an instant's hesitation." 
 
 "To business, gentlemen," Napoleon cried sharply. 
 The party might not be a dull one after all. 
 
 The Russian Ambassador pulled a bundle of papers 
 from his breast pocket and laid them on the table. Ca- 
 rache sat opposite him. He watched the other intently; 
 but, to do him justice, his mind would keep wandering 
 to that bedroom in the Rue de Berlin, where his little 
 girl lay dying stretched upon his own luxurious bed, 
 the sunbeams round her. At least, that was how she lay 
 two hours back; and when he thought that he might 
 return to find the sunbeams faded, he could hardly keep 
 the tears from his eyes. 
 
 Napoleon, at the head of the table, enjoyed a splendid 
 view. Each window formed a sort of aureole for either 
 of his companions. With his eyes on Prehlen, he could
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 421 
 
 watch the terrace and the bowered walk, as it swung 
 round to the chapel gate and the Soissons road. He 
 had only to survey his Premier to see the terrace again, 
 the park, and the forest beyond. In this favourable posi- 
 tion he was hardly more attentive than Carache. 
 
 To get back to Prehlen. The Ambassador laid his 
 documents upon the table. He cleared his throat, patted 
 his beard, the while looking from one to the other of his 
 adversaries with great affection. 
 
 His first words came in a whisper. 
 
 " I am authorized to make your Majesty very impor- 
 tant proposals. They are contained in these letters, 
 which I received from my master yesterday morning." 
 
 Napoleon looked idly at the bundle on the table; the 
 Premier looked idly at the bundle on the table; then both 
 exclaimed "Ah" almost simultaneously, and both re- 
 lapsed into silence. 
 
 " But before anything else we cannot quite think we 
 were fairly dealt with in the late unhappy war." 
 
 "You surprise me," said Carache. 
 
 "No, we cannot quite think it. We were to have 
 Prussian Poland," and he gazed more in sorrow than in 
 anger at Napoleon, who murmured, "Prussian Poland 
 Prussian Poland," as though he were taking a survey of 
 the park to find it. 
 
 " Prussian Poland was the price of our defensive alli- 
 ance of our neutrality even. Where is Prussian 
 Poland?" 
 
 "Prussian Poland," cried Carache, rousing himself 
 from a reverie that had been on the verge of tears, "is 
 east of Brandenburg and northeast of Silesia. That is 
 all I can tell you as to its position." 
 
 Prehlen had hardly come prepared for a conference of 
 this description. He continued with additional gravity: 
 
 " My government, however, is content to overlook 
 this act this trifling omission. They are willing to 
 believe that it was due, not so much to want of faith as to 
 dire necessity. They recognize that you would have 
 found it difficult to have continued the war." 
 
 "They must kindly not recognize anything of the 
 sort," rapped out Carache.
 
 422 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "So I am instructed to declare the matter satisfac- 
 torily closed. Here," lifting his documents, " I come 
 to the proposals." 
 
 Napoleon saw a chance of reaching Pierrefonds. 
 
 "Stop, dear Monsieur. Carache, ought not the 
 Foreign Minister to be present? " 
 
 "I am competent to take his place." 
 
 " Proceed," with a sigh to his Excellency. 
 
 " Two proposals. The first is an alliance, offensive 
 as well as defensive, against England." 
 
 "The second? " 
 
 "A marriage between his Majesty and the Princess 
 Catharine, elder daughter of the Grand Duke Peter. 
 She is very beautiful." 
 
 The forceps were well in by now. 
 
 "She is very beautiful," repeated Prehlen; "her 
 face resembles a dream." 
 
 "My master feels the honour acutely," Carache in- 
 terposed with greater literalness than he was aware of. 
 " Did you say that the alliance was to be aggressive? " 
 
 " Most certainly." 
 
 " That means war? " 
 
 "To the death." 
 
 "How terrible! " muttered the Premier, now that his 
 little girl lay dying. 
 
 "And what do we take? " he added presently. 
 
 "Anything you can conquer, except India." 
 
 " Of course you take that? " 
 
 "We take that." 
 
 " Never! " shouted Napoleon; " never, while I am on 
 the throne! " He was thinking of Tilbury and Liverpool 
 Street and the Albert Docks, to him so often the way of 
 sorrows. 
 
 "She is very beautiful," Prehlen murmured, mistak- 
 ing the reasons for this vehemence. 
 
 " My master means that the partition is an unjust 
 one." 
 
 "India is big," the Ambassador allowed. 
 
 " Very big. We ought at least to have Assam and 
 Bengal. These two provinces, in addition to Burmah, 
 would only be a fair share."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 423 
 
 " I will make a note of it," and he did so. "I fear, 
 however, that my government will prove adamant. They 
 are determined to be India." 
 
 He sat for a few minutes wrapped in thought. " Won't 
 you take an equivalent? " he asked. 
 
 ' ' Canada the Mauritius Malta Gibraltar the 
 Gold Coast? there they are for you to choose." 
 
 "We will take their rights in Africa and Canada. 
 These will balance India. Now we can start fair." 
 
 "I forgot. Canada, I observe, goes to Venezuela: 
 it 's something to do with the Monroe Doctrine, whatever 
 that may mean. Still, you can have anything else. 
 There is a large choice." 
 
 "Your government is very obliging. It does not 
 leave many points open for adjustment." 
 
 " Our way, dear Monsieur. We find we save so much 
 time." 
 
 " And it succeeds? " 
 
 "Certainly, when the other high contracting party 
 keeps faith with us." 
 
 " Monsieur refers to Prussian Poland." 
 
 " Monsieur is wrong. I was thinking of " 
 
 Napoleon made so bold at this point as to attempt 
 a little sarcasm. 
 
 "What about England? " 
 
 "Your keenness has touched upon the most difficult 
 point. My government suggests mind, merely a sug- 
 gestion a joint occupation. With that working properly, 
 we could use the place as a species of Siberia or New 
 Caledonia for convicts, you know, and political exiles, 
 and Jews. They like Jews in England. We are prepared 
 to entertain alternative proposals." 
 
 "You are very kind," Napoleon retorted. "Your 
 Excellency has forgotten one thing." 
 
 "Yes? " cried Prehlen, pencil in hand. 
 
 " The English people ! What is to be done with them? 
 How are we to partition their navy and their army? " 
 
 These words were uttered with great fire. They re- 
 minded Prehlen of the Porte St. Martin. He had ex- 
 pected English proclivities. The negotiations were 
 entering upon a critical phase: he felt quite delighted.
 
 424 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 So he returned to the Princess. " She is very beauti- 
 ful," said he, fumbling among his letters: "ah, here is 
 her portrait." 
 
 Napoleon gazed at her in silence. The sacrifice 
 would be hard indeed; for the photograph disclosed a 
 typical specimen of the later Muscovite, with a face 
 almost as agressive as the alliance. He gave it back, 
 sighing ambiguously, and his eyes wandering away 
 towards the forest heights about Pierrefond. 
 
 There was indeed a dignity in absence in Muriel's 
 absence, that is. The void she left seemed to reproach 
 him for his cowardice. 
 
 "Is the Princess a sine qud nott?" he asked wearily. 
 
 " My master means, is the offensive alliance an indis- 
 pensable preliminary to the marriage?" 
 
 "Yes," said Napoleon, still weary, "yes, that is what 
 I mean." 
 
 "I fear so. The war between you two powers must 
 come sooner or later. We are prepared to help you now, 
 when your people is animated with one spirit. Later on, 
 we may not see the matter in the same light." 
 
 The Premier urged that he saw no reason for war with 
 England, either sooner or later. They had Lower Alsace. 
 They required no farther extension of territory; and 
 certainly not of their colonial empire. 
 
 " Besides," he wound up, " England jointly occupied, 
 and filled with convicts and exiles, does not hold out a 
 very alluring prospect for us, her neighbour." 
 
 " You will soon get accustomed." 
 
 Napoleon took up the thread. 
 
 " England might have made herself very nasty during 
 the late war. Instead, she maintained a strict neutrality. 
 Her inhabitants raised subscriptions; they sent doctors 
 and nurses to tend our wounded. Is this the way " 
 pointing disdainfully at Prehlen's documents "we 
 ought to show our gratitude? " 
 
 The other's contempt matched his own. 
 
 " Diplomacy is entering a new phase, " he sneered, "if 
 the blunders of a state are to be used in her favour." 
 
 Napoleon rose from his chair. He had assumed an 
 air of sublime decision.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 425 
 
 " If your proposals included a defensive alliance that 
 was stringently non-agressive, I would gladly accept. 
 As you rightly remark, the young lady is indeed beauti- 
 ful. This offer of her hand fills me with exquisite mis- 
 ery " which was true enough "seeing that the accom- 
 panying terms are quite impossible. No, Monsieur, 
 Russia must look elsewhere for her ally. England has 
 been an asylum for me, as well as for many of my race. 
 She shall never fight with France while I am Emperor. 
 Nay, if she comes to me in her need " 
 
 Carache coughed. 
 
 " My master sees no advantage for France in an Eng- 
 lish war. If your government chooses to allow the mar- 
 riage on the terms stated by his Majesty, well and 
 good." 
 
 Napoleon employed this digression to ring the bell. 
 
 "Take time," cried the Ambassador. " I do n't expect 
 to conclude weighty business at a single sitting. Grant 
 me a second interview say, a week hence." 
 
 "It is always a pleasure to meet your Excellency. 
 But I fear we might meet every day for a whole year 
 without shaking my resolve. " 
 
 "To-day week, at the same hour?" and Prehlen 
 poised his pencil. 
 
 "If you like," smiled Majesty. "I shall be back in 
 Paris by then. " 
 
 " Good. Three, Wednesday next, at the Elyse"e." 
 
 " Meanwhile, your Excellency can mention my mas- 
 ter's alternative to your government." 
 
 " I fear it will be useless. India has suffered under a 
 grinding despotism long enough. The time has come 
 when she must be free." 
 
 " Of course you will free her? " 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 " As you have freed Finland? " 
 
 "As we have freed Finland " 
 
 " Or as you would like to free Armenia? " 
 
 " Precisely. Monsieur forgets that we are Christians. 
 It is only poor Mahomet who handicaps his followers. 
 Russia is the champion of the oppressed over all the 
 world. My countrymen in Norway feel it, you may be
 
 426 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 sure. Only the other day, my maiden aunt who now 
 resides in Christiania assured me that the place was pray- 
 ing aloud for Russia to come and annex it." 
 
 "The lady may be prejudiced." 
 
 "She is. She glories in it." 
 
 " Ah, here is Godefroy. He will show you your 
 room. Your Excellency stays the night? " 
 
 "With pleasure, sire." 
 
 "Good. Godefroy, conduct Monsieur. " 
 
 The door closed upon them. Napoleon turned to 
 Carache, who poor fellow turned to his watch. 
 
 " The poor little one is very ill? " the Emperor asked, 
 full of sympathy that came from his late sight of the 
 Princess. 
 
 "Very ill," faltered Carache. 
 
 "You would like to be off at once." 
 
 "Alas, there is no train." 
 
 "A special? I will send at once to order one. 
 
 Carache shook his head. " A few hours can make no 
 difference. And sire I am a coward; I would 
 rather not see the little one suffer," and now the tears 
 flowed fast. 
 
 Napoleon turned away, his own eyes bedimmed with 
 tears. Outside, the last rays of autumn sunlight red- 
 dened the landscape, flinging a broad path of scarlet 
 across the terrace. And the Emperor, his heart full of 
 sorrow for the man beside him, beheld something which 
 filled him with far greater sorrow for himself. 
 
 There, in an avenue that opened out immediately be- 
 neath his window, two figures could be seen slowly 
 approaching. They were moving directly towards him, 
 so that, from the first, it was possible to recognize them. 
 They did not notice him. For the girl and the very 
 sight of her seemed to stop the current of his blood 
 had her eyes fixed obstinately upon the ground, while 
 Nicholas Fersen, her companion, kept his as obstinately 
 upon her face. 
 
 It was clear he was speaking to her in earnest tones. 
 Clear, also, that he waited often for some reply, a reply 
 which never came. And Napoleon watched them. He 
 thought no more of poor Carache. He forgot his own
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 427 
 
 great resolution. He had eyes and brain alone for the 
 darkened figures that came forward so slowly from the 
 background of reddened trees, the dying leaves about 
 their feet. What could it be that Fersen kept repeating 
 with so much vehemence? Suddenly the young fellow 
 stopped dead, and stretched forth both hands with an 
 imploring gesture. Still no reply. 
 
 The great widespread palms dropped abruptly; an 
 angry frown came over the pleasant face. And angry 
 words must have fallen from the pleasant mouth ; for, 
 at the same instant, the girl raised her head and blazed 
 forth an answer which was apparently not the one re- 
 quired. 
 
 Then both walked on in silence. 
 
 They disappeared in the dip of the gravel walk. 
 When they returned to view, slowly ascending the steps 
 that led on to the terrace, the man was once more 
 all supplication, the girl all silence. But her eyes were 
 no longer cast upon the ground, and they still bore in 
 them some trace of her recent anger. The two ap- 
 proached so close beneath his window that Napoleon 
 might have called to them without raising his voice 
 above a whisper. He flattened himself against a curtain, 
 turning as he did so. Carache had stolen quietly away. 
 
 Once at the top, the girl faced about. Obviously she 
 had had enough of this altercation: she meant to stay 
 where she was, until her relations joined her. Count 
 Fersen turned too; Napoleon stepped forth from his hid- 
 ing-place among the draperies. 
 
 How he wished that he could hear what the Russian 
 was saying. But he had seen enough to cause him in- 
 tense disquiet; to convince him of the good ground for 
 his jealousy of Count Fersen. Muriel fancy free in 
 all his dreams of her, careless to boyishness, quite 
 ignorant of love had, at any rate, got far enough in 
 worldly ways to have this sort of scene with a young, 
 and probably loose, attache" on the slopes of a semi- 
 public terrace. 
 
 Of what sort were the words which must have gone 
 before those passionate entreaties, that scornful silence? 
 Napoleon shuddered. What was the meaning of the
 
 428 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 sudden blaze? His own deep passion at once imagined 
 the worst. And a great desire seized him to have her 
 for his own, if damaged, then damaged, at whatever 
 sacrifice, at whatever cost to either, in whatever way 
 (provided it was also the quickest), and having her, to 
 keep her by his side for evermore. Meanwhile, he 
 pressed closer against the window. 
 
 "Count Fersen! Count Fersen! Count Fersen!" 
 cried Prehlen from an upper room. "Count Fersen, 
 you must be good enough to come at once. I have in- 
 stant need of you." 
 
 The young fellow looked up at the region of the 
 invisible voice, then turned back to his companion, 
 in some embarrassment. Muriel made him a not over- 
 gentle sign that he might depart, resuming at once her 
 attitude of motionless expectancy. 
 
 It was more than mortal flesh could stand. The Em- 
 peror sprang into and out of his room, seizing his hat as 
 he went. His quivering body stumbled at every step. 
 He made for the private door which led from the Council 
 chamber into the terrace; he could scarcely open it. 
 
 The noise recalled Muriel from her reverie. She 
 turned. The Emperor was sauntering leisurely towards 
 her, a charming smile upon his face.
 
 Chapter V 
 
 " Mademoiselle has never walked from Pierrefonds?" 
 
 " It is not far. We left at two." 
 
 "It must be over ten miles. And the others, are 
 they walking? " 
 
 "Some of them. They had not started when we 
 when I left." 
 
 "Every one is not so energetic. Tell me, were you 
 not afraid to come through the forest without an escort? 
 The days are drawing in." 
 
 "Oh, no, sire," she answered carelessly, "I am used 
 to going about alone at any hour. I do it in England, 
 and at Meaux as well." 
 
 "Meaux,"he exclaimed with plaintive gaiety, "dear, 
 dear Meaux! those sw ahem, those bright summer 
 days have fled forever. How I detest the autumn. " 
 
 "You should not say so. This autumn must be a 
 very happy one for you. And Compiegne is very beau- 
 tiful." 
 
 He welcomed the reproof. If only he might believe 
 that she thought of him even a little. But, more than 
 all, he wanted her to fall back into that careless manner 
 which had rendered her so adorable on the occasion of 
 their earlier meetings. Before long the worship of his 
 eyes and of his softened voice made it that she did re- 
 sume the haphazard, irreverent treatment of his person, 
 which was her greatest charm. Perhaps she used this 
 unconsciously as a weapon of defence. 
 
 "Mademoiselle speaks truly: Compiegne is very 
 beautiful. May I not show her some of its features? " 
 he waved a hand over the park beneath them. 
 
 She hesitated. " But the others? " 
 
 "They cannot be here yet. And and we will not 
 429
 
 430 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 stray beyond the boundary" ; so she consented. Napo- 
 leon marked her reluctance. He knew that they both 
 were thinking of the upper windows. 
 
 They left the terrace, proceeding along the avenue 
 which she had lately traversed with Fersen. He felt her 
 presence strong upon him; and for a while he could not 
 speak. The silence grew. 
 
 "You know this path," he faltered; he was still 
 thinking of the upper windows. 
 
 "Yes. Nay, but I prefer to keep to it. The others 
 are sure to come this way." 
 
 He sighed. " Then Mademoiselle wants them to find 
 us?" 
 
 "Surely," she laughed. 
 
 " Does not this remind you a little of Meaux? " 
 
 " Not in the least. There is no forest at Meaux; no 
 chateau, no park. I cannot see the faintest resem- 
 blance." 
 
 " They tell me that you are going to India? " he re- 
 commenced questioning. 
 
 "Who told you? " 
 
 "Lady Threpps." 
 
 " Lady Threpps! " with huge contempt. " I am sur- 
 prised you listen to her no, I am not surprised." 
 
 " But there is some truth in the rumour? " he persisted. 
 
 " I cannot say." 
 
 " Why is Lord Rochberie resigning? " 
 
 " His wife cannot stand the climate." 
 
 "The Vicereine is almost as important as the Vice- 
 roy? ' 
 
 " Exactly " and Muriel, always in an enchanted 
 castle, despite her brusqueries, beheld visions of a crown 
 imperial, far more splendid than the crown viceregal 
 coming to her mother. 
 
 "And you would you like to go to India? " 
 
 " It will be change." 
 
 His manner had altered so completely during the 
 last few minutes, passing altogether from cheerful com- 
 monplace to plaintive innuendo begun in fear and 
 trembling, and never carried through, that she felt some 
 sort of crisis was at hand. Her nerves were made of
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 431 
 
 tougher fibre. She moved forward quite coolly. She 
 answered his questions, and beyond that did n't help him 
 an inch along his road. But she never lost sight of the 
 crown imperial. 
 
 Poor Napoleon! In a few weeks she would be gone, 
 and his chance with her. 
 
 " Do you really think you would like India?" he re- 
 peated. 
 
 " Oh, it is all the same to me, where I am. Some 
 parts of the country are beautiful enough." 
 
 Not more beautiful than France." 
 'Why should I trouble to make the comparison? " 
 But but Mademoiselle! " 
 ' But what, Monsieur? I am English." 
 ' I know, I know," he groaned. " Come," reviving 
 somewhat, "let us walk through the Berceau. You must 
 see it: it was my great-grandfather's gift to the 
 place." 
 
 " Indeed. It is very dark no, I hardly think I care 
 to enter." 
 
 " Mademoiselle is never afraid. There are lights far- 
 ther along. Take my arm." 
 
 She suffered herself to be persuaded. Her arm in 
 his, she felt him trembling; and she commenced to 
 wonder what sort of man he might be. Yet, curiously 
 enough, she felt no surprise at his next question. 
 
 "By the way," he asked hurriedly, as if he had for- 
 gotten, " did Mademoiselle say that she walked from 
 Pierrefond without an escort? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " No, of course, now I recollect. Lord Mendril was 
 with her." 
 
 " I never said so." 
 
 "Indeed. Who who was it you said? " He looked 
 quite pained at having forgotten. 
 
 " It cannot interest you." 
 
 " I know, I know; but you might humour me." 
 
 "No one more important than Count Fersen," she 
 said with a fine show of unconcern. 
 
 " Count Fersen? Am I acquainted with him? " 
 
 "I think so."
 
 432 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 No, really " 
 
 ' Oh, yes, you are," she laughed. 
 
 ' Quite right. He is an attach^ at the Russian Em- 
 bassy. Your brother was with you, naturally? " 
 No. We came alone. " 
 You and Count Fersen? " 
 
 'Why not?" 
 
 How foolish of me. You are old friends." 
 We have known him a long time." 
 
 ' Pray pardon me. As you said just now, it is no busi- 
 ness of mine." 
 
 For the moment she looked as though she did not 
 quite concur in this last statement. 
 
 " Lady Muriel," he began earnestly, and speaking 
 her name thus for the first time in her presence, his 
 voice quivered, " Lady Muriel, you must forgive me if 
 I have gone too far. The truth is, my whole life has 
 been spent in England. My preferences are altogether 
 English, and and you and your good relatives are the 
 only English people with whom I come in contact. I 
 value the privilege highly; and it may be that I venture 
 to interest myself in your affairs more than a stranger 
 has any right to do. You are my neighbours at Meaux 
 Meaux, in which my heart delights, where I can fling 
 aside the trappings of state and be at peace. You your- 
 self, Mademoiselle, will always have around you in my 
 eyes whether you like it or not the calm of that first 
 evening when we met by the river-side. Do not blame 
 me, blame rather the accident which led you thither; 
 for the softness of that night will henceforth and forever 
 colour every thing and every one whom chance then led in 
 my way. It would have been the same had I found 
 say, Madame Verre instead of you. The mysterious 
 fascinations of that night, fitting, as it did, my soul that 
 yearned for rest, would have enveloped her no whit 
 differently." He did not say in what. 
 
 " That is my explanation for my apparent rudeness 
 in questioning you so persistently. I will be quite frank 
 with you. I was overjoyed when I learnt that you had 
 come to Paris. And I shall be sincerely grieved if your 
 father's good fortune carries you off to India. Believe
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 433 
 
 me, my dear young lady, provided only that the Earl and 
 Countess are equally complaisant, I never intend to let 
 the exigencies of state " he was thinking of Prehlen 
 "come between our friendship. And when they finally 
 depart, and the time comes for you to marry, and neither 
 you nor they visit France any more, I shall cherish the 
 memory of this intimacy as one of the brightest episodes 
 of my reign." 
 
 He ceased, and gazed at her, a heavenly smile suffus- 
 ing his countenance. His words were so high-souled, 
 that he condoned their having carried him somewhat 
 further than he had originally intended. 
 
 Muriel's first feeling was one of consternation. She 
 said never a word in reply to his drawn-out eloquence. 
 Her silence surprised him. 
 
 Her coldness, when she did speak, startled him even 
 more. 
 
 "We ought to be returning," she said. 
 
 " The house is straight ahead." 
 
 "I prefer to go back by the way I came." 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders. " Mademoiselle may suit 
 herself. It is not for me to object to any extension of 
 our walk." Relenting a minute later, he muttered 
 softly: 
 
 " So you see that is why I do not want you to go to 
 India." 
 
 "Whether we go or not, we shall leave France in 
 January." 
 
 "Ah, you will be back at Meaux in the summer." 
 
 " Indeed not. We do not come every year. If you 
 want to renew your your intimacy with my father and 
 mother, you will have to come to Tipton," and she in- 
 dulged in a smile which he would have rather been with- 
 out. " The Verres are coming next summer, and pos- 
 sibly Lord and Lady Threpps. " 
 
 " And Count Fersen? " 
 
 " Very likely." 
 
 They were on the threshold of the covered walk. 
 Napoleon halted. He turned full upon her, so that she, 
 too, was forced to stop. 
 
 "Be warned by me," he cried, "be warned by me,
 
 434 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 dear Mademoiselle. I am older than you are. And the 
 Emperor's eyes see far." 
 
 " I do not understand you." 
 
 " I should do wrong not to make my meaning plain." 
 
 " Then make it plain." 
 
 " lam bound to learn things in connexion with those 
 who move about the court. I would much rather not 
 retail them. If I do so, it is for your sake alone, dear 
 Mademoiselle." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " Simply this. Count Fersen is a libertine and a 
 drunkard," all this was said with feverish haste , "he 
 is not fit to be your husband; he is not fit even to come 
 in contact with you." 
 
 "And yet you call yourself a gentleman! " 
 
 She might have struck him. The marks of the blow 
 were upon his face. 
 
 " Mademoiselle Leduc " he commenced, apologeti- 
 cally, but she would not hear him out. 
 
 "Oh, Muriel," he began again, " have pity on me. 
 If I have placed myself in a contemptible position, it is 
 for your sake alone. Cannot you see as much? " 
 
 "I cannot see by what right you blacken Count 
 Fersen's character. He has done you no harm. If I 
 choose to walk with him, that is my business." 
 
 " And not mine? " 
 
 " Certainly not." 
 
 " And this after what I have said to you! " 
 He fell to one side. They resumed their path in 
 silence. When Muriel spoke again, she had got back her 
 ordinary composure. 
 
 "I presume you said what you did because of that 
 night at Meaux? " 
 
 "What is the use of discussing the matter further? " 
 came the sullen answer. 
 
 My Lady administered another sharp reproof. 
 
 "It seems to me," she said, " that your Majesty is 
 behaving very badly." Her anger rose, the further she 
 proceeded. " You are putting me in a ridiculous posi- 
 tion, and for no better reason than that we are English, 
 and your neighbours at Meaux, and because you hap-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 435 
 
 pened to meet me one night by chance beside the river. 
 I wish to heaven you had met Madame Verre. It may 
 be very true, all you have said to me about your English 
 leanings and the rest of it; but nevertheless I do not see 
 why you should bring me down to this deserted arbour 
 in order to make me your confidante and abuse my 
 friends. You ought not to have done it. You ought 
 not to ask us to the Elyse"e in the way you do. You 
 ought not to have invited us to Compiegne, unless 
 unless "and though she was not overwhelmed with 
 confusion, she could not finish her sentence. 
 
 He listened, open-mouthed. And directly he dis- 
 covered that she had come to a full stop, he confessed 
 his error and prayed to be forgiven. 
 
 "Oh," said she, brushing aside her anger with a 
 cheerless laugh, "the matter is not so serious as all that. 
 We will both try and forget what has happened." 
 
 His face was white and drawn. 
 
 " We will forget," he murmured after her. 
 
 " And you will consider me a little, before you," she 
 looked about for a word, "before you pursue us with 
 your friendship, simply because we are English? " 
 
 " I will consider you." 
 
 " There shall not be so many invitations to the Elysee. 
 And you will keep away from Meaux, at any rate whenever 
 we are there? " 
 
 " I hear what Mademoiselle says." 
 
 "And, above all, you will devise some means to end 
 this party at once to-morrow? " 
 
 " I will devise some means." 
 
 "The Grand Chamberlain will manage it for you," 
 she remarked somewhat more sociably; "he must have 
 plenty of pretexts." 
 
 " I cannot do it," he cried, on a sudden casting aside 
 all remnants of his firmness; " I cannot do it; I cannot. 
 I will not forget you. I refuse to promise never to see 
 you again. If you leave me, my heart breaks. Muriel, 
 I love you! I love you! " He seized her hand and cov- 
 ered it with kisses. 
 
 For the moment she could think of nothing but this 
 glorious realization of her dreams. The Emperor was
 
 436 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 kneeling at her feet. She felt the fever of his lips upon 
 her fingers. It was the manner of fulfilment, so often 
 pictured, destined by the gods. 
 
 She made no effort to release her hand; to escape 
 from this embarrassing position. She merely looked 
 at him and wondered. Waiting, doubtless, until he 
 should make an end of demonstration and come to 
 words. 
 
 He did not find it quite so easy to master his emotion. 
 When he did look up, she could mark the trace of tears 
 upon his cheeks. 
 
 And in his voice. 
 
 "Have you nothing to say to me?" he asked; "no 
 answer to my question? " 
 
 "What is your question? " 
 
 "Muriel, do not torture me. Tell me plainly, will 
 you be my wife? " 
 
 "Yes," she murmured. 
 
 " You will not repent? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " And you love me? " 
 
 " yes, I love you." 
 
 "Then I am the happiest man in France"; but his 
 dolorous tones hardly bore out his statement. He made 
 no attempt to kiss her. He was thinking of De Morin 
 and Carache and the Princess Catharine; and at that 
 minute he would have given a good deal to have been 
 back at the Temple, earning a modest fifteen thousand 
 per annum and able to marry whom he pleased. 
 
 Let me hear it from your lips again that you love 
 me," he continued dolefully. 
 
 "I love you," she murmured under her breath. It 
 was like the commination service. 
 
 "And nothing shall ever part us." 
 
 " What should part us? " 
 
 "Muriel, you little comprehend the miseries of my 
 position. I never seem able to consult my own inclina- 
 tions. If I so much as hint that I mean to take some 
 given course contrary to the wishes of my advisers, they 
 immediately threaten me with the most terrible conse- 
 quences. "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 437 
 
 " They threaten you, do they? " she cried with flash- 
 ing eyes. 
 
 "Not exactly threaten," he murmured, "but you 
 know what I mean. Now, for instance, in the present 
 case, when I inform Carache that I have chosen my 
 bride " and he took hold of her hand, and gazed with 
 longing heart into the pale face "he will look very 
 grave, and declare that the marriage is quite impos- 
 sible." 
 
 She released her hand. 
 
 " I do not understand why. I am as " 
 
 " Muriel, Muriel, you do not follow me. You are far 
 above me in" everything everything; but reasons of 
 state, you know England and France, and folly of that 
 kind. He will oppose your name through thick and 
 thin. He will declare that you are a foreigner and not 
 sufficiently ex not sufficiently known to the public. I 
 know him, the Misery. He will warn me that I may 
 have to buy your hand at the cost of my throne. I 
 shall part with him; and his successor will adopt identi- 
 cally the same attitude." 
 
 "I release you," she sneered, "if you are fright- 
 ened." 
 
 " I will never give you up. I would rather lose my 
 throne." 
 
 "There is no need, if only you are bold and resolute. 
 You are Emperor. Be Emperor, then! Do not suffer 
 these men to terrorize you into the position of their 
 servant." It was something to see her with her eyes on 
 fire, her arm upraised, her fragile body quivering with 
 the excitement of her strong will. And as he looked at 
 her, the thought came on him that her shoulders were 
 fitter for the purple than his own. 
 
 "Be calm, little one," said he with a resumption of 
 forced gaiety; "all will yet be well. I mean to follow 
 your bidding who could help but be bold, having such 
 an ally at his back? But we must go prudently, as well. 
 For one thing, you should not breathe a word of our 
 engagement to a living soul until I give you leave." 
 
 " How long am I to keep silent? " 
 
 "Not long. Promise."
 
 438 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "I promise," very reluctantly: this was hardly in 
 accordance with her notions of boldness and resolution. 
 
 " And, Muriel. " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Promise me this, also." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "That you will suffer me to choose your acquaint- 
 ances." 
 
 " How can you, when I am in India? " 
 
 "You will not go to India. Your father will leave 
 you at the Elyse"e. " 
 
 "You are referring to Nicholas Fersen. " 
 
 "Nicholas! it maddens me to hear you call him 
 Nicholas." 
 
 "Poor fellow, it is his name." 
 
 " Once again she was the light-hearted girl who had 
 led him captive that summer night. Her grey eyes 
 sparkled. She touched his arm gently with her dis- 
 engaged hand. 
 
 " I am not going to humour your jealousy, so you 
 need not think it." 
 
 "Only this once," he begged. "I will never ask 
 you anything unreasonable again." 
 
 "You admit that it is unreasonable." 
 
 " If I did, it was a slip of the tongue. You know my 
 opinion of Count Fersen. He " 
 
 " Thank you, we need not discuss that topic. Directly 
 our engagement is publicly announced, you will be allowed 
 to have some say in those matters. Not that I promise 
 to listen to you. Until then, I certainly sha'n't; so you 
 may spare yourself the trouble of trying to convince 
 me. " 
 
 Lady Framlingham (Madame Verre with her as they 
 say in the law reports) suddenly hove in sight. She 
 bore down with great promptitude on these two young 
 lovers, who had just come to their first anchorage after 
 a roughish voyage through a deal of dirty weather. His 
 Majesty hardly had time to clear his face. 
 
 He transferred his arm from the daughter to the 
 mother, and the four of them made their way into the 
 house. Lady Framlingham evinced no surprise. Nor
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 439 
 
 did Madame Verre. The former, like the tactful woman 
 she was, expatiated upon the beauties of Pierrefonds, the 
 beauties of the arbour, the beauties of the departing 
 day. While Madame Verre regaled her young companion 
 with little anecdotes about her own vanished girlhood 
 and the disillusionizing which life effects.
 
 Chapter VI 
 
 "When I am when we are married, I shall do away 
 with this circular boudoir. I do not call it at all pretty," 
 and Muriel looked about her with a critical air. " I can- 
 not think what made the Empress Eugenie prefer it," 
 she went on, to all appearances quite unconscious that 
 her mother and Lady Threpps were only one room in 
 advance; "I cannot indeed. To begin with, the shape 
 is abominable. The light is far from good, and the deco- 
 ration is hideous." 
 
 " It promised to be such a miserable day," her com- 
 panion replied, with greater regard for any keen ears 
 there might be on ahead. " I do so detest rain. Had I 
 not come across you and your brother in the gallery, I 
 declare I should have gone off to Paris with with the 
 Verres. " 
 
 "Yes," said she, lifting a corner of the tapestry to 
 feel its texture," and we shall have to be off to- 
 morrow." 
 
 "Oh no," he pleaded. 
 
 " We have been here a week," she persisted, "and 
 most of the others are already gone. Besides " 
 
 " Besides what? " 
 
 " Nothing, it does not matter." 
 
 " Tell me. I hate those half-finished sentences." 
 
 " I am sorry." 
 
 The sound of her mother's voice growing fainter in 
 the distance quickened her pace. Napoleon ventured to 
 detain her, his hand upon her arm. 
 
 " One moment. Mu Muriel, may I not hope to have 
 half an hour with you this afternoon? " 
 
 Her reply was another question. 
 
 "When will our engagement be made public? " 
 440
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 441 
 
 " Have I not told you a dozen times? so soon as it is 
 possible." 
 
 "Then why not to-day?" 
 
 He gazed at her reproachfully. " I must do nothing 
 until I have seen Carache. " 
 
 " I thought that you had already asked me to be your 
 wife. Having consented, am I now to await Monsieur 
 Carache's acquiescence before I can consider our engage- 
 ment final? You ought not to subject me to so humiliat- 
 ing a position." 
 
 " Pray, pray be reasonable. Have you forgotten 
 what we said yesterday? " 
 
 "I am not likely to forget." Then, resuming her 
 former coldness, "I was under the impression that the 
 Emperor might do what he pleased without consulting 
 anybody. I am wrong." 
 
 "Altogether, my dear young lady; as you will dis- 
 cover when you are Empress." 
 
 "When I am Empress." 
 
 "Why, Muriel? Only a few minutes ago you your- 
 self were speaking of our marriage." 
 
 "It will never take place," she muttered bitterly; 
 "you are too faint-hearted. I do wrong even to listen 
 to you." 
 
 " Let us ask his Majesty, " came Lady Threpps's voice 
 through the open doors. "His Majesty is sure to 
 know." 
 
 "This is terrible, " muttered the Emperor, turning 
 helpless to every corner, like some hunted beast: "they 
 are coming back. Are we never to get five minutes in 
 peace? " 
 
 " It is your own fault. " 
 
 "You are very harsh and cruel. But you will meet 
 me this afternoon at three, where we were yesterday? 
 Deares Muriel, say that you will." 
 
 " I cannot say any such thing. It is far too early in 
 the day for me to tell what I shall do in the afternoon." 
 
 But as a matter of fact she found her way to the 
 trysting-place at the appointed hour. Her lover was 
 pacing to and fro across the threshold of the Berceau. 
 
 " I thought you were never coming," he cried.
 
 443 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Her face showed plainly that she was not in a pleasant 
 temper. She responded to his smile of welcome with a 
 frown that filled him with astonishment. He dropped 
 his outstretched hand, though not before she had had 
 time to ignore it. He attemped to speak: his voice 
 failed him. His knees commenced to tremble violently. 
 He felt a mind to turn and flee before her wrath, 
 ignorant as he was of the cause of his offending. She 
 did not leave him long in doubt. 
 
 " So you have asked my mother to stay on another 
 week? " she began. 
 
 "To please you," he murmured. " De Morin has 
 orders to write and beg your father to join us." 
 
 "To please yourself," she cried disdainfully. 
 
 Her tone roused him from his complaisance. " I do 
 not pretend to understand your moods. I love you; I 
 have told you so a dozen times. I have offered you half 
 my throne; what greater proof could I give? From that 
 moment forward, you have treated me to nothing but 
 your whims and fancies and ill-humours. Do you repent 
 your bargain? then say so boldly, and you shall be 
 free. Mind, I am not offering to release you. But I 
 will not be a hindrance to your happiness, if you regret 
 your choice: Muriel, I love you too much for that." 
 
 He pulled up sharply. Here was he drifting from 
 passionate indignation into sentiment; and he did not 
 want to be sentimental just at present. 
 
 "Muriel, you must confess you are unreasonable. 
 You choose to be annoyed because I recommend caution 
 in this business; because I won't make our engagement 
 public until I have had an opportunity of consulting with 
 my ministers. I do n't do you the injustice to suppose 
 that you are not wiser than you pretend to be. You 
 know what a delicate matter this is; that the least impru- 
 dence might altogether wreck our future happiness." 
 
 " Besides, " he continued querulously, "it is for me to 
 be annoyed, not you. Your behaviour, the night of our 
 engagement, with Count Fersen attracted general atten- 
 tion. I was watching you. It grieved me to see how 
 you kept your promise." 
 
 "I made no promise."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 443 
 
 "At least, you should be more careful of your good 
 name." 
 
 "You are careful of it, are you not? " she retorted. 
 Her biting scorn shocked him considerably. 
 
 The earlier portion of his address she had no other 
 name for it could not convince her; the latter part only 
 served to increase her wrath. These reproaches of his 
 were intolerable: his solicitude for her reputation a bit- 
 ter mockery. She burst forth into a torrent of recrimi- 
 nation, pouring out the grievances her heart had been 
 feeding on during the last two days. She was in truth a 
 bundle of contradictions. Cold and resolute, and yet a 
 dreamer; and having, like most dreamers, a place within 
 her where wrongs eat their way, by fermentation, until 
 they poison the whole soul. 
 
 "You are full of selfishness . . . selfishness and 
 hypocrisy. What do you care for my good name, pro- 
 vided no one endangers it except yourself. It is very 
 well for you to talk of caution and prudence, when all 
 the while you want me to stay on in your house and come 
 down here for clandestine interviews, every bit as though 
 our engagement were publicly known. People notice, 
 you may make your mind easy on that score. Only this 
 morning, the odious Verre woman was good enough to 
 give me a little covert advice. And I am called upon to 
 suffer this, for what reason? for none except your selfish 
 cowardice. If caution is necessary, why do you keep me 
 here? Why may I not go home and stay there, until such 
 time as you have consulted your miserable ministers? 
 When am I to know my real position? Let me go! " and 
 she shouted as though he really held her; "let me go! 
 I know why you want me to lose my good name. You 
 coward, you do it with a purpose. I believe ... I be- 
 lieve . . . "; but her lips refused to utter more. 
 
 Napoleon heard her coldly to the end. It was an 
 exhibition of worldly wisdom on her part which did not 
 take him altogether by surprise. Nor (strange as it may 
 seem) did it render her any the less lovable in his eyes. 
 But the memory of Count Fersen still rankled in him. 
 He could not get himself to frame a gentle answer; to 
 attempt assuagement which should restore that condition
 
 444 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 of grudging tolerance which had marked her since the 
 
 first avowal of his love. 
 
 "You want to be free," he said drily. 
 
 "That is what you are aiming at, you coward," she 
 hissed. " Free me, now that you have compromised my 
 good name. One would expect as much from such as 
 you. Fling me off, I say! You have all you ever wanted." 
 It was a glimpse of that same childishness which Brisson 
 had noticed on a previous occasion. Napoleon could not 
 subdue a faint smile. 
 
 "So you fancy that that is all I ever wanted," he 
 said with greater softness. " My dear child, do you 
 imagine that we evil men care for those sort of triumphs? 
 I never mean to set you free of my own accord. Make 
 me believe that you are really anxious to go back upon 
 your word, and I will let you, though it breaks my 
 heart." 
 
 "I do not want to retract," she muttered sullenly. 
 "All I desire is some little consideration for my posi- 
 tion. Do n't bring me down here any more to these sort 
 of interviews. Don't spend the mornings looking for 
 me. And above all " and she now looked at him with 
 such entreaty, that he almost dared kiss her "do not 
 watch me in the drawing-room. You do not wish people 
 to know that I am to be your wife; do not let them fancy 
 that I am ..." and once more her lips refused to 
 speak her mind. But it was not difficult to guess the 
 unuttered word: it thrilled his heart. It promised a 
 sinister ending that the unspoken thought between them 
 should make him love her all the more. 
 
 He carried her hand to his lips, bowing over it with 
 an exaggeration of reverence which pleased them both. 
 
