The Washington herald., 1914-11-15

NdhtaSeS ne maintained MS Imperial
Little Betsy Balcombe, in the incor-
rigible independence Of fourteen Years,
was the only one who defied all court
ceremonial Quickly recovering from the
terror that filled her at the sight OF
Napoleon, she sang for him ''No Banks
and Braes' the first evening Of his stay
at the Briars. and thenceforth boldly
insisted on his becoming her familiar
and playmate. She made him dIShevel
his hair and roar like the huEbear she
had supposed him to be: she seized his
ieweled sword and. fiOurishing 1t over
his head, commanded him TO say his
prayers. and like acts of lese majeste
were perpetrated daily by the 'Ieetle
mOnkee. as the victim Of the pranks
called her.
At LOnGwOOd.
December and the tropic summer had
come, when LOnEwOOd was at last in
readiness for Napoleon. and he entered
upon his life tenancy of the place. This
group of one-story buildings, mostly of
stone, which his host. the British ma
ton, had provided for the comfort OF
its most celebrated guest, was not A
sumptuous residence, and he found II
a poor exchange for the simple dwell
ings that he had occupied the year be-
fore IN Efba. Indeed Longwood was only
"a big Cowshed in the beginning and the
wooden floors. Yet it had lately suficcd
the lieutenant governor of the island
as summer camp.
trellised porch had been hastily con-
Structed under Admiral COckburns : or
ders. From the porch one entered a
rather large front room and passed
through II to what was called the salon
Back of the salon was the dining-rOOm
badly lighted only by glass door. On
one side Of the dining-room was the
library, while on the other was the
study. with Napoleon's bedroom. four
teen feet by twelve, opening out Of II
and behind this was his bedroom. The
rest of the structure was given over
to the suite and the servants.
An Unhappy Family.
Nor could the captive find soIace in
the bosom of his household. for that
was really more uncOngenial than Long
isters when they were choosing his
prison isle and his prison house. had
chosen his companions, they could hard
ly have made a choice better calculated
by fate. He himself had scarcely more
vOlition in the matter than he had in
the designat ton of his place of exile. Even
he could not command men to follow
him into tomb, and he had to take
such Is offered to accompany him
Generally they were men who had more
or less reason to fear that the Bourbons
would not permit them to remain in
treason after he left, and Gourgaud.
Montholon and Las Cases were all roy
alists who could have small hope OF
receiving a cordial welcome from Louis
XVIII on his second restoration. Gen.
Gourgaud, indeed, was born in the very
midst Of the old court of the Bourbons
at Versailles and Count de Las Cases
had gone into exile with that family at
the time of the revolution. even as he
was now in exile with Napoleon.
Three were men with families and two
had dragged their unwilling wives and
their children with them into their vol
untary captivity. Mime. Bertrand went
with her three children only after vain
ly striving to swerve her husband from
his purpose and after failing to drown
herself by jumping overheard into Ply
mouth Harbor. The Countess de Mon
tholon who was accompanied by one
child. had less reason for sharing her
husbands devotion TO the unfortunate
Emperor. he having forbidden from the
throre her marriage to Montholon be-
cause she CHANGED to have two husbands