Cornell University Library 
 DC 280.2.C26 1889 
 
 My mistress, the Empress Euaenie: 
 
 3 1924 028 282 626 
 
sm 
 
 Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028282626 
 
MY MISTRESS, THE EMPRESS EUGENIE. 
 
MY MISTEESS, 
 THE EMPEESS EUGENIE; 
 
 l 
 OB, 
 
 Court Xifc at tbe ftuileriee. 
 
 BY HER PRIVATE READER, 
 
 MADAME CABETTE (nee BOTTVET). 
 
 AUTHORISED TRANSLATION. 
 
 DEAN AND SON, 160a, FLEET STEEET, E.G. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PA3E 
 
 Arrival of Emperor and Empress at Brest — Popular 
 Fetes— The Ball— The Personal Suite of the Sove- 
 reigns — Arrival at Saint-Servan — Ball at Saint- Malo 
 —The Orsini Plot 11 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 Ten Tears of Reign — Marriage of Prince Napoleon — 
 Italian War — The Princess de Metternich — The 
 Prince de Metternich 33 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Journey of the Emperor and Empress to Savoy — 
 Journey to Algeria — Death of the Duchess d'Albe — 
 The Meeting of the Emperor with Mdlle. Montijo 
 (afterwards the Empress) : Compiegne — The 10th of 
 December: the Emperor announces his Marriage 
 — The Marriage — The Empress's Pearls — Journey 
 of the Empress to Scotland ; and the Return . .49 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 The Court — The Princess d'Essling — Duchess de Bas- 
 sano ; Countess de Montebello ; The Countess de 
 Malaret — Countess de La BiSdoyere — Madame de 
 Saucy — Pinson, the Ladies' Coachman — The Ladies 
 of the Palace — The Duke de Bassano . . .71 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 My Arrival at the Tuileries — The Interior of the Tuileries 
 — Occupations and Habits of the Empress — The 
 Infant Prince Imperial — Bagatelle — The Countess 
 de Wagner — The Private Apartments of the Em- 
 press — Princess Anna-Murat — Duchess de Cadore — 
 Duchess de Persigny 105 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 The Work-room of the Empress — The Tuileries Papers — 
 Private Documents — The Queen of Holland — Prince 
 of Orange— The Toilet-room— The "Lift"— The 
 Empress's Oratory — The Last Mass — The Troubles 
 of a Sovereign — The Bed-chamber — " Political 
 Toilets " — The Eugene-Napoleon Orphanage — 
 Terrible Pate of the Children during the Commune 
 —Madame Pollet — The Empress's Jewels — Escape 
 of the Emperor from Ham 140 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 Dinner at the Tuileries — The Negro — The salon de 
 Louis XIV. — How the Evenings were Spent — Ill- 
 ness of the Prince Imperial — Miss Shaw — Louis 
 Conneau — The Disposition and Character of the 
 Child-Prince — His Nurse — Begnier's Mysterious 
 Mission . 197 
 
CONTENTS. I 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Eeeeptione— The Grand Balls — The Presentations 
 — Fancy Dress Balls — Marquis and Marchioness de 
 Gallifet — The Countess Castiglione — Prince Jerome 
 — Private Balls — Princess de Monaco— Duchess of 
 Hamilton— The Duke and his Sad Fate . . .229 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Mexican War — Admiral Jurien — His Keturn — Em- 
 peror Maximilian — Empress Charlotte — Her Sad 
 Journey to Paris — Traitors — A Glass of Orange 
 Wine — The Arrest of the Emperor Maximilian — 
 His Death— Sad End of Empress Charlotte . . 262 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Good Works of the Empress — The Asylums, Schools, 
 and Hospitals — The Prince Imperial Orphanage — 
 Lifeboat Society — Convalescent Homes — The Pri- 
 sons — Empress's Visits to Charenton and la petite 
 Boquette — Saint-Lazare, and a Sovereign's Heroism 
 among the Diseased 292 
 
PUBLISHER'S PREFACE. 
 
 Seeing the very large amount of interest 
 (excitement one might almost say) that 
 was aroused in Paris by the publication of 
 Madame Carette's reminiscences, we could 
 not help thinking that an English transla- 
 tion of the " Souvenirs" would prove highly 
 acceptable to that wide community on this 
 side of the Channel who have nothing 
 but sympathy and deep affection for the 
 beautiful and sorely-stricken mother of 
 the ill-fated young Prince, who may be 
 said to have perished in our cause. And 
 it is hardly necessary for us to dwell on 
 the fact that, of all those who feel sym- 
 pathy for the widowed Empress, in none 
 is it possible for the sentiment to be more 
 sincere than in the breast of our own 
 widowed Queen — between whom and the 
 
PUBLISHES' S PEEFACE. 9 
 
 Empress Eugenie, it is well known, there 
 exists a true sisterly regard. 
 
 We feel convinced, too, that, until they 
 have read these echoes from the brilliant 
 Court of the Third Empire, few will have 
 guessed how sincerely self-sacrificing and 
 noble was the devotion of the Empress for 
 the country and people over whom she 
 ruled : a devotion that is apparent in every 
 page of the irrefutable record to be found 
 in the present volume of the earnest and 
 humanitarian principles which governed 
 this good woman during the short and 
 agitated period in which she reigned. 
 We do not consider it necessary to offer 
 any further explanation of the course we 
 have taken in offering the " Souvenirs " 
 to an always kind and indulgent public, 
 although we may quote with some appro- 
 priateness a few lines from an article on 
 the appearance of Madame Carette's volume 
 by the Paris Correspondent of the Morning 
 Post :— 
 
 Madame Carette was appointed, when still a young 
 girl (Mdlle. Bouvet), to be second reader to the Empress 
 
10 ptjblishee's pbeface. 
 
 Eugenie, and in this post, which was immediately 
 attached to the person of her Imperial mistress, she 
 enjoyed numerous opportunities of exercising the 
 admirable powers of observation with which she was 
 naturally endowed. . . . The style, moreover, in 
 which they are written is strongly coloured by those 
 feelings of love and admiration with which the 
 beautiful but hapless Empress seems to have in- 
 spired all who came in contact with her. 
 
 In conclusion, we would just like to im- 
 press on those who read the volume that 
 the translator has striven, ahove all things, 
 to render, in all its original simplicity, the 
 language, and, in some instances, the almost 
 childish fervour, of the youthful writer of 
 the " Souvenirs " (Mdlle. Bouvet could, at 
 this period, have been nothing more than 
 a mere girl), who, in those days, it would 
 seem, hardly possessed a thought which did 
 not emanate from her idolatrous love of her 
 beautiful patroness. 
 
CHAPTEE I. 
 
 Arrival of Emperor and Empress at Brest — PopulaT Fetes— 
 The Ball — The Personal Suite of the Sovereigns — 
 Arrival at Saint-Servan — Ball at Saint- Malo — The Orsini 
 Plot. 
 
 It was on the 8th of August, 1858, that 
 the Emperor and Empress of the French 
 set sail from Cherbourg for Brest on the 
 splendid vessel Bretagne, followed by a 
 squadron as escort ; previous to their 
 departure Her Majesty Queen Victoria 
 having paid them a friendly visit on 
 board, which was acknowledged with full 
 naval honours. 
 
 The French fleet, under Admiral Eomain 
 Desfosses, was composed of the following 
 man-of-war ships : — The Bretagne, flying 
 the colours of Admiral Pothuau ; the 
 Arcole, under Commander Fabre de la 
 Maurelle ; the Austerlitz, under Bolle ; the 
 
12 THE IMPERIAL STAFF. 
 
 Bylau, under Jaures ; the Napoleon, under 
 Mazeres ; the Alexandre, under Hugueteau 
 de Chaille; the Donawerth, carrying the 
 flag of Eear- Admiral Lavaud; the XJlm ; 
 the Isly ; and numerous other ships of 
 smaller draught. 
 
 The staff formed a most imposing sight in 
 themselves ; and several of thojn at the 
 present time fill exalted positions in the 
 navy, whilst others, like the lieutenant of 
 the ship Varannes, who became orderly 
 officer to the Emperor in 1866, have been 
 lost sight of in distant campaigns. 
 
 The personages who accompanied their 
 Majesties also formed a brilliant Court. 
 They were the Countess de la Bedoyere; 
 and the Countess de Lourmel (widow of 
 General Lourmel, killed in the Crimea), 
 both acting as ladies-in-waiting to the 
 Empress. General Eleury acted as lord 
 equerry to the Emperor ; General Niel, 
 aide-de-camp; the Marquis de Chaumont 
 Quitry, chamberlain; Baron de Bourgoing, 
 equerry; Baron Morio de l'lsle, prefect of 
 the Palace; the orderly officers being 
 
ABEIVAL AT BEEST. 13 
 
 Captain Brady and the Marquis de C adore. 
 There were also Count de Marnesia, 
 chamberlain to the Empress ; Dr. Jobert 
 de Lamballe (who was very popular); M. 
 Mocguart, private secretary to the Em- 
 peror; and M. Hyrvoix, chief of the 
 police. 
 
 This Imperial visit to the Western Pro- 
 vinces, which had been announced for 
 several months previous, set the whole 
 country in a ferment. Brest, situated at 
 the extremity of Finisterre, like a great 
 ship ever ready to plunge into the ocean 
 surrounding it, and very remote from the 
 Capital, had not been honoured with a 
 royal visit since the beginning of the 
 fifteenth century ; Anne, Queen of Brit- 
 tany, having touched there on a pilgrim- 
 age to Eolgoet. 
 
 The fleet entered the roadstead of Brest 
 at one o'clock the following afternoon ; and 
 this immense lake, with its twenty-two 
 miles of beach and verdant cliffs^ was 
 most admirably adapted for the imposing 
 scene about to take place. The large 
 
14 A BOTAL WELCOME. 
 
 vessels in fall sail, with the Breiagne at 
 their head, advanced nobly and in splendid 
 order, saluted by the guns from the road- 
 stead and forts ; whilst an immense crowd 
 in' gay holiday attire ran from all quarters 
 to the top of every height and saluted the 
 sovereigns with great enthusiasm ; and the 
 ships at anchor, replying to the salutes 
 from the shore, thundered with their 
 artillery, thus causing themselves to dis- 
 appear in a cloud of fire and smoke. 
 
 Before the Bretagne and its imposing 
 escort cast anchor, a cutter, manned by 
 thirty oars and magnificently appointed, 
 put off from the port, and directed its 
 course towards the Imperial vessel. This 
 pinnace, which was originally built for 
 Napoleon I. for his voyage to Anvers, 
 was really quite a work of art. At the 
 stern were two gilt statues, La Gloire et 
 La Benommee, supporting a canopy of 
 scarlet velvet, surmounted by the Imperial 
 crown and an eagle with outspread wings ; 
 whilst in front, as though they alone 
 piloted the galley through the waves, were 
 
BECEPTION FESTIVITIES. 15 
 
 nereids and tritons, with trumpets to their 
 lips to herald the approach of royalty. 
 
 Followed and surrounded by a host of 
 boats of every description, the Emperor 
 and Empress landed, and were received by 
 the Mayor of Brest, Monsieur Bizet, who, 
 in accordance with an old custom, pre- 
 sented them with the keys of the town; 
 the Imperial carriages then going on to 
 the church of Saint Louis ; the whole town 
 of course being very gay with its Venetian 
 masts flying brilliant streamers, triumphal 
 arches formed by piles of arms, and fes- 
 toons of flowers. Flags floated from every 
 window, and blossoms were scattered in 
 every direction, and amid the wildest en- 
 thusiasm their Majesties arrived at the 
 Prefecture maritime, where, after the usual 
 official presentations, they took a brief rest. 
 
 As always happens on such occasions, 
 there were quelques tiraillements (little 
 jealousies) between the military arid civil 
 authorities, which their Majesties very 
 thoughtfully soothed by permitting two 
 presentations of bouquets : one by the 
 
16 PEESENTATION OP BOUQUETS. 
 
 daughters of the civil authorities on land- 
 ing, and the other by the daughters of the 
 marine. 
 
 I was one of the fortunate young girls 
 chosen to present the Empress with a 
 bouquet. 
 
 The Empress walked quickly through the 
 salon in which we were assembled, stopping 
 just a few moments to receive a bouquet 
 from the granddaughter of Admiral La- 
 place, the naval prefect for Brest. The 
 child, scarcely seven years old, was greatly 
 agitated by this ceremony, speaking in very 
 low tones the one or two words of compli- 
 ment she had been told to say, but which 
 she now scarcely remembered. The Em- 
 press kissed her and passed on to the other 
 apartments, where they were anxiously 
 waiting for her. 
 
 All this took place so rapidly that I had 
 scarcely time to see her; I did not even 
 notice her toilette, and have but a confused 
 recollection of her fair features and beauti- 
 ful smile.- However, I well remember the 
 astonishment that this courte apparition 
 
LOYALTY AT BKEST. 17 
 
 caused me, and I remember quite well how 
 it seemed to me that the moment was a 
 very solemn one. 
 
 It may be mentioned here that, as an 
 outcome of the Imperial visit, a most 
 extraordinary feeling of loyalty pervaded 
 every section of society at Brest for 
 two months. Twenty reunions maternelles 
 (mothers' meetings) were held to decide 
 that we should all be dressed alike, namely, 
 in a simple dress of white gauze, and in the 
 hair a coronet of violets. 
 
 For some time previous to the arrival of 
 the Empress, Madame Laplace, the Ad- 
 miral's wife, had spent most of her time with 
 the upholsterers in arranging the suite of 
 rooms which the Empress was to occupy at 
 the Prefecture. How could she find out 
 the tastes of the sovereign ? "What colours 
 did she prefer ? What could she do to 
 make the snow-white linen correspond with 
 the rigid elegance of the silk tapestry ? 
 The question of the Empress's bed was the 
 climax. She had an impression that her 
 Majesty used a particular kind of pillow. 
 
 2 
 
18 ILLTTMINATIOKS. 
 
 But what kind was it ? Bound or square, 
 of down or hair? If the Empress had 
 not her usual pillows she could not sleep 
 well, she would have a headache, her 
 looks would be changed, and poor Madame 
 Laplace would never forgive herself. 
 
 The arrival of the Empress's ladies-in- 
 waiting at the Prefecture fortunately put 
 an end to all this concern, for they took 
 from the trunk a pillow made of hair and 
 rather flat, and, themselves placing it on 
 the bed, in this way at last relieved poor 
 Madame Laplace's agitated mind. 
 
 In the evening the whole town was most 
 brilliantly illuminated, and the magnificent 
 promenade which runs along the roadstead, 
 and is planted with venerable trees, was one 
 mass of light. The native Bretons in their 
 great wonderment shouted out in their own 
 uncouth and poetic language, " Nemet er 
 Baracloz, rteuz netra ebed Jcaeroch ! " 
 (Nothing but Paradise could be more beau- 
 tiful !) 
 
 The Emperor and Empress were deeply 
 impressed by this reception, and mingled 
 
FIRST MEETING. 19 
 
 familiarly with the crowd, much pleased 
 with the spontaneity of feeling which had 
 burst forth in such a simple yet sincere 
 manner. 
 
 On the following day a ball was given in 
 honour of the sovereigns, and in order to 
 accommodate as many as possible they made 
 use of the Corn Exchange, and partitioned 
 off a portion of it as a sumptuous banquet- 
 ting room. The bare walls were covered 
 with immense mirrors and drapery of scarlet 
 velvet, an awning of various coloured flags 
 served for a ceiling, and these things, with 
 the eight tiers of benches filled with ladies 
 in full ball-room costume, formed a very 
 beautiful and imposing scene. 
 
 At half-past nine there was a loud shout, 
 " The Emperor ! " In a moment the whole 
 assembly rose, and the Emperor and Em- 
 press entered, the orchestra meanwhile 
 striking up the air, "La Heine Hortense." 
 
 From that moment everything seemed to 
 disappear from my sight ; the banquet, the 
 people, the lights — all vanished, and I 
 remained unconscious, as if in a trance, in 
 
20 THE EMPEESS. 
 
 which the Empress alone appeared to me as 
 a lovely apparition. 
 
 So great was the impression left on my 
 mind, that, although many years have 
 passed by, still it seems to me as vivid as 
 on that eventful night. 
 
 The Empress wore a pale blue grenadine 
 dress, sprinkled with fine silver threads, 
 her incomparable bust and well-formed 
 shoulders peeping through her dress as if 
 through a cloud. With a graceful and 
 stately movement she made a kind of 
 circular salute, taking in the vast assembly 
 with one look of her bright, sweet blue 
 eyes. 
 
 This mode of saluting (which I had only 
 seen the Empress use) possessed an irresis- 
 tible charm ; and she herself was so modest, 
 that, although desirous, of course, of receiv- 
 ing the honours due to a sovereign, she 
 still remained affable towards* all. Her 
 golden hair was raised above her temples, 
 and on her head was placed a crown formed 
 by a large fretwork of diamonds. Her 
 countenance was that of a very young girl, 
 
THE EMPKESS. 21 
 
 and fall of eclat, and in the arrangement of 
 the ornaments which covered her corsage 
 and neck she displayed such simplicity that 
 their magnificence appeared quite natural, 
 but which, worn by a woman of ordinary 
 figure, would have been most unbecoming. 
 The Empress was above the medium 
 height, rather tall. Her features were 
 regular, and the extremely delicate line of 
 the profile was like an antique medal, and 
 having a something indefinable about it — a 
 kind of charm entirely personal — which 
 made it impossible to compare her with any 
 other woman. The forehead, raised and 
 straight, was contracted towards the 
 temples ; her eyebrows, long and narrow, 
 were inclined to be somewhat oblique ; the 
 eyelashes, often cast down, threw, as it 
 were, a veil over the eyes, which were 
 somewhat near each other, and of a bright 
 and deep blue, overshadowed and full of 
 soul, energy, and sweetness, altogether of 
 such rare beauty that they alone would 
 have made her face a remarkable one. The 
 shape of her nose was in harmony with her 
 
22 THE EMPEESS. 
 
 finely-carved nostrils, and declared her 
 aristocratic origin ; her mouth, which was 
 very small, was enlivened by a most be- 
 witching smile; the teeth were bright as 
 the sparkling snow, her chin was delicately 
 rounded, and the face was slightly rounded 
 towards the lower part of the cheeks ; her 
 skin of a brilliant and transparent white- 
 ness, through which could be seen the 
 network of veins, calling to mind the blue 
 blood of the old Spanish nobility. The 
 loveliness of her swan-like neck was perfect, 
 and her shoulders, breast, and arms rivalled 
 those of the most beautiful statues. Her 
 figure was small and round, her hands thin, 
 and her feet smaller than those of a child 
 twelve years old. She was stately and 
 graceful in her deportment, and her walk 
 was light and supple ; but what, above all, 
 enhanced her unequalled charms was the 
 evident complete harmony between la 
 personne physique et la personne morale. 
 
 Such was the opinion I formed of Her 
 Majesty the Empress Eugenie, when first 
 I had the honour of seeing her in the full 
 
THE BALL. 23 
 
 radiance of her beauty and youth, endowed 
 with all the gifts that nature and fortune 
 united could give her. 
 
 A number of peasants were permitted to 
 enter the ball-room in order that their 
 Majesties might become acquainted with 
 the costumes of the country; so after the 
 official quadrille, fifty couples, each bearing 
 the banner of their canton, passed in view 
 of the Emperor and Empress. Then 
 followed the national dances — slow and 
 melancholy affairs, and lasting some hours. 
 The long line of banners, the strangely rich 
 costumes, the sober and dignified attitudes 
 of the young men with their long flowing 
 hair, and for the most part handsome ; the 
 women in their rich attire, and not wanting 
 in gracefulness and stateliness, the rustic 
 and primitive music, all combined, together 
 with the glare of lights and the sumptuous 
 decorations, to make it a very brilliant 
 scene. After this curious episode the ball 
 was resumed with great spirit, a relation of 
 mine, Monsieur Perier d'Hauterive, a naval 
 lieutenant, waltzing with me before their 
 
24 THE BALL. 
 
 Majesties in the circle formed by the 
 Bretons, who now remained simply as 
 spectators. The Empress looked at me for 
 a moment and then pointed me out to the 
 Emperor, who made inquiries about my 
 name. He learnt that I was the grand- 
 daughter of Admiral Bouvet, the senior 
 officer of the navy. 
 
 I fully appreciated the attention I had 
 attracted, and, on resuming my seat, re- 
 marked to my mother with great joy, " The 
 Empress has taken notice of me." 
 
 Before quitting the ball their Majesties 
 made a tour of the room and saluted every 
 one on their way. On arriving at the place 
 where I stood, tbe Empress stopped and 
 spoke to me ; but trembling with emotion 
 and pleasure, my only response was " Oui" 
 and "Non, Madame," spoken with great 
 shyness. 
 
 Little did I suspect that these few words 
 had already sealed my destiny. 
 
 On Thursday morning, the 12th of 
 August, the Emperor and Empress departed 
 from Brest in a mail-coach, leaving the 
 
MY GBANDFATHEE. 25 
 
 Imperial livery behind, and continued their 
 voyage through Brittany, which resulted, as 
 all know, in one series of triumphs. Every- 
 where they left behind them tokens of their 
 liberality and also of the great interest they 
 manifested in the welfare of the country. 
 
 The assiduous attention paid to them by 
 the people was without its parallel. Every 
 horse in the country was at the . service of 
 the Emperor, and the good priests followed 
 their parishioners, mingling with the 
 picturesque cavalcade, and galloping from 
 one town to the other, acting as an escort. 
 
 On the following Sunday, August 15th, 
 which was the Emperor's Jour de fete, 
 their Majesties heard Mass at the holy 
 church of Sante-Anne d'Auray, situated 
 between Valines and Lorient, and on 
 Thursday, the 19th, they arrived at Saint- 
 Malo. It was while here that the Emperor 
 expressed a wish to see my grandfather, 
 Admiral Bouvet, who was then very old, 
 and lived a secluded life at Saint- Servan, 
 near Saint-Malo, its sister town and rival. 
 On this occasion I prevailed on my father, 
 
26 MY GEAKDFATHEE. 
 
 who was commander of a battalion of 
 marine infantry, to allow me to accompany 
 him. 
 
 When the Emperor arrived, my grand- 
 father headed a deputation to him from the 
 towns of Saint-Servan and Saint-Malo; 
 and their Majesties having left their car- 
 riage, the Emperor, addressing my grand- 
 father, said — 
 
 " Sir Admiral, it affords me great pleasure 
 to salute the ever happy hero of our naval 
 combats in India. I am anxious to see you 
 in the Senate ; and I take it upon myself to 
 say that a seat is reserved for you there." 
 
 "Sire," replied my grandfather, "I am 
 now an old man, and my career is accom- 
 plished ! You need the services of younger 
 and more capable men. Permit me to 
 close my days in peace and in that seclusion 
 which I have chosen." 
 
 The Emperor still insisted; but my 
 grandfather said, " Sire, if you desire to 
 honour my name, let it be in the person of 
 my son." 
 
 Although but little accustomed to have 
 
THE EMPEEOB. 27 
 
 such favours refused, the Emperor promised 
 to watch over my father's career, and from 
 that time always took a kindly interest in 
 our family. 
 
 The town of Saint-Malo celebrated the 
 visit of the august travellers by a ball, my 
 lather -accepting the hospitality of some 
 friends so that we should not "have 4o -*e#ara 
 in the evening to Saint-Servan. 
 
 It was at this assembly I was able to 
 observe the Empress at greater convenience 
 than before ; and I was also much struck 
 with the grace and elegance of the 
 Countess de la Bedoyere (a lady-in-waiting 
 at the Palace), the ease of her manners, and 
 the style in which she replied to the 
 Empress when addressed by her. I was 
 reproaching myself on account of the 
 gawcherie I had displayed at Brest, when 
 the Empress recognized me and drew the 
 Emperor's attention to me. He came and 
 spoke to me. His gentleness, his sim- 
 plicity, and his exquisite and affable 
 politeness could not be resisted. However, 
 I stood stupefied ; but the Empress, noticing 
 
28 DANGEB. 
 
 my embarrassment, spoke kindly to me, 
 and this recalled me somewhat to myself. 
 It was then I noticed that she had a very 
 slight foreign accent, more English than 
 Spanish, but which added a charm to her 
 way of speaking. 
 
 At this moment General Eleury spoke a 
 few words in an undertone to the Emperor, 
 the Empress at the same time bowing to 
 me and going back to her place. 
 
 There were two ball-rooms, one above the 
 other, and it had just then been observed 
 that the ceiling of the one we were in 
 threatened to give way, the movement of 
 the dance causing the chandeliers to oscil- 
 late in a very menacing manner. 
 
 The Empress, acting on the impulse of a 
 fortunate inspiration, took the Emperor's 
 arm, saluted right and left in her most 
 pleasing style, and quitted the salon as if 
 for supper, followed by the largest portion 
 of the assembly. The few that remained 
 were easily persuaded to leave, and as soon 
 as the rooms were empty the doors were 
 closed. 
 
A DAEK CLOUD. 29 
 
 Thus the greatest danger — that is, the 
 fear of a panic — was avoided ; and although 
 the hall terminated rather ahruptly, still 
 there were none of those serious accidents 
 which otherwise might have taken place. 
 
 At dawn of the following day their 
 Majesties left Saint-Malo; and as I watched 
 them pass, the Empress, seeing me in the 
 crowd, raised her hands to her lips — this 
 special mark of her attention quite over- 
 coming me. 
 
 From this time I vowed, from the deepest 
 recess of my young heart, an eternal devo- 
 tion to her ; and as my whole being got to 
 be imbued with this idea I kept myself well 
 up in Court news, the slightest details of 
 which interested me ; and, though far away, 
 I followed the life of her who had fascinated 
 me by her grace and beauty throughout its 
 every moment. 
 
 Alas ! at this period a blood-stained cloud 
 overshadowed the horizon of the Imperial 
 family, rilling with an eternal sorrow the 
 heart of this beautiful woman who had been 
 counted so happy and fortunate. On the 
 
80 THE OESINI PLOT. 
 
 15th of January, of the year 1858, a short 
 paragraph in the Moniteur Officiel announced 
 to outraged France the horrible story of the 
 Orsini plot as follows : — 
 
 On Thursday evening, at half-past eight, just as 
 their Majesties the Emperor and Empress were alight- 
 ing at the opera, three loud reports were heard as if 
 proceeding from some hollow projectile. A considerable 
 number of people standing near the theatre, some of 
 the escort and police, were wounded, two mortally. 
 The Emperor and Empress escaped uninjured. The 
 Emperor's hat was pierced by a bullet; and General 
 Eoguet, aide-de-camp to the Emperor, who was standing 
 near the carriage, was slightly wounded in the nape of 
 the neck. Two footmen were also wounded, and one 
 of his Majesty's horses was killed and the carriage 
 injured by the bullets. 
 
 On the entrance of the Emperor and Empress into 
 the salle of the opera they were received with the 
 wildest enthusiasm. The piece was not interrupted, 
 but, immediately on the event becoming known, the 
 Emperor and Empress were waited on by their 
 Imperial Highnesses Prince Jerome Napoleon and 
 Prince Napoleon, Her Imperial Highness Princess 
 Matilda, their Highnesses the Princes Murat, the 
 Ministers, several Marshals, the Commander of the 
 Army in Paris, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, the 
 Prefects of the Seine and Police, the Solicitor- General 
 of the Court of Paris, and the Imperial Attorney. 
 
 Before their Majesties left the opera at midnight 
 several arrests were made : and on arriving at the 
 
THE OESINI PLOT. 31 
 
 Tuileries their Majesties found a great concourse of 
 people waiting to welcome them, among whom were 
 the English Ambassador, the President of the Senate, 
 Members of the Diplomatic Corps, and several 
 Senators. 
 
 But what this official paragraph does not 
 state is the terrible scene that took place 
 in the narrow street (Le Peletier) in which 
 the opera-house was at that time situated, 
 for the violence of the explosion, suddenly 
 extinguishing the gas-light, created a pro- 
 found darkness, and, as though maddened 
 by the cries of the wounded, panic seized 
 the bewildered crowd, causing the people to 
 throw themselves under the very feet of the 
 horses of the escort. 
 
 As a proof of how narrow was her escape, 
 when the Empress alighted quickly after 
 the Emperor, it was found that her cheek 
 had been cut by a piece of glass, and that 
 her white silk dress was bespattered with 
 blood ; all this showing that their Majesties 
 undoubtedly owed their safety to the regi- 
 cidal fury of the conspirators, who had 
 loaded the bombs with too much dynamite, 
 
32 THE OESINI PLOT. 
 
 so that the projectiles, instead of acting as 
 canister-shots, were literally pulverized. 
 
 The Empress still preserves the hat which 
 the Emperor wore on that evening, and it 
 appears to be scarcely out of shape, but on 
 holding it to the light it can be seen that 
 it is freely riddled with bullet marks. 
 
 The Empress remained quite calm, and 
 from the opera-box she thanked the crowd 
 with her usual smile for the ovation paid to 
 her and the Emperor. She was not, how- 
 ever, quite at ease until a message arrived 
 from the Tuileries stating that no attempt 
 had been made on her son. 
 
 Her first thought — a thought very natural 
 to a mother — was about the Prince Imperial, 
 as she feared some attempt might be made 
 on his life, and these moments of anxious 
 expectation, during which she still wore a 
 smiling face, formed perhaps the most touch- 
 ing incident of that dreadful night. 
 
CHAPTEE II. 
 
 Ten Years of Beign — Marriage of Prince Napoleon — Italian 
 War — The Princess de Metternich — The Prince de 
 Metternich. 
 
 Dueing the past ten years France had risen 
 to the zenith of her greatness. Ten years 
 of wisdom, moderation, and devotion to 
 the interests of the country had placed the 
 Empire far above party contentions, and 
 the Imperial Government had won over to 
 its side the dissentients, the doubtfuls, and 
 the greater part of those who held back 
 either from a lurking hope that revolution 
 would raise them to power, or who awaited 
 the results of the Emperor's policy. 
 
 The Capital was soon transformed by the 
 immense works that were being continually 
 carried on with the definite and grand 
 purpose of satisfying both the artistic taste 
 
 3 
 
34 TEN YEAES OE EEIGN. 
 
 and the natural aspirations of the people. 
 At the same time every town in France 
 was engaged in building its hospitals as 
 well as its palaces. Eailways, ports, and 
 docks sprang up in every direction, con- 
 veying commercial produce to every part; 
 the centres of industries thus receiving a 
 stimulus they had never experienced before. 
 And in this way France became ere long 
 one of the greatest financial centres of the 
 world, and its Capital, associating itself with 
 every country on the face of the globe, 
 testified to its glory and national prosperity. 
 The Emperor had likewise devoted his 
 life very greatly to the problems of modern 
 society. He was above all a Frenchman; 
 he loved the people as a father loves his 
 children and shares their griefs. Like 
 many others he looked upon crimes as the 
 outcome of great sufferings, and regarded 
 misery as a devouring monster, against 
 which it was absolutely necessary to fight 
 with every possible weapon. He encour- 
 aged philanthropic works, helped in the 
 fulfilment of all humane ideas, all his 
 
THKEATENED WAE. 35 
 
 undertakings being inspired by that one 
 great sentiment, La Providence reserve 
 souvent a un seul d'etre Vinstrument dw 
 salut de tons. 
 
 The dominant characteristic of the Em- 
 peror was his great goodness, Cette vertu 
 des dmes augustes ; and he desired, above 
 all, that those who suffered should partake 
 of his good-heartedness, whether as indi- 
 viduals or as a nation. So that at the 
 close of his life, distracted by the mis- 
 fortunes that had befallen his country, he 
 could at least reflect that among all the 
 evils he had bequeathed to France, he had 
 also given it the means of freedom and 
 life, and the power to maintain itself, and 
 so be respected by other nations. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1858 a 
 war was threatened with Austria. The 
 marriage of a princess of the House of 
 Savoy, the Princess Clotilde, with Prince 
 Napoleon, the nearest relation of the Em- 
 ,„peror, was celebrated in January, 1859, 
 and paved the way for an alliance with 
 Piedmont. In the month of May war was 
 
36 THE ITALIAN AEMT. 
 
 declared, and the Emperor took the com- 
 mand of the Italian army. 
 
 Military authorities can testify to the 
 happy initiative which the Emperor dis- 
 played on all occasions in this campaign. 
 A people who had thus been delivered from 
 the foreign yoke proclaimed our soldiers 
 victorious, and threw themselves at the 
 feet of the liberator, who passed through 
 Italy amid a shower of flowers. 
 
 In commemoration of this conquest the 
 Emperor ordered a jewel representing Nice 
 and Savoy to be attached to the Imperial 
 crown. 
 
 On the 14th of the following August 
 Paris celebrated the return of the troops, 
 and the words spoken on that occasion by 
 the Emperor in the presence of the officers 
 of the Italian army are a model of dignity, 
 wisdom, and moderation, in spite of the 
 fact that they proceeded from the lips of 
 a victorious sovereign. 
 
 They deserve to be repeated : — 
 
 " Gentlemen, " said the Emperor, " the 
 joy which I experience in finding myself 
 
THE ITALIAN ARMY. 37 
 
 present with the greatest part of the com- 
 manders of the Italian army would be 
 complete were it not mingled with the 
 regret that this well-organized and formid- 
 able force must separate. As your sovereign 
 and commander-in-chief, I thank you once 
 again for your confidence. It was very 
 flattering to me, who had never commanded 
 an army, to find such obedience in those 
 who had spent their lives in war. If 
 success has crowned our efforts, I am only 
 too happy to give the honour to those 
 skilful and devoted generals who made my 
 command easy, and who, animated du 
 feu sacre, were ready to sacrifice their lives 
 to their duty. 
 
 " Some of the soldiers will return to 
 their homes, and you yourselves will follow 
 peaceful pursuits; but do not forget what 
 we have accomplished together. May the 
 recollection of obstacles subdued, of dangers 
 avoided, and of admitted shortcomings, 
 be ever present to your minds, because to 
 every warrior the remembrance of what has 
 gone before becomes a science in itself. 
 
38 PEINCE DE METTEBNICH. 
 
 To commemorate the Italian campaign I 
 will distribute a medal to all those who have 
 taken part in it, and I desire you to-day to 
 be the first to wear it. May it sometimes 
 recall me to your minds, and when you 
 read the glorious names inscribed thereon, 
 let each one say, ' If France has done so 
 much for a friendly nation, what would she 
 not do for her independence ? ' I toast 
 1 the army.' " 
 
 As a souvenir of the victory so happily 
 achieved, Marshal MacMahon was created 
 Duke of Magenta, and the Emperor 
 granted a full and complete pardon to all 
 political prisoners. 
 
 The end of 1859 and the beginning of 
 1860 was devoted to the diplomatic nego- 
 tiations in connection with founding a new 
 Constitution for united Italy. 
 
 At the request of the Emperor, Prince 
 de Metternich was sent to Paris as the 
 Austrian Ambassador. It was a most im- 
 portant post for so young a man. He was 
 scarcely thirty years of age, having first 
 been in Paris in 1852. 
 
PRINCESS DE METTEENICH. 39 
 
 The Prince was accompanied by his 
 young wife, formerly Countess Pauline 
 Chandor, and who was renowned for her 
 beauty, grace, and wit. 
 
 It is a very delicate task to refer to so 
 remarkable a person, and most chroniclers 
 have already written about the Princess de 
 Metternich, who, at the same time, has 
 been the object of much violent criticism ; 
 but like the salamander fabled as having 
 the power to live in fire, Princess de 
 Metternich, with her rare and supreme 
 elegance, and her most honourable life, 
 could afford to treat all such criticisms 
 with contempt. 
 
 Perhaps it will be as well to remark here 
 that at this date Parisian society had been 
 for a long time pretty cosmopolitan in its 
 character, and opened its doors to- any one 
 who happened to possess any advantage 
 of either birth, fortune, or talent, a certain 
 amount of necessary restriction of course 
 being exercised. 
 
 The Princess de Metternich, recently 
 married, had just made a brilliant debut 
 
40 PBINCESS DE METTEENICH. 
 
 into Venetian society, where she had been 
 treated as a kind of spoilt child of the 
 Court. 
 
 Arriving in Paris with an originality de 
 bon aloi, very stylish, and ready at re- 
 partee such as we were but little accus- 
 tomed to, she was an easy prey for the 
 journalists in search of news. They did 
 not spare her in the least ; and the malevo- 
 lent tone of the criticism of those who did 
 not visit the Court caused her to acquire 
 certain eccentricities of which she was 
 quite unconscious. 
 
 There are many portraits of the Princess, 
 and it is immaterial to say here whether 
 her mouth was too extended or her lips too 
 pronounced, or whether her high nostrils 
 gave to her nose une courbe imprevue. I 
 only know that nothing was more agreeable 
 to contemplate than that lively and witty 
 countenance illumined by those two most 
 beautiful brown eyes. When it can be said 
 of a woman, as has been said of Madame 
 de Metternich, " C'est une jolie laide," she 
 must possess an infinity of charm. 
 
PKINCESS DE METTEENICH. 41 
 
 Her whole person, from the sole of her 
 small foot to the crown of her head, which 
 was adorned with golden fair hair, her 
 every movement and all her manners be- 
 spoke the great lady. And when even she 
 was carried away by her sprightly spirit, by 
 pleasure, or by the buoyancy of her youth, 
 some unexpected originality would manifest 
 itself ; and whether she acted in a comedy 
 (in which she excelled), or improvised one 
 of those fetes for which she was so famed, 
 she always remained the grande dame 
 jusqu'au bout des angles. 
 
 When on the evening of a ball at the 
 Tuileries Princess de Metternich entered, 
 very slim, rather tall, with her shoulders 
 very exposed, her forehead sparkling with 
 diamonds, and a long train, it would have 
 been impossible for any one to have done 
 so with better grace and with a greater air 
 of dignity. She had that inimitable and 
 aristocratic deportment which birth and the 
 society she moved in could alone give. 
 She, indeed, was the proper person to re- 
 present a great country as ambassadress; 
 
42 PBINCESS DE METTERNICH. 
 
 even the way in which she carried her head 
 on her frail neck giving her the air of a 
 heroine capable of devoting herself to a 
 great cause. 
 
 In her great admiration of the Empress 
 she said one day at Compiegne — 
 
 "I should like to be her Princesse de 
 Lamballe." 
 
 " More than one French woman," I 
 replied, "covets that honour." 
 
 Still, except at the fetes, whether in 
 Paris, Compiegne, or Fontainebleau, or at 
 the official receptions, I have never seen 
 Madame de Metternich with the Empress, 
 although the Empress showed a great liking 
 for this seductive woman, and enjoyed her 
 lively spirits, and conversed familiarly with 
 her when official or public duties brought 
 them in contact. But the Empress, how- 
 ever, never, on any occasion, permitted any 
 intimacy. With the exception of her young 
 cousin, the Princess Anna-Murat, after- 
 wards Duchess de Mouchy, and for whom 
 the Empress had a peculiar affection, no 
 woman, except one of the ladies-in-waiting 
 
PEINCESS DE METTEKNICH. 43 
 
 (one very rare occasion excepted), was 
 received alone at the Tuileries. 
 
 This was a piece of stern formality that 
 no doubt often caused the Empress to envy 
 the independence of other women in this 
 respect ; but it was a necessary barrier, and 
 the Empress felt that it was her duty to 
 accept the inevitable. 
 
 Thus it can be plainly seen that no kind 
 of exceptional intimacy whatever existed 
 between the Empress and the Princess. 
 
 The Princess de Metternich has been 
 accused of introducing into the Court an 
 amount of luxury and an exaggerated style 
 of toilette. But where is the woman, 
 young, rich, and exalted, that does not love 
 a chiffonner un peu ? 
 
 Other women who were less fortunate, 
 and who have had the temerity to copy the 
 elegance* and variety of the toilette of 
 Princess de Metternich, have lacked her 
 intelligence and taste, and have not, be- 
 sides, had the opportunity to exercise it. 
 
 Her dress was foreign in its design, and 
 she occasionally ordered her robes from 
 
44 PBINCESS DE METTEENICH. 
 
 Vienna, but more often employed Worth, a 
 renowned costumier who excelled in ele- 
 gance and taste, and who had raised his 
 business to a fine art. 
 
