and graces.  With such an education she naturally thought her position not at all unusual, and was very much chagrined at the short duration of her liaison with the Emperor; while the mother was in despair, and said to me with disgusting simplicity, “See my poor Lise, how she has ruined her complexion in her vexation at seeing herself neglected, poor child.  How good you will be, if you can manage to have her sent for.”  To secure an interview for which the mother and daughter were both so desirous, they came together to the chapel at Saint-Cloud, and during mass the poor Lise threw glances at the Emperor which made the young ladies blush who witnessed them, and were, nevertheless, all in vain, for the Emperor remained unmoved.

Colonel L. B——­ was aide-de-camp to General L——­, the governor of Saint-Cloud; and the general was a widower, which facts alone furnish an excuse for the intimacy of his only daughter with the family of L. B——­, which astonished me greatly.  One day, when I was dining at the house of the colonel, with his wife, his step-daughter, and Mademoiselle L——­, the general sent for his aides-de-camp, and I was left alone, with the ladies; who so earnestly begged me to accompany them on a visit to Mademoiselle le Normand, that it would have been impolite to refuse, consequently we ordered a carriage and went to the Rue de Tournon.  Mademoiselle L. B——­ was first to enter the Sybil’s cave, where she remained a long while, but on her return was very reserved as to any communications made to her, though Mademoiselle L——­ told us very frankly that she had good news, and would soon marry the man she loved, which event soon occurred.  These ladies having urged me to consult the prophetess in my turn, I perceived plainly that I was recognized; for Mademoiselle le Normand at once discovered in my hand that I had the happiness of being near a great man and being highly esteemed by him, adding much other nonsense of the same kind, which was so tiresome that I thanked her, and made my adieux as quickly as possible.

CHAPTER XXXI.

While the Emperor was giving crowns to his brothers and sisters,—­to Prince Louis, the throne of Holland; Naples to Prince Joseph; the Duchy of Berg to Prince Murat; to the Princess Eliza, Lucca and Massa-Carrara; and Guastalla to the Princess Pauline Borghese; and while, by means of treaties and family alliances, he was assuring still more the co-operation of the different states which had entered into the Confederation of the Rhine,—­war was renewed between France and Prussia.  It is not my province to investigate the causes of this war, nor to decide which first gave cause of offense.

All I can certify is this, frequently at the Tuileries, and on the campaign, I heard the Emperor, in conversation with his intimate friends, accuse the old Duke of Brunswick, whose name had been so odious in France since 1792, and also the young and beautiful Queen of Prussia, of having influenced King Frederic William to break the treaty of peace.  The Queen was, according to the Emperor, more disposed to war than General Blucher himself.  She wore the uniform of the regiment to which she had given her name, appeared at all reviews, and commanded the maneuvers.