, 1889-05-10
The COUNTESS wALEwsKA.


Aroused Thereby.
One day something happened to dis
turb the calm routine Of Napoleon's
life on the mountain. The emperor
had again and again swept the horizon
with his glass. II was apparent that
ne expected 10 see something which
failed him Suddenly he bado Der
motif, his orderly, speed down 10 Porto
FcTraio, prepare a four horse carriage
and three saddle horses, take them TO
a certain part of the shore near the
capital, and follow the instructions of
Gen. Bertrand. The sun was already
about 10 set. The man did not there
fore, reach tho place indicated until II
o'clock at night He was just in time.
\ GcnoeSe sloop approached the isl
and. Shortly afterward two Indies. a
little boy and n Polish colonel landed
from IL Bertrand received them, and
stood barcheaded under the moon
while speaking to the ladies. Then
II Of tho ladies and the boy stepped
into tho carriage, the other lady and
the soldier mounted horses, and, ac-
companied by Bertrand, the whole
party made for Marciana, the townlct
at the foot of Capanna.
They were half way when the I'm
pcror, on his white horse and with
sevcra. attendants, met them. 1t was
pitch dark by this. The emperor at
once joined the lady in the carriage
and they continued their journey. At
Marciana the lady and little boy took
horse, and the cavalcade began TO
climb the mountain. How they did it
in the dark.I for one, cannot con
cciyo. ltisatnny time arduous enough,
and not without its moments of peril.
Some of the party were thrown, but no
one was hurt However, at 3 o'clock
in the morning, the Hermitage, rs
1t was called, was reached, Madame,
behold my palaccl' said Napoleon,
uncovering and indicating his tent.
This occurred in the night of the LIST
Of September. The visitors staid on
Monte Capanna until tho evening
Of the Sd. Then, ut . o'clock in tho
night, tho return journey was begun
with the same secrecy, Napoleon de
%sccnding the mountain with his guests
as far as the seashorr During the in
%tervcning two days and nights tho
lady and Napoleon wcro closctcd to-
gothcr, nor did she onco show her
face outside the Hermitage. The boy,
however, was allowed to climb about
the rocks. Such an incident, so dra-
m~atiCally c%ontrivcd, hugely excited
the spies in Elbn, especially ms their
victim had for n week or moro been
out of their way. They wrote to their
respective chiefs, and had no doubt
HAT this visitor was the empress her
self, Maria Louisa of Austria. They
argued, therefore, that great events
were brewing. But they were wrong.
The lady was a beautiful Pole, the
countess Of Walcwska, whom Napo-
leon had met for tho first timo at
Warsaw in 1907, and the little boy was
her son by the emperor. 1t is said of
her that she had given him n gold ring
inclosing n lock OF her fair hair, and
with the inscription, when you cease
TO love me do not forget that l love
you" The devoted woman, hearing
that Maria Louisa was not with her
husband in Elba, had Travelled thithcr
TO offer him her own loving attentions.
But out of regard for the empress,
whom he believed to bo detained on
the continent against her will, Napo-
Icon would not let her stay with him.
Ho probably had sonic affection for
this lady cvcn in 1914, for when his
orderly rcjoincd him on tho night of
her departure he found him seated by
tho chestnut tree with n sad expires
sion IN his face, as he leaned with his
check resting in his right hand.-Thc
Curnhill Magazine.