 She had her diamonds re-mounted annu- 
 ally, and thus always possessed an infinite 
 variety of jewellery. Her horses, her 
 carriage, and her yellow and black livery 
 (the Austrian colours) were perfection, and 
 she ordered and managed her own house- 
 hold better than any one else could do, her 
 hotel in Varennes Street being conducted 
 with the most refined elegance. 
 
 She was very charitable, and assisted 
 intelligently and with a good heart all 
 those who sought her aid ; and notwith- 
 standing the attractions of the world, which 
 occupied much of her time, she devoted 
 the greatest part of her life to her family 
 duties. 
 
 From her first arrival in Paris the Prin- 
 cess began to surround herself with notable 
 personages, and received with equal cour- 
 tesy both public men and the representa- 
 tives of art and science, amid all remaining 
 
PEINCESS DE METTEENICH. 45 
 
 throughout faithful to her friends, thus 
 leaving behind her, "when she quitted Paris 
 in 1870, many sincere regrets and firm 
 friendships. 
 
 She had the rare gift of imparting anima- 
 tion and life wherever she went. At Com- 
 piegne, which she was accustomed to visit 
 . every year, she was the soul of every 
 society, and interested herself in every- 
 thing, all around her becoming imbued with 
 her spirit and gaiety, young and old being 
 likewise attracted by her manner, which, 
 although sometimes sprightly, was often 
 serious, and never vulgar. 
 
 On the 15th of November, which was the 
 fete day of the Empress, the Court met 
 annually at Compiegne and played a few 
 charades and some unpublished comedies, 
 or represented some tableaux vivants. The 
 Princess de Metternich excelled in this 
 latter kind of amusement, which was pre- 
 pared with an air of mystery surrounding it, 
 but of which the Empress was voluntarily 
 cognisant. On one occasion they selected 
 the Dejeuner champetre by Watteau, and 
 
46 DUCHESS DE PEKSIGNY. 
 
 the Princess de Metternich had the sole 
 management. 
 
 The Duchess de Persigny was to have 
 taken a part in the play, but, not liking 
 the costume intended for her, she declared 
 that she would consult her own taste, and 
 appeared with her hair hanging down — the 
 tresses being fair, and, it need scarcely be 
 said, exceedingly beautiful. 
 
 " I wish my hair to be seen," said she, 
 with a childlike candour. 
 
 " Impossible," replied Madame de Metter- 
 nich, " quite on the contrary, you must wear 
 it raised and powdered." 
 
 "No," replied Madame de Persigny; 
 " the entertainment is only for our own 
 amusement, and it pleases me to let my 
 hair fall." 
 
 "If you do not wish to do as the others 
 do, please don't appear in the tableau afc 
 all," said the Princess, and, exasperated, 
 she went to the Empress and begged of her 
 to intervene with Madame de Persigny. 
 The Empress smiled and said — 
 " Let her do it ; it will be a novelty." 
 
DUCHESS DE PERSIGUY. 47 
 
 "No, no," repeated the Princess, greatly 
 piqued, " she will spoil everything." 
 
 "Come, my dear Princess," said the 
 Empress, " how can it matter to you ? 
 She will always be pretty. Do not quarrel 
 on account of that, but be indulgent. You 
 know that this poor Madame de Persigny's 
 mother is mad ! " 
 
 The enraged Princess replied — ■ 
 
 " If her mother is mad, my father is 
 mad, and I will not yield." 
 
 As a matter of fact the Count Chandor, 
 who had a passion for horses, and was con- 
 sidered the best horseman in Europe, had 
 sustained so many falls, and had had so 
 many accidents, that his mind had at last 
 become unhinged. 
 
 The Princess de Metternich was not only 
 a charming woman, but beneath her worldly 
 exterior there reigned a virile intelligence. 
 Her charm and superiority enabled her to 
 exercise an immense influence over her 
 husband, who esteemed her very highly. 
 
 The Prince Eicharde de Metternich was 
 a good type of the great foreign lord. He 
 
48 EBCOLLECTIONS OF THE PAST. 
 
 was tall, and of rather a heavy figure, but 
 had handsome features and fair, long whis- 
 kers. He was always well dressed, and was 
 also very gallant, and a good musician. 
 Thanks to an honest and upright charac- 
 ter, he could perform the most delicate 
 diplomatic functions with much loyalty 
 and honour. It was he whom the Empress 
 selected to accompany her when quitting 
 the Tuileries on the fatal 4th of September. 
 He has retired into private life since the 
 war of 1870, sometimes living at Vienna, 
 where they have a fine establishment, and 
 sometimes on their Bohemian estate, which 
 is very extensive. The Princess only pays 
 but very short visits to Paris now, but her 
 beautiful face and her old familiar smile 
 have still the power to make one forget 
 that she is a grandmother, while they 
 revive in the breasts of those who have 
 known her the recollections of the dead 
 past. 
 
chapter hi. 
 
 Journey of the Emperor and Empress to Savoy— Journey- 
 to Algeria — Death of the Duchess d'Albe — The Meeting 
 of the Emperor with Mdlle. Montijo (afterwards the 
 Empress) : Oompiegne — The 10th of December : the 
 Emperor announces his Marriage — The Marriage — The 
 Empress's Pearls — Journey of the Empress to Scotland; 
 and the Return. 
 
 In August, 1860, the Emperor and Empress 
 paid a visit to the new provinces which had 
 been annexed to France, consisting of Aix,, 
 Annecy, Chambery, and Nice, and each vied 
 with the other in its cordial reception of the 
 sovereigns. 
 
 The Empress made an excursion to that 
 magnificent part of the Alps with which she 
 was not acquainted, Chamonix, la mer de 
 glace; then, returning through the towns 
 of mid-France, their Majesties stopped at 
 Marseilles in order to occupy the mansion 
 
 4 
 
50 A GREAT GEIEP. 
 
 which had been placed at their disposal, and 
 which the Empress afterwards presented to 
 the town as a hospital. 
 
 Their Majesties next embarked at Toulon 
 on board the Imperial yacht L'Aigle, on their 
 way to Corsica and Algeria. It was whilst 
 on this voyage that the Empress experienced 
 one of the greatest griefs of her life, her 
 eldest sister, the Duchess d'Albe, being 
 suddenly struck down by a fatal illness, the 
 gravity of her condition having been care- 
 fully concealed from the Empress. 
 
 This sad intelligence preceded the Em- 
 press's arrival in Algiers ; but to avoid 
 giving a too sudden shock to the Empress, 
 who knew that the duchess's life was in 
 danger, they first informed her of the 
 seriousness of the malady. She implored 
 the Emperor to return to Paris. Seeing, 
 however, that the inhabitants and the Arab 
 chiefs had come from the remotest parts of 
 the colony to do homage to the sovereigns, 
 they decided not to leave. A ball had also 
 been announced, and to postpone it would 
 have been a great disappointment. 
 

 
 
 .HiF 
 
 NAPOLEON THE THIRD. 
 
duchess d'albe. 53 
 
 On quitting Algiers she learnt the truth, 
 and still hoped to be able to arrive in time 
 to see her whom she loved so tenderly once 
 more, even in death. Their Majesties em- 
 barked in haste, and, without setting foot 
 on African soil, so to speak, they retraced 
 their course to France. 
 
 On arriving at Saint-Cloud the Empress 
 learnt that it was too late. The obsequies 
 had taken place during their absence. All 
 was ended ; and the sorrow of the Empress 
 knew no bounds. 
 
 The Duchess dAlbe, who died at the age 
 of thirty-five, was an adorable woman. All 
 who knew her lauded her grace and gentle- 
 ness ; her affectionate and lively humour 
 won the heart of everybody. Her beauty 
 differed from that of the Empress, she being 
 a brunette with rather strong features and 
 a frail figure. Her physiognomy was also 
 less characteristic than that of the Empress ; 
 still, there was a marked likeness between 
 the two, both in face and figure. 
 
 The Duchess dAlbe was the eldest 
 daughter of Count de Montijo, descended 
 
54 duchess d'albe. 
 
 from the Spanish family of Guzman of 
 Grenada, and of the Countess de Montijo, 
 whose maiden name was Kirk-Patrick, an 
 Irish family. 
 
 At eighteen years of age she married the 
 Duke d'Albe, who was descended from the 
 Stuarts through Marshal de Berwick, who 
 had received the title of Duke d'Albe as a 
 recognition of his services ; and at the 
 Court of Queen Isabella the young duchess 
 enjoyed a very high position. 
 
 The Duchess d'Albe left three children : 
 one son and two daughters. Her son, the 
 present Duke d'Albe, married the daughter 
 of the Duke de Fernan-Nunez, who was 
 ambassador to Paris. Her eldest daughter 
 is the Duchess de Tamames. Her second 
 daughter, a delicate and gentle young 
 woman, died at twenty, a few months only 
 after her marriage with the Duke de Medina- 
 Coeli, who shortly afterwards met with a 
 fatal accident in the hunting-field. 
 
 To the Empress this sister was the most 
 assiduous and devoted companion, the 
 intimate confidante, and the faithful heart 
 
COUNTESS DE TEBA. 55 
 
 on which every human creature leans for 
 support amid the trials of life. 
 
 Prior to her marriage the Empress, who 
 was the Countess de Teba, left Spain every 
 year, and accompanied by her mother, the 
 Countess de Montijo, paid a visit of some 
 months to friends either in France or 
 England. 
 
 It was on the occasion of one of these 
 trips in 1852 that the Emperor, now 
 President of the Republic, met his wife for 
 the first time at a ball in the Elysee. 
 
 The great beauty of the young Countess 
 de Teba, and her brilliant and superior 
 spirit, made a deep impression on the Prince- 
 President, and from that time every other 
 female influence was eradicated from his 
 mind, and he grew to love this one woman 
 sincerely and completely. 
 
 Prince Louis-Napoleon knew full well 
 that display and luxury have a prestige 
 necessary for the exercise of power. He 
 had organized a kind of Court, with the 
 military element as the basis, and had 
 assembled around him those who had been 
 
56 A BOMANOE. 
 
 scattered by the revolutionary agitation of 
 the last few years ; and, as at the Elysee, 
 where the President had introduced, along- 
 side of French elegance and taste, le 
 comfortable of English habits, the Palace 
 of Compiegne, in the hunting season, 
 resounded with new life. Both the 
 Countess de Montijo and the Countess do 
 Teba were to be seen there. Every homage 
 which delicacy and good taste permitted 
 was paid to Mademoiselle de Montijo by 
 the Prince-President, who was evidently 
 very deeply smitten ; and very soon the 
 chief topic of conversation among the 
 numerous guests at Compiegne was this 
 Eomance in High Life. 
 
 From that time the proposed marriage 
 was fairly on the tapis. 
 
 It was then stated, and has since been 
 repeated, that shrewdness and skill had a 
 large share in deciding the Emperor, and 
 that the well-calculated discretion of the 
 Countess de Teba, who speculated on the 
 enthusiasm of a smitten heart, had 
 triumphed over the doubts of the future- 
 sovereign. 
 
A WOBTHT SOVEEEIGN. 57 
 
 These somewhat vulgar reports were 
 "undoubtedly brought into vogue by certain 
 persons who had only their own pleasure 
 and selfishness as their motive power, and 
 who did not scruple to satisfy their caprices 
 and ambition. 
 
 The life the Empress led, and the uni- 
 versal respect paid her, would afford an 
 answer, if one were needed, to those 
 calumnious imputations which were pub- 
 lished in some infamous pamphlets, the 
 offspring of revolutionary times, but which 
 served rather comme le lustre de so, douleur. 
 
 When the Emperor met the Countess de 
 Teba he hesitated before contracting a 
 purely political union ; but he saw in her a 
 companion capable of imparting happiness, 
 and one worthy to sit on a throne, and thus 
 willingly offered to share his destiny with 
 her. 
 
 This happened on the eve of a political 
 change. The reviving Empire seemed 
 destined, under the powerful breath of 
 popular enthusiasm, to give birth to a 
 new era. And the Prince-President became 
 
58 FATE. 
 
 thoroughly aware that he ought to wield, 
 immense power in order to be able to 
 introduce the progress and institutions he 
 had so long contemplated. 
 
 When betrothed to Mademoiselle de 
 Montijo, he said to her — ■ 
 
 " We are on the eve of some great 
 events, and I do not wish you to encounter 
 the same dangers as myself. Beturn, then, 
 to Spain, and, as soon as our lot is settled, 
 we will meet again. Fortune will smile 
 on me because it will guide me to your 
 presence." 
 
 "Whatever may happen," replied Made- 
 moiselle de Montijo, " I will be your wife; 
 if you are not as successful as you anti- 
 cipate, return to my country, where we 
 shall enjoy independence, and perhaps be 
 happier than on a throne." 
 
 Fate decided otherwise. 
 
 The Countess de Montijo quitted France 
 wearing a plain golden ring oh her finger, 
 and a pin mounted with brilliants and 
 emeralds. She had won it in a lottery 
 organized by the Emperor at Compiegne, 
 
A SAD TALISMAN. 59 
 
 and ever afterwards, until the death of the 
 Emperor, she used to wear it every evening 
 along with her other jewels, whatever her 
 attire might be. 
 
 It will be interesting just to say here 
 that a few years after the Emperor's death 
 the Empress put off some of her mourning 
 lest she should sadden her son's youth. 
 However, she wore no coloured jewellery ; 
 but having looked upon this first present 
 of the Emperor as a pledge of their future 
 happiness, a superstitious illusion in regard 
 to it became firmly fixed in her mind. On 
 the departure of the Prince Imperial for 
 Zululand the Empress wore the "trefoil 
 of emeralds " until the 19th of June. But 
 after the death of her son she lost all 
 faith in human hope, and on one occasion, 
 when the Duchess de Mouchy was paying 
 the Empress a visit, the latter gave her 
 this jewel. 
 
 " I have regarded it for a long time as 
 a fortunate talisman," said she. "It is my 
 dearest relic. I do not wish it to be cast 
 aside ! Look upon it every evening as a 
 
60 THE NEW EMPIRE. 
 
 souvenir of us, and may it be to you a 
 token of happiness and of loving friend- 
 ship ! " 
 
 True to this vow, which her affectionate 
 heart thoroughly understood, the Duchess 
 de Mouchy religiously wore the jewel every 
 day. 
 
 The Empress loved the Emperor with all 
 her heart ; the grandeur of his nature, so 
 full of gentleness and energy, his heirship 
 to the greatest name in our history, and 
 who, in spite of reverses and misfortunes, 
 had seized his opportunity and returned 
 as master to the country which had so 
 recently sent him into exile, were indeed 
 facts calculated to seduce a spirit such as 
 the Empress possessed, and of one who 
 was a true daughter of Chimene. 
 
 On December 10, 1852, six million 
 voters declared in favour of the Empire; 
 and the Emperor, true to his promises, 
 announced his marriage to the grands 
 corps d'etat in the following terms : 
 
 " ' Moniteue,' January 23, 1852. 
 " Gentlemen, — In my intended marriage 
 
THE NEW EMPIRE. 61 
 
 I shall be fulfilling a wish so often ex- 
 pressed by the nation. 
 
 " This union is not in conformity with 
 the policy of the past ; but in that lies its 
 strength. (Sensation.) 
 
 " Successive revolutions have isolated 
 France from the crowned heads of Europe ; 
 every government worthy of the name 
 should endeavour to come within the pale 
 of the old monarchies. This object will 
 be better secured by an honest and upright 
 policy and by a faithful fulfilment of en- 
 gagements, than by royal alliances, which 
 create de fausses securites, and often place 
 personal interests before those of the 
 nation. (Applause.) Moreover, the ex- 
 periences of the past have filled the 
 minds of the people with superstitious 
 beliefs. They have not forgotten that for 
 seventy years foreign princesses have as- 
 cended the throne only to witness their 
 offspring hurled from it by proscription 
 or by a revolution. (Great sensation.) One 
 woman alone seemed to have brought 
 them happiness, and whose memory they 
 
62 THE NEW EMPIRE. 
 
 cherished, and that woman, the modest 
 and virtuous wife of General Bonaparte, 
 was not of royal Mood. (Applause — Long- 
 live the Emperor !) 
 
 " It must, however, be acknowledged 
 that the marriage of Napoleon I. with 
 Marie Louise, in 1810, was a great event; 
 it was a guarantee for the future, and 
 satisfied our national pride, because the 
 ancient and illustrious House of Austria, 
 with whom we had for a long time waged 
 war, sought an aUiance with the chief elected 
 by a new Empire. On the other hand, had 
 not the amour propre of the nation been 
 hurt when the heir apparent of the late 
 king for several years sought in vain an 
 alliance with a regal house, and had at 
 last obtained the hand of a princess, who 
 was undoubtedly accomplished, but only 
 of secondary rank and of a different creed ? 
 
 " Although, in the very face of vieille 
 Europe, one may soar on the wings of a 
 new principle to the heights of ancient 
 dynasties, still a man is not the more 
 acceptable because he endeavours to 
 
THE NEW EMPIRE. 63 
 
 establish the antiquity of his heraldry, 
 and seeks an alliance with royalty at any 
 cost. He will only succeed by always 
 calling to mind his origin, by preserving 
 his character inviolable, and by boldly 
 standing before Europe as a parvenu — a 
 glorious title when acquired by the free 
 votes of a great people. (Loud applause.) 
 " Thus, being compelled to lay aside those 
 precedents followed till now by crowned 
 heads, my marriage became but a personal 
 matter. There only remained the choice 
 of the person. She, who has become the 
 object of my preferences, is of noble birth. 
 She is French in sympathy, in education, 
 and for the reason that her father shed 
 his blood on behalf of the Empire ; and 
 being Spanish by birth, she has no re- 
 lations in France on whom it will be 
 necessary to confer honours and dignities. 
 Endowed with all the great qualities of 
 the soul, she will be an ornament to the 
 throne, and, in the hour of danger, one 
 of its fearless supporters. As a devoted 
 Catholic she will send up to Heaven the 
 
64 THE NEW EMPIEE. 
 
 same prayers as myself on behalf of the 
 prosperity of France; and I have every 
 hope that her Court will be renowned for 
 its virtues as was that of the Empress 
 Josephine. (Prolonged applause — Long live 
 the Emperor ! Long live the Empress !) 
 
 " Gentlemen, what I wish to state to 
 France is this : I have preferred a woman 
 whom I love and respect to one whose 
 alliances might have had advantages miles 
 de sacrifices. Although despising the 
 opinion of no one, I yield to my in- 
 clination, but not before consulting my 
 reason and convictions. 
 
 " Thus, by placing independence, the 
 dictates of the heart, and the welfare of 
 family above dynastic prejudices and 
 ambitious aspirations, I shall not be 
 weaker, being more free. (Enthusiastic 
 applause.) 
 
 " On my way to Notre-Dame I will 
 present the Empress to the people and 
 to the army; the confidence they place 
 in me insures their sympathy for her 
 whom I have chosen ; and, Gentlemen, 
 
THE MAREIAGE. 65 
 
 when you have become acquainted with 
 her you will then be convinced that in 
 my choice I have been inspired by Pro- 
 vidence, (The Chamber resounded with 
 continued applause.) " 
 
 With truly regal splendour the marriage 
 was celebrated at Notre-Dame on January 
 30, 1853, and the Countess de Teba 
 became Empress of the French. 
 
 There is an old saying that the pearls 
 worn by women on their wedding-day are 
 the symbols of tears to come. The 
 Empress, however, did not then believe 
 in superstition, and on that day wore a 
 magnificent necklace of pearls over her 
 satin corsage. But alas ! the omen was 
 in this case only too faithfully fulfilled ; 
 and after the war the Empress sold this 
 necklace along with her other jewels. 
 
 The little mansion of Villeneuve-VEtang, 
 still to be seen in the park of Saint-Cloud, 
 had been prepared to receive the royal 
 pair. Here, in a small circle of intimate 
 friends, the Emperor and Empress passed 
 
 5 
 
66 THE HONEYMOON. 
 
 the first days of their married life, happy 
 in their love, solitude, and seclusion. 
 
 On the morrow of their marriage, 
 January 31st, the Emperor and Empress 
 drove, under a glorious winter's sun, 
 through the beautiful frost-covered woods 
 of La Celle- Saint-Cloud and Ville d' Array, 
 on their way to Versailles. 
 
 The Empress expressed a wish to visit 
 Trianon, and to have related to her the 
 whole life of Queen Marie - Antoinette 
 when she was still a young and happy 
 woman. 
 
 As if bound by some mysterious spell 
 the Empress has always preserved a culte 
 pieux for the memory of the royal martyr. 
 She ordered every object that had belonged 
 to the Queen to be collected at Trianon, 
 and, thanks to her care, this formed the 
 nucleus of the Musee de Souvenirs which 
 is still in existence. 
 
 Knowing the Empress's taste for every- 
 thing relating to the memory of Marie- 
 Antoinette, some one sent her from 
 Austria a very peculiar portrait. It was 
 
MABIE-ANTOINETTE. 67 
 
 a full-length miniature of the Dauphiness 
 before her marriage, and at about the 
 age of fourteen. Notwithstanding her 
 extreme youth the grace and beauty of 
 the future Queen were fully revealed, her 
 arm being raised, and her finger pointing 
 to her elegant neck, which, according to 
 the fashion of the day, was encircled by 
 a narrow red ribbon, giving it the ap- 
 pearance of a fine streak of blood. The 
 childlike face, tbe smiling and naive 
 features, and the somewhat prophetic 
 sign which this blood-stained line seemed 
 to forecast, presented to the mind of the 
 Empress Eugenie a striking and tragical 
 reality. 
 
 The Emperor never ceased to love the 
 Empress with a warm and sincere affec- 
 tion; and to the end of his life she, with 
 his son, was the only object of his tender- 
 ness. At all times he showed himself 
 affectionate and kind, addressing her 
 always in the second person, and calling 
 her by her pet name. His looks, and the 
 charm her beauty exercised over him, to- 
 
68 " DISTEACTIONS." 
 
 gether with his familiar and loving manner, 
 betrayed always the lover in the person of 
 the husband. 
 
 Alas ! eight years after marriage the 
 Empress had already, on more than one 
 occasion, caused it to be said, that the 
 Emperor, attracted by his anciennes habi- 
 tudes de plaisir, and by the happy-go-lucky 
 ways of his associates, did not always 
 succeed in soothing the sensitiveness of 
 his wife. Thus at the height of her youth 
 and beauty the Empress had felt the subtle 
 poison of delaissement which destroys that 
 which is dearest and most tender in a 
 woman's heart. 
 
 After certain "distractions," which some- 
 times gave rise to rumours much to be 
 regretted, the Emperor, who, like most 
 men, attached no importance to these 
 liaisons passageres, always seemed surprised 
 that he had caused his wife any pain, as she 
 alone occupied the foremost place in his 
 heart. 
 
 Amid all these trials the Empress was 
 sustained by a sister's love, the Duchess 
 
CHANGE OF SCENE. 69 
 
 d'Albe, who was of a mild and tender 
 disposition, doing much to comfort one 
 whose ardent nature served only to in- 
 crease her sufferings tenfold. She consoled 
 and taught her how to overcome her 
 troubles and sorrows, and even to forgive. 
 
 On the death of the Duchess d'Albe, 
 the Empress experienced a loss which 
 words fail to express. She remained in- 
 consolable, and had not the courage to 
 attend to her duties ; and the state of her 
 health became so serious that the doctors 
 advised the Emperor to insist on her 
 having a complete change, both of scene 
 and air, to arouse her from this painful 
 condition. 
 
 The Empress, therefore, went to Scot- 
 land, where she remained several weeks ; 
 but although the change benefited her very 
 much, there could still be traced in her 
 features an expression of great melancholy. 
 
 From that time a great change took 
 place in the tastes and habits of the 
 Empress. The joyousness of her youth 
 seemed to have vanished and to be super- 
 
70 SOEEOW. 
 
 seded by those pleasing charms which 
 belong to the woman matured by sorrow; 
 and she also at this time began to reveal 
 those sterner attributes of her nature which 
 up to this period she had not been thought 
 possessed o£ 
 
CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 The Court — Tile Princess d'Bssling — Duchess d« Bassano; 
 Countess de Montebello ; The Countess de Malaret — 
 Countess de la B6doyere — Madame de Saucy — Pinson, 
 the Ladies' Coachman — The Ladies of the Palace — The 
 Duke de Bassano. 
 
 Soon after his marriage the Emperor, 
 following the precedents of the Court of 
 Napoleon I., began to form the Court of 
 the Empress. 
 
 The Princess d'Essling, daughter-in-law of 
 Messena, and daughter of General Debelle, 
 was appointed chief lady-in-waiting. She 
 was slim, handsome, haughty, and short of 
 stature. 
 
 At first sight she gave one the impres- 
 sion of being somewhat stiff in her manner ; 
 but she was intelligent and good. Her 
 age and infirmities prevented her taking 
 
72 DUCHESS DE BASSANO. 
 
 part in the turmoils of the world. But 
 her numerous friends, who surrounded her 
 and had remained faithful to her, bear 
 witness to the good name she has left 
 behind. 
 
 The Duchess de Bassano, the wife of 
 the grand chamberlain to the Emperor, 
 also received the title of lady of honour ; 
 and six other ladies of the Palace were 
 selected from those with whom the Empress 
 was closely connected before her marriage. 
 
 There is a large painting by Winter- 
 halter representing the Empress surrounded 
 by all her ladies. It is a very natural 
 representation, in which the costumes, now 
 considered old-fashioned, are not without 
 grace, and in which the resemblance to 
 these beautiful and handsome personages 
 is very exact. This painting was placed 
 at the entrance of the Chinese salon in 
 Fontainebleau. 
 
 The ladies of the Palace were the 
 Viscountess Aguado ; Marchioness de Los 
 Marismas, whose exquisite beauty was 
 adorned with that grace and charm which 
 
LADIES OF THE PALACE. 73 
 
 years have not obliterated. Her house 
 was the most elegant one in Paris, and 
 her hotel in the Eue de l'Elysee was very 
 many years the rendezvous of a select 
 society, most of the foreign princes who 
 then visited Paris considering it the " cor- 
 rect thing " to be among her guests. 
 
 Since the war the Viscountess Aguado 
 has lived in retirement, the deep devotion 
 she cherished towards the Empress making 
 it impossible for her to seek new pleasures ; 
 and also her successive mournings have 
 contributed to cast a veil over this once 
 happy life. 
 
 The Viscountess Aguado was the mother 
 of the Duchess de Montmorency, a charm- 
 ing young woman, thoroughly accomplished. 
 
 The Countess de Montebello, formerly 
 Villeneuve Bargemont, was maternal grand- 
 daughter of the Duchess de Vicence, and 
 was intimately acquainted with the Duchess 
 d'Albe, the Empress also being very particu- 
 larly attached to her. 
 
 In 1860 her husband, General de Monte- 
 bello, was sent as an ambassador to Rome, 
 
74 MADAME DE MONTEBELLO. 
 
 where they spent many years, and where 
 their influence had a happy effect during 
 the delicate negotiations which followed 
 the Italian war. She made a splendid 
 ambassadress, and was much loved in 
 Italian society. 
 
 She had a son, Monsieur Jean de Monte- 
 bello, whom from his infancy the Empress 
 had treated very affectionately, inviting 
 him to the Court when his mother was on 
 duty, and taking great interest in him. 
 When but a child he composed some fairly- 
 good verses, in which he expressed his 
 juvenile and zealous devotion for the ami- 
 able sovereign who had shown to him such 
 great kindness. 
 
 Towards the close of the Empire 
 Madame de Montebello was taken seri- 
 ously ill. She lingered for several years, 
 and died while still young, on the 7th of 
 June, 1870, the very eve of the disastrous 
 war. She was a devoted Catholic. 
 
 On one occasion when I visited her I 
 met at her house a priest dressed as a 
 Dominican. When he had retired I asked 
 
FATHEB HYACINTHE. 75 
 
 ber who the monk was who wore such an 
 expressive and harassed look. 
 
 "He has," said I to her, "two shining 
 eyes comme deux charbons d'enfer. And 
 just as if I had uttered a blasphemy she 
 exclaimed — 
 
 " He is a saint. He lives in seclusion 
 and penitence. He teaches the word of 
 G-od with a fervour which would convert 
 the fallen angels. I knew him in Borne." 
 
 It was Father Hyacinthe. 
 
 The Empress during her life-time gave 
 Madame many proofs of her personal in- 
 terest, and on her death mourned for her 
 as for a much-regretted friend. 
 
 The Countess de Lezay Marnesia and 
 the Baroness de Malaret were also among 
 the principal ladies of the Empress's 
 Court. 
 
 Madame de Malaret possessed a very 
 handsome figure and rare elegance. She 
 spent but little time at home, generally 
 accompanying her husband, who was in 
 the diplomatic service. In fact I never 
 remember seeing her at the Court at all. 
 
76 MADAME DE MAUBOUEG. 
 
 There was also the Marchioness de 
 Latour - Maubourg, the daughter of the 
 Duke de Trevise. Her husband belonged 
 to the Emperor's staff, and was in figure 
 and visage like one of the ancient knights. 
 They were a very happy couple, and 
 Madame de Maubourg, who was good and 
 agreeable, adored her husband, the two of 
 them often being teased about their per- 
 petual honeymoon. One day some one 
 asked her — 
 
 "What would you do if you were in- 
 formed that your husband was deceiving 
 you?" 
 
 "I should be so astonished," replied she, 
 "that I should die of surprise." 
 
 Altogether she was very happy with her 
 husband and two children, and as their 
 fortune was large, the family was generally 
 free from all care and anxiety, until one 
 day it was announced to her that her 
 father, the Duke de Trevise, whom she 
 had but recently left in good health, had 
 an attack of small-pox. 
 
 " It is my first sorrow," said she to me, 
 
DUKE DE TBEVISE. 77 
 
 with much emotion. " God alone knows 
 what may now happen to me." 
 
 The Duke de Trevise died a few days 
 after the episode at Sceaux, in the old 
 mansion of the Duchess du Maine, which 
 he had undertaken to restore. A fortnight 
 later the Duchess de Trevise, having taken 
 the small-pox whilst nursing her husband, 
 died also. 
 
 Madame de Maubourg was still in mourn- 
 ing when, the war breaking out, her son, 
 aged twenty, handsome like his father, and 
 full of hope for the future, set out for the 
 front with the mobiles of La Haute-Loire, 
 where they possessed large estates. Not 
 long after, he was brought home dead, 
 having been killed in battle. There was 
 now only left to her a charming daughter, 
 married to Count Pierre de Eergorlay, but 
 twelve months after she also died en 
 couches. 
 
 Monsieur de Latour-Maubourg, in conse- 
 quence of so many misfortunes, dragged out 
 a lingering life for many years. Grief had 
 struck him down; but his wife bore up 
 
78 BAEONESS DE PIEKRES. 
 
 courageously, and nursed him with admir- 
 able devotion until his death. 
 
 The Marchioness de Latour-Maubourg is 
 greatly esteemed for her piety, and it is 
 rumoured that she will take the veil. 
 
 The sixth lady of the Palace was Baroness 
 de Pierres, whose husband was first equerry 
 to the Empress. She was the foremost 
 rider in France, and yet the most timid 
 person I have ever known. A trifle would 
 trouble her. She had been pretty, and was 
 very good and agreeable. 
 
 Each day's duty was performed exclu- 
 sively by the ladies of the Palace ; the chief 
 mistress and the lady of honour attended 
 to the presentations and audiences, and 
 only appeared at ceremonies, the Princess 
 d'Essling regulating the ladies' duties for 
 each week. 
 
 The number of the ladies of the Palace 
 was afterwards increased to twelve, and to 
 make up this number the Empress chose the 
 following : Madame de Saucy de Parabere, 
 formerly Lefevre-Desnouettes, a person of 
 great wit, uprightness of character, and 
 
MADAME DE SAUCY. 79 
 
 very amiable, and who preserved long after 
 her youth the gracefulness of a charming 
 countenance ; the Countess de la Bedoyere, 
 full of life, and a great musician, but who, 
 in 1869, became a widow, and afterwards 
 married the Prince de la Moskowa. She 
 and her sister, the Countess de Poeze, were 
 the daughters of the Marchioness de 
 Laroche-Lambert, who was ambassadress 
 in Berlin. These ladies, who had been 
 partially educated abroad, were quite in 
 tone with the Court. Madame de Saucy 
 was the woman whom a witty member of 
 the Institute rendered so distinguished. 
 She now lives very retired, wholly occupied 
 with works of piety, and buried in the re- 
 ligion du souvenir. Next came the Countess 
 de Bayneval, who was not married. She 
 was a canoness of the Order of Bavaria, 
 and for a long time she preserved a beauty 
 fit for the sculptor's art. She posed as the 
 Muse crowning the Cherubini, in the cele- 
 brated painting by Ingres. 
 
 The Countess de Lourmel, widow of the 
 general killed in the Crimea, was very short, 
 
80 COUNTESS DE LOUEMEL. 
 
 and not handsome. Her provincial manners 
 never forsook her; and her ungovernable 
 jealousy for everything concerning the wel- 
 fare of the Empress amounted to eccen- 
 tricity ; and the Empress, noticing her 
 loneliness — for she had no children, no 
 fortune, and but few friends — indulged her 
 rather familiarly. The poor little Countess 
 always hoped to play the role of favourite 
 to the Empress, but this was much beyond 
 her capacity. She caused great surprise 
 one day on her arrival at the Tuileries, 
 wearing an emerald ornament of doubtful 
 beauty, and surrounded with paltry dia- 
 monds. She invented a most extraordinary 
 family history to explain this magnificence, 
 but it was always suspected that her 
 emeralds did not come from Peru, and from 
 this time she was known by the sobriquet 
 of the lady with the emeraudes, pronounced 
 in accordance with the defective style she 
 had adopted for this occasion. This inno- 
 cent act of deceit was but the outcome of 
 that vanity which was so transparent a part 
 of the poor Countess, who, in the end, 
 became insane, and died about 1868. 
 
BAK0NESS DE YIET-COHENDIEE. 81 
 
 The Baroness de Viry-Cohendier, de- 
 scended from a very ancient family of Savoy, 
 was appointed a lady of the Palais in 1860, 
 about the time of the annexation. She was 
 a woman with a very agreeable figure, and 
 had very pretty brown eyes. When Mar- 
 shal Yaillant, who was a great admirer of 
 her, approached her, he used to pass the 
 compliment : 
 
 "Madame, you put me in mind of the 
 goddess Juno aux yeux de vache." 
 
 The pretty baroness did not feel very 
 highly flattered by this reference to Homer. 
 Her husband, Monsieur de Yiry-Cohendier, 
 was a distinguished young man, but just as 
 pale, phlegmatic, and mute as she was 
 lively and animated. He, however, was 
 very jealous of her, and usually wandered 
 about in a very melancholy mood through 
 the fetes of the Court, forming no intimacies, 
 and carefully watching his wife, who, by the 
 way, was a fanatic, and very susceptible in 
 everything relating to Savoy. 
 
 Chambery gauze, which is a product of 
 Savoyan industry, though somewhat old- 
 6 
 
82 MADAME FEEAY D'lSLT. 
 
 fashioned, played an important part in her 
 toilette, but she did not succeed in intro- 
 ducing it to the extent she wished. How- 
 ever, the Empress, in order to be agreeable, 
 distributed some of it every year to those 
 around her. 
 
 After the war Monsieur and Madame de 
 Yiry retired to their old mansion in Savoy, 
 and disappeared from society altogether. 
 
 Madame Eeray d'Isly, the second daugh- 
 ter of Marshal Bugeaud, was for a short 
 time a lady of the Palace. But it seems 
 she was not very respectful to her sovereign. 
 She had used some words to be regretted, 
 and was informed that it would be better 
 for her not to retain a position which was 
 displeasing to her. I do not think that she 
 ever re-visited the Tuileries, although her 
 husband, General Feray, who was highly 
 appreciated by the Emperor, always received 
 a very warm welcome. 
 
 At the period of my arrival before the 
 Empress, the Countess de Lezay-Marn^sia, 
 who had been for a long time a great invalid, 
 and was incapable of performing her duties, 
 
MY APPOINTMENT. 83 
 
 begged the Empress to permit her to retire. 
 She remained honorary lady, however, and 
 her place was not filled up, although many 
 sought to succeed her. To all these impor- 
 tunate persons I was instructed by the 
 Empress to state that the vacancy was 
 promised. 
 
 The sequel to this is that when my mar- 
 riage had been determined on the Empress 
 had the goodness to inform me that she did 
 not wish to lose sight of me, and that the 
 vacancy in question would be reserved for 
 me. And thus it was that it came to be 
 announced in the Moniteur of April 22, 
 1866, that I was appointed lady of the 
 Palace, and on the very day of my mar- 
 riage. 
 
 • We did duty two together ; and as only 
 two of the ladies of the Palace lived at the 
 Tuileries during the week of office, an 
 open carriage from the Court was sent for 
 us every day. The coachman on duty, 
 Pinson by name, performed his duties with 
 irreproachable gravity, and he would drive 
 his horses at a very slow and solemn trot ; 
 
84 CUSTOMS OF THE COUET. 
 
 no matter what the occasion might be, 
 nothing could induce him to drive faster. 
 
 The Emperor, when inspecting the stables 
 one day, asked him his name, and in whose 
 service he was. 
 
 " Pinson, the ladies' coachman, sire," 
 replied he, with an air of great distress, 
 and to the great amusement of the Em- 
 peror. 
 
 From that time we were often jokingly 
 accused, but very wrongly, of making him 
 suffer martyrdom. In public Pinson con- 
 sidered himself quite responsible for our 
 dignity, and conducted us as he pleased, 
 no other coachman in Paris being such a 
 slave to decorum. 
 
 The week of office expired each Sunday ; 
 and at half-past eleven on that day the 
 new office-bearers and all the great digni- 
 taries of the Crown met in the salon 
 of the Premier Consul. The Emperor, 
 Empress, and the Prince Imperial appeared 
 after breakfast, saluted each person, and 
 then the cortege traversed the salle des 
 Marechaux, the gallery de la Paix, and 
 
MAESHAL VAILLANT. 85 
 
 a gallery, called Trave.es which opened on 
 to the chapel des Tuileries, where Mass 
 was heard. 
 
 Here I saw every Sunday the Archbishop 
 of Paris, Monseigneur Darboy, grand chap- 
 lain to the Emperor, whose terrible death 
 under the Commune throws a tragic 
 shadow over his memory. Monseigneur 
 Darboy, though eloquent as a preacher, 
 was quite a silent philanthropist. He was 
 thin and short, his face small, and his 
 features long, and his hair, then turning 
 grey, fell about his neck. In appearance 
 he was modest and almost timid, his 
 countenance being distinguished by its 
 great gentleness, and even melancholy. 
 
 Another great officer of the Crown was 
 Marshal Yaillant, confidential adviser to 
 the Emperor, who was one of those who 
 trembled, or pretended to tremble, when 
 in the presence of his royal master; but 
 he was not timid. He had a great passion 
 for horticulture, and plumed himself, also, 
 on his knowledge of agriculture, which he 
 had acquired by studying the works of 
 
86 MABSHAL VAILLANT. 
 
 the best authors. He thought he had 
 discovered a remedy for the extermination 
 of the white maggot, the beetroot pest, 
 and maintained that it was absolutely 
 necessary to multiply moles, who, it 
 appears, regard this horrible insect as a 
 tit-bit. To prove his contention, he one 
 day filled a box with earth and placed a 
 mole and many of these insects in it, and 
 was delighted on the following morning 
 to find that all the maggots had disap- 
 peared. This was conclusive, he thought, 
 and recommended the same system to be 
 tried in the fields. He had forgotten that 
 experiments conducted in a private room 
 at the Louvre could not prove much, and 
 that moles, by multiplying themselves, 
 would probably become as great a scourge 
 as white maggots. 
 
 The marshal, though very amiable at 
 Court, had gained the reputation of being 
 the opposite in his official capacity, and 
 he himself used to own that he was 
 somewhat rude. A colonel's widow on 
 one occasion desiring to solicit something 
 
DUO DE BASSANO. 87 
 
 of him, he received her very discourteously, 
 but, finding that he had to deal with a 
 superior woman, and one who had plenty 
 of courage, he altered his tone; and at 
 the close of the visit he remarked to her : 
 
 " You must think me a wild boar, 
 Madame." 
 
 " Oh ! not so savage as that, Monsieur 
 le Marechal," replied the lady, going out. 
 
