What could be expected from Regnier, charged as he was with incompatible functions?  What, under such circumstances, could have been expected even from a man gifted with great talents?  Such was the exact history of Fouche’s disgrace.  No person was more afflicted at it than Madame Bonaparte, who only leaned the news when it was announced to the public.  Josephine, on all occasions, defended Fouche against her husband’s sallies.  She believed that he was the only one of his Ministers who told him the truth.  She had such a high opinion of the way in which Fouche managed the police that the first time I was alone with her after our return from Mortfontaine she said to me, “My dear Bourrienne; speak openly to me; will Napoleon know all about the plots from the police of Moncey, Duroc, Junot, and of Davoust?  You know better than I do that these are only wretched spies.  Has not Savary also eventually got his police?  How all this alarms me.  They take away all my supports, and surround me only with enemies.”—­“To justify your regrets we should be sure that Fouche has never been in agreement with Lucien in favour of the divorce.”—­“Oh, I do not believe that.  Bonaparte does not like him, and he would have been certain to tell me of it when I spoke favourably to him of Fouche.  You will see that his brothers will end by bringing him into their plan.”

I have already spoken of Josephine’s troubles, and of the bad conduct of Joseph, but more particularly of Lucien, towards her; I will therefore describe here, as connected with the disgrace of Fouche, whom Madame Bonaparte regretted as a support, some scenes which occurred about this period at Malmaison.  Having been the confidant of both parties, and an involuntary actor in those scenes, now that twenty-seven years have passed since they occurred what motive can induce me to disguise the truth in any respect?

Madame Louis Bonaparte was enceinte.  Josephine, although she tenderly loved her children, did not seem to behold the approaching event which the situation of her daughter indicated with the interest natural to the heart of a mother.  She had long been aware of the calumnious reports circulated respecting the supposed connection between Hortense and the First Consul, and that base accusation cost her many tears.  Poor Josephine paid dearly for the splendour of her station!  As I knew how devoid of foundation these atrocious reports were, I endeavoured to console her by telling her what was true, that I was exerting all my efforts to demonstrate their infamy and falsehood.  Bonaparte, however, dazzled by the affection which was manifested towards him from all quarters, aggravated the sorrow of his wife by a silly vanity.  He endeavoured to persuade her that these reports had their origin only in the wish of the public that he should have a child, so that these seeming consolations offered by self-love to Josephine’s grief gave force to existing conjugal alarms, and the fear of divorce returned with all its horrors.  Under the foolish illusion of his vanity Bonaparte imagined that France was desirous of being governed even by a bastard if supposed to be a child of his,—­a singular mode truly of founding a new legitimacy!