 "My darling Muriel," he exclaimed, employing a 
 solemnity one usually reserves for prayers, " I love you 
 too dearly to harm you. Think me selfish and cowardly, 
 if you will; but not so selfish nor so cowardly that I 
 would not die to shield you from the merest whisper. I 
 have been thoughtless. I love to have you near me. In 
 the mornings I cannot settle to my desk till I have seen 
 you. Indeed, I count every moment lost which is not 
 spent beside you. Can you blame me? I love you so
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 445 
 
 much, so much. But your complaints are just. In 
 indulging my own deep longings, I forgot you. I did 
 wrong to press your mother to remain on; I did wrong. 
 It is too late, however, to regret that. All I can do now 
 is to show you that I have taken your lesson to heart. I 
 will not seek you out. We will have no more meetings 
 down by this arbour which I love so well. Weak men 
 make great resolves, and bind them with great oaths. 
 Not I. You have heard my simple promise; you can 
 trust it fully. I know that you can trust it; and you know 
 that too." 
 
 His voice had reached that selfsame yearning and 
 regret upon it Wednesday, when he had offered an ever- 
 lasting separation. 
 
 " It will be a deprivation," said he, smiling patheti- 
 cally; "I do not pretend to deny it. But I shall be 
 busy. Carache is to be here on Tuesday; I will order 
 him to summon a council for that day. On Wednesday 
 your betrothal shall be publicly announced; and we can 
 get three sweet days in this delightful place. Good-by, 
 beloved, till Wednesday. Say you forgive me." 
 
 She still looked the least bit resentful; but she mur- 
 mured her pardon with a gentleness which left nothing 
 to be desired. 
 
 "I shall come here often enough during the next 
 few days," he resumed, full of compassion. " Not that 
 our meetings in this place have been over-happy. On 
 Wednesday we must choose some other spot. What 
 children we were to quarrel. A few calm words, you 
 see, have put the whole matter right. Muriel Muriel, 
 will you kiss me? " 
 
 " Not till Wednesday," she cried. And she started 
 back with a bright laugh, which marked the final dispersal 
 of her displeasure. 
 
 " Not one? " 
 
 " Not one! " 
 
 "And I am not to see you or to speak to you for 
 almost a week? Honestly, I do not know how I shall 
 manage to endure it." 
 
 " Please do not be so foolish. Of course you may 
 speak to me. For heaven's sake, do not go rushing into
 
 446 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the other extreme, or people will feel no doubt at all in 
 the matter. What you have to avoid is making me con- 
 spicuous by wandering about in search of me. You 
 can't deny that you have done it," and she laughed 
 a second time. "And above all, you must not 
 stand glaring at me for hours together in the drawing- 
 room." 
 
 "And your mother? " he asked irrelevantly. 
 
 " She may suspect. I have told her nothing." 
 
 "There can be no harm in her knowing." 
 
 "All Paris would get the news half an hour later. " 
 
 He looked at her in some surprise. 
 
 "My mother is so careless," she excused herself. 
 "The temptation to gossip is too strong for her." He 
 did not answer, and she added curtly: 
 
 "We must be moving." 
 
 "The misery begins. Let us say good-bye before we 
 start. Farewell till Wednesday. Will you not kiss me? " 
 
 "When Wednesday comes. Quick, I am cold." 
 
 Napoleon naturally expected five days of the most 
 abominable torture. He was in the mood for self- 
 sacrifice, and himself gave the rack its first turn. For, 
 immediately upon their understanding, having recon- 
 ducted Muriel to the house, he summoned Godefroy to 
 inform him that he intended to dine alone. He dined 
 alone. It was a miserable affair, solitary, uninterest- 
 ing, having about it no incentive even to refrain from a 
 second help of pudding. He went bravely through it, 
 however; and, with the aid of much black coffee and the 
 sugar-basin, sat far into the night, concocting speeches 
 and proclamations which were intended to inform his 
 ministers and his faithful people of his projected mar- 
 riage. 
 
 And this contribution to his own discomfort fully sat- 
 isfied him. He felt entitled to leave the second wrench 
 to other hands. Hence, when, the following night, 
 Godefroy asked whether he wished to repeat his solitary 
 meal, he sternly repulsed that faithful servitor. He 
 meant to comport himself during the remainder of his 
 probation as though his guests did not include a certain 
 young lady, whom to look at was a foretaste of heaven.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 447 
 
 Surely she was able to inflict the torture without help 
 from him? 
 
 And at the outset she did inflict it, behaving precisely 
 as he had anticipated. In the daytime, though he 
 never expressly sought her, he knew she was nowhere to 
 be found. At night, albeit he never actually watched 
 her face, he felt that she remained obstinately uncon- 
 scious of his existence. When they spoke, it was in 
 frigid monosyllables. He could not realize that they 
 would ever again walk together in that sweet companion- 
 ship, which, having endured for thirty minutes, had left 
 a lifetime of bitterness behind. 
 
 So, Saturday and half Sunday went to swell the tale 
 of wasted days. Forty-eight hours remained to the 
 council, and he promised himself a busy time over his 
 speech and proclamation. He already knew both by 
 heart: they were wonderfully soothing, whatever might 
 be their ultimate chances of success. 
 
 But suddenly and inexplicably she relented, herself 
 violating the restrictions which she had laid upon their 
 intercourse. The forty-eight hours aforesaid belied 
 their expectation. He did not go in search of her; but 
 he frequently found her, either in some deserted gal- 
 lery or hall, or in the arbour of famous memory. At 
 nights, among his guests, he often felt her eyes upon his 
 face, the expression in them which his own hopes sup- 
 plied. And whenever, at these times, he spoke to her, 
 her animation seemed to promise as long a conversation 
 as he desired. 
 
 He marvelled at her inconsistency, while he took 
 advantage of it. He could not understand it. But he 
 never put it down to the sort of weakness which he was 
 sometimes conscious of in himself, and which made him 
 a man prolific of resolves, but without resolution. 
 
 Most men have this common trait, to wit, an indefin- 
 able, vague sense of possessing totally different charac- 
 ters in the presence of different people. To enlarge 
 upon such a universal peculiarity would only lead to 
 platitudes. Napoleon possessed it in a marked degree. 
 It came out most forcibly face to face with his future 
 bride. She made him feel a flabby and irresolute
 
 448 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 creature, though he knew the strength of his own 
 nature. It could not be that she was the better man. 
 Certainly, the corners of her mouth turned upwards, 
 while his turned down; but he did n't put much faith in 
 physiognomy. Still the feeling worried him. 
 
 He had a greater grievance. He commenced even to 
 doubt the wisdom of his choice; though his love burnt 
 with all its old intensity. To tell the truth, he yearned 
 after some small return in kind for all the affection he 
 lavished upon her. She must see that she was always 
 in his thoughts. Away from prying eyes, these thoughts 
 found vent in words of tenderness daily verging more on 
 the inane. And yet she never responded. Sometimes 
 she mocked him. Sometimes she brushed aside these 
 cloying endearments with one cold sentence, and passed 
 on to topics of greater moment. 
 
 It could not be that she disliked homage. She was a 
 woman, and his follies bore witness to her charm. Still 
 more preposterous to suppose that she was selfish and 
 greedy and calculating; that she wanted him for his 
 crown, and intended to cut as much as she could of the 
 accessories. But but the cruel facts remained, her 
 offhand manner and her coldness, which, in the past, he 
 had found so charming. It was not maidenly dislike. 
 It was not selfishness Then it must be moral insensi- 
 bility; that want of depth of soul which brings a man 
 unscathed and childlike through rape and murder. 
 Yes, that was it moral insensibility! An odious enough 
 trait in malefactors and elderly people, but pardonable 
 in this young girl, whose shallowness was merely want of 
 knowledge. Maternity (he became reverent again) 
 would change all that; maternity, and the lapse of days. 
 Time would teach her how necessary it is to have a con- 
 science for the offences of one's friends, if not for one's 
 own. 
 
 And yet he was not altogether consoled. He longed 
 so greatly for the slightest gleam of tenderness. One 
 word, one single look of affection, the merest sign that 
 she loved him that was all he wanted. He frequently 
 asked her for it; always in vain. So he was driven to 
 contemplate his own devotion. He expatiated on its
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 449 
 
 priceless value: it was not too common, he affirmed, a 
 love like this. Given by the humblest beggar to a 
 queen, her Majesty were a fool to spurn it. " Not 
 every lover loves as I love you," he said alliteratively on 
 more than one occasion; " the day may come when you 
 will be sorry that you did not appreciate it": and she 
 always laughed. 
 
 At times she charmed him into forgetfulness by her 
 vivacity. But he soon once more remembered. Even 
 her animation had its seamy side. She shone most in 
 the drawing-room, and Majesty soon conceived an ugly 
 suspicion that she desired to show mankind the pattern 
 of his chains. He therefore made their conversations as 
 brief as possible, giving reasons next day in the arbour. 
 
 If it were really her wish that men should know, she 
 succeeded admirably. Men did know; and tokens of 
 their knowledge soon reached the lover's ears. Some 
 gardener or lackey must have played the eavesdropper 
 at their interviews. Or, more likely still' the guests 
 could not fail to notice what was sufficiently patent to 
 decent eyes. People commenced to gossip. 
 
 First, within the confines of the castle, and with bated 
 breath. 
 
 Madame Ponte"coulant, one of the new arrivals, grew 
 very friendly in many directions. She took every one 
 aside to inquire anxiously whether there was anything in 
 it. Lady Threpps opined yes. Madame Prehlen, who 
 had come to Compiegne simply to annoy her husband, 
 declared the whole thing to be a fabrication. The Em- 
 peror, she maintained, being as good as betrothed to the 
 Princess Catharine, daughter of Peter. Monsieur Preh- 
 len, for his part, did not seem quite so certain. He and 
 Lord Threpps had by now become inseparables. The 
 Norwegian, without specifying Catharine, candidly 
 hinted at a Russian marriage, which, if it were not pre- 
 vented by untoward circumstances, would benefit the 
 cause of European peace. The servants' hall shared in 
 these suspicions. And from the lower regions it was no 
 great distance to the town, and even less to Paris. 
 
 On Monday evening men were talking about it in the 
 clubs and on the boulevards. Tuesday morning, a lead-
 
 450 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ing journal, which was both moderate and friendly, 
 published the rumour and embellished it with comments 
 which were neither. The article found its way into 
 the Palace. Prehlen showed it to Threpps, who passed 
 it to Ponte"coulant, who passed it to De Morin, who 
 passed it to my Lord. Uncle and nephew no longer treated 
 the matter as mystery. Napoleon told the Chamberlain 
 everything; and the Count shrugged his shoulders and 
 came to the conclusion that his young master would 
 be cleverer than he had fancied, were this marriage really 
 to take place. So he gave him the attack, without 
 any preliminary innuendo. 
 
 Our hero fell in with his beloved quite by accident, 
 that same morning, and the two young people discussed 
 the situation. 
 
 " My darling," said he, answering her statement that 
 she had read it, "you must not heed such things." 
 
 " I do not," came the composed rejoinder. "But it 
 will make your task this afternoon a very difficult one." 
 
 " Never fear. They may take my throne from me; I 
 will never give you up." 
 
 " I wish you would not say such foolish things. 
 Where is your spirit? Not a single other sovereign in 
 Europe would talk as you do." 
 
 " Muriel, give me a little word of love. Even if you 
 do not feel it, give it me, so that I am so that I may 
 have courage for this afternoon." 
 
 But she did not see her way to yield compliance. 
 Accordingly, he assured her without it that he was pant- 
 ing for the ministerial encounter. 
 
 The November sun came pouring through the win- 
 dows of the Council chamber, onto the green table, sur- 
 rounded as yet by empty chairs. The room was crowded ; 
 and the conversation still hovered round Compiegne, 
 doubtless dreading state questions. Carache, in deep 
 mourning, and with waxen face, stood beside his master. 
 They were chatting gaily. The little one had been dead 
 three days. He did not forget her; but the dead well, 
 the dead are dead, and the living are still chained and 
 have to work. Ponte"coulant, sucking himself as always,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 451 
 
 made one of the royal circle. Brisson stood by him; 
 the two, by much craning and straining, caught occa- 
 sional glimpses of the terrace, the beauties of which 
 Napoleon was pointing out to Carache. Another group, 
 composed of MM. Verre, Petard, Freron, Neil, and 
 Graves, lounged at the second window, looking out upon 
 the selfsame scene; while the Minister of Justice, who 
 somehow was always shunned of his companions, stood 
 within the third embrasure and pretended to be im- 
 mersed in official documents. These papers never failed 
 him on such occasions; they served to annoy his col- 
 leagues, and they mitigated the too obvious pariahdom 
 attaching to his office. For the rest, it may be mentioned 
 that De Morin had loitered about the Emperor's apart- 
 ments all the morning to receive a summons; Mesnil had 
 gone to Paris to escape one. Neither were present. 
 
 "I trust we sha'n't be kept here all day," Verre said, 
 sotto voce, to his companions. "I want to get to town 
 by the six train." 
 
 " I too," murmured most. 
 
 " Have you any notion what the business is? " Verre 
 went on. 
 
 " I suspect," said Petard, Minister of Finance. 
 
 " Let me hear." 
 
 " You were in Compiegne yourself last week? " 
 
 " Yes, but I have been to Geneva and back since Fri- 
 day; I am painfully ignorant of Paris news." 
 
 " Shsh, not so loud. Have you seen this morning's 
 Imperials? " 
 
 " I never read it." 
 
 " You do wrong not to. ' ' 
 
 "Well, what did it say? " 
 
 " Something about an Imperial marriage," replied the 
 Treasurer, bringing his mouth close enough to the win- 
 dow to cloud the glistening glass. 
 
 " Hark," from Neil, Public Instruction, " what is his 
 Majesty saying? " 
 
 " Nothing of exceptional interest, to judge from the 
 g/eat one's first words. 
 
 " Whether the place keeps as beautiful later on in 
 the year is doubtful. Even now, I find it a trifle
 
 452 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 sombre; with snow-clouds about, it must become gloom 
 itself." 
 
 " But, with all respect," interjected Pontecoulant, try- 
 ing to keep between the two august heads in front, 
 "does not Octave Feuillet say the contrary." 
 
 "I prefer to agree with your Majesty. Feuillet 
 could only stand Compiegne from the fireside corner; he 
 was not a competent judge." 
 
 "But, my dear Carache, " rejoined his colleague, 
 "Feuillet had the eye of an artist." 
 
 "And I have not," laughed Bonaparte. 
 
 " I did not mean that," said the Minister, simulating 
 excessive confusion. 
 
 Carache waved Feuillet to one side. 
 
 " His Majesty will be back in town on Monday? " 
 
 "Yes. My conscience pricks me for having brought 
 you here to-day. My business might well have waited. " 
 
 "Not mine," Carache, significantly. 
 
 "You have business, too; I did not know. Ah, look 
 over yonder," and Napoleon lifted his voice so that the 
 whole room might hear him, "mark that flood of sun- 
 light bathing those distant trees. How beautiful! " 
 
 "Beautiful! " from Carache and Pontecoulant. 
 
 "Beautiful indeed! " from Verre, and Neil, and Pe- 
 tard, and Graves. 
 
 " Delicious! " from the Justiciar, all by himself in the 
 third embrasure. 
 
 At that identical moment, while their souls were 
 uplifted to admire the flood of sunlight bathing the 
 distant trees, and their several hearts were softened and 
 subdued, Lady Muriel Mendril, accompanied by her 
 brother, sauntered lazily along the terrace beneath their 
 windows. 
 
 A deep silence fell upon them. 
 
 Marshal Brisson became crimson. Pontecoulant 
 sucked himself blue. Monsieur Carache puckered his nose, 
 that rippled into a point, while Verre nudged two of his 
 neighbours and smiled at Neil and Graves. The Justiciar, 
 who was a nervous man the result perhaps of his isolated 
 office felt sorely tempted to give one poignant, long- 
 drawn howl, after the fashion of some friendless hyena.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 453 
 
 Napoleon did not feel conscious of any change of 
 colour; but his heart instantly conceived the most bitter 
 hatred against his beloved. Everything about her came 
 in for a share of his detestation her careless step, the 
 poise of her head, her easy manner, so supremely 
 unconscious of the nine elderly and faultlessly attired 
 gentlemen who watched her progress with such interest. 
 He felt a craving to be done with her as soon as pos- 
 sible. He turned away, even before the two were out 
 of sight. "Come, gentlemen," he said coldly, "to 
 business if you please." 
 
 He moved with a stately stride towards the table. 
 The ministers fell into their place around the board. 
 
 "We are here," said Carache, shuffling among his 
 papers, " in response to your Majesty's command. This 
 will not supersede the Council to be held at the Elyse"e 
 on Monday." 
 
 " I am grateful to you, gentlemen. I regret bringing 
 you all this way; and really, now I come to think of it, 
 I do n't know that there was any actual need of an 
 extraordinary meeting." 
 
 "We are your Majesty's servants," said Carache; 
 "we are always at your disposal." 
 
 " I am aware of it," and he could get no further. 
 
 His anger had subsided; his beloved was once more 
 his beloved with qualifications. But he had made up 
 his mind not to broach the marriage project. This 
 should be her recompense for her want of tact. My 
 Lady would have to wait a few days longer. So he cast 
 about him for some important topic to put in its place. 
 For the stubborn facts remained, that this was an 
 extraordinary Council, and the gentlemen had come 
 many miles from Paris. They could not be dealt with 
 with such ease. 
 
 "MM. Fre"ron and Petard," he began in despair, 
 "have consulted together about a new lighthouse 
 to be constructed at Royan, in the Charente-Infer- 
 ieur? " 
 
 The ministers named bowed low, no doubt well 
 pleased at this sudden prominence. 
 
 " Would your Majesty prefer that I began? " said the
 
 454 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Premier; and without waiting for a reply he chose a 
 paper from his bundle and cleared his throat. 
 
 " I have here a report from the Prefect of Police. 
 It deals with the various plots against the constitution. 
 The moving spirit in them all is the Eurasian Nadez. 
 He and an inner ring of disciples have entered into a 
 definite conspiracy to assassinate your Majesty." 
 
 " Why are they not in prison? " shouted the Emperor. 
 
 "The rules of the game, my dear master. Nadez 
 has had interviews with Arnold Loog, the Senator, and 
 with General Changarnier. Also," and the Premier 
 went very slowly, "with Prince Felix Bonaparte and 
 Monsieur de Morin." 
 
 " The thing is absurd. I will not believe it." 
 
 "I can only say that the Grand Chamberlain was 
 closeted with Nadez for nearly an hour yesterday 
 morning." 
 
 "But De Morin has not stirred from Compiegne. " 
 
 " Exactly. Nadez was here in the Chateau." 
 
 " Good God, I am trapped indeed! " 
 
 It rose to heaven, a cry of despair, a prayer for 
 mercy. Not a man present but understood its meaning; 
 for it lit up in a lurid flash the soul of this potentate 
 cowering in his chair. 
 
 "Sire," said Carache, "the first one of Nadez's 
 gang (including himself) that approaches within a mile 
 of your Majesty shall be arrested." 
 
 " At least I may tax De Morin with his treachery? " 
 
 " Not if you will be advised by us. We shall guard 
 you. We must get you to sign the warrants," and the 
 speaker selected four papers, which themselves suggested 
 assassination, they were so severe and blue. Napoleon 
 signed Loog's and Changarnier's. 
 
 "This for Prince Felix," said Carache. 
 
 "He is at Auteuil," murmured Verre, "and 
 engaged on an allegorical picture." 
 
 The Emperor signed it all the same. 
 
 " Now for De Morin." 
 
 "I cannot do it." His words brought a smile to 
 Brisson's face; even the Premier seemed softened. 
 
 " I must persist in my request. "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 455 
 
 "And I in my refusal. You cannot expect me thus 
 to condemn my kinsman and benefactor unheard. The 
 thing is monstrous. Why, I should be confined for 
 forty-eight hours to the Elyse"e, any moment you or the 
 Prefect thought fit." 
 
 Carache put the warrants back into his bundle. 
 "That finishes my business. His Majesty will not 
 speak to De Morin? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Good. The end of next week should see some 
 sort of crisis. Patience, sire; that is all that one needs 
 in these things." 
 
 " I will try and be patient." 
 
 "We are grateful. So much for Nadez and Company! 
 Sire, we await your orders." 
 
 The other ministers followed their leader's example. 
 Such as had indulged in documents laid them on one 
 side; and all assumed attitudes of deep attention, which 
 varied with their various temperaments. Eight pairs of 
 eyes were turned upon his Majesty's countenance. He 
 looked blankly from one to the other: the period of 
 grace had not been utilized. Instead, he had wasted it 
 in angry fears. Here he was, no better equipped than 
 twenty minutes back. Having summoned them for im- 
 portant business, he had no business to impart. 
 
 "MM. Petard and the Minister of Marine have 
 consulted about a new lighthouse at Roy " he stopped 
 abruptly, his face on flames. How he cursed his lack of 
 invention. His next cast proved more successful. 
 
 " General Clisserole has put one question to me, 
 which I do not feel inclined to answer without first 
 getting the benefit of your advice. What is to be the 
 language in the law courts? " 
 
 "Your Majesty must postpone that matter till Mon- 
 day. I shall be then in possession of data likely to help 
 us in arriving at a sound conclusion." 
 
 There was no help for it; he must bring the Council 
 to an end. The Ministers might think what they would. 
 He started out on this last purpose; and, before he had 
 gone five words, found that he had stumbled into the
 
 456 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 matter closest his heart. It is a common habit among 
 weak people. 
 
 "Before we disperse, gentlemen, I desire to mention 
 one thing more. At the last Council, you, Monsieur 
 Carache, were kind enough to say that France eagerly 
 awaited my marriage. I have lost no time in acting 
 upon upon your hint. Gentlemen, I have chosen." 
 
 "Sire, we congratulate you from the depth of our 
 souls. We only delay to hear her Highness' name to 
 fling our homage at her feet." He meant a telegram. 
 
 " Hum! the lady is not a princess." 
 
 "Indeed?" 
 
 Napoleon could get no further. It seemed the 
 simplest thing in the world to speak her name (he used 
 to moan it a few weeks back, but that was in the 
 privacy of his own chamber). 
 
 ' ' She is not a princess? ' ' the Premier repeated politely. 
 "Whoever the lady may be, without doubt she is 
 charming? " 
 
 "She seems to me eligible," answered poor Na- 
 poleon. "You gave me the hint, so I had to choose 
 somebody." 
 
 "The Princess Catharine would be a most popular 
 selection." 
 
 No reply. 
 
 "Or the Princess Clothilde of Hesse-Cassel might be 
 had for the asking. She is not beautiful, I admit; but 
 she has enormous wealth. But this lady whom your 
 Majesty refers to, no doubt she is equally eligible? " 
 
 "Marshal Brisson knows her," faintly. 
 
 "Not I," responded the bluff soldier; "unless you 
 refer to the daughter of the Earl of Framlingham? " 
 
 The Emperor nodded. 
 
 "You are quite right," with dying accents; "I have 
 chosen the Lady Muriel Mendril. " 
 
 He would have given his soul to have been met by a 
 storm of loud-voiced opposition. He would have wel- 
 comed a whoop of indecorous laughter. But the terrible 
 silence which was the sole result of this brave announce- 
 ment turned his heart to stone. 
 
 Carache, the ubiquitous, ended his misery.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 457 
 
 "We note your Majesty's remarks," said he. " Does 
 this complete your business? " 
 
 The other gave a startled "Yes"; he did not catch the 
 drift of the Premier's question. 
 
 " Then may I suggest that the Council be concluded? 
 Some of us desire to catch the six o'clock train to town." 
 
 "As you please." 
 
 " Gentlemen, the Council is at an end." 
 
 They rose. Without a look to either side the Emperor 
 passed into his library. The door closed upon him, and 
 Carache sprang into the chair which he had just vacated. 
 
 "One moment, gentlemen. Not a word about this. 
 You may take it that the Lady Muriel Mendril will never 
 be Empress. That is all. Good-night, gentlemen ; good- 
 night. " They filed past his chair out of the room; and as 
 they went, each man bowed to him. Verily, he might just 
 have succeeded to the throne of his fathers, or been pro- 
 moted, vice his Majesty in the library. Directly the 
 last was gone, he stole up to the Emperor's door and 
 tapped gently. 
 
 Napoleon stood in the centre of the room, glaring 
 round him like some wild beast. The Minister drew 
 back in pretended alarm; his master beckoned him 
 forward.
 
 Chapter VII 
 
 "What is it?" tartly. 
 
 Carache knew men, and what was the fitting time for 
 what. On the present occasion he went straight to the 
 point. 
 
 " Of course, sire, this marriage can never take place " 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " France would not tolerate it for an instant." 
 
 "You all say the same thing," groaned his Majesty. 
 "Were I Emperor in aught but name, I would make 
 France tolerate it." 
 
 He suffered his anger to dwindle and die away. It 
 never made impression upon these imperturbable adver- 
 saries, and only served to put him at a disadvantage. 
 So he flung himself into a chair, and stretched himself 
 almost full length, in utter misery and despair. Not 
 waiting for either command or invitation, Carache laid 
 hold of another. He settled himself quite close to his 
 master. He went so far as to lay a hand upon the Im- 
 perial arm, where it was suffered to remain. And when 
 he spoke, his voice adopted a caressing character that 
 breathed of peace. 
 
 "I know my master's noble, loving heart. I appre- 
 ciate all the difficulties of his position ; above all, the 
 great loneliness to which he is subjected, and which 
 must lie heavily upon such an ardent nature. Shall I go 
 further? yes; well, then I will confess that I have long 
 ago guessed his secret. France is ignorant of it; his 
 nearest servants are ignorant of it; aye, his own heart 
 hardly yet has grasped full cognizance; I alone, his 
 faithful servant, have known it for months. I have 
 watched its growth from the commencement. I have 
 watched it, and I have never wondered. The young 
 
 458
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 459 
 
 lady is indeed charming. No, I never wondered. I 
 knew it would be so, directly after your first meeting in 
 the summer down by the river-side at Meaux." Napo- 
 leon started, while Carache's voice lost itself in a trem- 
 bling whisper, full of tender yearning for that beautiful, 
 vanished time. 
 
 " I knew you would come to love one another. I envy 
 you. I envy the Lady Muriel. You are both young, 
 full of poetry and fire; you are, furthermore, united by 
 an ardent affection which will prove itself indissoluble. 
 You cannot exactly marry what of that? Both of you 
 knew as much, in your heart of hearts, at the outset. 
 And marriage would contaminate and destroy a love such 
 as yours. Ah, yes need I repeat it? I know the colour 
 of your mutual affection. I saw its birth at Meaux; I 
 watched its second birth in the ballrooms of the Elyse ; 
 I am here to-day to prevent you stifling it and flinging 
 it away. I mean to preside at its apotheosis. You will 
 marry a political bride, as many another sagacious mon- 
 arch has done before you. You will raise up political 
 heirs, on whom you may bestow just as much affection 
 as you think fit: some of them are sure to be hydro- 
 cephalus. Your Empress (let us call her Catharine) will 
 not bother much about your fidelity. The state will take 
 good care of hers. And all this time, the poem of your 
 life pursues its jewelled path. Somewhere, afar from the 
 bustle of your state existence, in Meaux, for choice, where 
 first you met, you and your beloved will spend days of 
 perfect bliss. There shall be children round you to 
 teach you how happy private fathers are; " and his voice 
 broke. " In kings the heart is nearer the left hand. But 
 I have said enough. My dear master, I must bid you 
 good-night. I want you always to remember I have two 
 characters. On the one hand, I am your servant, whom 
 you may dismiss at a minute's notice. On the other, I 
 I am a man advanced in years who gives the benefit of a 
 lifelong experience to his dear young lord. Good-night, 
 my Emperor. " 
 
 All this while his hand had rested in its original posi- 
 tion. He moved it down to seize Napoleon's, which he 
 straightway carried to his lips. Then they parted. And
 
 460 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 in the corridor the Premier muttered: " That was a good 
 shot about Meaux ; really the Prefect is most invaluable. ' ' 
 
 It would be indeed a pleasant thing to shift the scene 
 a little while, and change the characters. To accom- 
 pany the Premier to his bedroom, for instance ; to see him 
 fling off the minister and bend over his open portmanteau 
 to tend a bunch of faded violets. To behold, eye to eye, 
 with him, the picture which these withered flowers recalled. 
 Two weeks back, upon this very day, his darling had 
 burst into his room, flushed from her walk, bearing this 
 gift aloft. And now she was rotting but hush, what 
 good could come of that? Oh, ye gods that have prom- 
 ised, beware if we never meet them more! So he lay 
 the violets back among his pocket-handkerchiefs, and 
 replaced the lid. Pleasant again, to follow him as he 
 leaves his bedroom and goes in search of Brisson, his 
 favourite in the Cabinet, Brisson who listens so well and 
 never contradicts. Pleasant truly ; but impossible. For 
 Napoleon still claims the exclusive attention of his 
 chronicler, if of no one else. 
 
 The more our hero thought of it, the more he admired 
 Carache's sagacity. It translated into living words what 
 had long held his brain. The beautiful picture seemed 
 quite convincing: he half made up his mind to give it to 
 Muriel at second hand. She would surely acquiesce. But 
 no more business! He must have the air, after this pent- 
 up day. He donned hat and overcoat, and passed into 
 the open by way of his private door. 
 
 He suffered his feet to lead him whither they would; 
 half unconscious perhaps of his destination, but not 
 surprised when he found himself once again upon the 
 threshold of the arbour, and face to face with Muriel 
 Mendril. She made no pretence of being there by acci- 
 dent. He did. And commenced forthwith protesting 
 a feigned astonishment to hide a very real anxiety. Not 
 that either seemed necessary: my Lady laughed them 
 both away; and since her mood was unusually gracious, 
 Napoleon did not try to bring them back. They avoided 
 any reference to the Council; possibly each was waiting 
 for the other to begin. Never before had Muriel shown 
 herself so fascinating. She laughed at him and teased
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 461 
 
 him in a manner that nearly drove him to distraction. 
 He became once more her devoted slave. No form of 
 self-abasement likely to bear witness to the power of 
 her beauty seemed too degrading. He complained that 
 in her presence he was weak and vacillating; and if he 
 did not exaggerate this weakness, it was only because he 
 was not able. He maligned his character from every 
 point of view; and this is the curious part of love, 
 under its influence, men think about their best points 
 and like to display them, while they speak about their 
 worst. 
 
 He was in an expansive mood. He told her of his 
 early life, its trials and disappointments; and for her 
 benefit went over anew the whole marvellous story of his 
 sudden rise to fame. Relate this narrative as often as 
 he would, he always found fresh pleasure in it. He laid 
 stress on all the dramatic touches his fortunes at their 
 lowest just before the dawn, his meeting with the Bris- 
 sons, his resolute conduct in the barrack square. "I 
 verily believe it is the most decisive thing I have ever 
 done," he exclaimed, laughing, not quite believing that 
 she believed it, all the same; " I do indeed. Ordinarily, 
 I am one of the weakest of men only you must n't tell 
 my ministers." 
 
 "7 sha'n't tell them." He did not mark her emphasis: 
 he was not by any means a dull man, but love is blind. 
 
 He commenced to fondle his upper lip, after the 
 fashion of the totally shorn. ''You can imagine how 
 grateful I am to Brisson and the Grand Chamberlain." 
 He repeated the same statement in a different form half 
 a dozen times. He wanted to convince himself that the 
 last named of these benefactors was incapable of 
 treachery. Muriel treated this departure with the same 
 childlike unconcern. 
 
 "Do you really like Marshal Brisson?" she asked 
 lightly. 
 
 "My dear child, what a question. I am afraid you 
 cannot have been listening." 
 
 "He does not seem very intelligent." 
 
 "But, my dear girl, you cannot have exchanged half 
 a dozen words with him."
 
 462 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Oh yes, I have. " She gave a pert little nod, denoting 
 deep mystery: he thought her absolutely ravishing. 
 
 "I know. You have sat next to him at dinner and 
 asked him for the salt. Probably he came to the con- 
 clusion that you were a most uninteresting little person." 
 
 " Do not be impertinent, if you please." And much 
 more to the same effect, which a veracious chronicler 
 may be excused if he omits. 
 
 But before long she appeared to think she had unbent 
 enough for one day. Her manner changed with star- 
 tling abruptness; the sunshine faded from her face, and 
 its room was taken by those beginnings of hardness 
 which did not promise well for the years to come. He, 
 in duty bound, went with her. His own countenance 
 became solemn and subdued. Alas, with bitter reason. 
 He was commencing to remember Nadez; and the well- 
 grown evergreens along their path were not such sweet 
 companions as they had been on many a former occa- 
 sion. 
 
 They were moving slowly towards the setting sun. 
 Its red glow tinged the whiteness of her face. At least 
 he thought so. 
 
 "You have finished with your horrid business for 
 to-day?" she began. A false note at the outset; for he 
 had long ago discovered her character to be eminently 
 business-like. But it did not jar on him: he. too, pos- 
 sessed his little affectations. 
 
 "Yes, thank heavens. The Ministers were duller 
 than usual. If Carache does not brisken up a bit, I shall 
 really have to try some one else. Poor fellow I was 
 forgetting he has just lost his only daughter." 
 
 "That must be the little girl who always rode with 
 him in the Bois. She was pretty, poor child. I pity 
 him." 
 
 "I wish he could hear you say so. It would be some 
 solace." 
 
 "I doubt it. What can you find to talk about from 
 two to five?" 
 
 "We did not meet at two. We were not at the table 
 when you passed underneath the window. That must 
 have been after three."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 463 
 
 "I? Under what window? I have not stirred out 
 of the park the whole afternoon." 
 
 "You had to reach it by way of the terrace." 
 
 "What has the terrace to do with the Council cham- 
 ber?" 
 
 " The windows let onto the terrace. We were watch- 
 ing the beautiful day; so every one saw you. I felt 
 sorely tempted to call to you to come and take part in 
 our deliberations." He gave a little laugh, meant to 
 signify forgiveness for her indescretion ; and he expected 
 her to join. But she did nothing of the sort. Indeed, 
 a somewhat ugly frown passed across her face. 
 
 "I had no idea," was all she said. 
 
 "We had enough to talk about," he continued 
 cheerily. 
 
 The change was marvellous. She thrust a light hand 
 through his arm : it was a gesture of sudden confidence 
 and warmth. 
 
 "You silly fellow, I don't believe you. You men are 
 so self-important. Tell me, what can you have found to 
 keep you from to keep you busy from three to five?" 
 
 "Muriel, you will not be alarmed?" he asked of her 
 in a lugubrious voice. 
 
 She became cold again at once. Her nestling hand 
 dropped away. 
 
 "There is a plot on foot to take my life," and he 
 faltered and could say no more. 
 
 " Is that all? I thought you were going to tell me 
 something terrible." 
 
 "My God, isn't this terrible enough?" 
 
 "No"; the monosyllable breathed contempt. "You 
 merely share a risk common to all rulers. You princes 
 have better lives than other people ; surely it 's not too 
 much to expect that you won't be nervous about your- 
 selves? Wait till I am Empress," and her eyes kindled, 
 while the whiteness of her face needed the sun no longer, 
 "they may hatch as many plots as they choose. I 
 shall go everywhere and anywhere. No one shall say 
 that I am afraid." 
 
 " I am not afraid. Muriel, you do not love me." 
 
 " I have never said so."
 
 464 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " You do not love me. You cannot love me, to speak 
 to me like that." 
 
 "I have never said so," she repeated doggedly. 
 
 " But I can see. You do not love me as much as my 
 future wife should do." 
 
 Then I should not love you at all, her brain mur- 
 mured. 
 
 "I lavish all my heart on you," he went on, falling by 
 degrees into recriminations used before, as is the way with 
 lovers; "I worship the ground you tread on. I am not 
 ashamed to show it. Your return is meagre indeed. I 
 want a more generous one; I will have a more generous 
 one. Were I the poorest wooer in the land, the most 
 powerless, the most wretched, still I would have more. 
 The woman who becomes my wife shall love me as I 
 love her." 
 
 These outbursts of his, which promised so well for 
 their married life, always seemed to steel her heart, 
 making her colder and more disdainful than ever. Her 
 lips parted in a scorn there was no dissembling. 
 
 " I understand; you want to be free. Your first at- 
 tempt was unsuccessful: this is the second. I see it all. 
 You were too much of a coward to speak about our mar- 
 riage to your ministers. You know your timid heart; 
 you are certain that you will never dare, so you want 
 to be free. Go free! I sha'n't hinder you." 
 
 She stopped, and coldly pointed him to go forward 
 and leave her to return alone. She spoke without falter- 
 ing and without passion. 
 
 " Go your way and leave me to go mine. Leave me 
 to go mine. You have done your purpose, what more 
 could you desire?" once again that schoolgirl touch 
 which made him love her all the more. "The papers 
 have frightened you. I sha'n't ask you to do what you 
 dare not venture of your own free will. If you want 
 a woman who loves you, I want a man. I have found 
 one, too; one who would go to the end of the world for 
 me. You won't be so successful. Try as you may, you 
 will never find a woman to love you. They will all get 
 to know you as I know you, and then they will despise 
 you as I do."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 465 
 
 Her bitter incisiveness was wonderful. It contrasted 
 strangely with this jumble of ill-mixed reproaches, which 
 showed that her mind and heart were in the clutches of 
 hysterical passion, if not her manner. He attempted to 
 soothe her. 
 
 " Muriel, Muriel, they will hear us in the Palace." 
 
 " Let them. They will know what a brave man their 
 master is, their master, Napoleon IV, the Emperor of 
 the French! Do you mean to persecute me further? 
 Have I not told you that you are free? Leave me, then, 
 to go my way in peace." And once more she pointed 
 him imperiously forward to the forest gates, which were 
 close upon them. 
 
 And as he looked helplessly at her, and his eyes 
 marked her face and figure, neither over-striking, though 
 he found them so, the thought came to him: what a 
 consort for a great throne. He envied her her indom- 
 itable will. With some of it himself, he but his strength 
 lay in a different form. 
 
 A second time she bade him begone. He did not 
 stir. A third command fell equally to the winds. Num- 
 ber four she clothed in language less flattering than she 
 had yet used. 
 
 " I thought as much," and she said as much. " You 
 are the mean-hearted coward I suspected. You want me 
 to do everything. This rupture is to be my fault; not 
 yours. That is how you propose to salve your con- 
 science, you traitor! " 
 
 And then her twenty years flung aside the semblance 
 of self-restraint so long maintained. She lifted her 
 hands quickly to hide her face, and burst into a flood of 
 tears. They were the sweepings of wrath and disap- 
 pointment and helplessness and despair. 
 
 Without a thought for their exposed position, he 
 stepped forward and folded her in his arms. Her hat 
 had already fallen to the ground; she hid her weeping 
 face against his breast. He felt towards her an exalta- 
 tion of affection that breathed only reverence. It was 
 the first time he had ever held her to him. And, with 
 love like this, the last. The kiss upon her brow might
 
 466 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 well have lingered there forever: it was the only unsul- 
 lied one she ever got from him. 
 
 "My little Muriel," he whispered, "what will be- 
 come of us if we cannot learn to lean on one another. 
 Nothing shall part us, O my heart. Hear me swear it. 
 I cannot live without you." 
 
 Free again, she suffered him to keep her arm and 
 lead her forward with every sort of endearing epithet. 
 Only now and then a sob would keep breaking to the 
 surface to remind them both of their encounter. 
 
 They needed none. Neither meant to trip again. 
 She held his arm with just enough of clinging to put him 
 once more in good conceit with himself and make him 
 forget her bitter words. At the park gates, when he 
 wanted to proceed a little way into the forest, she held 
 him back, with still an occasional sob, and bade him 
 consult his own safety. But he would not hear of dan- 
 ger, answering her quite unconsciously with her own 
 words, that princes have so good a time, the least 
 they can do is not to be nervous about themselves. She 
 yielded, though she did not seem convinced. And he 
 led her forward along one of the many forest roads. On 
 his side he humoured her with a full account of the late 
 Council. He gave her details of the plot, evincing great 
 merriment when every now and then she nestled closer 
 to him with a tiny shiver or peered nervously into the 
 deep shadows of the trees. 
 
 He dilated next, and with considerable humour, upon 
 the personal peculiarities of his ministers. The satur- 
 nine Brisson, against whom my Lady had a curious 
 prejudice; the Justiciar, shunned of all his colleagues; 
 Verre's repeated snubbings. None escaped. Carache's 
 foibles came in for the severest handling. Napoleon 
 jested about his jealousy. Each Council resolved itself 
 into a species of harangue from the Prime Minister. The 
 word was always with him. Whoever tried to seize a 
 syllable rued his temerity. In the midst of this last de- 
 scription, which Muriel appeared to enjoy immensely, 
 the Emperor suddenly bethought him what causes he had 
 to love Carache. He did not mention that point, though. 
 He told her everything else everything which happened,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 467 
 
 and a little that did n't. For he ventured to touch the 
 marriage question. 
 
 It was thin ice, but he crossed it very skilfully. 
 
 "Personally, none of the ministers see any objection. 
 Ponte"coulant welcomed it. He said that it would lead 
 to more cordial relations with England. Monsieur Ca- 
 rache also showed himself exceedingly agreeable." 
 
 She was drinking in every word. 
 
 " Do you know the Prime Minister? " he asked. 
 
 "I have met him. He is an acquaintance of my 
 father's." 
 
 "Ah! After all, he is a charming man: he has a 
 deep heart. He congratulated me warmly. Kind, was it 
 not? One must remember in what trouble he is. Men 
 do not usually regard the happiness of others when they 
 themselves are plunged in woe. He said that he consid- 
 ered me a fortunate man. Apparently he admires you." 
 
 "Does he?" 
 
 "And Marshal Brisson as well " 
 
 " Did he congratulate you?" there again was that 
 hateful note of coldness. 
 
