St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-09-09
Ghe Gatedunian.
STORY OF A NECKLACE.

tradesman was to spare neither money
nor labor in procuring for il diamonds
of the greatest rarity aud beauty, but
it was stipulated that the article should
be in the hands of the emperor within
a month. In considerable less time,
thanks to a secret purchase of magnifi-
cent diamonds NJ. FOucier had just
made from the king of Prussia, COM
pleted by the jeweler on the following
day, the necklace, one of the most
magnificent in the world, was made
and valued at eight hundred thousand
francs.
On that day, when the crown of HOl-
land was presented with all due forms
of state and ceremony to the Emperor
Napoleon by the Dutch ambassador at
st. Cloud in the Sale du TrOne and
conferred upon the emperOr's brother,
Louis Napoleon, HOrtense, his wife,
had a private interview with the
French emperor, who said:
"My brother and yourself will be the
rulers of people full of excellent quail
tiles, and if you govern wisely they
will become so strongly attached to
your throne and persons that the
Orange family will never again reign
in Holland. But these people have a
dominant weakness they despise pow
erty and have passion for wealth.
If some Over-rich burgomaster's wife
or daughter should outshine you in the
vulgar display of her husbands or
fathers wealth, you would lose respect
and be ridiculed. Ridicule in politics
is dangerous; you must, if possible,
avoid it. | have a little present for
you which will be useful in that direc-
tiOn-wear it for this and for my sake"
AS the emperor spoke he smilingly
clasped about the shapely neck of
Queen Hortense the brilliant necklace
for which NJ. FOucier had so luckily
obtained diamonds of such rare beauty
and cOstliness.
AT all state occasions when holding
court at Amsterdam, Queen HOrtense
never failed to wear the emperor's gift,
and the awe and admiration it inspired
by strengthening the loyalty of her
new subjects amply demonstrated the
keen perception and worldly wisdom
of the great COrsican adventurer, her
imperial brother-in-law. When the
Dutch people saw her beauty and mag
nificence they were enthusiastically
proud to call her queen. When they
knew her, love blended with pride,
and in the days of NapOleOn's ADVERSE
ty, when the French were no longer in
Holland, she gracefully abandoned her
throne, the people she was leaving
were full of pity and regret, and cried
in sadness, "GOOd Queen-gOOd bye
Holland will never know a better"
Soon after Waterloo had been won
and lost, Napoleon, driven from the
Elysee, had sought refuge at Maimai-
son, the last abode of poor, abandoned
Josephine, and there, fOrsaken and
alone, brOOded over his shattered for
tunes. During his exile to Elba there
sprang up in the emperOr's mind a
streng prejudice against Queen HOr-
tense, created for political purposes by
her enemies. They had consequently
become estranged, and the Dutch
queen, after her abdicatiOn, retired in
to the privacy of domestic life, devot-
ing herself to the education and train
ing of her children and the society of
her beloved mother, but always sadly
remembering and deeply regretting the
unjust and baseless ideas which sepa-
rated her from the heart of her brother
in-law.
On the day on which Napoleon sign
in mOurnful contemplation, he heard
the door of his apartment opened, and,
looking up, perceived in the gloom of
deepening twilight IA wOman's figure.
alt is nine years ago this very day
since you gave me this" said she, and
placed before him Il case containing
the diamond necklace. 81 have ceas-
ed to be a queen, and shall never wear
L. ,a
be useful to you. l beseech, sire, that
you will take it back"
"NO-HOrtense-nOw
clark some one is coming" she
cried, starting up and removing the
necklace from the case. "Not a mo-
ment must be lOst-take it-take it
quickly, beg of YOU"
AS the footsteps entered the room
she drew aside and retreated into the
shadow, the burning gems flashing and
cleaning beside the emperOr's sheath
ed sword upon the table, until as if
careless, he covered them with his hat
and sat beside them to receive his visi-
tors. That night the precious neck
lace of royal Prussian diamonds were
safely concealed in silken girdle,
which on the following day and for
some weeks afterward, was also worn
under the imperial waistcOat.
Six weeks after, when Napoleon, as
a prisoner of war, was transferred from
his Brittanic majesty's ship Belerophon
to the Northumberland, the baggage of
the emperor and that of those illustri-
Gus men who had obtained permission
to share his exile was duly searched,
Ostensibly for concealed arms, really
for anything that might aid their es-
cape. Four thousand NapOleOns were
found in the possession of Napoleon,
and this sum, which, with the excep
ton of a deposit he had placed in the
hands of Lafitte before he left Paris,
was the entire fortune of the emperor,
was taken away together with his jew
elry.
While this search was proceeding,
Napoleon walking with Count de Las
Cases on the poop of the Belerophon,
and carefully glancing around to see
that no one was near enough to over
hear him, said smilingly-
al think it was Greek named Bias,
philosopher, who said although he
had no lines on his back, all the for
tune he possessed he carried upon his
person. Open your coat and waist
coat"
Looking puzzled, NJ. de Las Cases
laughingly complied, and while he did
so the captive emperor brought from
beneath his own waistcOat the silI1en
girdle. CO." he said, "to the side
and put this on under your waistcoat.
| find it troublesome-all have in the
Embellishments valued at 800, 200
francs are in it-take care of them for
me-"
Las Cases often afterwards proposed
their restoration.
"DOes my girdle incommOde you 7"