Empress Josephine: An Historical Sketch of the Days of Napoleon

ish, humiliations, and agonies of an unhappy marriage, the first pain and sorrow had also clouded the days

eph stood near his dying couch, and, moreover, a fortunate accident had brought to pass that the poor, lonely sufferer should meet there a friendly home, where he was received with the most considerate affection. Letitia's companio

ighty foe, which already held him in its chains; then he had to submit to the conqueror. Exhausted with death's pallor, Charles de Bonaparte sank back on his couch, and as Death threw his dark shadows on his face bathed in cold perspiration, Charles de Bonaparte, with stammering tongue, in

s he prophesied its power, he sighed at the same time over the impotency which holds all mankind in its bands, and leaves even the hero as a powerl

reserved, taciturn, proud boy, who, rugged and blunt, stood aloof from his comrades, who even dared speak rude and bitter words against his teachers and against the whole military institution at Brienne, was oftentimes an inconvenience and a

the young Napoleon to Paris, was a tribute of respect and an acknowledgment of merit. He portrayed him "as having an extremely capacious head, especially skilled in mathematics, and of great powers and tal

him, made his existence still more reserved, still more retired, and isolated him more and more. Moreover, death had not only taken away the father, but also the support which Napoleon received from him. The means of the Bonaparte family were very meagre, and barely sufficed to the support of Signora Letitia and

s, equipages, kept up one with another expensive dinner-parties and dejeuners, and seized every opportunity to organize a festivity or a pleasure-party. Every departure, every admission of a scholar, was celebrated with brilliant displ

acknowledge his poverty, he put on the mask of a stoic, who, with contemptuous disregard, cast away va

ad composed, and which he presented to the second director of the establishment, M. Berton, he gave utterance to his own views in the most energetic and daring manner, imposing upon the professors the duty of making a complete change in the institution; of limiting the number of se

father, came with her family to Paris, where her husband had obtained an important and lucrative office; her son Albert attended the military school and was soon the friend of Napoleon, as much

ce would darken when, gazing round, he tacitly compared this costly, tastefully decorated mansion with the poor and sparingly furnished house in which his noble and beautiful mother lived with her six orphans, and who in her household duties had to wait upon herself; when again he noticed with what solicitude and love Madame de Permont had her children educated b

on allowed him not to maintain them; he spoke against the expensive noonday meal, because he had to be content with less; he scorned the a

ard which each of them was to contribute a tolerably large sum. It was perhaps not all accident that precisely on that

preparations of the feast, which was to take place in the garden, and to end in a great display of fireworks. All fac

ath. He was walking up and down with head bent low, his hands folded behind his back; as he saw M. de

come to bring you the small sum which you need to enable you to

y, a burning redness for a moment covered his face, then his cheeks assumed tha

nothing to do with this meaningless fe

face of the poor young man for whom poverty was preparing so many gri

fided to me a small sum of money, with the express charge to keep it for you and to give you a portion of it in pressing circumstances, when

face of the speaker, and the slight motions of a sarcastic s

ot have received it. My mother has already too much responsibility and care; I cannot increase them by an outlay, especially when such an outlay

ct to his principles, he took no part in the festivity, but declaimed all the louder, and in a more biting tone, against the criminal propensities for

rcession and application, received in the royal educational institute of St. Cyr, and there enjoyed the solid and brilliant education of the pupils of the king. But the spirit of luxury and the desire for pleasure had a

t opportunities of seeing her, for Madame de Permont, in her royal friendship to the Bonaparte family, took as lively an inter

ouse of the family of Permont. To please young Napoleon, it was decided to go to St. Cyr, and the glowing cheeks and the lively manner with

tion-room and saluted M. and Madame Permont, and even her brother, with a gloomy, despairing look. As she was questioned abo

eal the cause of her sadness. Marianne only shook her head in a negative manner

said in angry tones: "Since you cry, you must also confess the cause of your tears, or else we are afraid that you weep over some wrong of which you are

rother, whose voice had assumed such a peculiar, imperious express

brother," murmured she, "a

y, a farewell festival was to take place in the institution in honor of one of the pupils about to leave.

six francs; if I give them, nothing is left me, and my pension is not paid until six w

needed, but remembering his own poverty, his hand dropped at his side; a deep glow of anger overspread his cheeks, and wildly stamping down with the fo

francs she needed to take a part in the festivity, and Marianne, less proud and less disdainful than her

, and hindered not his sister to receive from Madame de P

s suffering heart burst into a sarcastic philippic against the contemptible a

self at last wounded by them; and the supercilious and presumptuous manner in which the young man of bar

