The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-05-01
The Star Of Destiny.
THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE.

I
rything about him the tinge of romance,
the story Of his first wife will seem to
the student rather a fable than fact;
ne will look upon her as we look upon
Mary of Scotland, but with deeper in
/ terest; for she, far more truly than her
| lord, was from first to last, ''the child of
| destiny"
Told, while yet unmarried, that she
would be a wife, a widow, and then
I Queen of France-the entire fulfilment
of the first part of the prophecy gave her
courage TO believe in the last part also
when under sentence of death. When
her bed was taken from her. because she
was to die in the morning, she told her
weeping friends that It was not so, that
she should vet sit upon that throne on
the ruins of which RObespierre then
stood triumphant; and when asked in
mOckery to choose her maids of honor
since she was to be queen, she did choose
them, and they were her maids of
honor when half Of Europe looked up to
her. On that night, which was to have
( been her last on earth, RObespierre fell,
) Had he fallen a few days earlier her
first husband would have lived. had his
fall been but one day later, Josephine
herself would have been among the ten
thousand victims, whose names we have
never heard. But he fell on that night,
| and her destiny was accomplished.
She married Napoleon, and through
her and a. her husband, ne was appoint
ed to the army Of Italy; step by step
they rose, till at last the crown rested
Oh her head. The second part Of the
prophecy was proved true, and she be-
gan to look forward to that loss of power
and rank which had also been foretOld,
and which was to close the strange
drama of her life.
And he that welded the child of desti-
ny grew every day more strong and
and more grasping. In vain did Jose
phine attempt to rule his ambition and
chasten his aims; he was an emperor
he wished to found an empire. and by
slow degrees he made himself familiar
with the thoughts fputting her away.
When the campaign of 1893 was at an
end, hardened and narrowed, the gener-
al came back to his wife; his former
kindness was gone, his playfulness was
checked, he consulted her but seldom,
and seldom stole upon her private hours
with that familiar love that had so often
made her heart leap. She saw that her
hours drew nigh.
1t was the evening Of the 10Th of No
vember, the Court were at Paris in hon
or of the king of SaXOny. Josephine
sat AT her window looking down upon
the river, and musing on the dark fate
before her, when she heard NapoieOn's
step at her door. She sprang 10 open it,
using her usual exclamation, Non amir
He embraced her 50 affectiOnatelv that
for an instant all her fears and woes
seemed vain. She led him 10 chair
placed herself at his feet, and looking
up into his face. smiled through her
tears.
You are unhappy, josephine said
the.emperor.
Not with you, sire
Bah - said he quickly "Why call
me sire ? These shows of state steal all
true JOY from us.
''Then why seek them ?" answered
Josephine.
The emperor made 10 reply you
are now the first Ofmen she continued,
''Why not quit war, turn ambition out
of your counselS. bend your thoughts on
the good of France, live AT home among
those that love YOU?
Josephine said he, turning his face
from her, 1T is not /, it is France de
mands the sacrifice"
Are YOU sure of that, my lord ." said
his wife. "Have you probed your heart
TO the bottom l. it not ambition that
prompts You to seek reasons for repudi-
ating me for think not, Napoleon, |
misunderstood you; are you sure il is
the love of France
Every word that She spoke touched
him to the quick; and rising hastily, he
replied, Madame. / have my reasons
GOOd-evening.
stay. sire, = said she, taking hold of
his arm, I'VE must not part i'm anger, |
submit. Since YOU wish il, | submit
cheerfully. 1t is not my nature to OPP
pose your Will, | love YOU too deeply
Nor shall / cease to love YOU. Napoleon,
because | am 10 leave your throne and
your side. If YOU go on victorious |
shall rejoice with YOU; if reverse comes,
will lay down my life to comfort you.
| will pray for you morning and night,
and in the hope that sometimes you viii
think of me-
Hardened a. he was, Napoleon had
loved his wife deeply and long; and her
submission to- his stern resOlve-her
calm but mournful dignity unshak-
en- love- moved even him and for a mo-
ment affection struggled with ambition.
He turned to embrace her again. But
in that moment her face and form had
changed Her eye was lit with a fire
like that of insanity, and her whole
person seemed inspired. He felt him
self in the presence of a superior being.
She led him to the window, and threw
it open. A thin mist rested upon the
Seine, and over the gardens of the pal
ace-all around was silent among the
stars then before them was one far
brighter than the rest; she pointed to
/ it.
"Bonaparte, she said, 'thatstar IS mine
/ to that and not to yours was promised
oh my
/ destinies YOU have risen; part from me
and you fall. The spirit of her that
/ foresaw my rise to royalty even now
| cOmmunes with my spirit, and tells me
/ that your fate hangs on mine. Believe
me or not, if we hencefOrth WALL asun-
/ der you will leave no empire behind you,
/ and will die yourself in shame and sOr-
/ row, and with a broken spirit"
/ He turned away sick at heart and
/ overawed by the words of one whose des-
| tiny had been sostrangely accomplished.
/ Ten days were passed in resolves and
/ counter-resolves-a then the link
| that bound him to fortune was broken.
/ Josephine was divOrced-and as he said
/ himself at st. Helena-from that hour
/ his fall began.
Josephine was divorced, but her love
| did not cease in her retirement she
| loved in all his successes, and prayed
/ that he might be saved from the fruits
/ of his foul ambition. When his son was
/ born she only regretted that she was
not near him in his happiness; and
when he went prisoner to Elba, she
begged that she might share his prison,
and relieve his woes. Every article
that he had used at her residence re-
manned as he left it; she would not let a
chair be moved. The book in which he
had been last reading was there, with
the page doubled down, and the pen
that he had last used was by it, with the
ink dried on its point. When her death
drew nigh, she wished to sell her jewels
to send the fallen emperor money; and
her will was submitted to his corrrec-
ton. She died before his return from
Elba but her last thoughts were of
him and France; and her last words
expressed the hope and belief "that she
had never caused a single tear to fiow.n
She was buried in the village church
of Ruel, and her body was followed to
the grave, not alone by princes and gem
erals, but by two thousand poor whose
hearts had been made glad by her boun-
ty.
Her marble monument bears only
this inscription:
EUGENE AND HORTENsE To JOSEPHINE