 "Certainly he did, more warmly than any one else. 
 He spoke of you in very flattering terms. You seem to 
 be quite famous already." 
 
 "Ah." 
 
 "But it is needless to specify further: their warmth 
 was absolutely unanimous. Every one had some pretty 
 little speech." 
 
 " I thought Monsieur Carache suffered no one to speak 
 except himself." 
 
 " What a suspicious little woman you are. They made 
 their remarks after the Council was at an end." 
 
 "I see." 
 
 "So far everything is very satisfactory." 
 
 "Very. But why did you not tell me this to start 
 with? " 
 
 "You never asked me." 
 
 She made a little movement of impatience. "You 
 know how important it is that our engagement should 
 be published as speedily as possible. And it is not like 
 you to keep back good news when you have any."
 
 468 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 He patted her hand with a complaisant smile. 
 
 " Let us turn," she said. 
 
 "I am afraid," faltered Napoleon, "we shall not be 
 able to make the matter public just yet a while. The 
 Premier cautions prudence. He gave me his reasons 
 with great frankness. Let me repeat them." He had to 
 pause for a short time to discover what they were. 
 
 "For one thing, Nadez's plot stops the way. We 
 must squash it, and have the Eurasian under lock and 
 key, and Changarnier as well, and Loog, and De Morin, 
 unless he can clear himself," with the dispassionate 
 light-heartedness a man uses in speaking to his mistress 
 about his benefactors. "You must not breathe a word 
 of these things. The Emperor's wife is himself. The 
 trouble will come to a head early next week. We are 
 merely waiting to see whether we can get any other 
 leading people into our net." 
 
 " Does it please you to discover that your chief men 
 are traitors? " she asked, with some disgust. The jaunty 
 manner at once changed. He gazed more in sorrow than 
 in anger at the hardening road. 
 
 " I am bound to protect myself. " 
 
 He resumed the flow of Carache's reasons with a 
 chastened spirit. 
 
 "The Chamber meets on Monday after this week's 
 recess. The Premier desires the opportunity of feeling 
 their temper. Then, there is a third point: he wants 
 your father's appointment to be definitely announced. 
 Lord Threpps says that the viceroyalty is practically his. 
 The news of it will give my bride an added prestige." 
 
 She smiled. This last was a skilful stroke skilfully 
 delivered. 
 
 " My darling won't have to exercise very much more 
 patience. Ten days is the outside limit. Eleven days 
 from now the world shall know that I am the happiest 
 man it holds." 
 
 He squeezed her arm, and she gave him, in return, 
 just the faintest touch of a responsive pressure; at any 
 rate, enough to thrill through his frame. So he went on 
 to fabricate lies which were quite gratuitous, and which
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 469 
 
 would merely result in depriving him of pleasures he 
 might bitterly regret. 
 
 These were among them. 
 
 " M. Carache expresses himself as most anxious that, 
 during this very difficult time, no word of scandal should 
 attach itself to your good name. He does not think 
 much harm has been done so far. But he gives me a 
 deal of advice as to my future conduct. According to 
 his views, I ought not to be with you now. I can't help 
 it; I couldn't deny myself just one last interview. After 
 to-day, however, I mean to obey him to the letter. We 
 are not to meet in private. In public we are not to 
 exchange so much as a good-morning. I am to move 
 about as though you did not exist. I am not to be too 
 cordial to your mother. You are to be permitted to 
 depart on Saturday; while I, poor wretch, must remain 
 till the Monday following. And from Saturday forward, 
 we are not to meet again until we are publicly betrothed. ' ' 
 
 She kept nodding a satisfied assent to this rule of life. 
 
 "You must introduce me to Monsieur Carache," she 
 said, as though he, too, would find her irresistible. "I 
 am sure I should like him." 
 
 Napoleon suddenly recalled the night at Jervis's 
 Restaurant. 
 
 " But you know him. I have seen you dining in his 
 company. " 
 
 "Then I have forgotten him," she answered, with 
 great composure. " Certainly he has never called upon 
 us since we have been in Paris." 
 
 "But is he not a friend of your father's? You said 
 so just now." 
 
 "Oh, poor father has many friends." 
 
 Poor Bonaparte was positively wet. He remembered 
 now that the Minister had never once referred to his 
 acquaintanceship, though he had done all the talking at 
 the late interview. Surely, Muriel must see through his 
 lies. 
 
 But she did not seem to. She smiled placidly and 
 repeated her previous statement: 
 
 "If I have ever met him, I forget the occasion."
 
 470 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Our hero breathed once more. 
 
 "He spoke a little about the ceremonial," he went 
 on. " The merest mention you understand. We rather 
 think that after the proclamation there ought to be a 
 grand reception at the Elysee, for me to present you to 
 some of the leading people. That would be Saturday 
 week." 
 
 Her eyes glistened. This was what she liked; what 
 she had long dreamt of beside the sea at Sidmouth, in 
 days when her coming king stood shadows only. 
 
 "The only thing is," he went on with real solicitude, 
 "it will be a big occasion, and I should like you to 
 be easily first among the throng of well-dressed women." 
 
 " I can manage that," she answered. 
 
 Busy as they were with these sweet fancies, they did 
 not notice how far they had gone into the forest. The 
 night was creeping in upon them. They grew silent 
 amid the universal stillness. On both there fell that calm 
 sobriety of judgment which reaches men amid the falling 
 shadows. Just as their path stretched clear in front of 
 them, the broad white path, its muddy ruts hardening 
 with rime, so lay the remaining road of life before their 
 eyes. They saw an existence neither so glorious nor so 
 happy as they had fancied, but happy and glorious 
 enough. So these two contented beings moved forward, 
 full of hope and confidence, into the unknown. Moved 
 by some common impulse, both quickened their steps, 
 anxious to pursue a little farther this road which seemed 
 never-ending. Its appearance proved deceptive. A 
 few yards on it turned abruptly and took its way 
 across a circular clearing some two hundred paces in cir- 
 cumference. In the centre stood one of those numerous 
 hunting-pavilions which dot the forest. Its door lay 
 invitingly open, and both door and windows poured forth 
 a flood of light that reached even to the belt of trees. 
 Their way ran directly underneath the portal of this fairy 
 building. The Emperor declared that it should be the 
 limit of their walk. Both were filled with pleasurable 
 excitement. There seemed something so weird, so fairy- 
 like, in the adventure. This clearing in the depth of 
 the forest; its smooth lawn of turf and dying leaves that
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 471 
 
 felt like velvet to their feet; and the dark lines on every 
 side, most ghostly where the light touched them. 
 
 The girl sprang up the steps. 
 
 " Shall we enter? " she cried to her companion. 
 
 "As you wish. No, stay there maybe some one 
 within." 
 
 "What of that? " she said, with all the lightness of a 
 child. He followed her, infected by her spirit. 
 
 But on the threshold she hesitated, and the delight 
 of it! clasped his arm with both her own. 
 
 " Suppose suppose there is danger? Nadez! had 
 we not better get home? " 
 
 His Majesty began to feel very uncomfortable. 
 
 " Pooh, Nadez cannot come to Compiegne. There is 
 nothing to fear," and he pushed boldly through the half- 
 opened door. 
 
 They found themselves straightway in a well-sized 
 hall, which swallowed up the lower story. A bronze 
 cluster, lit by electric light, hung from the ceiling of 
 dark polished oak. The walls, of the like material, were 
 heavy with rusting armour, and antlers, and trophies of 
 the chase. Easy-chairs, and skins, and luxurious couches 
 lay about in Oriental profusion. A massive table, directly 
 underneath the chandelier, gave at a glance the history 
 of these brilliant lights in a house that was clearly empty. 
 It groaned under a picturesque assortment of silver tea- 
 pots and milk-jugs, teacups of egg-shell pattern, and 
 bearing the Imperial cipher, and dishes filled with cakes 
 and bread and butter. The hunting-lodge, then, had 
 been the goal of this afternoon's excursion. Lord and 
 Lady Threpps, Lady Framlingham, the Prehlens, the 
 Grand Chamberlain, and the rest of that elegant com- 
 pany, had had their tea within these walls half an hour 
 back. Here was the debris. 
 
 Muriel found the incident enchanting. She poured 
 herself some tea from the massive silver, and complained 
 because the resulting beverage only suited the hottest 
 summer day. She gobbled petit fours, giving her lover 
 bread and butter. It nearly choked him; he was begin- 
 ning to feel the least bit sick. Never before had she shown 
 such gaiety, such an abundance of animal spirit. She
 
 472 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 asked a thousand questions, and did not wait for a single 
 answer. She moved from one end of the hall to the 
 other, fingering the horns and hanging spears. Once she 
 ran lightly up the creaking staircase which led to the 
 second floor. 
 
 All the while, Napoleon lay back in an easy-chair, 
 watching her vivacious movements. A silence had fallen 
 upon him; and when he did succeed in breaking it, it 
 was with shaking voice. 
 
 "Muriel," said he, "come and rest yourself. We 
 must be moving directly." 
 
 Her docility was marvellous. The chair she chose 
 stood so close to her lover's side that she towered 
 above him as he lounged at his ease. Her knees touched 
 the velvet elbow of his own. His right hand swung 
 lifeless from his side, with knuckles that swept the floor. 
 He was literally at her feet. 
 
 " My dear child," and he spoke with averted gaze, 
 " how I envy you your cheerful spirits. For my part, I 
 feel depressed and tired out." 
 
 " That is a pretty compliment." 
 
 "With business, I mean. This last hour has revived 
 me a little ; but one takes a deal of reviving after nine 
 hours' hard labour." 
 
 "I do n't believe a word of what you say. Nine 
 hours! It is my impression you sleep all the mornings." 
 She leant forward laughing, and lightly touched his 
 drooping head with a caressing gesture. 
 
 "Ah, Muriel, you and I will never be as happy again. 
 We shall remember this little adventure of ours long 
 hence, when the cares of state hang heavy on our shoul- 
 ders. " 
 
 "Goodness me, you are never five minutes of the 
 same mind. Just now you said you were weary to 
 death." 
 
 "So I was just now. Yes," he pursued, "we 
 shall remember this, one day, and regret it. How happy 
 we should be living in the depth of this forest, far from 
 the worry of the world. This should be our home, this 
 hunting-lodge as it stands, without alteration or addition 
 (only my little wife should see that the tea-things were
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 473 
 
 put away by six). Here we would live year in, year out, 
 perfectly contented with one another's love, perfectly 
 happy, rearing our little ones" he fell into the rever- 
 ential tone men adopt towards their unborn offspring 
 
 "to become brave and strong and true. When I was 
 a disappointed man, not so long ago, over in accursed 
 England, I imagined nothing could be worth having 
 except fame. The night I saw you first, I added you to 
 the tale of things I longed for. Now that I know fame 
 and you, I want you, and nothing else." 
 
 "Come," she said coldly, "we must be moving 
 home." 
 
 So they picked their way homeward among the dying 
 leaves, silent and fretful, both of them. The Palace 
 windows shone forth a welcome. The blaze of light 
 hardly served to increase their cheerfulness. They crept 
 towards the private door. Muriel pushed through first. 
 They went together by the rooms which had formed the 
 private suite in the last reign. The girl surveyed them 
 with no friendly eye. Once she exclaimed peevishly: 
 "I shall do away with this circular boudoir when I am 
 
 when we are married."
 
 Chapter VIIT 
 
 The Honourable Charles Mendril sat at home eating 
 his dinner in a state of solitary splendour. He was also 
 in an exceedingly bad temper. For thirteen days had 
 he been brooding upon the vagaries of royalty. The 
 Emperor knew him, and knew that he proposed to 
 become an attache" at the British Embassy. Why, then, 
 did Majesty forget to invite him to Compiegne? The 
 Grand Chamberlain that old hypocrite De Morin, with 
 his lies and his grimaces stood equally well informed. 
 Why did he not suggest such an invitation? Walter 
 received one. He needed it more than Walter. He 
 had his way to make in the world: not but that he felt 
 competent to make it without assistance from foreign 
 potentates. Still, every little helps. His brother's 
 case went on altogether different legs. His path stretched 
 smooth in front of him, right up to the gloomy portals of 
 the Mendril Mausoleum. Why was he in Paris at all, 
 taking the bread out of the mouth of a future ambas- 
 sador in this disgusting way, when by rights he ought to 
 be engaged in giving his support to the Ottery hunt or 
 arranging next year's fixtures for the Tipton Barmecides? 
 Some men wanted everything; Walter, among them. 
 He enjoyed the reversion to the title; surely he might 
 be satisfied with that. As a matter of fact, the selfish 
 fellow was consumed with jealousy lest his cleverer 
 younger brother should sprout into the Lord John Rus- 
 sell of the family. Hence his abominable behaviour. 
 The Honourable Charles hated him for it. 
 
 But if the Honourable Charles detested his brother, 
 what must the Honourable Charles have felt towards 
 his sister? To begin with, she was a miserably useless 
 girl. Who invites miserably useless girls to Compiegne? 
 But the conditions under which that invitation has been 
 
 474
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 475 
 
 given, as it subsequently appeared, turned this absurdity 
 into a disgrace. Charles, as became a diplomat, got 
 wind of most things some twelve hours after everybody 
 else. The scandal, lately arrived in Paris, had filtered 
 through to him. His friends at the Embassy, full- 
 budded young attaches, and nice fellows, though unin- 
 telligent, began to stop dead in the midst of exciting 
 conversations whenever he showed his face. He knew 
 what that meant. And to crown all, he had just pro- 
 cured yesterday's Imperiale and had digested its insulting 
 leader before sitting down to his meal. 
 
 The Grub Street hack, the author of it, knew how to 
 sharpen the thorn. The reptile actually described the 
 young lady as "of good birth enough for ordinary pur- 
 poses." His sister "of good birth enough for ordinary 
 purposes"! His sister! and he, who intended to use 
 diplomacy merely as a stepping-stone, meant to be the 
 great patrician premier of the twentieth century! 
 The man spoken of by Macaulay, sought in mar- 
 riage by princesses, worshipped by all. The man 
 who, fearing neither his own order nor the people, 
 would give to each its due. The man who would steer 
 the ship of state with every spar intact through that 
 terrible tempest which is to devastate this planet in the 
 course of the next forty years, and which will most 
 obligingly overwhelm a few political leaders and kings 
 and emperors and nations, in order to set off the mag- 
 nificence of the Honourable Charles. " Good birth 
 enough for ordinary purposes "! But what can you ex- 
 pect where a fool of a girl is concerned? She would drag 
 them all through the mud yet, and put him back some 
 five years in his career. It served his parents right. It 
 came as a meet punishment for their foolish indulgence. 
 Muriel had been petted and spoilt and given way to in 
 everything here was the result. If it broke their 
 hearts, they only had to thank their own stupidity. As 
 for Walter, the Tipton Barmecides were always there for 
 him to fall back on. But the thing seemed d ish 
 hard on the Honourable Charles himself, who never ap- 
 proved this visit to Compiegne, and, moreover, had his 
 way to make in the world. It was worse than hard; it
 
 476 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 was criminal. The lot of them went their own selfish 
 courses, following out their jealousies and and and 
 their lusts, never remembering that it was their chief 
 duty to make an elegant background for the great patri- 
 cian premier of the twentieth century. 
 
 But the task would be unending to attempt to put on 
 paper the various shapes taken by his ill-humour. Those 
 above set forth are a feeble sample. For the rest, face 
 to face with this his twelfth solitary steak, his mood was 
 blacker and his heart fuller of angry hatred than it had 
 been any of the eleven preceding days which had 
 elapsed since their departure. 
 
 A servant broke in diffidently upon his reflections to 
 inquire of Monsieur Charles whether my Lord returned 
 that night from England. Monsieur Charles did not 
 know, and he did not hesitate to say so without any of 
 those qualifications to ignorance that filial anxiety might 
 have been expected to suggest. The words had scarcely 
 left his lips when the door flung open and Lord Fram- 
 lingham appeared, a veritable living reply. 
 
 The Earl bore on him all the signs of travel. Still 
 enveloped in his long ulster, a rug about his shoulders, 
 a want of courtesy which Charles bitterly resented, he 
 seemed to introduce a cold whiff of the Channel. He 
 looked gloomily at the wide expanse of table-cloth. 
 
 "So you have the place to yourself," said he, in a 
 voice that did not belie his looks. 
 
 "Yes," replied the young man, making faithful copy 
 of his father's manner, and not leaving his steak for a 
 single instant; "the others are at Compiegne. " 
 
 "I know," muttered my Lord. " Marc-Antonin, a 
 knife and fork. He flung his coverings wearily to one 
 side, another breach of decorum which jarred consider- 
 ably on the Honourable Charles, he passed his hands 
 through his hair (yet a third), then seated himself at the 
 opposite end of the table, facing the patrician premier of 
 the twentieth century. 
 
 The son sat moodily drumming his fingers on his plate, 
 waiting with no good grace until his father should be 
 level with him, and they might start fair upon the pud- 
 ding. Both were equally taciturn.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 477 
 
 " There, take it away," said my Lord at last to Marc- 
 Antonin. " Well, Charles, you may congratulate me. 
 I have secured the appointment." 
 
 The young fellow thawed at once. His father was 
 not such an incompetent after all. He would throw up 
 the attache"ship, and go out as the Viceroy's private sec- 
 retary. Muriel must be cut adrift as quietly and speedily 
 as possible. She might keep her Emperor, and the whole 
 of France as well, if she chose. 
 
 " I congratulate you, father, most heartily. Did you 
 have any serious competitors? " 
 
 " I am sure I do not know. I saw the Prime Minister 
 on Monday, and he told me that he had submitted my 
 name." 
 
 "When do you start? " 
 
 " I cannot tell you." My Lord did not partake of 
 his son's suddenly acquired eagerness for conversation. 
 He had communicated his news; that was sufficient. " I 
 cannot tell you." he repeated drily. "Mr. Rodenham 
 does not know himself. There seems some confusion as 
 to the date from which Rocheberie's resignation is to 
 take effect." 
 
 " Father," said the young man a few minutes later, 
 with a most engaging show of filial diffidence. 
 
 "Well?" My Lord looked fixedly at the treacle in 
 his coffee-cup. This reception was not encouraging. 
 Charles, however, persevered. The Viceroyalty justified 
 a certain amount of geniality, even though it went unre- 
 quited. 
 
 " Father, I want to throw up the service." He ex- 
 pected a volley of surprised remonstrances. He found 
 himself disappointed. 
 
 "You must do as you please. But may I ask what is 
 the meaning of this new move? " 
 
 "You are going to India. That is a better chance 
 for me than vegetating as a third secretary in Paris all 
 my life. " 
 
 " Oh, that 's it, is it? I am afraid Walter must have 
 first choice. And I cannot take you both. " 
 
 "Why not? Walter can be your unpaid secretary; he 
 doesn't want the money."
 
 478 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " It is useless asking me my reasons. I should be 
 quite glad to take you, my dear boy. But if your brother 
 elects to come, you cannot. Except as a visitor, of 
 course." 
 
 "I suppose Mr. Rodenham wants the place for one 
 of his nominees," Charles said sulkily. 
 
 " That is not your business. I am not in a mood to 
 argue the matter. You must therefore kindly desist." 
 
 " And if Walter refuses? " 
 
 "Then you may have his place. I should advise you, 
 however, to stick to the profession which you have chosen. 
 No man ever did any good by chopping and changing 
 about." 
 
 Here was the Honourable Charles's opportunity. He 
 promptly embarked upon that topic which, of all others, 
 he always found the most fascinating. 
 
 "To tell you the truth, sir, I do not propose to make 
 diplomacy a serious profession. I want to stay at it four 
 or five years to acquire a little experience and knowledge 
 of the world, and then I shall abandon it for political 
 life." 
 
 " Walter will have my interest in the Honiton divis- 
 ion," said the Earl cheerlessly. 
 
 "I do not expect anything else," and in his heart he 
 cursed his elder brother. " Forgive me for mentioning it, 
 there are other constituencies beside the Honiton divis- 
 ion. " This was carrying coals to Newcastle with a ven- 
 geance, or in other words, treating his father to a taste 
 of the well-known Mendril chill. "The Mendrils can 
 be very severe when they choose," was a frequent say- 
 ing round about Tipton-St.-John. 
 
 His father made return with another celebrated com- 
 modity (not quite so rare as the other), to wit, a dose of 
 well-merited parental contempt. 
 
 " Do n't be a young donkey. Come upstairs to the 
 drawing-room. Heigho! I am dead sleepy. I shall get 
 to bed betimes, I know. I was at Rodenham's last night 
 until close upon twelve o'clock." 
 
 A single flickering jet lit patches of the drawing-room. 
 The very sight chilled them to the bone. " Ugh ! " cried 
 his Lordship, withdrawing his head the second after he
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 479 
 
 had put it in, "this won't do. Let's try the study. " 
 They tried the study; but the Earl had not been expected 
 home till Saturday. The library was no better. Charles 
 did not possess a sitting-room, an additional grievance 
 in the eyes of this much-aggrieved individual. At last 
 they were compelled to order a fire in Muriel's boudoir, 
 as being the smallest and the most easily warmed. And 
 they sat themselves down among her cushions and her 
 knick-knacks in an even less desirable frame of mind than 
 heretofore. 
 
 But the fire burnt up brightly. The pink shaded lamp 
 cast a softened light over the room: it illuminated Lord 
 Framlingham's benign countenance, shining down upon 
 them from over Muriel's mantelpiece. The Original lit 
 a cigar and surveyed his likeness thoughtfully. The 
 cheerful surroundings soon took effect. " I shall be glad 
 to have my little girl home again," he murmured. 
 
 The younger man at once fell in with his softened 
 mood. "This is my view," he began pompously, apro- 
 pos of his boots, which were large, and patent-leather; 
 " if a fellow has no expensive tastes and a fair amount of 
 brains, he can easily manage to take up politics as a pro- 
 fession. After all, the diplomatic service is fearfully 
 overdone. I might remain a secretary for years, and 
 never rise above a legation all my life. Besides, to get 
 a decent embassy, one must have a private income. But 
 if one has a private income, I do not see why one should 
 not try the House. There, at least, a fellow gets a fair 
 field and no favour; and provided he can speak and 
 keep his head cool, he will go far. Now, with Aunt 
 Mary's legacy and my allowance, I shall have sufficient 
 for my modest requirements. What I mean to do is this : 
 I shall throw up the F. O. and come to India, either as 
 one of your secretaries or in a private capacity. I do n't 
 mind which it is. Indeed, the latter for preference. 
 For then I can travel about and study the Afghan ques- 
 tion, and the Pamirs, and native matters generally. 
 Five years of that sort of thing will prove invaluable; it 
 brings a man to the front. I daresay I shall get the 
 Times to insert some signed articles of mine. Rupert 
 Gherkin did; and he is only a year senior to me. I shall
 
 480 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 return home and put up at once for Parliament. Gher- 
 kin will help find me a seat. He says there is still plenty 
 of room for men of good birth who have the gift ahem 
 of the gab. Look how he has got on: I don't find 
 him so very clever. I think I can fairly claim to be a 
 better speaker. My Bright recitation at the Eton 
 speeches made a great impression. Who was the old 
 gentleman who had heard Bright, and who said that mine 
 surpassed the original? I always got full houses at the 
 Union. And the fact that I was president will help my 
 candidature. Gherkin says so. Once in the House, I 
 shall go dead slow ahead. For the first two seasons no 
 one shall hear the colour of my voice. I shall be assidu- 
 ous at committees and that sort of thing; and I sha'n't 
 miss the tiniest division. To do that, I must have 
 a small flat down Westminster way. Of course, I should 
 prefer to live at home; but you are so seldom in town, 
 and it would hardly be worth while keeping the house up 
 for me. I mean to live very modestly, make the draw- 
 ing-room my library, and that sort of thing, and I 
 never intend to budge. A fellow can live very cheaply, 
 provided he never budges. Honestly I believe," he 
 ended in a great burst of triumph, " by following the 
 life I have sketched out, I shall become a great Parlia- 
 mentarian of course, in time." 
 
 " Of course, in time," said the father. And this was 
 all he did say; for his son's prophetic autobiography 
 had sent him off into a doze, which only half lifted to 
 add this dry amen. 
 
 Nothing daunted, the Honour the Right Honourable 
 Charles proceeded to a minute description of his daily 
 life. He gave the hour at which he meant to rise; what 
 he would eat and drink so as to insure the greatest 
 amount of work from a body that was to be kept on a 
 minimum of sleep and exercise; how he intended to map 
 out his days; and half a hundred points connected with 
 regimen, points which ambitious youth may think and 
 write about in their diaries, but which they should be 
 careful not to discuss in the presence of elders: it 
 awakens sad memories. From the tending of his body 
 he passed by natural and easy stages to a forecast of his
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 481 
 
 views upon political questions. How he proposed to be 
 an Imperialist and yet not a jingo; a labour-man full of 
 compassion for hardship and poverty, but in no way a 
 little Englander or communist; both of them attitudes 
 which (as he was careful to assure his father) had not so 
 far been successfully assumed by any leading statesman. 
 In a word, every one was to make himself hoarse acclaim- 
 ing a certain process, which, before the Right Honour- 
 able Charles Mendril, M.P., First Lord of the Treasury, 
 had burst into the firmament to remain there forever, 
 like the moon of or belonging to Joshua, had been 
 known by the less complimentary description "facing 
 both ways." Not but that this process is in vogue at 
 present. But its chief exponents rest content with the 
 loaves and fishes. They can do without the shouting. 
 
 Thus far the dreams of ambitious youth. The Earl, 
 provided he listened at all to these outpourings, must 
 have regretted his uniform indulgence towards his chil- 
 dren. But he gave no sign of having heard a word, 
 save for a single glance (made with contracted pupils), 
 which may be credited with going some way into the 
 young man's soul. But at length, in the midst of a dis- 
 sertation upon the decline of oratory, my Lord took upon 
 himself to move the closure. He proposed the motion, 
 and carried and enforced it, at one swoop. 
 
 "When does your mother return from Compiegne? " 
 
 "Saturday, I fancy. They don't deign to tell me 
 the actual date. They appear to be enjoying themselves 
 vastly." 
 
 "It is the end," soliloquized my Lord, and he heaved 
 a sigh of satisfaction. "Thank heaven, /we shall be 
 gone from here by Christmas. I wonder what Muriel 
 will say to India," he continued, softly smiling. "She 
 will be content with nothing under two elephants, I '11 be 
 bound, and tiger-hunts by the dozen. That child ought 
 to have been a boy: her pluck and resolution would have 
 fitted her." 
 
 "I am sure I wish she had been one," Charles said 
 angrily. He resented any tampering with his prerogative. 
 
 His words, no less than the manner in which they 
 were uttered, jarred visibly.
 
 482 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "What do you mean? " 
 
 " I do not think my mother ought to stay two weeks 
 at Compiegne. People are commencing to say unpleas- 
 ant things." 
 
 " Unpleasant things about whom? Tell me at once; 
 I insist upon knowing." 
 
 Framlingham had sprung out of his lounging-chair. 
 He stood glaring down at the patrician premier. The 
 latter, however, was no coward. His sullen temper, 
 kindling to white heat under these menacing gestures, 
 forbade retreat. 
 
 " I will tell you. You need not stand over me in that 
 theatri in that way. Read the Imperiale for yesterday 
 morning; and spare me the sicken the details." 
 
 Lord Framlingham turned and tugged at the bell. 
 "Yesterday's Imperiale!" he shouted. Then, when it 
 came, he thrust the paper into Charles's hands. 
 
 "Find me the passage, quick! " 
 
 He read it through, standing, and with much delibera- 
 tion. Next, sinking once more into his chair, fell into 
 musings which his son did not venture to disturb. 
 
 " Have you more to add? " he asked presently. 
 
 "Only the merest gossip." 
 
 " So people have begun to gossip? " 
 
 "Yes," the Honourable Charles was fain to admit. 
 
 "What do they say? " 
 
 "They say that the English visitors at Compiegne 
 have become fixtures. Also, they repeat passages from 
 the leader." 
 
 " Anything else? " 
 
 "On the boulevards they begin to call him 'the 
 Englishman.' I don't recollect anything else oh 
 yes" 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "I was at the theatre Tuesday: I heard a man re- 
 mark that ' Milord ' was too wise to show up at the 
 betrothal." 
 
 " Continue." 
 
 " The curtain went up and I heard no more." 
 
 My Lord dragged his chair up to the fender to huddle 
 over the fire. Charles could scarce endure the silence
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 483 
 
 that ensued. In a way it frightened him: he had looked 
 for quite other results from his communication. 
 
 He was squat and sallow and blotchy, was Charles, 
 and of a sanguine temperament; and his main object at 
 present was to shelve this unpleasant matter with the 
 least possible delay. Muriel had got herself into a 
 questionable position; she had caused them to be talked 
 about; and had made his chosen career impossible. 
 Very well, she might go the whole hog. After all, the 
 "whole hog" was not so very disagreeable. She would 
 have plenty to eat and drink, and good clothes and a 
 nice house. An affectionate brother could surely sur- 
 vey her future without justifiable concern. As for 
 himself well, the mishap had its uses. He preferred 
 India, in any case. His sister's liaison with an emperor 
 would invest the whole family with a mysterious prestige, 
 besides accounting for that expression of deep-seated 
 melancholy, which was to be a noticeable trait of his 
 when he became First Minister of the Crown. 
 
 Accordingly, what the Honourable Charles wanted 
 was an outburst of passionate wrath that should sweep 
 up all the Framlingham belongings now in France, 
 Muriel excepted, and transport them then and there to 
 Government House, Calcutta. But this brooding and 
 shivering over the fire? At no time ought a strong man 
 to shiver and brood; least of all when the occasion 
 called for immediate action. It called so now. The 
 Honourable Charles had settled the whole thing in his 
 own mind: the offending member must be promptly 
 lopped off. 
 
 He did hope that there was to be no " strong arm " 
 business; no hand held out to succor stumbling feet; no 
 retreat which carried all its wounded with it. He had 
 small patience with such folly, followed, as it would 
 most assuredly be, by the jeers of Europe, and subdued 
 garments and an interesting convalescence at Simla. 
 
 So he broke into a string of querulous murmurings. 
 
 " I must say, it shows a great want of consideration, 
 to get us all talked about in this way. I do not mind so 
 much for myself, but it is confoundedly hard on you and 
 mother. She really should remember what she owes to
 
 484 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 you two, and to Walter and to me. But I foretold as 
 much. Girls are so silly and thoughtless. I do n't sup- 
 pose she means any harm, but she is like the rest of 
 them. And this is the pretty pass to which her want of 
 thought has brought us; our name derided by every 
 har lounger on the boulevards! It is monstrous! 
 Mother must bear most of the blame. She ought never 
 to have gone. And Walter what can he have been 
 thinking about all this time? Had I been there, and 
 seen this trouble arising, I should have put my foot down 
 pretty promptly. Yes, even if the need had come to 
 beard Majesty himself. Though, mind, I should have 
 approached him in a very politic manner. ' Sire ', I 
 should have said, ' pardon my presumption. What is 
 fun amusement to you is death to my sister. I owe it 
 to my father and to my own future to see that this fool- 
 ishness goes no further. We may not be emperors, but 
 we are strong enough to defend the honour of a kins- 
 woman. ' He would not need any more." 
 
 "For heaven's sake spare me more of that rubbish. 
 Be a good son and hand me over the time-table. No," 
 he groaned, running his eye along the top of the page 
 leading to Compiegne, "there is no reaching there to- 
 night. Better so, I suppose; it would only make matters 
 worse." 
 
 "You are going there to-morrow? " the son asked 
 dubiously. 
 
 " By the first train. ' ' 
 
 "Ah. I shall be off to bed. Good-night, father." 
 
 " Good-night, my boy. Sleep well. " 
 
 The fire burnt all the brighter for the departure of 
 the Honourable Charles. The pink-shaded light pursued 
 its even course without faltering; and Muriel's father, 
 surrounded by her pictures and her treasures, let his 
 mind wander off some few months forward to a certain 
 realm, whereof the ruler might and would love his 
 daughter without scandal or reproach.
 
 Chapter IX 
 
 The morning, however, brought a number of obstacles, 
 all of which had to be surmounted before Lord Framling- 
 ham could get to the Gare du Nord. There were let- 
 ters from Mr. Rodenham and the India Office, requiring 
 detailed and separate and immediate replies. At eleven, 
 an English prince, travelling southward, put in an appear- 
 ance and stayed an hour. Threpps followed. The British 
 Ambassador, having heard of his predecessor's good for- 
 tune, had dropped in to ask for a little advice. He gave 
 place to Louis de Murinac, who had come up all the way 
 from Avize to request his brother-in law to send him an 
 eye-witness's account of Pondicherry, to form a colonial 
 appendix to his magnum opus. So it was past lunch-time 
 before the Earl departed, and quite dark when he stepped 
 out onto the threshold of the Palace. The Grand Cham- 
 berlain happened to be crossing the Salles des Armes as 
 he arrived. The old fellow started back in pleased sur- 
 prise. Then he proceeded to welcome him warmly, 
 clasping both his hands within his own. 
 
 "Here you are at last," he cried. " Thirteen days 
 late and just in time to take leave; but here all the same. 
 His Majesty will be glad to see you. My lady, as well; 
 indeed, all the guests: we do n't get many viceroys down 
 at Compiegne. This way, your Excellency. They are all 
 of them in the forest. Simple country pleasures, you see, 
 early to bed, early to rise, and plenty of healthy exer- 
 cise and nourishing food. Ah, this must be Madame's 
 room. Empty, you observe. They shall know of your 
 arrival, directly they return. But" and De Morin 
 dropped his voice in deep sorrow "the party breaks up 
 on Saturday. Only two nights at Compiegne you, the 
 most honoured guest! Your dear ones have benefited 
 
 485
 
 486 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 by the change to a marvellous degree. You are bound 
 to notice it. Muriel looks charming. I must not inter- 
 fere with you a minute longer. I am so overjoyed to 
 see you, really I cannot help chattering." 
 
 By this time the Chamberlain had got my Lord well 
 into the centre of his wife's apartments. With his eyes 
 resolutely fixed on the latter nobleman's face he backed 
 himself out of the room, closing the door gently, but 
 also very firmly. Perhaps he feared lest this welcome 
 and long looked for guest might burst forth to scour the 
 Palace in rather too premature a fashion. 
 
 His presence of mind met its fitting reward. He left 
 Madame's threshold to stumble upon the vanguard of 
 the returning guests, a group of cheerful and simple 
 foresters, still busy with the beauties of the late sunset, 
 and the marvels of the health-giving air. Prehlen came 
 first, his hand lovingly on Lord Mendril's shoulder: the 
 Ambassador was talking about the cholera. Lady 
 Threpps, bereft of her lord, Madame Pontecoulant and 
 Lady Framlingham, followed close upon their heels. 
 De Morin was able to touch my Lady's arm. She started ; 
 and he, making no attempt to hide his great anxiety, 
 whispered her that the Earl had come. She was a 
 woman of ready comprehension and some spirit. She 
 did not delay to thank him for his warning, but went off 
 straightway to beard this lion in her den. 
 
 De Morin, on his side, made direct for the Imperial 
 library. He found Godefroy hovering about the thresh- 
 old, who informed him that the Emperor had not budged 
 since noon. Napoleon sat at his desk writing assidu- 
 ously. He did not appear to relish the old gentleman's 
 intrusion. He motioned him silently to a chair. Then, 
 having searched the ceiling for vanished threads, resumed 
 his task. "Scratch," "scratch," ran his ready pen; 
 filled sheets littered his desk, and even bathed his boots. 
 He looked pale, and worried, and full of energy. 
 Presently he put his name with a final dash at the foot 
 of a page, and laid his pen upon the rack, gratefully 
 sighing. He gathered up his precious documents, sorted 
 them, tied them into a neat bundle, and locked them
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 487 
 
 away. Only then, after these separate processes were 
 duly completed, did he turn to inquire the other's busi- 
 ness. 
 
 "Sire, the Earl of Framlingham is here." 
 
 The Emperor reddened. Against his will he red- 
 dened; and being conscious of it, reddened even more. 
 
 " I hope you have made him very welcome," said he, 
 with much unconcern. "I fear his visit to Compiegne 
 will be exceedingly short." 
 
 " His stay in France will not be much longer. I hear 
 for certain that he has got his appointment. A few 
 weeks hence, he and his belongings will be gone. Really 
 it is a great opportunity. My master will thus be 
 able to escape from an embarrassing situation before it 
 is too late. The young lady has not been over-prudent 
 during the last few days: she must suffer for her im- 
 prudence. Happily the price won't be very terrible. 
 Not one man in a thousand knows her name. It is no 
 shame to win a man's love; the shame comes later. 
 Thank God, you have been spared that. The whole in- 
 cident may now be satisfactorily terminated. You can 
 both feel that it contains nothing but what does honour 
 to the hearts of either." 
 
 Napoleon's sole response was a gratified smile be- 
 stowed upon the drawer where lay his mysterious pa- 
 pers. De Morin followed it, but hardly understood; and 
 Majesty contented himself with a little digression upon 
 the exalted nature of the office to which the Earl had 
 been appointed. 
 
 ' 'As Viceroy-designate he must receive the very highest 
 attention from myself downwards. Therefore, my ven- 
 erable friend " he stopped abruptly: he recollected at 
 that moment De Morin's suspicious dealings with the 
 Eurasian. 
 
 Without a moment's reflection, heeding neither his 
 promise to Carache, his obligations towards the Cham- 
 berlain, nor his own self-respect, he plucked at the 
 portable bell hanging from his chair. The sound which 
 summoned Godefroy must have taken its touch from 
 Napoleon's fears: the valet came hurrying in. The old
 
 488 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 gentleman, meanwhile, lay dozing peacefully in his arm- 
 chair by the window. These domestic interruptions 
 never interested him. 
 
 But Majesty's first word sufficed to wake him. 
 
 "Stand by me," he said to the domestic, very, very 
 gravely, beckoning the latter to a position at his right 
 hand. The Emperor's left was against the corner wall. 
 The broad desk lay in front; while a waste-paper basket 
 from Bindings guarded his legs. 
 
 Thus girt in, he turned upon the delinquent minister; 
 a look of great severity covering his mobile countenance. 
 
 "Monsieur de Morin, I have to perform a very pain- 
 ful duty. So painful that I will go directly to the point. 
 What has Nadez been doing down at Compiegne? " 
 
 The Count never faltered. " It's all that confounded 
 Carache," he murmured to himself. 
 
 " Of course," he added out loud, "you desire a candid 
 answer? " 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 "And you can spare the time for a tedious recital, 
 which, moreover, ends in nothing?" 
 
 "I want the truth," the Emperor said tartly. 
 
 "I will give it you. But first, may I beg a chair for 
 Monsieur Godefrdy? " 
 
 "I prefer to stand," interposed the faithful fellow. 
 He had already grasped his role in this little drama. He 
 was the trusty body-guard. Any minute might see the 
 need of flinging himself on that venerable old gentleman 
 opposite, at present engaged in picking his teeth with 
 his eyeglass-cord, and of bearing him away to the 
 deepest dungeon Compiegne possessed. 
 
 "The whole thing is simple enough," began the 
 Count. " The ministers are perfectly right; I have seen 
 a deal of Nadez lately. Both he and Prince Felix were 
 with me in the chateau here. But let me add this much, 
 my first interview with the Eurasian was at Carache 's 
 own request." 
 
 "How am I to believe that?" cried Napoleon. 
 
 "Listen," said De Morin, at this point proceeding to 
 examine his cord against the light with great interest; 
 "you shall hear the whole story. One afternoon, about
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 489 
 
 a month ago, the Premier called upon me at the Elyse"e, 
 and with a great show of mystery asked my help and 
 counsel. He informed me that his creature, the Prefect, 
 had put his finger upon the beginnings of a plot against 
 your Majesty. He mentioned a number of names, Nadez 
 among them. Now you must believe me when I tell 
 you that, before that afternoon, I had never exchanged 
 a single word with this Eurasian, nor so much as seen 
 him at least, not to my knowledge. I knew his name: 
 who does not? Monsieur Godefroy will bear me out in 
 saying that he has a world-wide notoriety? " 
 
 But Godefroy was not to be cajoled by such eager 
 flattery. He stared straight in front of him, and kept his 
 mind fixed upon the deepest dungeon. 
 
 "The conspiracy and herein lay Carache's difficulty 
 was not against the Empire, but only against the Em- 
 peror. According to his myrmidons, it resolved itself 
 into an Imperialist plot to dethrone your Majesty in 
 favour of," and De Morin, " too full for sound," satis- 
 fied himself with shaping his silent lips into the name, 
 
 "in favour of . He and his brother and his sister, 
 
 Carache felt convinced, were privy to the Eurasian's 
 plans. They might not go all the way with Nadez; but 
 they were bent on getting you out of France. The Pre- 
 fect rather gathered that you were to be abducted across 
 into Switzerland, under the pretence that you had fled 
 before a dossier on its way from England to prove that 
 you were an impostor." 
 
 "I like their insolence," shouted Napoleon. 
 
 "Ah, wait. These were merely vague suspicions. 
 Carache did not pretend otherwise. And he desired my 
 assistance to turn belief and mere conjecture into cer- 
 tainty. He flattered me on my position in Bonapartist 
 circles." 
 
 "I see it all," cried Majesty. "Godefroy, you may 
 leave us " : a command which the interested butler con- 
 sidered uncalled for. 
 
 " I see it all. To oblige Carache " 
 
 "Say rather, to oblige my master." 
 