 The marshal considered it a very witty 
 reply, and was pleased to relate it, the 
 fact being that he was very shrewd, and 
 his surliness more assumed than real. 
 
 The grand chamberlain, the Due de 
 Bassano, lived at the Tuileries, and was 
 present at the Mass every Sunday. No 
 one was able to fulfil delicate functions 
 with greater devotion, distinction, and real 
 goodness. All who solicited him left him 
 satisfied in themselves, even when he 
 refused their requests; and no one knew 
 better than he how to reconcile all persons 
 to the Emperor. His mien de grand 
 seigneur, his exquisite politeness, his 
 patience, and his desire to please had 
 
88 DUCHESS DE BASSANO. 
 
 marked Mm out as the necessary mediator 
 for such a sovereign as Napoleon III. ; and 
 very often he even took the place of the 
 Emperor at the receptions, or on certain 
 solemn occasions. 
 
 The Due de Bassano, now advanced 
 in years, has consecrated his life entirely 
 to the Empress. He lives in England, and 
 is constantly in attendance on her, paying 
 every deference to her with most touching 
 affection ; watching over her — always ready 
 to spare her any pain, and to soothe her 
 sorrow. By dint of thoughtfulness, noble- 
 ness, and delicacy he has surrounded her 
 with sovereign rank even in her exile-home 
 at Chislehurst or Earnborough. 
 
 His attachment to the Imperial family, 
 his dignity of life, and his devotion recall 
 the most noble acts of fidelity recorded 
 in our history. He is a character worthy 
 of the greatest veneration. 
 
 The Duchess de Bassano, whose maiden 
 name was Hoogworth, a Belgian by origin, 
 and lady of honour to the Empress, was 
 grace and beauty itself. She was a worthy 
 
THE BASSANO FAMILY. 89 
 
 companion to her husband, and their three 
 children, one son and two daughters, 
 formed around them a charming family. 
 
 The two daughters of the Duchess de 
 Bassano were very accomplished, and none 
 more amiable could be seen in the brilliant 
 society in which they moved than these 
 two sisters, who were so united, so much 
 alike, both so pretty and natural, and who 
 diffused around them that charm of youth 
 which a perfect education had rendered 
 the more attractive. 
 
 The eldest was married to her cousin, 
 Baron Hoogworth, and resided in Belgium, 
 where she was a lady of the Palace to 
 Queen Henrietta. The second is the 
 Marchioness d'E speuilles, and wife of the 
 gallant general who was orderly officer 
 to the Emperor, and afterwards aide-de- 
 camp to the Prince Imperial. 
 
 As most know, it was to the Duke of 
 Bassano was assigned the terrible task 
 of breaking to the Empress the sad news 
 of the death of the Prince Imperial on 
 the 19th of June, 1879, the rumour having 
 
90 SAD NEWS 
 
 spread over London on the evening 
 before. 
 
 Perhaps it will not be out of place to 
 give here the true details. At eight o'clock 
 on the morning of the 19th of June, Lord 
 Sydney, grand chamberlain to the Queen, 
 was sent by her Majesty as the bearer of 
 this terrible news. 
 
 He asked to see the Duke of Bassano. 
 The Duke, who loved the Prince Imperial 
 dearly, was quite overcome, and on Lord 
 Sydney insisting that he should prepare 
 the Empress for the dreadful intelligence, 
 " Never," said the Duke, " can my lips 
 speak such words ! " 
 
 "Consider," replied Lord Sydney, "how 
 the Empress may be informed by a news- 
 paper or by some vulgar indiscretion." 
 
 The Duke went to her. 
 
 The Empress, who was surprised to see 
 the Duke so early, asked him in at once ; 
 and before he had time to speak, re- 
 marked — 
 
 "You have news from Zululand?" 
 
 "Yes, Madame; but not good news." 
 
KROM ZULULAND. 91 
 
 "Louis is ill? Well, my dear Duke, 
 let us depart immediately to nurse him." 
 
 " There was a fight," said the Duke. 
 
 "Is he wounded? " 
 
 The Duke simply bent his head. 
 
 "We can set out to-day even, and take 
 ship from London to Suez, where we can 
 determine on what we shall do next. The 
 ships leave port every day." 
 
 The Empress then ordered all neces- 
 saries to be got ready without delay. 
 
 "Is the wound serious?" asked the 
 Empress, not daring to look at the Duke, 
 who was still standing at the entrance' 
 of the room. 
 
 She then went up to him and looked 
 at him with great anxiety. Tears were 
 rolling down the Duke's cheeks, and the 
 Empress burst into a great fit of sobbing, 
 for she now understood all. 
 
 During the whole of this first day the 
 Empress had several fainting fits. Her life 
 was despaired of, and M. l'Abbe G-oddard, 
 priest to the church of Saint-Marie, Chisle- 
 hurst, was sent for. 
 
92 BE0KEH BY GEIEF. 
 
 " I cannot die," said the Empress, on 
 returning to consciousness; " my life will be 
 prolonged a hundred years." 
 
 Such anguishes of soul cannot be de- 
 scribed. The Marquis of Bassano, the 
 Duke's son, who sometimes replaced his 
 father in his attendance on the Empress, 
 accompanied her Majesty on her voyage to 
 Zululand, whither she journeyed in order to 
 collect every information that would place 
 the manner of the catastrophe beyond all 
 doubt. He was a true cavalier, and one 
 who could support the mother now over- 
 whelmed with grief. 
 
 On arriving at the desolate place where 
 he who was so dear to her had suffered 
 such a terrible fate, nature revolted, and 
 the Empress swooned on the very spot 
 where her son had received the fatal blow 
 in the depths of the wild solitude. 
 
 Besides the personages of the Court, 
 many others, by invitation, assisted at the 
 Mass in the Tuileries. The Emperor and 
 Empress, surrounded by their courtiers, 
 
MONSEIGNEUR TIRMAECHE. 93 
 
 occupied a large rostrum at the end of the 
 chapel in front of the altar, and the ladies- 
 in-waiting sat in the cloisters on the left. 
 The Mass was sung by a fall choir, and the 
 music was excellent, the ceremony at the 
 same time being a very solemn one. 
 
 Monseigneur Tirmarche, Bishop of Adras, 
 officiated almost every Sunday. He had 
 been formerly priest of Ham, and the 
 Emperor had long preserved a kindly re- 
 membrance of him, immediately appointing 
 him officiating priest to the Imperial chapel. 
 After his escape the Emperor asked him to 
 keep, as a souvenir of him, the holy vessels 
 which had been brought from the chapel of 
 Queen Hortense, and which were used at 
 the Mass which the Emperor attended 
 regularly every Sunday during his captivity 
 there. Monseigneur Tirmarche was a very 
 modest and worthy old man. Towards the 
 close of his life he was bitten by a dog 
 supposed to have been mad, and this made 
 a very painful impression on his mind, and 
 he died soon after the war in 1870. 
 
 In this chapel-of-ease, which was for the 
 
94 l'abbe laisne. 
 
 use of the parish of Saint-Germain l'Auxer- 
 rois, and of which M. l'Abbe Laisne was 
 cure vicaire, there were a large staff of 
 priests engaged, and special registers were 
 kept to record religious ceremonies, such as 
 the baptisms of children to whom the 
 Emperor and Empress acted as godfather 
 and godmother ; also marriages at which 
 their Majesties had assisted, this latter, 
 however, being a very rare occurrence, 
 although the Emperor and Empress 
 honoured me with their presence on my 
 marriage at the chapel of the Tuileries. 
 
 On the invasion of the Tuileries on the 
 4th of September, l'Abbe Laisne was in the 
 chapel, and was able to bring away the 
 private register, in which was recorded the 
 marriage of their Majesties and the baptism 
 of the Prince Imperial, thus saving these 
 very important documents. 
 
 L'Abbe Laisne, a shrewd old gentleman, 
 still presides at the religious ceremonies 
 which bring the friends of the Imperial 
 family together, his sympathetic look being 
 well known to those who have preserved 
 
" PAILLARD." 95 
 
 le culte du souvenir. He still celebrates the 
 annual Mass, and offers the last prayers on 
 behalf of those who were formerly in the 
 Emperor's service ; and this latter duty he 
 has often to perform, because there are 
 many gaps among those who were attached 
 to this brilliant Court. 
 
 It was the rule after Mass (at which the 
 Emperor always assisted) for him to 
 receive, as general of division, the superior 
 officers and generals, beginning with lieu- 
 tenant-colonels. They could converse with 
 him freely, and the Emperor addressed 
 them almost all by their names. 
 
 One day a colonel, recently promoted, 
 was presented to the Emperor, who, seeing 
 him for the first time, asked him his name. 
 
 " Paillard," replied the colonel. 
 
 " That is a fine name," said the Em- 
 peror, who had not heard distinctly. " Le 
 chevalier sans peur et sans reproche." 
 
 "I beg your pardon, sire, my name is 
 Paillard." 
 
 "Yery well," said the Emperor, smiling, 
 " that is also a very good name." 
 
96 CHAPEL OF THE TUILEBIES. 
 
 The chapel of the Tuileries had not 
 much style about it, and was very plainly 
 decorated. On each side of the altar were 
 two remarkable pieces of Grobelin tapestry, 
 representing the " Plight into Egypt " and 
 " The Visitation." During Lent, and on 
 every Sunday, a sermon was delivered in 
 the chapel, the Emperor and Empress being 
 present at the Mass ; and here some of the 
 greatest sacred orators of the day used to 
 preach. 
 
 L'Abbe Deguerry, the venerable priest of 
 the Madeleine, was one of those who ad- 
 ministered in it for the last time. 
 
 L'Abbe Bauer, of sorry memory, preached 
 there also. He came from Italy, and being 
 highly recommended by the Court of Eome 
 as a neophyte full of zeal and faith, the 
 fame of his eloquence preceded him, and 
 this determined their Majesties to appoint 
 him as preacher for the Lenten service of 
 1866. 
 
 He had left behind him at Vienna and 
 Madrid, where he distinguished himself by 
 his holy eloquence, recollections which, 
 
l'abbe bauee. 97 
 
 together with the somewhat mysterious 
 story of his conversion to Catholicism, gave 
 a special interest to his name and person, 
 and created quite a peculiar curiosity in him. 
 
 On his presentation to their Majesties by 
 the venerable Archbishop of Paris he 
 looked pale and ascetic, as if he had led a 
 most austere life, and his youthful appear- 
 ance and modesty made a very favourable 
 impression. L' Abbe Bauer was at that time 
 about forty, but being short and slight he 
 appeared much younger. 
 
 On making acquaintance with this man 
 one is put in mind of one of Alexandre 
 Dumas' "Three Musketeers," a sort of 
 Aramis, but without his grace and superi- 
 ority. His long jet black hair, his strongly 
 accentuated features, and gloomy hollow 
 eyes gave his physiognomy a very extra- 
 ordinary appearance. These impressions 
 were not modified on hearing him speak. 
 His words were carefully weighed, and rose 
 gradually to pitches of the deepest and most 
 pathetic eloquence. He spoke in a ner- 
 vous tone, and with a German accent 
 
 7 
 
98 A FAVOUEITE OF FASHION. 
 
 which he could not get rid of, and his 
 discoursej which had the ring of true 
 sincerity in it, was full of happy imagery, 
 energy, and breadth — in fact, everything 
 that might captivate the kind of audience 
 he was in the habit of addressing. 
 
 Some of the Court ladies, whose religious 
 standard was not a very high one, in order 
 to throw a cloak over their influences 
 exterieures, became infatuated with the 
 young preacher, and spread forth his praises 
 with an exaggeration peculiar to this class 
 of people. He was their confessor, and the 
 confidant of their frail souls, and to the 
 little apartment which he occupied in the 
 Carmes might be seen wending its way a 
 procession of Parisian ladies of fashion, who 
 emulated one another in seeking his advice 
 and consolation. And, strange as it may 
 seem, l'Abbe Bauer had not apparently 
 sufficient strength of mind to resist these 
 pieges mondains, for when he appeared 
 in the following year at the chapel of the 
 Tuileries, where, however, he had no 
 official title, it was seen that he had become 
 
THE EMPRESS ANNOYED. 99 
 
 quite overbearing. His cassocks, it was 
 stated, were made at the best firms, this no 
 doubt accounting for his theatrical mode 
 of wearing them. He was deluged with 
 opopanax, and addressed the ladies with 
 cavalier familiarity, the meanwhile looking 
 as imposing as possible, and playing the 
 role all through of the bishops a talon rouge 
 of the old Court in a way that was both 
 unbecoming and unseemly. 
 
 The fact of the cordial reception of him 
 by the Empress at his debut, and her sym- 
 pathy for him, naturally made her very 
 annoyed at such a regrettable transforma- 
 tion, as she, above all others, abhorred 
 vulgar and pompous people. Still there 
 seemed no apparent reason why he should 
 be officially removed, for he was sufficiently 
 skilful to be able to insinuate himself into 
 the good graces of their Majesties, who 
 were always extremely lenient in putting 
 threats into execution. 
 
 In 1867 the Court was at Biarritz, and the 
 Abbe Bauer came to the Villa Eugenie to 
 pay the usual visit of homage. 
 
100 A SEA TEIP 
 
 It was customary to invite to breakfast 
 those who were presented at Biarritz, and 
 with the rest they asked the Abbe Bauer. 
 But on this particular day the Empress 
 took a trip in the guard-ship, a small 
 despatch boat called the Faon, and which 
 had been placed at the service of the 
 Emperor during his stay at Biarritz. The 
 Abbe Bauer expressed himself so desirous 
 of seeing the coast, and altogether couched 
 his request in such terms, that they could 
 not very well refuse to permit him to make 
 one of the party. 
 
 The Emperor cared but very little for sea 
 voyages, and therefore did not accompany 
 the Empress, but remained at Biarritz with 
 some of his ministers, among whom was 
 M. Bouher ; those, besides the Abbe, who 
 embarked with the Empress, being the 
 Prince Imperial; Admiral Jurien de la 
 Graviere; his two young nieces, daughters 
 of the Duchess dAlbe (with whom they still 
 lived) ; Mdlle. Marion, a maid of honour ; 
 Dr. Oorvisart, and myself. The first part of 
 our programme went off very well, and we 
 
AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 101 
 
 soon reached Saint-Sebastien ; but the wind 
 rising, the sea became very tempestuous, 
 and the captain declared it was absolutely 
 impossible to land at Port Vieux, but that 
 we must go to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. (It was 
 already night, and much later than we had 
 thought.) Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a small 
 fishing port which affords shelter only to 
 vessels of light tonnage. A long narrow 
 jetty resembling a spike separates two bays, 
 which form a refuge with steep cliffs in the 
 rear ; but the shore bristles with rocks, 
 which render it impossible for a ship to 
 land, and we were therefore compelled to 
 go ashore in small boats sent from the 
 beach. The swell on the sea had increased 
 my sickness, and Mdlle. Louise d'Albe, the 
 Empress's youngest niece, was also very ill, 
 so that we were both landed in a state of 
 semi-consciousness. 
 
 In the meantime the Imperial vessel had 
 been observed, and the whole population, 
 provided with large candle lanterns, lit up 
 the jetty so as to guide us to the channel. 
 At length we disembarked without accident, 
 
102 A LITTLE HEEO. 
 
 and remained on the jetty, awaiting the ar- 
 rival of the Empress's cutter. Time passed, 
 and there was nothing in sight. We be- 
 came very uneasy. What could have hap- 
 pened ? But at last Dr. Corvisart, making 
 his way through the crowd, exclaimed — 
 
 " Come ! the Empress has escaped a 
 frightful danger. They are saved, but at 
 a great risk." The fact being that, by some 
 error of judgment on the part of the pilot 
 who had charge of the Empress, the Prince 
 Imperial, Admiral Jurien, l'Abbe Bauer, and 
 M. Corvisart, instead of following our course, 
 had ventured on the other side of the jetty, 
 and the boat, driven by the force of the 
 waves, was literally smashed on one of the 
 largest rocks. Owing to the profound dark- 
 ness it was impossible to ascertain the true 
 distance of the bank. It is said that when 
 the Empress, who pressed her son close 
 to her side in the great alarm of the moment, 
 cried — 
 
 " Don't be afraid, Louis," the Prince 
 Imperial replied — 
 
 "I am not afraid, mamma; I do not for- 
 
SUPEKSTITION. 103 
 
 get that I am a Napoleon." He was then 
 eleven years old. 
 
 When all were fairly safe on the rock, 
 one of the sailors, who was a capital 
 swimmer, undertook to swim to land to 
 bring assistance, and at once plunged into 
 the waves ; the others, seeing that he could 
 manage this, following his example, and 
 forming a chain by this means brought the 
 Empress, the Prince Imperial, and all the 
 other passengers safe to land. When it 
 came to the Abbe Bauer's turn none of them 
 would assist him. 
 
 "If the Abbe Bauer had not been on 
 board," said they among themselves, " this 
 would not have happened," for it is an old 
 saying with sailors, that a priest on board 
 is sure to bring about a fatal result. 
 
 The report of what had happened soon 
 spread. The population of Saint-Jean-de 
 Luz were soon on the beach. The Empress 
 and Prince Imperial were as wet as if they 
 had walked through the waves. The Prince 
 was hastily dressed in borrowed clothes, but 
 the Empress, fearing the Emperor might 
 
104 A WAENING ! 
 
 be uneasy about her return, drove away 
 immediately without changing her dress at 
 all. 
 
 The Emperor and his ministers had been, 
 in fact, very uneasy, and when he heard of 
 the terrible episode the Emperor swore that 
 he would never permit another trip by sea. 
 To add to the sadness of the accident, the 
 unfortunate pilot was drowned, his body 
 being next day washed up on to the beach, 
 covered with wounds, in front of his own 
 cottage, the lights from which had so often 
 served him as a beacon. 
 
 A few days afterwards the Emperor visited 
 this place, and, the tide being then low, left 
 exposed the immense rock on which the 
 Imperial boat had come to grief. It was 
 a good three metres high, and would easily 
 have held twelve or fifteen people ; so the 
 Emperor thought it best to order a light- 
 house to be^" constructed on the treacherous 
 spot. 
 
CHAPTEE V. 
 
 My Arrival at the Tuileries — The Interior of the Tuileries — 
 Occupations and Habits of the Empress — The Infant 
 Prince Imperial — Bagatelle — The Countess de Wagner 
 — The Private Apartments of the Empress — Princess 
 Anna-Murat — Duchess de Cadore — Duchess de Persigny. 
 
 I will now record the circumstances under 
 which I became attached to the Court. 
 
 On the 26th of February, 1864, my father, 
 who was then a colonel, died at Cherbourg. 
 Quite young, he had been full of hope — and 
 oh so dearly loved ! My mother and I 
 were then left without fortune, and when 
 Dr. Conneau, who was a great friend, in- 
 formed the Empress of this event, it was 
 plain that she had by no means forgotten 
 us, and that she would do all in her power 
 to make our situation a happy one. 
 
 Some time afterwards Admiral Charles 
 Duperre, orderly officer to the Emperor, 
 
106 A MARRIAGE REFUSED. 
 
 paid a visit to my mother, having been sent 
 by the Empress, who offered to attach me 
 to her person, and to take charge of my 
 future welfare. 
 
 My mother, out of her tenderness for me, 
 hesitated to accept an honour which is 
 always attended with a certain amount of 
 danger, and, having been educated in Brit- 
 tany, I was not acquainted with any one 
 attached to this brilliant Court, and my 
 mother feared I might have to encounter 
 many difficulties in this new sphere. 
 
 At this very time, too, I was offered a 
 very lucrative marriage, and was pressed 
 to accept it ; but as it would not have been 
 one of affection I could not decide. 
 
 The interest that the Empress showed in 
 me touched me deeply, and, allured by her 
 charms, I dreamt of nothing else but of con- 
 secrating my life to her service. 
 
 My mother had a long conversation with 
 the Empress. Her Majesty explained to 
 her my duties, and so overcame her scruples 
 that she accepted the position offered to 
 me. I was never to go out except in com- 
 
" SECOND EEADEE." 107 
 
 pany with the Empress, never to leave her, 
 but to follow her in all her travels, and to 
 'live with her entirely. My mother and all 
 my female relations and friends would be 
 permitted to visit me at the Tuileries, but 
 I was to receive no other visitors. By this 
 rule I was enabled to devote my whole time 
 to my new duties, and in this way, also, my 
 situation was rendered the more pleasing. 
 
 The next question was as to what title 
 should be given me. There had been no 
 maids- of-honour since the time of Louis 
 XIV. A very old lady, the Countess de 
 Wagner de Pons, was the reader to her 
 Majesty, and had filled the office very 
 honourably ; and although the Empress did 
 not wish to offend her, it was, however, 
 decided that I should be styled " second 
 reader " to her Majesty. 
 
 The smallest occurrences in every Court 
 become important ; and petty interests and 
 rivalries serve to increase their magnitude. 
 The sovereigns generally manage those who 
 wait on them a great deal better than they 
 themselves are managed. The familiar 
 
108 MY INSTALLATION. 
 
 manner in which the Empress called me 
 to her gave umbrage to the others, but 
 generally the secret was well kept, and 
 but few, except those who came to the 
 Tuileries, were aware of my new position. 
 
 My modest trousseau was my next care. 
 The Empress ordered Madame Pollet, her 
 treasurer, to supply me with new, plain 
 toilettes, and in the best style. 
 
 On the 24th of April, 1864, accompanied 
 by my mother, I arrived at the Tuileries 
 for installation. We were both deeply 
 affected. We had lived in the closest 
 intimacy, exchanged ideas continually, 
 and had everything in common. We had 
 never been parted from one another. 
 Amid all the cares of my father's military 
 life my mother had taken sole charge of 
 my education, and I had not a thought 
 nor aspiration that had not emanated 
 from her. Henceforth we were to live 
 apart, this being to my mother a cause 
 of some anxiety; but, for myself, I had 
 every confidence in the protection of the 
 Empress. 
 
THE EMPBESS EUQENIE IN SPANISH COSTUME. 
 
THE PEINCE IMPERIAL. Ill 
 
 On arriving we were shown into a room 
 on the ground-floor heside the summer- 
 house de Flore, and we were soon informed 
 that the Empress was expecting us. It 
 was half-past twelve in the afternoon. 
 Their Majesties had just breakfasted. 
 Having reached the first corridor, we 
 crossed the grand gallery de Diane, the 
 salon of Louis XIV., which was used as 
 a dining-room. The Prince Imperial was 
 finishing his breakfast with Miss Shaw, 
 his English governess, by his side. He 
 was a fine child, eight years old, with an 
 honest, open countenance, fair complexion, 
 beautiful blue eyes like his mother, and 
 wore his pretty brown hair in curls. He 
 was chatting merrily in English when we 
 entered. On seeing us he assumed that 
 grave air which was even then to be 
 detected in his young face. He rose and 
 saluted us in a child-like and charming 
 manner; and then, crossing several large 
 apartments until we reached the salon of 
 Apollo, near the private apartments of the 
 Empress, the footman who conducted us 
 
112 HEE MAJESTY. 
 
 opened a large glass door and ushered us 
 into a very small but elegantly decorated 
 room which overlooked the garden. 
 
 A few moments after, an usher knocked 
 gently at the door and opened it ; then, 
 having spoken a few words, he retired. 
 The Empress appeared almost immediately. 
 She wore a plain, black silk skirt over a 
 red woollen petticoat, and a corsage of 
 similar material, fitted to her waist by a 
 black girdle with a golden clasp, which 
 contained in it a monogram of all the 
 letters of her name. Her beauty at this 
 period had assumed a more serious air, 
 but at the same time preserving the in- 
 delible purity of her features ; and a slight 
 touch of melancholy rendered her still 
 more attractive. Her figure, which was 
 always supple, had become less slim, and 
 her hands were very thin and white, and 
 all the jewellery she wore was five golden 
 rings on the fourth finger of the left hand, 
 and which were souvenirs of some great 
 event of her life. Her Majesty embraced 
 me, saying, very affectionately, that she 
 
MY INSTALLATION. 113 
 
 was very pleased to have me near her; 
 then, with much thoughtful kindness, she 
 endeavoured to cheer my mother, who could 
 not conceal her emotion. 
 
 "I only exact one promise from you," 
 said the Empress to me, " and that is, 
 that you will tell me freely of everything 
 which may trouble you or give you pain, 
 just as you would tell your mother. I hope 
 you will be happy with me, and, as I am 
 already very pleased with you, everything 
 I feel will go well." 
 
 During this conversation the door had 
 remained open, and we heard loud laughter 
 — the voice of a child mingling with a 
 graver one ; and a slight cigarette odour 
 pervaded the salon. I knew then that the 
 Emperor and the Prince Imperial were in 
 the adjoining room. 
 
 At the end of a quarter of an hour's con- 
 versation the Empress observed — 
 
 " You had better put your things in 
 order, and then I will send for you. If 
 you should require anything ask Madame 
 Pollet about it." 
 
 8 
 
114 MADAME POLLET. 
 
 My mother took her leave, and we re- 
 traced our steps. The footman who had 
 conducted us was waiting in the gallery 
 de Diane. He led us up a flight of stairs, 
 on the landing of which there was a sen- 
 tinel standing at ease, and then I found 
 myself in my new quarters. 
 
 They were on the second floor of the 
 Palace, above the apartments of the 
 Empress, and the French windows opened 
 on to the roof of a terrace. These had 
 been formerly occupied by one of the 
 Princesses of Orleans. They consisted 
 of an antechamber lighted from above, 
 affording access into a very comfortable 
 apartment, a large room fitted with toilet 
 cabinets, and a second room adjoining, 
 which was intended for my lady's-maid. 
 
 Madame Pollet was waiting for me. 
 She was a Spaniard, and very young, and 
 had been in the Empress's service before 
 her marriage. She spoke to me about a 
 lady's-maid, as if it were an affair of great 
 importance, and offered me the sister of 
 two ladies already attached to the service 
 
BEGINNING MX DUTIES. 115 
 
 of the Empress, and who was very anxious 
 to be near her sisters. 
 
 This offer I accepted willingly, and I 
 found the young person a girl of many 
 good qualities and very skilful, her name 
 being Eranceline Merlin. She has re- 
 mained with me since, and has never 
 ceased to give me proofs of her unequalled 
 attachment and devotion. 
 
 About three o'clock a footman informed 
 me that the Empress was ready to go out, 
 and that I must accompany her. I de- 
 scended the same staircase by which I had 
 ascended, and which was lighted only from 
 above, giving one the impression of going 
 into total darkness. It seemed to me to 
 be interminable, for it had six hundred 
 steps. A cent-garde was on duty at the 
 foot of this staircase, which ended on the 
 ground-floor in a large corridor lighted day 
 and night by lamps. It ran the full 
 length of the Emperor's apartments, and 
 separated them from those of the Prince 
 Imperial. 
 
 The footman opened a door, stepped on 
 
116 COUNTESS AGUADO. 
 
 one side to allow me to pass, and when 
 the door was shut I found myself in a 
 large room hung with red damask and 
 opening into the garden, where about ten 
 persons were assembled ready to go out. 
 
 The Countess Aguado, a lady of the 
 Palace, rose, and coming towards me, 
 said in a most pleasing manner that the 
 Empress had informed her of my arrival; 
 and she then presented me to the Baroness 
 de Pierres, second lady of the Palace 
 (who was on duty with her), and told 
 me the names of all those who were 
 present, and who were the ladies of honour 
 to their Majesties. 
 
 No one better than Madame Aguado 
 could assist me to overcome my first em-- 
 barrassments. She was the most amiable 
 woman in Paris, and sincerely good; she 
 felt how much I needed encouragement, 
 and endeavoured to inspire me with a 
 little confidence. 
 
 The first moments of a difficult position, 
 such as I found myself in, may have a 
 great influence on one's future, and I owe 
 
A STATE DRIVE. 117 
 
 much to the manner of my reception on 
 that occasion. The impressions of youth 
 are very lively and very sensitive, but the 
 greater part of my apprehensions were 
 dissipated by the sympathy shown me. 
 I became calm and collected in my 
 thoughts, for I understood that I must 
 be in a day what I hoped to be in the 
 future. 
 
 The Emperor and Empress soon ap- 
 peared, and, everybody rising, the Emperor 
 said a few words of welcome to me, and 
 we went to the carriages which were 
 stationed under the arch of the pavilion 
 de VHorloge. These were two large 
 berlins with horse-cloth seats and two 
 footmen riding behind, and an outrider 
 riding on before, to clear the route. The 
 Emperor and Empress entered the first 
 carriage along with the aide-de-camp and 
 the chamberlain de service. On the right 
 side of the carriage, nearest the Emperor, 
 rode Baron Philippe de Bourgoing, equerry 
 on duty, on a very pretty horse, and who 
 on all occasions formed the only escort. 
 
118 "THE EETUEN. 
 
 I entered the second berlin, which was 
 very similar, along with two ladies of the 
 Palace and the Marquis de Piennes, cham- 
 berlain to the Empress. 
 
 "We were about to visit an exhibition of 
 paintings, which, when I saw them, I 
 thought very magnificent. 
 
 When we returned at five o'clock the 
 berlin stopped under the arch, the Suisse, 
 who stood at the door of the vestibule, 
 striking the ground with his halberd, 
 holding it out the full length of his arm. 
 We passed again through the Emperor's 
 antechamber, where stood two ushers and 
 some footmen ; then we entered the room 
 to which I had been shown on my arrival, 
 and which was the salon of the aide-de- 
 camp on duty. 
 
 Their Majesties also returned to the 
 same room and saluted all those who had 
 accompanied them ; I, of course, at the 
 command of the Empress, following them. 
 Their Majesties having entered the private 
 apartments of the Emperor, the Emperor 
 passed immediately into his study, whilst 
 
A GLOOMY PALACE. 119 
 
 the Empress, opening a door concealed by 
 the tapestry, went up a very narrow stair- 
 case, completely shut out from the daylight, 
 and which led directly from the Emperor's 
 apartments to hers. 
 
 No provision had been made in this 
 splendid Palace of the Tuileries, which 
 was so vast and so magnificent, to give it 
 the appearance of a home. When Louis 
 XIV. and Marie-Antoinette had occupied it 
 in 1789 a few hasty provisions of this kind 
 had been made, but they had always re- 
 mained imperfect. 
 
 With the exception of the large rooms, 
 all the interior communications were in 
 darkness, and it was necessary, summer and 
 winter alike, to have lighted lamps on the 
 small staircases and in the corridors. As 
 soon as spring came the heat and want of 
 ventilation became very painful; and not- 
 withstanding the beautiful display of the 
 chestnut trees in the garden, we all hailed 
 with joy the time for our departure to Saint- 
 Cloud or Fontainebleau. 
 
 Apart from the grand luxury and the daily 
 
120 A TRUE MOTHER. 
 
 ceremonies the life of the Emperor and 
 Empress was very different from that which 
 is generally supposed to be the case with 
 sovereigns. 
 
 The Emperor worked at all hours, and his 
 moments of pleasure were few, and whatever 
 it may have appeared it certainly was not a 
 life of ease. 
 
 Saving the official fetes and a few balls in 
 the spring, the Empress led a very quiet life 
 in Paris ; yet she was always occupied, and 
 read a great deal. She scanned all the 
 newspapers, read with care the discussions 
 in the Chamber, and kept herself au courant 
 with every interesting work that appeared. 
 
 The Empress showed great tenderness 
 towards the Prince Imperial, who was 
 constantly at her side, attending to the 
 minutest details which concerned him ; and 
 as long as the Prince was subjected to 
 female supervision — that is, up to the age 
 of ten — the Empress alone, like the most 
 attentive mother, regulated his time, his 
 promenades, his regime, and the choice of 
 his clothes, personally overlooking these 
 
CUSTOMS OP THE PALACE. 121 
 
 things, whether they were within the province 
 of Miss Shaw, the English governess who 
 had heen with the Prince Imperial since 
 his birth, or that of Monsieur Bachon, his 
 equerry, or his tutor, Monsieur Monier. 
 
 At the Tuileries the Imperial family 
 breakfasted alone, but when at Saint-Cloud 
 or Fontainebleau we all breakfasted to- 
 gether. This repast was served at noon in 
 the salon of Louis XIV., and was soon over. 
 The Emperor then went into the Empress's 
 boudoir, where he smoked a cigarette, whilst 
 he conversed with his wife and played with 
 his son. 
 
 At one o'clock the Prince Imperial, 
 accompanied by his equerry, a governess, or 
 his tutor, went out in a large carriage, which 
 was open or closed according to the season. 
 He was guarded by a company of cavalry 
 who escorted him at full gallop, and he 
 visited almost invariably the Bagatelle, a 
 charming pavilion which had been erected 
 in a few weeks by the Count d'Artois in the 
 middle of the Bois de Boulogne, in honour of 
 the Queen Marie- Antoinette. It belonged 
 
122 BAGATELLE. 
 
 to the Marquis of Hertford, a wealthy 
 English lord, and a great patron of the arts, 
 and endowed with much French taste. 
 When the Emperor wished to tray this 
 property so that the Prince, when in Paris, 
 might have an open and free promenade, 
 Lord Hertford entreated the Emperor to 
 allow him to retain it, and succeeded in 
 persuading the Emperor to let the Prince 
 make whatever use of it he liked. The 
 Prince often went here with his faithful 
 playmate, Louis Conneau, who was about 
 his own age ; his father, Dr. Conneau, 
 being one of the oldest and most devoted 
 friends of the Emperor. 
 
 Every time the Prince Imperial went out 
 his mother kissed him and made the sign 
 of the cross on his forehead, for ever since 
 the Orsini plot she had been most anxious 
 about the return of her son or the Emperor 
 whenever they were absent. 
 
 The Empress never failed to write regu- 
 larly to her mother (the letter was for- 
 warded every day by the Spanish Embassy 
 to the Countess de Montijo), after which 
 
M. DAMAS-HINAKD. 123 
 
 her Majesty would generally transact busi- 
 ness with Monsieur Damas-Hinard, her 
 orderly secretary. 
 
 Monsieur Damas-Hinard, Monsieur de 
 Saint-Albin, librarian to the Empress, and 
 the Countess de Wagner, reader to her 
 Majesty, always arrived at the Tuileries 
 every day about one o'clock. Monsieur 
 Damas-Hinard was a short, slim old man, 
 and merry-looking, with a few scattered 
 white hairs on his head, and always primly 
 dressed in black with a white scarf, just as 
 if he were [an attorney about to draw up 
 some important document. He carried 
 under his arm a voluminous portfolio which 
 was well stuffed with bundles of paper ; and 
 he was in the habit of using very flattering 
 terms when speaking, was excessively 
 polite to ladies, and never approached the 
 Empress without bending his body in two, 
 as it were. He performed his duties cor- 
 rectly and circumspectly, noting down care- 
 fully all requests, and all petitions which 
 were addressed to the Empress, and after- 
 wards presenting them to her personally. 
 
124 A EUSE. 
 
 The Empress took cognisance of all, and 
 never gave a decision until she had 
 examined them most minutely. Monsieur 
 Damas-Hinard received her orders, and 
 communicated to her the result, without 
 making a single personal observation. The 
 Empress was very accessible ; and when 
 the requests were reasonable and just she 
 did not hesitate to grant them. She often, 
 however, received a large number of whim- 
 sical and ridiculous ones. 
 
 On the occasion of one of these official 
 messages, the Empress received from a 
 young girl two turtle-doves in a cage, and 
 she was the more willing to accept this 
 singular present because of the touching 
 simplicity with which it was offered. 
 
 Six months after, a letter was sent to the 
 Empress asking that the writer might be 
 placed in her service. It was to the follow- 
 ing effect : — 
 
 " It is I, Madame, who made you a 
 present of the turtle-doves, and which you 
 have accepted. As you love the birds, you 
 may require a guardian for them. I would 
 take great care of them." 
 
M. DE SAINT-ALBIN. 125 
 
 On account of this circumstance, in the 
 future the Empress was very reluctant to 
 grant petitions under cover of presents, and 
 refused them without compunction. 
 
 It is incredible the number of objects of 
 every description that were addressed to 
 her, whether they were family souvenirs, or 
 historical relics, or otherwise. One could 
 have filled a lumber-room with this unin- 
 teresting and valueless rubbish. 
 
 Eecommendations had but little weight 
 with the Empress unless they were genuinely 
 supported. There was occasionally a little 
 spite shown by some of the courtiers who 
 were anxious to make themselves influential, 
 and who sought to monopolize the royal 
 favours for " So -and- So," their clients, 
 to the detriment of those with genuine 
 claims. 
 
 Monsieur de Saint-Albin was a learned 
 man, un collectionneur de gout, and very well 
 informed, but extremely awkward, and very 
 careless in his attire. He wore an old hat, 
 and a scarf twisted like a rope ; and it might 
 be said that his old clothes had been even 
 
126 COUNTESS DE WAGNEE. 
 
 worn out in the time of Louis-Philippe. 
 The Empress had known him before her 
 marriage, and he was very much attached 
 to her. 
 
 Notwithstanding his very unattractive 
 exterior, he was very amiable, and brought 
 me, almost daily, bouquets of violets, 
 bonbons, or some small present which he 
 drew, to my disgust, out of this horrible 
 hat. 
 
 The Countess de Wagner, who was 
 seventy years old, had been very handsome, 
 and always spoke of her past beauty with 
 pleasure ; while she, also, even had recourse 
 to every artifice to reparer des arts I'irrepar- 
 able outrage. She was always dressed in 
 the latest fashion, and like a young woman ; 
 her toilette, at which she was very clever, 
 I believe being her greatest weakness. 
 
 The Empress often went in raptures over 
 her unfailing youth, and this pleased her 
 greatly. One day she brought her portrait 
 to the Tuileries, in which she appeared to 
 be scarcely thirty years old, but it did 
 really resemble her, and the Empress could 
 
COUNTESS DE WAGNEE. 127 
 
 not conceal her astonishment at its artistic 
 flattery. 
 
 " I wished to leave my friends a pleasing 
 souvenir," said the Countess, " and I there- 
 fore instructed the photographer as to what 
 he was to put in and what omit, and I 
 think I have succeeded in getting a pretty 
 portrait." 
 
 Madame de Wagner was always very 
 anxious that we should believe she had 
 long Ute-a-Utes with the Empress. 
 
 " I have to inform the Empress of some 
 very important business," she would say, 
 and then walked deliberately through the 
 suite of rooms with short and hurried steps. 
 When she arrived at the door of the 
 Empress's cabinet, it bethought her that 
 her Majesty did not care to be disturbed, 
 and she therefore debated in her mind 
 what to do ; and she would stand in the 
 recess of the window next to the cabinet, 
 thinking thus to conceal herself; but the 
 largeness of her skirt betrayed her, and 
 from our room we could see the poor 
 Countess, erect and silent, and gazing on 
 
128 COUNTESS DE WAGNEE. 
 
 to the garden for a full half-hour. Then 
 she suddenly returned with a beaming face, 
 and tried to compensate herself for such 
 a long restraint by imparting to us the 
 pretended confidences that had passed 
 between her and the Empress. 
 
 These little episodes, which took place 
 rather frequently, I must confess, amused 
 me very much ; and I was very fond of 
 Madame de Wagner, who was very agree- 
 able and kind. 
 
 The Empress also occasionally surprised 
 her in her little manoeuvres, and was highly 
 diverted. 
 
 Madame de Wagner habitually wore a 
 most beautiful brown wig with wavy curls ; 
 but one day she arrived at the Tuileries 
 quite transformed. It was about the time 
 of the Parisian craze for Mademoiselle 
 Hortense Schneider, who was playing the 
 Belle Selene, and Madame de Wagner had 
 copied the Grecian perruque as worn by 
 this charming actress. When on one occa- 
 sion she took off her hat, I saw on the top 
 of her head a mass of ringlets such as 
 
COUNTESS DE WAGNER. 129 
 
 would be worn by a fair child, and which 
 hung down low over her wrinkled face. 
 I laughed most immoderately, and had to 
 run away to avoid giving her offence ; but 
 at this moment the Empress came out of 
 her cabinet, and also began to laugh 
 heartily, and wished to know the cause" 
 of my mirth; but I could not explain, and 
 pointed to Madame de Wagner's room. 
 The Empress discovered her standing 
 before a glass, where she was adjusting 
 this youthful and extravagant coiffure with 
 quite a grave air. This time the Empress 
 was really angry. 
 
