The times., 1901-03-31
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of an old negress. made to the little
girl herself that one day she would
be Queen Of France. If he looks IN
the chronicles of the island for an
explanation. he Will hnd nothing u
indicate that she could ever tise
higher than the life of an lndoient
creole, a life narrowed by poverty ana
made tolerahle chiefly by the beauty
Of the nature about her ana DS heI
own happy indifference OF tempeFa-
ment.'
The frankness Of Miss Tarhcll is only
equaiod by the sympathetic intuition
which causes her. while admitting all the
defects of Josephines temperament and
training. to discard conventional stan
dards and estimate her heroine at heI
actual value taking into consideration
every fault, every virtue every excuse
for error. every phase of the tumultuous
time in which the Bonapartes lived. Fol
example, she pictures with faithfulness
the family of Tascher de la Pagerie. tC
which Josephine belonged. and leads us
to see at once the kind Of morality which
the future Empress of the French learned
in her childhood. The story of her mar
riagc to Alexander de Bcauharnais is
rather instructive II reveals much con
ccrmng the morals Of the society of that
day:
THE influence which had led the
father Of Alexander de Bcauharnais
10 ask for the hand of a daughter of
NJ. de IN Pagcrie FOR his son was not
altogether creditable. The two families
had never known each other until 1851,
when NJ. de Beauharnais came to Mar
Unique as governor. The elder NJ. de
Ia G8Eerie was not slow in seeking the
new governor s. acquaintance and sup
port for his family, for the latter was
rich and in favor with the King at
Versailles. The relation prospered suf-
tiCiently fer NJ. de Ia Pagerie to secure
place in the household of the gov
ernor for one of his daughters He
could have done nothing better for his
family. This daughter was not long
in getting an important influence over
both NJ. and Nine de Beauharnais,
and in winning as a husband NJ. Re
naudin. an excellent man and prosper
Gus. This for herself. For her fani-
ly, she secured so many favors from
the governor that it became a matter
Of serious criticism. and finally, added
= other inGiSCTetiOnS. led to divorce
between her and NJ. Renaudin. All
this scandal did not influence the gov
ernoT. however. and when, in if6l, he
left Martinique, on account of the dis
satisfaction with his administration
there. and hurried 10 France with his
wife 10 make his peace at Versailles,
Nine. Renaudin went, too. There she
prospercd buying a home and laying
aside money. IL was NJ. de Beauhar-
nais money. people said. However
this may be- ii Is certain that she ex-
erciscd great influence over him, that
for her he neglected his wife, and that
after the latter'E death the friendship
or iaison continued until his death.
From all this IT Will be seen that
Nine. Renaudin was a clever woman,
intent on making the most out of the
one really strong relation she had been
able 10 form in her life. She was
clever enough To see, when Alexander
was brought TO France after his
hers death that his love and grail
tude would be one of her strongest
cards with the father in the future.
She set TO work TO win the boys heart,
and she succeeded admirably. In his
eyes. she took his mothers place and
her influence over him was almost un-
limited
The marriage. then, was made by this
aunt When the little creole demoiselle
reached Paris she proved rather too
provincial for her husbands taste. and
this is the picture which her biographer
gives Of the first winter she spent in
France:
She seems TO have made but poor
impression. for in spite of the 20,g0
iiyres that Nine. Rena udin had spent
on her trOusseau, she had, after all,
a provincial air which irritated her
husband. accustomed as he was 10 the
ease and elegance Of aristOcTatiC Paris.
What was worse in his eyes, she seem
ed TO have no desire TO improve her
self on the models he laid down. Poor
little Josephine mad no head for the
exaggerated sentiment, the fine specu-
latiOns, and he chatter about liberty.
nature, and the social contract which
flowed so glibly from every French
tongue in those DAYS. She loved pretty
gowns and jewels and childish amuse-
mentS; above all. she demanded to be
loved exclusively and passionately by
her handsome young husband. When
he scolded her, she cried. and when
he devoted himself to brighter wo-
men, she was jealous. and 50 before
the first six months Of their married
life were over. Josephine was seeing
many unhappy hours
The life Of Josephine after the death OF
her first husband does not indicate any
particular moral stamina. IT shows her
as the French creole in every fbre-in-
dolent, pleasure-loying, warm-hearted.
and willing to do anyone a good turn
The author says:
In all her efforts TO repair her for
tune and secure to her children the
estate Of BeauhaTnais she enlisted
her friends. especially Nine Tallicnt.
who Just then was At the height of her
power. The two became very intimate
and the NisCOunteSS de Beauharuais
was soon one Of the women oftencst
seen at the functions given by the
members Of the Directory as well as
at all the more intimate gatherings
OF that society. She became as great
faVorite among the disSipated and
prOdlgal company as she had been
among the aTiStOcratic ladies of The
Abbey de Panthemont or in the mot
ley company at les Carmes. II was TO
be expected that she could not long be
an intimate Of Nine. Talliens salon
without finding protector. She found
him IN BaTraS, q member Of the Di-
rectory, its most influential member
IN fact, a prince of corruBtiOn but q
man Of elegance and ability"
1t was during this period of Josepbine's
life that Napoleon then a young Cor
slcan general. for the first time entered
the atmosphere Of fashionable society.
and met her, whom he must have con-
sidercd the perfect type Of the grande
dame. H.r unfaniHg charm delighted
him, her genuine interest-for Josephine's
power lay i'm the fact that her Kindness
was not pretence-nattered him. and he
was soon furiously ia love This is the
way in which Josephine took his offer Of
marriage:
~ am urged fshe says in q letter to
a fricndl 10 marry again by the ad-
vice Of ali my friends q may almost
say, by the commands OF my aunt
and the prayers Of my chil-
Among my visitors you have seen
General BOnaparte; he is the man who
wishes 20 become a father TO the or
phans Of Alexander de Beauharnais
ana husband to his widow.
" DO you love him. is naturally
your first question.
My answer is: Perhaps-no.
90 DO YOU dislike him.?
" No again; but the sentiments !
entertain toward him are Of that
lukcwarm kind which true deyotees
think worst Of all in matters of re-
ligion. Now. love being a sort OF re
hgiou. my feelings ought to be very
different from what they really are
This is the point on which ! want