 "To oblige me you consented to become to be- 
 come "
 
 490 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "One of the Prefect's myrmidons; quite so, " said De 
 Morin drily. " Nadez wanted to enlist prominent Bona- 
 partists. What Bonapartist more prominent than humble 
 me? that was the pretty way he put it. ' Hold yourself 
 out to Nadez; and Nadez will jump. Take Felix as a 
 sucking pig, if you think it advisable.' I did hold my- 
 self out to Nadez; I did take Felix as a sucking pig; 
 and as Carache had predicted Nadez did jump." 
 
 "And his Highness?" Napoleon asked, thinking of 
 Auteuil and the allegorical picture. 
 
 "The crocodile has kept him." 
 
 " But why does Carache now turn against you?" 
 
 " Simple enough. I have performed his mission only 
 too well. I found that his factotum's suspicions con- 
 cerning their Royal Highnesses were totally unfounded. 
 Not a single Imperialist except myself and the sucking 
 pig has even been approached." 
 
 "Thank God for that," ejaculated our hero. 
 
 "You may well say so. Nadez still hopes to give his 
 intrigues that complexion. Indeed, I am commissioned 
 
 to sound Prince ," once more that silent pantomime 
 
 with the lips, "but hitherto I have been too busy. But 
 failing his Highness, I understand that Felix is to take 
 your place." 
 
 "The little viper." 
 
 "We have forgotten Carache. Naturally, he felt 
 annoyed to find that his built up theories were worthless. 
 He wanted me to- rectify the blunder to simplify mat- 
 ters, if you please. Of course I refused. Then he 
 demanded that I should wash my hands of the business; 
 consider my mission at an end, so to speak. But Nadez 
 has grown too fond of me: our friendship, I fear, will 
 last till his ugly head tumbles into the basket. And if I 
 have come to know more than Carache and his spies, am 
 I not entitled to use my knowledge? The thing lies in 
 a nutshell: the foxy fellow wants no one but himself to 
 serve my Lord." 
 
 " How base of him." 
 
 " Carache is base. What can you expect? His father 
 was a wholesale druggist." 
 
 " He shall hear what I think of him," bridled the other.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 491 
 
 " I should n't. He does not mean any harm. If you 
 adopt my advice, the next time he mentions me, just you 
 say, 'Oh, the Count De Morin, he's all right.' That'll 
 show him that we have had a chat about this business. 
 He won't touch the tooic any more." 
 
 "Is Nadez such a very diabolical person?" asked 
 Napoleon. 
 
 " I have found him very gentle and pleasant. But he 
 certainly is mischievous. He does n't like you at all. 
 I think he means business this time." 
 
 "Curse him! Why, in God's name, cannot he stay 
 and plot in his own country? " 
 
 " That would be to jeopardize the Viceroy of India," 
 suggested the Chamberlain. 
 
 " He sha'n't jeopardize anyone any further," cried 
 the Emperor. "You shall see to it. You have my order 
 to secure him and lodge him in gaol." 
 
 " How can I possibly execute it? I have no police 
 under my command: the Prefect won't give me much 
 help, you may rely on that." 
 
 "Telegraph my orders to Carache. Say that 
 the whole gang are to be under lock and key by mid- 
 night. " 
 
 "I obey," said De Morin; but he did not look 
 convinced. 
 
 "At once," insisted his master; "these wild beasts 
 shall not remain at large another day." 
 
 Napoleon met his guests that night with a light heart. 
 His interview with De Morin had convinced him of his own 
 sagacity and resolution. If he could grapple thus with a 
 dangerous conspiracy, surely he might consider himself 
 determined enough to wed the betrothed of his choosing. 
 Carache, no less than Nadez, should taste of his iron will. 
 Consequently this last of those Compiegne gatherings 
 went better than its curious composition might have led 
 one to expect. 
 
 To see, for instance, M. Prehlen with his arm on Lord 
 Framlingham's shoulder, no one could have suspected 
 that he meant to rob my Lord both of his satrapy and his 
 daughter's only means of escape. De Morin and the 
 Countess seemed inseparable; and the Emperor made
 
 492 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 overtures to his prospective father-in-law which he prided 
 himself were completely successful. 
 
 Their first meeting, truly, somewhat hung fire. While 
 the guests were still awaiting their host and dinner, the 
 Viceroy-designate had ensconced himself in a moody 
 corner far from Prehlen, far from his wife and daughter. 
 The Emperor singled him out on entering, and made 
 straight towards his loneliness. 
 
 "Welcome, my Lord," he cried, getting tight hold of 
 both the other's hands; "welcome to Compiegne. Were 
 you not able to show so good a cause of absence, we 
 should hardly forgive you your tardy arrival. As a near 
 neighbour and friend, may I be allowed to congratulate 
 you from the bottom of my heart? " 
 
 The viceregal head bent low between the viceregal 
 hands still held by Majesty; but the thunder-clouds 
 lingered. 
 
 Monsieur Prehlen appeared opportunely to help dis- 
 perse them. 
 
 "Here comes his Excellency, bursting to add his 
 own. Is it not so, Monsieur? " 
 
 " I have ventured to anticipate your Majesty. I have 
 already proffered my felicitations to our dear friend." 
 
 " You must make the best of your chance," Napoleon 
 rushed on, wishing to heaven that the Viceroy would 
 smile. "We sha'n't have our dea the Earl with us 
 long." 
 
 " Alas, no. " 
 
 "You two ought to be able to settle the Persian 
 question." 
 
 " We have nearer and dearer matters than that to 
 talk about," said the Norwegian with an affectionate 
 look at Framlingham. What could the latter do but 
 respond? Napoleon laughed as well. 
 
 The Earl had found his wife perfectly serene and 
 sensible. She admitted willingly that there had been 
 imprudence somewhere. She seemed overjoyed to get 
 back home under his conduct. On his part he reflected 
 that there was a good train to town about eleven next 
 morning; also that a fortnight at most would see them 
 clear of France forever. So he smiled a second time;
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 493 
 
 while his hands (still in the Imperial grasp) became a 
 little less fishlike before they dropped away. It was 
 peace. 
 
 All through dinner, and in the drawing-room after- 
 wards, the Emperor did naught but propitiate this ex- 
 alted Englishman, who responded at least with deference. 
 Napoleon's positive reward came from another quarter. 
 A smile, embarrassed indeed, and with a trace of pain, 
 but unmistakably grateful, reached him whence he valued 
 it most. Alas, it was the first token of recognition since 
 since yesterday. The last as well. His gaze kept 
 seeking her face in vain. It frightened him to see how 
 wan she looked, and wearied. Her grey eyes, clear and 
 steady still, were wistful as he had never known them. 
 His heart filled anew with overwhelming compassion. 
 He longed to draw her into his protection. His protec- 
 tion! And he had made it that she was weary and wan, 
 and looked forth upon the world with wistful eyes. No 
 matter. The wedding should be very grand and make 
 amends. India proved a fruitful topic. Napoleon could 
 not leave it. It satisfied a very genuine impulse of his 
 soul to speak about that mysterious East which had 
 swallowed up so many of his friends. 
 
 Monsieur Prehlen handled it from the point of view of 
 the cholera, and the Roof of the World. The English 
 Ambassadress got her innings last. 
 
 "My dear Lord Framlingham," she said, a winsome 
 smile corrugating her face, "I am going to ask a very 
 great favour of you." 
 
 She did not notice that she had intercepted this much- 
 worried satrap on his way across the drawing-room to 
 his own daughter, with whom he had not exchanged a 
 single word. 
 
 Whenever my Lord was not precisely overjoyed, he 
 passed both hands through his hair. It served as a 
 storm-cone among those who knew him. He did so 
 now. 
 
 " Your Ladyship has only to name it." 
 
 "How good of you how really good of you, dear 
 Lord Framlingham. Threpps " she called him Threpps 
 behind his back " always declares that you are one of
 
 494 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the most amiable of men. I cannot tell you how much 
 I thank you. " 
 
 " What may the service be? " this very tartly. 
 
 "I want you and Lady Framlingham to be so very 
 obliging as to ask my brother to Government House 
 sometimes. He has been in India three years, you know; 
 and such a piece of kindness from you would help him 
 very much, dear Lord Framlingham." 
 
 " I shall be delighted to obey so sisterly an injunction. 
 He is in the civil service? the young fellow is lucky to 
 be stationed at Calcutta." 
 
 " No, I am afraid he has nothing so good. Poor 
 Douglas never worked very hard. Papa was always 
 scolding him. He does very well, all things considered. 
 He is a tea-planter in Cachar. They work him hard 
 enough now, I can assure you. An occasional Saturday 
 to Monday down at Calcutta will brighten the dear boy 
 up immensely. ' ' 
 
 "The library in the Faubourg St. Honore contains 
 some capital books about India, geographical, espe- 
 cially," the Earl replied with a faint smile and not too 
 much gallantry. " Your Ladyship has noticed them? " 
 
 "Oh, dear yes," clasping her hands. "Geography 
 has always been a favourite study of mine. At home in 
 Surrey, more particularly in winter, when the days were 
 short and the country too disagreeable for anything, I 
 used to devour books. Papa and mamma were both 
 most anxious that we girls should have a fair knowledge 
 of the history and geography of our land. Threpps is 
 quite surprised at my learning. Why, I run him close in 
 his favourite study, modern French history. You will 
 admit it is difficult. Threpps declares it 's nothing but 
 skeleton outline." "Hush my dear young lady, " re- 
 monstrated Framlingham. Pontecoulant had caught 
 her last remark, and stood glaring. 
 
 "Well, he is right," she pouted. " I agree with him. 
 I can beat him at it." 
 
 "And me too, no doubt; though it used to be my 
 favourite subject also." 
 
 "No, no, no. That's one of your compliments. I 
 am sure you are very clever; you silent men are always
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 495 
 
 clever. And and if you will forgive my saying so 
 one can always tell from a man's face." 
 
 "Your Ladyship flatters me." 
 
 " No, I do not. We women can judge character. 
 Take his Majesty, for example. Well, really it needs no 
 discernment to tell his. If I were to meet him in a Lon- 
 don crowd, shabbily dressed and with all the marks of 
 poverty about him, I could tell him at once for a great 
 man. Do look at his square jaw, those steady lips, that 
 massive forehead. Can't you read the iron will. / call 
 him far, far greater than Napoleon I the founder, you 
 know, the great Emperor who took Sedan and defeated 
 Bismarck and Don Carlos at Canossa; at least I think I 
 am right," she added dubitatively. 
 
 " I understand whom you mean," said my Lord. 
 
 "Well, I call him greater than that one, " she tran- 
 quilly resumed. "And as for Napoleon III (the one 
 who was massacred at Ulundi, you know; massacred by 
 the Mahdi, or the Negus, or some of those wretches, you 
 know), well, one must not mention the two men in the 
 same breath." 
 
 "And yet his present Majesty never did anything at 
 the English bar. Report says that he came to France in 
 despair of ever earning a livelihood there." 
 
 " Pooh he had other things to occupy him." 
 
 "Aha, my Lord," cried Prehlen, bustling up to renew 
 a conversation which had been broken off not ten 
 minutes ago, "what a thousand pities you missed our 
 charming excursion this afternoon. Her Ladyship has 
 been telling you about it? No well, I am within an 
 ace of telling you myself. I refrain ; do not look startled. 
 But, in truth, the forest shows so beautiful of these 
 winter days. I perspire poetry when I find myself 
 among those God-given trees, a matting of twigs and 
 moss to silence my feet, and here and there above me 
 patches of the emerald dome." 
 
 "How beautiful," cried the Threppsess, "and how 
 true. Monsieur Prehlen, you are a poet; I can read it in 
 your face." 
 
 Monsieur Prehlen patted his chestnut beard. 
 
 "I write," he said deprecatingly.
 
 496 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Monsieur Ponte"coulant came up at that moment, and 
 my Lady transferred her attentions. His Excellency the 
 Russian Ambassador seized the opportunity. 
 
 "My Lord Framlingham, a word with you." 
 
 The other groaned; he also cast a wistful glance at 
 the corner where his wife and the Chamberlain sat 
 gaily talking, with one other just behind them altogether 
 silent. 
 
 " It is in connexion with what we were saying just 
 now." 
 
 " The beauties of the forest." 
 
 Prehlen laughed. "What humour! What genuine 
 humour! 'The beauties of the forest' really you are 
 too funny. You remind me of a favourite aunt of mine 
 dead now, poor creature," and he stopped and cudgelled 
 his brain to remember whether he had told Lord Fram- 
 lingham already of Ottilia's demise: he chanced it 
 "dead now; but in life full of dry humour. No, I refer 
 to what we said about India. Why should n't we divide 
 Afghanistan? It 's a nasty, dirty place, and a nuisance 
 to both of us. Geographically, it tempts partition. The 
 Gool Mountains cut us beautifully in two. Guznee and 
 Kandahar to you ; Kabul and Herat to us. You keep 
 the Shahzada." 
 
 "I am not authorized to listen to any such arrange- 
 ment," replied the Earl, drawing himself up stiffly. 
 "Were I so authorized, my answer to your proposition 
 would be, 'Thank you for nothing.' " 
 
 "The Helmund for a barrier, you retaining Herat! " 
 whispered Prehlen, winningly eager. "Come, the Hel- 
 mund is fair enough." 
 
 " I can only assure you a second time that I am not 
 authorized to open this matter," persisted the English- 
 man, making every outward sign of excessive distaste 
 for the subject reconcilable with politeness. At home, 
 such a manifestation would have sufficed to change half 
 a dozen subjects. But Monseiur Prehlen shifted his 
 course for no one. 
 
 " There, I think, you make your grand mistake," said 
 he, fingering one of my Lord's buttons. "You English 
 are all alike. ' Oh, we are not authorized to do that,'
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 497 
 
 'We have no instructions to talk about this,' you say; 
 and your country suffers in consequence. Now, we Rus- 
 sians do n't wait for instructions. No one has given me 
 any orders to partition Afghanistan. Indeed, the idea 
 of partition never entered my head, until I saw you this 
 evening. Then at once I said to myself, ' How can I 
 turn his Excellency's presence to the best account? 
 Good, we will permanently solve the Asiatic frontier 
 question on the basis of a partition of Afghanistan. ' 
 You observe, we are discussing the partition. To-mor- 
 row, we shall get half an hour over maps in your room; 
 and with a few more meetings, we shall have agreed a 
 draft division. I use the future tense, you perceive : 
 your Excellency is going to be wise and concur. This 
 agreement I at once post off to St. Petersburg without a 
 syllable of introduction. ' Her Britannic Majesty's Vice- 
 roy-designate of India and myself,' I shall write, 'have 
 decided to partition Afghanistan as a permanent solution 
 to the Anglo-Russian frontier difficulties. You will please, 
 therefore, occupy the northwestern half of that country 
 to the River Helmund. Her Britannic Majesty retains 
 the Shahzada. ' My government will forward my instruc- 
 tions intact to the general commanding the Merv dis- 
 trict, who will obey them." 
 
 Lord Framlingham could not keep back a smile. 
 " Suppose my people are not equally complaisant? Take 
 it they repudiate our little convention, what then? " 
 
 "Oh, that's simple enough," Prehlen remarked 
 modestly. " We get the lot. " 
 
 " I thought as much. Alas, I fear I cannot accom- 
 modate you this time." 
 
 " You are wrong," warned Prehlen. " Our way is far 
 the wisest. Do you suppose we should have pushed our 
 legions to the ends of the earth if we had waited for 
 orders? You never waited for orders when you were 
 great in your palm I mean, in the days when you were 
 building up your empire. But take time. I sha'n't 
 regard anything as final to-night. Take time ; and send 
 me a post-card to the Embassy on Monday." 
 
 It 's a long, long way from the Helmund to domestic 
 matters. Framlingham, with his eyes from time to time
 
 498 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 turned to where his wife and the Chamberlain sat chat- 
 ting gaily, yearned to be allowed to span it. 
 
 The "inside" of De Morin's conversation was not 
 quite so light-hearted as its appearance. He kept to 
 undertones that were very necessary: Muriel sat just 
 behind her mother. 
 
 "And your husband? Tell me everything." 
 
 "About what? I found him reading his letters in 
 front of my fire. He kissed me very warmly for him." 
 
 " Henriette, be serious. You do not suppose he is 
 ignorant. Did he not reproach you for your impru- 
 dence? " 
 
 "Why in the world should he? Look at the child at 
 this moment; by her mother's side, you see. And that 
 has been her place during our whole stay. It is not our 
 fault if people talk." 
 
 "You spoke very differently the other day." 
 
 "I was altogether wrong. Muriel gave me the most 
 satisfactory explanation. She had fallen in with the 
 Emperor by accident. The tears in his eyes were caused 
 by excessive laughter: he had been telling her one of 
 Godefroy's. " 
 
 "My dear child, it 's no use your trying those fibs 
 with me." 
 
 Madame flushed, and fanned herself violently. But 
 she did not speak. 
 
 "When do you leave Paris? " De Morin went on. 
 
 "I really cannot say." 
 
 "Soon, I fear. Heigho, seven years go slow. I shall 
 be gone when you return." 
 
 " It may not be seven years," she replied, with a sig- 
 nificance that did not miss fire. 
 
 " Seven is the usual number? " 
 
 " I do n't know. Please do not catechize me." 
 
 "Your husband naturally is overjoyed? " 
 
 "We have hardly spoken." 
 
 " He was here at six? " 
 
 " He went off at once to look for the children." 
 
 De Morin scraped his chin: 
 
 " Was he pleasant with Muriel? " 
 
 " How can I say? As a matter of fact I do not believe
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 499 
 
 he even found her. She and Nicholas got back much 
 after the rest. Muriel, have you spoken with your father 
 yet? " 
 
 " No, mother." 
 
 De Morin leaned forward to look at her. Her face, 
 her voice, her attitude, told him everything. He glanced 
 sharply from daughter to mother. The elder woman 
 was smiling across at Nicholas. 
 
 "Ah, Henriette, " he murmured, real pity in his voice, 
 " if only you had left earlier." 
 
 "Walter, you know," she replied with great com- 
 posure, " has left." 
 
 "I noticed. Why? " 
 
 " He volunteered to carry an urgent message for his 
 father. He is a dear, amiable boy; always ready to do 
 an act of kindness." 
 
 "Indeed?" 
 
 "Surely you have found that out, you who know us 
 all so well? " 
 
 " Naturally." 
 
 " Charles is just the same; only of course the dear 
 boy is not so favourably situated as Walter. You see he 
 has his way to make in the world." 
 
 " I understand perfectly." 
 
 " So he is a little over-anxious. I tell him he has no 
 need. A young man of his appearance and abilities is 
 sure to succeed. His aim is to become Prime Minister 
 of England. I think he makes a mistake. He ought to 
 enter French political life, where his sister would be able 
 to assist him." 
 
 It was not possible that she could know all. In her 
 eyes, surely, Muriel still had everything to give, and 
 might name her price. And he leaned forward a second 
 time to survey this poor young creature. Her face, but 
 not her gaze, was lifted and slightly flushed. Her parted 
 lips were striving to murmur a welcome that remained 
 obstinately voiceless. He turned; her father was ap- 
 proaching. De Morin rose and moved away. 
 
 The girl looked timidly up. She saw alone the edge 
 of my Lord's beard moving with gentle words. She 
 faltered on the brink of tears.
 
 500 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Where has my little girl been hiding? I have done 
 nothing but search for her the whole evening." 
 
 " Have you, father? " she murmured. 
 
 He seated himself beside her, and, altogether care- 
 less of the assembled company, took her lifeless fingers 
 between his own. The change of position had its ad- 
 vantages. Her averted gaze was no longer so conspicu- 
 ous; although with her hand within his loving grasp she 
 felt again that fearful need of tears. 
 
 "I have great news," continued my lord. "I want 
 this wise little brain to advise me on a number of mat- 
 ters," he passed a hand lightly over the drooping head. 
 Napoleon noticed. As for my Lady, who hemmed Muriel 
 in on the other side, she began to shuffle her feet and 
 her beautiful shoulders. There were some demonstra- 
 tions which even she could not endure. 
 
 " You and I, my little one, have often talked about 
 India. We are going there at last. "
 
 Chapter X 
 
 Muriel moved the shadow of an inch nearer her 
 mother. 
 
 " Your mother and I find that we can leave Paris by 
 to-morrow week. What does my little girl say? Re- 
 member, we shall get over a month in London. She can 
 do all her shopping there. I hope she means to accom- 
 modate her fond old father." 
 
 " Does mother really say that we can leave Paris next 
 week? " 
 
 My lady began to fan herself violently. "I meant 
 provided nothing unexpected happened," she cried, 
 looking askance at her husband. 
 
 " What unexpected event could happen? " he snarled, 
 frowning down at the circle of floor just in front of the 
 Countess's feet. "The Paris shops won't help you. It 
 will hardly need five days to shut up the house. I mean 
 to try and let it." 
 
 "It is my house," Madame retorted. "You have 
 no right to do anything of the kind." But the Earl was 
 not to be drawn into this time-worn quarrel. He 
 shrugged his shoulders, then turned once more to Muriel 
 with softened eyes. She had fallen back into her former 
 apathy. Explanations, she felt, were, for the moment, 
 quite impossible. Her poor, dear, kind old father must 
 be suffered to go on building his castles. She felt no 
 great desire to shatter them before it became absolutely 
 necessary. Indeed, of all the terrors passing through 
 her brain, this was the most strongly defined and the 
 most persistent, the burning wish that no frightful bar- 
 rier kept her from laying her head upon her father's 
 breast. 
 
 "Mr. Rodenham gave me a little present for you.
 
 502 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 He had a lot of photographs of Calcutta, it seems that 
 he went out there to deliver a course of lectures when he 
 was a young man, and he thought you might like a lit- 
 tle glimpse beforehand of your future home. They are 
 ancient, certainly; twenty-five years old, I think he said. 
 But many of them are still fairly faithful ; and he hopes 
 you won't value them any the less for their age." 
 
 "It is very kind of him." 
 
 "I told him you would feel flattered. I say, Muriel," 
 and he bent forward in an attitude of playful mystery, 
 "I know some one who, if he were only thirty years 
 younger, would be wanting to deprive me of my little 
 girl. He never sees me but he asks after you." 
 
 Muriel shuddered. Mr. Rodenham, the English 
 Premier's face and figure rose vividly before her, press- 
 ing themselves into ruthless comparison with that other, 
 her betrothed and her betrayer. Mr. Rodenham, the 
 shabby, shuffling man, with rugged features and eager 
 eyes; the man who cared naught for pomp or parade of 
 power, who went to court in a second-hand Windsor 
 uniform, used in a Savoy opera and bought at the thea- 
 trical costumier. He had risen to the top by sheer grit, 
 not by chance. He had never dreamt of the great things 
 he meant to do. 
 
 " Here's another point for my little counsellor. That 
 second brother of yours has suddenly made up his mind 
 that he does not want to go into the diplomatic service. 
 He means to give us the benefit of his companionship 
 upon our journey. He evidently expects me to take him 
 as my secretary. I am resolved, however, to let Walter 
 have the refusal. He needs the experience every bit as 
 much as Charles; and you know how indolent he is. Now, 
 do you think I ought to make him come, even if he does 
 not want to? Or, would the place be of more value to 
 Charles, in any case? I want to do the best by both of 
 them; but they are difficult young cubs to manage. 
 Come, little woman." 
 
 " I am afraid the boys would hardly like me to inter- 
 fere." 
 
 " Nonsense. They sha'n't know. Have I not a right 
 to consult whom I choose? If either of them would deign
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 503 
 
 to talk sense, I should be glad to listen. Both of them, 
 however, are quite incompetent; especially Charles." 
 
 She smiled faintly. " He would not like to hear you 
 say so." 
 
 " I daresay not. One would credit a man of his age 
 with more sense than to be everlastingly talking about 
 himself. He made me very angry, last night." 
 
 " Did he, father? " 
 
 "Bah, do not let us trouble more about him," said 
 my Lord a trifle inconsistently. " Who is to be Walter 
 or the other one? " 
 
 "I really cannot say." 
 
 " We will ponder it over, and give "em our decision 
 by and by." 
 
 "One more point," resumed the Earl presently, and 
 with a sudden change to grave significance which could 
 leave no doubt that this was his alpha and omega on 
 a distasteful subject, impossible to disregard altogether, 
 "and then we can get to tigers and elephants and 
 Eastern palaces. How soon will you be ready to start 
 for Paris, to-morrow? " 
 
 " I can be ready very early," she murmured. 
 
 "Good, that is settled." Henriette, you will please 
 teM your maid that we leave by the quarter past nine. 
 Ha, his Majesty has withdrawn. Come Henriette. 
 Come dearest"; and then, under his breath, "thank 
 God, the end of these miserable evenings." 
 
 With Muriel's arm tight within his own, he led the 
 way to Madame's room. Madame herself followed be- 
 hind. Her savage looks, lavished indiscriminately on 
 both relatives, showed how she resented this slight to her 
 dignity. At the door the girl drew back, murmuring a 
 low good-night. She longed to escape the infliction of 
 further tenderness. " Good-night? why, child, it is not 
 yet ten. You are going to stay and talk to me a little. 
 I have many things to say, which I could not even 
 whisper in that miserable drawing-room." 
 
 She had to obey; but her reluctance increased ten- 
 fold when she discovered that her mother had already 
 slipped through into the inner room, the bedroom of 
 the suite. The communicating door stood ajar, and
 
 504 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Muriel caught an occasional sight of their maid bending 
 over boxes. But even this poor companionship was 
 presently denied her. An unseen hand softly swung it 
 to; the next minute she could hear Madame scolding 
 Marie. She understood at once. Lord Framlingham 
 pressed her into an easy-chair which stood upon one 
 side of the fire. He himself sank gratefully into its 
 opposite companion. Father and daughter were face 
 to face. 
 
 "This is delightful," he said, and he sighed con- 
 tentment. The room, with its exquisite tapestry, and 
 the generous fire that filled the open grate, looked 
 bright indeed. A lamp directly behind Muriel's chair 
 enveloped her in a blaze of light. He had not placed 
 her there designedly. God knows, there lay no purpose 
 in his heart to probe her with questions and watch her 
 face. Not she herself shrank more genuinely from all 
 further mention of this terrible business (it was terrible 
 to him, little as he knew). She herself could not yearn 
 more eagerly to have it altogether forgotten. And they 
 were forgetting it. That is why he looked across at her 
 with such benevolence, sighing contentment. 
 
 She muttered that the heat of the fire was unendur- 
 able, and moved to another chair. 
 
 ''Your young bones take less to warm them. All 
 you children are icy mortals. I wonder whom you get 
 it from; I love a roaring fire. That's the one thing 
 which made me hesitate about India. Old Rod Mr. 
 Rodenham has got hold of the idea that the Viceroy 
 ought to spend more of his time down at Calcutta. He 
 complains that the authorities are too fond of Simla. 
 It makes our less fortunate countrymen jealous; many 
 of them in that way acquire a distaste for their own 
 districts. It is one of his fads. The Viceroy, in his 
 view, should endure the same rigours as every one else. 
 Certainly, he does not spare himself, when you come to 
 think that he has never occupied Downing Street, but 
 clings to that beastly Edmondton as though he loved it. 
 I told him I was quite willing. Only one can get fires in 
 Simla," he laughed. "The thing is amusing, is it 
 not? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 505 
 
 She did not so much as smile. She knew that, before 
 they parted this evening, she would have to tell her 
 father everything. On his side, he never doubted that 
 his persistent good humor would at last bear fruit. 
 
 "Finally we agreed that I was to have two months 
 out of the twelve. I have to make a tour through 
 Burmah in March, so I shall save this month's allowance. 
 In that way we shall get four months next year; won't 
 that be pleasant? " 
 
 " Very pleasant." 
 
 "Another thing Rodenham told me amused me very 
 much. We were talking about a native mission school 
 up in the Northwest, which has been giving Rochberie 
 a deal of trouble. The point lies in a nutshell. Two 
 years ago the board appointed a new head master, a 
 Manchester man, who appears to be a person with some 
 ideas. Last Easter he issued a circular saying that 
 there were too many excellent religions in the Empire 
 for him to take upon himself to choose for the boys. 
 Therefore, each pupil would be allowed to go, from the 
 age of entering the school to eighteen, without religious 
 instruction. The board is in hysterics. The Secretary 
 of State, more suo, is generous enough to leave the 
 matter entirely to me. Rodenham won't help me. All 
 he did was to say that it reminded him of a former high 
 court judge, who managed the bankruptcy work. This 
 legal luminary had the same plan as the man from 
 Manchester. When his eldest son reached maturity, 
 and the serious question was put to him, the lad replied, 
 ' If you please, father ' Rodenham insists that he 
 said ' My Lord ' ' if you please, I should like to 
 be the same religion as the Official Receiver.' It is a 
 funny story; don't you think so?" She didn't; but 
 she smiled wearily. Any one who loved her less dearly 
 must have seen. Lady Framlingham bounced in, mut- 
 tering; seized her writing materials, which littered the 
 table, and bounced out again. Her husband waited till 
 she was gone, then he delivered his last attack. 
 
 "You and I, little one, will assuredly keep a diary. 
 You take charge of the scenery and the social events 
 and the amusing things, while I can manage the dry
 
 506 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 parts, politics and statistics, you know. If we do it 
 well, we shall easily find a publisher. And the proceeds 
 shall go to the Sidmouth Infirmary. Won't that be 
 delightful? " 
 
 Her sole reply was a sob, which she could not stifle. 
 The bedroom door had not been shut after the last 
 irruption: it widened ever so slightly. 
 
 "Father, . . . I have something terrible to tell you." 
 
 "My darling child," stretching forward to take her, 
 "you mustn't distress yourself like that. I know all 
 that you can tell me; and I mean to forget it. You 
 must forget it also." 
 
 She passed from sobs into hysterical weeping. She 
 buried her poor face in her bent arm, all the while shak- 
 ing a passionate negative to what he said. 
 
 He leaned over her, with one arm round her huddled 
 shoulders. " My darling Muriel, please do n't cry, my 
 darling. You do n't think I blame you, do you? You 
 are only a child. It was a shame to bring you here," 
 and my Lord glowered at the softly moving door. 
 
 She quieted a little under his gentle words. 
 
 "But I have come back to look after my little one. 
 She and I mean to put an end to all this silly chatter 
 about a union between her and a certain nameless per- 
 sonage. " 
 
 She lifted her tear-stained face. He would not 
 suffer her. 
 
 " Tut, tut, you are not going to be a little goose any 
 longer. Naturally that nameless personage vows he 
 loves us, and all that sort of nonsense. Possibly he 
 does; but we do n't love him, and there 's an end of the 
 business. Only this, if he does love you as much as no 
 doubt he avers, he would have been more careful of your 
 reputation. No, no, dearest, I am not blaming you; 
 do n't begin again, I beseech you, my darling." 
 
 "Oh, father," she whispered, "he does love me; 
 he has told me so a hundred times." 
 
 " Then he is a greater coward than I thought. Well, 
 let him love you, if he chooses. It cannot hurt you at 
 a distance. But he sha'n't marry you. For one thing, 
 I can't spare my little girl. And Muriel," he went on,
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 507 
 
 leaving that playful manner which would keep bursting 
 through the clouds, "you do not know what a narrow 
 escape you have had. " He could feel how she trembled : 
 the moment was propitious, much as he hated the topic. 
 He waxed even more impressive. 
 
 "Love, I do not doubt, came easily enough to his 
 tongue. These adventures are every-day concerns with 
 men of his high rank. He is unmarried: no one will 
 think the worse of him, how many lives may strew the 
 path of his desires. But, my darling daughter, you do 
 not need that I should speak about the victims. I would 
 rather see my little one in her grave than spared to such 
 a fate. Yes, a thousand times; even though I had to 
 kill her." 
 
 Small wonder she shivered. 
 
 He felt a rough hand upon his shoulder. 
 
 "For goodness sake, be quiet," cried Madame; 
 "you will send the poor child into a fit." 
 
 He did not condescend to notice this interruption. 
 He drew his daughter closer to him and enfolded her 
 within a passionate embrace. Then he rose and, taking 
 his stand in front of the fire, still gazed benignly down 
 at this poor little shipwrecked form. 
 
 "So much for that," said he, blowing it away; 
 "peace be to its ashes. None of us have been entirely 
 blameless; so, like wise folk, we will forthwith and 
 evermore forget it. Look up, my daughter; let me see 
 you smile "; but Muriel could not. She had missed the 
 chance of making her confession, and she still sat a heap 
 of huddled misery. 
 
 Madame entered the lists. She took her stand 
 directly behind her daughter's chair touching sight! 
 signifying, as it did, a wealth of maternal protection. 
 
 "I presume you mean that Muriel is to banish all 
 thought of his Majesty from her mind." 
 
 "Certainly I do. "' 
 
 " Then let me tell you that you are doing them both 
 a very serious wrong." 
 
 " Pish, Henriette, do not be a fool." 
 
 " How dare you speak to me like that? " she retorted 
 savagely. " I repeat, if you come blundering in between
 
 508 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Muriel and his Majesty, you will do the young couple an 
 irreparable injury." 
 
 "I daresay his Majesty will survive it," said he, 
 mimicking her ceremony. 
 
 " You boor! " 
 
 Husband and wife stood glaring. It looked as 
 though the unspoken hatred of many years was about to 
 burst at last. 
 
 "Muriel and I understand one another," he cried, 
 now at white heat. "We do not ask for your interfer- 
 ence; you have already done enough harm." 
 
 Madame clenched her delicate hands: her face went 
 from white to purple. 
 
 "I shall not bandy rudenesses with you, my Lord. If 
 you force Muriel to India against her will " 
 
 "Against her will? Why, Muriel, you are only too 
 glad to come? " 
 
 "Oh, father, I am not able; I am not able." 
 
 "What does this folly mean?" 
 
 " Muriel, may I tell your father? " 
 
 The sole answer was a groan which could have but 
 one meaning. It even told my Lady a little more than 
 she already knew. But she had a brave heart, had my 
 lady; she did not falter. 
 
 "The Emperor has offered her his hand. Our dear 
 daughter has accepted." 
 
 "You fools! you fools!" almost shrieked her hus- 
 band, "have you neither of you more sense? Cannot 
 you see that such a marriage would be impossible? " 
 
 " Why should it be impossible? Muriel is as well born 
 as the late Empress? " 
 
 " My poor child," once again bending tenderly over 
 his daughter, "the mischief has gone deeper than I 
 suspected. Do you really imagine he means all this 
 foolishness? " 
 
 "Yes, father, I am sure of it," very eagerly. 
 
 "And do you love him? " 
 
 "Yes, father," but with rather less decision. 
 
 "And it will be a terrible wrench to be parted from 
 him? " 
 
 She did not answer; but her heart was beating with
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 509 
 
 hope refreshed. Alas, it was refreshed to a bitter dis- 
 appointment. 
 
 "Make up your mind to this, my daughter, he can 
 never marry you. You are not quite an idiot," this 
 last with an angry look to his wife, " so I won't stop to 
 explain why. And you, my darling, will accept my word. 
 We won't give way to any more silly fancies, will we? 
 We are going to be brave, and worthy of the fond old 
 father who is so proud of us? " 
 
 She could endure no more. " Oh, father, forgive 
 me," she cried in a burst of hysterical passion. "I 
 would come with you, indeed I would; but but, it is 
 too late! " 
 
 He looked down at her vacantly. "Too late? too 
 late? What do you mean? " 
 
 "Mother, cannot you help me?" But the Countess 
 remained resolutely silent. 
 
 There was no further need for words. The scales 
 had fallen from his eyes at last. 
 
 "You have allowed yourself to be deceived by his 
 lying promises? You have surrendered your honour into 
 his hands? " he asked at length with a deliberation that 
 seemed even more frightful than the foregoing silence. 
 
 She did not answer. 
 
 "And you really suppose that he will marry you? " 
 
 "He has sworn. Father, dear father, don't despise 
 me. He has sworn." 
 
 "You poor deluded creature, you have given him all 
 he ever wanted. His promise will never get another 
 thought. Were he the most honourable man in all the 
 world, which he is not, did he still love you as much 
 as he averred before this crime of yours, which is im- 
 possible, yet he could never marry you. Take this 
 as certain; my experience may be your guide." 
 
 "Experience!" sneered Madame. "Your precious 
 experience did not prevent you from being turned out of 
 the embassy. I might have known that you would have 
 come blundering in just at the critical moment. If only 
 Muriel and I could be left alone," and Madame flung up 
 her arms, mingling a gesture of defiance and despair, 
 "all would yet be well. Napoleon loves her madly.
 
 510 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 This evening he could not take his eyes from off her 
 face. She is not the first who has given her future 
 husband this mark of her love and confidence. Why 
 should n't the marriage take place? All the ministers 
 are in favour of it; his Majesty has said so himself. Of 
 course if you come shrieking out your miserably foolish 
 tirades, waking up the whole Palace, Napoleon will be 
 disgusted, and might be tempted to back out." 
 
 "It is my own fault," said the Earl, softening his 
 voice and leaving Madame to simmer; "I ought to have 
 come directly I got word that you had gone to Com- 
 piegne against my express wishes. I did wrong to leave 
 you amid so much temptation with no better guard than 
 this shallow-hearted woman. But she is your mother; I 
 did imagine that your chasti that your honour would 
 be safe in her keeping. I never questioned it; and 
 and oh! Muriel, I believed in you. No, no, we are to 
 blame; we, your wretched parents; not you, my foolish 
 little one. We are to blame, and it is for us to repair 
 the mischief as best we can." 
 
 Both women brightened. My Lord consulted his watch. 
 "Eleven," he muttered, "we have ample time. Call 
 your maid." 
 
 The servant appeared: she had only that minute risen 
 from strapping the last box. My Lord despatched her to 
 fetch my Lady Muriel's travelling clothes her boots, and 
 the garments she came in, and her hat and ulster. The 
 maid had orders likewise to return with one of the 
 Palace servants. 
 
 She returned with no less a person than Godefroy 
 himself. Both Muriel and her mother thought at first 
 that he had brought comforting assurances from the 
 enemy. His first words undeceived them. 
 
 " This young lady tells me that your Excellency wants 
 me." 
 
 'You are one of the porters? " 
 
 ' I am a domestic." 
 
 1 Is the Chamberlain still up? " 
 
 ' Monsieur, I cannot say." 
 
 ' Can we have a carriage to convey us at once to the 
 station? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 511 
 
 "Walter, you rre surely never going to behave so 
 foolishly? " 
 
 " Leave me to manage this matter in my own way. 
 Can we have a carriage, I ask? Are you deaf? " 
 
 The old man gazed compassionately at the bent head. 
 
 "My Lord can have a carriage. But there are no 
 trains until the morning." 
 
 "Oh, yes, there are," muttered the Englishman. 
 "The Maubeauge train stops here to-night." Gode- 
 froy shrugged his shoulders. " I forgot. Mademoiselle 
 hardly seems to me in a condition to travel." 
 
 Framlingham turned upon him like a tiger. "What 
 is that to you? Let me know when the carriage 
 is here. Now, Muriel, go into your mother's room and 
 change your things. You, too, Henriette, if you please." 
 
 Neither moved. His wife suddenly became sweetly 
 reasonable. 
 
 "Walter, are you carefully considering what you are 
 about to do. I agree cordially that we should assume a 
 dignified attitude. The sooner we leave in the morning, 
 the better. But this midnight flitting will occasion a 
 terrible scandal, which may cloud the whole of the poor 
 child's married life. It might prevent the marriage 
 altogether." 
 
 " There can be no marriage," her husband rejoined 
 curtly. " Come, Muriel, do as I order you. I have 
 neither time nor the mood for further words. Stir your- 
 self, child," he cried with growing irritation, "stir 
 yourself. You do not want to aggravate matters by 
 foolish disobedience." 
 
 "But, father, you are helping him to disgrace me." 
 
 " Dearest, be sure of this, if any other way were pos- 
 sible, I would follow it. None is. He has seduced you, 
 simply because he knows as much. He asks nothing 
 better than that you should suffer him to keep you beside 
 him. He will tell any lies to achieve that purpose, 
 promising you marriage a dozen times a day. It might 
 be years before he tired of you ; but you are no nearer 
 marriage now than you will be when that terrible time 
 comes, and he informs you that he has no further use 
 for your services. It goes to my heart to have to draw
 
 512 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 such a hideous picture. Only you must face the inevita- 
 ble result to any weakness at this moment." 
 
 The maid put her head in at the door. She was 
 British, and angular, and ancient. She had come to 
 Madame among her husband's wedding presents. My 
 Lady called her " Marie," and swallowed her that way. 
 
 "Lady Muriel's travelling clothes are ready," she 
 said. 
 
 The girl shrank back from her father's outstretched 
 hands. 
 
 "You are making a great mistake," cried Lady Fram- 
 lingham. If Muriel takes my advice, she won't obey 
 you." 
 
 " Silence," thundered the Earl, enraged by his daugh- 
 ter's obstinacy. "The girl has obeyed you up till now, 
 and nicely she has done for herself. Muriel, do you 
 hear me? Go at once with Marie. This place stifles 
 me." 
 
 She looked at him with reproachful eyes. Her face, 
 grown terribly weary in a single day, and framed in a 
 maze of disordered hair, printed itself upon his memory, 
 never to fade therefrom while life endured. This hence- 
 forth was the vision evoked by mention of the much- 
 loved name. Not the fresh, genial child upon his knee; 
 not the lanky schoolgirl, full of mischief and free as 
 air; not the graceful maiden, highborn, and clad in ice- 
 bound innocence; but this sin-stained woman, whose 
 weary face lay framed in a maze of disordered hair his 
 little Muriel. 
 