 " Go and tell Madame de Wagner from 
 me," said she, very seriously, "that I wish 
 her to remove that perruque at once." 
 
 I collected myself, and entreated her 
 Majesty to spare me leaving such a 
 message; for I felt I was not in a fit 
 state to carry it out, and, at the same 
 time, to observe the necessary decorum. 
 
 " Go, go ! it is my wish," said the 
 Empress, " and tell her never to let me 
 see such an exhibition again. Such a thing 
 
 9 
 
130 M. DE PIENNES. 
 
 would bring ridicule on my home if any 
 one should see it ;" and the Empress went 
 back to her boudoir in a very angry frame 
 of mind. 
 
 Very luckily Monsieur de Piennes came 
 to my assistance. The Marquis of Piennes 
 was one of the most amiable men I have 
 known, and a gentleman of great merit, 
 possessing plenty of spirit, not unmixed 
 with a little affected surliness, which, 
 however, did not detract from his great 
 qualities. When he began to reason with 
 Madame de Wagner she soon saw her 
 mistake, although she had undoubtedly 
 reckoned on a magnificent success. 
 
 On the following day the good Countess 
 presented herself in her usual brown hair. 
 
 The Countess spent a great deal of her 
 time at the Tuileries in writing to her 
 friends ; and one day, when she was deeply 
 absorbed in a letter, the Empress came up 
 to her very softly and unperceived, and, 
 looking over her shoulder, read as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " There are a great many deaths among 
 
the empbeoe's apaetments. 131 
 
 the senators this year," she wrote: "may 
 I not replace one of them ? " 
 
 " G-o and ask the Emperor," said the 
 Empress to her. 
 
 With much earnestness she actually 
 went to the Emperor, who was, of course, 
 highly amused. 
 
 Her duties altogether were somewhat of 
 a sinecure. She wrote a few letters, and 
 was always at the service of the Empress 
 when the ladies of the Palace arrived, 
 which was about two o'clock. 
 
 The poor woman died before the war, 
 and she was replaced by Madame Lebreton, 
 General Bourbaki's sister, who is still with 
 the Empress. 
 
 Previous to my arrival, no woman, except 
 Madame Pollet and those in office, lived at 
 the Tuileries — at least not in that part 
 which lies between the pavilions VHorloge 
 and Flore, which was the private dwelling 
 of the sovereigns. 
 
 The Emperor's apartments overlooked 
 the garden, whilst the Prince Imperial's 
 looked on to the Place du Corrousel. 
 
132 THE LAEGE STAIECASE. 
 
 Those of the Empress were on the first 
 floor, and above the Emperor's, and 
 extended along the reception apartments, 
 from the pavilion VHorloge as far as the 
 gallery de Diane, towards the river Seine. 
 A portion of them was restored at the 
 time of the marriage of the Empress, and 
 they were completed in 1858. 
 
 One of the most notable portions of the 
 Palace was the large staircase. It had 
 three landings, and a hand-rail of annealed 
 iron, which began in the vestibule into 
 which the Emperor's apartments opened, 
 and which was situated under the arch to 
 the left of the pavilion VHorloge. This 
 staircase was lighted on the ground-floor 
 by two high windows, and the marble-white 
 steps were covered with a red and blue 
 Turkish carpet. It was decorated with 
 ancient tapestry, representing the history 
 of the metamorphosis of the nymph Daphne 
 into a laurel. Long boughs are seen to 
 issue forth from the tips of her fingers, and 
 her body is about to blend with the bark. 
 On the last step of the staircase there was 
 
M. BIGNET. 133 
 
 a remarkable piece of statuary representing 
 a Eoman ox, half life-size. 
 
 The windows were furnished with blinds 
 painted with flowers, and were usually let 
 down to keep the sun out. On the right, 
 at the top of the staircase, there was a 
 folding door which opened directly into the 
 room of the marshals. The private apart- 
 ments of the Empress were on the left, and 
 consisted of six chambers in a line with 
 each other, overlooking the garden. 
 
 The waiting-room for the use of the 
 ushers had but one window, and was used 
 by Monsieur Bignet, the chief usher to the 
 Empress, an excellent man, who fulfilled 
 his duty with silent and respectful zeal. 
 He directed the indoor duties, and generally 
 carried out the commands of the Emperor, 
 who used to call him the thirteenth lady 
 of the Palace, and it sometimes actually 
 happened when the ladies were absent that 
 Bignet took upon himself to inform the 
 Empress of any incident that required to be 
 promptly communicated to her. He always 
 advised us of the receptions and the names 
 
134 M. BIGNET. 
 
 of expected personages, which were in- 
 scribed in a register. His punctuality was 
 admirable, and, although he was excep- 
 tionally discreet, he often furnished us with 
 much private information. It was in this 
 way we learnt the changes and other 
 matters not publicly known. For example, 
 each time the Empress went abroad or 
 from home she took with her a silver 
 tea-caddy which had been used by Napo- 
 leon I,, and two small silver boxes for the 
 toast. When these little objects were not 
 placed on the tea-table, which was brought 
 in every evening, it was a sure indication 
 of some projected voyage, Bignet always 
 packing them up to follow her Majesty. 
 However, it sometimes happened that the 
 tea-caddy and toast-boxes reappeared, lead- 
 ing us to understand, of course, that the 
 projected voyage was postponed. It was 
 Bignet who generally informed the Em- 
 peror when the Empress was ready to go 
 out, or when she expected him to pass 
 into the salons. He was the intermediaire 
 subalterne for every trifling communication, 
 
M. BIGNET. 
 
 135 
 
 whether with the Emperor, the Prince 
 Imperial, or any other person of the 
 chateau. 
 
 He was acquainted with every object that 
 belonged to her Majesty, and no one knew 
 better than he where they were kept. 
 
 Bignet followed the Empress into exile, 
 with his daughter, one of the ladies' maids 
 to her Majesty. He was one of the last, 
 poor man, to quit the Tuileries on the 
 4th of September. 
 
 He subsequently died in England, never 
 having been able to reconcile himself to the 
 fall of the Empire. 
 
 The ushers to the Empress, who were 
 three in number, relieved each other from 
 day to day. They wore chestnut-coloured 
 coats a la Frangaise, with silver-embroidered 
 breeches, silk stockings, buckled shoes, 
 and silver chains (the insignia of their 
 office). Besides the usher on duty there 
 were always two footmen in attendance. 
 
 The room that belonged to the ladies was 
 painted in fresco en camaieu, on a green 
 background, raised with fine arabesques of 
 
136 THE ladies' boom. 
 
 various green colours ; the painting on the 
 ceiling representing a large basket of 
 flowers, and that on the surface of the 
 doors, flowers and birds. The furniture, 
 the chimney, and the bronzes, which were 
 very elegant, were in the purest style of 
 Louis XIV. The furniture in gilt wood was 
 covered with very beautiful Gobelin tapestry, 
 from which were detached bouquets of large 
 flowers on a white background, surrounded 
 by a second chestnut background with 
 golden-coloured designs. This was the 
 room assigned to the ladies during their 
 week of office, each one bringing her work, 
 her letters, and her books, which were 
 arranged in an inlaid trunk placed between 
 the two windows. 
 
 The adjoining room was similar, but with 
 rose-coloured decorations, mingled with a 
 profusion of flowers. The ceiling, painted 
 by Chaplin, was remarkably pretty, and 
 represented the " Triumph of Mora." This 
 was the waiting-room for visitors. The 
 furniture was also in tapestry — flowers on 
 a white background, with rose-coloured 
 borders. 
 
THE POBTEAITS. 137 
 
 The third room was painted blue, and 
 the Empress had suspended from the doors 
 the portraits of several of the handsomest 
 ladies of her suite, each one, by her 
 costume, representing one of the great 
 Powers of Europe. 
 
 The young Princess, Anna-Murat, still 
 a child (notwithstanding her precocious 
 beauty), was a fair representation of the 
 girls of England on account of the fineness 
 of her features and the freshness of her 
 dazzling fairness. The Duchess de Mala- 
 koff, the purest type of an Andalusian 
 beauty, wore the traditional mantilla of the 
 ladies of Grenada. The Duchess de Morny, 
 that young and aristocratic foreigner, 
 brought up at the Court of Eussia by our 
 ambassador who so ably represented France 
 at the coronation of Alexander II., showed 
 under the national hahochnicli her fine face, 
 snow-white complexion, and hair, which 
 seemed powdered with silver ; and the 
 beautiful Countess Walewska was of the 
 Florentine type. These, with the Duchess 
 Cadore, pleasant and delicate, with her 
 
138 SHADOWS OF THE PAST. 
 
 Oriental calotte de Hai/dee, and the 
 Duchess de Persigny, fair as a goddess, 
 formed an assemblage of beauties worthy a 
 sovereign whose incomparable profile was 
 the centre-piece of the medallion. 
 
 Till recently there might have been seen 
 through the open and empty windows of 
 the Tuileries which had been destroyed by 
 fire, some vestiges of the paintings which 
 the fire and the outrages of time seemed to 
 have respected. One could vaguely dis- 
 tinguish, in the apartments that had once 
 been the Empress's, beneath the crumbled 
 cornices, a few traces of those fine female 
 profiles. Like aerial shadows amid the 
 forsaken ruins, they seemed still to retain 
 that traditional grace, elegance, and beauty 
 which during so many years emanated 
 from the Court of France and took posses- 
 sion of the entire world, charming and even 
 conquering it. 
 
 The receptions took place in the blue 
 salon; and the deep and high windows of 
 each of its chambers were furnished with 
 scallops in tapestry to match the furniture, 
 
THE BLUE SALON. 139 
 
 and with large white silk curtains sus- 
 pended beneath. To soften the light and 
 to regulate the outlook into the garden, 
 small dark-blue gauze blinds were attached 
 to the window-panes, and every object the 
 salon contained was of exquisite beauty, 
 including timepieces, vases, torches or tall 
 candelabra, decorated furniture en mar- 
 queterie, and wonderful bronzes. On the 
 evening of the small or private balls which 
 were given annually in the spring the 
 Empress always remained in these rooms, 
 which opened into the grand apartments. 
 
CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 The Work-room of trie Empress — The Tuileries Papers — 
 Private Documents — The Queen of Holland — Prince of 
 Orange— The Toilet-room— The "Lift "—The Empress's 
 Oratory — The Last Mass — The Troubles of a Sovereign 
 — The Bed-chamber— " Political Toilets"— The Eugene- 
 Napoleon Orphanage — Terrible Fate of the Children 
 during the Commune — Madame Pollet — The Empress's 
 Jewels — Escape of the Emperor from Ham. 
 
 Next to the blue room was the cabinet of 
 the Empress, her home, as it were, in which 
 she had collected all her souvenirs, and 
 where she passed many a solitary day, no 
 one being allowed entrance there except a 
 very few intimate friends. It was here she 
 worked, read, and arranged those famous 
 papers of the Tuileries of which only a 
 very small number have come to light. 
 
 As soon as she knew that the siege of 
 Paris was decided upon, the Empress had 
 very discreetly sent all the papers on board 
 
THE TUILEEIES PAPEBS. 141 
 
 the fleet, together with the cJief-d'ceuvres of 
 the Louvre, so that if the Commune had 
 destroyed the Palace by fire these would 
 have been safe. 
 
 After the 4th of September the papers 
 were sent to the Empress, who was then in 
 England. Thus all those of any importance 
 were in safe custody at the time the govern- 
 ment of la Defense nationale were so desirous 
 of seizing them for the purpose of publica- 
 tion. The arranging of these papers was one 
 of her Majesty's principal pastimes. There 
 were a great number of them, and it 
 occupied a very considerable portion of her 
 time to class them and to put them in 
 order. Among them there were some very 
 curious documents, containing in a great 
 measure the contemporary history of our 
 own times, such as letters of sovereigns, 
 diplomatists, statesmen, generals, and men 
 of literature and learning. More than one 
 of these personages who flourish at the 
 present time by reason of their desertion of 
 the Imperial cause would be greatly em- 
 barrassed if some of their writings were 
 
142 "a mouse." 
 
 placed before them, full as they are of 
 eloquent expressions of gratitude for services 
 rendered, favours granted, and for benefits 
 which possibly they have now banished 
 from their memories. 
 
 The Empress, with her feminine intui- 
 tion, thoroughly understood the value that 
 tbese documents might one day possess, 
 and whilst the Emperor, who was indifferent 
 to trifles, threw them carelessly on one 
 side, the Empress collected all she could of 
 these rejected papers. They very much 
 resemble the Tower of Babel, where every 
 language was spoken, and in which one 
 finds a confused mass of every weakness to 
 which humanity is heir. 
 
 The Emperor often smiled kindly at this 
 mania of the Empress for the collection of 
 all these papers, and she herself used often 
 to make merry about it. 
 
 "I am very much like a mouse at the 
 Emperor's side," sbe would say, "I gather 
 up all the crumbs." 
 
 After the war, and during the Commune, 
 when the violence of unrestrained passions 
 
THE EMPRESS'S BOOM. 143 
 
 rose against the Empire, and when the 
 most unjust and calumnious accusations 
 were hurled at the Emperor, it would have 
 been very easy, by only opening these files 
 of letters, to have confounded some of his 
 most violent detractors ; for it is a disgrace 
 to their names to have dared to ally them- 
 selves with the enemies of the Empire 
 in order to heap odious accusations on the 
 Emperor. But the Emperor never gave all 
 this a thought ; it was the scorn of a great 
 soul for everything that is cowardly and 
 petty, and his memory is ennobled by it. 
 
 The Empress's room was totally different 
 to any of the other salons, and it was there 
 that one became acquainted with the 
 private life of the sovereign, her habits, 
 occupations, and tastes. 
 
 No one showed better skill than the 
 Empress in the arrangements of her 
 room. 
 
 The Empress had amassed in this cham- 
 ber every souvenir and every object that 
 pleased her, and everything that she re- 
 quired for her use. She had selected every- 
 
144 THE EMPKESs's BOOM. 
 
 thing herself, carrying out her ideas and 
 her designs personally, and matching the 
 various tints and arranging the furniture 
 with taste and skill, and always with an eye 
 to the " comfortable." 
 
 Tapestry en gourgouran, a material made 
 of a dim-coloured silk with large satin 
 stripes on a very light green colour, gave 
 this room an air intime et habite, and 
 served admirably to enhance the value of 
 the paintings with which it was embellished. 
 The furniture, covered with cappudine 
 material, and the satin curtains of purple 
 tint, harmonized well, and relieved the 
 somewhat sombre appearance of the 
 tapestry. The wainscoting of the doors 
 and windows were of mahogany-coloured 
 wood, and were furnished with beautiful 
 cornices of gilt copper. 
 
 The red marble chimney, set off with 
 very finely- carved bronzes, supported the 
 statue of a woman in white marble, called 
 VEtoile, an exquisite piece of work, and 
 very much admired. The body was young 
 and supple, the form charming, the head 
 
THE EMPRESS'S ROOM. 145 
 
 slightly leaning on the uplifted arms, and a 
 star in the centre of the forehead. She 
 seemed to soar into the air, whilst a lover, 
 tying gracefully at her feet, raised a burning 
 torch. This statue, which was saved from 
 the conflagration of the Tuileries, belongs 
 now to the family of Madame de Saucy, a 
 lady of the Imperial Palace, whom her 
 Majesty loved very dearly. It was given 
 her as a souvenir when the Empress set 
 out for Zululand in 1880, as being one of 
 those objects which one likes to leave only 
 in the hands of a dear friend. 
 
 Immense leaves, which formed a kind of 
 dome over the statue, budded forth from two 
 large vases of Chinese bronze. They were 
 of a sombre golden colour, and were also 
 painted with animals and whimsical 
 arabesques. 
 
 A large mahogany couch, furnished in 
 gilt bronze, and facing the chimney, was 
 set back against a Louis XIY. bureau. 
 Two parallel tables with green rep covers, 
 which had been embroidered in tapestry by 
 the Empress, were placed near the couch 
 
 10 
 
146 OBJECTS OF INTEREST. 
 
 and bureau, forming a group which occupied 
 the centre of the room. A large clock in a 
 case of mahogany and gilt bronze, the chef- 
 d'oeuvre of the eighteenth century, replaced 
 the usual style of timepiece, and between 
 the two windows there was a glass case filled 
 with objects of curiosity of great value, 
 and possessing many familiar historical 
 memories. 
 
 The Empress kept in this room the hat 
 which the Emperor wore at the time of the 
 Orsini plot, the rattles of the Prince 
 Imperial, and also his first toys ; likewise 
 certain objects presented by the Duchess 
 d'Albe were concealed at the lower end of 
 the cabinet de travail. In the corners there 
 were two female statues in light bronze, 
 mounted on the shafts of a column, and 
 which supported candelabra. 
 
 In the centre of a panel might be seen a 
 full-size portrait of the Emperor dressed in 
 a black Court costume, painted by Cabanel, 
 and which resembled him more than any 
 other of his portraits, and was a chef-d'oeuvre 
 of life and truth. A beautiful portrait of 
 
FAMILY PORTBAITS. 147 
 
 the Duchess d'Albe was placed on the left 
 of the chimney. She was enveloped in 
 light gauze, and appeared as an evocation 
 souriante de la jeunesse envolee, and very 
 often, while standing before this sweet 
 figure, the eyes of the Empress would be- 
 come moist with tears. 
 
 Between the windows there was a por- 
 trait of the young Princess, Anna-Murat, 
 painted by Winterhalter. A large arch 
 draped with Oriental silk in violet and gold 
 divided the bureau of the Empress from 
 another smaller one, which had no window. 
 On either side of this arch were two libraries 
 containing rare and precious works, and 
 ancient manuscripts ; above the bookcases 
 being a painting by Herbert, representing 
 an Italian woman drawing water from a 
 subterranean fountain. 
 
 The other panel on the right near the 
 windows had been reserved for a painting 
 by Cabanel, and, as the portrait was a long 
 time in process of execution, one day the 
 Empress led the artist into her cabinet to 
 show him the panel and the silken cord 
 which were destined to hold his work. 
 
148 MY POETEAIT. 
 
 " This vacant place pains me," said the 
 Empress to him, " and I have decided to 
 put nothing there but the painting you have 
 promised. Execute the work quickly, or 
 the cord may serve to hang you with." 
 
 A short time afterwards the artist sent a 
 "Euth" in an antique Biblical costume, 
 with the long blue tunic as still worn by 
 female fellahs, and the widow's veil very 
 lightly drawn over her young and poetic 
 face. The Empress was charmed with it. 
 
 After my marriage she ordered me to ask 
 Cabanel to paint my portrait, as she was 
 anxious to see how he would execute it, so 
 that she might have her own done, this to 
 be her last one. Cabanel painted my por- 
 trait, but he never did one of the Empress ; 
 events happening which caused the project 
 to be abandoned. Cabanel would no doubt 
 have produced a work worthy both of the 
 model and of the master, and would have 
 left us a perfect portrait of the Empress, 
 for, as it is, none of her portraits do her 
 entire justice. 
 
 The great official portrait of the Empress, 
 
POBTBAITS OF THE EMPEESS. 149 
 
 representing her in a Court mantle, and 
 wearing a crown of precious stones, which 
 is to be seen among the symbols of royalty 
 in every palace and in every official 
 dwelling, shows a rigidity which destroys 
 the likeness. Her charming features, the 
 nobleness of her figure and bust, and 
 the clear colour of her complexion, are 
 certainly represented ; but the Empress 
 was especially very lively, whereas the in- 
 animate expression that is to be seen in this 
 portrait does not in any way recall the 
 individuality of the person delineated. It 
 was painted by Winterhalter. 
 
 Attempts have been made in a hundred 
 ways to reproduce the beauty of the 
 Empress ; painters, sculptors, and engravers 
 have essayed it, but few have succeeded. 
 There was something in the Empress's ex- 
 pression which they could not " catch," 
 an animated fugitiveness which defied every 
 interpretation. 
 
 A portrait, painted by Winterhalter, and 
 which represents the Empress's profile, 
 draped in a white burnous (Arabian cloak), 
 
150 . POETEAITS OP THE EMPBESS. 
 
 with pearls on her neck, and her hair care- 
 lessly curled behind, is by far the best repre- 
 sentation, and perhaps the only one; but 
 after all it is only a study. 
 
 A copy of this portrait was executed by 
 Winterhalter himself for the Countess de 
 Montijo. 
 
 When the Empress was leaving for Zulu- 
 land, on the death of the Prince Imperial, 
 she gave M. Eouher the portrait which 
 represents her seated, and dressed in white, 
 with iris in her hair. This portrait has been 
 copied many times. 
 
 Another portrait, which bore the Imperial 
 arms, and represented the Empress dressed 
 in black, and wearing a crown, with a long 
 white veil around her head, had been exe- 
 cuted for the Duchess dAlbe. It is now in 
 the Palais d'Albe in Madrid. 
 
 There was yet another one which had 
 been saved from the fire at Saint-Cloud, 
 and which, as I was always desirous of 
 possessing it, the Empress presented to me 
 at Camden Place in 1880, before her 
 departure for Zululand. It is a very 
 
POETBAITS OF THE EMPBESS. 151 
 
 small one on canvas, and was painted by 
 Boulanger in 1860. It represents the 
 Empress seated, in the costume of a female 
 fellah, coiffured a VEgyptienne with a red 
 ibis. It is the best of the official portraits, 
 and most nearly gives those features and 
 expression so peculiar to the Empress, 
 namely, her grand regard bleu mysterieux 
 et voile. The value of most of the portraits, 
 whether busts or paintings, is, however, 
 quite discounted by the kind of " set " look 
 given to the face. Still, the bust by the 
 Count de Niewerkerke, the amiable superin- 
 tendent of the Fine Arts, and executed on 
 the marriage of the Empress, is a fine one, 
 graceful, and very like her, although a trifle 
 too inanimate. 
 
 The Empress always sat on a low arm- 
 chair placed in a false light, near the chim- 
 ney, beside the entrance door to the cabinet, 
 and rested her feet on a low sloping chair, 
 protected from the fire by a low green silk 
 screen. On her left, in the chimney corner, 
 there was a table in black wood a etagere, 
 generally covered with papers, her blotting- 
 
152 THE. SECOND BOOM. 
 
 paper, and inkstand, the classical ink- 
 stand of the bureaux, en porcelaine a godet 
 (a drinking cup with no handle), and sur- 
 rounded with a wet sponge, with ancient 
 goose-quills. The Empress- always wrote 
 on her knees, very rapidly, and in a large 
 and neat hand, with every letter well 
 formed. 
 
 On her right was a small round library 
 table, with pigeon-holes for the books she 
 loved to read. 
 
 A large table was placed near the second 
 window, surrounded by a screen of gilt 
 bamboo covered with ivy, and its legs were 
 enveloped in & jardiniere filled with flowers. 
 The screen, acting as a partition, isolated 
 this charming table, which was laden with 
 albums, drawing-paper, and paint-boxes. 
 The Empress painted with ease in water- 
 colours, this talent being especially service- 
 able to her when any building or furnishing 
 was being executed, and which was a 
 favourite pastime with her. 
 
 The second room, which seemed to be a 
 continuation of the cabinet, was similarly 
 
THE "WOUWEKMANS." 153 
 
 decorated, with a chimney-piece opposite 
 the window. It contained more book- 
 cases, filled with classical works se- 
 lected from the masterpieces of French, 
 English, Spanish, and Italian literature, 
 the Empress speaking these different 
 languages with fluency. 
 
 Above the bookcases were arranged 
 statuettes, busts, vases, and a collection 
 of small pictures, each one of which was 
 quite a chef-d'oeuvre. Among others there 
 ^were some by Wouwermans, which were 
 invaluable, and which the Empress highly 
 esteemed. A small white marble statue, 
 elegantly draped, stood in the centre of a 
 round jardiniere placed before the window. 
 Scattered over the tables were portraits, 
 photographs of the Emperor, of the Prince 
 Imperial at various ages, and other persons 
 whom the Empress loved. A miniature 
 of Count de Montijo very strikingly re- 
 sembled the Empress, although it was 
 disfigured by a bandage of black taffeta 
 across his face, and which was the result 
 of a wound that he had received when 
 
154 QUEEN SOPHIE. 
 
 fighting the wars of the First Empire : one 
 can see here the same noble and fine 
 features, the same brilliant complexion, 
 and the same golden hair as possessed 
 by the Empress. 
 
 There were likewise portraits of the 
 Empress's mother, and a miniature of the 
 Queen of Holland, with whom the Em- 
 press corresponded very regularly. Queen 
 Sophie, Princess de Wurtemberg, was 
 cousin - german to Prince Napoleon and 
 the Princess Mathilde, by Queen Catherine 
 de Wurtemberg, the wife of King Jerome. 
 She was a woman of much spirit and 
 very well versed in European politics, 
 and her letters, which the Empress has 
 preserved, are of the greatest interest. 
 She spoke several languages and wrote in 
 French with great fluency. The Queen, 
 who was very amiable and affectionate 
 and open-hearted, led a very retired life in 
 Holland. She wrote often and at great 
 length to the Empress, whose replies she 
 greatly loved, and which informed her of 
 the latest Parisian news — of course very 
 
QUEEN SOPHIE. 155 
 
 interesting to one who led such a solitary 
 existence. As soon as she received a 
 letter from the Empress, she wrote at 
 once to thank her. This used to grieve 
 her Majesty because she could not main- 
 tain this interesting correspondence with 
 equal zeal. The Queen of Holland was, 
 moreover, a personage of great merit ; and 
 traces of beauty were still to be seen in 
 her features. She possessed a beautiful 
 figure, and her countenance was re- 
 markably amiable ; she had beautiful fair 
 golden hair, which she curled a VAnglaise, 
 although this style had gone out of fashion 
 some long time since. Her husband, the 
 King of Holland, allowed her very little 
 pin-money ; she had, therefore, to travel 
 very often with only an old lady of honour 
 as companion, who was very plain and 
 very devoted to her. She visited Paris as 
 often as possible, but always "incog," 
 because she feared the restraints that 
 etiquette might require. 
 
 As a sovereign Queen Sophie performed 
 her duties nobly, and, denying herself royal 
 
156 "PKINCE CITEON." 
 
 luxuries, she devoted her modest resources, 
 allowed by the King, to works of charity. 
 She was the mother of the Prince of 
 Orange, who resembled her very much 
 with his fair hair, his regular features, and 
 his Northern complexion. The worth of 
 this Prince must not be estimated by the 
 reputation he won in a certain quarter of 
 Paris where his name was somewhat freely 
 used in connection with that of the Duke 
 de Grramont Caderousse, on the occasion 
 of a supper at which some young people 
 assisted, and into which the Prince, un- 
 fortunately, had allowed himself to be 
 drawn. In the monde joyeux he was 
 known as the Prince Citron. 
 
 However, he had a noble heart, and 
 was very much liked in his own country, 
 and would have turned out a distinguished 
 Prince, had not the irritable sternness of 
 the King of Holland, who could not endure 
 any sympathy to be shown his son, thrust 
 him into the whirlpool of jplaisirs faciles, 
 where he not only lost his self-respect, but 
 also brought his life to a premature end. 
 
157 
 
 The Queen, when in Paris, always im- 
 plored the Empress to endeavour to win 
 her son from such evil influences. 
 
 The Queen survived her eldest son ; but 
 there was a second, Prince Alexandre, who 
 also died subsequently. He, however, had 
 always been infirm and deformed, and, 
 till his death, she cheerfully devoted the 
 greater part of her time to him. 
 
 It may be mentioned that the Prince 
 d' Orange was one of the first to pay 
 homage to the Emperor and Empress in 
 their exile at Chislehurst. He did it in 
 spite of the expressed wish of the King, 
 whose violence he greatly dreaded, and 
 who, in his turn, feared the displeasure of 
 the Prussian Chancellor. 
 
 The name of the Prince d' Orange on one 
 occasion came to be coupled with that of 
 a certain Parisian adventure, of which, in 
 reality, however, he was not the hero. A 
 very pretty young woman, connected with 
 the financial world, was surprised by her 
 husband in a cabaret a la mode, in company 
 with a Prince of royal blood, and in the 
 
158 AN ADVENTURE. 
 
 midst of a very sumptuous supper. Her 
 companion, not caring for his name to 
 become the laughing-stock of Paris (for the 
 woman, with the assistance of the people 
 in the house, had adroitly escaped disguised 
 as a kitchen drudge), confided his embarrass- 
 ment to the Prince d' Orange, whom chance 
 had brought to the same place on his re- 
 turn from a place of amusement. He 
 willingly undertook the role of the guilty 
 one, arguing that his legertes would offend 
 no one, as he was not married. 
 
 The fact was, that the Prince having 
 been, as it were, hunted from his country, 
 grew to view life despondingly, and gave 
 himself up to self-indulgence. He was 
 very timid, and easily recognized by a 
 slight guttural habit which he had when 
 commencing to speak, but which was lost 
 when at his ease. He always expressed 
 gratitude for advice given him, and even 
 admitted that he was tired of these plaisirs 
 bruyants. At heart he was amiable, 
 sensible, and good. 
 
 To go back to the Palace. On leaving 
 
THE COUET COEEESPONDENCE. 159 
 
 the apartment of the Empress you crossed 
 an antechamber without a window, and 
 where a lighted lamp was suspended at all 
 hours. The little staircase which de- 
 scended directly to the Emperor's apart- 
 ments abutted on to this antechamber. 
 
 By drawing a part of the wainscoting 
 aside a great number of pigeon-holes were 
 exposed, marked with figures and letters; 
 and arranged in methodical order were a 
 lot of bindings, in which papers were 
 placed in alphabetical sequence. 
 
 Shortly after my arrival the Empress 
 initiated me in my duties, and I spent many 
 hours every day in her cabinet, to classify, 
 catalogue, and register this immense corre- 
 spondence, which dated from the time of the 
 Emperor Napoleon I. (It increased still 
 more after the events of the war, the 
 Commune, the exile, the death of the 
 Emperor, and the tragical fate of the Prince 
 Imperial.) 
 
 The Empress has collected all the papers 
 in connection with her son — that is, his 
 correspondence with politicians and friends, 
 
160 the peince's papebs. 
 
 in which he exchanged his views and hopes ; 
 interesting works on history, estimations of 
 certain policies and public affairs, in which 
 may be traced his ardent patriotism, his 
 energy, his fineness of judgment, his lofty 
 views, and the goodness of this young 
 Prince, who was so remarkably gifted, and 
 who had seemed born to regenerate and lift 
 up his country once again. 
 
 One cannot help wondering here whether, 
 as the Empress is so thoroughly engrossed in 
 everything that relates to her son's memory, 
 it is possible that her Majesty contemplates 
 publishing these relics ? Will she have the 
 courage to open the sanctuary of her 
 maternal grief, which nothing seems able to 
 pacify, in order to leave to public judgment 
 all that has been bequeathed by this young 
 soul, so lofty, so pure, so young, so mature ? 
 Will this sovereign, who is so desirous of 
 affirming the worth of a Prince of her blood, 
 and whose sad destiny may yet weigh 
 heavily on the future of Prance — will she 
 overcome her sympathetic feeling of a 
 mother jealous of her tears, and who has 
 
" THE CABINET " DE TOILETTE. 161 
 
 no other thought but this abounding love 
 of her child ? Who can say ? 
 
 On crossing the dark antechamber re- 
 ferred to, a vast room is entered, lighted 
 by three large windows, opening on to a 
 balcony. It was the Empress's cabinet da 
 toilette, and was surrounded by high looking- 
 glasses which reflected one from the other. 
 The furniture of this room consisted of a 
 washing-stand, under which was concealed 
 a bath, which was not, however, of silver, 
 like Monsieur G-ambetta's ; a large toilette 
 a coiffer of lace furnished with knots on a 
 transparent ground of blue silk, and which 
 displayed a magnificent vermilion dressing- 
 case (a souvenir of the Queen Hortense), 
 tables, scents of every description, port- 
 manteaus in which to lock the articles for 
 the toilette, and every other luxury and 
 comfort that an elegant and tasteful woman 
 could desire, were to be found there. A 
 large basket lined with white silk, which 
 the ladies had brought full of flowers for 
 her on the day of her wedding, and which 
 she prized very much, served to hold the 
 
 11 
 
162 THE "LIFT." 
 
 linen and several other articles of a like 
 nature. 
 
 I have heard it related that owing to the 
 Empress's serious illness after the birth of 
 the Prince Imperial, it was contrived for 
 her robes to descend from the ceiling in 
 such a way that when she was placed under 
 the apparatus her dress and her petticoats, 
 which were then worn to fill out the skirts, 
 were put on at the same time, just as if all 
 were done by a fairy wand. 
 
 But the following will explain matters. 
 The first time that I had occasion to 
 assist at the Empress's toilette, which 
 afterwards happened frequently, I saw a 
 small " lift " descend which had been con- 
 cealed in the rose-work of the ceiling and 
 communicated with the chambers of the 
 Empress. On it were the dresses required 
 by the Empress, and this contrivance 
 prevented the continual going and coming 
 on the small staircase, which was so narrow 
 that the toilettes would have been limp and 
 rumpled if brought that way. On seeing 
 this "lift" descend for the first time, I 
 
THE EMPEESS'S HEALTH. 163 
 
 burst out laughing, and related to the 
 Empress the absurd story that had been 
 told me. The Empress was very amused, 
 and remarked how fertile public imagination 
 was when it wished to invent anything 
 relating to personages in high positions ; 
 and how little may give rise to quite 
 ridiculous and false legends. Thanks to 
 the "lift," and to a speaking-tube that 
 communicated with tbe chambers, the 
 business of the Empress's toilette was 
 executed quickly and without inconveni- 
 ence. 
 
 Early in her married life the Empress 
 had had two commencements de grossesse, 
 which were attended with serious results. 
 Perhaps these two accidents contributed 
 to render her delicate, and perhaps also 
 the doctors who were appointed to attend 
 to her Majesty were so preoccupied with 
 their responsibility, that they did not act 
 with such discretion as they would have 
 done in the case of any other woman. 
 Thus it is always — where sovereigns are 
 concerned. " La raison d'Etat " applies to 
 
164 " ONLY OF THE EMPBESS." 
 
 every event of their lives. The hope that 
 a son might be born to the Emperor, who 
 so earnestly desired one, may have lent a 
 little rashness to the action of the doctors, 
 which they would not have shown under 
 ordinary circumstances. On the occasion 
 of the Prince's birth the Empress suffered 
 three days and three nights, and at last 
 the doctors had to inform the Emperor that 
 an operation would have to be performed, 
 which they had delayed because they feared 
 to compromise the child's life. 
 
 " Think only of the Empress," replied 
 the Emperor. 
 
 As every moment was precious they acted 
 with great precipitation, and the Empress 
 for some time paid the penalty with her 
 health. But she recovered fairly well, and 
 I have never known a woman better able to 
 bear fatigue and emotions of every descrip- 
 tion without showing any change. 
 
 An apartment with but one window in it 
 communicated with the dressing cabinet 
 and the bedroom. It was divided by a 
 partition which was decorated with paintings 
 
THE OEATOET. 165 
 
 on a gold background. (The Empress's 
 private oratory was hidden in this room.) 
 Here the Empress often heard Mass and 
 performed her devotions, being almost 
 always alone in her prayers. It was here, 
 too, that the Abbe Deguerry prepared the 
 Prince Imperial for his first communion, 
 and here for the last time, at seven o'clock 
 in the morning of September 4, 1870, the 
 Empress Eugenie heard Mass at the 
 Tuileries. It was from this small chapel, 
 and out of the deepest recesses of the 
 lacerated heart of the lady sovereign 
 exposed to the blind fury of an excited 
 mob, that there rose that prayer which 
 must have reached the throne of God as it 
 soared upward from that royal Palace, that 
 had been the witness of so much greatness, 
 so much mourning, and so many over- 
 whelming defeats. 
 
 Since the time of Marie- Antoinette, the 
 daughter of Marie-Therese, that young 
 Archduchess who was considered one of the 
 finest ornaments of the Imperial Crown of 
 Austria, and who was saluted on her arrival 
 
166 A FATAL PALACE. 
 
 in France by a whole nation smitten with 
 her youthful beauty, but whose misfortunes 
 commenced on the very day she first wore 
 the royal diadem — since that time, what a 
 series of misfortunes have pursued those 
 who, once beautiful, happy, and beloved, 
 have stepped over the threshold of that 
 fatal Palace ! 
 
 After Marie-Antoinette, did not the 
 Empress Josephine, the heroine of one of 
 the most beautiful romances of love and 
 glory that the world has imagined, quit this 
 Palace where she had seen the world at her 
 feet, with her heart broken by her husband's 
 cruel desertion ? 
 
 Another Archduchess fills her place — 
 Marie-Louise. She also crosses the threshold 
 of the Tuileries, becomes a mother, and is 
 then driven out to die with her son, in exile. 
 
 The Princess Caroline of Naples, Duchess 
 de Berry, that frail and graceful dauphiness 
 who conducted a troop of heroes into 
 Vendee, saw in the course of a few years 
 her husband perish by the assassin's knife, 
 and her son despoiled of his rights. 
 
A FATAL PALACE. 167 
 
 The Princess Helene de Mecklembourg, 
 Duchess of Orleans, became the widow, at 
 thirty, of an idolized husband who died a 
 miserable death parce qu'unpostillon n'apas 
 sa guide en main, as Alfred de Musset says 
 in one of his poetical rhapsodies, being 
 driven away to train up her two young 
 children in exile. 
 
 Even the white hair of Queen Marie- 
 Amelie does not shield her from this im- 
 placable fate. Her brow adorned with the 
 virtues of a sovereign and an amiable 
 mother, she seemed, more than any other 
 one, destined to die on the throne. At the 
 age of seventy she is hunted from her 
 country. In her exile at Claremont she 
 becomes the support of her dejected hus- 
 band, and her tenderness surrounded the 
 last years of King Louis-Philippe with 
 every consolation that a delicate and a 
 Christian soul knows how to impart. 
 
 Finally, the Empress Eugenie ! Not even 
 the tears shed by all these princesses had 
 been sufficient. The mysterious spirit of 
 Catherine de Medicis seemed to have fixed 
 
168 THE BEDROOM. 
 
 a strange fatality to the very stones of this 
 Palace. For, as is well known, the Tuileries 
 were entirely destroyed, and nothing — not 
 a trace — now remains of this chef-d'oeuvre 
 of both Jean Bullant and Philibert Delorme. 
 
 The bedroom of the Empress was truly 
 a royal chamber — une chambre d'apparat. 
 The bed, draped with rich material and 
 raised on a stage, seemed rather to be 
 adapted for the filing past of visitors on 
 the birth of a King's son, than a place of 
 repose, and, as a fact, it was certainly not 
 so comfortable to sleep in as between the 
 curtains of a simple bedstead. 
 
 Here one might see the golden rose, sent 
 by the sovereign Pontiff, Pius IX., to the 
 Empress on the day of the Prince Imperial's 
 baptism, and to whom he was godfather, 
 the Queen of Sweden being godmother. In 
 a golden vase was placed a tall bouquet, 
 similar to those on altars, composed of 
 flowers and leaves beautifully carved. 
 Numerous indulgences belonged to this 
 symbolical and consecrated gift, which the 
 sovereign Pontiff was accustomed to send 
 
169 
 
 to his godsons as a souvenir of their 
 baptism. 
 
 Every Palm- Sunday the Empress re- 
 ceived a palm, consecrated by the Holy 
 Father, and which was always placed on 
 her pillow. 
 
 In his " Souvenirs d'un officier d'ordon- 
 nance" M. d'Herisson speaks of the apart- 
 ments of the Empress, which he passed 
 through very rapidly, and of which he has 
 not preserved a very flattering recollection. 
 
 On the 4th of September these apart- 
 ments, as on all occasions in the absence of 
 the Empress, were covered in Persian lilac 
 tapestry, to preserve the freshness of the 
 materials. The paintings and objects of 
 art were also covered, and every valued 
 object removed. 
 
 When war was declared the Imperial 
 Court was at Saint-Cloud, and the Em- 
 peror departed from there. The Empress, 
 however, on learning the news of the first 
 disaster, returned hurriedly to the Tuileries, 
 but did not trouble to have the coverings 
 removed. 
 
