The Washington herald., 1911-02-28
CHAPTER Xxx.
An Old Scandal.

| Corsica Tomorrow said the admir- al.
Napoleon" said Laura.
Romance" said Cathewe-
! Treasures" said NJ. Ferraud.
| Hildegarde felt uneasy. Rrettmann
toyed with the bread crumbs. He was
inattentive besides.
Napoleon. There is an old scandal. -
unused NJ. Ferraud. II don't think that
any Of you have heard it,
THAT will interest me- Fitzgerald
cried. Tell it"
NJ. Ferraud cleared his throat with a
sharp ahem and proceeded to burnish his
| crystals. Specks and notes were ever
adhering to them. He held them up to
the light and pretended to look through
them: he saw nothing but the secretary's
abstraction.
We were talking about treasures the
other night" began the Frenchman, ''and
l came near telling it then. 1t Is story
OF Napoleon"
Never a better moment to tell it." said
the admiral. rubbing his hands in pleas
urable anticipation.
II say to you at once that the tale is
known to few, and has never had any
publicity, and must never have any. Re
member that, IL you please, Mr.. Fftz-
Ngerald. and you also. Mr.. Breitmann."
II beg your pardon" said Breitmann.
IT was not listening"
NJ. Ferraud repeated his request clearly.
II am no longer a newspaper writer.
Breitmann affirmed, clearing the fog out
of his head "a story about Napoleon;
will it be true?"
Every word of it, NJ. Ferraud folded
his arms and sat back.
During the pause Hildegarde shivered.
Something made her desire madly to
thrust n hand out and cover NJ. Ferraud's
mouth.
I'VE have all read much about Napo-
leon. 1 cannot recall how many lives
range shoulder to shoulder on the book
sellers shelves. There have been letters
and memoirs, raconteurs by celebrated
men and women who were his contem-
poraries. But there is one thing upon
which we shall all agree, and that is that
the emperor was in private life something
OF a beast AS a soldier he was the peer
of all the Caesars; as a husband he was
vastly inferior to any of them This story
does not concern him as emperor. If in
my narrative there occurs anything offen-
sfve. correct me instantly. I speak Eng
lsh nuently, but there are still some
idioms trip on"
TIL trust you to steer straight enough"
said the admiral
THANK you. Well. then, once upon
time Napoleon was in Bavaria. The
country was at that time his ablest ally.
There was a pretty peasant girl
A knife clattered to the floor. Par
dom" whispered Hildegarde to Cathewe.
"I am clumsy" She was as white as
the linen.
Breitmann went on with his crumbs.
Il believe" continued NJ. Ferraud, that
it was in the year 1878 that the emperor
received a peculiar letter. 1t begged that
title be conferred upon pretty little
peasant boy The emperor was grim
humorist, 1 may say in passing; and for
this infant he created a baronetcy, threw
in parcel of land, and = purse. That was
the end of it, as far as it related to the
emperor. Waterloo came and with it van
ished the empire; and il would be long
time before a baron of the empire re-
turned to any. degree of popularity. For
years the matter was forgotten. The
documents in the case, the letters of pat |
ent, the deeds and titles to the land, and
single Napoleonic scrawl, these gath |
cred dust in the loft. When 1 heard this |
tale the thing which appealed to me most |
keenly was the thought that over in |
strain OF Napoleonic blood; Teuton, one |
of those who had brought about the |
downfall of the empire"
"You say exists?' interjected Cathewe. |
Exists" laconically.
You have proofsT' demanded Fitz-
gerald.
"The very best in the world. I have |
not only seen those patents, but I have |
seen the man"
Very interesting" agreed Breitmann. |
brushing the crumbs into his hand and |
dropping them on his plate. But, go on"
What a man. breathed Fitzgerald. |
who began to see the drift of things.
IT proceed, then. Two generations |
passed. I doubt il the third generation |
of this family has ever heard of the /
affair One day the last of his race. In
clearing up the salable things in his house
for he had decided to lease it-stumbled [
on the scant history of his forbears. He
was at school then; a promising young
ster, brave, cheerful, full of adventure
and curiosity. Contrary to the natural
sequence OF events. he chose the navy, /
where no did yery well. But in some
way Germany found out what France
already knew. Here was fine chance
for stroke of politics. France had al
ways watched; without fear. however, but
with half-formed wonder. Germany con-
sidered the case; why not turn this young
fellow loose ON France, TO worry and to '