 "Do not separate us. I will come with you, father; 
 only do not separate us. Do not take me away to India, 
 I implore you! He is a man, and he loves me he loves 
 me, I tell you. I have good reason to know it. And 
 and I owe it to myself; you owe it to me not to take me 
 away at that moment when a great career opens itself 
 before me." 
 
 "Ah, yes, " he exclaimed bitterly, "I might have 
 guessed the weapon." 
 
 Marie's head reappeared. "The hot water which I 
 have poured out," she remarked in unexpected French, 
 "is getting cold."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 513 
 
 Godefroy entered the other door at the selfsame in- 
 stant. "The carriage," said he in equally unexpected 
 English, "is at the front entrance." 
 
 " Promise me you will not separate us? " 
 
 "I make no promises," he cried. "I must have im- 
 plicit obedience. If you are content to risk a life of 
 disgrace, thank God I am wise enough to save you." 
 
 "I will not go to India." The increasing harshness 
 of his manner drove her to it. 
 
 "How dare you speak like that?" Madame was 
 drawing closer to their daughter; he turned upon her 
 with clenched fists. 
 
 " Henriette, go and dress yourself," he shouted. 
 
 " I shall stay with my dau " 
 
 "Go and dress yourself." He was rising into a 
 paroxysm of fury. A single key higher, and the whole 
 Palace would hear. He seemed to want them to. 
 
 " Go and dress yourself," he yelled yet again. 
 
 Both servants had witnessed this extraordinary out- 
 burst. Marie, her face in absolutely adamantine repose, 
 walked up to her mistress and drew her away into the 
 next room. 
 
 " You, too, Muriel. Do you hear me? " 
 
 " I am not a slave to be ordered about in this man- 
 ner. ' ' 
 
 " So this is your return for my indulgence. Let me 
 tell you, my Lady, not many fathers would forgive their 
 children such a sin as yours." 
 
 She rose and faced him. She could meet his eye now. 
 
 " You shall not insult me. I see what you want; you 
 want always to keep me under, to trample on me. In 
 secret you are overjoyed that this has happened. You 
 think that an empress is greater than a viceroy; and you 
 want always to keep me under." 
 
 " Muriel, you are mad. And you know how much I 
 love you! " 
 
 "If you love me, you will not come between me and 
 my husband." 
 
 " Faugh, you make me sick. Marie, my coat and 
 hat." 
 
 " Did I not say as much. You parade your love; but
 
 5H THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 your real aim is to trample on me and keep me under. 
 And for this I am to be kept a poor, ruined creature all 
 my life." 
 
 " Enough of this. I give you your choice. Come 
 with me to India, forget this wretched seduc lover of 
 yours; and you shall find your home just as tender, just 
 as loving as it has ever been. Refuse, and I swear to 
 you empress or no empress I will never see you again. 
 See I speak quite calmly. I am fully conscious of 
 what I am saying. You must obey me, or you must go 
 your way. ' ' 
 
 " I will not give him up. " 
 
 " You elect to become his mis , Muriel," he broke 
 off in one last burst of tenderness, "be warned while 
 there is yet time. To-morrow will be too late. Do not 
 let me go like this. I have never used compulsion 
 towards any of my children; lam not going to begin 
 now. I might compel you; perhaps it would be 
 better if I did compel you. But I do not. Muriel, 
 reflect what you are doing. Again and again I tell 
 you, I understand these things better than you. For 
 the thousandth time take my assurance, he can never 
 marry you. You know it. You are not of the sort 
 to live in a fool's paradise," and bethinking him of her 
 sagacity, whereof in days gone by he had been so proud, 
 he gulped down a sob, " in your heart of hearts, you know 
 you can never be his empress. Be guided by your own 
 good sense, my little Muriel, my darling, you who are 
 so precious to me." 
 
 " Mademoiselle will be wise and accompany her kind 
 father," interjected Godefroy. 
 
 My Lord did not rend him now. "This is the Em- 
 peror's servant. You hear what he says? You may be 
 sure he knows his master." 
 
 "Here is your mother," he went on, "and Marie 
 too," who was attired in a close-fitting ulster and helmet- 
 shaped blue hat, which gave her the appearance of a 
 British constable: "we await you only." 
 
 " I cannot do as you bid me." 
 
 " Is that your final answer? " 
 
 "Yes."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 515 
 
 " And you choose to remain alone ana without pro- 
 tection in this man's house? " 
 
 " If you are coward enough to leave me. I shall know 
 how to protect myself." 
 
 "You have been so successful hitherto." 
 
 Madame flung her arms round the girl's neck. 
 
 "I will not leave my child," she cried. "Walter, it 
 is you who are mad. It is inconceivable that you would 
 do such a thing. The whole world will cry shame." 
 
 " Let them. I have done more than most fathers 
 would do. Muriel, I am still ready to forgive you and 
 to take you home. " 
 
 " Do as he asks," says my Lady, loud enough to be 
 heard all over the room. Time to discuss India when 
 we get home. You cannot possibly stay here." 
 
 The girl seemed inclined to fall in with this Punic 
 proposal. 
 
 " I must have your word of honour that you will 
 relinquish him forever," insisted her father. 
 
 " I cannot do that." 
 
 " Then we must part forever." He was cool enough 
 to be able to give Godefroy directions about their 
 luggage : 
 
 "Come, Henriette. " 
 
 " I refuse." 
 
 "Very well " ; and my Lord moved towards the bell. 
 
 "What is the madman about to do? " she cried. 
 
 " He is going to summon as many as care to come. 
 He is going to send for Lord Threpps and the Prehlens, 
 and Marshal Brisson, and Nicholas Fersen, aye, and every 
 lackey about the place, to let them know how the Em- 
 peror has robbed him of his daughter; how this mighty 
 potentate has decoyed a child into his house to ruin and 
 debauch her! That is what the madman is going to do. " 
 
 "You are so valuable," he went on, eyeing her 
 grimly, " I have a mind to call them, whether you come 
 or not. I will call no, it shall be my revenge. Hen- 
 riette, are you coming?" 
 
 "Mother, I beseech you, spare me that last scene. 
 All will be well in the end, if only you both go quietly." 
 
 "I am coming. Kiss me, Muriel," straining the girl
 
 516 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 to her bosom. " Ah, my darling child, you know I never 
 meant you to come to harm. How I wish we had never 
 seen this miserable place; that these dreadful things had 
 never happened. But it will all come right in the end. 
 He can never be such a coward. I feel certain that it 
 will all come right." But despite these comforting 
 assurances her remorse almost choked her. It was a 
 dreadful price to pay, simply because she had been very, 
 very foolish and very, very weak. If only she had taken 
 De Morin's advice. Ah, those "if onlys," how they 
 strew the world! "Your father will forgive you," were 
 her parting words. 
 
 " Not until I am Empress," said the girl, a last gleam 
 of pride lifting that poor draggled head. 
 
 Marie prepared to follow her master and mistress. 
 But she had one word to add before she went. 
 
 " I think the three of you are behaving very fool- 
 ishly," she said with composure. "I do indeed. What 
 your father can be thinking about beats me altogether. 
 He is in one of his nasty tempers. Say the word, my 
 Lady, and I stay with you " ; and Marie, who had a passion 
 for crown-stamped buttons of the soup-plate pattern, 
 clasped number one below her throat. "We can be out 
 of this and off by six. Your father will be glad enough 
 to forget his part in to-night's work. He has no reason 
 to be proud of it, I can tell him." 
 
 "Dear Marie, it will be no use," sobbed the girl. 
 " You do n't know father." 
 
 " I knew him before you were born." 
 
 "It will be no use," Muriel repeated. And Marie 
 turned upon her heels and disappeared. You can't wear 
 crown-stamped buttons without acquiring some amount 
 of military precision. 
 
 Muriel buried her face in her hands, and gave herself 
 over to misery. It took complete possession of her 
 being. She could think of nothing. She knew that, 
 having erred, she owed herself this reparation, pursued 
 at such a cost. Her heart had room alone for a confused 
 remembrance of the terrors of the last thirty hours. 
 
 The touch of gentle fingers hovering for a moment 
 above her head startled her back into life. A great joy
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 517 
 
 filled her heart: her rightful protector had come at last. 
 But it was the voice of Godefroy. 
 
 " My young mistress has shown herself full of courage. 
 Does she desire that I should help her? " 
 
 She answered with a look of gratitude. 
 
 "Remember, I promise nothing. I still think that 
 you would be wiser to obey your father. We have yet 
 time shall we follow him? " 
 
 " I cannot." 
 
 They were all alike. Not one but counselled her to 
 sit down under disgrace. She would have to fight her 
 battle out alone, relying on nothing but Napoleon's 
 honour and her own strong will. 
 
 "To-morrow morning, then," urged Godefroy. "I 
 will this moment rouse Lady Threpps: she shall accom- 
 pany Mademoiselle to Paris by the first train." 
 
 "No, no." 
 
 " Then I have a third plan. Mademoiselle is prepared 
 to risk all on a single throw? " 
 
 She nodded. 
 
 "Wait here. I will return directly." 
 
 It is a trite saying that hope in youthful breasts takes 
 a deal of killing. The kind old man had doubtless hur- 
 ried off to fetch Napoleon. Her lover would learn how 
 faithful she had been to him, and her terrible plight. 
 The result went without saying. She had no fear. To- 
 morrow would be her wedding-day. Not the grand cere- 
 mony originally pictured ; but none the less sweet for that. 
 She began to colour in the scene: the guests departed; 
 the chapel dimly lit, and empty except for Napoleon and 
 herself, the priest, his faithful valet, and perhaps De 
 Morin. Yes, she would always love Compiegne, both for 
 what she had suffered, and for this crowning joy. And 
 on Monday she would drive in a one-horse brougham 
 and quiet clothes round to her father's house. She would 
 go straight to his study. Marc-Antonin should throw 
 wide the door and announce, "Her Majesty, the Em- 
 press. " 
 
 Voices broke in upon these delicious dreams. How 
 to meet him? Not in a posture of despair, surely; nor 
 yet too gaily. She rose with beating heart.
 
 518 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Godefroy came first, his ponderous face marked by 
 lines of deepened gravity. And his companion proved 
 only Brisson! with whom she had not exchanged a single 
 word since their only interview; the man whom she had 
 always passed with averted gaze and quickened pulse. 
 
 But his chivalrous bearing soon reassured her. He 
 bent his head over her hand much as though she had 
 been Empress-dowager of China, and not the unhappy 
 thing foretold by his fatal words. The worthy soldier 
 had evidently come straight out of dreamland: a long 
 military overcoat swathed him from chin to ankle. It 
 served him as a dressing-gown. 
 
 " His Majesty is up, you say? " he inquired of Gode- 
 froy. 
 
 " He is still at his desk." 
 
 "And he knows about about Mademoiselle?" 
 
 "I have just told him." 
 
 "Then he expects her?" 
 
 Godefroy gave no direct affirmative. He muttered 
 merely that there could be no impediment to their pro- 
 ceeding thither forthwith. 
 
 " Mademoiselle comprehends the risk," suggested the 
 gentle-hearted soldier. "This this midnight attack 
 visit may only serve to irritate his Majesty. Men are so 
 different. On second thoughts you prefer to speak with 
 him in the morning ? Godefroy and I will arrange it." 
 
 " I will go at once," she answered; " I have no fear." 
 
 " We obey. Godefroy, go first. Mademoiselle." She 
 took his proffered arm with a heart not quite so fearless 
 as her words. But she knew her stronger will. 
 
 And truly her dreads were nothing to Napoleon's. 
 Returning to his room some two hours earlier, he had 
 found a telegram from Carache to De Morin (annotated 
 in red ink by the Chamberlain) declaring it impossible to 
 arrest Nadez, either that night or for many nights to 
 come. Indignant at such flagrant disobedience, the Em- 
 peror had then and there sat down to administer a sting- 
 ing rebuke to his Premier. He had just sealed the en- 
 velope when Godefroy made his unwelcome appearance. 
 Napoleon had ventured to suggest that the interview 
 should be postponed until the morning. " I came to see
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 519 
 
 whether his Majesty was up and able to receive her," 
 the valet had answered curtly; "I will conduct her to him. " 
 
 So Majesty, not daring to say him nay, now sat in 
 anticipation of a terrible scene. For the moment, Mu- 
 riel figured in his unstable mind as the chief offender. 
 Men and women always meet half-way to work the evil 
 which they two had done ; what right then had she to 
 cause this miserable midnight scandal, or force herself 
 into his presence, like some common slut who flaunts a 
 successful affiliation summons and the baby one yard 
 behind the beaten, draggled-tailed defendant? 
 
 Godefroy and Brisson led the way. The sight of a 
 second witness increased the poor fellow's indignation. 
 He stood up, lamely attempting to look self-possessed. 
 And so he remained, waiting for the proceedings to 
 begin. 
 
 Muriel had imagined that one step across the thresh- 
 old would carry her into her lover's arms. She entered 
 smiling. Piteously indeed, but nevertheless smiling. 
 She even attempted a display of those fascinations those 
 winning, childlike airs and graces which had never 
 hitherto failed of success. She could have chosen no 
 more fatal demeanour. Napoleon felt repulsed and sick- 
 ened. It was the first touch of genuine hatred; taste 
 number two of the end. 
 
 Her companions stopped half-way across the room. 
 She advanced alone, still smiling, gazing at him fondly 
 with that whimsical expression, which, in his opinion, she 
 no longer had any right to wear. How base and unmanly 
 was this creature's heart, how altogether devoid of 
 chivalry, was now shown beyond question. He actually 
 receded, visibly repelled, before this poor creature whom 
 he had betrayed. 
 
 She stopped. Her chin dropt in bewilderment; a 
 wave of scarlet swept across her face. Despite her reso- 
 lute heart and the feet that had strayed, she remained a 
 child still. And the truth came faintly; the invincible 
 corollary of their love. She caught her breath and burst 
 into tears. Her distress went straight to its target; the 
 heart of this man of a thousand changing moods at last 
 was touched. So he opened his arms.
 
 520 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "My darling," he cried, "don't weep like that, un- 
 less you want to unman me. Godefroy has told me what 
 you have done for my sake. How I love you for it, 
 dearest; more than ever before, if such a thing were 
 only possible." 
 
 She grew calm at once. It was good to nestle thus 
 against his breast, now that she had no other protector. 
 
 " My precious is tired and overwrought," he went on. 
 " She did quite right to come to me. I could never have 
 rested without telling her how wise she was to trust in 
 my great love." He began to shower kisses upon her 
 head. No doubt they fell where her father's had fallen, 
 half an hour before. "But we must all have a good 
 night's rest. You would not like to make a confidante 
 of Lady Threpps? " he asked anxiously by way of after- 
 thought; "she could take you home by an early train." 
 
 "I will not return home until I am married." 
 
 " But your poor father? " 
 
 " I do n't see that he need be especially considered," 
 Godefroy broke in bluntly. " He hasn't behaved himself 
 over-well. Not that I do n't recommend Mademoiselle 
 to return home unless, of course, your Majesty intends 
 to fulfil your promise." 
 
 "Of course I do," responded Majesty faintly. But 
 she looked at him with such beseeching doubt clearly 
 expressed in her eyes that he resumed his former ardour 
 and his high-flown words. 
 
 " Listen, Muriel. In the presence of Marshal Brisson 
 and Monsieur Godefroy I swear to you that I will keep my 
 promise. Do you hear me, Brisson? Godefroy, do you? 
 I will forfeit my throne; I will forfeit life itself rather 
 than surrender you. Before the great God I swear it." 
 
 Anything further would have been bathos. Napoleon 
 kissed her brow (a rapt expression, speaking of heaven 
 and the love that lives among the angels, over his own) ; 
 and Muriel returned the kiss, suffering herself to be 
 turned aside from more specific details. 
 
 But, all the same, she kept wondering why she had 
 fallen. Was this really it, that, being conscious of his 
 unstable character, she had imagined a sacrifice of her 
 honour would draw him closer to her? Pure-minded even
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 521 
 
 yet, and still without passion, she had bent before a 
 weaker will; she had given herself up to a man who 
 himself was near as modest, not practised in seduction, 
 not a libertine, falling for the first time also, and only 
 because he had loved her very much. 
 
 "The best course," resumed the Emperor with grow- 
 ing complaisancy, " would be to find you a suitable home 
 and a suitable companion until the necessary prelimin- 
 aries are got through. They will take about a fortnight. " 
 
 "So long? But my father and mother leave Paris in 
 ten days." 
 
 " Ah, they shall be induced to postpone their depart- 
 ure. Never fear, little one. I have it," he cried, struck 
 by a brilliant idea; " what do you say to Meaux? Mar- 
 shal Brisson shall take you there in the morning. I I, 
 the Emperor, will go in person to your father, and give 
 him my pro satisfactory assurances. He and my Lady 
 will proceed to Meaux to-morrow evening; and you will 
 only have to walk across our little bridge. Ah, Muriel, 
 the summer is coming back: we shall have many a sweet 
 hour yet, beside our little bridge." 
 
 " How good and kind you are," she cried, genuinely 
 grateful. 
 
 " That 's settled. Now, little one," she did not re- 
 sent this repeated use of her father's term of endearment, 
 " to bed. Dry your eyes. That weary little heart 
 must get to rest." 
 
 A fresh fancy seized him. He glanced anxiously at 
 Brisson and Godefroy: would they laugh? he wondered. 
 Why should they? The former had received his title in 
 identically the same way. 
 
 " Godefroy," he burst forth, "you will conduct the 
 Princess to her room." 
 
 The valet bowed, and turned to Muriel: 
 
 " Your Highness will kindly follow me? " 
 
 The girl looked from one to the other with a bewil- 
 dered laugh of pleasure. She kissed her hand to Napoleon 
 amid smiles that no longer repelled. Then she turned 
 and followed the major-domo. " If only father could 
 see me!" she thought, as she went along the silent 
 corridors.
 
 522 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 If only she could have seen her father. The 
 Maubeauge express was slackening speed for the first 
 time since quitting Compiegne. Lady Framlingham, 
 seated by the near window of the compartment which she 
 and her husband divided between them, passed her 
 muff across the glass. A flickering lamp without showed 
 the first black signs of Paris. She turned timidly round 
 to my Lord, who leaned back in the farther corner, 
 frowning at the hat-rack in front of him. He had not 
 changed his posture throughout the journey, nor uttered 
 a word. 
 
 "We are there," she murmured. He made no sign; 
 and she resumed her survey of the outside world, idly 
 watching how the rails began to multiply and glisten 
 under the increasing lights. 
 
 Marie was at their door almost before the train had 
 come to a standstill. She helped her mistress onto the 
 deserted platform, and both women stood waiting for 
 my Lord. But my Lord came not. Henriette turned: 
 my Lord had not budged, only his head had fallen for- 
 ward. 
 
 "Walter! " she cried; and she sprang towards him 
 and laid it for a moment against her breast. They had 
 each to take one side of him, and help him down and 
 from the station. And so he goes out of this story to 
 rule his millions, robbed of what he loves most in the 
 world, and blinded with tears.
 
 Chapter XI 
 
 Morning brought but sombre awakening to all con- 
 cerned in last night's tragedy. Muriel left for Meaux 
 at an early hour. The journey, following as it did upon 
 a tender parting, was made under Brisson's guidance. 
 His gentle tact helped to soften it, no less than the girl's 
 confidence in the success of her lover's mission. 
 
 If only this chapter and the opportunities are grow- 
 ing very precious might proceed to chronicle a day spent 
 in absolute fulfillment of our hero's solemn vows, how 
 gladly would a not over-ready pen accompany him to the 
 Avenue de Villiers, No. 47, and describe with painful 
 minuteness his suppliant attitude upon the doorstep, his 
 chilling reception, the father's ebbing rage, his own 
 frank avowals and final victory. That task performed, 
 how joyfully would it waft my Lord to Meaux, there to 
 assist at a far more desirable scene of reconciliation and 
 mutual forgiveness. 
 
 And indeed when Napoleon set forth from Compiegne, 
 onl'y half an hour after Muriel, he fully intended to seek 
 the Earl, and soothe him with comfortable words. But 
 and there^is shame even to write it he got no farther 
 than the Elysee. He reached it before luncheon. Not 
 a single obstacle, great or small, arose to detain him, 
 nothing save his own fatal irresolution, which marred 
 every enterprise he set his hand to. What a comfort, 
 had it been otherwise; had his purpose been hampered 
 by events outside his own control: De Morin, for in- 
 stance, absolutely forbidding this attempt at placation 
 which could lead to nothing but more broken promises; 
 or, again, an urgent message from MM. Carache and 
 Prehlen to the effect that England had somehow got 
 wind of their pourparlers and was collecting her lazy 
 limbs to pounce. 
 
 523
 
 524 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Best of all, a reply from Nadez in the form of an attack 
 upon his valuable life. The opportunity for such had 
 been there sure enough. Napoleon, ensconced in an 
 open carriage, had proceeded at a sharp trot homeward 
 from the Gare du Nord. A block had stopped him full 
 four minutes at the corner of the Rue Drouot. If only 
 the Eurasian had jumped upon him then and stuck him 
 through the stomach! Alas, none of these excuses were 
 granted unto him. De Morin, Prehlen, and Carache, 
 one and all left him severely alone. England lay still 
 asleep, while Nadez was not yet ready. 
 
 To descend from the cloudlands of hypothesis, and 
 resume our modest way along the surface of the earth. 
 Napoleon as has been mentioned already reached the 
 Elyse"e before lunch. He consumed that meal with all 
 the heartiness of a man about to perform some noble 
 action. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, and in- 
 formed Godefroy that he would be in his library until 
 three, ' ' when, ' ' said he, gazing absently at the remainder 
 of the prunes, " I propose to take a little walk." 
 
 Accordingly, at five to three the valet went into the 
 library to poke the fire. Majesty lay full length upon a 
 couch. A newspaper, fallen from his hands, enveloped 
 him like some light coverlet: his vacant eyes were fixed 
 upon the ceiling. The sight struck an instant chill to 
 the marrow of the old man's bones. He smashed every 
 piece of coal the grate contained; he stabbed the scuttle 
 in the back with one blow of the shovel; he flung the 
 tongs and poker into their usual resting-place; and ended 
 by brushing up the hearth the wrong way. 
 
 Napoleon groaned and turned his face to the wall. 
 
 "It is three o'clock." 
 
 "Is it?" replied our hero in die-away tones. "I 
 do n't feel very well. Let me have a cup of tea in about 
 an hour's time." 
 
 " The fresh air will revive you. Shall I bring you 
 your fur coat? To my mind, you will find the light one 
 heavy enough: it has turned quite muggy." 
 
 " My fur coat? " queried the Emperor in a sort of 
 meditative repetition; " my dear Godefroy, I do not feel 
 well enough to go walking. No, I shall lie quietly until tea. ' '
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 525 
 
 The butler chucked the hearth-brush back into its 
 corner with so correct an aim that it finished upright. 
 Still on his knees, he turned and gazed venomously at 
 his master. 
 
 "Not so much noise," implored the latter faintly. 
 Godefroy rose, and came and stood directly over this 
 interesting recumbent figure. The interesting recum- 
 bent figure commenced to wriggle. 
 
 "I thought your Majesty had an engagement." 
 
 " I never said so," which was quite true. 
 
 "You told me that you were going for a walk at 
 three o'clock." 
 
 " May I not change my mind? I feel too ill to budge. 
 Pray leave me to sleep; and and be careful to close 
 the door gently." 
 
 Godefroy shrugged his shoulders. " It is bright and 
 fresh out of doors. Come, an hour in the Bois will do 
 you good." 
 
 "Just now you said it was muggy." 
 
 " Yes, but there is a delicious breeze." 
 
 "No," said the prostrate ruler, after a short pause 
 for reflection, " I sha'n't move at present. Bring me a 
 cup of tea in an hour. And for heaven's sake shut the 
 door gently." 
 
 Godefroy closed the door so gently that he failed to 
 latch it. Consequently he had to bang it after all. 
 
 " I do n't know about other princes," he muttered as 
 he sought his cabinet; "but that man is wretched indeed 
 who puts his trust in this one." 
 
 Wretched indeed. 
 
 Muriel also reached her journey's end before luncheon. 
 Meaux in November came as a strange sensation ; and 
 even stranger, any house therein except her father's. 
 The Villa Yvonne, its beauties changed but not impaired 
 by the dreary season, repelled her. The first sight of 
 it, as their carriage turned off the road, struck a name- 
 less dread into her heart. She shrank back trembling 
 from the open doorway. The bright rooms, prepared in 
 haste against her coming, were hateful to her even before 
 she could take in their details. It was the terror of some 
 poor, sentenced sufferer who carries his incurable malady
 
 526 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 from place to place in the hope that at last he may leave 
 it behind him, on reaching the final new abode his life 
 will give him, and beholding for the first time the room 
 and bed wherein he has to die. 
 
 Only one thing pleased her. The household consisted 
 of a retired butler from the Elysee and his middle-aged 
 wife, who was staid and prim to look at, and seemed 
 of an incurious temperament. There were no prying 
 lackeys, no pert waiting-maids to probe her sorrow. The 
 gaunt female she reminded the girl a little of Marie 
 helped silently disrobe her new mistress; then conducted 
 her into a sitting-room, where the table was laid. 
 
 "The Princess will touch the bell when she wants 
 me," was all she said. And having said so much, she 
 left my Lady to the soup and her own devices. 
 
 Being merely about to benefit by some noble action, 
 Muriel's appetite proved less robust than Napoleon's. 
 In truth, she could not swallow a single morsel. She 
 crossed into her bedroom it opened out and resumed 
 her cloak and hat. She stood gazing idly down at the 
 lawn and gravel-path that divided the villa from the 
 road. 
 
 Their dilapidated fly still waited before the porch. 
 She felt tempted to use it back to Meaux, and journey 
 without a single break from Meaux to Tipton, where she 
 had been born and bred, and wherein she fancied her 
 perturbed spirit might find rest. Presently Brisson ap- 
 peared upon the doorstep. He signed to the driver to 
 depart empty ; then set forth on foot and at a swinging 
 pace. 
 
 Most of Muriel s heart went with him. He had per- 
 formed his mission with such unobtrusive kindness. And 
 it irked her to see any one leave her gilded prison-house. 
 The place began to stifle her. The bright rooms, 
 threaded from end to end with sunbeams, and warmed by 
 cheerful fires that spluttered in hateful complaisancy, 
 drove her mad. The tempting table brought a return 
 of her recent sickness. The rich decorations and sump- 
 tuous furniture, the wealth of gaudily covered books, 
 the meretricious nooks and corners, completed the tale 
 of her misery, adding genuine terror to what had been
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 527 
 
 at first merely a feeling of uncomfortable dislike. The 
 significance of it all commenced to dawn upon her brain. 
 Yet what could this girl know of the Maintenons and 
 Pompadours, the Du Barrys and Nell Gwynnes, or of 
 the caskets forged to hold these priceless pearls? Before 
 her fall, she had had neither the chance nor inclination 
 to read about them; since, she had not had time nor 
 more desire, she who would have shrunk with fresh reason 
 from the mere mention of their names. The knowledge 
 of evil people and of their crimes reaches us through the 
 medium of no direct instruction. It is parcel of the air 
 we breathe. It enters us, when and how we know not; 
 and it is always ready to our hands when our time comes. 
 She passed softly onto the landing. Everything seemed 
 still. She was glad of it; she could not bear the face of 
 any living soul. She meant to steal down to the river- 
 side and spend the afternoon in solitude. The place 
 might bear a very different aspect when she returned. 
 Her parents would have assuredly arrived; De Morin 
 perhaps with them, the bearer of a definite date. A 
 cough startled her. The thin housekeeper sat darning 
 stockings beside the stove: she had her back turned 
 towards the door of Muriel's sitting-room. 
 
 She did not lift her eyes from her work: 
 
 "The Princess has found everything satisfactory?" 
 she asked. 
 
 Muriel merely nodded. She resented this woman's 
 encampment at her very gates. 
 
 "I am glad," the other went on, imperturbably. 
 " Her Highness proposes to take a short walk? " 
 
 "Yes, I do," returned the still resentful Princess. 
 " My mother and father will be here this evening," she 
 added proudly. " Let them know that I shall be back 
 not later than six." 
 
 "Very good. They will wish to have tea: it shall be 
 ready for them." 
 
 She found the Marne much swollen, notwithstanding 
 the dryness of the season. The fringe of lawn, her 
 favourite resting-place in bygone summers, lay under 
 water. Its guardian poplars were washed by the ebb 
 and flow of muddy currents. Without a second glance
 
 528 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 at this dreary scene, she sped across the bridge into her 
 father's grounds. She seemed straightway to breathe a 
 purer air. Her step grew more elastic. She had won 
 her way back into the region of her childhood. For a 
 single brief moment of bright forgetfulness she recovered 
 the cleanness of those irrevocable days. She even com- 
 menced to dream; modestly, indeed, as befitted conva- 
 lescence. The Villa Henriette would be fit to receive 
 them. She could send back Pons to fetch her parents; 
 and the three of them would spend the night under their 
 own roof. No more Villa Yvonne ! When she was Em- 
 press, the ill-omened place should pass out of royal 
 possession for good and all. This pleasing project, 
 alas, went the way of many others. The villa presented 
 two cheerless rows of green shutters, and a padlocked 
 door. The house might have held Elysium for its security. 
 It held nothing else. She rang and shouted; nothing 
 came save feeble echoes. She fled precipitately back to 
 her sole poor haven. And she mounted to her rooms a 
 good two hours in advance of time she had mentioned. 
 The woman still sat darning. 
 ' Is my father here? " 
 'No, Madame. Shall I bring tea?" 
 I will wait. They cannot arrive much before six." 
 ' Very good, Princess." 
 ' Will you tell me your name? " 
 'I am called Eugenie." 
 
 You need not wait in the passage, Eugenie. I can 
 ring when I want anything." 
 
 "I always sit beside this stove," Eugenie replied 
 with composure. 
 
 "Eugenie," burst out the girl under an incontrollable 
 impulse, "has Monsieur told you anything about me? " 
 
 "Your Highness means Marshal Brisson. Certainly. 
 He informed me that you were an English Princess, a 
 cousin of the Emperor's; and that you had some idea of 
 purchasing this villa. Hence Madame's visit." 
 
 "And what becomes of you two, presuming I buy 
 it?" 
 
 "We are to have Compiegne so soon as Monsieur 
 August Fabre dies. He cannot last forever."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 529 
 
 " Eugenie, why do you always sit beside the stove? " 
 
 "My husband snores in front of the kitchen fire. I 
 cannot hear the bell." 
 
 " No one ever comes." 
 
 "But yes. You yourself Princess, came this morn- 
 ing: your illustrious parents arrive to-night." 
 
 "I shall hear them," cried Muriel. "You need not 
 wait on their account." 
 
 "Thank you, I am comfortable." 
 
 The girl retired vanquished. The lamps in her sit- 
 ting-room certainly made the place look cosy. The 
 general warmth was not without its effect upon her 
 spirits. But she would not have purchased the property 
 did she possess exclusive cognizance of a gold mine 
 underneath the front lawn. 
 
 She opened the bedroom door, that she might hear 
 the earliest sounds of their approach. She chose a book 
 by a French author upon the wonders of Cashmere, then 
 seated herself beside the fire and began to think about 
 the Elyse"e. 
 
 She knew the trains from Paris. Her lover's visit 
 could not be made much before three. Probably five 
 was nearer the mark. The last train reached Meaux at 
 something after eleven; her parents must arrive not later 
 than midnight. So she plunged boldly into the midst 
 of Shrinagar, with complete success, for presently she 
 passed into a gentle slumber. 
 
 She awoke to find Eugenie standing over her with the 
 tea tray. 
 
 " Princess, it is nearly seven. Your illustrious parents 
 have not arrived." 
 
 "Ah, they will come later. You did right to bring 
 the tea. I am hungry. " 
 
 " The supper is already laid," hesitated the woman. 
 
 "I shall wait until they arrive." 
 
 " At what hour does your Highness desire it served? " 
 
 "I cannot say," Muriel exclaimed, indulging in a 
 little burst of petulance. " Do you not see that these 
 details annoy me? Please leave me in peace." 
 
 " There is soup," Eugenie persisted. 
 "There may be."
 
 530 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 She saw no more of Eugenie that evening. The 
 night wore on as persistently as nights will when one 
 is waiting for those who do not come. The fire settled 
 lower and lower in the grate ; her heart with it. Towards 
 one of the morning she went supperless to bed. She 
 sank into troubled slumbers that tried to find the cause 
 of this cruel disappointment. Even dreaming, her brain 
 kept asking whether it was that her father had proved 
 adamant or her lover faithless. And then dreams van- 
 ished. The genuine sleep of childhood fell upon her 
 eyes. Thrice fortunate had it never lifted more. The 
 sun wakened her, the sun, and the sputterings of a 
 freshly kindled fire. Her breakfast lay beside her bed. 
 One plate contained a letter directed in an upright hand 
 to H. H. the Princess Elizabeth of Pierrefonds. It proved 
 ten closely written sheets of love. The postscript held a 
 tiny excuse for his latest treachery: " Dearest, I felt too 
 ill to leave my sofa. I have devised a better plan; you 
 shall hear it when we meet on Monday." 
 
 That was the first of many lonely days, days wherein 
 utter misery and dejection alternated with extravagant 
 light-heartedness; the latter nourished on Napoleon's 
 promises, which (written and spoken) were legion; the 
 former begotten of her hateful dwelling and solitary 
 condition. 
 
 His demeanour, it must be confessed, left nothing to 
 be desired. He was unremitting in his attentions. 
 Never a day passed without a letter; never a week with- 
 out a visit. Divided from her, his words seemed to 
 breathe a constant yearning for her presence; the which 
 being granted, he treated it with becoming reverence. 
 No shadow born of their common sin arose to sever 
 them, as she had dreaded. Indeed, its memory seemed 
 only to add sweetness to their intercourse. 
 
 As for his vows and genial projects, their number was 
 as the grains of sand upon the shore. At the outset, the 
 marriage would most certainly take place before the end 
 of the current month. He and De Morin had been ar- 
 ranging the ceremonial "only the other day." Then, 
 with the obstinate approach of Christmas, it became 
 necessary to change the date to the first week of the
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 531 
 
 new year. Specious pretexts never failed for each fresh 
 postponement. He was threatened with a ministerial 
 crisis. De Morin had the gout, and could not superin- 
 tend the details, arranged "only the other day." Some- 
 times Muriel touched upon the public announcement. 
 His answer to that always came pat. "We cannot hide 
 from ourselves," he invariably said, "that our marriage 
 will raise a deal of opposition. All my advisers admit 
 so much. We must not give it time to grow. A fort- 
 night from start to finish will have to see the whole thing 
 through. The announcement shall be made the instant 
 we have settled our date. Patience, my darling." 
 
 Thus he wove a network of lies round both of 
 them. And, as time went on, he dare not move a step 
 within the narrowing area, fearful lest he might trip and 
 lay bare his villainy. Not that he did not love her; but 
 it was easier to tell lies than to fight his mistress. He 
 fully meant to marry her. 
 
 They were soothing enough, these vows and pro- 
 jects, and daily letters breathing love. And here it may 
 be remarked parenthetically that the girl was not un- 
 grateful. She repaid her lover's devotion with as much 
 cheerfulness as she could manage, and as few questions. 
 Unfortunately, however, these diversions took up only a 
 quarter of her time. Many an hour was left for sombre 
 reflections. Truly, she had food for them. Her father 
 gave no sign of relenting. De Morin's kind offices put 
 her in communication with her mother: poor Henriette 
 wrote every day. These epistles, meagre in respect of 
 all things except lamentations, kept her fairly well in- 
 formed of her kinsmen's movements. An occasional 
 English newspaper supplemented what she knew. The 
 gap widened every day. Her sceptre would have to be 
 long indeed to span it. Her walks invariably ended 
 somewhere near the Villa Henriette. One afternoon she 
 crossed the bridge to find all further progress barred 
 by a boarding which declared the house and grounds for 
 sale. The same night her mother wrote that number 
 forty-seven had already been disposed of. A stray Times 
 mentioned that the new Viceroy had left town for Tipton- 
 St. John; and that his Excellency proposed to sail upon
 
 532 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the Thursday week. An equally haphazard Figaro in- 
 formed an astonished world that the Honourable Charles 
 Mendril had been attached to the British embassy as 
 third secretary. 
 
 Her favourite pastime during these hours of solitude 
 was to piece out such scanty data, and, with the aid of 
 details supplied by her sharpened memory, live their life 
 along with them from day to day. " Father and Walter 
 have just returned from hunting," she would whisper of 
 an evening. She could see them drawing rein before 
 the stable gates, splashed to their shoulders with red 
 earth, half hidden in the steam of their panting horses. 
 Or, again, having this to go upon that they were back in 
 London and busy buying. She would picture her mother 
 oscillating between shops and stores. " Dear mother," 
 the girl would say, finding now how much she loved her, 
 "I am sure she has already discovered that India will 
 be detestable." Those real figures had gone to people 
 her castles in the air. She began to think of them as 
 of some desired dream long faded. They soothed her 
 restless days. These, alas, were as numerous as Napo- 
 leon's promises. Who is not restless, who lives in the 
 past and in the future, and has no uses for the present ? 
 Once Nicholas Fersen wrote. From Russia, whither he 
 had gone, in ignorance, the very morning after the tragedy. 
 His letter showed that he had heard since. Its delicate 
 tact went straight to her poor heart. He said no word 
 about his own longings, thus ruthlessly shattered, and 
 his despair. 
 
 For an entire month, indeed, her solitude was but 
 once broken by outside visitors. It was a certain after- 
 noon, and she was reclining not over-gracefully in her 
 easy-chair, idly turning the pages that told about Cash- 
 mere. A smile still hovered upon her lips. Napoleon 
 was but that moment gone, after a morning spent in her 
 company. He had arrived from Paris close on ten, 
 a thing before unheard of, his face bearing all the 
 signs of genuine depression. This token of his growing 
 dependence flattered her. She had done her utmost to 
 dissipate his gloom, and with complete success. Neither 
 of them had ever talked more gaily or with greater con-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 533 
 
 fidence of their future life. The hours flew by. At 
 last Napoleon had had to tear himself away, his fare- 
 well a declaration (made in all good faith) that this visit 
 had strengthened him more than words could tell. She 
 looked at Shrinagar, Jumn, and Leh, in their many 
 shapes, and thought only of Paris. She tried to follow 
 the courses of the Jhelam River; while all the time she 
 could not get away from the ermine marriage-cloak, 
 whereof Napoleon had spoken. Eugenie entered. 
 
 "Two gentlemen and a little boy to see your High- 
 ness." 
 
 "Have they not told you their names? " she asked, 
 bewildered. 
 
 "No, Muriel, we have not," said a stern voice, over 
 Eugenie's shoulder. And the Honourable Charles Men- 
 dril walked sombrely into the room, followed at a rever- 
 ential distance by his uncle Louis and his uncle Louis' 
 little boy. 
 
 "Why, dear Charles," cried the girl, springing out 
 of her chair, "this is a surprise. And you, dear uncle 
 Louis, and Paul too, how kind of you to come. 
 You will have lunch, of course." 
 
 A faint look of astonishment passed across Charles's 
 face. He had come forth to see an interesting penitent 
 garbed in sorrow and deep black. Yet, here was she 
 dressed in white (in white, ye gods!), bearing no sign of 
 her sin blazoned on her brow; not a whit altered from 
 the clean-faced Muriel of other days. The ways of 
 wrong-doers are inscrutable. He had not come to curse 
 her, indeed his heart had been moved to a vast compas- 
 sion by the whiffs of hot mutton in the hall; but he 
 couldn't stand this. He repulsed her coldly; and drew 
 himself up to his full five foot four and a half. 
 
 She copied his movement. Her greater height gave 
 her a distinct advantage. 
 
 "Uncle Louis," said he sepulchrally, his eyes still 
 fixed upon his erring sister, " you and Paul will kindly 
 leave us together for a few minutes. I have something 
 to say to Muriel." 
 
 "Uncle Louis," she added fiercely, "you will please 
 remain where you are. / have nothing to say to my
 
 534 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 brother except this : if his only purpose in coming was 
 to insult me, he had far better have stayed away. Paul, 
 won't you kiss me? " 
 
 The boy ran forward with great readiness to fling his 
 arms round her neck. His father likewise advanced to 
 salute her. He was a man of kindly nature. Besides, 
 he had had a little tiff with the Honourable Charles in the 
 train. 
 
 When, a Sunday or so before, young Mendril sug- 
 gested this visit, Monsieur de Murinac jumped at it as a 
 very noble idea. And nothing arose to mar this perfect 
 accord, to within half an hour of their journey's end. 
 Charles had beguiled the tedium of the way with an ac- 
 count of his daily life and policy, what time he should 
 become Premier. Uncle de Murinac devoured sand- 
 wiches; pretended to listen, and did n't. Paul devoured 
 sandwiches, and did not pretend. "I suppose you are 
 very clever, " Louis had remarked at the end of his last 
 piece of ham. Charles had smiled and bowed; he per- 
 mitted himself these little indiscretions in his uncle's 
 company. "You, also, uncle, are clever enough," he 
 had responded affably, " only you have no application. 
 We shall write on your tombstone, ' Here lies Louis 
 de Murinac, ruined by a blue pencil.' " The shot had 
 gone home. Louis started and flushed scarlet. Only 
 that moment he had been meditating a magnificent 
 scheme of repudiation, which should chalk out the debtor 
 side of " hours wasted," and which should start afresh 
 with a clean sheet on January i, proximate, 189-. That is 
 the reason why he kissed his niece with additional fervour. 
 