170 THE EMPEESS'S DRESS. 
 
 Monsieur d'Herisson, therefore, could 
 have only seen a set of rooms, bearing a 
 cold and uncomfortable appearance, the 
 furniture covered with old-fashioned Persian 
 linen, which was chosen glossy in order to 
 keep out the dust. 
 
 Above the Empress's apartments there 
 were small and very low entresols, over- 
 looking the garden, and which looked very 
 peculiar, with their little square windows 
 like so many loopboles above the elegant 
 colonnade of the Palace. These formed 
 the apartments of Madame Pollet and the 
 ladies on duty. 
 
 The gout of the Empress for luxury and 
 toilette has often been the subject of much 
 passionate exaggeration. Luxury is the 
 necessary appendage of sovereigns ; tastes 
 in toilette the privilege of handsome and 
 intelligent women. Elegance of dress is 
 the first element in the consideration of a 
 woman's appearance ; and should a few 
 persons find fault with a sovereign about 
 the variety and luxury of her attire, by far 
 the greater number would complain of that 
 
THE EMPEESS's DEESS. 171 
 
 parure which failed to correspond with the 
 tastes and requirements of our times. 
 
 In effect, the comforts of the poor have 
 their birth in the luxury of the rich. That 
 is an axiom well recognized in the laws of 
 modern economy, and is the veritable impbt 
 somptuaire. Even in the days of Saint- 
 Cloud princes have encouraged pageantry 
 in order to increase industry, and to furnish 
 labour for a large portion of the artizans. 
 There is a wide difference between these 
 views and the statements that the Empress 
 never wears the same dress twice, that each 
 day sees the birth of some new fancy, and 
 that her time is spent in frivolity. 
 
 Whether at the Tuileries or any other 
 residence, the Empress was always dressed 
 plainly, much more so than is the case in 
 our days with very many young women in 
 a far less exalted station. She was almost 
 always attired in plain black faille. 
 
 When driving into Paris the Empress 
 always put on a very elegant mantle and a 
 well-fitting and very becoming hat ; and 
 those who saw her pass in the beautiful Court 
 
172 PECULIAR FASHIONS. 
 
 equipage drawn by four horses mounted by 
 jockeys in perfect style, and preceded by 
 an outrider wearing the Imperial livery, 
 might think that she was richly adorned ; 
 but to richness of costume she far preferred, 
 like every sensible woman, to be dressed in 
 a manner suitable and convenient. 
 
 At the commencement of the Empire 
 the fashion was very peculiar. Modern 
 ladies of fashion who dress their slim bodies 
 with skirts narrowly draped would tremble 
 with horror if they had to appear in such 
 finery as was then in vogue, and which was 
 supported by a kind of frame with pliable 
 steel springs, the size of which would 
 scarcely admit of three women to be seated 
 or to stand in a boudoir of a small house at 
 the same time. 
 
 All this was very cleverly arranged, how- 
 ever, and the drapery was bordered with 
 fringes, quillings, lace, plaits, and terminated 
 in long trains which it was very difficult to 
 manage in the middle of a crowded salon. 
 It was a mixture of all styles ; they fixed 
 the drapery a la grecque on wide Louis 
 
"la gkace mondaine." 173 
 
 XVI. jpaniers, with amazonian basquine (a 
 Spanish petticoat) de la Fronde, and sus- 
 pended sleeves of the Renaissance. It was 
 perhaps more difficult then to appear well 
 dressed than it is now, and that harmony 
 which springs from the gracefulness of the 
 figure and the habit of observation was 
 absolutely essential, or the charm would 
 vanish. What was then called la grace 
 mondaine, but now no longer spoken of, 
 formed an absolute barrier between the 
 different classes of society. 
 
 From their infancy young girls of good 
 birth were taught a certain elegance in 
 their walk, a certain reserve in their atti- 
 tudes and in their tone, which removed all 
 traces of vulgarity and created what is 
 called I 'elegance de race. 
 
 Female skill would indeed have had to be 
 great in order to devise any advantage from 
 such peculiar fashions. To walk with so 
 immense a paraphernalia around one was 
 not very easy ; and the narrow bust, placed 
 in the centre of this volume of material, 
 appeared to be detached from the rest of 
 
174 IMPOSSIBLE COSTUMES. 
 
 the body altogether. To he able to sit so 
 as not to cause the rebellious springs to fly 
 open, required a miracle of precision. To 
 ascend a carriage without rumpling such 
 light texture, at a time when the evening 
 toilettes were made of tulle and lace, 
 required a great deal of time, much quiet- 
 ness on the part of the horses, and much 
 patience on the part of fathers and hus- 
 bands, whose complaisance was put to an 
 enormous test, compelled as they were to 
 remain motionless in the midst of these 
 nuages fragiles. 
 
 Among other problems to be solved were : 
 How to travel ? How to lie down ? How 
 to rock one's children ? And even how to 
 take hold of their hands when out for a 
 walk? 
 
 About this period the offering of one's 
 arm to a lady, either in the salons or when 
 accompanying her in the street, was quite 
 out of fashion. 
 
 The hats were like high pyramids, taper- 
 ing to the top with flowers and fruits which 
 loaded and enlarged the head excessively. 
 
W0KTH. 175 
 
 This style tyrannized over a whole generation 
 until at last the ladies found a deliverer in 
 Worth, who introduced the crinoline ; and, 
 since then, every lady and every peasantess 
 alike has offered this tvorth-j man her 
 tribute. 
 
 We owe to the artistic taste of this great 
 milliner, and to his intuition for aesthetic 
 elegance, the revival of grace in dress. He 
 modified the volume of the skirts, he 
 rendered the materials more flexible, and 
 he always designed — roughly at first, it is 
 true — for the body so as to allow it 
 greater freedom; and, when in 1864 I 
 arrived at the Court, scarcely any hoops 
 were worn, whilst the round and narrow 
 skirts permitted one to go out without 
 causing any obstruction in the streets or 
 catastrophes in the apartments. 
 
 Madame Virot also transformed the hats. 
 First she set the neck at liberty by sup- 
 pressing the bavelot, a stiff and contracted 
 head-gear, which fell on, and cramped, the 
 neck and shoulders ; and then the hats 
 gave place to capotes a brides, a kind of 
 
176 W0BTH. 
 
 flattened hood, which very prettily encircled 
 the face, and at the same time allowed the 
 hair to be seen. 
 
 It may not be known to all that "Worth 
 and Madame Virot often collaborated with 
 great artists, and in the beautiful portraits 
 and busts of the period one recognizes their 
 taste intermingled with the inspiration of 
 the masters ; and they, no doubt as regards 
 dress, will have contributed to charm many 
 generations. 
 
 Young and handsome faces have sung the 
 praises of the triumph of the round crowns 
 bedecked with flowers ; ladies of mature 
 age crowning themselves with vine-branches 
 and jewellery preserve une etemelle jeunesse 
 du cceur. This reminds me that I had the 
 pleasure, on the night of a great ball, to see 
 Countess de Wagner dressed in a white 
 tulle robe with large red bows and coiffured, 
 like Orphelie, with a crown of white roses. 
 She was seventy-two years of age, and 
 beamed with pleasure ; but the Empress 
 was greatly annoyed, and avoided speaking 
 to her the whole of the evening. 
 
THE EMPKESs's DKESS. 177 
 
 Twice a year the Empress renewed the 
 greater part of her robes, giving the dis- 
 carded ones to her ladies. This was a great 
 source of profit to them, because they sold 
 them generally to people in America and 
 elsewhere, where it is customary to lend 
 toilettes on hire. 
 
 The Empress, with the assistance of a 
 costumier who lived at the Tuileries, used 
 often to carry out, according to her ideas, 
 some of the most appropriate and most 
 successful dresses. At each change of 
 season the Empress received her purveyors, 
 who brought her materials and models ; 
 she selected the number of dresses that 
 she thought she would require, tried 
 them on, and troubled no farther about 
 them. 
 
 The Empress appeared every evening 
 decolletee for dinner, and in the winter, 
 when they were a small party, she wore a 
 long robe of sombre velvet or smooth white 
 satin, with some jewellery, amid which 
 might be seen the trefoil of emeralds and 
 diamonds, her present from the Emperor. 
 
 12 
 
178 THE LITTLE SHOES. 
 
 She liked this simplicity of style, and it 
 suited her better than all. 
 
 But the raison de VEtat pursued the 
 sovereigns even in their attire, and the 
 Empress often wore thick material of Lyons 
 manufacture in order to encourage com- 
 merce in silks, passementeries, and lace, 
 thus leading fashions to feed the different 
 industries. These were what the Empress 
 used to call her "political toilettes." 
 
 The Empress had a particularly small 
 foot, and her hose, when she had dispensed 
 with them, would only do for a child. They 
 were geuerally sent to the Eugene-Napoleon 
 Home, where the Empress had trained at 
 her own expense three hundred orphans, 
 selected from the poor children of Paris, 
 and where the tiny white shoes of the 
 sovereign served as finery for the little 
 protegees when they took their first com- 
 munion. 
 
 The town of Paris had offered the 
 Empress, on her marriage, a necklace of 
 great value. However, in conformity with 
 her generous disposition, the Empress 
 
THE EUGENE-NAPOLEON HOME. 179 
 
 refused the necklace, but requested that the 
 value of it should be consecrated to some 
 useful work for the Parisian population. It 
 was thus the Eugene-Napoleon Home was 
 founded by the Empress. But with her 
 usual delicacy of thought, and in order to 
 perpetuate this souvenir, she desired the 
 architect who had charge of the execution 
 of the building to give it the form of this 
 very necklace. Afterwards, the Empress 
 personally interested herself in this home, 
 which was admirably managed by nuns. 
 The children, who lived there in every 
 comfort, received a certain amount of in- 
 struction, and each one, following its bent, 
 was taught some manual occupation. 
 
 Some embroidered in silk and gold ; 
 others made artificial flowers, or drew in 
 pencil; the less gifted learning sowing or 
 ironing. All were instructed in the 
 principles of the management of modest 
 homes ; and when twenty years of age 
 they received a complete trousseau, which 
 they themselves had worked, and a small 
 dowry which would enable them to marry 
 
180 CHAE1TT. 
 
 or to take up a business of their own 
 choosing. 
 
 The Empress maintained this home at 
 her own expense : she had even effected a 
 life insurance for two millions aud a half 
 francs, so that after her death there might 
 be the necessary resources to continue this 
 useful work. The Mother Superior, an 
 intelligent and distinguished woman, often 
 went to see the Empress, and kept her au 
 eourant with everything. 
 
 The Empress frequently visited the 
 orphans ; and sometimes, as a great reward 
 for good behaviour, some of them were 
 permitted to come to the Tuileries to assist 
 in sewing. 
 
 At the time of the legislative elections in 
 1869 the Empress asked to be informed, in 
 course of conversation with the Mother 
 Superior, of the dispositions of the people 
 of the suburb Saint -Antoine (where the 
 home was situated, and to which a large 
 proportion of the children of this quarter of 
 Paris used to go), and how they intended to 
 vote. But the good nun had no political 
 
THE MOTHER STJPEBIOB. 181 
 
 ideas, and had never ' read a newspaper. 
 When she quitted the Tuileries, being 
 greatly perplexed at what the Empress had 
 asked her, she reflected as to the manner 
 in which she could enlighten her Majesty. 
 She had some vague notion that an enemy 
 of the Emperor might be elected. She 
 therefore decided, although contrary to the 
 rules of her order, to buy a newspaper-. 
 She had scarcely glanced at it, when she 
 hastened back again to the Tuileries, in the 
 greatest state of agitation, insisting to see 
 the Empress, immediately, on urgent busi- 
 ness. 
 
 The poor woman had bought M. Eoche- 
 fort's newspaper, and reading in it a most 
 violent article, inspired by electoral circum- 
 stances, thought she had discovered a plot 
 against the Emperor. 
 
 During the siege of Paris all these 
 children were employed to sew earth-bags 
 for the fortifications ; when the Commune 
 assumed the reins of government, the nuns, 
 who up to that time had retained the 
 children, were visited by delegates from the 
 
182 A PECULIAE LADY. 
 
 government of the Defense nationale, and 
 ordered to leave the home ; and not all 
 their supplications could ohtain any further 
 concession than to be able to take with 
 them the youngest pupils, the communards 
 desiring to keep the others among them. 
 
 Soon after the entrance of the troops 
 into Paris the Mother Superior hastened 
 to the Eugene-Napoleon Home to see what 
 had become of the children. Some dead- 
 drunk insurgents had slept pele-mele in 
 every room with these unfortunate little 
 ones whom they had detained, and the 
 greater part of whom had contracted most 
 horrible diseases. The nuns returned, 
 collected their poor orphans together, took 
 care of them, and restored them to health 
 again. Some of them, mere children as 
 they were, afterwards became mothers. 
 
 Returning to the Court. 
 
 Madame Pollet, who possessed a peculiar 
 individuality, was supposed to exercise some 
 occult influence there. She was blindly 
 devoted to the Empress, having, when quite 
 young, served her Majesty in Spain. She 
 
HEB TIMIDKESS. 183 
 
 never left her, and married, thanks to the 
 kindness of the Empress, an infantry officer, 
 M. Pollet, who rose from the ranks. On 
 her wedding-day she received the title 
 of Treasurer to the Empress. She was a 
 small, pale, and delicate woman, who lived 
 a very regular life, but always believed that 
 she was dying. She was the only Spanish 
 person who attended on the Empress, and 
 she spoke French in such a strange manner 
 that it was necessary to become accustomed 
 to it in order to understand her. 
 
 She was keen and cunning without being 
 intelligent, yet, notwithstanding her very 
 modest origin, she was in no way vulgar, 
 and always knew how to attend to her own 
 interests. 
 
 Her length of service might in a measure 
 afford an excuse for her irritability in regard 
 to her position towards the Empress, 
 who, however, often reproved her for her 
 temper. 
 
 She was the most timid and the weakest- 
 minded person I have ever known. Al- 
 though a room might be well lighted and 
 
184 " BEHIND THE CUKTAIN." 
 
 many people in it, it would be quite suffi- 
 cient to say to her at night, " The curtain 
 moves," in order to see her turn pale and 
 begin to tremble ; until the Empress would 
 add : " Let us see, Pepa, what there is 
 behind the curtain." Then she would 
 hesitate for some time, and would not move 
 the curtain without showing signs of real 
 fear, which greatly amused the Empress. 
 She had a great horror of revolutions, and 
 always dreamt of murders and pillage. 
 However, I believe she would have sacri- 
 ficed her life without any hesitation on a 
 word from the Empress, who loved to have 
 her near her. 
 
 She kept her Majesty's private account, 
 and she was en rapport with all the pur- 
 veyors, and had the full control of the 
 service of the ladies, whom, however, she 
 sometimes treated very rudely ; but, being 
 in a constant state of uneasiness and agita- 
 tion, she was harsher in her words and 
 actions than in her heart. However, the 
 gentleness of the Empress, who always spoke 
 kindly to them, and took much interest in 
 
THE PERSONAL JEWELS. 185 
 
 them, always consoled them for any harsh- 
 ness on the part of Madame Pollet. 
 
 She always assisted the Empress at her 
 toilette, took her orders, and guarded her 
 Majesty's personal jewellery ; but the Crown 
 jewels were only worn on state occasions, 
 and were deposited with the chief treasurer, 
 M. Bure, who brought them when required. 
 
 The personal jewels of the Empress con- 
 sisted of a casket of the greatest value. 
 Among others there were some magnificent 
 earrings, shaped like large pears, in 
 diamonds, which originally belonged to 
 Queen Marie - Antoinette, the Emperor 
 obtaining possession of them on his mar- 
 riage, together with a necklace of most 
 valuable pearls, a necklace of brilliants, 
 crowns, and others. The Empress also 
 possessed other large and very handsome 
 pearls, which were family relics, some of 
 which she wore in the evening. Madame 
 Pollet also took charge of laces, dresses, 
 and, in a word, all the Empress's personal 
 belongings. Everything was superintended 
 with great care and order ; in fact, with so 
 
186 "la main de justice." 
 
 much order that it was impossible some- 
 times to find what was wanted. 
 
 During the time that Cabanel was occu- 
 pied in painting the Emperor's portrait, 
 which is so perfectly life-like, and which is 
 the best one of him that is extant, he 
 worked at the Tuileries, in a large atelier, 
 especially provided for those artists engaged 
 in painting portraits of the sovereigns. The 
 Emperor posed in black, wearing the grand 
 ribbon of the Legion d'honneur across his 
 black coat, with breeches and black silk 
 stockings. Cabanel wishing to add the 
 royal symbols to his painting, the Empress 
 told him to go to Madame Pollet for any 
 necessary accessories ; so he wrote to her 
 asking for the main de justice, which was to 
 form one of the figures with the sceptre 
 and the crown. This letter greatly agitated 
 her. 
 
 " He asks for la main de justice ! " cried 
 she, in her queer accent. " No, no, I will 
 not give him la main de justice." 
 
 Then, cooling down a little, she added : 
 " What is this main de justice ? " 
 
FLATTEEEES. 187 
 
 I explained to her that it was an orna- 
 mental insignia. She then confessed that 
 she had thought it was some important 
 object connected with the law. 
 
 It would be an error to imagine that 
 Madame Pollet exercised any great in- 
 fluence over her Majesty ; but society 
 personages, holding high functions, used 
 positively to pay her Court. Ministers' 
 wives, generals, and diplomatists used to 
 offer her every attention and make her 
 presents. She accepted them in the same 
 way that she willingly accepted the presents 
 of purveyors, who loaded her with them. 
 But her influence was powerless, and as her 
 only desire was to please the Empress, who 
 always kept her in her place, she was very 
 careful not to mention any of these matters 
 to her. 
 
 Seeing herself surrounded and addressed 
 in a very familiar way by certain persons 
 holding high positions, she had for a long 
 time entertained the secret desire of being 
 admitted to an official presentation. But 
 the Empress would not encourage it. 
 
188 THE MISSES BATLE. 
 
 However, Monsieur Pollet, who was a brave 
 officer, having been gazetted colonel in 
 1869, she was present at a few grand fetes 
 — as the wife of a colonel. 
 
 Her husband died suddenly about the 
 time of the Prussian war, and she followed 
 the Empress into England. The poor 
 woman imagined ever afterwards that every- 
 body coming from France was bringing 
 news of the Eestoration. The climate of 
 England did not agree with her, she 
 returned to Paris to recoup her health, but 
 died there almost deserted, and, with the 
 exception of a few servants of the chateau, 
 none of those who used to flock around her 
 at the Tuileries attended her interment. 
 She never had any children, but left a 
 handsome fortune to a sister and a niece 
 who lived in Spain. 
 
 Besides Madame Pollet, the Empress 
 had in attendance on her two ladies of the 
 bedchamber, Miss Esther and Miss Maria 
 Bayle, who were specially delegated to her 
 personal service. They were sisters, and 
 very well educated, very devoted and very 
 
ESTHEE BAYLE. 189 
 
 comme il faut. Their father, formerly 
 gaoler at Ham, was very attentive to 
 the Emperor during his captivity. The 
 Emperor was very interested in them, and 
 appointed them to the service of the 
 Empress on her marriage. 
 
 The younger one contracted a very un- 
 fortunate marriage, and is now dead, having 
 left several children. The elder, Miss 
 Esther, who was a woman of great merit, 
 undertook the education of her nephews, 
 and after the war she married Monsieur 
 Thelin, who was appointed Treasurer to the 
 Emperor on the death of Monsieur Bure. 
 
 The Empress had herself been interested 
 in the marriage, for Monsieur Thelin had a 
 small fortune, and was old and of feeble 
 health. By inducing him to marry Miss 
 Esther, who was no longer young, but was 
 an intelligent woman and of approved 
 character, the Empress hoped to secure a 
 happy close of life to an old and faithful 
 servant of the Emperor. 
 
 Monsieur Tbelin was with the Emperor 
 during his captivity at Ham. It was he 
 
190 THE ESCAPE FEOM HAM. 
 
 who had organized the Emperor's escape, 
 exposing himself with much self-denial to 
 the consequences that might result from 
 the attempt. 
 
 I have heard the Emperor himself 
 willingly relate the details of his escape. 
 He was closely watched, and Monsieur 
 Thelin was the only one of those around 
 him who could, from time to time, continue 
 to obtain for the Emperor any necessaries 
 from outside his prison ; and, in spite of 
 his always being watched, he had the tact 
 and prudence to be able to arrange every- 
 thing for the Emperor's escape. 
 
 Profiting by some repairs that were 
 being executed in the fortress, one of the 
 masons had been won over, who gave his 
 clothes up to Monsieur Thelin, who, in his 
 turn, brought them to the Emperor. The 
 change of clothes being quickly effected, 
 the Emperor, placing a plank on his 
 shoulder, which concealed part of his face, 
 left the fortress unseen. 
 
 "I felt such confidence in my trans- 
 formation," related the Emperor, " that I 
 
DE. CONNEAU. 191 
 
 did not experience the slightest emotion 
 when passing the different sentinels. How- 
 ever, before arriving at the last one, the 
 pipe I was carrying fell at my feet. This 
 made me wince a little, but I soon re- 
 membered that to leave it there would be 
 fatal, as the masons were strictly forbidden 
 to leave their pipes in the yard ; so I stooped 
 and picked it up quietly." 
 
 Monsieur Thelin was waiting at the 
 appointed place with a post-chaise, and the 
 Emperor, who had effected a great change 
 in his person by cutting his moustache, 
 rapidly putting on a cloak and a hat, was 
 driven to the frontier. This took place 
 at seven o'clock in the morning, during 
 which time Dr. Conneau, who was also 
 in captivity at Ham, remained in the 
 Emperor's room, suffering very much, he 
 said, with a chronic headache, for which he 
 was taking a little rest after a very bad 
 night. 
 
 The governor had received very rigid 
 instructions, and it was his duty to certify 
 personally that the Emperor was secure, 
 
192 THE PBINCE GONE ! 
 
 and with this object in view he had several 
 times come to the chamber. Dr. Conneau, 
 when he came, only half opened the door, 
 and showed him, at the further end of the 
 dark room, the soi-disant Prince lying on 
 his couch, at the same time informing the 
 governor that he had just taken his 
 medicine. It was only a bolster, skilfully 
 arranged by the doctor, that occupied the 
 Emperor's bed, and, to make the affair 
 appear more real, he had himself taken the 
 medicine. 
 
 At last, at one o'clock in the afternoon, 
 thinking the fugitive had made good his 
 escape, the doctor decided to confess every- 
 thing to the Governor, who naturally 
 became uneasy at such a long sleep, and 
 now insisted on entering. 
 
 " The Prince has gone," said Dr. 
 Conneau. "Don't trouble about looking 
 for him, and were he not in safety I would 
 tell you nothing. Do what you like with me. ' ' 
 
 The Emperor had crossed the Belgian 
 frontier, and from there sailed to America. 
 
 The mason who assisted the escape of 
 
193 
 
 the Emperor by lending his clothes was 
 named Badinguet. He was taught his 
 trade by his father, an old soldier of the 
 grand army, and who was in the culte de la 
 legende napoleonienne. The Emperor used 
 to jest about this man's name, which he 
 knew was sometimes used by his adver- 
 saries as a term of reproach, but of the 
 origin of which they were for a long time 
 ignorant. 
 
 "I am not offended by being so called," 
 said the Emperor, smiling. " It is not the 
 name of a prince, but it is the name of a 
 brave man, who has rendered me a great 
 service." 
 
 On learning the escape of the Emperor, 
 the commander's wife, thinking that her 
 husband's position was very much com- 
 promised, wept very bitterly. 
 
 "How could he dream of escaping," said 
 she, " when I used to send him such good 
 broth ! " 
 
 She had, in fact, paid every attention to 
 the Prince, whose health was very in- 
 different during his captivity. 
 
 13 
 
194 FOE THE FIRST TIME. 
 
 On the day that Prince Louis Napoleon 
 was declared Life President, the old com- 
 mander of Ham was in a regiment stationed 
 at Ham. He received orders to present 
 himself in Paris immediately. Feeling 
 very uncomfortable at such an unexpected 
 order, his wife accompanied him. The 
 Prince received them affectionately, and 
 announced to him that he was about to 
 name him Governor of the Palace of Saint- 
 Cloud. 
 
 " You guarded me so well at Ham," said 
 he to him, " that you will guard me equally 
 well at Saint-Cloud." Then, turning to 
 the lady: " I hope, Madame, that you will 
 no longer regret having made me good 
 broth." 
 
 It is worthy of remark at this place 
 that, by a very strange coincidence, the 
 Empress saw the Emperor for the first time 
 in 1840, not long after the Strasbourg 
 escapade. 
 
 The Countess de Montijo and her 
 daughters were in Paris at this time. One 
 day they paid a visit to Madame Delessert, 
 
AN EXTEAOBDINAEY BENCONTKE. 195 
 
 the wife of the Prefet de police, who re- 
 sided at the Prefecture with her family. 
 
 It was at the time of the arrest of the 
 Prince, who was brought very hastily to the 
 Prefecture de police in Paris. 
 
 Madame Delessert, having been informed 
 previously of this event, placed Madame de 
 Montijo and her daughters at a window 
 where they could see the Prince, who was 
 escorted by a very tall officer of the gen- 
 darmerie. 
 
 The Prince looked like a man who had 
 passed several nights without sleep, not 
 having had time to make a change of linen. 
 
 At the time of this extraordinary ren- 
 contre the Empress was scarcely fourteen 
 years of age. 
 
 Who could have then foreseen that this 
 prisoner and this child were destined to 
 reign over our grand country ? 
 
 He left Paris the same day, accompanied 
 by this same officer, who showed him great 
 respect. 
 
 Seeing that the Prince was in want of 
 linen, this officer of gendarmerie offered 
 
196 A LOCK OF HAIR. 
 
 him one of his shirts, which was so long 
 and large that the Emperor was quite lost 
 in it, and notwithstanding the critical 
 position he was in, this incident amused 
 him very much. 
 
 When the officer was about to leave him 
 the Prince wished to recognize in some way 
 his great attentions. Not knowing exactly 
 how to do so, he said — 
 
 " I have nothing that I can give you as a 
 souvenir except this lock of my hair. It is 
 the kind of gift that is generally only given 
 to a mistress ; but keep it in remembrance 
 of me. Perhaps it will bring you happi- 
 ness." 
 
 The Prince did not forget him, and, as 
 soon as he was in power again, he appointed 
 him governor of the Palais de Ely see. 
 
CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 Dinner at the Tuileries— The Negro— The salon de Louis 
 XIV. — How the Evenings were Spent — Illness of the 
 Prince Imperial— Miss Shaw— Louib Conneau — The 
 Disposition and Character of the Child-Prince — His 
 Nurse — B^gnier's Mysterious Mission. 
 
 The dinner was served at the Tuileries at 
 half-past seven. All those who belonged 
 to the service d'honneur assembled in the 
 salon d'Apollon, opposite the blue and 
 rose salon of the Empress. It was a very- 
 magnificent room, and very large, and 
 decorated with mythological paintings. 
 The panel of the background represented 
 Apollo on Mount Olympus surrounded by 
 the Muses. On the gilt of the ceiling, 
 which was very lofty, one might see the 
 Chariot of the Sun and other objects 
 emblematical of the god of Day and the 
 Fine Arts. 
 
198 THE SALON D'APOLLON. 
 
 The room was brightly lit by three large 
 lustres with candles in them (which were 
 lighted every evening), torches, and lamps. 
 
 The salon d'Apollon was situated between 
 the white salon or salon of the first Consul, 
 so called on account of the decorations 
 and portrait of General Buonaparte which 
 were placed there, and the throne-room, 
 which it was necessary to cross in order 
 to enter the salon of Louis XIV., in which 
 the repast was served. 
 
 The furniture of this room was in gilt 
 wood of Louis XIV. 's time, and, like the 
 curtains, was of red and white lampas. 
 Magnificent consoles, a grand piano, a large 
 oblong table surrounded by small chairs, 
 and some modern furniture covered with 
 various materials, completed the furnishing 
 of the room. The centre of the floor was 
 occupied by a large round couch, a kind 
 of pouff, which supported a jardiniere of 
 flowers. Very often in the evening the 
 Prince Imperial and his little friends used 
 to utilize this pouff as a seat during their 
 pastimes. 
 
THE PBINOE IMPEKIA1. 
 
BMBAEBASSMENT. 201 
 
 The persons on duty each day were : the 
 two ladies of the Palace, a general officer, 
 aide-de-camp to the Emperor (perchance 
 the Emperor might have a few colonels 
 as aide-de-camp, but only temporarily) ; 
 the Emperor and Empress's chamberlains, 
 their equerries ; the Prefect of the Palace ; 
 and two orderly officers, chosen from the 
 most distinguished officers of the different 
 army corps. These officers were always 
 selected according to their reports, unless 
 the Emperor knew them personally, and 
 after passing two or three years in the 
 Emperor's house they quitted it, with 
 a higher title, to return to their regi- 
 ments. 
 
 An invitation to dine with the Emperor 
 was given every day to the officers on 
 duty — that is, who commanded the guard 
 at the Tuileries. As the garrison of Paris 
 was a numerous one, the same officer was 
 but rarely seen at the table. Being ad- 
 mitted into such close intimacy with their 
 sovereigns, the officers were sometimes 
 greatly embarrassed, not being acquainted 
 
202 GENEBAL ROLIN. 
 
 with any one present. Their Majesties, 
 however, conversed with them very freely 
 and kindly. 
 
 General Kolin, adjutant-general of the 
 Palace, always sat directly opposite the 
 Emperor ; and it was he who directed, 
 controlled, and superintended everything 
 pertaining to the service of the Palace. 
 He occupied the ground-floor of the pavilion 
 de Marsan, overlooking the Rue de Rivoli. 
 
 The Emperor would go into the Empress's 
 apartment a little before half-past seven, 
 and they always entered the salon to- 
 gether, accompanied by the Prince Imperial, 
 who had been permitted to dine with the 
 Emperor from the age of eight. He gener- 
 ally held the Emperor's hand. On entering 
 the salon the Empress always saluted those 
 present with a smiling and royal grace, 
 just as she would do on the occasion of an 
 official ceremony. 
 
 On the dinner being announced the 
 Prefect of the Palace advanced towards 
 the Emperor and bowed silently. The 
 Emperor then gave his arm to the Empress, 
 
THIRTEEN AT TABLE. 203 
 
 the aide-de-camp and the chamberlains 
 offering theirs to the ladies of the Palace, 
 and the Prefect of the Palace preceding 
 the Emperor ; in this order they passed on 
 towards the tables. 
 
 At table their Majesties sat next to each 
 other; the Prince Imperial being on the 
 left of the Emperor, and the aide-de-camp 
 of the Emperor on the left of the Empress, 
 the principal lady of the Palace on the 
 right of General Bolin, opposite the Em- 
 peror. I sat on the other side of the 
 General, and the rest of the guests placed 
 themselves as they pleased. 
 
 Before I came to the Palace they used 
 to sit thirteen at the table ; but on my 
 arrival more than one superstitious mind 
 congratulated themselves that the fatal 
 number was no longer to be dreaded. The 
 table was ornamented by a silver epergne 
 garnished with flowers ; large silver can- 
 delabra, and elegant chalices, also filled 
 with flowers. We ate out of flat dishes, 
 the borders of the plates being guilloches 
 (a network, engine-turned), and bearing 
 
204 THE SERVICE. 
 
 the Imperial arms. The greater part of 
 this service was in ruolz. 
 
 The Empress was of the opinion that 
 many wonderful productions of the gold- 
 smith's craft would have escaped destruc- 
 tion if they had not heen made of precious 
 metal, which in times of distress would 
 naturally be coined into money. 
 
 At great state-dinners the beautiful ser- 
 vice of vermilion was always used, the 
 exquisitely charming dessert service being 
 of ancient Sevres. 
 
 The repast was superb and delicate. On 
 the table there were generally some straw- 
 berries, peaches, and green peas from the 
 greenhouses of Versailles. 
 
 There were four double services, that is, 
 two soups, two releves, four entrees, two 
 roasts, &c. ; and the wine was of the best 
 brand, and served with a promptitude and 
 order that greatly won the admiration of 
 foreign potentates. Even at the most 
 numerously-attended repast we never re- 
 mained at table longer than three-quarters 
 of an hour. 
 
SCANDEB. 205 
 
 Monsieur Dupuis, chief cook, directed 
 everything, and was dressed in black. 
 
 Behind the Emperor stood one of the 
 ushers, and one behind the Prince Im- 
 perial. They wore chestnut-coloured coats 
 a la Frangaise. Behind the Empress there 
 stood, in addition to Monsieur Bignet, her 
 chief usher, a young negro as dark as 
 ebony, Scander by name, who was brought 
 from Egypt, and who, superbly dressed 
 after the manner of negroes as seen in a 
 painting of a wedding by Cana de Paul 
 Veronese, added a very ornamental effect 
 to the ceremony. He presented the plates 
 to the Empress with an air of Eastern 
 haughtiness, as if he were fulfilling some 
 very distinguished function. He used to 
 boast of his descent, and furthermore re- 
 fused to obey any one but her Majesty. 
 
 He was very idle, and was with difficulty 
 trained to submit to discipline. One day 
 when he was lounging about the public 
 gardens of the Tuileries he amused himself 
 by following a gentleman whom he did 
 not know, and imitating his walk and 
 
206 SCANDEB. 
 
 gesture. When the gentleman perceived 
 him doing this he requested him to desist. 
 But Scander, far from taking any notice, 
 kicked the gentleman on an unmentionable 
 part, who thereupon seized tho black by 
 the ear and administered a good sound 
 thrashing with his cane. Scander became 
 very furious, but, being a great coward, 
 contented himself with screaming like an 
 eagle. 
 
 "I am the Empress's son," said he; 
 " leave me alone or I will have you 
 hanged." 
 
 At last some keepers who knew him 
 came to the rescue, and he was taken back 
 to the Tuileries in a very pitiable plight. 
 He never expected the punishment he re- 
 ceived, and it was with difficulty that he 
 could be prevailed upon to apologize. 
 
 Among the cooking officials who prepared 
 the service for the Emperor's table, there 
 was one named Santon, a very worthy man, 
 who was compelled to quit the house under 
 very painful circumstances. 
 
 Some leading articles in the newspapers 
 
M. SANTON. 207 
 
 were observed to misrepresent certain in- 
 cidents which, took place at the Court, 
 often without any motive, but which, being 
 skilfully travestied, were presented in such 
 a fashion as to excite or shock public 
 opinion. 
 
 Everybody in the service of the Tuileries 
 merited the greatest confidence, and we did 
 not know to whom to attribute such base 
 indiscretions. This man himself confessed 
 to General Eolin that he noticed that the 
 appearance of these mendacious articles was 
 coincident with the visit of his son, M. 
 Georges Santon. 
 
 This young man, who owed his educa- 
 tion to the kindness of the Emperor, had 
 become a journalist, and taking advantage 
 of his father's bonne foi, he obtained from 
 him certain private information, which he 
 misrepresented afterwards for his own in- 
 terests as reporter. 
 
 The poor father, who was above all sus- 
 picion, was very much grieved at such a 
 state Of affairs, and quitted the house, 
 where he was very much regretted. The 
 
208 THE KITCHENS. 
 
 Emperor allowed him a pension, but lie 
 died shortly after. 
 
 The kitchens of the Tuileries were placed 
 in the basements, and the dishes were 
 drawn up by " lifts " behind the gallery of 
 Diane. It required great punctuality and 
 promptitude to convey the dishes through 
 such a distance without giving them time 
 to spoil. 
 
 The salon of Louis XIV. had nothing in 
 its arrangement to indicate a dining-room, 
 with the exception of a table, which was in 
 the centre of the room, and which was 
 covered during the day with a handsome 
 cloth. During the repast large folding- 
 screens were stretched out to hide the 
 waiters, and the side tables where the 
 carving was done. 
 
 When the repast was finished, the salon 
 assumed its usual grand air de palais. 
 
 A monumental bust of Louis XIV. stood 
 on the chimney-piece. The portrait of the 
 King, with his blue mantle, and represent- 
 ing him in his manhood, painted by Lebrun, 
 occupied the space between the windows ; 
 
A FAMOUS DINNEE. 209 
 
 and on the panel opposite the chimney 
 might be seen the presentation of the 
 Duke of Anjou to the Spanish ambassadors. 
 Opposite the chimney there was a portrait 
 of Anne of Austria, as regent, with the 
 King by her side in his infant costume 
 and wearing his royal mantle. On her 
 knees she held her second son, the Duke 
 of Orleans, dressed in skirts, and wearing 
 a bonnet divided into three parts, such as 
 is worn by peasant children — made from 
 a rich material, and very prettily adorned 
 with a large flat feather which fell on to his 
 shoulders. 
 
 Not more than thirty or forty persons 
 dined in the room together. One of the 
 largest repasts was that held on an occa- 
 sion when the Empress wished to give the 
 Emperor a surprise by inviting to dinner 
 twenty of the prettiest women in Paris. 
 Fame has proclaimed their names a hundred 
 times. 
 
 They were the Princess Anna-Murat, 
 Duchess de Mouchy, resplendent with grace 
 and freshness ; the Countess de Pourtales, 
 
 U 
 
210 THE GUESTS. 
 
 whose exquisite and delicate beauty seems 
 to have been much respected by time ; the 
 Marchioness de Gallifet, fair and beautiful 
 as an angel ; the Marechale Canrobert, large 
 and -superb, with her brown aristocratic 
 tresses, like the heroines of Walter Scott ; 
 Baroness Alphonse de Bothschild, with her 
 large Oriental eyes, and the eclat of her 
 complexion, more delicate than the royal 
 pearls which formed her usual parure ; the 
 Marchioness de Chasseloup-Laubat, with the 
 languishing and dreamy charm of the Creole; 
 the Baroness de Pierrebourg ; the Duchess 
 de Morny ; the Duchess de Persigny ; the 
 Countess Walewska ; the Duchess de Ca- 
 dore ; the Baroness Philippe de Bourgoing ; 
 the Duchess de Montmorency, that ex- 
 quisite young woman whose memory evokes 
 so much admiration and so many regrets. 
 Then there were this lady's young sister-in- 
 law, the Marchioness de Las Marismas, 
 with her ever-charming forehead ; the 
 Countess de Montebello, sweet and seduc- 
 tive, with her niece, the Marchioness de 
 Cainzy, very recently married, and who 
 
THE GUESTS. 211 
 
 was then a beautiful young woman with 
 brown complexion and large blue eyes ; 
 Madame Leopold Magnan, a pure beauty, 
 the ideal type of a Grecian virgin ; Madame 
 Bartolini, whose brilliant spirit imparted 
 life to a sculptured beauty ; and last of 
 all the Princess de Metternich, who de- 
 serves to be ranked among the most 
 seductive. 
 
 It was one of the days on which I was on 
 duty, and I remember that the Princess de 
 Metternich had on her left an old officer of 
 the gendarmerie de la garde, who, being 
 very attentive to his partner, offered her 
 something to drink every moment. This 
 interrupted the Princess's conversation, and 
 annoyed her. 
 
 " Thank you, no," she had replied several 
 times, without the officer ceasing to pass the 
 same compliment. 
 
 At last, with her most graceful smile, 
 she said — 
 
 "Excuse me, sir, but I am very whim- 
 sical. Do you know that every time any 
 one offers me anything to drink I am ready 
 
212 A SUCCESS. 
 
 to cry; and you can understand how angry 
 I should be if I did so here." 
 
 She was thus allowed to continue her 
 repast without again being annoyed by the 
 old fellow's courtesy. 
 
 The Empress loved pretty faces around 
 her ; and, contrary to the accepted idea on 
 the law of contrasts, this reunion seemed 
 to decide that the variety of these types 
 of accomplished beauty enhanced the value 
 of each. 
 
 This graceful fancy of the sovereign was 
 a decided success. There could be nothing 
 more charming than the grouping of these 
 young, beautiful, and especially distin- 
 guished women, who were all possessed 
 of a grand elegance and formed a mag- 
 nificent picture for its sumptuous frame. 
 
 After the repast we returned to the salon 
 d'Apollon, where coffee was served, the Em- 
 peror taking it standing, while he smoked 
 some cigarettes. 
 
 This was the time that the Empress 
 generally chose to chat with the officer on 
 guard. 
 
