The anger and ill-humour of Bonaparte may be imagined.  He strongly suspected that his wife was dissembling in some respect; but he said, “Well, take 600,000 francs, but liquidate the debts for that sum, and let me hear nothing more on the subject.  I authorise you to threaten these tradesmen with paying nothing if they, do not reduce their enormous charges.  They ought to be taught not to be so ready in giving credit.”  Madame Bonaparte gave me all her bills.  The extent to which the articles had been overcharged, owing to the fear of not being paid for a long period, and of deductions being made from the amount, was inconceivable.  It appeared to me, also, that there must be some exaggeration in the number of articles supplied.  I observed in the milliner’s bill thirty-eight new hats, of great price, in one month.  There was likewise a charge of 1800 francs for heron plumes, and 800 francs for perfumes.  I asked Josephine whether she wore out two hats in one day?  She objected to this charge for the hats, which she merely called a mistake.  The impositions which the saddler attempted, both in the extravagance of his prices and in charging for articles which he had not furnished, were astonishing.  I need say nothing of the other tradesmen, it was the same system of plunder throughout.

I availed myself fully of the First Consul’s permission, and spared neither reproaches nor menaces.  I am ashamed to say that the greater part of the tradesmen were contented with the half of what they demanded.  One of them received 35,000 francs for a bill of 80,000; and he had the impudence to tell me that he made a good profit nevertheless.  Finally, I was fortunate enough, after the most vehement disputes, to settle everything for 600,000 francs.  Madame Bonaparte, however, soon fell again into the same excesses, but fortunately money became more plentiful.  This inconceivable mania of spending money was almost the sole cause of her unhappiness.  Her thoughtless profusion occasioned permanent disorder in her household until the period of Bonaparte’s second marriage, when, I am informed, she became regular in her expenditure.  I could not say so of her when she was Empress in 1804.

—­[Notwithstanding her husband’s wish, she could never bring her establishment into any order or rule.  He wished that no tradesmen should ever reach her, but he was forced to yield on this point.  The small inner roams were filled with them, as with artists of all sorts.  She had a mania for having herself painted, and gave her portraits to whoever wished for one, relations, ‘femmes de chambre’, even to tradesmen.  They never ceased bringing her diamonds, jewels, shawls, materials for dresses, and trinkets of all kinds; she bought everything without ever asking the price; and generally forgot what she had purchased. . .  All the morning she had on a shawl which she draped on her shoulders with a grace I have seen in no one else.  Bonaparte, who thought her shawls