 Charles stood apart, his arms folded. He waited until 
 these salutations were quite finished: his patience was 
 displayed with much elaboration. 
 
 "Very well," said he, when they were ready, "you 
 can please yourself. I made the suggestion for your 
 own sake. If you prefer them to remain and overhear, 
 I have no objection. Uncle Paul kindly seat your- 
 selves." 
 
 "It is for me to say that, not you." 
 
 " I know, " muttered the future Premier with bitter 
 significance.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 535 
 
 "Uncle," the girl pursued, "will you and Paul not 
 take something to eat? You must be hungry." 
 
 Louis looked wistfully across at his nephew. "I 
 have had some sandwiches, thank you." The faintness 
 of his voice showed that he had not originally intended 
 them as final. 
 
 " Enough of this," cried the future Premier from the 
 opposite corner, he had retreated before the unclean 
 thing. "We have not come for food. We have busi- 
 ness together, you and I, my sister. You must be good 
 enough to favour me with your best attention," 
 
 " I refuse to listen to you. This is my ho this is my 
 room. If you choose to behave as any decent brother 
 would do, as Walter would behave, if he were here, you 
 are welcome to stop. If you do n't choose, then go! I 
 won't be lectured by anyone, least of all by you." 
 
 He gazed at her with lofty contempt. " I was pre- 
 pared for this," said he. "You ought to know by now 
 that I am not the sort of man to be intimidated by shrill 
 violence." He put one hand behind his back, the fore- 
 finger of the other he lifted in stern admonition. 
 
 "Now, Muriel, no equivocation! Tell me candidly, 
 what do you mean to do? " 
 
 For the minute rage rendered her speechless. 
 
 "I ask you," he continued, "as much for your sake 
 as for mine. One thing is clear; you cannot pursue this 
 mode of life," and he surveyed the much-decorated 
 room with the thunder of half a dozen Hebrew prophets 
 upon his brow. "You cannot return to my mother. 
 Uncle Louis remains. But would it be fair to cast such 
 a burden on our kinsman's back? I venture to think 
 not." Uncle Louis nodded a gloomy assent. "Muriel, 
 can you answer my question? What do you mean to do? 
 Where are you going? " 
 
 If her clenched hand had clasped some weapon at 
 that minute, she would have killed him. 
 
 "You loathsome coward " 
 
 "Tush! no recriminations, I beg. Let us be reason- 
 able, my sister. I have not come to rake up the bitter 
 past; to rub your sores afresh with vinegar. I am not 
 of that sort. My one desire is to help you. I want to
 
 536 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 save you from this life of sin. It is my duty to stretch 
 out a strong arm for you to lean upon. True, you have 
 smirched our name. True, you have broken my mother's 
 heart; behold, I do not come to chide you for it. Nor 
 do I intend to censure you for the harm you have done 
 me. My sister, are you aware " this last with a touch 
 of divinely condescending pity " that you have put me 
 back some five years in my career. Lo, I forgive you. 
 Thank God I am strong; I can bear it. I am not afraid. 
 My bark will get home just as soon as Walter's. No, 
 Muriel, I forgive you; and I come thinking only of you. 
 My sister, you have not answered my question. What do 
 you propose to do? " 
 
 "I do not want your help, you conceited meddler. 
 You conceited fool! you selfish, conceited, ignorant 
 fool ! ' ' She kept crying with the poverty of epithet which 
 generally results from a wealth of passion. "I com- 
 mand you to leave this room." 
 
 "Your career!" she went on, shrilly laughing; 
 "that's all you care about, your precious career! You 
 have come to lecture me; let me give you this one word 
 in return. You are too vain and vacillating ever to do 
 anything. Walter beat you at school: he took the degree 
 which you could not," she meant pass finals, " and yet 
 you fancy yourself to be much his superior. You are 
 always chopping and changing about. The only thing 
 you do with any consistency is to blow your own trum- 
 pet. Now go, you miserable coward." 
 
 Some of her arrows went home. His yellow face 
 flushed crimson. The ugly words wherewith he was 
 accustomed to describe her in his own mind nearly burst 
 forth in a foul torrent of vituperation. But he restrained 
 himself. 
 
 A small voice within him kept whispering, " Now, 
 Charles, rise to the occasion. Be worthy, my esteemed 
 young friend, of your future destiny. A chance has come 
 to prove your metal. Charles, be great! " 
 
 His greatness took the form of a sickly simper. 
 
 "Muriel, you push me very hard, but you sha'n't 
 drive me from my purpose. You cannot reply to my 
 question. Very well, I will supply the answer for you.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 537 
 
 Listen, my sister. I suggest a convent. More than that. 
 I have been to see the reverend mothers of the Assump- 
 tion at Auteuil. They know your story. Provided you 
 can assure them that there is no likelihood of any untow- 
 ard consequences " 
 
 "Really, Charles," the patient Louis was driven to 
 exclaim. 
 
 "Untoward consequences," the Premier persisted, 
 " resulting from your lapse from the path of virtue, they 
 will give you a haven of rest." 
 
 "You shall pay for this, you coward," she almost 
 shouted. "You shall pay for this, when I am married." 
 
 "My poor child," soothingly, "who would marry you?" 
 
 "When I am Empress, you may go to some other 
 embassy then; you sha'n't stay in France." 
 
 " I shall stay in France just as long as I choose. Who 
 is to turn me out, I should like to know? " 
 
 "I." 
 
 "Listen to her," then he stopped short. 
 
 " Muriel, your violence is enough to provoke an angel. 
 I do not mean to lose my temper with you." 
 
 "What do I care what you mean or not? Who are 
 you, that you should come and preach to me? Don't 
 fancy that I don't know, you wretch! I know well 
 enough that father had occasion only this spring to 
 reprove you for some secret vice, you ugly, vicious 
 hypocrite." 
 
 Charles caught his breath. 
 
 "How do you know that?" he cried. "You have 
 been prying into father's letters. What a fool I am to 
 suppose that one can do anything for a degraded woman 
 like this. Live on as the Emperor's mistress, you filthy- 
 minded harlot! It is all one to me." 
 
 And then a curious thing happened. Louis, who had 
 sat all this while dangling his legs and gloomily survey- 
 ing the combatants, suddenly roused himself from his 
 torpor. It was nature reasserting herself. The man 
 had come to one score years before the eldest of these 
 wrangling children was begotten. 
 
 " No more of this, you miserable creatures," he inter- 
 posed. His decided tones startled them amid their anger.
 
 538 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Charles, I did wrong to let you come. You are unfitted 
 for a task like this. Be good enough to leave us. You 
 make me feel quite ashamed of myself. You may take 
 the first train back to Paris. Paul and I will return 
 later." 
 
 The Right Honourable gentleman actually obeyed 
 these curt directions. He slunk out of the room. He 
 slinks out of this narrative at the same time. It may 
 seem unnecessary to add that England still awaits her 
 great patrician premier. 
 
 Louis' demeanour towards his niece was at the outset 
 not much less severe. He bade her go and bathe her 
 head in cold water. The ruling passion strong in death! 
 he always douched his own beard and chestnut locks 
 after wasted mornings and massacred schemes. She 
 returned refreshed, and Louis resumed his usual gen- 
 tleness. 
 
 The remainder of the day passed pleasantly. The 
 visitors supplemented their sandwiches; then the three 
 of them went down to the river, and scaled my Lord's 
 hoarding. De Murinac enjoyed himself immensely. His 
 visits to the Villa Henriette, since his boyhood, had 
 neither been few nor far between. But he chose to regard 
 this present one as a renewal of acquaintance after long 
 years. He determined to date his new scheme of life 
 from that hour and that place. Perhaps it was the No- 
 vember sun. Perhaps it was the hoarding. Perhaps it 
 was only the luncheon, and the Emperor's port. Any- 
 how, he became very sentimental, and made voluminous 
 notes. 
 
 On their way back, Muriel talked to them unceasingly 
 of Napoleon's kindness and devotion. Tea came as a 
 valuable ally. The girl waited until her uncle was redo- 
 lent of hot buttered toast to proffer a request, which 
 had been long in her mind. It amounted to nothing less 
 than this: that Paul might be permitted to stay on, then 
 and there, for at least a week. Louis looked puzzled. 
 His niece added, with a smile, that she would make it 
 straight with the boy's employer. So the matter settled 
 itself. And Uncle Louis, having kissed both children 
 with much fervour, went off into the night.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 539 
 
 Twenty years labor, at a ripe old age, he was discov- 
 ered one morning dead in his library, seated before his 
 desk, pen in hand, in front of him a nearly blank sheet 
 of blue paper bearing these enigmatical words: "Mon- 
 days, rise at seven." 
 
 It must not be supposed that Napoleon found these 
 weeks any the more endurable. His great victories had 
 earned him peace without bringing it. Barely two 
 months were gone by since the Preliminaries of La 
 Grange-en-Haye, and his advisers spent night and day in 
 attempting to manipulate an offensive Franco-Russian 
 alliance against England. Her size, her insolence, her 
 predatory instincts they kept dinning hampered the 
 legitimate development of France in every quarter of 
 the globe. "Go to Egypt," sang one journal, "you 
 find perfidious Albion basking among the other croco- 
 diles upon the sludge of the Lower Nile. Turn your 
 thoughts to the far East," the writer was apostrophis- 
 ing Madame La Belle France, "you discover her lurk- 
 ing within the shrines of Mukden and behind the curtains 
 of Seoul. Like Satan, she is everywhere. " His eleva- 
 tion to the throne implied a mandate to humble this 
 sinister power in the dust. As Prehlen pithily puts it, 
 " Britannia has done her thieving; so she wants to call 
 'time.' Properly speaking, we have n't begun ours." 
 
 The Russian ambassador, moreover, had a little side 
 solo all to himself. It dealt with the Grand Duchess 
 Catharine, daughter of Peter, and her glorious hair. 
 
 Never a day passed without some attempt on the 
 part of one or other of the agitators to advance their 
 cause. Prehlen presented himself with the freedom of 
 the Elysee. He turned up directly after breakfast, and 
 the last thing at night. Napoleon, re-entering his library 
 from his lunch, would find him eating sandwiches in a 
 distant corner. Signs of him began to scatter the whole 
 room. Once, indeed, he managed to leave a portrait of 
 the Princess upon the Imperial mantelpiece: finding it 
 gone on the occasion of his next visit, he left another. 
 Godefroy got this one also, and nailed it next its prede- 
 cessor in his pantry. Prehlen was not to know that. He 
 preferred rather to believe that his seed had fallen on good
 
 540 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 ground. He put in his next despatch that his Majesty 
 carried both presentments next his heart. They were 
 cabinet size. 
 
 With regard to the Grand Duchess, the Russian 
 government was prepared to give instant delivery. 
 Their military propositions seemed a trifle hazier. As 
 far as Napoleon could discover, they suggested that 
 France should "humble perfidious Albion in the dust." 
 In return for which the Queen's Eastern possessions 
 were to be transferred en bloc to their own benevo- 
 lent keeping. Certainly, the wise Norwegian left this 
 department to other hands. The Premier, so to speak, 
 did turns with his Excellency. No sooner had the latter 
 relieved Majesty of his presence, when the door would 
 open upon Carache. 
 
 Sometimes the latter came alone, and spent a cheer- 
 ful hour in monologue. Sometimes he brought Mesnil. 
 The Marshal invariably presented a neutral attitude. 
 "Whether you go to war with England, or whether you 
 do n't, 'tis all the same to me," it seemed to say; " only 
 here are maps." Each time, too, he showed conclu- 
 sively that he could be in possession of the Mansion 
 House "the seat of government" within three days 
 of landing, provided, of course, Fre"ron was not lying 
 about the fleet. And each time, Napoleon would meet 
 him with the selfsame answer: "My dear Mesnil, you 
 are a terrible fellow. You would only have to show 
 yourself in Parliament Square to send every public man 
 post-haste into private life. I trust you won't forget 
 the Temple. Several clever men of my acquaintance 
 would be only too glad to have it razed to the ground." 
 Whereupon the little strategist would bow and shrug his 
 shoulders, as if to say, "I don't care one way or the 
 other; only here are maps." 
 
 In Muriel's matter, however, his advisers adopted 
 quite other tactics. They simply burked discussion. 
 Carache, Ponte"coulant, even De Morin, became dumb at 
 once when he tried the topic. They treated Meaux as 
 forbidden ground. The nearest the Premier got to it 
 was to ask sometimes if the Princess entertained hopes 
 of "your Majesty understands my meaning." And
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 541 
 
 then his Majesty merely blushed, without answering. 
 Prehlen, whenever Napoleon hinted an obstacle to his 
 union with the beauteous Catharine, would laugh and 
 look knowing. This silent, soft impeachment of being 
 ' something of a fellow," my Lord always met with much 
 complaisance. 
 
 Meanwhile, at all events he had his loved one with 
 him. She gave him all he asked ; she was altogether 
 his. Except himself, she saw no one. Except himself, 
 perhaps, no one loved her. What had he done to be so 
 fortunate? And being so fortunate, surely a little pro- 
 crastination could do them neither any harm. He was 
 able to bear it. 
 
 At the commencement, Napoleon had sternly limited 
 himself to two visits weekly. As time went on, however, 
 his need of her increased. He came more often, and 
 stopped longer. At last the larger half of his month 
 seemed to be passed in her company. Thus that memo- 
 rable day of many visitors it may be remembered 
 included himself. On leaving, he had stated specifically 
 that it would be a full week before his return. He came 
 again two days later. 
 
 He entered her room unannounced. She and Paul 
 de Murinac had their heads bent over a letter, which the 
 lad was sending to Avize. It appeared to amuse them 
 immensely. The missive inquired reverently enough 
 how Louis XIV progressed: the joke lay in an inset 
 picture wherewith the scribe had embellished his text. 
 It showed his home, with Marie an ancient nurse of 
 theirs taking refuge on the roof from the attacks of 
 an infuriated bull. Majesty crept up gently to throw 
 his shadow upon this primitive design. Muriel and he 
 exchanged most affectionate greetings. It pleased Paul 
 to see their devotion; but he rather wondered at it, all 
 the same. He gazed at them, his brown eyes wide- 
 staring. Napoleon smiled back with indulgence. 
 
 "Who gave my little page leave to absent himself 
 from his duties?" 
 
 "I did," cried Muriel. 
 
 " I am dumb. But suppose, during this little holiday 
 of his, some one had made a successful attempt upon
 
 542 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the life of his sovereign, what would Monsieur de 
 Murinac have said then?" 
 
 Monsieur de Murinac looked shocked beyond words. 
 
 "Sire," he stumbled out with trembling voice, "I 
 did not know. I imagined the others were sufficient." 
 
 " Do not tease the boy. Come here, Paul, and tell 
 his Majesty sternly that you won't be teased." 
 
 "Well, well, Monsieur," Napoleon went on, wag- 
 ging a finger at him, " we won't say anything more 
 about it. But understand, I sha'n't rest securely in my 
 bed until I have you back in the Palace. It is some- 
 thing to feel that you are ever at hand to defend your 
 sovereign with your little person. Our duties, Monsieur, 
 do not bring us often together. Nevertheless, rest 
 assured I already know that I do not number in my 
 whole household a more devoted servant than your little 
 self." 
 
 This harangue gave great pleasure to the three of 
 them. Paul bowed as ceremoniously as he could, seeing 
 that Muriel already had her arms round her cousin's 
 neck. "Listen to that," she exclaimed, unaffectedly 
 jubilant. Then she pulled him into a corner of her 
 capacious chair; and the boy, his hand clasped in her's, 
 gazed admiringly across at Napoleon, whose pale face 
 shone out from the darkness made by the deep shaded 
 lamp. The child accepted the adventure as a peep into 
 Elysium. He marvelled at Muriel's confidence and ease 
 in the presence of this mighty Alexander. He envied 
 her as well. He drank in their words with greedy ears. 
 Napoleon's commonplaces won an importance they never 
 obtained anywhere else. Before long our young friend's 
 eager attention grew so marked, that the Emperor passed 
 unconsciously under his sway. He liked homage and 
 an audience; but he had never received it in quite such 
 wagon-loads as this. His flow of harmless little affecta- 
 tions diminished in volume till it dried up altogether. 
 He laughed and reddened. Presently he commenced to 
 fidget in his chair. 
 
 Muriel laughed too. She tapped her cousin's 
 shoulder. "Paul, you must not stare at Wai at his 
 Majesty. Where are your manners? "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 543 
 
 The boy dropped his eyes, greatly confused. 
 
 " Paul fancies that we are about to disclose some 
 secrets of state. Confess, Monsieur, you are dying to 
 know whether the English have really landed in Asia 
 Minor. " 
 
 "No, your Majesty, it was not that," Paul blurted 
 out in obvious reluctance. 
 
 "What was it, then? " The Emperor commenced to 
 wag his finger. It was his one way of propitiating 
 " young persons " under the age of sixteen. 
 
 " I was wondering why people told such lies about 
 your Majesty." 
 
 Muriel coloured; and, mostly for her own sake, tried 
 to check him. Napoleon possessed a larger soul. 
 "Don't stop him," he interposed good-naturedly. 
 "And what lies do they tell abo'ut us me, my little 
 man? " 
 
 " They say that Marshal Mesnil won the battle of 
 Parfondrupt. " 
 
 "Oh, indeed," cried the Emperor. His large soul 
 could n't quite swallow that. " They say that, do 
 they? And where was I hein? " 
 
 " They say that you were over at La Grange-en-Haye, 
 in bed." 
 
 Somehow Muriel did not feel quite so sorry for him 
 as she ought to have done. But she rescued him with 
 forgiving promptitude. 
 
 "All great men are maligned," said she, softly 
 bringing her cousin's face round to meet her own. "As 
 a matter of fact it was Marshal Mesnil who was in bed 
 at La Grange-en-Haye. The Emperor had to take com- 
 mand in person, a most unusual thing." 
 
 And so she covered his retreat. 
 
 The next time Paul intervened in the conversation it 
 was to refer to what Napoleon had just said about the 
 draughts in the Elyse*e. 
 
 "I hope," the boy exclaimed, "Cousin Muriel's 
 rooms will be free." 
 
 " You mean to use them, you little rogue." 
 
 "I shall sit there when she invites me." Nothing 
 could move this young hidalgo from his natural dignity.
 
 544 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 " Tell me, Paul, what favor do you intend to demand 
 on Muriel's wedding-day? " 
 
 "When is the marriage to be?" asked Paul, rumi- 
 nating. 
 
 " The first week in January," this very promptly. 
 
 " I shall ask for my commission in the Emperor's 
 life-guards." 
 
 " But, you young monkey, we do n't take soldiers at 
 your age. ' ' 
 
 " I shall be thirteen on Christmas eve. Some of the 
 younger officers are only seventeen." 
 
 " Not nowadays." 
 
 " I will have my commission to keep until I can 
 use it." 
 
 " You are entitled to it. Choose something else." 
 
 " I want nothing. I am perfectly contented." 
 
 " Happy man! " 
 
 " Ah, yes, I do remember something." 
 
 "Out with it." 
 
 " I should like to have Yvonne to stay for a week at 
 the Elyse"e." 
 
 " You must go to her Majesty to do that for you. 
 She and Monsieur de Morin will keep those matters in 
 their hands." 
 
 " There is nothing else." 
 
 He spoke three minutes too soon. Eugenie glided in 
 and beckoned him from the Presence. 
 
 " Monsieur Paul, your hot water is in your bed- 
 room." 
 
 He felt tempted to ask whether Napoleon's offer 
 was still open and carried with it the rights of anticipa- 
 tion. But a future officer in the life-guards must show 
 that he knows how to obey. He obeyed. He bowed to 
 Napoleon and the inevitable; kissed Muriel, and with- 
 drew. 
 
 " He is a fine lad," said the Emperor. " Your uncle 
 Louis has been here? " 
 
 " I told you so in my letter." 
 
 " I recollect. And your brother." 
 
 The girl's face darkened. 
 
 "Walter," she began. She called him Walter by
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 545 
 
 special request. He liked to be reminded of his forty 
 years' wandering in the wilderness. Who does not? 
 
 He straightway commenced to soothe her. 
 
 " There, darling, do n't think about the wretched 
 fellow. I will hint to Lord Threpps that I should prefer 
 him in another sphere of activity. It is rather a steam- 
 hammer to crack a filbert," he added laughingly; "but 
 I make no doubt the thing can be managed." 
 
 "Please do not do such a thing," cries this poor 
 little Muriel. " I would not interfere with the wretched 
 boy's prospects for worlds. He is only silly and young. " 
 
 " He is older than you." 
 
 "Yes," sombrely; "but I am having a harder 
 training." 
 
 He became gloomy at once. 
 
 " God knows," he exclaimed, "we both are having 
 that. I am, I know. To-day for five mortal hours 
 five mortal hours, Muriel! I have heard nothing but 
 Russia, Russia, Russia. They sha'n't make me fight Eng- 
 land. I won't marr march into Belgium. I have had 
 enough of war." 
 
 "Beloved," he went on, converting his anger into 
 deep pathos, " you do n't know how this constant worry 
 affects me. It is quite certain that my health is gravely 
 impaired." 
 
 "We won't talk any more horrid business," she 
 cried. " You came down here to rest your poor silly 
 old brain; and I sha'n't and can't have you worried." 
 So she dashed off into light-hearted words, and won for 
 him entire forgetfulness of all unpleasant things; but not 
 for herself. The process came easy to her from con- 
 stant practice. How often had he turned up gloomy 
 and depressed, or suddenly grown so in the very midst of 
 laughter, as to-night. She would have to pay a heavy 
 price for the ermine robe. She began to see that. 
 
 " Madame Verre's appearance at the ball last night," 
 laughed her lover in reply to something she had said, 
 " made a great sensation. De Morin declares she ought 
 never to have been admittted." 
 "What did she wear? " 
 " Very little. Something green, and shiny, and jin-
 
 546 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 gling. She looked exactly as though she were covered 
 with scales, like fish from the Drury Lane pantomimes." 
 " She wants to keep the Elysee as dowdy as it was 
 under the Republic." 
 
 " De Morin thinks so. I said to him, 'My dear 
 Chamberlain, how are we to stop this sort of thing? ' " 
 
 "And he? " very, very eagerly. 
 
 "You little sorceress, I believe you know already. 
 ' No one can stop it,' he replied, 'except the Empress.' 
 So, dearest, you will have your work cut out for you." 
 
 " I certainly shall not let her present herself in those 
 clothes." 
 
 "Darling, you need not look so indignant. You, as 
 well, will find it a difficult matter to stop her. One can- 
 not turn her back at the door. The Minister of the In- 
 terior would soon make it very uncomfortable for my 
 little Empress, if she tried that game on. You will be 
 reduced to writing on the back of the cards, ' Guest's are 
 expected not to wear fish-scales. ' ' 
 
 She laughed merrily. 
 
 " Moreover, Madame has her uses. She has grown 
 very fond of Monsieur Prehlen; it must be those long 
 walks at Compiegne " he broke off abruptly. Of one 
 accord their eyes left each other's face and sought the 
 ground. " So she kept him from me the whole evening. 
 I paid for it this morning, though." 
 
 The hateful clock gave the sign for parting. " Ten ! " 
 he muttered; " this is the misery of all my visits. You 
 can't conceive how I hate this journey to Paris." 
 
 " You have a brougham at both ends, and a compart- 
 ment all to yourself. You are not so greatly to be pitied. ' ' 
 
 " I do n't know." 
 
 "No grumbling? " she cried, springing towards the 
 door. On her way, she brushed her hand lightly across 
 his hair. " Come, do not dawdle. You nearly lost 
 your train the other day, you know you did, you lazy 
 fellow. " 
 
 He followed into the passage and down the stairs. 
 The place was wrapt in silence. Eugenie and her hus- 
 band had retired. Through the fanlight of the front door 
 descending Majesty could descry a tricolour cockade.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 547 
 
 Muriel already held his coat outstretched. He smiled 
 down at her bright upturned face. 
 
 " Is the carriage there? " she called out; the fanlight 
 had come to be their accepted guide. 
 
 " Yes," he said, slowly descending the remaining 
 flight. " It 's early enough, in all conscience. You 
 country people do not care how long your visitors have 
 to kick their heels at the station, provided you get your 
 proper amount of sleep." 
 
 She shook his coat at him. 
 
 "You only make it harder for me to tear myself 
 away. ' ' 
 
 Without more words she forced him into his ample 
 furs; buttoned the throat-button for him, leaving him to 
 fasten the rest; and, holding a lapel in either hand, gazed 
 a single instant into his face. Poor thing, it was the 
 sole means left her whereby to hasten the date. He 
 darted his mouth forward and kissed her full upon her 
 lips. Then she let him go. 
 
 The minute after, she stood alone upon the porch, 
 listening to his wheels that crunched along the drive 
 towards the road. The sky shone with the brightness of 
 a million stars. Afar off against the northern horizon, 
 one could descry the lines of undulating wood, picked 
 out with here and there a twinkling light. The circling 
 path beneath her lay hardening with the frost; while 
 along its surface crept the chill of the dying year. 
 
 She did not feel it to begin with, her frame still 
 tingling with the emotions of that last embrace. Not 
 many minutes, though, and it prevailed. It caught her 
 feet, this icy marauder, and held them, moved slowly 
 upwards to a lodgment in her heart. "What does this 
 mean? " she murmured, terror-stricken. A second wave 
 of frost rose whispering; she had no need to ask again: 
 "You are his mistress," it murmured; "you will never 
 be anything else. The hope you bear beneath your 
 bosom will come neither too soon nor too late. Your 
 child will be your shame, as you are his." The Em- 
 peror's carriage took a sudden turn into a nearer road. 
 Once more she heard the grinding of his wheels, the 
 clatter of his horses coming back to her through the
 
 548 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 silence. She listened to them growing fainter and 
 fainter, until all sound of them disappeared once more 
 this time for good and all. 
 
 On his next visit he brought with him an atmosphere 
 of gloom that was invincible. Muriel, herself despon- 
 dent, made but half-hearted attempts to cheer him. 
 Rather she fell under the potent spell which melancholy 
 always wields. Even Paul succumbed. His smooth 
 brow darkened, reflecting theirs. Happily for him, his 
 heart had neither part nor parcel in their sorrows. 
 
 " Paul," commenced fretful Majesty, fumbling in his 
 pockets, "we want you back at the Elysee. The place is 
 not properly guarded when you are absent." 
 
 " Paul is too young to understand your sarcasms." 
 
 "God knows I am not jesting," he retorted roughly. 
 It was the first rude word he had ever given her. He 
 saw how she winced under it, and his heart straightway 
 softened. 
 
 "Come, "he added, still sad, but with gentleness, 
 "we must not worry this young man with our concerns. 
 Tell me, my lad, where had I got to the other evening 
 just before we began to discuss the draughts at the 
 Elyse*e?" 
 
 The boy's eyes glistened. "You were telling me how 
 you rode with Caspar Schmidt's message to head- 
 quarters." 
 
 " Ah, yes. I recollect quite well. To continue, then, 
 but, first of all, does Cousin Muriel care to hear it? " 
 
 "Cousin Muriel remarked that she did. She gave 
 her assent not over-warmly, and with averted gaze. 
 
 " I ought to have told you, poor Miiller did not at all 
 like old Caspar's looks. He thought it might be a ruse 
 some spy come to murder me. You see, I had n't my 
 little body-guard by me." The genial smile accompany- 
 ing these words stopped short midway. A look of very 
 deep anxiety took its place, passing like a shadow across 
 the mobile countenance. The mobile fingers commenced 
 to fumble once more in the Imperial pockets. 
 
 " Go on." 
 
 " Paul ! " 
 
 " The boy is right. The incidents would hardly pay
 
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 549 
 
 for dawdling-. Well, I bade the old fellow good-bye and 
 started off at once for La Grange. Mesnil had retired 
 for the night, though it was scarcely ten. I roused him. 
 He, with me, saw the extreme importance of the old fel- 
 low's news. I sent out orders in all directions; and by 
 midnight my main body was well on its way to check- 
 mate Rumperheim at Parfondrupt. I, of course, stayed 
 behind, to to ah, to keep up a connexion with Mar- 
 shal Clisserole, who was tackling the Germans near 
 Francheville. In that way I got a look in at both en- 
 gagements. " 
 
 But when Paul had departed, Napoleon relapsed into 
 melancholy. His restless hand strayed back to that 
 soul-disturbing pocket. 
 
 " I have quite made up my mind," said Muriel slowly, 
 between many breaks, her eyes bent upon the glowing 
 embers, "I sha'n't wear the sables. The weight, 
 added to the heat and excitement, would be too much 
 for me. I never could get through the service." 
 
 No answer. 
 
 " I was thinking the matter out yesterday," she went 
 on with raised voice, though her eyes could not rest 
 upon his face. "Madame Reclame declares she can 
 make me up a robe to look exactly like sable, and only 
 half the weight. Certainly it won't come much cheaper; 
 but we sha'n't mind that," and she laughed. " You do 
 not seem to be very interested." 
 
 " Why should I be? It is not a matter that concerns 
 me." 
 
 "What ails you?" she asked fiercely; next minute 
 she regained her refuge among the coals. 
 
 His face deepened into fretful discontent. "Oh, 
 Muriel," he pleaded, "don't be angry with me: you 
 cannot guess how worried I am." 
 
 "What have you there in your pocket? " coldly. 
 
 "Nothing, nothing." He smeared his hand across 
 his eyes to emerge smiling faintly. 
 
 "Your sable cloak ah, yes. I think you do quite 
 right to accept Madame's offer. Sable is terribly heavy, 
 as I learnt to my cost at the coronation. But mind, no 
 tricks. If you find that Reclame's substitute is a poor
 
 550 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 one, you must have sable, though we only get a day 
 to make the change. I want my darling to look an 
 empress. " 
 
 " Have you fixed the date ?" she asked. 
 
 " Carache was speaking to me about it only to-day." 
 He refrained from adding the Premier's actual words. 
 They had been in answer to a very determined onslaught 
 on his own part. Here they are: "I shall be glad when 
 the autumn comes again, and your little one with it. 
 The Princess and you won't think any further about such 
 trivialities as these. Believe me, sire, in kings the heart 
 is nearest the left hand." 
 
 "And what did he say? " she hesitated. 
 
 " Oh, he agreed that the first week in February would 
 be well enough." 
 
 Was it the dying fire that turned her face to scarlet? 
 "It must not be later," she said, <( for the sake of " 
 
 "I understand," he responded with deep reverence. 
 Then he recommenced fumbling. 
 
 "You have something in that pocket. Walter, what 
 is it that keeps worrying you? " 
 
 "Nothing, nothing." 
 
 " It is a poor thing if I am only to share your magnifi- 
 cence and not your burdens." 
 
 "I had intended not to let you know," faltered our 
 hero. 
 
 " I was too sharp for you," she cried, making this 
 concession to his vanity. " Let me know all, I beg 
 of you." 
 
 He drew forth a letter. 
 
 "See! " he cried, in a squall of passion which served 
 alone to accentuate his feebleness; " see what they have 
 had the insolence to send me! " 
 
 Muriel took the missive from his trembling grasp. It 
 was beautifully written in running Italian hand. Nor 
 could its contents be said to display any the more those 
 qualities of offensive directness which characterize its 
 kind. 
 
 "Illustrious Emperor," it began, "I, one of the 
 humblest of your subjects, beholding the misery of my 
 fellows, feel compelled to relieve you of functions to
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 551 
 
 which you are not equal. Believe me, sire (observe I 
 give you all your titles to the last), I do not blame you 
 for your incompetence. Man is not fitted for authority: 
 failing an angel to rule over us, we must have chaos. 
 You, your brother emperors, kings, presidents, aye, even 
 humble gendarmes, all, in your several stations, are alike 
 incapable. You personally are a wise man. You have 
 had your boyhood among those that are governed and 
 oppressed. Without doubt you are conscious of your 
 own unworthiness. Meaux claims half your days; wil- 
 lingly would you surrender it all. Willingly would I 
 permit. I have no desire to wrap you from the arms of 
 that fair creature, your mistress, whom all France knows. 
 Gladly would you lay down your sceptre, did you con- 
 sult your own heart. Alas, tradition, foolish conven- 
 tionality, alike bind you. You can surrender it to the 
 dagger alone. The pity of it. I, who have no spite 
 against you, must be your executioner. Like the hang- 
 man in your adoptive country, I first offer you my hand. 
 Forgive me, dear friend. And the charming Princess 
 Elizabeth of Pierrefonds, I ask her forgiveness also. Let 
 me repeat, I am only your executioner. Your judge is 
 elsewhere. You must seek him from amid the teeming 
 crowds of those that are governed and oppressed. 
 
 "(Signed) NADEZ." 
 
 "I wish I had him here," she muttered between her 
 teeth. " How did you get this? " she went on to ask of 
 her lover with peremptory abruptness. 
 
 "I found it laid upon my library table. That is the 
 terrible part about the whole business." 
 
 "There must be a traitor within the Palace." 
 
 "A traitor! I have not a living soul about me whom 
 I can trust." 
 
 " Have you shown this to any one? " 
 
 " De Morin and Carache; no one else." 
 
 "What did they say?" 
 
 "Carache said nothing. De Morin laughed, and 
 declared that it was just like his dear friend Nadez. " 
 
 " They suggested extra precautions ? " 
 
 "I am always guarded," he muttered, "save when I 
 come here."
 
 553 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Then it was imprudent of you to come." 
 
 "My heart, I could not stay away, " he ejaculated, 
 glancing anxiously at the door. 
 
 She thought a while. 
 
 "Why do you not have this impudent fellow arrested? 
 You know where the wretch lives." 
 
 "You have touched precisely upon the part which 
 maddens me most. Listen to this; it will show you 
 what amount of power the Emperor has." 
 
 "The Emperor has just what amount of power he 
 chooses to take." 
 
 He broke away into peevishness. 
 
 "You talk like all ignorant people. Presently you 
 may see fit to change your views. Have you finished 
 with that letter? " 
 
 " Let me burn it? " 
 
 "For heaven's sake, no," he shouted. "I have to 
 send it to the Prefect in the morning." He thrust it 
 back into his pocket, keeping his fingers on it, perhaps 
 to help his story. 
 
 "That evening at Compiegne," there was no need 
 to specify it further, " De Morin, acting upon my orders, 
 telegraphed Carache to have all the conspirators ar- 
 rested. It was to be a species of coup d'etat. Nadez, 
 Loog, that cur Changarnier, Nadez's disciples, my brute 
 of a cousin, were to be under lock and key by midnight. 
 Consider what a splendid idea it was of mine. These 
 wretches would have had time neither to communicate 
 with one another nor to destroy compromising docu- 
 ments. Precious, would you believe it, Carache and his 
 myrmidons refused point blank to obey my instructions! 
 They advanced any number of specious reasons; but De 
 Morin hit the mark when he said that Carache desired 
 to incriminate as many of his opponents as possible. 
 Directly I got back to town, I had an interview with this 
 turbulent minister. I gave him a good slice of my mind, 
 I can tell you. He merely shrugged his shoulders. Either 
 the matter must be managed his own way, he said impu- 
 dently, or I must get other advisers. What answer could 
 I give to that? How can I get other advisers while this 
 fox keeps his majority? Mesnil I and Mesnil that is
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 553 
 
 wage a successful war for him to reap all the glory. The 
 thing is too monstrous. The way people vote for him 
 and applaud him, one would fancy that he, not I, was the 
 victor of Parfondrupt. These French are miserable in- 
 grates. Muriel, I would to God I could rid me of this 
 accursed empire, say for a couple of hundred thousand. 
 You and I would have a little cottage at Virginia Water: 
 we would forget thankless man. How happy we should 
 be." 
 
 She waited till he had quite finished this muddled 
 tirade; then she put him back on his right road. 
 
 " So you had to give in. What happened next ?" 
 
 " This atrocious letter, yesterday. I sent at once 
 for Carache, to inform him that I would brook no more 
 delay. He is conceited enough, heaven knows; but his 
 vanity does not hinder him from being the most incom- 
 petent jackass in Europe. Here is what he replied.' 
 
 "Go on." 
 
 "He agreed quite coolly that the time had come for 
 action. He had already sent, the preceding evening, to 
 arrest Nadez. Unfortunately and he had the imperti- 
 nence to smile the bird had flown. Muriel, the bird 
 has flown! The whole lot of them have disappeared, 
 except Felix and Changarnier. Naturally, we dare not 
 take them without the others." 
 
 " This is very serious," she murmured. 
 
 "You are right, it ts very serious. Carache pro- 
 fesses to make light of it. He says that Nadez was 
 seen entering his house only four hours before the police 
 arrived there. But that's two days ago. The vampire 
 may well be out of Europe by now." 
 
 " You won't mind if he is. " 
 
 " Maybe not. Still, it is a humiliating thing that he 
 should have been suffered to scatter these letters broad- 
 cast with impunity. And there is no certainty that he 
 won't reappear. He may be hiding somewhere in Paris 
 at this moment. If he is, my life is not worth half an 
 hour's purchase." 
 
 " I wish I could meet him," she muttered once more 
 between her clenched teeth. "Are you armed?" she 
 asked presently.
 
 554 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "No," he groaned with pathetic candour. " Carache 
 advised it. But I am sure I should shoot some entirely 
 inoffensive person any one who approached me rather 
 too quickly, you know." 
 
 "You do well to treat the matter as a joke," she 
 soothed him. " Ridicule is the best weapon against 
 such threats. Nevertheless, you ought to have a re- 
 volver. He spoke about a dagger, did n't he? Let me 
 see, is not that how they killed the poor President? " 
 
 He shuddered. " Muriel, as you love me, do not 
 speak about it." 
 
 " One ought to take reasonable precautions. You 
 should wear a leathern breastplate: it stops " She 
 stopped as well, and looked at him in surprise. 
 
 His eyes were fixed in terror upon the door be- 
 hind her. 
 
 " Muriel," he whispered, " the handle is moving." 
 For a moment she too sat paralyzed, nor dared turn 
 her head. It was the fear of a single instant. The 
 next, she rose brusquely, swept forward and flung the 
 door wide open. 
 
 "Nothing," she cried. "The wind must have 
 moved it." 
 
 "Comeback," he implored, "and lock it." 
 
 " Nonsense. Your nerves are unstrung. The door 
 does not lock: the key turns and nothing happens," and 
 she shut it to. 
 
 She resumed her seat. Beads of perspiration studded 
 his brow. Really she could not pity him.
 
 Chapter XII 
 
 " What is the time? " he inquired faintly. 
 
 " Ten past nine. You can see the clock." 
 
 But he had eyes for nothing save the handle of the 
 door, which was brass and oval, and fluted with con- 
 centric channels not altogether agreeable to the palm. 
 To-night it reflected a ray of the slowly dying fire, and 
 by this alone one might detect its slightest movement. 
 
 " Ten past nine. I think I think yes, I will start 
 at once, and walk." 
 
 " The most foolish thing you could do. If they are 
 really tracking you, they will kill you in the lanes with 
 the greatest ease. You must wait here in peace for 
 your brougham. And another time do n't venture so 
 far without an escort unless your nerves get stronger." 
 
 She broke off into a recital of events, which she 
 fancied might interest him and divert his mind, Paul's 
 sayings, for this silent worshipper had won some tiny 
 corner of the Emperor's heart; Eugenie's obstinate taci- 
 turnity; her own rambles down by the river-side, where 
 they had had their first meeting. Her lover pretended 
 to listen, and heard never a word. He only watched the 
 door, and wished to God he knew the number of his days 
 and their ending, that he might see how long he had to 
 live, and thus pass through the present juncture with the 
 calmness befitting his great position. 
 
 " Muriel," he whispered once more and with increased 
 terror, "the handle is moving. I can see it now 
 again my God, Muriel, this is your doing! You har 
 you have decoyed me to murder me! " and he recoiled 
 with starting eyes and wide-parted lips from some ad- 
 vancing horror. 
 
 She turned, faintly hoping to see the door blown open by 
 
 SSS
 
 556 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 the wind. But it was Nadez this time. She recognized him 
 at a glance. His yellow visage, the colour of curry; his 
 bloodshot eyes gleaming with fierce triumph; his grace- 
 ful figure deserving of a better face, all helped her on 
 to his identity: sufficient of themselves to disclose it, 
 had she not had his name already in her mind, nor seen 
 his presence in her lover's eyes. A squat revolver hung 
 from his right hand ; the girl caught the blue glint of 
 the barrel as it nestled against the sober black of the 
 Eurasian's trousers. (The assassin had actually had the 
 insolence to come in dress-clothes. A single diamond, 
 the size of a small cabbage, glittered from his spotless 
 bosom.) Her fertile brain instantly devised some pretext 
 for a parley. Let her only get that little shining instru- 
 ment from him, he should taste the forgiveness of the 
 "charming Princess Elizabeth of Pierrefonds. " 
 
 She cast a single glance at her lover and seducer. 
 There was no help to be looked for from that quarter. 
 Neither his eyelids nor his mouth had moved an inch. 
 She never knew before that human fear could go so far. 
 
 She advanced boldly to meet the intruder. 
 
 "Who are you? What do you want? " 
 
 His hot eyes rested for an instant on this fragile form. 
 They seemed to devour her face and figure. She pre- 
 ferred the former look of murder to this whiff of desire. 
 
 "Not you, Princess;" and his voice came singularly 
 sweet and fresh : "at least not just at present. " 
 
 His sensuous chin and puffy cheeks were Asiatic. So, 
 too, his swart mustaches, that resembled tufts of horse- 
 hair. The forehead alone, and the nose above the bridge, 
 showed that he counted Europeans among his forbears. 
 Below the bridge the latter feature became flat babu. 
 
