Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-19
THE LATE QUEEN OF FASHION.

A Lady's Visit 60 the Ex-E.npress Eu-
/ genie---Tile Woman or the EImnress---
The Story Of Her Flight.
A lady who recently visited and conyersed
| with the ex-Empress Eugene at Chisel-
! hurst, says ft
She looked what Tennyson calls ssdivinely
fair" but as one who has suffered much.
There was Worn, weary look. inexpressi-
bly, pathetic in her eyes, Just touched over
the lower lids with black; her cheeks were
thin and very pale, her fair hair simply ar
ranged low on the neck behind, drawn back
at the side, and with curls on the
forehead, and it was her own hair
distinctly add palpably her own. Her
dress was OF black paramatta, self-trimmed,
with small tunic, and general look of
scantiness about it. She wore a little white
shirt-coliar and cuffs, and not a single Jew
ell, save one diamond star that held the lit
tie collar. Her manner suits her imperial
| presence-slmple, courteouc, earnests. Il is
as of ready-witted woman, sweet-temper-
ed, full OF human interests
and feelings, impressionable, mobile, fascin-
ating; emphasizing all she says
with her grandly cut Spanish eyes, that
might almost indeed stand her in lieu Of
speech, so eloquently do they converse
There is wonderful and varied charm
about her, Cleopatra-lke, that neither age
nor custom can wither nor stale. To see
how the woman struggled with the en-
press, and how it brought her down to claim
the sympathy and pity from solitary
stranger, was very touching. Decorum
alone kept tears from my eyes.
She beg n in English (Which she speaks
readily, and with good accent, only now
and then wanting word which she asks
you with her eyes to supply by regretting
that the emperor was too i'll to see me.
"Not seriously i'll, far from it." she said,
''thank God, but suffering greatly from
rheumatic pains, in consequence of
chill when he first arrived at Chiselhurst.
The weather had been warm and fine, and
he had been tempted out, too much wrapped
up, for it was so cold at Wilhelmshohe,)
and he had incautiously taken off his pale
tot, and so caught cold, which had pro-
duced an attack of rheumatism"
Then she expressed much interest about
the place came from. 1t was associated
with her early life. 'Ah how happy 1 was
then-it seems like a dream, so happy"
and her glorious eyes glistened. "How well
remember the house where was at school,
the broad terrace and the distant hills, and
my companions, my dear friends, they have
not forgotten me-"
Yes" said l, ''young Miss B."
young! alb, no." and she laughed. "She
is not young; she is my age, and that is not
young"
1t is not allowed to contradict sovereigns,
but as she said this she was a living contra
! diction of her own statement. She looks
wonderfully youthful, and her present thin
ness is very becoming in this respect.
''When first came to England" she con-
tinued, 81 desired to go there"
"Ah, madam, why did you not come. We
would have received you with enthusiasm"
She bowed. ayes, wished it; it was
my first thought; but it could not be-"
'But, madam, will you not come among
US, and see your old haunts?"
Sometime, perhaps, but not now. can
not, the emperor is i'll. l cannot leave him,
and / go nowhere, think of nothing, day
and night, but of poor France. All, what
horrors will be passed through ere France
can be at peace These dreadful scenes
are always before me; the end is not vet"
Her eyes filed with tears and rested on
her shabby, black dress-and this was the
late queen of fashion-and her look SEEM
ed to say, sSee how mournr' and it was
true. There is often a whole world of
pathos in little triles that involuntarily bear
witness to the individual mind.
MADAM" said l, 'there is but one con-
solation-the worse things go in France, the
more the emperor is sure to be recalled. 1t
| is the emperor alone that can govern France.
They are like bad children, and require the
masterhand of wholesome restraint and dis
| cipline."
81 do not wish to return-I suffered too
much; but trust that events will justify
! the emperor. Surely the world must come
! to see what kind of people he had to govern.
| The emperor knew that these kind Of peo-
| pie were in Paris-for twenty years he
knew it, and he did not shoot them. He
was too merciful.'
! MADAME" said l, 'it is as though the
! Fenians ruled in London. The Reds are
! the same all over the world
! "The Emperor is blamed for everything"
| said she, ''yet how rich and prosperous
France has been for so many years. The
wages Of the laborers and the Ouvriers were
high and work was plentiful. To Paris
came the whole world, and money was
spent. Now the taxes has not been paid
for three whole months. The taxes not
/ paid and no money at the Bourse. The
/ Emperor is blamed too, for the war. He
/ was against it, Such blame is unjust. Butt
AS she drew herself up-"we not desire
| justification. Time will do that Let
| events speak. By and by Europe shall
! judge the Emperor fairly"
l expressed hope that the trials she
had undergone in Paris had not injured her
health.
NO." she replied. Then she replied: 81
was fOrsaken by all the ministers. TrOchu,
D bO, fI,o hoI 10,
/ What could | do? was alone. All" she
added, with an inspired look, cit was my
passion"
She turned her fearful eyes to heaven.
''Her passionp Could anything be more
touching? Woman as was could have
| died for her.
| 81 was alone" she repeated as though in
| justification; ''utterly abandoned. What
! could l do but fly? l was not afraid. l
could look death in the face but all had
! left me-"
'Were the details of your majesty's
! flight, which appeared in the newspapers,
! accurate?"
/ "Yes," said she, ''tolerably so. For thirty
| days was guarded by those men of Belle
| vile. Oh, it was horrible! They took pos
! session of the Tuileries. My only happi-
ness was, that | suffered alone. The en-
peror away and my boy safe. Nol 1 could
not have borne it had my boy been in dam
| ger"
'.By what door did these wretches enter
the Tuileries, madam"
''Everywhere-by all the doors and win
| dows, too. They came down from the
| Place de la Concorde. / saw them coming
through the trees. Then they broke over
/ the fences into the reserved garden, and at
last smashed the lower windows and broke
open the doors. They came, too, on the
/ other side, from the Place du Carrousel
black masses ofmen, pressing closer and clos
er; they, too, broke in everywhere. No one
/ opposed them; the guards were gone. There
were horrible cries and screams and oaths.
From these thief-dogs l expected
death; saw it in their faces, these Belle
vile men; they wanted my blood. was
so weary did not care; to live or die was
the same to me. For the last three DAYS
there was a change; more savage men
came about me. | never left my room;
! lay down little on my bed for rest, but
| did not undress; would not be murdered
! in my he'd in nv niOht-dresS -