Empress Josephine: An Historical Sketch of the Days of Napoleon

more united to her husband, who, with tears of joy and repentance, had again taken her to his heart. She was once more with her relatives, who, in the day of distress, had shown

ven if the heart had been the mover. The passions of youth had died away. The excitable, thoughtless, pleasure-seeking officer of the king had become a grave, industrious, indefatigable, moral, austere servant of the people and of

of Versailles. He at least belonged to the constitutional fraction of the National Assembly; he was the friend and guest of Mirabeau and of Lafayette; he was the opponent of R

ild a republic for themselves. The enthusiasm of that day, the enthusiasm for France had driven him upon the path of the opposition; but while desiring freedom for the people, he still hoped that the people's freedom was compatible with the power and dignity of the crown; that at the head

nce in these political party strifes. At the bottom of her heart a true and zealous royalist, she guarded herself carefully from endeavoring to keep her husband back from his chosen path, and to bring into her ho

ical part, while she assumed the part of wife, mother, of the representative of the household; and ever

fe of the old Duke d'Orleans; and alongside of these names of the ancient regime, new names rose up. There were the deputies of the National Assembly-Barnave, Mounier, Thouvet, Lafayette, and the favorite of the people, the great Mirabeau. Old France and Young France met here in this drawing-room of Josephine on neutral grounds, and the beautiful viscountess, full of grace

the privilege of being admitted into this drawing-room, whose charming mistress in her own gentleness and grace received the homage of all parties, pleased every one by her loveliness, her charms, the fine, exqui

veliness, all the joys of youth, had again found entrance into her mind. The anguish endured, the tears shed, had also brought their blessing; they had strengthened and invigorated her heart; wit

n and formation of the different families of plants; he exulted in the open praise paid to her when, with her fine, far-reaching voice, she sang the songs of her home, which she herself accompanied on the harp; he was proud when, in her saloon, with all the tact and assurance of a lady of the world, she took the lead in the conversation, and could speak with poets and authors, with artists and savants,

girl of sixteen years who had come to France with so many ideal visions, so many illusions, so many dreams and hopes. It is true this ideal had vanished away, these illusions had burst into pieces like meteors in the skies; the dreams and hopes of the young maiden heart had

slip away and hasten to the bed of her little Hortense to bid good-night to the child, who never would sleep without bidding good-night to its mother

rilled more and more, was to be banished from the interior of home and fam

uddenly moved all Paris, and filled the mind

country and people; he had, by this flight, solemnly expressed before all Europe the discord which exis

this extraordinary event. On the morning of the 21st of June, 1791, M. de Bailly, mayor of Paris,

already seated when the president took the chair with a grave, solemn countenance. This countenance told the deputies of the people that the president had an important

ssage to bring before you. The mayor of Paris has just now informed me that the king and his family have this night been se

fear; then they all rose up to make their remarks and motions in a whirl of confusion, and it requir

uring this time to provide for the tranquillity and security of the Assembly. Bailly and Lafayette were by the president summoned before the deputies, to state

inst the king; actuated by a new and overpowering thought, the people in their enthusiasm for this idea forgot their anger against him who by his deed had kindled this thought. The thought which was

he people in streaming masses to the palace where the National Assembly held its sittings. A few hours after the news of the king's flight had spread through Paris, thousands were besieging the National Assembly, and shouti

out in committees the decrees passed in common deliberation, whilst the president and the secretary remained the who

resident, and the deputies hastened from their respective co

ais announced that the king, the queen, the dauphin, Madame, an

ignty, that the power was in their hands, even if the king were there. In this full assurance of their dignity the National Assembly passed a decree orde

two deputies, Barnave and Petion, to bring back from Varenne

ilege of taking the oath of allegiance to the National Assembly, and when at the motion of the president this was granted by the Assembly, a whole detachment was marched into the hall so as to take the oath of allegiance to the National Assembly with one voice

eir oath, from all cities and provinces came to the president of the National Assembly, addresse

l family were entering Paris. A second courier followed the first. He announced that the royal family had reached the Tuileries surrounded by an immense crowd, whose excitement caused serious apprehensions. Petion had, therefore, thought it

sen to speed on to the Tuileries to deliver the royal fa

n time to save the affrighted family from the people, who, in their wild madness,

quietly allowed that this their king should open the carriage wherein the other king, the king by God's grace, Louis XVI., sat a prisoner; they allowed that the king by the grace

turies had been the palace of the kings of Fra

moment he left Paris, the ermine mantle of his royalty had fallen from his shoulder

a short time, an island of bliss. The National Assembly, whose president, Alexandre de Beauharnais, had once more, in the course of the sessions, been re-elected by general

d by these last exciting times, and perhaps she cherished the secret hope that her husband, once removed from Paris, would be drawn away from the dangerous arena of politics, into which his enthusiasm had driven him. She was, and remained at heart, a good and true royalist; and as Mirabeau, dying in the midst of revolution's storms, had said of himself, that "he took to his grave the mourning-badge for t

panied by their children and by the governess of Hortense, Madame Lanoy, the viscount a

ese days as one enjoys an unexpected blessing, a last sunshine before winter's near approach, with thankful heart to God. Full of cheerful devotedness to her husband, to her children, her lovely countenance was radiant with joy and lov

nds. The revolution had entered into a new phase, the Legislative Assembly had become the Constituent Assembly, which despoiled the monarchy of the last appearance of power and degraded it to a mere insignificancy. The Girondists, those ideal fanatics, who wanted to regenerate France after the model of the states of antiquity, had seized the power and the ministerial portefeuilles. The beautiful, witty, and no

he king's assurances that he would adhere to the constitution, and that he would go hand in hand with his ministers, and accept the constitution as the faithful expression of his will. But when they discovered that Louis was not honorable in his assurances; that he was in secret correspondence with the enemies of France; that in a letter to his brothe

d to the challenge thus thrown at her, and, in a stormy session of the Assembly, the fatherland was declared to be in danger, the org

. His country called him, and he dared not remain deaf to this call; it was his duty to tear himself from the quiet peac

nd victory. She accompanied Alexandre to Paris, and after he had been gladly received by the minister of war, and appointed to the Northern army, she then took from him

promised to hold her requests as sacred. Once more they embrac

nnes, where commanded Marshal Rochambeau,

o at least to be there united with her husband's father, and