 "You have come to murder the Emperor," Muriel 
 continued. Strange as it may seem, she was calm enough 
 to take in all these details. " Then let me tell you his 
 Majesty is not here." 
 
 " Of course not. The gentleman behind is your High- 
 ness' papa. Dear lady, these little ruses were buried with 
 Mary of Scotland. We do not use them nowadays. " He 
 was up to her by now. He seized her wrist, still devour- 
 ing her with his greedy eyes. " Now, Princess," said he.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 557 
 
 lifting the muzzle of his revolver to the lace that edged 
 her bosom and lowering it instantly, "the Emperor and 
 I must have a few words together. You will have to 
 leave us. Come, do not make force necessary. I should 
 feel it bitterly. You are a very charming young lady. I 
 admire my sovereign's taste. Perhaps perhaps after he 
 and I have finished our business you may feel inclined to 
 permit me to partake of that felicity which he was to have 
 enjoyed. I bear him no ill-will. He takes what he can 
 get; so do I. Go to your bedroom, dearest, and await 
 my coming." He leered down at her, clothing her with 
 indignant shame. 
 
 "Napoleon," she cried, "can you sit by and let this 
 man insult me? Rouse yourself, you coward. We two 
 are strong enough." 
 
 "You wicked woman," the Emperor murmured in 
 dazed accents; "you have decoyed me." 
 
 Nadez burst out laughing. 
 
 "Do you hear him, Princess? He's a fine lover, 
 is n't he? I sha'n't suffer by comparison with him. At 
 least, you will find that you have got a man in exchange. 
 I say, Princess," and the monster actually bent down 
 to whisper in her ear " how did a creature like that 
 manage it? You are a real Zenobia. ' 
 
 " Napoleon," she cried, once more trying to free her- 
 self, "rouse yourself! you black-hearted coward." 
 
 "Oh, Muriel, it is useless," he groaned. 
 
 "Altogether useless. If his Majesty stirs a finger, I 
 shall have to kill you. And then you will be about as 
 much good to me as was the Princess de Lamballe to her 
 admirers. " 
 
 She did not understand his monstrous allusion. The 
 Emperor did; and, to do him justice, it whipt his heart 
 almost as much as did his own personal peril. 
 
 That he had this man safe grasped within his arms! 
 he would tear him limb from limb. And he knew 
 that a sudden spring might possibly save him. His as- 
 sailant and he at close quarters; the wretched pistol, 
 which he dare not look at, tumbled on the floor; and the 
 result of their encounter might be rather different from 
 what the hideous half-caste seemed to expect. But it
 
 558 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 meant Muriel's life. Muriel Delilah no longer whom 
 he loved with all the additional heat that came to him 
 from the sight of Nadez's desire. For her sake he dare 
 not move; but must continue in that paralysis of terror 
 which was no longer altogether genuine. Perhaps with 
 Muriel gone, he might succeed in buying Nadez off. So 
 he bartered a good chance for a bad one; content mean- 
 while to suffer his insults and her contempt. And in 
 judging him, this should never be forgotten. 
 
 "Muriel," said he, hoarsely, " do as this man tells 
 you. Leave us together. " 
 
 "You hear what he says," laughed the Eurasian. 
 
 "You won't find it difficult to transfer your affections 
 from a man like that, will you? I sha'n't be able to give 
 you a throne. A throne? What am I talking about? 
 He will never give you one I mean, he would not have 
 done so, even had I never appeared to hinder him. My 
 dear Princess, you have given him too much already, 
 for there ever to have been a fair exchange." 
 
 "You cur," she blazed out, turning upon her lover, 
 "can you sit there and hear him speak to me like that? 
 Spring! never mind me." 
 
 He shook his head. "Useless . . . useless. Leave 
 us, my dar Muriel." 
 
 She turned away with a gesture of bitter contempt. 
 " No one can save a creature like that. I will obey you. " 
 This last to Nadez. She moved towards the door. 
 
 " That is a wise young lady. Recollect, after busi- 
 ness comes pleasure. Another thing, Princess; men 
 surround the house. It is useless for any one to try 
 and leave it." 
 
 It was a piece of Nadesian bluff. As a matter of 
 fact he was " placing " this coup single-handed. The 
 sole other male within five miles was little Paul; and 
 that 's forgetting the butler, who snored in front of the 
 kitchen fire. 
 
 He bowed her out with elaborate courtesy, keeping 
 one eye all the while on Napoleon. He closed the door 
 quickly after her, turned the key which did n't lock, 
 and placed it in his pocket. He took Muriel's chair. 
 Laying his revolver well within reach upon the table, he
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 559 
 
 proceeded to survey this sentenced son of Woden from 
 top to toe. 
 
 Napoleon presented a truly piteous spectacle. His 
 passion had departed with his mistress: he was once 
 more paralysed with fear. He strove to speak; his 
 parched mouth could not frame a single word. Nadez, 
 with his nose, that ended in pure babu, sniffed up all 
 these little marks of cowardice. Henceforward he did 
 not pay so much attention to his weapon. 
 
 "Of course you have your price?" Majesty at last 
 managed to falter out. 
 
 " Sire, who has not? " 
 
 The victim commenced to breathe again. 
 
 " Name it." 
 
 " Do you tell me what you are prepared to give? " 
 
 " Money, " cried Bonaparte; "more money than you 
 have ever had in your life." 
 
 "Three million francs? " 
 
 "Yes, you shall have them. Three million francs 
 let me write you an order." 
 
 " Stay where you are. Three million francs good; 
 and you will throw in the wench besides? " 
 
 He meant H.H. the Princess Elizabeth of Pierre- 
 fonds. 
 
 " You may have her." 
 
 "Your Majesty has done with her, hey? " 
 
 "I have done with her," repeated our hero, echoing 
 the other's ugly laugh. 
 
 "You are a pretty lover. Make your mind easy. 
 You can keep your money and your mistress for so long 
 as you will have need of them. No, sire, I won't tor- 
 ment you further. You must die. Personally, I bear 
 you no ill-will; I am merely your executioner," and he 
 leered across at his prey, over whom the pallor of death 
 was already stealing. 
 
 " You must die ; I regret to say, very speedily. I have 
 to catch your train. I shall give you seven minutes 
 wherein to prepare for death. If you desire to pray, 
 pray. Do n't mind me." 
 
 Nadez laid his watch beside the pistol. 
 
 " I could wish," he went on, "that it were possible
 
 560 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 for me to turn away. Nevertheless, endeavour to forget 
 my presence. I do not believe in God myself; still, I 
 shall not mock. Kneel, if you so wish. You have good 
 reason to believe in Him and be grateful to Him. And I 
 daresay you prefer not to go direct from her Highness's 
 society. Exactly seventeen to ten: the time has 
 begun." 
 
 "You are doing a very cowardly thing." 
 
 " I am obeying orders. " 
 
 "Who orders you to mur slay a defenceless 
 man? " 
 
 "Who asked you," the Eurasian retorted, "to im- 
 pose yourself as Emperor over millions of your superiors, 
 you, whom the death-summons finds carousing with a 
 harlot? Personally, I do not blame you for having a 
 mistress; and I admire your taste in the present instance. 
 I mean to borrow her from your estate. But my private 
 opinion is neither here nor there. Europe won't tie 
 edified to learn where and how you died: Europe expects 
 something better from her rulers. I shall have to tell 
 her that I found you chambering." 
 
 "You shall have a title," urged Napoleon. 
 
 " Pah, what do I care for that? Sincere thanks, my 
 noble sovereign, I prefer to remain plain Monsieur Nadez. 
 The Count of Meaux, forsooth! People would mock at 
 me as much as they do at your Princess of Pierrefonds. " 
 
 " Is there nothing that can tempt you?" In a fer- 
 vour for his life, he got himself to speak the wretch's 
 name. " Look here, Nadez, you shall have rooms in the 
 Elyse'e and a share of my throne." 
 
 " And if I bring the Princess to live with me, you 
 won't tamper with her? " 
 
 "No. You shall be virtual ruler of France. Pause 
 Na Monsieur Nadez. Take the chance I offer you; 
 it is worthy your acceptance. And it will save you from 
 a cold-blooded mur assassination." 
 
 " Again I must beg you not to stir from your chair. 
 You have four and a half minutes yet to run." 
 
 " Will you not accept my offer? " 
 
 "Why should I ? Who am I that I should govern? I 
 am also an incompetent and licentious man. I, too, like
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 561 
 
 my ease and pretty women, and, with yourself, am 
 something of a coward when I am unarmed. Take my 
 advice and pray a little." 
 
 " I will go back to Pimlico. " 
 
 " It is too late." 
 
 For a while there was silence. Nadez, notwithstand- 
 ing his friendly counsel, was the first to break it. 
 
 " Carache is a cunning fox," said he. 
 
 "Too cunning," came the sullen answer. 
 
 "He imagined that he held me in the hollow of his 
 hand. Thanks to your own ardent temperament, I have 
 trapped you without fuss or bother. Yet had you never 
 strayed from your escort, we should have killed you, all 
 the same. Three fourths of France are on my side. In 
 Paris alone I can count two million desperate men as my 
 devoted slaves." 
 
 "You are not a Frenchman," Napoleon exclaimed 
 with some show of spirit; "that is my answer to your 
 boastings. " 
 
 "No more are you." 
 
 " You are not a Frenchman. I do not believe you 
 could find a single genuine Frenchman to side with you 
 against the victor of Parf ondrupt. " 
 
 ' ' You mean the hero of La Grange-en-Haye, ' ' laughed 
 Nadez. "I wish the Prussians could see you now." 
 
 "You are not a Frenchman," Napoleon repeated. 
 " Frenchmen are not cowards. Throw away your pistol; 
 then we will see who is the better man. You dare not, 
 you half-bred mongrel." The yellow face took a deeper 
 tinge; the assassin's fingers strayed towards their ally. 
 
 " Pah, why should I fight with you? Prepare yourself, 
 you sinner, to meet the angels. Don't die snarling. 
 You have three minutes left you. I forgive you your 
 abuse." 
 
 The minutes ebbed away to death. And all he could 
 think about was his bedroom in Pimlico. How he re- 
 gretted those unexciting nights spent nestling under the 
 warmth of his insignificance. 
 
 For the third time that evening he saw the brass 
 handle slowly turn. His mind, invested to some extent 
 with the activity denied his body, whispered a coming
 
 562 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 rescue, and whispered also that he must play his part. 
 Nadez sat watching him like a cat. Let this swarthy 
 murderer detect the faintest dawn of hope, and all was 
 lost. So his vacant eyes continued to wander about 
 and beyond the Eurasian's chair: in reality, they never 
 left the door. 
 
 " It swung gently forward. Paul, in night-shirt and 
 bare feet, stole in on tip-toe. Eugenie followed ; while 
 Muriel brought up the rear. Napoleon could not stifle 
 a sharp burst of laughter. 
 
 " My poor friend," purred Nadez, "you are becom- 
 ing hysterical. Only one minute more. Try and calm 
 yourself: you have my deepest sympathy. " He stretched 
 out his hand to take the pistol. Half-way, he withdrew it, 
 empty; and set himself instead to roll a cigarette. 
 
 " Ugh," he exclaimed affably, "you cannot conceive 
 how I loath the smell of blood. I shall perform the 
 operation with the greatest care. Doubtless you will 
 prefer the head about here, perhaps? " and the monster 
 tapped his own right temple. 
 
 "You are doing a very cowardly thing." 
 
 They crept nearer, keeping in Indian file, with Paul 
 leading. No sound escaped them. Nadez heard nothing: 
 Napoleon seemed to hear the beating of their hearts. 
 The distance gradually diminished. 
 
 The boy's face was ashen. His eyes shone with un- 
 wonted brilliance. And all the while the sand was fil- 
 tering through for both of them. The Eurasian's first. 
 He might have felt the child's shadow. The next instant, 
 with a cry of uncontrollable excitement, the latter sprung 
 forward, and wound his arms round the half-caste's neck. 
 Simultaneously Eugenie swept his arms and pinned them 
 to his sides. Muriel snatched up the pistol. Nadez 
 made superhuman efforts to be free. He strove to rise 
 and shake his assailants from him. They were swaying 
 like reeds before the wind. 
 
 "I cannot hold him much longer," shrieked Eugenie; 
 "quick, quick; kill the devil!" 
 
 Muriel strove to thrust the weapon into her lover's 
 hand. He could not take it. 
 
 " Do you hear? Kill the dog, I tell you."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 563 
 
 "Oh, Muriel, I cannot." 
 
 Nadez had risen to his feet. Another minute and he 
 would be free. 
 
 "For God's sake, Mademoiselle," shrieked the ser- 
 vant, "kill him! we cannot hold him." With a last 
 convulsive effort the two forced him back into his chair 
 
 Without a second thought the girl sprang forward and 
 laid the muzzle against his temple. He ceased strug- 
 gling: he was rigid with terror. And as for her; the 
 taste of blood was already in her mouth. She remem- 
 bered alone his insults, and how she hated him. 
 
 " These are my favours, you cur," and she pulled the 
 trigger. 
 
 His death-agony freed him. He rose to his full 
 height, and looked round him with a dazed expression. 
 Then he fell forward in a sprawling heap upon the table. 
 The blood splashed the lace about her bosom. Eugenie 
 gave a cry of mitigated concern, which was not for the 
 defunct: his Majesty had fainted.
 
 Chapter XIII 
 
 New Year's Eve, and all Paris, capable of freezing 
 frozen, from the surface of the Seine to the tips of Monsieur 
 Prehlen's fingers, as that cheerful individual sat smiling 
 in his room. The Ambassador had just breakfasted. 
 The table, bearing dregs of coffee and broken bread, 
 lay pushed to one side. His legs were straightened as 
 far as they would go, his stomach was to heaven, while 
 he toyed with his beard. 
 
 He could afford such obvious complaisance. The 
 night preceding had gotten itself the victory for all his 
 labours. The dying year would crown the last pinnacle 
 of a not unsuccessful life. He felt the glow of Nunc 
 Dimittis in every fibre of his body. How he regretted 
 Carache's little girl. What sugar-plums he would have 
 sent her, this happy festive season. The dear fellow's 
 expansive mood cried aloud for a confidant, some one 
 to listen how he and the Prime Minister had piloted their 
 skiff home through many a storm and not a few threaten- 
 ingsof shipwreck. But Mademoiselle Leducwas starring 
 in the Provinces, and his attaches were busy at their desks, 
 save his favourite, who had gone to Russia to see a mother 
 and pass November examinations, and who might be 
 back any time in the new year. The young gentleman 
 in question chose, however, the last morning of the old. 
 Passengers from St. Petersburg, provided their tastes lie 
 that way, can land in Paris about eight. Monsieur's clock 
 showed ten. His valet, entering to clear, mentioned 
 incidentally that Count Fersen had just that minute 
 returned. 
 
 Excellency gave a little scream of delight. He 
 ordered the dear boy to be brought in at once, his break- 
 fast with him. Nicholas came, looking pale and glum. 
 
 564
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 565 
 
 The kind chief thrust him into the cosiest chair, and 
 chafed his cold hands, and plied him with endless ques- 
 tions about Dmitroff and the Baroness and the Tsaritza 
 and St. Petersburg and his examinations. Most of these, 
 by the way, Prehlen had to answer as he put them; for 
 the boy never thawed, though the other drew the break- 
 fast table under his very nose. And when the Ambas- 
 sador grew tired of this colloquial monologue, he began 
 to talk about the course of his own affairs since his 
 favourite's departure. Thus he fell by easy stages into 
 the topic of yesterday's triumph. Fersen shook off some 
 of his indifference. His pallor by-and-by changed to a 
 glow that was not one of health. His eyes began to 
 burn with an unpleasant brilliance, which the narrator 
 took for admiration. He only interrupted once; and 
 that not until quite towards the end. 
 
 Here is Prehlen's artless tale. 
 
 " I will not conceal from you, dear Nicholas, the day 
 you left for Dmitroff, our prospects were extremely 
 gloomy. The night prior to your departure, while we 
 guests were sleeping peacefully, a terrible scene was 
 enacting itself in Bonaparte's apartment. The irate 
 father had only that afternoon appeared at Compiegne, 
 as you recollect; and he did not waste but you have 
 heard all since?" 
 
 Nicholas nodded. 
 
 " Then I need not trouble. At breakfast, next 
 morning, I scented a rat; but could n't get a word out of 
 any one, though I expended ten Napoleons in the attempt 
 and was the last visitor to leave the Palace. You left 
 quite early, you remember. I followed you to the Gare 
 du Nord to bestow a last embrace upon you," as a fact, 
 they had crossed, Prehlen having been on his way from 
 Compiegne, "and when I arrived here, I found De 
 Morin waiting for me with a full account. He told me 
 that papa and mamma had flung the young lady off, and 
 had departed for India in a huff. Also, that the girl was 
 then on her way to Meaux, where she would remain until 
 her marriage. I say, Nicholas, she '11 have to stay there 
 a long time. He likewise informed me that Boney was 
 madly infatuated, and had created his mistress a princess
 
 566 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 as earnest of his honourable intentions. Nicholas, you 
 wince; you are in pain, dear boy. 
 
 " To continue. My child, you know your old god- 
 papa; how trouble merely tightens his tough old nerves. 
 From that day forward, I devoted myself entirely to his 
 Majesty's welfare. I never left him. From morn till 
 dewy eve (Sundays included) I pottered about his study. 
 I hung over him while he wrote; I nestled at his elbow 
 while he read. Whenever he lay prostrate upon the sofa 
 which was pretty often I bent down and smoothed 
 his weary brow. Nicholas, for eight weeks I have been 
 father and mother and grandfather and uncle and tutor 
 and niece and cousin to this poor young man; and my 
 reward is here at last. Mind, dear boy, I never worried 
 him. For hours I would sit talking about everything in 
 the world except the beauteous Catharine Petrovna and 
 our alliance. And then, just before the little fellow's 
 bedtime, I would throw in a single word about their 
 depredations and her dreamlike face. Remember my 
 methods, Nicky, when I am dead. They are the only 
 effective ones. Sometimes, too, I would strew the girl's 
 portraits about the room, cabinet size, Nicholas! I 
 have reason to believe that they immediately found their 
 billets in the breast-pocket of the leathern cuirass, which 
 I understand he never takes off. And once I left one of 
 our Foreign Office globes you know what I mean, 
 wherein England and her dependencies are divided be- 
 tween ourselves and France upon his desk. Next day, 
 I found it in a corner, smashed to smithereens; so you 
 perceive that that seed was sown in good ground. 
 
 "And thus I laboured in my vineyard for close upon 
 eight weeks. While you were idling hand in hand with 
 your dear mother about Moscow, I was spending my life's 
 blood in the service of my country. Nicholas, from morn 
 to dewy eve let me see? I have told you that already. 
 To proceed. A fortnight ago my good friend and ally, 
 Monsieur Carache, warned me of a distinct develop- 
 ment in the situation, consequent upon Nadez's unsuc- 
 cessful attempt. You have, of course, heard all about 
 that amusing business, and you doubtless are aware that 
 Meaux was the scene of the murder. Little Plon-Plon
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 567 
 
 the Second is a funny fellow. He actually regards the 
 Eurasian's foiled pistol as a punishment from heaven for 
 living in forni Nicholas, you are not well. Three 
 mornings after this adventure he sent for his Prime Min- 
 ister and gave us notice of his immediate intention 
 to marry the Princess Elizabeth of Pierrefonds. (You 
 recognize the lady?) From that hour forward up till 
 two o'clock this morning one or the other of us never 
 left him. Sometimes Carache took night duty, some- 
 times I did. Yesterday was his turn. He relieved me 
 just before tea-time; I said good-night to Majesty, and 
 came home to supper and a quiet evening. 
 
 " Nicholas, the interest thickens. I must have your 
 very best attention. I had made a fairly satisfactory 
 meal, and was toasting my feet at the fire, when a mes- 
 senger rushed in, breathless, with a summons from Carache 
 to return at once. I found little Bonaparte stretched 
 upon his sofa, in tears. Felix knelt beside him, trying 
 to soothe him ; the Premier stood at the table, measuring 
 out a draught. On the floor lay a letter from the Prin- 
 cess oh! such a cruel letter! I ventured to appropri- 
 ate it. You shall see it, if you are a good boy. 
 
 " But you shall have our very words. They are his- 
 tory. ' Hoity-toity, ' said I, looking round me. ' What 's 
 the matter with our gracious master? ' 
 
 " ' Ss'h, ' said fat Felix, and he wagged a finger behind 
 his back; 'Carache, I fancy our dear boy is sleeping.' 
 
 The Premier trotted round with the graduated phial. 
 ' There, Monseigneur, get him to take this. It 's only 
 sal volatile; it will soothe him.' As he passed me on 
 his way back to the table, he whispered, 'My lady has 
 done the trick this time. She 's written him a rouser. 
 He 's in a mood to do anything we want.' 
 
 "The Imperial sobs grew less frequent. Fat Felix 
 commenced softly cooing to him. Really, it was all I 
 could do to keep myself from laughing outright. 
 
 " ' Did she send him nasty, horrid letters, and say that 
 he had delayed another week and was a wicked traitor 
 in consequence? Then his cousin, who never meant to 
 do him any real harm, but only went with Nadez and 
 Loog to keep them in hand, will comfort him. And when
 
 568 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 he is a wee bit better he shall come down to Auteuil and 
 see my little Swedish dicky-bird and my allegorical 
 picture.' And if you will credit it, Nicholas, the insane 
 creature proceeded to give an account of that mas- 
 terpiece. 
 
 "Meanwhile Carache and I were rummaging. My 
 word, Nicholas, the rubbish we found! There were por- 
 traits of the Princess in every conceivable attitude, and 
 bundles of letters (many of which I kept), and withered 
 flowers and dirty wisps of bronze-coloured hair boy, 
 you are n't well and innumerable knick-knacks which 
 my lady had evidently worked with her own lily fingers. 
 I 've been through some of the letters; they get colder 
 and colder, until they consummate in that last vile tirade 
 I picked up from the floor. Then we found scraps of 
 speeches and printed proclamations, all dealing with that 
 blessed Princess Elizabeth; and, I say, Nicholas, there 
 was one (not printed) giving his faithful lieges notice of 
 the birth of an heir. And this note is scratched on the 
 margin of the precious document: 'If a boy: Louis 
 Walter Napoleon Paul.' " 
 
 Nicholas shuddered. 
 
 "So Carache and I cleared the whole place, and took 
 what we wanted and burnt the rest. Then I laid my 
 documents upon his Majesty's desk, everything open. 
 Carache trotted round with a little more sal volatile, and 
 the three of us supported him into his armchair, seating 
 ourselves round him like guardian angels. 
 
 " 'Majesty,' commenced Carache, he really manages 
 the little chap splendidly, 'we must live in our fool's 
 paradise no longer. That cruel letter convinces me that 
 my suspicions are well founded. The Princess meant 
 you to be killed; and it was only when you so coura- 
 geously turned the tables upon your assailant that she 
 ranged herself on your side. Her nerve failed her. Had 
 you been less bold and determined, she would have as- 
 sisted him in cutting your throat. The Eurasian whom 
 you barely slaughtered was a frequent visitor at the villa 
 all through November; I have the Prefect's word for it. 
 He affirms positively that this woman was his mis ' 
 
 " ' No, not that! ' cries Bonaparte. So our friend skips
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 569 
 
 a bit. ' Anyhow, her letter shows she bears you no love. 
 She may kill you yet. Majesty, I regret to have to say 
 it, you must discontinue your visits for a season.' 
 
 "To this the little fellow gave a willing enough con- 
 sent. Nadez's blood still stank in his nostrils, one could 
 see. We decided to move the Princess down to Cannes; 
 Brisson is to take her directly after Christmas. She will 
 remain there till baby is born Louis Walter Napoleon 
 Paul. That civilizes them; you maybe sure she won't 
 get up to any more tricks after that. Catharine Petrovna 
 and she are likely in time, to become very good 
 friends. 
 
 "But to return to Carache. He now took a higher 
 flight. 'Sire,' he purred, he really manages the little 
 chap splendidly, ' it is time your Majesty ranged your- 
 self. Forgive me for saying it, you are no exception to 
 the remainder of your exalted family. They all had and 
 have a spice of the dev ahem, the devil in them ; you have 
 it too.' Nicholas, you should have seen the little fellow 
 perk his head and try and hide the smile upon his face. 
 Carache continued: 'But we, your responsible advisers, 
 cannot allow you to jeopardize your valuable life. Sire, 
 you must range yourself. The Grand Duchess is suitable 
 in every way: you must accept the hand she so graciously 
 offers you.' ' 
 
 "What about Mu Lord Framlingham's daugh- 
 ter? " burst out Nicholas. It was his one interruption. 
 
 ' ' Boy, your stupidity is incomprehensible. Have I not 
 told you, we mean to move the Princess down to Cannes. 
 Brisson is to take her directly after Christmas. She will 
 remain there till baby is born Louis Walter Napoleon 
 Paul. That civilizes them; you may be sure she won't 
 get up to any more tricks after that. Catharine Petrovna 
 and she are likely in time to become very good friends. 
 Don't interrupt again ; I am nearly done. Napoleon's 
 answer brought forward the same objection. ' I should 
 be delighted,' the dear little creature murmured, ' only 
 I am already engaged.' Carache at once began to 
 soothe him; made Felix pour him out some more mix- 
 ture, and put the glass and bottle at his elbow. And 
 when Majesty had revived himself, he merely murmured
 
 570 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 once more, 'I am engaged. The Princess, you know 
 Elizabeth of Pierrefonds Meaux you follow me? ' So 
 the Premier became very stern, giving our friend the only 
 rough word throughout the whole of the interview. 
 ' Please understand, sire, the Princess Elizabeth of 
 Pierrefonds is entirely out of the question. Her High- 
 ness knows it better than you, it seems. She does not 
 expect it, of that you may be quite sure. I have no 
 wish to be cruel, but a burst of scornful laughter from 
 the whole civilized world would accompany you two on 
 your progress to the altar. The thing cannot be; once 
 and for all, it cannot be.' 'But my word of honour?' 
 moaned the little wretch. * You must break it. She 
 will forget it in a month or two amid the pleasures of 
 maternity. Little Prince Louis Walter Napoleon Paul 
 of Pierrefonds' you may wager he blushed 'will dis- 
 perse all your cares, all your remorse. Sire, in kings 
 the heart is nearer the left hand,' which I call an absurd 
 remark. 'I only wish,' this Carache, not me, ' my little 
 one were back again.' 'But but ' flounders the 
 Lord's anointed, 'I se I de I I treated her as my 
 wife solely on the understanding that she should become 
 such.' 'That is her business.' 'But Carache, Carache, 
 I love her! ' ' The Grand Duchess Catharine Petrovna,' 
 I here remarked, ' will not interfere with the usual facil- 
 ities.' 'But Carache, Carache, I cannot live away from 
 her! ' Then the marvellous fellow arose in all his might 
 and played his last card. ' Sire, I present you with the 
 sole other alternative. You must abdicate.' Nicholas, 
 you should have seen the Emperor's face. 'Abdicate!' 
 he repeated, like one dazed. ' Yes, sire, abdicate. His 
 Imperial Highness here will take your place. He is 
 ready.' 'I am ready,' Felix acquiesced: Napoleon V, 
 you know, it will sound rather well.' 'Carache, are 
 you serious?' gasped Napoleon IV. 'Alas, sire, abso- 
 lutely. Monsieur Prehlen has his documents; I have 
 mine. You must sign one or the other before we leave 
 you.' 'And you, Cousin Felix, will you participate in 
 this treachery?' 'But, dear cousin, there is no treachery. 
 I have a greater right than the Princess's illegitimate 
 offspring.' 'Very well,' retorted Bonaparte, as calmly
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 571 
 
 as you and I are chatting here, ' then I accept Catharine 
 Pet , whatever her miserable name is.' I shuddered, 
 and got the papers ready. He shut his eyes tight and 
 signed his name to the marriage preliminaries; then he 
 flung down his pen, murmuring, ' The gods were right: 
 Pimli '; though what he meant, I really cannot tell 
 you. I ejaculated, 'Sire, one minute there remains the 
 offensive alliance ! ' ' Oh, I have got a word to say about 
 that,' remarked Carache, the snake and thief. 'We 
 cannot embark on war yet a while really we cannot.' 
 'Very well,' myself, with extreme hauteur; ' no war, no 
 Petrovna.' ' I wish to God she were at the bottom of 
 Red Sea,' murmurs Napoleon. 'Sire,' I answer, brief 
 and contemptuous, 'she enjoys a face like a dream.' 
 ' Come,' says Carache, ' we are n't going to knock a hole 
 in the boat just as we sight land. You gave us a de- 
 fensive alliance against Germany. We will do the same 
 by you now.' 'If you fancy we intend to demean our- 
 selves by tackling the Sea Spider alone, you make a very 
 great mistake.' But in the end, dear disciple, I had to 
 take a defensive alliance, with the chance of converting 
 it in a year or so. I promised Carache," mused the art- 
 less fellow, " not to do anything to disturb the statuquo" 
 Then he added in a burst of childish glee: 
 
 "I say, Nicky, won't we pull the crocodile's tail?" 
 "My precious ward and nephew," he proceeded, 
 breaking into poetry, "very little remains. We put our 
 horrid business to one side, and spent a most enjoyable 
 evening. The four of us sat down to a recherche supper: 
 the plovers' eggs and champagne left the greatest mark 
 upon my memory. Abstemious little Bonaparte got quite 
 tipsy. Towards the end, he insisted on making a speech all 
 about ' Mu Muri Catha Catharine,' and wound it up 
 by smashing a glass to the honour of ' love love lovely 
 women.' Ah, Nicholas, these dirty Westerners can't 
 get drunk like gentlemen. Before we left, we carried 
 him back to his study. The last I saw of him, he was 
 sobbing on his sofa, murmuring ' Muriel Petrovna! ' 
 ' Muriel Petrovna ! ' On our way home, Carache informed 
 me that Felix's intervention alone has cost the Treasury 
 a hundred thousand francs. Still, we need not grumble:
 
 572 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 it 's all to our benefit. There, Nick, you have the whole 
 story." 
 
 "I am not so sure," Nicholas answered, a break be- 
 tween every word. His icy deliberateness startled 
 Prehlen. 
 
 "Why, lad, what's the matter with you? Why do 
 you sit there glaring at me like that? I tried my hardest 
 to get the full alliance. And your face is the colour of 
 cigar-ash! my grandson, what is the trouble, then?" 
 
 "And you think you have acted like honourable 
 men?" burst out poor Fersen. 
 
 A faint light dawned upon his master's face. He 
 whistled; and then as if he really could not contain 
 himself, he broke out into a loud guffaw. 
 
 "Of course," he shook out, "the Framlinghams 
 Tipton Southampton Havre Muriel Petrovna I 
 really had forgotten all about that. Well, Nicholas, 
 now's your chance. Spend a quiet month with her at 
 Cannes, dear boy. She will be ready enough, I '11 war- 
 rant. But mind, no follies! No Countess Fersen, or 
 rubbish of that sort. What should I say to your 
 mother? " 
 
 The Count sprang to his feet. Prehlen went with 
 him to the door, soothing him the while. "Now, dear 
 son, go and get some sleep. I shall want you this even- 
 ing to take documents to the Palace." 
 
 But Fersen was not meditating bed just then. Even 
 amid the throes of Prehlen's hideous narrative he had 
 taken his resolve. And being a different sort of man to 
 his successful rival, he set about its fulfilment then and 
 there. His fur-lined overcoat and soft felt hat lay 
 where he had flung them on his table. He donned them 
 in sober silence without resort to gasconade, mental or 
 muttered. He reached the Rue de Strasbourg by noon: 
 it kept him an hour within its stifling waiting-room. 
 He could bear it; each minute brought him nearer his 
 beloved. 
 
 The seventy minutes or so of actual journey he spent 
 reading and re-reading a letter (in faultless French and 
 violet ink) which his mother had written for him, to humour 
 him, and because she was a fond old woman unable to deny
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 573 
 
 her Promise anything. But neither mother nor son ever 
 really thought the girl would need it. Sometimes, truly, 
 among the autumn woods at Dmitroff, when the tears 
 would start unsummoned, tears that come alone in grief 
 for those dear ones that are irrevocable, he would suffer 
 his mind to dwell on this contingency. For his own sake 
 as much as her's he always stifled the beginnings of the 
 dream; sweet still, alas! such was his devotion. He 
 always stifled it; and behold with how much need! 
 
 If Paris had been cold, Meaux with fewer houses 
 likened the North Pole. The vehicle which crawled 
 him from the station even pierced his furs. But the first 
 sight of the Villa Yvonne managed to strike a peculiar 
 little chill of its own to his already frozen heart. The 
 warmth returned, however, when he discovered how 
 easily he seemed to make his way into her presence. The 
 woman who answered his summons accepted the whole 
 six foot of him as the most natural thing in the world. 
 She told him the Princess was at home, and disappeared 
 to take the latter word, while Nicholas waited in what 
 smelt to his nostrils like the Emperor's study. And she 
 would see him too. His frame commenced to burn. 
 He could scarcely get himself across the threshold. 
 His heart surged and surged again at her first cry of 
 greeting " Dear Nicholas, how good of you to come! " 
 And his brain never forgot her as he saw her then at 
 that last lamentable meeting. His life still had many 
 years to run years spent among the silences of Dmitroff 
 and the waste of bitter memories, shorn altogether of the 
 love and brightness and children he might have looked 
 for, brave man and pure that he was, but he never 
 forgot her as he saw her then. 
 
 Ah, how our fancies aid us. Girt about with all his 
 chivalrous love, yet he read the bitter difference in her 
 since their last meeting at Compiegne. He knew, he 
 knew she had eaten of the tree. The ivory-tinted face 
 was pallor now, pallor with deepening lines. He could 
 hardly meet the feverish brilliance of the eyes. He 
 dared not look down at her fragile figure. The fact that 
 (pleased as she seemed to see him) she had not risen car- 
 ried its bitter meaning. The stain touched everything,
 
 574 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 soiling her white dress and her piteous spriteliness. My 
 God ! are we mortals then so rich to start with, that we 
 can do these things! 
 
 Our poor young people, who might have been so happy 
 if only Ambition had departed this world with Immor- 
 tality and Innocence, spent but a short time on triviali- 
 ties. Perhaps because they lacked trivialities to spend 
 time on. She asked him about Dmitroff and got no 
 further; while he he could not even reach Dover. So 
 before long he opened the purpose of his coming. It 
 went to his heart to have to do it, what did not 
 go to his heart that hideous afternoon? But he had 
 resolved to give her the substance of Prehlen's story. 
 The truest kindness he grieved, demanded it. And hav- 
 ing decided so much well, he wasn't Napoleon. He 
 omitted very little, certainly neither the sal volatile nor 
 the closing debauch. And it helped him when he found 
 how quietly she took it, though he had never doubted 
 either her shrewdness of judgment or her sense. She 
 heard him to the bitter end without even a sigh to inter- 
 rupt him. There were no covert tears, no outbursts of 
 frenzied indignation, nothing save unconquerable weari- 
 ness, with now and again a gentle smile for the stam- 
 mering narrator. 
 
 "Ah, Nicholas," she said when he had finished, "I 
 know now." 
 
 He took her meaning instantly. 
 
 " Muriel, it is not yet too late. Twice I asked you, 
 and twice you could not answer. Now I ask you again. 
 See, my mother asks you too," and he thrust the letter 
 into her hand. " Muriel, we wrote it that day I received 
 your answer; we did not know but that you would need 
 it after all. And you do need it, Muriel; and you will 
 do what it asks? " 
 
 She read it calmly through. It summoned up the only 
 tears she shed that day. For a moment she wavered. 
 
 "And go with you at once to Russia?" she mur- 
 mured. 
 
 "Yes, yes. The room is ready for you. You shall 
 have a year in peace alone with my dear mother. You 
 shall not see a soul except her. And then, Muriel per-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 575 
 
 haps next New Year's Eve when you are calm again and 
 fairly happy, you shall give me my final answer. Muriel, 
 I ask you the question still. You must confess I am 
 waiting patiently." 
 
 Her weakness continued. 
 
 "How noble you are, Nicholas. I fear I fear," 
 she sobbed, " I should only disgrace your name." 
 
 "Darling, do not speak like that. We need not give 
 the matter a thought yet awhile. You are coming with 
 me to Russia? to-night! Anything to be rid of this 
 accursed place. 
 
 " If only I had listened to you earlier! How I want a 
 strong arm to help me! Nicholas, I shall never get it." 
 
 And then all the old weariness returned. If it were 
 only herself this was the gist of what she said, and 
 she said it without flinching she would go that night 
 Heaven knew she felt no desire to continue the hateful 
 struggle. Yes, she would fly that night to the haven his 
 goodness offered. She never wished to set further eyes 
 upon the miserable coward, whose strength had been her 
 blind stupidity. 
 
 "But " and she said no more, leaving the hideous 
 aposiopesis to blister in his heart. So she must fight it 
 out to the bitter end. Nor did she despair of ultimate 
 victory. No one had better cause to know the char- 
 acter of her precious opponent. 
 
 "Nicholas, he is rotten to the core. He is vacillat- 
 ing and mean-spirited and a coward. Before I met him, 
 I never knew to what lengths human timidity could go. 
 You should have seen him the night Nadez tried to kill 
 him " and she did not even shudder: it was the old 
 moral insensibility Napoleon had loved in days gone by; 
 "the cur actually fainted. Even little Paul noticed. 
 And with it all, he fancies himself the greatest hero the 
 world has ever seen. He firmly believes that he won 
 both Parfondrupt and Francheville; though all the world 
 knows the contrary. Nicholas, it is true; he was in bed 
 the whole twenty-four hours which hold those victories. 
 He confessed as much to me one night," and she 
 winced now. "And Nicholas, his lies! God knows I 
 do not excuse myself; but but you will believe, dear
 
 576 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Nicholas, I should never have done this awful thing, 
 only only he swore so many oaths. Nicholas, I 
 never loved him. Why did n't some one help me? I 
 was only a poor, silly girl. No, no, of course no one 
 thought of giving me a helping hand. I was Muriel " 
 all spoken with biting scorn " 'father's little coun- 
 sellor,' the one he always went to for advice. So, natur- 
 ally, no one thought that I could stumble oh, Nicholas, 
 our wretched reputations!" 
 
 "I wanted to help you," he answered faintly. "Do 
 you forget that afternoon coming back from Pierre- 
 fonds?" 
 
 She did not forget; but she said nothing. 
 
 She resumed presently with the more fruitful topic. 
 
 "You can hardly imagine I welcome the prospect. If 
 I considered myself alone, I would never see the black- 
 hearted wretch again. But, alas, I must make him 
 marry me. And I can make him; no one knows what a 
 creature he is. And when he has performed his word, I 
 shall live quite away from him Fontainebleau, perhaps 
 and scarcely see him once in the twelve months." It 
 was the ruling passion strong in death. The picture of 
 that dignified retirement, which should hold the nation's 
 hope, pleased her and soothed her a little. To Nicholas 
 it seemed the last conscious use of her sceptre. She 
 knew he could not help thinking he loved her still; 
 and so she strove thus to comfort him. 
 
 "He may say what he likes about scandal and the 
 rest," she went on, getting more and more peaceful; "I 
 will take no part in public life. He will have to manage 
 his court as best he can alone; I won't help him. I shall 
 have my own work to do, if " and she broke off in 
 manifest confusion. 
 
 "And suppose you do not succeed what then?" 
 
 "Ah," she answered, once more quite weary, "I do 
 not think that is likely." 
 
 "But, you will remember," he pleaded. 
 
 "Yes, I will remember. And, Nicholas, I thank you 
 both very much." 
 
 "Tell me," he began afresh, "what about your peo- 
 ple?"
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 577 
 
 She merely shook her head. 
 
 "Has not Walter even been to see you?" 
 
 "Do not be angry with him, Nicholas. Poor boy, he 
 feels the dis he feels it very much." 
 
 "I call him little better than a coward. I thought 
 higher of him than that." 
 
 "He was coming," and the subject seemed to tire 
 her; "he was coming. Mother wrote me only a week 
 ago and told me to expect him any day. But the week 
 has gone. He won't come now. What's the use?" 
 
 So their words drifted away into trivialities, and 
 thence into silence. He rose to go; first bending over 
 her hand with tender reverence. And she she dared 
 to touch his head with burning lips, an impulse of irrev- 
 ocable farewell. She loved him now; and so she 
 fancied she had loved him always. Perhaps she had. If 
 she could not tell one way or the other, when he used to 
 ask the question ; certainly no one else can. 
 
 He got back to his room in the Rue de Grenelle to 
 find no less a person than Lord Mendril pale and shiver- 
 ing in his arm-chair. And the young Russian's temper 
 being such, he welcomed the Englishman with words 
 hardly calculated to warm him. It was in every way a 
 most chilling reception. 
 
 "So you have condescended to come at last," he 
 muttered, scornfully. "How really noble of you! I 
 wonder you did not send Charles instead. He seems to 
 manage all these delicate matters. And your dear 
 father, I trust he is very well? You may be pleased to 
 hear that I have just returned from Meaux; also that 
 your sister is thinking of accepting an invitation from 
 my mother to spend the winter at Dmitroff. And the 
 young lord merely hung his head. 
 