THE HOUSEHOLD. 213 
 
 So long as the Emperor was not seated 
 every one remained standing. But he never 
 failed, except on reception days, to ask the 
 ladies present to be seated. They then sat' 
 around the tables, and conversed on the 
 topics of the day, according to the taste of 
 each one. 
 
 Most of the gentlemen belonging to their 
 Majesties' household were deputies of the 
 Chamber. The Marquis d'Havrincourt, 
 the Baron de Pierre, the Duke de Trevise, 
 the Count d'Aygues-Vives, the Marquis de 
 Piennes, the Duke de Conegliano, the Baron 
 Philippe de Bourgoing, the Count de Cosse- 
 Brissac, and the Baron Zorn de Bulach, 
 represented their respective Departments. 
 Almost always one or the other was on 
 duty, and they related any interesting 
 incidents that may have occurred in the 
 Chamber. 
 
 The Empress was one of the most agree- 
 able persons in the world to listen to. In 
 addition to her mirth and spirit she showed 
 a very fine power of observation and a great 
 natural nobleness of soul, together with a 
 
214 AFTEB DINNEE. 
 
 quick and charming repartee. She pos- 
 sessed the peculiar talent of assimilation, 
 joined to a happy memory, and could im- 
 mediately estimate persons and things at 
 their true value. She had, above all, a 
 great horror of everything that savoured of 
 affectation. 
 
 Sometimes the Emperor would engage in 
 performing tricks with playing-cards, that 
 were kept in a case on the table. The 
 Empress would sometimes do the same, 
 but this was more with the object of being 
 left to her own reflections. Sometimes a 
 loto party was formed, very much after the 
 peasant style, in order to amuse the Prince 
 Imperial. The Emperor would fetch small 
 rolls of 50 centimes pieces, quite new, and 
 throw them on the table to be used as 
 stakes and counters. With the exception 
 of this game, none was played at the 
 Tuileries. 
 
 At ten o'clock a table was brought in, 
 served a VAnglaise with dry pastry and tea, 
 which the ladies of the Palace had prepared, 
 and which they themselves offered to the 
 
AETEB DINNEB. 215 
 
 company. There was always some orange 
 tea provided, which was a great favourite 
 with the gentlemen, and in a corner of the 
 salon there were trays of syrups and iced 
 coffee. The Emperor generally retired after 
 partaking of a cup of tea. 
 
 The conversation then assumed a lively 
 tone, and the Empress prolonged the soiree 
 till half -past eleven. 
 
 I would leave the room the same time as 
 her Majesty, and very often I remained 
 with her whilst she was being undressed; 
 and sometimes even when in bed she would 
 converse with me very familiarly or ask me 
 to read extracts from the newspapers which 
 were sent every evening from the Minister 
 of the Interior. It was the only kind of 
 reading that I was required to do for the 
 Empress, who preferred generally to read 
 herself. 
 
 The Empress was not effeminate in her 
 ways ; and it will surprise ladies generally 
 to know that she wore no dressing-gown. 
 She had only a linen gown such as is 
 worn during the making of one's toilette, 
 
216 A DEAB DANCE. 
 
 and she dressed completely from the first 
 thing in the morning. When the Prince 
 Imperial had the measles in February, 
 1865, the Empress, fearing he might take 
 a chill, wished to be with her son during 
 the night, for which purpose we provided 
 her with a ready-made dressing-gown, so 
 that her Majesty should not be too fatigued 
 by remaining dressed. The Empress being 
 about my figure and size, I went to the 
 shops of tbe Louvre and bought a red 
 flannel dressing-gown, which did not cost 
 a hundred francs, and which the Empress 
 considered one of the most convenient 
 things in the world. 
 
 The Prince Imperial had caught the 
 measles at a ball in the Tuileries, at which 
 he was permitted to be present for a few 
 hours. He danced a quadrille with a very 
 pretty young girl, Mademoiselle Eobin, 
 whom he found greatly to his liking. The 
 poor child, who had been suffering from the 
 complaint for some days, endeavoured to 
 conceal it, so that she might be allowed 
 to go to this ball. Her mother, who was 
 
THE EPIDEMIC. 217 
 
 assisting at her toilette, observed that her 
 shoulders were covered with a red rash, and 
 attributed it only to some childish cause. 
 She came to the ball and danced a great deal, 
 but on returning home became very feverish, 
 and the measles having been thrown inward, 
 nothing could save her. On the following 
 day she was a corpse. The same flowers 
 which had adorned her toilet became the 
 ornament of her coffin. She was the only 
 daughter, and was twenty years of age, and 
 everything in life had seemed to smile on 
 her. 
 
 The Prince Imperial was not the only 
 one who took this disease, several other 
 persons who spoke to this poor young girl 
 also becoming ill, Madame de Lourmel 
 among the rest, her life at one time being 
 despaired of. 
 
 The Empress had much cause to be 
 alarmed, as the epidemic was at this period 
 very malignant. The public, also, were very 
 anxious about the Prince's malady, and, 
 with the usual exaggeration, many alarming 
 rumours were spread about. 
 
218 MISS SHAW. 
 
 Dr. Barthez, who attended on the Prince, 
 and was perhaps too mindful of the public 
 uneasiness, thought he might permit the 
 Prince to drive out on the 16th of March, 
 which was his birthday. It was, of course, 
 premature, the weather being also very 
 cold. The Prince returned home with a 
 chill, and this, perhaps (I have always 
 thought so), sowed the seeds of that serious 
 malady which he had in the following year, 
 and which placed his life in danger ; for 
 after this attack of measles he certainly 
 became more delicate, and was always in- 
 disposed. He was, however, the most 
 patient and reasonable invalid imaginable ; 
 and, although very lively and impetuous, 
 always restrained himself, and knew how to 
 please those who nursed him. And it was 
 this desire to be agreeable, although still a 
 child, that made us all love him. 
 
 Miss Shaw, the English governess who 
 had educated him, was a most estimable 
 person. She had strong views about true 
 dignity, and never failed to encourage the 
 Prince in everything that would tend to 
 
MISS SHAW. 219 
 
 develop his better nature. She was very 
 devoted to him, manifested constant solici- 
 tude on his behalf, and sincerely loved son 
 Prince. 
 
 "My Prince," as she used to say, em- 
 ploying the two languages alternately, and 
 which she spoke with equal difficulty, be- 
 cause she had forgotten English, and had 
 never succeeded in being a fluent French 
 elocutionist. 
 
 She slept in the same room as the Prince 
 — in a kind of alcove fitted up with sky- 
 blue curtains, corresponding with the rest 
 of the tapestry — and was always very 
 watchful over his comfort. The Prince was 
 very fond of her, and always showed that 
 he was so by a thousand graceful and sym- 
 pathetic little acts. 
 
 He loved his young playmates very much ; 
 and, above all, Louis Conneau, who played 
 with him daily. 
 
 But sometimes there were storms. One 
 day, when a grand dinner took place at the 
 Tuileries, the Prince, who was not permitted 
 to be present, asked permission to invite 
 
220 LOUIS CONNEAU. 
 
 Louis Conneau to dine with him ; and, in 
 order to give his companion a pleasant sur- 
 prise, he requested they should be served 
 with strawberries and cream, which they 
 both were very fond of. But during the 
 day they quarrelled, and Louis Conneau, 
 very much hurt, asked to go home; and 
 the Prince, pretending not to be affected by 
 this desertion, very sadly finished the day 
 alone, although both had looked forward to 
 a very pleasant dinner. When the time 
 of dining arrived, the Prince sat at table 
 and began as usual. But when the straw- 
 berries and cream appeared, his heart over- 
 flowed, and his tears, till then restrained, 
 commenced to flow freely. 
 
 " Take the cream to Conneau," said he 
 to one of the servants, " and tell him 
 that I have not the heart to eat them 
 alone." 
 
 He was, however, at times very roguish ; 
 and one day, having been presented with a 
 box of sugar-plums, he wished to show 
 them to the Empress ; but as he was pass- 
 ing the sentinel who was stationed at his 
 
A PROMISING PRINCE. 221 
 
 door, a whimsical idea, certainly a child's 
 idea, impelled him to empty all the sugar- 
 plums into the sentinel's boot, who, on 
 receiving this avalanche of sweets, stood to 
 attention and presented arms. 
 
 The Prince always showed great rashness, 
 and seemed always to be unconscious of 
 danger, and was ever at the head of his 
 comrades when any risky enterprises were 
 proposed, and whenever it was necessary 
 to exercise great vigilance to prevent acci- 
 dents. 
 
 At eight years of age he already rode on 
 horseback with great ease and elegance, and 
 when he was present at reviews with the 
 Emperor in his uniform of a grenadier de la 
 garde, on his little pony Bouton a" Or, more 
 than one old trooper, seeing the bonne grace 
 of this child, was moved to a pathetic ad- 
 miration. 
 
 And when he was appointed corporal to 
 the first regiment of the Grenadier Guards, 
 he wore his " busby " very proudly, and one 
 might obtain anything from him by saying 
 to him: 
 
222 M. BACHON. 
 
 "Do not do that, Monseigneur; you will 
 dishonour your uniform." 
 
 From his birth he was attended by Mon- 
 sieur Bachon, an equerry, whose duty it was 
 to initiate him in all branches of equestrian 
 science. He was a very worthy man (a 
 Gascoigne), and possessed a very happy 
 influence over the Prince, his humour 
 being merry and very pleasing to a child. 
 
 The Prince escaped much of the empty 
 flattery to which the sons of sovereigns are 
 exposed, and who are frequently the objects 
 of the servility and dangerous compliments 
 of the Court. 
 
 Those around the Prince knew how to 
 remove that which would tend to spoil his 
 happy disposition ; and his early training 
 had certainly been profitable, for he was 
 always willing to leave his sports when 
 required to do so, this being often looked 
 upon by many princes as so much tyranny. 
 
 At his birth, Madame l'Amirale Bruat 
 was appointed as his French governess, and 
 with her madonna-like face, and her beau- 
 tiful, noble, and proud profile, she resembled 
 
A LOYAL OFFEB. 223 
 
 the guardian angel watching over his cradle. 
 The Prince cherished a great affection for 
 her all his life, and often wrote to her. 
 
 Madame Bizot and Madame de Brancion 
 were appointed under-governesses. One or 
 the other always accompanied the Prince in 
 his promenades ; but these functions were 
 only performed in their capacity as ladies of 
 honour; for the Empress reserved to herself 
 the private training of her son. When it 
 was decided to select a nurse for him, the 
 Countess Ducos, wife of the Marine Minister, 
 and one of the handsomest ladies of the 
 Court, and who nursed her own twin chil- 
 dren, offered her services for the Prince 
 Imperial. The Empress would not accept 
 this act of devotion, and a handsome and 
 strong peasantess was selected to nurse 
 the Prince. A second nurse lived at the 
 Tuileries, always ready to replace the other 
 in case of sickness. This was not necessary, 
 but her presence had a very beneficial 
 influence. When the chief nurse showed 
 the slightest signs of bad humour or caprice, 
 we had only to remark : 
 
224 the peince's nubse. 
 
 " If you are tired, nurse, we will send for 
 the other one," and this would dispel the 
 clouds as if by enchantment. She had 
 several children, and, in addition to her 
 wages, these were educated at the Empress's 
 expense. What appears almost incredible 
 is that one of her sons, older than the 
 Prince by some years, was captured among 
 the Communards in 1871, and transported to 
 Noumea. He petitioned the Empress in 
 order to obtain some mitigation of his 
 sentence. The Empress, who had with 
 her the Prince's foster-sister, did do so, 
 and requested some one to interest himself 
 in the matter. This action on her part, 
 some of the newspapers said, proved that 
 the Commune was replete with people once 
 in favour of the Empire. 
 
 The Prince was very sorry to part with 
 his nurse, who, by the way, always wore 
 the picturesque costume of the women of 
 Bourbonnais, with the red skirt, the small 
 black velvet corset, and a light lace 
 coiffure. 
 
 The Prince retained a silk handkerchief 
 
MADAME COENU. 
 
 225 
 
 belonging to her, and a piece of velvet from 
 one of her dresses. 
 
 Every evening, for many years of his 
 infancy, he slept with his head on this silk 
 handkerchief and held the piece of velvet 
 over his face. Miss Shaw was always in 
 constant fear of losing these two objects, 
 and " My Prince would be inconsolable," 
 she would say, " if they were lost." 
 
 When eight years old the Prince was par- 
 tially taken from the charge of females. 
 The position of the under-governesses be- 
 came an honorary one, and they were 
 replaced by Monsieur Monier, the Prince's 
 tutor, who had been very highly recom- 
 mended to the Emperor by Madame Cornu, 
 who was the daughter of one of the 
 chambermaids of Queen Hortense, and had 
 been educated at Arenenberg. 
 
 Madame Cornu was an intelligent woman, 
 and in her infancy showed great aptitude for 
 study. Queen Hortense was very interested 
 in her, and she received a superior education. 
 All her merit was in her mental qualities, 
 for she was ugly and hunch-backed, but this 
 15 
 
226 M. MONIEE. 
 
 was no obstacle to her marriage with Mon- 
 sieur Cornu — a painter of great talent, who 
 decorated several official chapels. Her 
 society was much courted by distinguished 
 men — literati, artists, and academicians — 
 who imagined she had great influence. She 
 was devoted to the Emperor, who assisted 
 her a great deal ; but in choosing Monsieur 
 Monier on her recommendation the Emperor 
 was not very fortunate. He was a very 
 honest man, but too gentle and timid, and 
 had neither the exterior appearance nor tbe 
 manners necessary for the position he was 
 to hold. However, he remained with the 
 Prince but a short time. 
 
 Having been educated at the Ecole Nor- 
 male, he was well up in science ; but he was 
 wanting in the ways of the world, and in 
 this respect the Prince, young as he was, 
 could have given him a lesson. He wrote 
 the history of Alcuin, tutor to Charlemagne, 
 this work no doubt being suggested by his 
 own position. He devoted his time to very 
 arduous researches, and he hoped to publish 
 several volumes of great value ; but I fear 
 
M. FILON, 227 
 
 the books were never completed, because he 
 died shortly after leaving the Prince, never 
 having been able to reconcile himself to 
 Court usages, and wearying his pupil by his 
 heavy and pedantic teaching. He was re- 
 placed by Monsieur Filon, a university man, 
 young and distinguished, and who remained 
 with the Prince after the war, up to the 
 time that the Emperor decided to send his 
 son to the military college at Woolwich. 
 
 It was Monsieur Filon who received Mon- 
 sieur Eegnier, that mysterious agent (whose 
 mission, if he had one, no one seemed to 
 know), at Hastings, on the arrival of the 
 Empress and the Prince in England. At 
 his earnest request Monsieur Filon gave 
 him a photograph, signed by the Prince 
 Imperial (these slight favours being always 
 freely given to those Frenchmen who came 
 to England to pay homage to their 
 sovereigns) ; but this little circumstance 
 happened to grow to a very unexpected 
 magnitude. 
 
 Monsieur Eegnier presented this photo- 
 graph to Marshal Bazaine at Metz, as a 
 
228 M. EEGNIBE. 
 
 pledge of the powers with which he was 
 charged to negotiate with him. The whole 
 of this transaction, however, has remained 
 in obscurity, the Empress never having been 
 able to learn the truth of it, because she 
 had never given an audience to Monsieur 
 Regnier, and never attached any importance 
 to his visit. 
 
 It was only later, when events unravelled 
 themselves, that the treachery of Monsieur 
 Regnier in presenting the photograph signed 
 by the Prince Imperial was understood ; but, 
 further than this, the matter is enveloped in 
 mystery. One is lost in trying to conjecture 
 the object M. Regnier had in view, or the 
 motive that could have guided him. Was 
 he a hired abettor ? a vulgar intriguer ? or 
 a man de bow/ne foi who imagined himself 
 capable by occult negotiations of solving a 
 terrible situation ? We are left to a 
 thousand conjectures. 
 
 In another part of these " Souvenirs " I 
 will state what I have learnt on this subject. 
 
CHAPTEK VIII. 
 
 The Receptions — The Grand Balls — The Presentations — 
 Fancy Dress Balls — Marquis and Marchioness de Gal- 
 lifet — The Countess Castiglione — Prince Jerome — Private 
 Balls — Princess de Monaco — Duchess of Hamilton — The 
 Duke and his Sad Fate. 
 
 A banquet was given every Thursday during 
 the winter to the ministers, ambassadors, 
 generals, deputies, prefects, and statesmen 
 of every order, and in the evening a public 
 reception for all important functionaries 
 and their wives. The Empress recognized 
 everybody, even after long intervals, re- 
 membered every detail in connection with 
 their position and family connections, and 
 said a kind word to each one. She passed 
 from group to group, seeking to be agree- 
 able to all, and took more pains with her 
 guests than is commonly the case with the 
 mistress of an ordinary house. 
 
230 THE OFFICIAL BALLS. 
 
 Between the month of January and Lent 
 four grand official balls were given, to which 
 about four or five thousand people were 
 invited, these fetes causing millions of 
 francs to be circulated in Paris. 
 
 The gentlemen appeared in uniform or 
 Court dress, and these receptions, held 
 amid the splendour of the Palace, possessed 
 an eclat which is beyond being compared to 
 anything at the present time. 
 
 The grand staircase, which was to the 
 right of the arch of the pavilion d'Horloge, 
 and which ascended directly between the 
 walls decorated with trophies in relief, was 
 furnished on each side with a handrail of 
 flowers. The sentinels, drawn up in 
 echelons on each step, and presenting arms, 
 with their elegant and clear blue uniform 
 with red lapels, their resplendent cuirasses, 
 and their helmets mounted with a long 
 white mane, were recruited from among tbe 
 finest men in the army ; with their martial 
 air, their noble deportment, and their erect 
 figure, they formed the most magnificent 
 escort that a sovereign could possibly desire. 
 
THE OFFICIAL BALLS. 231 
 
 The crowd of invited guests assembled in 
 the gallery de la Paix, awaiting the time to 
 enter the salle des Marechaux, the doors of 
 which remained closed until their Majesties 
 made their entrance. 
 
 The Emperor and the Empress, on leaving 
 their apartments, first went into the salon 
 of the first consuls, where the Imperial 
 family, the ladies and officers of the house, 
 the diplomatic corps, the ministers and 
 grand dignitaries, were assembled. 
 
 It was here that the presentations took 
 place. 
 
 Society persons, who wished to be pre- 
 sented at Court, had to make a request to 
 the grand chamberlain, who communicated 
 it to the Emperor. If accepted, they had 
 to address themselves as follows : the 
 gentlemen to the Duke de Bassano; the 
 ladies to the Princess d'Essling, or to one 
 of the ladies of the Palace, who would then 
 present them. 
 
 Strangers followed the same ceremony 
 through the medium of their ambassadors. 
 
 After this preliminary introduction these 
 
232 THE PEESENTATIONS. 
 
 persons could be invited to Compiegne and 
 to private receptions. 
 
 The presentations generally took place on 
 the evenings of the grand bals, and after 
 which their Majesties, preceded by the 
 chamberlains, and followed by princes, 
 princesses, the diplomatic corps, grand 
 dignitaries, and all the Court, would enter 
 the salle des Marechaux. 
 
 Several tiers of benches, on which the 
 ladies were seated, surrounded the immense 
 room. In the centre of the salle there was 
 a raised platform, on which were two large 
 armchairs and other seats. On these the 
 Emperor and Empress sat, surrounded by 
 the members of the Imperial family and 
 persons of rank at the Court. 
 
 Places were reserved for grand dignitaries, 
 the diplomatic corps, and for the wives of 
 those who were in the service of their 
 Majesties. 
 
 As soon as the Emperor and Empress 
 were seated the dancing commenced, but 
 during the later years of the Empire the 
 official quadrille was suppressed. The 
 
THE PBESENTATIONS. 233 
 
 orchestra, which was invisible, was placed 
 in a gallery on the first storey. 
 
 In a very few minutes the empty space in 
 the centre of the immense salle was filled, 
 with gentlemen desirous of being near the 
 sovereigns ; the chamberlain experienced 
 great difficulty in keeping a clear circle for 
 the dance, which gradually contracted 
 owing to the pressure from so considerable 
 a number of individuals. 
 
 Of course all the Court ladies were 
 magnificently dressed. 
 
 The Princess Mathilde, whose beautiful 
 profile and elegant figure seemed fashioned 
 to ornament a throne, and who knew how 
 to please the Emperor, came regularly to 
 the grand balls, although she had but little 
 taste or inclination for display. The 
 Princess Clotilde appeared with her sweet 
 smile of resignation; and the Princess 
 Murat, who bore the rank and title of 
 Her Highness, assisted at the ball along 
 with her daughter, the beautiful, and young 
 Princess Anna, and her daughter-in-law, 
 the Princess Joachim Murat, wife of the 
 
234 THE FOUE SISTEES. 
 
 brilliant Colonel des Guides. Then fol- 
 lowed the daughters of Lucien Bonaparte, 
 second brother of Napoleon I. They had 
 no official rank at Court, but as a matter 
 of courtesy they were styled Princesses. 
 They were the Princess Julie, the Mar- 
 chioness Eoccagiovine ; the Princess Char- 
 lotte, the Countess Primoli; the Princess 
 Augusta, and the Princess Grabrielle. 
 
 The sisters, always very united, retired 
 after the war to Borne, where they formed 
 the acquaintance of many distinguished 
 persons, their house becoming a great 
 centre of attraction. Being French in 
 heart and soul, they, of course, regret their 
 banishment from their native land, and 
 every Frenchman who visits Eome is 
 always treated with the greatest hospitality 
 by them. Princess Julie afterwards sus- 
 tained a very sad loss in the death of her 
 three children. 
 
 The Princess Charlotte was the mother 
 of Count Joseph Primoli, un poete mondain, 
 and very much appreciated in Paris and 
 Eome. 
 
THE GBAND BALLS. 235 
 
 With the exception of a few men who 
 profited by the privileges connected with 
 such functions to be agreeable to a great 
 many pretty ladies, the grand balls at the 
 Tuileries were not, generally speaking, the 
 fetes preferred by the Court, although they 
 were the grandest sights to behold. 
 
 At eleven o'clock their Majesties, pre- 
 ceded by the chamberlains, who made an 
 open passage for them through the compact 
 crowd, entered the gallery de la Paix, 
 where there was a second orchestra, and 
 where dancing was also going on. After 
 walking through the gallery (which was 
 forty metres in length), the Emperor and 
 Empress, saluting every one of their in- 
 vited guests, returned to the salle des 
 Marechaux, and then re-entered the other 
 salons. During the dancing those who 
 chose passed into the gallery de Diane, 
 which was provided with a magnificent 
 buffet, filled with every necessary for a 
 " stand-up " supper. 
 
 About half-past twelve their Majesties 
 generally retired ; the fete, however, con- 
 
236 THE GEAND BALLS* 
 
 tinned up to three or four o'clock in the 
 morning, under the auspices of the officers 
 de service. 
 
 These balls were a very grand sight when 
 viewed from the galleries which surrounded 
 the salle des Marechaux, half-way up. 
 
 Two or three times, owing to indisposi- 
 tion, the Empress was unable to appear; 
 and as I did not go to any reception with- 
 out her Majesty, I did not present myself 
 on these occasions, but used to ascend these 
 galleries by the little back staircase, and in 
 this way, without being seen, I could over- 
 look this brilliant crowd, enlivened by the 
 music and dance, and witness a veritable 
 fairy spectacle. 
 
 The decorated cupola was supported by 
 groups of choice statuary and trophies of 
 arms. The portraits of twelve marshals of 
 the Empire in their rich uniforms adorned 
 the different panels, and drapery of red 
 velvet with golden fringes decorated the 
 windows. 
 
 The variety and elegance of the gentle- 
 men's costumes, as a contrast to the usual 
 
A GAT SCENE. 237 
 
 monotonous effect of the black coats, 
 gave these fetes quite a peculiar character. 
 Many officers wore white breeches with 
 their uniform ; and the diplomatic corps, in 
 full dress, formed a mixture of the cos- 
 tumes of all nations. There were Eussians, 
 English, Hungarians, and Persians ; some 
 bedizened with embroideries and decora- 
 tions ; others in attire both sombre and 
 stiff; together with uniforms representing 
 the armies of all nations, even to the 
 Chinese army, whose sabres must not be 
 touched with the top of the finger under 
 the penalty of death. 
 
 All those in the private service of the 
 Emperor had the proper official dress, that 
 is, the ancient coat a la Frangaise (the 
 same pattern for all, but in different 
 colours), with white breeches and white 
 silk stockings. 
 
 The Emperor's chamberlains wore 
 scarlet swallow-tail coats with one row 
 of buttons and broad gold embroidery ; 
 the equerries wore green and gold, and 
 others green and silver. The prefects of 
 
238 "never to be forgotten." 
 
 the Palace wore amaranth and gold; the 
 masters of the ceremony, violet and gold ; 
 the orderly officers, pale blue embroidered 
 with silver aiguillettes. 
 
 The Empress's chamberlains and equer- 
 ries wore blue and silver. 
 
 The private uniforms of the guard and 
 the artillery officers were all black with 
 gold gimp ; so also was the uniform of the 
 non-commissioned officers, commanded at 
 that time by Prince Joachim Murat, one 
 of the most elegant men in the army. 
 
 Some of those present at these fetes 
 seem destined never to be forgotten. 
 
 Among others may be mentioned the 
 Marquis de Flammerens, an accomplished 
 type of the ancient Courts, with his fine 
 figure, his gentlemanly manners, his white 
 and very carefully curled hair. He was 
 known familiarly by us as Chinchilla. He 
 had a smile of adoration for every lady, 
 multiplying himself, as it were, in order 
 to attend to his numerous lady friends, 
 and offering his arm to all the pretty 
 ladies, who were not known to the rest of 
 
THE CROWN DIAMONDS. 239 
 
 the company, in order to make way for 
 them through the crowd. 
 
 The Empress always quitted these fetes 
 rather tired, and very often did not even 
 take time to call her maids. Before enter- 
 ing her cabinet she would remove her crown 
 and jewels, the weight of which fatigued 
 her, and put them pele-mele into my dress, 
 which I held out in front of me for the 
 purpose. I was always afraid lest I should 
 lose some of these precious stones by con- 
 veying them in this manner, for many of 
 them represented a fortune. 
 
 The Empress ordered some of the Crown 
 diamonds to be mounted for her ordinary 
 wear. Many of them had a history at- 
 tached to them. Among others, a yellow 
 diamond, big as a small nut, mounted in 
 a comb with other whiter stones, was 
 swallowed by an insurgent in 1848, during 
 the pillage of the Tuileries. The cut 
 facets of the diamond produced internal 
 disorders, and the unfortunate man died 
 in great pain, confessing his larceny. At 
 the post-mortem examination the diamond 
 
240 THE MASQUERADES. 
 
 was found. It was the largest of the 
 Crown diamonds, and, when the Empress 
 became acquainted with this fact later, it 
 caused her to remove it. 
 
 A fancy dress ball was generally given 
 in carnival time, the invitations being 
 more limited than at the grand balls, and 
 comprising only those who had been pre- 
 sented. 
 
 At these f6tes, full of heartiness and 
 mirth, many ladies came to play the role 
 of intrigantes, under cover of the mask. 
 Masquerading in female disguise, the 
 Count Raynald de Choiseul one evening 
 drew the attention of everybody, and for 
 some time they endeavoured to find out 
 what witty and bold lady could so well 
 conceal her identity under an elegant 
 domino, for the Count possessed sufficient 
 feminine gracefulness not to betray his 
 real character. However, in the masked 
 photograph which he distributed after- 
 wards with profusion the deceit was very 
 palpable. 
 
 One year four sphinxes, dressed a 
 
THE MASQUEBADES. 241 
 
 P 
 
 VEgyptienne, with fillets and long veils of 
 various striped colours, exoited curiosity 
 by their wit and gaiety. They were the 
 Countess Fleury, the Marchioness Can- 
 robert, and Duchess d'Isly, and the 
 Baroness de Bourgoing. They were all 
 tall and similar in figure, and dressed 
 exactly alike, and they flirted without 
 being recognized, and took each other's 
 place so adroitly that all who spoke to 
 them could not decide as to whether it 
 was the same lady or twenty different 
 ones. 
 
 Another of the costumes represented 
 the obelisk of Louqsor in the Place de la 
 Concorde walking gravely about the salons, 
 concealing an officer of the sentinels, 
 grown beyond measure, and enclosed in 
 a pyramid covered with hieroglyphics. 
 
 A gigantic pipe, placarded with devices, 
 rose two metres above all heads. The 
 Emperor, feeling uneasy about the zig-zag 
 movement of the dancer, who supposed 
 himself to be sufficiently disguised, in- 
 quired and found it to be the Marquis de 
 
 16 
 
242 M. DE GALLIFET. 
 
 Gallifet. We were somewhat accustomed 
 to his youthful pranks, and he atoned for 
 them by his heroism, not rare in the 
 French army, but which merited every 
 indulgence. He had just returned from 
 Mexico, where he so distinguished himself. 
 It is related that, being horribly wounded, 
 he was left for dead. He had, however, 
 managed, on recovering consciousness, to 
 drag himself, with his stomach cut open, 
 up to the ambulance, where he arrived 
 carrying his entrails in his kepi. Such a 
 wound in a hot climate was terrible, and 
 ice was absolutely necessary. But this 
 was difficult to obtain, except by crossing 
 mountains and dangerous defiles in the 
 enemy's country. His comrades, however, 
 each took a turn to provide the necessary 
 ice, and thus he was saved. 
 
 Monsieur de Gallifet had for a long time 
 been orderly officer to the Emperor, who 
 interested himself particularly in him. 
 Some time before his return to France, 
 his wife, Madame de Gallifet, presented 
 
MADAME DE GALLIEET. 243 
 
 herself at a reception in the Tuileries, 
 where she was surrounded by sympathizers, 
 and felicitated on her husband's happy 
 recovery. Among these was the Emperor. 
 
 " You must have been dreadfully anxious 
 on learning the seriousness of such a 
 wound." 
 
 " Oh, no, sire," replied Madame de 
 Gallifet, with her angelic smile. " He is 
 so lucky." 
 
 Nevertheless, their home was not a 
 very happy one, and not even Madame 
 de G-allifet's ravishing beauty could guard 
 it against the ennui of an unsuitable 
 marriage. 
 
 Madame de Gallifet was gentle and 
 good, never saying a hard word about any 
 one. She remained in Paris during the 
 siege and attended to the wounded with 
 great devotion. 
 
 The celebrated Countess de Castiglione 
 made, I believe, her last appearance in 
 society in a dress ball in the Tuileries. 
 I met her in 1865 at a dinner in Saint- 
 Cloud, which was given in honour of 
 
244 MADAME EE CASTIGLIONE. 
 
 King Humbert, then the Prince Koyal of 
 Italy. 
 
 Madame de Castiglione was an accom- 
 plished lady, and possessed a beauty that 
 did not seem to belong to our time; but 
 notwithstanding the admirable perfection 
 and even the gracefulness of her person, 
 scarcely credible as it may seem, she 
 lacked charm. Her beautiful face, for all 
 this, was very expressive in its haughtiness 
 and austerity, and recalled to mind those 
 divinities whom the ancients used to seek 
 to appease by sacrifices. 
 
 You can form some idea of this extra- 
 ordinary person by putting the idea of 
 life into a most beautiful statue. In fact, 
 on looking at her, one could imagine her 
 only a statue acting, speaking, and moving. 
 Although she thus appeared less lively than 
 other women, yet she possessed much eclat, 
 but undoubtedly did not deign to suit 
 herself to the crowd. 
 
 It has been said that she has played the 
 role of political agent in the skilful hands of 
 Monsieur de Cavour, but this is very difficult 
 
MADAME DE CASTIGLIONE. 245 
 
 to ascertain. Besides, she was sufficiently 
 handsome to be able to attract without the 
 aid of diplomacy. 
 
 She appeared for the first time in Parisian 
 society at a ball given by the Duchess de 
 Bassano, and there introduced the fashion 
 of wearing large feathers formed as a crown, 
 which made her appear taller, and which 
 suited her haughty beauty. 
 
 In 1860 Prince Jerome gave a fete at the 
 Palais Koyal in honour of the Empress. 
 
 The Empress, dressed in a robe of white 
 tuUe and coiffured with a wreath of Parma 
 violets, appeared with her most bewitching 
 beauty, still further enhanced by a certain 
 charm which rendered her more attractive 
 than ever. Prince Jerome led her round 
 the salons — not giving her his arm, but his 
 hand, as he used to do in his youth — pre- 
 ceding her with a gracefulness somewhat 
 old-fashioned, but tout-a-fait chevaleresque. 
 
 About one o'clock the Emperor and 
 Empress retired, when, ascending the stair- 
 case rapidly, tbe Countess de Castiglione 
 stood before them. 
 
246 MADAME DE CASTIGLIONE. 
 
 " You are very late, Madame Countess," 
 said the Emperor to her, gallantly. 
 
 "It is you, sire, who are leaving too 
 soon." And she entered the fete with that 
 disdainful and crushing air with which she 
 seemed to look down on all humanity. 
 
 She possessed a brilliant intellect, and 
 wrote and spoke with great authority, it 
 appears, on the most serious questions. 
 She was endowed with the political instinct 
 of the Florentines, and the very few men 
 who were acquainted with her (for she made 
 no friends with women) admitted her 
 superior faculties. 
 
 All that is related about her tends to 
 prove that she was imperious and whimsical 
 in the matter of her wonderful beauty. 
 
 She had a son who died at the age of 
 twenty, but report does not class her as a 
 tender mother. 
 
 After her marriage she positively refused 
 to pay a visit de convenance to her mother- 
 in-law, the Marchioness de Castiglione, 
 although her husband had begged and 
 prayed her to do so. One day when they 
 
MADAME DE CASTIGLIONE. 247 
 
 were out driving, observing her to be a little 
 better disposed than usual, the Count 
 ordered the coachman to drive to his 
 mother's, hoping that she would consent to 
 it. The handsome Countess said not a word, 
 but as the carriage was passing over a bridge 
 she drew off her boots very quickly and 
 threw them into the water. 
 
 "I do not think," said she, " that you 
 will compel me to go barefoot." 
 
 At the time when Paris was in raptures 
 over her luxury and beauty, the Duchess 
 Taseher de la Pagerie, whose husband was 
 first chamberlain to the Empress, and who 
 organized all kinds of fetes and good works, 
 begged the Countess de Castiglione to take 
 part in a tableau-vivant, in which other 
 society people would appear in connection 
 with a concert to be given to the poor. 
 After much persuasion she consented on 
 condition that she should select her role and 
 costume. 
 
 Only too happy to be able to announce 
 this onherprogramme, the Duchess accepted 
 her conditions. On the night of the repre- 
 
248 MADAME DE CASTIGLIONE 
 
 sentation, the Countess appeared seated at 
 the entrance of a grotto dressed in the 
 brown robe of a hermit, which enveloped 
 her like a sack, and the turned-down hood 
 of which concealed her whole face. People 
 looked in astonishment, but she remained 
 perfectly motionless, until the curtain had 
 fallen. Some of the public who had counted 
 on something much more pleasing looked 
 upon this pleasantry as very bad taste, and 
 did not fail to let her know what they 
 thought. 
 
 She did not, however, fear to exhibit her 
 beauty, and on one occasion appeared 
 almost sans voile at a fancy dress ball given 
 by the Minister of Marine. 
 
 Dr. Arnal, medical attendant to the 
 Emperor, whom I esteemed highly, and who 
 often accompanied the Court to Fontaine- 
 bleau or Compiegne, related to me a visit 
 that he had once occasion to pay her. She 
 had been very ill at Havre, and had sent for 
 him to attend to her, but the good and kind 
 doctor had a very large practice, and could 
 not be absent from Paris for any length of 
 
AND THE DOCTOE. 249 
 
 time. Accordingly, lie arranged to be at 
 Havre at nine o'clock in the morning, and 
 presented himself at the Countess's hotel. 
 He was asked to call again, as she had not 
 yet made her appearance. At the end of 
 an hour he returned without being able to 
 see her, and this took place from hour to 
 hour. At last the doctor insisted on seeing 
 her, as he had to return to Paris. So at 
 one o'clock in the afternoon, when he had 
 threatened not to call again, he was intro- 
 duced. Adorned like some idol, the 
 Countess de Castiglione, really very ill, was 
 in bed, covered with lace and fur and a high 
 coiffure, just as if she were going to a ball, 
 her hair sparkling with diamonds. 
 
 The fact was, Dr. Arnal was an old man, 
 and there was nothing in him that was 
 calculated to frighten the spirit of this 
 haughty beauty. 
 
 At the same time he is well worthy a few 
 words on his own account. He wore his 
 hair in a very peculiar fashion, and gathered 
 to a point on his forehead with a small flat 
 bow. He had a splendid position at 
 
250 MADAME DE CASTIGLIONE. 
 
 Court, as much on account of his manly 
 qualities as in his capacity of doctor, 
 enjoying the confidence of the Emperor and 
 Empress, who esteemed him highly. His 
 death was much regretted, for he possessed 
 great knowledge, a good heart, and an 
 excellent character. 
 
 At one of the last fancy balls at the 
 Tuileries the Empress dressed herself as 
 Queen Marie-Antoinette (after the fine 
 portrait of Madame Lebrun), in red velvet 
 trimmed with fur, with a large toque a 
 plumes. 
 
 Madame Castiglione, who had not visited 
 the Court for a long time, succeeded in 
 obtaining admission to this ball, but no one 
 knew how. She came dressed in black, 
 magnificently beautiful, wearing the cos* 
 tume of the widowed Marie de Medicis. 
 Very few people saw her, for she scarcely 
 put in an appearance in the salons, and it 
 was well known she was not one of the 
 invited guests. 
 
 It was not long, however, before a cham- 
 berlain offered his arm and conducted her 
 
A SCANDAL-MONGEB. 251 
 
 to her carriage. Thus she was among the 
 persons reconduites. 
 
 These incidents, although of very rare 
 occurrence, did sometimes take place. 
 Another lady underwent the same desagre- 
 ment. She had made herself the channel 
 through which a very beautiful girl was 
 grossly slandered, the same young lady 
 being very intimate at the Tuileries owing 
 to her father's high position. At a certain 
 ball this scandal-monger I refer to told a 
 large group of listeners of the mysterious 
 birth of a child, giving the most precise 
 details in connection with the event, and 
 even naming the suspected person. 
 
 The Marchioness de Latour-Maubourg, a 
 lady of the Empress's Palace, who was 
 among the audience, observed that it was a 
 gross calumny, made to ruin the reputation 
 of a young girl, and that before spreading 
 such reports one should be more than cer- 
 tain of their facts. The lady persisted in 
 stating it to be true. 
 
 "lam quite sure of it," said she; " not 
 eight days ago the event came off, at the 
 house of a friend of mine." 
 
252 A SCANDA1-M0NGEB. 
 
 "I am still more astonished," said 
 Madame de Maubourg, " because there she 
 is dancing." 
 
 And as a matter of fact this young girl, 
 fresh and pretty as usual, was tripping it 
 very gaily in an adjoining salon. 
 
 The confusion of the lady was great ; and 
 on Madame de Maubourg informing her 
 Majesty of what a person had dared to 
 relate respecting one whom she (tbe 
 Empress) held in great esteem and received 
 at her Court, a chamberlain was commanded 
 by the Empress to inform this person that 
 her carriage was waiting for her. Erom 
 that time her name was struck from the 
 roll; but she did not, however, cease to 
 come to the Tuileries, boldly continuing to 
 present herself at public receptions. 
 
 No dancing was permitted at the Court 
 during Lent ; but four concerts were given. 
 
 Count Bacciocchi, superintendent of the 
 theatres, and the amiable Monsieur Auber, 
 the great composer, organized these musical 
 fetes, at which were heard the most famous 
 artistes. The Empress was not a musician, 
 
M. AUBEE. 253 
 
 her artistic tastes being particularly de- 
 veloped in the direction of painting and 
 literary works. 
 
 Monsieur Auber was also master of the 
 Tuileries Chapel. He was then old, and 
 died in Paris in 1870, some time after the 
 Quatre Septembre. When conversing very 
 familiarly with him one evening the 
 Empress asked him if he ever regretted 
 being married. 
 
