The evening before the day fixed for our departure the grand marshal of the palace had me called.  After giving me some orders relative to the voyage, he said to me that the Emperor wished to know what was the sum of money I had in charge for him.  I immediately gave an account to the grand marshal; and he saw that the sum total was about three hundred thousand francs, including the gold in a bog which Baron Fain had sent me, since he would not be on the journey.  The grand marshal said he would present the account to the Emperor.  An hour after he again summoned me, and said that his Majesty thought he had one hundred thousand francs more.  I replied that I had in my possession one hundred thousand francs, which the Emperor had presented to me, telling me to bury it in my garden; in fact, I related to him all the particulars I have described above, and begged him to inquire of the Emperor if it was these one hundred thousand francs to which his Majesty referred.  Count Bertrand promised to do this, and I then made the great mistake of not addressing myself directly to the Emperor.  Nothing would have been easier in my position; and I had often found that it was always better, when possible, to go directly to him than to have recourse to any intermediate person whatever.  It would have been much better for me to act thus, since, if the Emperor had demanded the one hundred thousand francs which he had given me, which, after all, was hardly possible, I was more than disposed to restore them to him without a moment’s hesitation.  My astonishment may be imagined when the grand marshal reported to me that the Emperor did not remember having given me the sum in question.  I instantly became crimson with anger.  What! the Emperor had allowed it to be believed by Count Bertrand that I had attempted—­I, his faithful servant—­to appropriate a sum which he had given me under all the circumstances I have related!  I was beside myself at this thought.  I left in a state impossible to be described, assuring the grand marshal that in an hour at most I would restore to him the fatal present of his Majesty.

While rapidly crossing the court of the palace I met M. de Turenne, to whom I related all that had occurred.  “That does not astonish me,” he replied, “and we will see many other similar cases.”  A prey to a sort of moral fever, my head distracted, my heart oppressed, I sought Denis, the wardrobe boy, of whom I have spoken previously; I found him most fortunately, and hastened with him to my country place; and God is my witness that the loss of the hundred thousand francs was not the cause of my distress, and I hardly thought of it.  As on the first occasion, we passed along the side of the woods in order not to be seen; and began to dig up the earth to find the money we had placed there; and in the eagerness with which I hunted for this miserable gold, in order to restore it to the grand marshal, I dug up more than was necessary.  I cannot describe my despair