 For a long time Muriel remained where Fersen left 
 her, inert and lifeless. She felt no surprise. She 
 always knew that her lover was capable of any treach- 
 ery. The night she saved his life, he went off vowing 
 that not another day should divide her from her re- 
 ward. And already three weeks had fled, and such was 
 the gift brought by the beginning of the fourth. How 
 she despised him! how she despised herself! She still
 
 578 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 awaited a reply to that last indignant letter of hers, 
 which now reposed in Prehlen's bosom. The delay did 
 not disquiet her. Her power continued; her confidence 
 in it was no mere idle boasting. But she also recog- 
 nized that power's prevailing source, and she shuddered. 
 Assuredly his love must lead him here to-night his love! 
 she shuddered again. He would come slinking in like 
 some whipt cur, all lies and promises. He would de- 
 part 'refreshed and strengthened ' (to use his own in- 
 flated phrases), all promises and lies. 
 
 And suppose after all, his perjured weakness proved 
 invincible? Take it he crowned his shifts and treach- 
 eries with this Russian marriage what then? She sur- 
 veyed the possibility, nor even faltered. Nay, she might 
 have welcomed it, if only once again that ellipsis which 
 had cut so deep into Fersen's soul. She wanted no 
 more thrones. She would have bartered Windsor itself 
 to be rid of this hateful man. And the shame? She 
 could not think of that; the miseries of the last two 
 months had swamped it. We cannot all achieve the an- 
 tique Roman model. Even Lucrece might have been 
 less precipitate after eight weeks of horror. It isn't re- 
 morse that swells the yearly lists of suicides, but very 
 present worry. We kill ourselves to escape, not to ex- 
 piate. The poor woman yearned for a little peace. The 
 silent woods at Dmitroff tempted her. Perhaps, the 
 Assuager reaches us that way. She longed to feel the 
 soothing of His fingers. 
 
 But the unborn child, whom both had wronged, de- 
 manded a last attempt. And she never doubted the 
 result. To-night he should not leave her until the thing 
 was settled beyond recall. Her plan stood ready within 
 her brain. 
 
 But Napoleon's usual hour passed without him. Paul 
 returned full of health from a walk that had taken him 
 beyond Lagny. They supped; then went together to 
 her room to spend the remainder of the evening She 
 got herself a book Cashmere still, and the first pages 
 and dropped into her usual chair. The boy sat near her, 
 sprawling over a letter to Avize. He was to go home 
 next day.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 579 
 
 And this meant her New Year's Eve, she pondered 
 mournfully. But she resolutely turned her straying 
 thoughts from Tipton. Dmitroff would lead her thither 
 even yet. 
 
 Half-past eight then he intended to come to-morrow 
 instead. Well, she felt in no particular hurry. So she 
 put him quite out of her mind, and settled to her 
 travels. She may not have known it, but her inclina- 
 tion was leading her nearer and nearer the more peace- 
 ful way. 
 
 Suddenly she flung her book to one side. 
 
 "Paul," she cried, "I am going to Paris." 
 
 He stared. 
 
 "I am going to Paris, Paul; and you must accompany 
 me." 
 
 "But I do not understand?" 
 
 "Child, the thing is perfectly simple. He arranged 
 but I am not bound to give you reasons. Run and 
 get your things on. Also tell Eugenie to order the car- 
 riage. Paul, before you go, answer me this, do you want 
 to do the Emperor a great service, one greater even 
 than the other night?" 
 
 "Cousin Muriel," in tones of reproach. 
 
 "Listen then. When we get to the Elyse"e, you must 
 manage to guide me into and through the palace so that 
 I can reach his Majesty's study without meeting a 
 soul." 
 
 The boy's brow clouded. "I do not see how I am to 
 do that for you." 
 
 "Can you get me into the palace?" she asked. 
 
 "I think so," he said, still doubtful however. "But 
 I know of no private corridors." 
 
 "We must trust the public ones. Only the Emperor 
 is anxious that I should be seen by as few people as pos- 
 sible. He said you would be a safe guide." 
 
 "Did his Majesty really mention my name?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "I will do my best," and the little fellow trotted off 
 to the beginnings of his task, proud as Lucifer. 
 
 And he did his best. Arrived at the Paris terminus, 
 he insisted on mounting beside the driver (and amid
 
 580 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 falling snow), the better to pilot that worthy to his own 
 usual door. His usual gen-d'armes happened to be 
 guarding it, and demanded no explanations. The stray 
 servants whom they met along the silent passages wanted 
 none either. The nearest they came to peril was the 
 faint outline of old Godefroy stalking along in front of 
 them. They halted, and presently the shadow disap- 
 peared. So he brought her out upon the sacred thresh- 
 old. Lifting his hand, he said simply: 
 
 "The Emperor's study." 
 
 His Majesty might have been in the midst of a coun- 
 cil of Ministers, it would have made no difference. With- 
 out the faintest pretence at tapping she pushed into the 
 room. 
 
 "My dear child," Paul heard in faltering accents, 
 "this is most indiscreet," and the door closed and the 
 little fellow turned away. The boy remained a devoted 
 Imperialist to the end of his days. And though the 
 habit of evil-speaking never found its way into his na- 
 ture, he could never get himself to say a good word for 
 the Fourth Republic, still less for any of its rulers. 
 
 The Monarch lay stretched full length upon the great 
 consoler. He made no attempt to rise. His bilious 
 countenance had taken a greenish tinge from last night's 
 debauch. The usual saffron of his face had gone into 
 his tired eyes. His matted hair obscured all vestige of 
 a parting. He resembled his great-grandfather as he 
 had never done before. She could not help but notice 
 it, busy as her poor brain was with other things. 
 
 She advanced to the centre of the room, and laid a 
 sinister-looking parcel upon the table. 
 
 "My dear child," he faltered out once more, "this is 
 most indiscreet." But the poor creature made no at- 
 tempt to rise : he preferred to feel the pressure of sup- 
 port all along his frame in times of trouble, and the sofa 
 could only do that for him. 
 
 The girl glanced defiantly at every part of the pros- 
 trate form except the face. "I cannot help the indiscre- 
 tion," she blazed. "I am sick and tired of your excuses. 
 I have come to ask you a single question. I had a visit 
 from Nicholas Fersen this afternoon, he "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 581 
 
 "Oh, dear," groaned Bonaparte, "Muriel, I wish you 
 wouldn't. You do your reputation no good by receiving 
 such characters." 
 
 "You hypocrite." 
 
 "Muriel be reasonable." 
 
 "I have not come to talk and argue," she retorted 
 vehemently. "I have heard words enough from you. 
 Answer me this, is it true that you have signed a con- 
 tract to marry that Russian thing? You are blushing 
 you have signed it, you coward! You coward!" 
 
 The brilliance of the lamp directly above her clothed 
 her form. The silk shawl, her only headgear, had fallen 
 away, her cloak as well. She was in evening dress. 
 Her skin glistened under the light (and under jewels as 
 well), as her bosom rose and fell in the wrath that shook 
 her frame. For a single instant the love of former days 
 surged back into his heart. The present image of her 
 which it held lay seared by his desires. The vapours 
 cleared away. She was again the careless schoolgirl 
 whom he had met beside the river in days gone by, and 
 whom he had loved so much. But her menacing gest- 
 ures recalled the ugly memories that cut both off from 
 her sweet innocence. He began in his turn to get angry. 
 " If I have signed it," he grumbled, "it is merely as 
 a subterfuge." 
 
 "You traitor." 
 
 "Muriel, I won't be spoken to like that." 
 
 "Of course, I am to humour you and flatter your child- 
 ish vanity, and profess to be satisfied with your lying 
 promises. But I won't be satisfied with them any longer. 
 I have had enough of them." 
 
 "Cannot you be reasonable, Muriel?" 
 
 She laughed shrilly. Could this sneering creature be 
 his divinity of former days? Really he commenced to 
 loathe her. 
 
 "It is easy for you to talk of reason, " she cried. 
 And that's just what it was very, very easy. Why 
 make further fuss about the matter? his heart kept mur- 
 muring. The mischief had been done. Not the heaviest 
 ermine robe in Christendom would wipe away the mem- 
 ory of this scandal. Then let them both accept the
 
 582 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 situation, and be happy in the way Carache suggested. 
 Anything for a quiet life, groaned his torpid and easily 
 placated conscience. And this seemed the simplest 
 the only road out of a sordid intrigue. So he started off 
 once more, and in gentler tones: 
 
 "My dear Muriel, let us be reasonable. Let us re- 
 view the situation like sensible people. The dearest 
 wish of my life, you do n't need me to repeat it, is to 
 make you my wife. My wife! What do I say?" and 
 he became for the moment quite genial "my Empress 
 I mean; for my wife you are already, and nothing can 
 ever part us. And I am quite sure that I shall be able 
 to effect this last step, if only we proceed very, very cau- 
 tiously. My little gi my wife must not do anything 
 injudicious. She mustn't, for instance, come rushing 
 up to Paris at dead of night, or give interviews to loose 
 young attaches who try to alienate her from her hus 
 from her Walter by means of silly lies. She must not, in 
 a word, make my task more difficult than it is. For it 
 is difficult, very difficult. I won't hide from you that 
 sometimes I despair of success. They put such obstacles 
 in my way. Prehlen and Carache between them never 
 leave me a single minute. The latter won't even let me 
 mention your name: he burkes any discussion I may try 
 to start on this dear topic. The Russian makes my life 
 a burden with the praises of that infamous Catharine. 
 He leaves her photographs about the room; he shall 
 find that I am not the man to be intimidated by photo- 
 graphs even when they are cabinet size and as ugly as 
 hers are. But Muriel, we must go slowly. Nay, dearest, 
 do not interrupt me; hear me to the end. We must go 
 slowly, and we shall succeed. Suppose, however, we are 
 beaten; that we have to bow to superior force Muriel, 
 Muriel, I beg! do n't give way to ugly violence; my sup- 
 position is merely a supposition; only we must review 
 the whole situation like sensible people. Suppose, then, 
 Carache and Prehlen and the grand duchess prove too 
 much for me. (O, Muriel, why were n't you a grand 
 duchess?) Should we not do well to accept the defeat? 
 Let us be happy in spite of "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 583 
 
 She would keep silent no longer. Her face and neck 
 were scarlet with anger. 
 
 "Say at once that I am to remain your mistress." 
 
 "Muriel do n't use that ugly word," he shuddered. 
 
 "No, but you do n't mind ugly deeds. You decoyed 
 me down to Compiegne to de " 
 
 "Good Heavens," he shouted, shuddering again, 
 "have you not more modesty than that?" 
 
 "It is the truth." 
 
 Even a worm will turn in time. Her fury, the un- 
 compromising directness with which she told him what 
 she thought of him, and her not infrequent lapses into 
 scornful laughter roused a corresponding temper in her 
 opponent. He likewise began to laugh; the same pleas- 
 ant, genial gaiety as hers. 
 
 "O, yes, it is the truth," he retorted, "we men are 
 always to blame in these matters. Of course I enticed 
 you down to Compiegne. It was I who encouraged you 
 and your sche your mother to disobey the Earl's com- 
 mand to refuse De Morin's invitation, of course, of 
 course. And it was all hypocrisy on my part, when I 
 offered to renounce you all hypocrisy, and in reality 
 part of my plan to get you in my power. You are not 
 to blame, are you?" and his irony rose to sublime heights 
 at this point; he really could not get any further for the 
 sheer humour of the thing. As for Muriel, she was fum- 
 bling with the lace about her bosom. If her cowardly 
 lover had only known it, he was nearer at that moment 
 to a taste of Nadez's pistol than he had been formerly 
 when the Eurasian had it (and him) in his grasp. So he 
 went on merrily, his rage still at white heat: 
 
 "Of course, of course, I planned it all in order to ruin 
 you. Naturally it never entered your head not even 
 down by the Marne, where you used to meet me night 
 after night that it would be a fine thing to be Empress 
 of France, though you had to marry a man you never 
 loved in order to achieve this dream. You never in- 
 trigued, did you? You did n't follow me to Paris, nor 
 throw open a house which you had never lived in before? 
 No, no, you were always innocent and child-like and pure
 
 584 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 and single-minded. But enough of this," in tired tones, 
 turning at the same time on his back and apostrophising 
 the ceiling; "we are neither of us in a condition to talk 
 further upon this painful subject. Ring the bell for 
 Godefroy. He will get you quietly back to Meaux. I 
 will write in the course of a week or so, when we are 
 both calmer. But I warn you, Muriel, your brutality 
 toward me to-night has shocked and grieved me. It 
 has shown me your character in a new and painful light. 
 I love you still; I shall treat you with justice; but I 
 cannot henceforth think of you as though there were 
 nothing between us, as though this unhappy incident had 
 never happened. Good-night, Muriel. The bell is be- 
 hind the silver Achilles in the corner." 
 
 "It is more than good-night, you traitor," she replied 
 with a deliberateness which managed to find an un- 
 bruised spot in his already much mangled nerves. "I 
 am going for good. I shall never see your coward's face 
 again, thank God for it." 
 
 "To Count Fersen, I presume?" he sneered. 
 
 She started. 
 
 "Yes, I am going to Russia." 
 
 "Go then," came the brutal answer. 
 
 But the dawning life within her, which they both had 
 wronged, drove her to make a last attempt. 
 
 "Walter, you cannot be so cruel!" 
 
 "Then return quietly to Meaux, and leave me in 
 peace. I will write in a week or so. All will come 
 right in the end." 
 
 The sinister-looking parcel lay where she had put it, 
 on her first entry. She commenced to untie the string 
 with feverish fingers. Napoleon turned languidly to sur- 
 vey her; the first sight of its contents roused him from 
 his torpor. 
 
 "My our proclamations!" he exclaimed, flushing 
 scarlet. 
 
 "Count Fersen gave them to me." 
 
 "That wretched Prehlen!" 
 
 "Dear Walter, do n't fail me now that I want your 
 help so much. I trusted you. Post these off to the 
 newspapers "
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 585 
 
 "Muriel, how can you be so foolish?" 
 
 She turned at once to the lace about her bosom. It 
 was Nadez's pistol; and she laid the muzzle with much 
 deliberation against her temple. 
 
 "Walter, this is what I shall do if you refuse." 
 She did it all very, very slowly; for a trump card 
 which consists of an unloaded pistol has to be used dis- 
 creetly. Alas, it did not await Napoleon's yielding! 
 There was a flash, and then a sharp report. 
 
 "What what I didn't know loaded help, I am 
 falling!" and she stiffened as she sank to the ground. 
 It was not the silence of the woods round Dmitroff, but 
 something just as quiet. 
 
 "Godefroy! she's hurt herself she's bleeding come 
 to me! Muriel, get up and help me I am fainting! 
 Blood! Godefroy can't you hear?"
 
 Chapter XIV 
 
 He did not faint, but turned his face to the wall and 
 shut his eyes tight. He drew his knees up to his chin, 
 at the same time burying his neck between his shoul- 
 ders. Thus he lay like a ball, dazed and cowering. 
 The flash, the report, and that fearful sight which came 
 midway, had stunned him. He was powerless to think 
 or to act. He could only listen. 
 
 He heard Godefroy burst into the room. He heard 
 the startled cry the valet gave, and his silent withdrawal, 
 to leave him, unhappy wretch that he was, quite alone 
 with the Horror behind him. The pitiable creature felt 
 that it had risen, and now stood bending over his pros- 
 trate body. He became rigid with a fresh wave of 
 terror. He dared scarcely breathe. 
 
 "Muriel!" he managed to gasp out presently. He 
 knew quite well he would get no answer. For a brief 
 second his heart was swept with pity for his loneliness. 
 
 And then again there came the sound of wholesome 
 men. He heard their awe-struck whispering as they 
 lifted the body. The slow and measured step that fol- 
 lowed trod into his brain. Then all was silent. 
 
 For a few minutes he lay absolutely still. Soon, how- 
 ever, a blast of panic seized and shook him, so that he 
 cried aloud for help. No help came. The paroxysm 
 only served to further exhaust him. And by and by he 
 relapsed into his former dumb prostration. If his brain 
 moved at all, it compassionated his own hideous flight. 
 There entered into it no thought "poor Muriel, whom I 
 have betrayed and killed." He had journeyed too long 
 in a fool's paradise for the scales ever to drop from his 
 eyes. 
 
 At last he had discovered he kept thinking how 
 easy a thing it was to be hurried into the midst of the 
 586
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 587 
 
 most ghastly tragedy, even with men who made it a rule 
 never to swerve from their virtue and their good inten- 
 tions. He hadn't swerved; of that he felt quite con- 
 fident. As men went, his life would bear comparison 
 with any. Yet here he was prostrate in the shambles! 
 If only the Framlinghams had not followed him to Paris, 
 or the Countess had obeyed her husband! Why had n't 
 she shown a little more prudence, a little more modesty, 
 during that fevered week at Compiegne? All these hor- 
 rors might thus have been avoided; and at this moment 
 he would have been leading a peaceful, domestic life with 
 Catharine Petrovna. Instead of which, months of bother 
 and worry lay between him and that happy time; indeed 
 he very much feared whether he would ever quite purge 
 his brain of the memory of her horrible death. 
 
 Presently he became conscious vaguely conscious, 
 as one does in a dream, or in the first seconds of recov- 
 ery from fainting of some one in the room. It was that 
 abominable cousin Felix, perched on the head of his 
 sofa, the little wretch's knees brushing Napoleon's 
 brow, while the little wretch himself chattered inanities 
 as though this were not the chamber of death. 
 
 "I happened to be passing," he started off, 44 so I ran 
 in to see how my dear boy was. I dined at Prehlen's; 
 truly a superb dinner. We had caviare and a crotite- 
 au-pot which would have made a codfish weep, and 
 plovers in aspic and the tenderest duck I have ever 
 tasted and a plum-pudding a I'araignee de mer vaincue, 
 not to mention strawberries and an ice a la Grande 
 Duchesse. I drank Chablis and Moselle and champagne, 
 because I think it is wisest never to mix but to stick to 
 one colour. Carache followed my example. So did 
 Prehlen. The chamberlain kept to port. The only 
 others of the party were one of Prehlen's attaches, 
 whom the Ambassador called Nicholas, and Nicholas's 
 friend, a young fellow whom I should imagine was an 
 Englishman by the marked way in which he avoided the 
 plum-pudding. These young men mixed their wines in 
 the most disgusting manner. I can't think what induced 
 his Excellency to include them among such distinguished 
 guests."
 
 588 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Godefroy!" groaned Bonaparte. 
 
 "It's Felix, " shouted his companion in tones that were 
 meant to be as soothing as they certainly were loud, 
 "Felix, your affectionate cousin who has come in to 
 make tender enquiries about your health. De Morin and 
 Carache both said that you were n't quite the thing after 
 our little party last night, so I have dropped in to cheer 
 you up and sing to you a little. Shall I sing to you?" 
 
 "Godefroy!" 
 
 "Hush, dear one, don't get hysterical. Listen, I 
 will tell you what we talked about at Prehlen's. We had 
 a most interesting conversation. We all agree that this 
 marriage of yours will make our beloved countries the 
 arbiters of the world. Our brother in Berlin whom by 
 the way you let off rather lightly will have to wait a 
 long time for his opportunity to recover Lower Alsace. 
 Personally, I have the greatest respect for his Teutonic 
 Majesty. As I read in one of their papers, a day or so 
 back, and as I think myself, he is a man of modern ideas, 
 enthusiastically devoted to his exalted mission namely, 
 that of promoting the happiness of a generous nation, 
 and accessible to all the lofty ideals which a period of 
 stress and storm puts to the test. He and I, likewise, 
 have many things in common. We both paint. We 
 both use those dummy rowing-machines which come 
 from London, he every morning in his palace, I every 
 morning in mine. I should like to see him on it. I 
 wonder whether he 'buckets, ' as they say in England. 
 I wonder what he wears. I wear a silk gauze vest with 
 a bee rampant on chest and back, and white flannel 
 knickerbockers, likewise sprinkled with bees. I wonder 
 whether he also uses gauze. If he does, I feel quite 
 sure he has the German eagle wherever there's room for 
 it. Anyhow, however admirable he may be as a man, 
 however much he resembles me in tastes and character, 
 he will once more have to bow his neck to the Franco- 
 Russian yoke. Prehlen says he won't like it. I am 
 rather of the contrary opinion. He is a man of marvel- 
 lous resource; he will find compensation elsewhere. He 
 will turn his attention to England, until we are ready 
 for the Sea Spider. He will humiliate her in every pos-
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 589 
 
 sible way; bully her before all Europe; gain moral vic- 
 tories over her by means of the penny post and the Rhine 
 Gazette, moral victories that shall wipe out any little in- 
 discretions that may have marked the commencement of 
 his reign. He is a marvellous young person; and we 
 French ought to be exceedingly grateful to him. If it 
 had n't been for him, we might not even have won back 
 ahem Lower Alsace. By the way, Prehlen will send 
 you round the papers to night." 
 
 "Prince Felix," moaned the sufferer, "won't you 
 please come back in the morning? I am very unwell." 
 
 "My place is beside the sick-bed (yea, the death-bed) 
 of my most beloved relative. Do not give way to un- 
 manly terrors, dear one, your own Fely-Wely is with 
 you. Are you faint?" with growing concern. 
 
 "Yes," whispered his Majesty, "extremely faint." 
 
 "Do you feel a pain here?" the Prince went on, lay- 
 ing his fat hand over the region of the imperial stomach. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Acute?" 
 
 "Terribly acute." 
 
 Felix at once became very friendly and eager. He 
 sprang off his ledge above the Emperor's head, and com- 
 menced to prance about the room in a state of great ex- 
 citement. 
 
 "Brandy," he exclaimed, rummaging among the Em- 
 peror's drawers, "that's what you want. Angina pectoris 
 poor father, you know beginning of the end fearful 
 pain for an hour or two terrible contraction of the 
 chest fortitude, my brave cousin! You will be at peace 
 to-morrow." 
 
 "Felix, for heaven's sake stop jumping about the 
 room." 
 
 "I must jump, I feel so happy. Besides, I am look- 
 ing for the brandy." 
 
 "I do n't keep brandy in my desk. Please ring the 
 bell for Godefroy, and go away." 
 
 "I call you extremely unkind," the Prince answered, 
 coming back to his seat on the sofa. "I am a very much 
 better sick-nurse than a score of your fat Godefroys. 
 My Swedish nightingale says I am, and she ought to
 
 590' THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 know. I do n't believe you 've got anything the matter 
 with you. It 's all pretence and humbug. Angina pectoris 
 is not for such as you. Cousin Louis, you 're a 
 wild young dog. I 'm a trifle dissipated I admit, but 
 I do n't go shooting young ladies when I am tired of 
 them." 
 
 "Godefroy, please come to me." 
 
 "He won't come to you, you may be quite sure. He 
 and I are equally disgusted with you. I shall have to 
 take you in hand, otherwise you will be getting us into 
 very bad odor indeed. Cousin Louis, it would have been 
 a thousand times better for every one if you had stayed 
 in Pimlico; you do n't understand these things." 
 
 "I did n't shoot her." 
 
 "You did." 
 
 "I did n't. Please go away." 
 
 "Well, whether you did or not, it does n't show you 
 up in any more agreeable light. I believe you both 
 agreed to commit suicide; and now you 're frightened. 
 I adhere to my former statement; it would have been a 
 million times better for every one had you stayed in 
 Pimlico." 
 
 "You are insolent." 
 
 "I merely say what is the truth. Could n't you go 
 back?" 
 
 "You are insulting. Please go away." 
 
 "Louis, Louis, do not be so hasty. I do n't mean go 
 back to the life your own merits won for you in former 
 days. Of course we should make you an allowance. 
 And I would write to the government. They might be 
 prevailed upon to give you a judgeship or a bishopric. 
 You would like that, is it not so, Louis? Fancy you 
 Bishop of of of Whitechapel, for example! What a 
 guide you would be to them." 
 
 At that moment rescue came. 
 
 "Thank God," murmured Bonaparte, "here is Gode- 
 froy. ' ' 
 
 The old valet laid a hand upon Felix's shoulder and 
 drew him gently from his perch toward the door. The 
 Prince made no effort at resistance, merely turning to 
 fire a parting shot from the threshold.
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 591 
 
 "Bishop of Whitechapel, Louis! the thing is well 
 worth considering." 
 
 "Sire," Godefroy exclaimed, when master and serv- 
 ant were alone, "this is a bad business." 
 
 "Oh, Godefroy," cried Bonaparte, "you don't think 
 I shot her?" 
 
 "No, I know you did not," answered the other grave- 
 ly. The old fellow's voice, his face, his very attitude, 
 were eloquent of the most intense compassion. But it 
 was not compassion for the shivering survivor in front 
 of him. 
 
 "Poor, poor child," he murmured, "if only she had 
 listened to Marshal Brisson. " 
 
 "Anyhow," Bonaparte retorted doggedly, "I didn't 
 kill her." 
 
 "Ah," whispered the butler, still in meditation, "the 
 great God will be kindest to her soul. Sire, I have sent 
 for the Premier and M. de Morin. Till they come, you 
 must not stir." 
 
 Left alone once more, the Emperor tried to sleep. 
 He did doze off, only to be awakened presently by some 
 one tapping gently at the door. 
 
 He had strength enough to murmur the necessary 
 words. A voice he did not recognize rapped out: 
 
 "Sire, I bring these papers from the Russian Ambas- 
 sador." 
 
 "Lay them down," groaned his Majesty without 
 moving. 
 
 "He desires me to take back word whether they are 
 found in form. " 
 
 "He shall know to-morrow." 
 
 "Sire," the familiar unrecognized voice continued, a 
 trifle more brusquely, "I have a friend here who desires 
 to speak with you." 
 
 His Majesty turned lazily over. His brain was hardly 
 prepared for what he saw. 
 
 Nicholas Fersen stood beside the table (almost on the 
 spot where she had stood, just now, and died) ; while no 
 less a person than Lord Mendril himself occupied a few 
 yards of carpet just short of the door, his back firmly 
 set against that useful article.
 
 592 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 Napoleon made no attempt to stir. Both the in- 
 truders glowered at him. 
 
 "Let me tell you, young gentlemen," the Sovereign 
 commenced, "I am not in a mood to bandy words with 
 you." This sudden access of energy surprised him very 
 much. He went on: "I must ask you both to with- 
 draw." 
 
 "Have you locked the door?" Fersen asked of his 
 companion. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Now, Monsieur, we have a word or two to say to 
 you." 
 
 "I refuse to listen. Put the papers on the table as I 
 ordered you just now, and go away." 
 
 Fersen obeyed to the extent that he laid his docu- 
 ments on the top of their her proclamations. Napoleon 
 caught sight of them and shuddered. He would get 
 short shrift, he felt, if this wretched Oriental discovered 
 them and proceeded to put piece and piece together. 
 
 "Now, then, Mendril," prompted the latter. 
 
 "Nicholas, old fellow, do you begin." 
 
 "Very well. Monsieur, we have come to demand 
 reparation for your cruel conduct to Mademoiselle." 
 
 "I do not understand you," Bonaparte rejoined sul- 
 lenly. 
 
 "We thought you might not. Cowards like you are 
 not quick at catching the force of such words." 
 
 "You are an insolent cad. You shall pay for this. 
 You shall languish in jail for life; you shall be deported 
 to New Caledonia. You, too, Lord Mendril. You are 
 in France now, not at Oxford; and you shall find out 
 that you cannot insult the head of the state with im- 
 punity. " 
 
 "No more of this foolery," cries Fersen, keeping all 
 the while provokingly cool and deliberate. "You have 
 got to fight one of us Mendril or me, we do n't care 
 which. And you may choose your own weapon." 
 
 "A duel!" gasped his Majesty, quite overcome by 
 the boldness of the idea. 
 
 "Exactly."
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 593 
 
 "You don't expect me to go out and fight a duel at 
 this time of night?" 
 
 "It won't be necessary to leave this room. We shall 
 fight here." 
 
 "Fight here?" repeated the Emperor in a dazed way; 
 "really I don't understand you?" 
 
 "The thing is quite simple. The room is a good size; 
 and if it is to be swords we can clear the table out of 
 the way." 
 
 "For heaven's sake do n't do anything of the kind." 
 
 "You prefer pistols?" 
 
 "I certainly sha'n't fence." 
 
 "Very well, let it be pistols. Choose your man." 
 
 The Emperor did not deign an answer. 
 
 "Nicholas, we shall have to toss," and Mendril pro- 
 duced a coin which he spun and caught in his left hand. 
 
 "Heads!" cried Nicholas. 
 
 "Tails it is," replied the other with a note of triumph. 
 "I likewise prefer pistols. The only question is, where 
 are we to get them from?" 
 
 "Monsieur, does not that door yonder lead into your 
 dressing-room?" 
 
 "Yes, it does," grumbled Monsieur. 
 
 "You keep pistols in there?" 
 
 "Indeed I do nothing of the kind. If you want weap- 
 ons you '11 have to ring the bell." 
 
 "Walter, there is no help for it. You must leave me 
 to mount guard over our friend. Do you slip round to 
 my rooms and bring mine. For God's sake be careful 
 how you go. " 
 
 "Nicholas, the thing is utterly impracticable. I 
 should never get through a second time." 
 
 "I fear not. What 's to be done? I suppose Walter, 
 you could n't fight with razors?" 
 
 "I 'm willing enough." 
 
 "Or the fire-irons?" glancing regretfully at the 
 poker. 
 
 "Nicholas, let 's horsewhip him and have done with 
 it. We have been here long enough; we shall be dis- 
 covered if we don't take care."
 
 594 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Honestly I don't know what to say." A minute 
 later the young Russian gave a shout of triumph: 
 "Walter, isyeursa. sword-stick?" 
 
 "It's one of your's, Nick; so I'm sure I don't 
 know." Walter gave an anxious pull at the handle of 
 his cane. "If it is, it 's confoundedly sti by Jove, 
 Nicky, it is. What a piece of luck." 
 
 Nicky, who, as it will be noticed, had a considerable 
 
 weakness for these sanguinary utensils, had already 
 
 bared his own glittering blade. He gave it a triumphant 
 
 flourish above his head, then held it across the table, 
 
 handle foremost, for Napoleon to take. 
 
 The Emperor backed against the wall. 
 
 "Keep it away! keep the nasty thing away! I tell 
 
 you I can't fence." 
 
 "Mendril shall use his left hand." 
 "This is assassination!" cried our hero. "You young 
 men shall lose your heads over this business." 
 
 "Will you take the stick," urged Fersen, dangling it 
 very little more than an inch above the imperial 
 nose. 
 
 "Do n 't I tell you, you murderer, that I can't fence?" 
 "I insist upon your taking it." 
 
 "I refuse. I can't fence; and if I could, I would n't. 
 You forget who I am. I am the Emperor. The Em- 
 peror does n't fight duels with a couple of drunken young 
 men." 
 
 "For a third time I demand that you should take it." 
 "For a third time I refuse. If you like to slay a de- 
 fenceless man in cold blood, that's your business. I 
 shall not rise from this sofa. If you fancy that I shall 
 attempt to defend myself with the poker, or that I shall 
 endeavor to ring the bell, you are quite mistaken. I do 
 not intend to raise a finger. See, I bare my breast! 
 Strike, you young assassins!" 
 
 Lord Mendril had already sent his rapier home into 
 its covering once more. 
 "Nicky, it 's no use." 
 
 "I am afraid not. I knew he was a coward." 
 "Is it cowardly to await the cut-throat's blow, calmly 
 reposing with bared breast on one's sofa?" demanded
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 595 
 
 Coesar. "Really you young men are behaving in a ridicu- 
 lous fashion. You had much better go quietly away." 
 
 The two boys looked at one another rather despond- 
 ingly. Caesar, prostrate upon his sofa, his breast bared 
 to anything, from the assassin's dagger to a horsewhip, 
 proved rather a difficult nut to crack. 
 
 "What do you mean to do with my sister?" Mendril 
 persisted. 
 
 Napoleon could n't take his eyes off the proclama- 
 tions. Fersen was getting nearer to them every minute. 
 They almost touched the last button of his waistcoat. 
 For all the poor Emperor knew, they might be spattered 
 with blood. 
 
 The young Englishman repeated his question. 
 
 "What do you mean to do with my sister?" 
 
 "Do you intend to keep her on at Meaux as your mis- 
 tress?" Fersen blazed out. 
 
 "At least I owe no explanation to you," our hero re- 
 torted, his mind still busy with the proclamations the 
 possibly blood-bespattered proclamations. 
 
 "You owe it to all who have the power to demand 
 one," muttered the Count. 
 
 "How dare you say that?" 
 
 "Fersen, do keep quiet. Sir, answer me. What do 
 you propose to do with my sister?" 
 
 "I will answer you, Lord Mendril. In your case the 
 matter is very different. I recognize your right to ques- 
 tion me. Believe me I can sympathize with your anger 
 there, I confess it." And he straightway proceeded 
 to brandish an olive-branch. 
 
 "Come back here in the morning alone, mind. You 
 and I between us can then review the situation. We 
 shall both be calmer in in the morning." 
 
 The young lord was obviously wavering. 
 
 "There is no situation to review," interrupted that 
 confounded Muscovite. "You have lied to the young 
 lady, and betrayed her, and now you are meaning to 
 marry some one else." 
 
 "You are an exceedingly ill-bred young man. You 
 seem to forget that you are speaking to the Emperor. 
 You shall smart for your impertinence. Lord Mendril I
 
 596 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 have told you the extent to which I can go. Kindly re- 
 move your friend, and return alone in the morning." 
 
 "We have not done with you yet," exclaimed the tur- 
 bulent Nicholas. "You forget that we have the door 
 locked, and that we do n't mean to let you get near the 
 bell." 
 
 Napoleon groaned. 
 
 "You are a coward thus to threaten an unarmed 
 man." 
 
 "We are practically unarmed as well," retorted Fer- 
 sen, eagerly. "Let me fetch a couple of swords from 
 your dressing-room provided you keep anything so 
 deadly there. Either of us is willing to fight you. You 
 won't avail yourself of our sword-sticks." 
 
 "I have told you a dozen times already I won't fight. 
 I am the Emperor." 
 
 "Emperor or no Emperor, we mean to get some satis- 
 faction out of you before we leave this room. If Men- 
 dril took my advice, he would horsewhip you." 
 
 "You shall smart for this." 
 
 "Get up and face me like a man. You daren't. 
 You can only bully women and weakly girls." 
 
 "Fersen, do be quiet," Walter interposed. "Let us 
 hear what he suggests." 
 
 "Come back in the morning." 
 
 "No, I must hear now." 
 
 "I won't be ordered about in this way," shouted 
 poor Bonaparte, flinging both feet in the air and bring- 
 ing them down with a whack upon the springs. "I will 
 have both you young men thrown into prison." 
 
 "We don't budge till you have told us," rasped out 
 Fersen. 
 
 The monarch turned round once more to the light. 
 "Mendril," he said, raising his head the least little bit 
 from his pillow and gazing straight at Walter, "have 
 your people left yet?" 
 
 "No, they haven't." 
 
 "Look here, Mendril, what do you say to take my 
 wi your poor your dear sister off to India? The voy- 
 age will do her heaps of good. Simla will bring the 
 roses back into her cheeks; and I I will write her a
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 597 
 
 letter in a week or so, when we are both calmer." He 
 really began to believe that the poor creature was still 
 alive. Fersen brought him back to his senses. 
 
 "She will come to Dmitroff," he grumbled. 
 
 "No, that she never will," Napoleon answered 
 maliciously. He turned back to Lord Mendril: 
 
 "Well, Mendril, what do you say?" 
 
 "It is for my parents to decide." 
 
 "You shall communicate with them at once. Let me 
 ring for Godefroy to bring you a form." 
 
 "You do n't get near the bell. " 
 
 "Count Fersen, I disdain to notice your rudeness. 
 Mendril, consider the matter well ; sleep on it, in fact, 
 and let me have your answer in the morning." 
 
 "I call it a cowardly suggestion. You are tired of 
 the young lady God help her! poor thing and now you 
 want her parents to take her off your hands. Mendril, 
 reflect, you take away all chance your sister has of re- 
 habilitating herself." 
 
 "Ah, Nicholas, but it will be happier for her." 
 
 "Shame is never happy." 
 
 "Lord Mendril is right," broke in the recumbent 
 philosopher. "It will be happier for her. The wealth 
 of love I should offer her would not make up for all the 
 miseries the ermine brings. Besides besides I fear the 
 memory of our common weakness would never com- 
 pletely pass away. It would always hover like a ghost 
 between us. No, she had much better go to India." 
 
 Walter Mendril conceded a single step. 
 
 "I will find out what my people have to say." 
 
 "That's a wise fellow." 
 
 "What about the girl herself?" cried Fersen. 
 
 The gentle Mendril lapsed for a moment into the 
 Honourable Charles. 
 
 "I do n't think she need be considered," he blazed out. 
 " His lordship is right," chimed in the sofa. "Her 
 conduct in the past shows clearly that she is not the best 
 judge of her own interests." 
 
 Fersen was too overcome even to concur; Bonaparte 
 stroked his chin, his face wearing the bright dawn of re- 
 turning complacency.
 
 598 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "Or look here, Mendril," that Potentate went on, 
 "why can't you get some decent fellow to marry her, 
 and set up a happy home for her. There must be a 
 heap of men over in dear old England who would only 
 be too glad. Some one a leetle bit her social inferior, I 
 mean. In a month or two she will be just as pretty as 
 ever she was. Poor girl we all want her to have a little 
 peace. She's been through so much." 
 
 "Listen to this cur!" gasped Nicholas. He lifted 
 the papers which he had brought with him; nothing re- 
 mained to keep the blood-stained proclamations from 
 the light of day. Bonaparte shuddered. But the infer- 
 nal Muscovite having given one flourish with the dam- 
 aging documents laid them back upon poor Muriel's. 
 And the Emperor breathed again. 
 
 "Look here, Mendril," his Majesty recommenced 
 when he had so far recovered, "I tell you frankly, I am 
 very, very sorry for what I have done. I own it. I 
 would give worlds to undo it. I curse myself every day 
 for my conduct yes, my treachery to your poor sister. 
 But the thing now is, alas, irrevocable. We cannot go 
 back, grieve how we may. Believe me, I do grieve most 
 bitterly. Communing with myself I can find no words 
 hard enough to describe my conduct. But as I said just 
 now we can't go back. And exigencies of State will 
 not permit me to go forward. The dearest wish of life 
 was is to have your sister as my Empress. Unhappily, 
 all my ministers tell me the thing is impossible. Believe 
 me, dear Mendril, when I say the burden weighs every 
 bit as heavily on me. I do not want to marry this Rus- 
 sian princess. She is not pretty. I want to marry your 
 dear sister, and I cannot because she is dea denied me 
 by the exigencies of State. Mendril, do n't you see my 
 point? Things being as they are, cannot we manage to 
 make the best of them? Take it your parents do n't 
 care for India. Very well, Monar kings frequently 
 contract morganatic alliances in these days, without dis- 
 grace to either party." 
 
 The Englishman answered never a word. 
 
 "We shall be so happy, your dear sister and I. She 
 shall have everything she desires. You, all of you, will
 
 THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 599 
 
 come and visit her; and and I will strive by my devo- 
 tion to make up for my treachery in the past." 
 
 Once again, for the time being he forgot that she lay 
 dead in some adjoining room. 
 
 "Walter, how can you even listen to such disgraceful 
 proposals?" 
 
 "Count Fersen, the matter does not concern you." 
 
 "It does concern me. I would rather see the poor 
 girl dead what is this?" 
 
 He had stumbled upon the proclamations. They were 
 spattered with blood. 
 
 Bonaparte shivered. 
 
 Next minute the young Russian's foot had struck 
 something hard. 
 
 "And this?" he cried. 
 
 He dived beneath the table, and brought the pistol 
 and the dead woman's silk shawl to light. 
 
 "And this?" he repeated. "There is blood upon it!" 
 
 His face, meanwhile, had grown very white and 
 drawn. His voice had become terribly deliberate. Na- 
 poleon could not meet the eyes that seemed to him to 
 blaze down into his soul. 
 
 "She has been here?" Nicholas thundered out. The 
 cowering wretch dared not lie. 
 
 "My God, Walter, what does this mean? quick, the 
 inner room she may be there." 
 
 Walter had sprung across the threshold before the 
 words were well out of the other's mouth. The next 
 instant a cry rose to heaven. 
 
 "Speak to me, Muriel! I am your bro Nicholas! 
 help! she is dead." 
 
 But Fersen did not move. 
 
 "An accident blood getting better next room 
 convalescent, marry her," the hunted creature gasped 
 out, appealing eyes turned on his pursuer. He saw the 
 Russian lift a threatening arm and hurl something at 
 him. And he saw no more. 
 
 * * * * * # 
 
 The sound of confused voices and hurrying feet broke 
 in upon the silence. Abrupt fingers clutched the outer 
 handle of the door then Godefroy's voice:
 
 6oo THE FOURTH NAPOLEON 
 
 "It is locked!" 
 
 "Break it open!" from Carache. 
 
 Some one flung his whole weight against the wood- 
 work. Once twice the third blow the door thundered 
 down. 
 
 Carache, De Morin with him, and the butler heading a 
 crowd of palace servants flowed forward to fall back 
 reverently before the worthless dead. 
 
 Only, De Morin muttered: 
 
 "Poor nephew Louis! The best way out of it, I 
 think." 
 
 And Carache made answer, "The best way, " in the 
 same low tones. 
 
 Then the Premier added more cheerfully: 
 
 "I will despatch a telegram to Havre." 
 
 The chamberlain smiled. "Carache, you are a won- 
 derful fellow." 
 
 THE END.
 
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