 " Never, Madame," replied the witty old 
 gentleman, " and I regret it still less now, 
 when I consider that Madame Auber is 
 nearly eighty years old." - 
 
 On Good Friday the " Stabat " was always 
 sung at the chapel of the Tuileries. The 
 ladies were invited and came dressed in decol- 
 letee mourning, also wearing black lace veils. 
 
 After Easter everything went on as usual, 
 but in a more familiar and amusing fashion. 
 People had no longer any occasion to 
 trouble themselves about the laws of 
 etiquette, rights, and precedence; and the 
 Empress, generally so much occupied in 
 official duties, thought more of pleasure, 
 
254 THE "little hohdays." 
 
 What were known as the Empress's 
 " little Mondays " were the prettiest balls 
 one could witness. They were given in the 
 private apartments of the Empress, with 
 dancing in the salons of the first consul, 
 and of Apollo. 
 
 There were only five or six hundred in- 
 vitations, and the animation and elegance 
 of these reunions stamped them as the 
 most reclierche.es in Paris. 
 
 One of these balls took place shortly 
 after my arrival at Court. I was wearing 
 white mourning for my father, and naturally 
 I did not dance. When the Empress 
 entered, the dancing commenced, and I saw 
 then, for the first time, Countess de 
 Pourtales and the Marchioness de Gallifet. 
 They were vis-a-vis in the same quadrille. 
 Nothing could be more charming than these 
 two persons, whose beauty was so different, 
 both possessing great attractions and 
 elegance. In fact, the whole affair was a 
 reunion of the handsomest and prettiest 
 women in Paris, fully justifying the brilliant 
 renown of the Court des Tuileries, and, 
 
THE " LITTLE MONDAYS." 255 
 
 though years have rolled by, the greater 
 number of those women still preserve, with 
 the traditions of their youth, a gracefulness, 
 an amiability, and a superiority of mind 
 that many of the present generation may 
 well envy them. 
 
 At these assemblies many marriages were 
 arranged, more than one young girl finding 
 there her future fortune ; and the kind- 
 heartedness of the sovereigns often brought 
 about a happy union, where the match, 
 although one to be desired, had seemed 
 difficult to arrange. However, some of 
 these did not succeed so well as might have 
 been expected. ' 
 
 For instance, the Princess de Beauffre- 
 mont, whose separation from her husband 
 caused such a scandal, was one of the 
 young girls in whom the Empress took an 
 interest. The Princess, before her marriage, 
 captivated the Empress's sympathy by the 
 charm of her wit more than by the agre- 
 ments of her person ; for she was not very 
 pretty, with her strongly-marked features, 
 and one of her shoulders slightly raised 
 
256 PKINCESS DE BEAUFFEEMONT. 
 
 higher than the other — being also very 
 awkward in her gait. But no woman knew 
 better how to attract and bend to her will 
 her family, her friends, public opinion, and 
 the world in general. In a word, she could 
 win over everybody whom she wished to 
 please and had need of. In figure she was 
 slender, but she possessed an extraordinarily 
 angelic character, and a particularly lively 
 disposition. She was very skilful in the 
 use of arms, and often risked her delicate 
 health in order to achieve what she desired. 
 With her wonderful ability she found out 
 the means of overriding all the difficulties 
 connected with her divorce, and so pre- 
 served her fortune, her children, and the 
 charming man whose chivalrous affection 
 inspired her amid all her struggles and 
 conflicts. Prince George Bibesco, who is 
 now her husband, even according to the 
 law of France (thanks to M. Naquet), was 
 considered one of the most worthy men one 
 could meet. 
 
 As for Prince de Beauffremont, he was an 
 unpolished soldier, and was known as such, 
 
■pNFOBTUNATE MAEBIAGES. 257 
 
 and after the birth of two daughters he set 
 out for Mexico, From that time the 
 Princess commenced to speak of her un- 
 happy life at home, but continued to write 
 to her husband letters full of tenderness, 
 and which were afterwards produced at the 
 trial, many of them affording much amuse- 
 ment to readers of the papers. 
 
 On his- return the Prince de Beauffremont 
 found his- wife a great deal more changed 
 in her disposition than he had expected, 
 judging from her letters ; and consequently 
 the breach gradually widened. 
 
 The Princess was a great musician, and 
 she wrote also in a very remarkable style, 
 her correspondence being worthy of com- 
 parison with that of the most renowned 
 women of the last century. She was very 
 proud of her rank,, and received her visitors 
 seated on a kind of throne, after the style 
 of the ladies- of the manor in the Middle- 
 Ages — this naturally causing a little 
 surprise to the Parisians of the nineteenth 
 century. 
 
 However, she knew how to interest a 
 17 
 
258 UNFORTUNATE MAREIAGES. 
 
 large number of people in her unfortunate 
 household affairs, which she did not 
 hesitate to speak of publicly, and she 
 formed the intimacy of many men whose 
 influence and credit she knew would be 
 useful to her ; and four of them especially, 
 who were bound together in her behalf, and 
 constantly in attendance upon her, were 
 ever ready to support her and even sacrifice 
 their lives for her. It is a miracle how 
 Prince de Beauffremont escaped with his 
 life. 
 
 In the end she quitted France with her 
 children — almost a fugitive. Subsequently 
 she alienated herself from her country, 
 changed her name, and married Prince 
 George Bibesco, whose father was a 
 Lieutenant or Governor of Wallachia. 
 
 The marriage of the hereditary Prince of 
 Monaco with the daughter of the Duchess 
 of Hamilton, maternal cousin to the Em- 
 peror by the Grand Duchess Stephanie 
 de Bade, also became a cause celebre. 
 
 Lady Mary Douglas was an amiable and 
 pretty young girl, and her marriage was 
 
THE DUCHESS OF HAMILTON. 259 
 
 celebrated at Marchais, the residence of the 
 Prince de Monaco, in 1869, 1 think ; and I 
 remember also she was very excited at that 
 time, making the marriage known to all her 
 lady friends, to whom she showed with much 
 glee her charming wedding presents. One 
 could scarcely believe from her calm and 
 pleasant expression that she was a victim 
 who was being drawn to the altar against 
 her will. 
 
 A few years after the marriage of her 
 daughter the Duchess of Hamilton herself 
 went to Eome and caused the union to be 
 annulled. The Prince de Monaco, who 
 bore the title of Duke de Valentinois, but 
 never used it, thereupon took charge of his 
 son and had him educated. After the 
 rupture of the marriage Lady Mary 
 Douglas married an officer in the Austrian 
 army, Count Festetich, belonging to a 
 distinguished and very rich family. 
 
 The Duchess of Hamilton was a very 
 passionate mother — too much so for the, 
 peace of the young household, and she 
 suffered from heart disease, which had 
 
260 THE DtTKE. 
 
 developed after the tragical death of her 
 husband, whom she had idolized. Un- 
 known to her he had fallen into the terrible 
 habit of imbibing ; and almost every 
 morning, under pretext of going to his 
 club, he would remain in a cabinet of the 
 restaurant, drinking alone. 
 
 It happened that one evening, being 
 more intoxicated than usual, he reeled 
 when on the staircase of the Maison-d'Or, 
 and had so terrible a fall that he remained 
 unconscious. They raised him and took 
 him to the hotel Bristol, but congestion of 
 the brain set inland he died there a few 
 days after, never having recovered eon- 
 sciousness.. 
 
 And it was the Empress who undertook 
 the painful task of announcing this mis- 
 fortune to the Duchess. 
 
 There was a very painful sequence to this- 
 occurrence. 
 
 About the period of the close of the 
 Empire the sons of the Duke of Hamilton, 
 who were young and very rich, rushed 
 into la vie de plaisir. Being ignorant of 
 
THE DUKE. 261 
 
 the particulars of the death of their father 
 they often organized merry suppers, of which 
 the Maison-d'Or was the scene. Those in 
 Paris who were acquainted with the cir- 
 cumstances were of course shocked at this 
 coincidence which connected the sad death 
 of the father and the boisterous hilarity of 
 the sons with the same place; and when 
 the Empress acquainted the sons of the 
 fact, they quitted France. One is dead, 
 and the elder, the present Duke of Hamilton, 
 lives in England. The Duchess of Hamilton 
 has lately died at the age of seventy-two. 
 
CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 The Mexican War— Admiral Jurien— His Keturn— Emperor 
 Maximilian — Empress Charlotte — Her Sad Journey to 
 Paris — Traitors— A Glass of Orange Wine — The Arrest 
 of the Emperor Maximilian — His Death — Sad End of 
 Empress Charlotte. 
 
 The Mexican war was one of the greatest 
 fatalities of France. Its obscure and almost 
 inexplicable origin dates back to about the 
 year 1858, from which period we seem to 
 have been gradually drawn into it. 
 
 It is indeed difficult to pick up again all 
 the lost threads of this unfortunate war in 
 which so many people were compromised 
 and ruined ; which has cost so many lives 
 and so much money, and which ended so 
 disastrously in the drama of Queretaro ; 
 these things being perhaps the origin of 
 the events which eventually led to the 
 fall of the Empire. 
 
THE MEXICAN WAS. 263 
 
 A good many Mexican families who had 
 been ruined and driven away by the con- 
 tinual civil wars came to Paris. They were 
 composed of French, Spaniards, and Eng- 
 lish; and they amalgamated their claims 
 and persuaded their respective Governments 
 to intervene with the Mexican authorities. 
 For this purpose a conference was held in 
 London, and as a result Mexico promised 
 to pay the indemnities claimed. But time 
 rolled on, trouble continued, and the Mexi- 
 can Government, at its wits' end, harassed 
 by the pressing claims, declared that it was' 
 not in a position to pay. 
 
 This affair caused great excitement, and 
 the various powers regarded as an insult 
 the contempt with which the Mexican 
 Government seemed to repudiate its en- 
 gagements, and, with one accord, France, 
 England, and Spain agreed on a united 
 and energetic demonstration in order to 
 exact the fulfilment of the promise. 
 
 Admiral Jurien de La Graviere was chosen 
 commander of the French fleet, and set sail 
 for Vera-Cruz, with unlimited power to 
 
264 THE MEXICAN WAR. 
 
 act as a military chief and plenipotentiary 
 minister, the object of the expedition being 
 to force the settlement of the financial 
 claim. M. Dubois de Saligny, formerly 
 minister in Mexico, was speciaUy appointed 
 to negotiate such a settlement. 
 
 Before his departure the Admiral had a 
 personal interview with the Emperor to 
 show that he had thoroughly grasped the 
 intention of his sovereign, which was 
 to exact the promise of the indemnity 
 claimed by the Powers ; to place our indus- 
 tries on a favourable footing ; to open 
 markets — supposed to be considerable in 
 such rich and virgin country ; and to 
 permit Prench influence to have full play 
 in a very important region of the New 
 World at a time that seemed particularly 
 opportune, seeing that all American 
 traffic was stopped in consequence of the 
 Secession war between the North and 
 South. 
 
 On arriving at Havana, Admiral Jurien 
 learnt that the Spanish fleet had already 
 reached Vera- Cruz. 
 
THE MEXICAN WAE. 265 
 
 To the English, who were preoccupied 
 by American complications, the Mexican 
 affair was only of secondary importance; 
 and it was not till after a great deal of 
 negligence and hesitation that they decided 
 to continue the expedition, and even then 
 seeming ready to withdraw whenever their 
 interests required their attention elsewhere. 
 It had been arranged that there should be 
 no hostile demonstration, and that the 
 powers should confine themselves at first 
 to negotiation, seizing the customs as a 
 guarantee if they did not receive the ex- 
 pected pecuniary satisfaction. 
 
 However, the arrival of the Spanish fleet 
 had alarmed the whole country, and they 
 looked upon this piece of naval manoeuvring 
 as a declaration of war. The Spaniards 
 (who had occupied Mexico for many years) 
 were regarded as hereditary foes, and 
 the people, fleeing before them, evacuated 
 both the forts and the towns, and settled 
 on a belt of country in the immediate 
 neighbourhood, taking with them all the 
 means of transport and re-victualling. 
 
266 THE MEXICAN WAS. 
 
 Thus our troop disembarked in a veritable 
 desert. We had expected a different re- 
 ception, and were puzzled how to provide 
 for the small corps that was to occupy the 
 place. However, the members of the Con- 
 gress seemed disposed to favour the French, 
 whose presence won the confidence of the 
 Government and Mexican population in 
 regard to the peaceful future of the negotia- 
 tions. The presence of our fleet appeased 
 their fears, and they seemed disposed to 
 give us a good reception. 
 
 Consequently, to provide for the well- 
 being of the expeditionary corps, Admiral 
 Jurien concluded a treaty called " Le Bole- 
 dad," which permitted the French to occupy 
 a part of the country a little distance from 
 the coast, favourable to the health of the 
 troops, and where they could easily provide 
 themselves with the necessaries of life. 
 Still, in spite of the agreeable way in which 
 the Admiral conducted all his operations, 
 the Mexican Government stipulated that if 
 hostilities should be declared, the French 
 expedition must recede from the lines 
 
THE MEXICAN WAR. 267 
 
 occupied by them and withdraw to the 
 coast. 
 
 Admiral Jurien gave his word of honour 
 that this agreement should be respected, 
 and the pourparlers terminated opportunely, 
 as it was necessary not only to come to an 
 understanding with the Congress, but also 
 as regards the intentions of the three 
 plenipotentiaries. 
 
 G-eneral Prim, who directed the Spanish 
 expedition, seemed especially preoccupied 
 in looking after his personal influences. 
 Belated by his wife to a very important 
 Mexican family in the country, he was 
 accused of entertaining ambitious hopes. 
 Moreover, Marshal Serrano, who at this 
 time directed the Spanish policy, was not 
 sorry, it is reported, to see a general, who 
 was naturally restless, occupied in some 
 distant expedition. The commander of 
 the English fleet, on his part, appeared to 
 pay more attention to the distant boom of 
 the cannons in the United States than to 
 the expedition ; Admiral Jurien, thus find- 
 ing himself in a very delicate position, 
 
268 THE MEXICAN WAE. 
 
 directing the negotiations almost alone, and 
 endeavouring at the same time to preserve 
 the peace among them all. The Congress 
 seemed disposed to accept the terms of the 
 Powers, but in trying to gain time the 
 relations became strained. Monsieur de 
 Saligny, for instance, being very dissatisfied 
 with the secondary role he had to play in 
 the presence of Admiral Jurien de La 
 Graviere, and being very well connected in 
 the country, wrote several letters to Paris, 
 complaining of the Admiral's inaction, and 
 suggesting that people expected something 
 different from us. He succeeded in pro- 
 ducing such an impression on the Govern- 
 ment, that the Admiral received a message 
 from France announcing the departure of 
 military reinforcements to aid him to enforce 
 his claims. General Lorencez was ordered 
 to join him, and at the same time, in order 
 to maintain his dignity, Jurien was raised 
 to the rank of Vice-Admiral, which gave 
 him supreme command. 
 
 When this new batch of troops arrived 
 at Vera- Cruz, England and Spain, restless 
 
THE MEXICAN WAR. 269 
 
 at waiting so long, abruptly broke off the 
 negotiations and withdrew, alleging as their 
 reason for so doing the attitude of the 
 Mexican Government, which still sought, 
 means of eluding its obligations, and also 
 the disinclination of their respective Govern- 
 ments to undertake any bellicose action. 
 
 General Lorencez, who had but recently 
 arrived, and was not au courant with the 
 local difficulties, committed the imprudent 
 action of granting the protection of the 
 French flag to some Mexican refugees, 
 whom the Government were desirous of 
 capturing, and among these was the priest 
 of Miranda, who played a most atrocious 
 role during the whole of this war. The 
 Government was roused, and protested, 
 and as we were unwilling to give up these 
 unfortunate ones who had sought our 
 protection, thus these trifling questions 
 embittered our relationship. 
 
 Admiral Jurien, seeing the difficulties and 
 dangers to which his position was being 
 exposed, if his Government determined to 
 remain alone, when the other Powers 
 
270 THE MEXICAN WAE. 
 
 thought it prudent to retire, insisted in 
 his despatches on the necessity of prompt 
 evacuation, but his advice was not fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 The Admiral then, without giving up his 
 command, demanded leave to return to 
 France in order to justify his conduct and 
 to state his views clearly to the Emperor. 
 This was permitted, and on his arrival in 
 Paris he received an audience. 
 
 He was invited to a small dinner-party 
 so that he could state his views at greater 
 length. (It was thought at the Court that 
 his attitude in opposition to public opinion 
 in Prance on this Mexican question would 
 have estranged the Emperor.) 
 
 When the Admiral appeared every face 
 assumed an icy coldness, but when the 
 Emperor arrived, on seeing the Admiral, 
 he went to him with extended hands, wel- 
 comed him heartily, and conversed with 
 him long and amicably. At the close of 
 the interview all those who had received 
 him so coldly came to the Admiral and 
 congratulated him on the successful fulfil- 
 
THE MEXICAN WAS. 271 
 
 ment of his mission. When the sun shows 
 out from behind the clouds and suddenly 
 lights up the horizon, how magical is the 
 effect ! It is one of those traits of Court 
 life, which I have often had occasion to 
 observe when at the Tuileries. It exhibited 
 such a prompt and marked " tacking " that 
 I have always remembered it as an interest- 
 ing incident. 
 
 The growing complication with Mexico 
 caused the Emperor much anxiety. The 
 French do not know how to acknowledge 
 a fault, and where the flag is concerned it 
 seems to them to be more honourable to 
 advance to a certain defeat than to confess 
 an error. 
 
 Would to G-od the Emperor had re- 
 nounced this unfortunate expedition ! 
 
 Admiral Jurien did not return to Mexico. 
 He was appointed aide-de-camp to the 
 Emperor, who esteemed him highly, and 
 reposed great confidence in him. His open 
 character, his distinguished learning, the 
 agreeableness of his mind, and his charming 
 manners quickly won the sympathy of all, 
 
272 THE MEXICAN WAB. 
 
 and the Empress looked upon him as a 
 friend with whom she was pleased to con- 
 verse and interchange thoughts. 
 
 To digress a little, I should like to 
 mention, when on the subject of Admiral 
 Jurien, that when the Emperor departed 
 for the campaign in 1870, he asked Admiral 
 Jurien de La G-raviere to remain with the 
 Empress ; the Admiral did not, however, 
 have the honour of accompanying her 
 Majesty when she quitted the Tuileries. 
 (On this occasion the mansion was filled 
 with people from the earliest hours of the 
 morning, all entering at their will to receive 
 information, and to receive the Empress's 
 orders. More than a hundred persons were 
 present at her departure, and each of the 
 ladies desired to be selected to accompany 
 the Empress. For she would not permit 
 any of those about her to expose themselves 
 on her account, this being why Admiral 
 Jurien was not allowed, at any cost, to 
 follow her.) She left herself in the hands 
 of the Austrian and Italian ambassadors, 
 knowing that her confidence would be re- 
 
THE MEXICAN WAE. 273 
 
 speoted — only taking with her Madame 
 Lebreton Bourbaki, her reader, whose age 
 and position rendered her independent. 
 
 After the return of Admiral Jurien de La 
 Graviere to France the Mexican expedition 
 took a new departure. General Forey, who 
 was appointed commander-in-chief, had 
 under his command a very powerful army 
 corps, and the campaign was henceforth 
 conducted witb vigour, brilliant victories 
 crowning the efforts of our soldiers. 
 
 After the success of our armies, the pres- 
 tige of France, and the authority which the 
 name of Napoleon III. exercised over the 
 whole world, caused to be united all the 
 lovers of order, who formed no insignificant 
 portion of the Mexicans, for they had be- 
 come disgusted with the scandalous and 
 revolutionary troubles that had paralyzed 
 the country for so many years. There was 
 also a change in the political aspect. Juares, 
 who had fomented and carried on the war 
 against us, being defeated on all sides, and 
 surrounded only by a few guerillas and a 
 few fanatics in the cause of Mexican inde- 
 18 
 
274 AECHDTJKE MAXIMILIAN. 
 
 pendence, became powerless and was com- 
 pelled to submit. The country then rose 
 and begged the Emperor to interfere with 
 the internal arrangements in order to estab- 
 lish a lasting foothold in these rich coun- 
 tries which had been so distracted by 
 disorder and anarchy. It was suggested 
 that a monarchy should be established, 
 capable of upholding its own in the New 
 World with the aid of the United States ; 
 and at this juncture the sympathetic in- 
 fluence of the Austrian ambassador inter- 
 vened. 
 
 Since the Italian war French ideas had 
 become greatly modified, and fully awake 
 to the great noise of arms that was 
 now being heard in Prussia in connection 
 with the annexation of the Ducbies, the 
 Emperor seemed inclined to an Austrian 
 alliance. 
 
 ThC candidature of the Archduke Maxi- 
 milian for the crown of Mexico was pro- 
 posed, and was generally acceptable to the 
 Powers; and in the month of October, 
 1863, a Mexican deputation arrived at 
 
ABCHDTJKE MAXIMILIAN. 275 
 
 Miramar to offer the Emperor of Austria's 
 brother the Imperial crown of Mexico. 
 
 The Archduke Maximilian, born on the 
 6th of July, 1832, Grand Admiral and Com- 
 mander of the Austrian Imperial Marines, 
 had commanded the Lombardy division 
 during the Italian war. He had married on 
 the 27th of July, 1859, Princess Charlotte, 
 the youngest daughter of the Belgian King, 
 and, of Princess Louise d'Orleans. The 
 young Princess, possessing an energetic 
 character and a well-cultivated mind, and 
 endowed with superior faculties, saw with 
 enthusiasm that here lay a higher destiny 
 for her husband, whose role was then but 
 a secondary one. She looked upon him as 
 about to become the founder of a great 
 Empire, destined to bring within the pale 
 of civilization one of the richest countries 
 on the face of the globe. 
 
 The Archduke Maximilian, who possessed 
 a chivalrous spirit and a benevolent and up- 
 right mind, accepted on principle the throne 
 thus offered him ; and, negotiating for the 
 support of European sovereigns, laid the 
 
276 THE AEMT OF OCCUPATION. 
 
 basis of those alliances which were to assist 
 him in creating a new State. And in these 
 matters he received the full consent of 
 Austria, the support of France also being 
 clearly indicated. 
 
 Maximilian and the Princess Charlotte 
 came to the Court of the Tuileries, young 
 and sympathetic, and fully cognisant of 
 the magnitude of their undertaking. 
 
 The Emperor consented to leave in 
 Mexico, for three years, an army of occu- 
 pation numbering 25,000 men, who would 
 return to France as soon as the Mexican 
 army was organized. This, of course, was 
 to be at the expense of the country, 
 which was to pay at first a war indemnity 
 of 65 million francs, then 25 millions a year 
 until 270 millions had been paid towards 
 the reimbursement of the loan. The prin- 
 cipal banks of Europe opened their coffers, 
 and with the guarantee of the French 
 Government a loan was effected to pay all 
 these heavy expenses. 
 
 Maximilian secured the co-operation of 
 European officers (who received permission 
 
THE CORONATION. 277 
 
 to serve abroad) for the purpose of organiz- 
 ing a Mexican army, and having agreed 
 upon the principal heads of a treaty, he 
 prepared to return to Miramar ; the investi- 
 ture taking place there while he was on his 
 way to Eome to arrange with the sovereign 
 Pontiff about the different religious ques- 
 tions. 
 
 On his arrival at Miramar, on April 16th, 
 he was met by a deputation of Mexican 
 noblemen, and there and then accepted the 
 crown. The coronation took place imme- 
 diately, in the presence of General Erossard, 
 who had been delegated to represent the 
 Emperor at this ceremony, together with 
 delegates from the other Powers ; and thus 
 did Maximilian assume the title of the Em- 
 peror of Mexico. 
 
 Shortly after, the new sovereigns quitted 
 their native land on board the frigate 
 Novara, with two Erench frigates as escort, 
 and set sail for the new Empire. A military 
 guard, which was composed of Belgian, 
 French, and Austrian soldiers, accompanied 
 them, and was known as the Guard of the 
 Empress Charlotte. 
 
278 THE CLOUD. 
 
 After a pleasant voyage the fleet arrived, 
 on July 27th, at Vera-Cruz, where the 
 Emperor and Empress were received with 
 great enthusiasm, as an encouragement to 
 them in the task they were ahout to under- 
 take. They were offered the crown of the 
 Bois asteques, which had been religiously 
 preserved since the fall of the ancient 
 dynasty, as if to carry out the ancient 
 prophecy that a prince should come from 
 the West to reign over Mexico. The 
 Emperor, assembling around him all those 
 who could assist him, then courageously set 
 about establishing the new State. 
 
 There is a certain melancholy in the 
 thought of these two young people leaving 
 their family and their friends for a strange 
 and unknown country ; banished, too, from 
 their charming retreat at Miramar, where 
 on the shore of the Adriatic, at the foot of 
 the mountains of Tyrol, on one of the finest 
 sites in the world, they had built a wonder- 
 ful palace which sheltered their tender and 
 peaceful union. 
 
 In 1866 the engagement undertaken by 
 
THE CLOUD. S79 
 
 the Emperor, to leave a corps of occupation 
 in Mexico, expired. The troops were re- 
 called, and Maximilian, now left to his own 
 resources, found himself face to face with 
 the most unexpected difficulties. 
 
 As soon as the corps d' 'occupation was 
 withdrawn the hopes of the revolutionary 
 party, who made great capital, of course, 
 out of Maximilian's foreign title, revived ; 
 and the country, insufficiently organized, 
 and distracted by the violence of parties in 
 the midst of the difficulties of an organiza- 
 tion which had scarcely been tried, was 
 plunged into a disorder which threatened 
 the safety and the position of its ruler. 
 
 Ma ximili an made it a point of honour not 
 to abandon the post he had accepted ; but, 
 it is said, foreseeing the events to come, he 
 wished to protect the Empress from the lot 
 that awaited her, but which she was still 
 willing to share. With this object in view, 
 he suggested that she should return to 
 Europe to obtain new forces to cope with 
 the revolution, and thus assist him to ac- 
 complish his task. 
 
280 EMPEBSS CHAELOTTE. 
 
 In the month of August, 1866, the Em- 
 press Charlotte, who had only just arrived 
 in France, appeared the same evening in 
 Paris ; and, without taking any repose, after 
 a dreadful passage, requested to see the 
 Emperor immediately. 
 
 The Court carriages having conveyed her 
 back to her hotel, from there, with the royal 
 escort, the Empress of Mexico travelled to 
 Saint-Cloud. 
 
 The Emperor and Empress met her on 
 the steps, and it was with deep emotion 
 that these three personages, after so many 
 fatal events, thought of the cruel contrast 
 between the hopes entertained before de- 
 parture and the sorrows of the return. 
 
 Their Majesties and the Empress Char- 
 lotte ascended the staircase of the Palace, 
 and, after the usual presentations were 
 terminated, directed their steps to the 
 Empress's cabinet, where they remained 
 alone to converse. 
 
 The whole air of the Empress of Mexico, 
 who was then twenty-six years old, betrayed 
 long suffering and profound uneasiness. 
 
EMPBESS CHAELOTTEj 281 
 
 Tall, and of an elegant and noble figure, 
 she had a well-rounded face, beautiful pro- 
 minent brown eyes, and many graceful 
 traits. She wore a long black silk dress, a 
 mantilla of black lace, and a well-made 
 white hat, which had been bought that 
 very morning at some grand milliner's. 
 The heat of the day had been oppressive, 
 and, whether it was the effect of a long 
 drive in the sun from Paris to Saint-Cloud, 
 or of agitation, the Empress had a very 
 brilliant colour. 
 
 She was accompanied by two Mexican 
 ladies of honour — very ugly, black, short, 
 and ungraceful, and who spoke French with 
 difficulty. Whilst the sovereigns were en- 
 gaged in a long conversation and Ute-a-Ute, 
 we took charge of these two strangers, who 
 seemed a good deal scared. I spoke a few 
 words to them, and, in order to pass the 
 time, provided them with some refresh- 
 ment. 
 
 One of these two ladies, I remember, asked 
 me to send some sherbet to the Empress 
 Charlotte, who, she said, was in the habit 
 
282 EMPEES8 OHAELOTTE. 
 
 of taking it about this time of the day. I 
 immediately ordered the master of the 
 hotel to convey the prepared drink to the 
 Empress. 
 
 The Empress Eugenie, who was annoyed 
 at the entrance of this man at such a 
 moment, asked why he brought this re- 
 freshment. He replied that he was obey- 
 ing orders ; but it was some time before 
 she could prevail on Empress Charlotte to 
 take it. 
 
 After the departure of the Empress Char- 
 lotte the Empress asked why I sent in the 
 orangeade, and told me that she seemed 
 very annoyed, and would not drink it with- 
 out being pressed. I explained what had 
 passed. The Empress considered that the 
 lady of honour had shown too much zeal, 
 and had only succeeded in causing the 
 Empress Charlotte a great deal of embar- 
 rassment. 
 
 For two hours the unfortunate Charlotte, 
 with an eloquence, courage, and persuasion 
 only to be met with in times of great 
 reverses, explained to the Emperor the 
 
TEEASON. 283 
 
 terrible difficulties and dangers which en- 
 compassed the life of a foreign prince in a 
 country delivered up to the most revolu- 
 tionary agitations, surrounded by a semi- 
 barbarous population, exposed to the treasons 
 of ambitious politicians, and familiarized 
 with violence and every kind of excess. 
 The complications which at that time were 
 making matters in France so serious, of 
 course restrained the Emperor, and yet 
 nothing touched his heart so deeply as the 
 thought of abandoning an ally whom he 
 had so greatly assisted to place on this 
 dangerous throne. So all that he could do 
 was to supplicate the Empress to obtain at 
 any price the consent of her husband to 
 abandon so desperate an enterprise, and 
 return to Europe. 
 
 The Emperor, in fact, did all he could to 
 attain this object. But Maximilian, con- 
 sidering that his honour was at stake, and 
 determined to accomplish his task, ener- 
 getically repelled every idea of return ; 
 neither could his wife make up her mind 
 to abandon her hopes. She wished to make 
 
284 A BKOKEN WOMAN. 
 
 a new attempt with the Emperor of Austria 
 and her father, the King of Belgium, and 
 even proposed to go to Eome to obtain the 
 sanction of the Holy Father. Prom this 
 time it is supposed her mind began to show 
 signs of weakness. 
 
 She quitted Saint-Cloud with downcast 
 countenance, her features furrowed by the 
 tears which she endeavoured to stifle, and 
 leaving the Emperor and the Empress most 
 grievously affected. 
 
 A few days after this visit it was observed 
 that her intellect was greatly agitated. 
 She spoke incoherently, and suffered from 
 fears and violent headaches, and even began 
 to think that she was poisoned, and that 
 certainly the orangeade which she drank at 
 Saint- Cloud would prove fatal to her ; and 
 thus was she saved the terrible pain and 
 sorrow of knowing the fate of the Emperor 
 Maximilian — the young and charming hus- 
 band whom she had adored. 
 
 The news of the illness of the Empress 
 Charlotte reached Mexico in the midst of 
 the most anxious political complications. 
 
BAZAINE. 285 
 
 The Emperor Maximilian, who was himself 
 ill, and very much fatigued by the climate, 
 was almost tempted to rejoice at any cir- 
 cumstance that would postpone the return 
 of the Empress. The Conservative party, 
 who supported the Emperor, beseeched him 
 not to abdicate as he had been advised to 
 do by his friends in Europe, whilst the 
 Eepublican party, on the other hand, 
 gaining strength after the departure of the 
 French troops, wished the Emperor to 
 abdicate and leave the country. 
 
 During the whole of the Mexican cam- 
 paign General Bazaine commanded the first 
 division under General Eorey. 
 
 After the recall of the latter, Bazaine was 
 appointed commander-in-chief of the army 
 of occupation. 
 
 Having been left a widower under 
 peculiar and painful circumstances, he 
 married a young lady belonging to a good 
 Mexican family. He was accused of 
 having attempted to gain personal influence 
 in the country, and was known to be op- 
 posed to the Emperor Maximilian in a most 
 
286 BAZAINE. 
 
 regrettable manner. Belying also upon the 
 prestige of his French name, he went so 
 far as to pretend that he represented the 
 direct opinion of the Emperor Napoleon. 
 He even raised some questions of pre- 
 cedence, which greatly annoyed the 
 Emperor Maximilian and the Empress 
 Charlotte, and of which they complained 
 very strongly. Thus when he and Madame 
 Bazaine were present at divine worship, he 
 insisted that the priest should precede them 
 and receive them under the dais or canopy, 
 which is generally only done in the case of 
 sovereigns. 
 
 When the French troops evacuated 
 Mexico, General Bazaine issued an order 
 that all officers and privates who had 
 received permission to serve abroad were 
 commanded to return at once to France 
 with the expeditionary corps, under the 
 penalty pf being classed as deserters. This 
 caused great excitement in the recently- 
 formed army, in which most of our 
 countrymen occupied high ranks, a certain 
 number of them, considering themselves 
 
TEEACHEBY. 287 
 
 bound by their engagements with the 
 Emperor Maximilian, refusing to abandon 
 the service, and continuing to march under 
 the orders of Miramon and other generals 
 devoted to Maximilian. 
 
 Nearly a year passed, during which there 
 was a series of the most disastrous events. 
 
 "A true Hapsburg does not desert his 
 post in the hour of danger," the Emperor 
 used to say. 
 
 Surrounded by plots, and possessing but 
 an insufficient army, and that badly armed, 
 the Emperor maintained a defensive atti- 
 tude, until, enclosing him on all sides, the 
 insurgents attacked him at Queretaro, 
 where he had retired with a few faithful 
 troops. 
 
 Among those generals who were besieged 
 in this place with the Emperor was General 
 Lopez, whom the Emperor honoured with 
 his confidence. But henceforth his name 
 was to be held up to public contempt as 
 the most criminal of traitors ; for on the 
 15th of May, 1867, he gave the place up to 
 the enemy, and the Emperor fell into the 
 
288 A HEEO. 
 
 hands of Juares, that ambitious barbarian 
 whose power had been quashed on the 
 arrival of Maximilian in Mexico. 
 
 Subsequently, a mock trial was instituted, 
 in which the Emperor was accused of high 
 treason, for attempting to introduce into 
 Mexico a foreign dynasty. But his death 
 had at the very outset been resolved upon 
 by these barbarians, so that they might 
 break off European control entirely, and 
 destroy every vestige of foreign interven- 
 tion. 
 
 Weighed down by bad treatment, ex- 
 hausted by sickness, and left in the hands 
 of implacable adventurers, the Emperor 
 underwent this iniquitous trial, and finally 
 received the sentence of death with a great 
 soul, and a firmness which touched even the 
 hearts of his executioners. Forgetful of 
 himself, he expressed regret only for those 
 friends who had been compromised in his 
 cause, and for that beautiful country which 
 he regarded as his adopted home, and to 
 which he heartily wished bis death would 
 bring peace and security. 
 
THE EXECUTION. 289 
 
 On the morning of the 19th of June, after 
 hearing mass and receiving the sacrament, 
 the Emperor Maximilian marched to the 
 place of execution, with his brow serene, 
 faith in his eyes, and with generous 
 thoughts towards the people to whom he 
 had hoped to bring order and prosperity. 
 
 Of his own accord he placed himself in 
 the middle of the escort that was to lead 
 him to the grave, and took affectionate 
 leave of those friends who had not deserted 
 him. 
 
 "Death is easier than one imagines," 
 said he to them. " I am ready." 
 
 When he arrived at the place of execu- 
 tion he distributed among the soldiers who 
 were to shoot him the little gold he had 
 remaining. 
 
 " Shoot boldly ! " said he to them, " and 
 may my blood be the last to be shed for the 
 patrie ! " 
 
 These were his last words. 
 
 He died nobly — as a Prince, a Christian, 
 and a soldier. 
 
 The news of this terrible crime reached 
 
 19 
 
290 WIDOWED. 
 
 Paris on the morning of the distribution 
 of rewards at the Grand Exhibition in 
 1867. 
 
 The Emperor and the Empress were 
 stricken with deep sorrow. 
 
 A few days before the assassination of 
 the Emperor Maximilian, the false report 
 of the death of the Empress Charlotte 
 reached Mexico, and was communicated 
 to the Emperor. He found in this news 
 a kind of bitter consolation. 
 
 "God be praised!" said he; "she at 
 least will not know what atrocious deeds 
 are being done here." 
 
 The Emperor's body was embalmed by 
 his friends, and forwarded to Europe on 
 board the frigate Novara, the same sbip 
 which, four years previously, had conveyed 
 him to this new Empire, the possession of 
 which had cost him his life. 
 
 The Emperor Maximilian, when he died, 
 was thirty-five years of age. 
 
 The Empress Charlotte lived in Belgium, 
 where for a long time, calm and sad, she 
 unconsciously wore widow's weeds, wan- 
 
WIDOWED. 291 
 
 dering about quite silent in that solitude 
 of Laeken, where she had spent her child- 
 hood, and where she had been placed by 
 her sister-in-law, Queen Henriette, who 
 had watched over her with the tenderest 
 love. 
 
 It is stated that her intellect is now 
 quite gone, and that of this once happy 
 and beloved woman — this once young, 
 noble, and courageous Queen — there re- 
 mains but the shadow — unconscious of the 
 life which is slowly ebbing away. 
 
CHAPTEE X. 
 
 The Good Works of the Empress — The Asylums, Schools, 
 and Hospitals — The Prince Imperial Orphanage — Life- 
 boat Society — Convalescent Homes — The Prisons — 
 Empress's Visits to Charenton and la petite Boquette — 
 ' Saint-Lazare, and a Sovereign's Heroism among the 
 Diseased. 
 
 The Empire gave a powerful and very 
 noticeable impetus to philanthropic and 
 humane works, the benefit which accrued 
 to the labouring classes, thanks to this 
 far-sighted initiative, being incalculable. 
 
 Infant asylums, infant and other schools 
 multiplied, the Empress herself taking an 
 active and earnest part in all works of 
 charity. The condition of the infirm and 
 suffering was always an object of her con- 
 stant care, and she visited regularly all 
 the institutions and hospitals, examining 
 
GOOD WOBKS. 293 
 
 into everything herself, and endeavouring 
 to find means to carry out all improvements 
 that were necessary. 
 
 Very often in the morning the Empress 
 would go out alone with me to one or other 
 of these establishments, a hospital or a 
 prison — no preparation having been made 
 beforehand, as her Majesty always pre- 
 served a strict " incog," and was also most 
 anxious to see things as they really were. 
 On these occasions I was informed, gener- 
 ally about nine o'clock, that the Empress 
 would be going out, and that I might hold 
 myself in readiness to accompany her. 
 Her Majesty would drive in a large brown 
 landau, lined with grey cloth, and which 
 she called sa voiture couleur de muraille. 
 A griflin painted on each door replaced 
 the coat-of-arms. The coachman and the 
 groom wore black livery a VAnglaise, with- 
 out cockades; and thus we entered the 
 poorest quarters like sisters of mercy. 
 
 The Eugene-Napoleon Home, the first 
 charitable institution established by the 
 Empress, and which, it will be remembered, 
 
294 THE NECKLACE. 
 
 was built on the proceeds of the necklace 
 (600,000 francs) offered to the Empress by 
 the city of Paris on her marriage, is still 
 in existence, thanks to the irrepressible 
 devotion of the holy women who were 
 left in charge of it. Already several gene- 
 rations of children have grown np and 
 become women under its roof, and for the 
 past eighteen years nothing about it has 
 been changed ; and the daughters of Saint 
 Vincent de Paul, the Sisters of Mercy to 
 whom the Empress confided the manage- 
 ment of this asylum, have succeeded in 
 accomplishing that miraculous feat of 
 supplying the deficiency which the Empress 
 used to pay out of her privy purse. 
 
 The children's labour helps towards de- 
 fraying expenses, and boarders are now 
 admitted; and for a small payment of 
 thirty francs per month children can be 
 well cared for, and may receive an educa- 
 tion that will fit them to gain their own 
 living. 
 
 With admirable constancy, and with that 
 sublime importunity which is the essence 
 
THE MOTHEB SUPEEIOE. 295 
 
 of charity, the Mother Superior (she who, 
 in conjunction with the Empress, founded 
 the orphanage, and who was a woman of 
 superior intelligence) succeeded in obtain- 
 ing from all quarters sufficient co-operation 
 to carry on the house. 
 