"It does not beseem you, who are educate

he had been bitten by a serpent, and

of the state!" exclaimed he, in a boi

"It is all the same whether you are the pupil of the state or of the king; moreover, is not the king the

s into self-control, and mastered hi

excite your displeasure. Only allow me to say, were I master here, had I to decide upon the r

d a fresh humiliation through his sister in the reception-room of St. Cyr, was already thinking what he would do were he the ruler of F

ducive to the friendship and affection of those around him; he was a burden to all, he was an inconvenience to

one means of removing him from the institution-he had to be promoted. It was necessary to recognize the young pupil of the militar

s, when he was nominated by the authorities of the school for a vacancy in the rank of lieuten

ool to serve his country and his king as second

t went to the house of M. de Permont to show himself to his friends in his new dignity and in his ne

ke out into loud laughter. None are more alive than children to the impression of what is ridiculous, and there was indeed in the appearance of the young lieutenant something which well might excite the laughing propensities of t

apoleon, embarrassed as he was by the terrible cannon-boots, made forward, the laughter only inc

rward, entirely unbearable to him, and when he himself also tried to jest he knew not how to receive the jests directed at him. After having saluted M. and Madame de Permont, Napoleon turned to

very silly and child

, however, con

d, you no doubt wish to carry it as a lady's knight, and there

ontemptuous shrug

scornfully, "that you are

vanity of the young maiden, and br

am a school-girl, but you-you are

nsiderate, could not suppress laughter. The witty words of the little school-g

familiar with all the forms and usages of society, his fine tact and the instinct of what was becoming told him that when the conversation ran into personalities the best plan was to be silent, and that he must not return personal

ard, to the youngest daughter of Madame de Permont, a charming little toy which he had had made purposely for her. This toy c

an elegant and interesting edition of the tales of "Puss in Boots," and when Napoleon politel

toy for Loulou would have been quite enough. But this present to Ce

e had been no wise hurt by it; that he himself when he put on his uniform had

this nickname, and the unlucky boots were rep

young second lieutenant left Paris and wen

matics, the science of war, geometry, and finally politics, were the objects of his zeal; but alongside of these he read and studied earnestly the works of Voltaire, Corneille, Racine, Montaigne, the

Cupid, with his gracious raillery and his smarting griefs, seemed to make no impression on that pale, grave, and taciturn artillery lieutenan

at, and that it was going in the midst of his studies to interrupt his dreams of misanthropy. Yes, it had come to this, that he abandoned his study to pay his cour

ing officer at Valence, M. de Colombier. He loved her, but his lips were yet too timid to confess it, and of w

tened to the descriptions which Napoleon made to her of his country, of his father's house, and, above all things, of his mother-when she with animation and enthusiasm declared that Letitia w

with a happy smile, and arm in arm, happy as children, they wandered through the paths, laughing at their own shadows, which the light of the moon in wondrous distortion made to dance before them. They entered into a small bower, which stood in the shadow of trees, and there the young Napoleon had prepared for the young maid a very

y was eaten, the moon became darkened, a rude night breeze shook the trees, and made the young maid tremble with cold. She must not remain from home any longer, she must not expose herself to the dangerous night air; thus argued the considerate ten

pected end. The young Second-Lieutenant Bonaparte was ordered to Lyons w

remembered her, and when he learned that she had lost her husband, a M. de Bracieux, and lived in very depressi

lf up with deepest earnestness to study. The Academy of Sciences in Lyons had offered a prize for the answer to

sion for the Abbe Raynal, who had answered the question successfully, to become acquainted with the young au

esearches in the archives of Ajaccio, he obtained leave of absence to go thither. In the year 1788, Napoleon returned to his native isle to

s mother, brothers and sisters, now much grown up, yet he preferred being alone with his elder brother Joseph, making long walks w

n which all the wishes, all the hopes of Napoleon were concentrated; and in long hours of conversation with Joseph he

chives of Ajaccio, and sent a preliminary essay of his history of the revolutions of Corsica to Raynal for examination. This renowned

, he received a letter from Raynal, after reading it, he, with r

tle essay found traits which announce a genius of the first rank. He entreats the youn

ather, the aged Archdeacon Lucian, the faithful counsellor and friend of Letitia and of her young family, was seized with a mortal disease; the gout, which for years

death. Around kneeled the younger children of Letitia, for their great-uncle had long been to them a kind father and protector; and on th

n all the members of the Bonaparte family, and then at last remained fixed

nd full of holy zeal, began to intone the prayers for the dead. But t

aid he; "I have now but a few moments to

en interrupted him, and called forth a last ge

the head of the administration of the country, and he will know how to take care of what belongs to his family. You, Napoleon," continued he, with a louder voice, "you will be a great and exalted man." [Footnote: "Tu poi. Napoleon, sera

k on the cushions, and his dying lips mu

e grave, Napoleon left Corsica to return to France and to hi

His dying father had said that one day the sword of his son Napoleon would make all Europe

be added Mirabeau's judgment, which cal

lieutenant of artillery, and the blood-dripping hand of the Revolution was first needed to tear