 In 1873 the institution was in great need, 
 and on the brink of ruin. The Empress 
 could not keep up her former subscription, 
 which had been a considerable one ; credit 
 was exhausted, and the home had con- 
 tracted a debt of 300,000 francs. 
 
 Erom time to time they endeavoured 
 to organize a lottery. The Empress sent 
 bracelets and jewellery, a ring, and the 
 baptismal robe of the Prince Imperial. 
 But the results were not sufficient, and 
 yet these "ministering angels " would not 
 forsake their children. 
 
 The struggle was severe ; but when the 
 Mother Superior died a few years ago, and 
 had assembled around her the committee 
 of administration, composed of generous 
 men who had assisted her in her task, 
 wishing to render an account of her finan- 
 
296 THE MOTHER SUPEEIOE. 
 
 cial position before (using her own ex- 
 pression) starting on the great journey 
 — all the debts were found to have been 
 paid. 
 
 "And I have a balance of 275 francs," 
 added she, with a sublime pride. 
 
 And now everything is in order as it 
 used to be, and the children are boarded 
 and superintended with as much anxious 
 care as ever. On a system of fraternal 
 joint liability, which does them honour, 
 the past recipients of this charity — that 
 is, those who have made a way for them- 
 selves in life — take an interest in all those 
 young members leaving the home, and aid 
 and direct them ; and many revisit the 
 blessed roof which sheltered them in their 
 distress, and where they ceased to be 
 orphans. 
 
 In the grand salon reserved for fete days 
 two long silk veils cover the splendid 
 portraits of the Emperor and Empress in 
 the height of their grandeur and beauty, 
 for they, it appears, could not be left un- 
 covered with impunity. 
 
THE DEDICATION. 297 
 
 Over the door of the chapel one may 
 read these words : 
 
 " Sous V invocation de la tres Sainte Vierge 
 et de Sainte Eugenie, 
 
 Cette maison a ete fondee, pour honorer 
 la religion et le travail." 
 
 ("By the invocation of the very holy 
 Virgin and Saint Eugenie, this Home was 
 founded for the honour of religion and 
 labour "). 
 
 At the further end of the chamber 
 may be seen the fresco representing the 
 Empress kneeling in her wedding toilet, 
 surrounded by the Sisters of Saint Vincent 
 de Paul, and presenting the little orphans 
 with her necklace. In May, 1871, during 
 the Commune, this painting was partially 
 veiled by the shrubs with which the place 
 was decorated in celebration of the month 
 of May, and thus it escaped the notice of 
 the devastators. 
 
 All these events in the life of the Em- 
 press are marked by a kindly consideration 
 for the good of the poor. 
 
 In 1853, during a stay of three weeks at 
 
298 l'asile mathilde. 
 
 Dieppe, the Empress, besides assisting the 
 indigent and the schools, gave 40,000 francs 
 to the Sisters de la Providence, whom she 
 took tinder her patronage. Another sum of 
 15,000 francs was granted to a society 
 whose object was to assist old and infirm 
 sailors and their families when any of its 
 members were lost at sea. 
 
 Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs [VAsile 
 Mathilde), established in 1853 under the 
 presidency of Princess Mathilde, was founded 
 to receive young incurable girls belonging to 
 the diocese of Paris. Once admitted they 
 could remain there to the close of their lives. 
 
 The hospital Sainte Eugenie, founded on 
 March 16, 1854, was solely for children. It 
 contained 405 beds for sick little girls ; and 
 the hospital VEnfant Jesus contained 698 
 beds for sick boys. 
 
 The Conseil municipal of Paris organized 
 a system of domiciliary aid to the un- 
 employed and needy families not entered 
 in the books of the Bureau de bienfaisance. 
 On February 16, 1854, the Emperor and 
 Empress gave out of their privy purse 
 600,000 francs to this charity. 
 
PBINCE IMPERIAL OBPHANAGE. 299 
 
 On September 15, 1856, a few months 
 after the birth of the Prince Imperial, the 
 " Orphanage of the Prince Imperial " was 
 decreed an institution for the public benefit. 
 The principal object of this charity was to 
 provide orphan children with home com- 
 forts by placing them in the houses of 
 honest working men, who would receive 
 payment for them. A public subscription 
 on the occasion of the birth of the Prince 
 Imperial had furnished the first capital; 
 and the Emperor made an annual allowance 
 out of his privy purse, in the name of his 
 son, other gifts and legacies being also 
 devoted to it. 
 
 Not only did works of charity multiply, 
 but new ones were created of immense 
 benefit to the indigent classes. 
 
 What struck the Empress most in con- 
 nection with the invalids at the hospital 
 was to see the great number of those who 
 left apparently so weak and feeble, and 
 beyond work or gaining a livelihood; this 
 suggesting to her the establishment of the 
 Imperial Asile de Vincennes, founded to 
 
300 THE CONVALESCENTS. 
 
 provide for 460 convalescents. The town 
 gave 10,000 metres of land, the Emperor 
 two millions out of his privy purse, and the 
 asylum was inaugurated in 1857. 
 
 Up to 1866 this Asile had received 
 57,844 convalescents. A. similar asylum 
 was founded for women at Vesinet, which 
 at the same time afforded shelter and assis- 
 tance to 27,000 working women. 
 
 The Empress, who was truly very in- 
 genious in the matter of good works, sug- 
 gested lectures to occupy and divert the 
 convalescents during the wearying hours of 
 feebleness and inactivity which follow sick- 
 ness. 
 
 Having made an appeal to distinguished 
 men — bishops, literati, and economists — the 
 Empress decided that lectures should be 
 given three times a week to the Asile 
 Imperial de Vincennes on practical scien- 
 tific questions and morals. The Empress 
 granted out of her privy purse a consider- 
 able sum towards defraying the necessary 
 expenses, and Monseigneur Darboy, who 
 consented to give a lecture at Vincennes, 
 
M. DE B0SKED0N. 301 
 
 employed himself in setting the scheme 
 going, aided by other good men who had 
 promised to help in the work. 
 
 On his arrival at the asylum the Arch- 
 bishop was received with enthusiastic shouts 
 of " Long live Monseigneur ! " " Long live 
 the Empress ! " 
 
 Monsieur de Bosredon, general secretary 
 to the Minister of the Interior, in presenting 
 an address of welcome to the Bishop, thus 
 explained to the patients the idea which 
 had suggested the lectures: — 
 
 " Gentlemen, everything that can con- 
 tribute to repair your strength, which has 
 been exhausted by toil and suffering, is 
 already to be found here. But one thing 
 was wanting, and her Majesty the Empress 
 has been gracious enough to supply it. 
 She desired that the asylum should not 
 only supply the wants of the body, but that 
 it should also furnish food to the mind. 
 Lectures will be given by the eminent men 
 who have responded so heartily to her 
 Majesty's appeal. Some will direct your 
 thoughts towards the noble sentiments of 
 
302 M. DE B0SBED0N. 
 
 religion and morals, which, often as they 
 merely slumber in the heart of man, yet, 
 when he is overtaken by suffering and 
 bereavement, become an inappreciable and 
 Divine consolation. Others will dilate on 
 the economic laws of labour and capital, a 
 knowledge of which is so necessary to 
 thoroughly understand and to protect your 
 own interests. Others will read to you the 
 principal passages from the works of those 
 admired authors who, in the presence of a 
 French audience, are, always applauded, 
 because in France the public, when even 
 wanting in literary culture, never lacks 
 natural taste. Others, again, will describe 
 the scientific wonders, and the discoveries, 
 not less astonishing, of industry. None of 
 you hereafter will quit the asylum without 
 learning some curious facts, or without 
 receiving good advice and wholesome truths 
 to communicate to your children and to 
 your companions." 
 
 Having congratulated the Emperor on 
 thus filling an existing void, the venerable 
 Archbishop of Paris paid homage to the 
 
THE AECHBISHOP's SPEECH. 303 
 
 generous instincts of the Empress, who had 
 enlarged and completed the work by estab- 
 lishing the lectures. In corroborating the 
 words of Monsieur de Bosredon : — 
 
 "It is proposed," said Monseigneur Dar- 
 boy, "to provide in this institution, not 
 merely the details and development of 
 science, studied in its profoundest and most 
 technical chaxacter, but a relative know- 
 ledge, at least, of those things which may 
 be useful to your own professions. Each 
 profession, thus educating and perfecting 
 itself, will contribute to the general progress 
 and to the good of all that relates to your 
 life and well-being. For the whole world 
 is like a vast chain, whose strength depends 
 upon the perfection of each separate link, 
 no occupation being independent of another; 
 for the humblest trade, and the most obscure 
 industry bears some relation to those arts, 
 sciences, and nobler works of human 
 genius, which do honour to, and help to 
 extend, our country. 
 
 " The whole world is only a great concert, 
 in which each one strikes his note and 
 
304 THE AECHBISHOP'S SPEECH. 
 
 plays his part, and in which each one of us 
 ought to be proud to add to the general 
 harmony, and not to curse and hate those 
 who labour in different spheres and with 
 different aptitudes. I love to contemplate 
 this magnificent union of every force which 
 tends to bestow repose, prosperity, and 
 greatness on my country ; and I am deeply 
 moved when I think of all that France 
 could effect if all her children would utilize 
 their own innate resources, and place them 
 at the disposal of the public service and of 
 their country." 
 
 Such were the grand words of this pre- 
 late, who was a great patriot, and who, it 
 is sad to remember, in so fatal an hour in 
 the history of the people, fell a victim to 
 their crimes. 
 
 It will thus be seen, by all these charit- 
 able schemes of hers, that the Empress had 
 every confidence in the humanity of her 
 richer subjects, feeling sure that a direct 
 appeal to the heart would always bear good 
 fruit. 
 
 A hospital for scrofulous children was 
 
MOEE CONVALESCENT HOMES. 305 
 
 established in 1857 at Berck-sur-Mer. 
 Convalescent homes were likewise founded 
 in 1854 at Falaise, and in 1861 at Epinay ; 
 the latter being placed under the patronage 
 of the Abbe Deguerry, priest of the Made- 
 leine, and Dr. Conneau, director of gifts and 
 aids from the Emperor's privy purse. 
 
 These homes received children after they 
 left the hospital of TEnfant Jesus and 
 Sainte Eugenie. They thus enjoyed fresh 
 air and excellent hygienic advantages until 
 they were perfectly convalescent. 
 
 But it was not only the Parisian popula- 
 tion who was the object of the Empress's 
 solicitude. In all the great centres of 
 industry, and wherever there was any good 
 to be done, the Empress exercised her 
 benevolence with inexhaustible liberality. 
 
 On the 9th of July, 1866, the Empress 
 addressed the following letter to M. Henri 
 Chevreau, at that time prefect of Lyon : — 
 
 " Mb. Senator, — I have followed with an 
 earnest interest every measure taken by the 
 Hospital Commission at Lyon to assist the 
 sufferings of the population. 
 20 
 
306 LYON. 
 
 " The founding of a lying-in-hospital a la 
 Croix Bousse, the installation of a great 
 number of beds at the hopital de la Charite, 
 and also the new system of interment (in 
 ■which I am particularly interested), are so 
 many proofs of the intelligent and devoted 
 zeal which the Commission has always 
 shown in the accomplishment of its noble 
 task. I know that, thanks to its activity, 
 other means for the amelioration of distress 
 are still in progress. But it appears to me 
 that there is still a void to be filled. The 
 convalescent hospital at Vincennes, decreed 
 by the Emperor in 1853, has thoroughly 
 demonstrated how necessary it is not to 
 permit the sick to proceed direct to their 
 work without passing through an inter- 
 mediate stage at a convalescent home ; and 
 I desire, Mr. Senator, that this suggestion 
 should be brought to the notice of the 
 people of Lyon, and for this purpose I 
 bequeath my property in Lyon, namely, 
 the chateau de LongcMne (with all its 
 appendages), to be utilized as a convalescent 
 home. 
 
A CEISIS. 307 
 
 " The interests of the poor are too well 
 looked after by the Administration and the 
 Hospital Commission for it to be necessary 
 to appeal to their zeal, that this hospital 
 may be opened with as little delay as 
 possible. 
 
 " Thanking you for the way in which you 
 have already received my suggestions, 
 
 " Believe me, Mr. Senator, 
 
 " Yours faithfully, 
 
 " Eugenie. 
 
 *' Ttjilebies, July 9, 1866." 
 
 The American War of Secession had its 
 counterpart with us at home, and brought 
 about a very painful industrial crisis, par- 
 ticularly so in the great manufacturing 
 centres; and on March 4, 1862, the Em- 
 peror forwarded a sum of 250,000 francs 
 out of his privy purse to the prefects of the 
 Ehone, Loire, Seine-Inferieure, and the 
 North, to assist the unemployed. 
 
 At Paris and Bordeaux, in September, 
 1859, the charitable movements on behalf 
 of the deaf and dumb received a new 
 
308 FOE WIDOWS AND OBEHANS. 
 
 impetus, the Central Association for the 
 Education of the Deaf and Dumb becoming 
 under the patronage of the Prince Imperial ; 
 and side by side with the State expenses 
 appeared the generous gifts of the sove- 
 reigns. 
 
 By a decree of 1862 the infant asylums 
 and infant schools were placed under the 
 patronage of the Empress, and as a result 
 these homes and educational establishments 
 increased rapidly. 
 
 During the Italian war the Empress 
 opened a subscription for the widows and 
 orphans of our soldiers. It amounted to 
 5,180,000 francs, a committee being ap- 
 pointed, under the presidency of the Em- 
 press, to distribute the pensions and gifts. 
 
 Among the other institutions in which 
 the Empress took an interest was the 
 military hospital of Vincennes, inaugurated 
 in 1858 ; and the Society for Saving Life 
 at Sea, which was first recognized as a 
 public institution on November 17, 1865. 
 
 The Empress became the patroness of 
 this society, and presented it with the first 
 
THE LIFE-BOATS. 309 
 
 three life-boats (with their appliances), 
 representing a sum of 30,000 francs. Since 
 that time life-boat stations have been 
 greatly multiplied, and now, when the 
 coast is enveloped in a fog, and when the 
 sea is lashed into fury, the ships sent 
 adrift, and the fishing smacks lose sight of 
 the place of refuge, thanks to the devo- 
 tion and energy of the life-boat corps (who 
 formerly were powerless, owing to the lack 
 of proper means) — as soon as the signal of 
 distress is hoisted, life-boats are launched 
 into the sea, and thus every year save the 
 lives of sailors and passengers who must 
 have inevitably perished but for their timely 
 aid. 
 
 La Societe du Prince Imperial, instituted 
 in 1862, afforded incalculable benefit to the 
 working classes. It was created by fixed 
 endowments of 100 francs, or by annual 
 shares of 10 francs. Its object was to 
 grant loans to working men and small 
 manufacturers, to assist them in purchasing 
 implements, tools, and raw materials. The 
 loans were not to exceed 500 francs. After 
 
310 . TEACHING THEIFT. 
 
 careful inquiry into the bona-fide of the bor- 
 rower, the amounts asked for were granted, 
 less % per cent. ; and the payments, with 
 very rare exceptions, were promptly made. 
 
 The working man's funds were placed in 
 the Credit fonder, and administered by a 
 committee of twenty members, under the 
 presidency of the Empress, who, with her 
 own hand, signed thousands of brevets, 
 decorated with her portrait, and which she 
 forwarded to the subscribers as a receipt. 
 Branches of this society were organized 
 in every place of sufficient importance for 
 the establishment of a committee. 
 
 On February 22, 1866, the Empress 
 visited Charenton. 
 
 One of the pensioners of the home, of 
 good manners and well dressed, approached 
 her, and in the most sensible and eloquent 
 terms prayed her to intervene with the 
 Administration to render him justice and 
 restore him to liberty. 
 
 "I am a scientist," said he to her 
 Majesty; "my family is afraid that my 
 fortune will be dissipated in scientific re- 
 
A PAINFUL CASE. 311 
 
 searches, and to satisfy their odious rapacity 
 they have shut me up here. Permit me, 
 Madame, to present you with some of my 
 works. Have them examined, and your 
 Majesty will then learn whether a mad 
 man could make such scientific calcula- 
 tions." 
 
 His language was to the point, of a high- 
 class order, and quite natural. The Em- 
 press, deeply interested, and mistrusting 
 somewhat the haste with which people 
 act on the word of doctors connected with 
 lunatic asylums — who are apt to see weak- 
 ness in every brain — resolved to do all in 
 her power to alleviate the lot of this unfor- 
 tunate man. 
 
 The Empress commanded Monsieur 
 Duruy, at that time Minister of Public 
 Instruction, to examine the-documents the 
 man had given her. They were also en- 
 trusted to specialists, and, a short time 
 after, Monsieur Duruy brought them back 
 and declared them to be the work of a 
 superior mind. 
 
 The Empress resolved to return to 
 
312 PEESONAL AID. 
 
 Charenton to see her protege and to inform 
 him of the result of the examination of his 
 works. 
 
 The man received with joy this second 
 visit ,of the Empress. 
 
 "Ah, Madame," said he to her, "you 
 alone can deliver me. My family is evilly 
 disposed towards me ! See, they have 
 placed the Pantheon on the tip of my nose, 
 to prevent my going out." 
 
 Alas ! this superior mind was quite dis- 
 tracted on certain points, whilst at the 
 same time it was very logical on others. 
 
 The Empress did not confine herself to 
 benevolent institutions, but assisted, in- 
 dividually, unfortunate females, or the sick. 
 Having first made inquiries and come to 
 a decision, she would go herself to the poor 
 people to render them assistance or to 
 sympathize with them. They little sus- 
 pected whom they were receiving, and would 
 not have been able to recognize her were 
 it not for her generous offerings. The 
 Empress carried a purse full of gold, but 
 always brought it back empty; many a 
 
A SISTEE OF MEECY. 313 
 
 large sum thus finding its way out of this 
 petite enveloppe. 
 
 On one occasion Madame Lebaudy, 
 whose benevolence is well known, having 
 gone to visit a sick woman to whom she 
 often rendered assistance, met on the stair- 
 case two ladies whose appearance struck 
 her, and who passed by her very rapidly, 
 trying at the same time to conceal their 
 identity. However, she could not be 
 deceived, and recognized one as the 
 Empress. On reaching her protegee, she 
 found her very happy. This woman re- 
 lated to her that two unknown ladies had 
 come to see her and had left her a very 
 liberal present; one of them, even, ob- 
 serving that her bed was disarranged and 
 badly made, having re-made it with her 
 own hands and put the room in order. 
 From the description given by this woman, 
 Madame Lebaudy concluded that it cer- 
 tainly was the Empress, and when told 
 this the poor woman almost fainted from 
 emotion and pleasure. 
 
 All those who have had the honour to 
 
314 IN THE SLUMS. 
 
 be personally acquainted with the Empress 
 have been witnesses of many actions similar 
 to this one. 
 
 "It would be very easy," she said to me 
 one day, " to send them what I take to 
 them myself. But when one comes in 
 contact with misery and suffering one is 
 the better able to bear her own burdens." 
 
 It was sometimes very rash for us to visit 
 some of' these distant slums. Once, near 
 Belleville, the Empress visited a woman 
 who had just been confined with the 
 twelfth child. The street was narrow and 
 winding, and the Empress, having left her 
 carriage a short distance off, went on foot 
 to the house. This poor woman lived in 
 a district that was a veritable hive of 
 workers, where, at this early hour of the 
 morning, every woman was attending to 
 her household affairs. 
 
 In a corner of the vast court the Empress 
 saw a child, three or four years of age, 
 knocked down by a gamin, and who 
 snatched from the little fellow's hands a 
 cake which had just been given him. The 
 
IN THE SLUMS. 315 
 
 Empress went up and rescued the child 
 and took the cake from the other, making 
 him ashamed of his action, giving a louis 
 to the younger one to buy some more 
 cakes. But the gamin, seeing that he had 
 lost the cake, commenced to cry at the top 
 of his voice. The mother ran out, think- 
 ing that some one was ill-treating her child, 
 and commenced to abuse the dames en 
 robes de soie, and to gather a mob of 
 women around us, who, not knowing what 
 had taken place, joined in the chorus with 
 her. 
 
 These women had a good stock of 
 Billingsgate language, and the Empress 
 had to escape to her carriage as quickly 
 as possible without accomplishing her 
 charitable mission. 
 
 Such incidents happened very rarely, and 
 even when not recognized, the Empress's 
 visits were received with gratitude and with 
 great respect. 
 
 The Empress extended greatly the good 
 work of the hospital for lying-in patients, 
 so well begun by Queen Marie-Antoinette. 
 
316 THE PEISONS. 
 
 Besides receiving every attention, each 
 woman received a certain sum of money, 
 baby-linen, and som,e clothes for herself. 
 The Empress was the president of this 
 charity. 
 
 Whilst the Emperor was in Algeria in 
 1865 the Empress was appointed regent ; 
 and during this period she interested her- 
 self very considerably in the regime of 
 juvenile prisoners. But in an Administra- 
 tion organized as the French one was routine 
 prevails over everything. No account is 
 taken of the progress of time, nor of the 
 modifications in the habits and manners 
 of people. No sooner is a certain system 
 set up by the Administration than all hope 
 of change is lost ; it is declared perfect, 
 and he is looked upon as almost an enemy 
 to the State who dares to breathe a word 
 about alteration. The Empress herself 
 has experienced this. 
 
 Her Majesty went one day to la petite 
 Roquette, accompanied by M. Boitelle, 
 Prefect of the Police, and a few other 
 heads of the Administration. 
 
THE PEISONS. 317 
 
 The cell system was the regime of this 
 prison, which was intended to receive 
 within its walls children who had been 
 deserted, more than those guilty of any 
 crime. 
 
 In order to prevent any ill-effects to 
 the young children from contact with some 
 of the more precocious ones, the only 
 remedy they had provided was absolute 
 silence and isolation. Such was the fate 
 of five hundred children from the age of 
 ten to eighteen, who, although living in 
 close proximity to one another, did not 
 see each other nor hear each other's voice. 
 
 In narrow cells, provided with a bed, a 
 table, and a tub, each child was compelled 
 to solitary labour and almost to inactivity. 
 Here they had their meals, and here they 
 slept. In a large interior court, into which 
 no eye could penetrate, walks, twenty 
 metres long, and separated from one another 
 by high walls, afforded these children an 
 opportunity of stretching their benumbed 
 limbs, and one by one, like young animals 
 in a cage, these poor wretches, with bent 
 
319 THE PEISONS. 
 
 head, sunken eye, and stupefied look, 
 walked mechanically to and fro in the 
 lugubrious monotony of these open sepul- 
 chres. The chapel in which the mass was 
 said every Sunday was not much better. 
 It was surrounded by small cabins placed 
 one above the other, and by an ingenious 
 contrivance a kind of sloping window- 
 shutter permitted the children to see the 
 altar from behind the iron bars, but with- 
 out letting them see the little cabins next 
 to them. 
 
 Every motherly instinct within the 
 Empress's bosom was aroused, and, collect- 
 ing all these little wretches around her, 
 she spoke to them, encouraged them, and 
 removed their fears. The Empress was 
 quite overcome with emotion to think that 
 in this enlightened nineteenth century so 
 many little souls, almost unconscious of 
 their faults, endured tortures which ought 
 not even to have been permitted even in 
 the case of hardened criminals. 
 
 There were children in this place only 
 eight years old. 
 
THE PBISONS. 319 
 
 " What have you done to be in here ? " 
 once asked the Empress of one of these 
 little waifs. 
 
 " I slept on the bridges." 
 
 " Where is your mother ? " 
 
 "I have none." 
 
 " Who takes care of you ? " 
 
 " A friend of my father." 
 
 " Why did you leave home ? " 
 
 " She beat me." 
 
 " And what did your father say ? " 
 
 " He was not there." 
 
 Such was the grievous testimony of most 
 of these unfortunate young creatures. The 
 older ones, with their degraded features and 
 shrinking looks, were conscious of their 
 faults. These were certainly guilty, and 
 one could imagine them having been marked 
 out for crime, and their corrupt ideas being 
 rendered keen by punishment found time 
 in their solitude to meditate on the means 
 of committing still greater wrongs. And 
 these were side by side with the little inno- 
 cent ones, whose only crime was that of 
 being weak, poor, and forgotten! 
 
320 THE PBISONS. 
 
 Some of these were here by way of 
 paternal correction. One of them, a lad of 
 fourteen, with a bold air and a handsome 
 face, had been confined there more than 
 twelve months. His father was a police- 
 sergeant. He had chippe (cribbed) a few 
 trifles when passing along the street, and 
 the father, feeling himself compromised in 
 his official capacity by this action of his 
 son, sent him to this place of confinement 
 for one year. Furious at so terrible a 
 punishment, the wretched lad vowed he 
 would be avenged, saying — 
 
 " When I get out of here I will kill my 
 father." 
 
 Nothing could appease him, and under 
 " the most stringent punishment he still 
 adhered to his threat. 
 
 The Empress put a few questions to him, 
 and he related to her his history with much 
 intelligence. 
 
 " My father had not the right for so 
 slight an affair to put me in this place of 
 torture. It is unjust, and I will kill him." 
 
 The Empress, gently drawing him to- 
 
EMILE OLLIVIEB. 321 
 
 wards her, commenced to speak to him so 
 kindly, and enlarged so sympathetically on 
 the obligations of one's duty, that this child 
 trembled and threw himself at her feet, 
 weeping bitterly, and promising to abandon 
 his frightful design. The Empress, on her 
 part, promised to speak to his father and to 
 prevail on him to mitigate the punishment. 
 She kept her word, and for several years 
 followed the career of this child, whom she 
 afterwards apprenticed to some trade, in 
 which he gave satisfaction to all. 
 
 It was just about this period that 
 Monsieur Emile Ollivier appeared at the 
 Tuileries for the first time, and the follow- 
 ing little incident regarding him is worth 
 relating, now that I remember it. 
 
 He had delivered a very important speech 
 at the Chamber on the laws of coalitions 
 and the rights of strikes. The Empress 
 desired to have a conversation with him, 
 and invited him to dine at the Tuileries, 
 along with several others of his colleagues. 
 These gentlemen were greatly concerned as 
 to what dress they should appear in. When 
 21 
 
322 EMILE OLLIYIEE. 
 
 it was reported that Monsieur Emile Ollivier 
 had accepted the invitation to dine at the 
 Tuileries, his friends were greatly excited, 
 and wondered whether he would appear in 
 Court dress (knee breeches) or not. 
 
 But the invitation was of a personal 
 character, and these gentlemen were in- 
 formed by the chamberlain de service that 
 on ordinary evenings culottes were not 
 worn. 
 
 They presented themselves at the ap- 
 pointed time in their usual dress, but when 
 about to enter they were greatly agitated 
 at the sight of a gentleman in breeches, 
 who alighted from a cab. Very little would 
 have caused them to retire. But, having 
 reflected that they were ordered not to 
 come in Court dress, they entered, still 
 with rather an embarrassed air. The grace- 
 fulness with which they were received by 
 the Empress soon put them at their ease, 
 and they were still more reassured on 
 seeing the officers de service dressed in the 
 same style as themselves. The gentleman 
 who had caused them so much anxiety on 
 
EMILE OLLIVIEE. 323 
 
 alighting from the cab was only a belated 
 usher, who had come in a cab to make up 
 for lost time. 
 
 After her visit to the young prisoners 
 whose position had so greatly impressed 
 her, the Empress, as regent, instituted a 
 Commission to inquire into this horrible 
 cell-system, and to arrange to replace it 
 by penitenciers agricoles (farming peniten- 
 tiaries). 
 
 Monsieur Emile Ollivier warmly supported 
 this idea of the Empress, who presided at 
 the meetings held at the Tuileries. 
 
 At one of these meetings the Empress, 
 who generally observed silence, having 
 heard what each one had to say, then elo« 
 quently espoused the cause of these poor 
 little wretches, and showed an ardent desire 
 to mitigate their cruel situation. One of 
 those present, foreseeing that considerable 
 changes were about to overturn the whole 
 of our administrative economy, thus spoke : 
 
 "All you have stated, Madame, is quite 
 true ; but there are so many difficulties in 
 the way that we can see no remedies for 
 
324 THE YOUNG PEISONEES. 
 
 the evils, to speak of which is only, after 
 all, to arouse a false sentiment." 
 
 "Pardon me," replied the Empress, 
 sweetly, " it is the cause of humanity, and 
 a question of policy." 
 
 As a result the young prisoners of la 
 Boquette were distributed among the dif- 
 ferent jpenitenciers agricoles. 
 
 At first the heads of these later establish- 
 ments looked with a certain degree of un- 
 easiness on these outcasts — these wretches 
 whom every one regarded as tainted with 
 every vice, and who were now destined to 
 mingle with children already disciplined by 
 labour and used to the innocent freedom of 
 the fields. 
 
 However all turned out well. 
 
 One of these prisoners (then sixteen years 
 old), when transferred to Citeaux with fifty- 
 six others (he was remarkable for his coarse- 
 ness and bad language), said to one of the 
 keepers — 
 
 "You may try to cajole my comrade, but 
 you will never curb me. At la Boquette 
 they used to call me gibier de potence 
 
STATISTICS. 325 
 
 (gaol bird), and a gibier de potence I will 
 remain." 
 
 At the end of a year this child was so 
 improved that he was pardoned before the 
 expiration of his term. Placed under the 
 guardianship of the chief of the establish- 
 ment he became an intelligent farm 
 labourer, and is now an honest man. 
 
 Dr. Conneau, who saw the Empress 
 daily, distributed every month 60,000 francs 
 by small donations out of the Imperial privy 
 purse, which went to assist all unfortunate 
 people who applied to the inexhaustible 
 charity of the sovereigns. 
 
 Dr. Conneau, it may be mentioned, died 
 in 1878. 
 
 From 1852 to 1869 the number of these 
 hospital establishments was raised from 
 9,331 to 13,278, or an increase of 3,947. 
 
 In Paris the number of infant asylums 
 increased from 73 to 87. 
 
 The number of infant schools was raised 
 from 1,735 to 3,633— that is, 1,898 new 
 schools were founded, accommodating 
 275,000 children. 
 
326 SAINT-LAZABE. 
 
 The number of lying-in hospitals for the 
 whole of France rose from 44 to 1,860. In 
 addition a great number of other hospitals 
 were created, and, among others, le nouvel 
 Hotel Dieu, Vhbpital Lariboisiere. Several 
 others were enlarged, rendered healthy, and 
 endowed with the latest and most improved 
 sanitary appointments. 
 
 Economic cooking-stoves were opened 
 and supported by the Imperial privy purse, 
 also dispensaries, baths, and public wash- 
 houses ; and chaplains were provided for 
 the dying, to administer the supreme offer- 
 ing of Christian piety on the threshold of 
 the tomb to the poor forsaken ones, and 
 thus prepare them for their resting-place. 
 
 The Empress did not fear to visit Saint- 
 Lazare, another plague-spot, and in con- 
 nection with this horrible place I cannot 
 help calling attention to the following : — 
 
 In this infirmary an unhappy girl was 
 dying. Her life had been spent between 
 the streets and the hospitals, and on every 
 path which leads towards ruin. 
 
 In her last agony all her past vileness 
 
SAINT-LAZAEE. 327 
 
 and misery arose before her closing eyes 
 like a horrible vision. Haunted by the 
 recollection of so much wickedness and 
 shame the unfortunate creature resisted the 
 exhortations to which the chaplain and 
 the nuns strove to make her listen. 
 
 " Leave me ! there is no God," said she. 
 tl I shall not suffer more in hell than I 
 have done on earth." 
 
 The death-bed scene of this unfortunate 
 woman, denying her Maker on the very 
 brink of the grave, was a most terrible 
 sight. In the violence and incoherency 
 of her talk, despair added a kind of wild 
 eloquence to the faded lips. 
 
 She had had a child, but it died when 
 very young. The recollection of this child 
 aroused within her expressions of maternal 
 and passionate tenderness. It was the only 
 object of her love, and the only one that 
 would have smiled on her; but death had 
 taken it away. All this was interspersed 
 with blasphemies and cursings for those 
 who were near her, and who tried to soothe 
 her dying hour. 
 
328 A PEACEFUL DEATH. 
 
 The Empress approached her and spoke 
 to her. She pitied her, and knew how to 
 find such loving and truthful words, that 
 the broken heart was at last touched. 
 
 " What ! You are the Empress ? " said 
 she. " And you, who are beautiful, rich, 
 and happy — you take an interest in such a 
 wretch as I, and seem moved because I 
 suffer? It is true, then — there is a God, 
 because you have such a good heart." 
 
 She became calm, and asked pardon of 
 the sisters and nurses ; she entreated one 
 of the nuns to lend her a chaplet, and, with 
 the assistance of the Empress, she placed 
 it round her neck, and put it to her poor 
 convulsed face ; then she asked for the 
 priest, to whom she wished to confess aloud. 
 
 She died shortly after, much comforted 
 and praying to God. The wild despair on 
 her features had given place to a Divine 
 hope, and the last moments of this sad 
 life were perhaps the sweetest. 
 
 To console the dying is a painful and 
 difficult task, but there is none more mer- 
 ciful. 
 
THE CHOLEEA. 329 
 
 In conversation the Empress was always 
 simple, rather lively, and on occasions like 
 the above spoke with a noble eloquence 
 full of sympathy — an attribute that belongs 
 only to great souls. 
 
 On the occasion of this visit to Baint- 
 Lazare the Empress received the most 
 touching proof of popular gratitude. The 
 rumour of her presence in the prison had 
 gone forth, and the crowd assembled to 
 see her. They thoroughly comprehended 
 that this visit of the Empress to these 
 poor despised creatures was an act of 
 touching humanity. 
 
 When the Empress stood on the thres- 
 hold of the prison she was greeted with 
 grateful blessings, and the Empress was 
 only able to reach the carriage through 
 the midst of groups of kneeling women 
 who sought to touch her hand or dress, and 
 who presented their children to her. 
 
 Towards the close of September, 1865, 
 the Court was at Biarritz, but when the 
 news arrived that the cholera, which had, 
 in 1849, left behind such terrible memories 
 
330 THE CHOLEEA. 
 
 among the Parisian population, was raging 
 in Paris, our return was immediately de- 
 cided upon, and we came back to Saint- 
 Cloud. 
 
 The epidemic underwent several phases. 
 The first appearance came like a thunder- 
 bolt ; then it seemed that the scourge was 
 about to die out, when, towards the middle 
 of October, a return set in suddenly and 
 caused a general panic. Everybody who 
 could, quitted Paris. Thus the working 
 classes particularly became victims of the 
 dreadful scourge ; the hospitals were filled, 
 and whole families are said to have been 
 exterminated. 
 
 On October 21st the Emperor came to 
 Paris accompanied by General Reille, his 
 aide-de-camp, and an orderly officer. The 
 Emperor visited I'Hotel Dieu, spoke to the 
 sick and the doctors, and encouraged them 
 in his usual calm and kindly manner, and,- 
 before withdrawing, left a sum of 50,000 
 francs in aid of the victims. 
 
 The Empress had not been previously 
 informed of the Emperor's visit, and on 
 
HEBOISM. 331 
 
 his return she expressed her regret that 
 she had not accompanied him. 
 
 That evening at dinner, and on the 
 following day, we received news of the 
 cholera, and of the happy moral effect 
 produced by the Emperor's visit to the 
 sick. 
 
 The Empress asked me if I was afraid 
 of the epidemic. 
 
 I was then full of that happy confidence 
 of youth which pays but little heed to 
 misfortune or death; thus I had no fear, 
 and told the Empress so. 
 
 On the following morning, October 23rd, 
 the Empress sent for me at nine o'clock, 
 and I was informed that her Majesty was 
 waiting for me in the Emperor's cabinet. 
 When I entered they were engaged in 
 conversation. 
 
 "The Empress desires to visit the victims 
 of the cholera. I know how devoted you 
 are to her," said the Emperor, in his usual 
 kindly way, " and I am sure you would 
 like to accompany her. But the Empress 
 will take you only on one condition, and 
 
332 HEEOISM 
 
 that is, that you will remain in the carriage, 
 and not enter the rooms with her." 
 
 I observed to the Emperor that that 
 would be the act of a coward; that it 
 would be very mortifying for me not to 
 be able to follow the Empress, and that 
 the disease could as easily attack me at 
 the door of the hospital as in the room 
 itself. 
 
 " If you will not promise to remain 
 outside, the Empress will go without you," 
 said the Emperor. 
 
 I considered it too great an honour to 
 be near the Empress on this occasion not 
 to promise anything she asked. 
 
 We left Saint- Cloud in a large landau. 
 The Marquis de la Grange, equerry to the 
 Empress, and Commander Charles Duperre, 
 orderly officer to the Emperor, also accom- 
 panied her Majesty. 
 
 The Moniteur of the 23rd of October, 
 1865, reports that " the Empress had de- 
 voted her day in visiting those sick with 
 the cholera. Notwithstanding a violent 
 cold from which she has been suffering for 
 
OF THE EMPEESS. 333 
 
 several days, her Majesty, forgetful of her 
 own fatigue, and anxious to alleviate the 
 sufferings of others, visited the hopital 
 Beaujon, the hopital Lariboisiere, and also 
 the hopital Saint Antoine. She went into 
 the rooms occupied by the victims of the 
 cholera, approached the beds of all the 
 sick, asked them questions, and exhorted 
 them with the solicitude of a sister of 
 charity." 
 
 After our visit to the hopital Beaujon, 
 which was prolonged to mid-day, we re- 
 turned to the Tuileries, where breakfast 
 awaited us. Immediately after the repast 
 the Empress went to the hopital Lari- 
 boisiere, and again to the hopital Saint 
 Antoine. At the hopital Beaujon the Em- 
 press, having drawn near the bed of a sick 
 man, took his hand and encouraged him 
 with loving and pious words. Thinking it 
 was a nun who was addressing him, the 
 man gathered up all his remaining strength 
 and kissed the hand which was grasping his 
 own, saying — 
 
 " I thank you, my sister." 
 
334 "my sister." 
 
 * The nun, who accompanied the Empress, 
 stooped towards him and said — 
 
 " You are wrong, my friend ; it is not 
 I, but our kind Empress who is talking 
 with you." 
 
 "Let him alone, my sister," replied the 
 Empress at once ; " he cannot call me by 
 a more beautiful name." 
 
 The words have often been quoted since. 
 
 At the hbpital Saint Antoine one of the 
 doctors who preceded her Majesty opened 
 the room door, which opened into a room 
 full of other bed-ridden invalids. These 
 had the small-pox. Finding out his mis- 
 take, the doctor immediately entreated the 
 Empress to withdraw;- but she would not, 
 and entered, saying, " I should like to see 
 these also — because they suffer." 
 
 But she ordered me not to cross the 
 threshold. 
 
 " I do not wish you to enter," said she, 
 smiling ; " if you were disfigured you could 
 not marry." 
 
 (The Empress was, herself, still in the 
 zenith of her beauty.) 
 
INGEATITUDE. 335 
 
 On leaving the hospital the Empress 
 was carried almost to her carriage by the 
 crowd, who eagerly pressed around her, 
 and who kissed her hands and heaped 
 blessings on her head. 
 
 When we returned to Saint-Cloud the 
 Empress had the pleasing satisfaction to 
 find that large pieces had been cut from 
 her dress, the women having torn off 
 shreds to be preserved as relics. 
 
 Yet this good and noble woman lived to 
 see the day when she had to fly from Paris. 
 
 The editor of the English version of these 
 most interesting memoirs of the Third 
 Empire thinks it may not be considered an 
 altogether unpardonable breach of good 
 "taste if he takes the opportunity of the 
 half-dozen hues of space left him to add 
 just a few last words to Madame Carette's 
 sympathetic records. 
 
 As many may already know, the Empress 
 has for some time past given up her beau- 
 tiful residence at Chislehurst — associated 
 
336 CONCLUSION. 
 
 with some of the saddest but, at the same 
 time, some of the happiest hours of her life 
 — and, when in England, now at all times 
 makes her home amid the secluded beauty 
 of Farnborough, in Hampshire, and in the 
 sacred precincts of the little chapel where 
 the lost husband, and the son, lie sleeping 
 side by side. Here, almost alone, the 
 widowed Sovereign lives her calm, beautiful 
 life, its every moment hallowed by that 
 grand spirit of complete resignation that 
 comes only to those who have been sorely 
 tried, and who have nobly suffered. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 TJNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHA3I PRESS, CHH.WORTH AND LONDON,