Year: 1869

with q wondrous bright and genial expression.
!" bid defiance to fate,' he said, somewhat SOL
emnly. This prophesy does not frighten me
away and, in defiance of your prophetic negro
woman, |, the republican General, address my
prayer to the future Queen of France Be nv
wife give me your hand P'


Josephine felt almost affrighted at the pertin-
acity Of the General, and sentiment OF appre-
hension overcame her as she looked into the
pale, decided countenance of this man, a stranger
to her, and who claimed her for his wife. "Oh,
SIR" she exclaimed, with some anguish, "you
offer me your hand with as much carelessness as
if the whole matter were merely for a contra
dance. But l can assure you that marriage is
a very grave matter, which has no resemblance
whatever to a gay dance l know it is so.
have had my sad experience. and | cannot so
readily decide upon marriage a second time"


'You refuse my hand, then p said Bonaparte,
with threatening tone.


Josephine smiled. Son the contrary, Gen.
eral, said she "give me your hand and ac-
company me to my carriage, that has been wait
ing for me this long time.,'


"That MEANS. you dismiss me You close
upon me the door of your drawing-room p' ex-
claimed Bonaparte, with warmth.


She shook her head, and, bowling before him
with her irresistible grace, she said in friendly
manner, Il am too good patriot not to be
pTOuu VI SeeluB tue COHQuerOT OF lOulOn III my
drawing-room Tomorrow | have an evening
reception, and l invite you to be present, Cen
eral.''


From this day Bonaparte visited Josephine
daily she was certain to meet him everywhere.
At first she sought to avoid him but he always
knew with cunning foresight how to battle her
efforts and how to overcome all difficulties which
she threw in his way. Was she at her friend
Terese's she could safely reckon that General
Bonapartc would soon make his appearance, and
come near her with his eyes beaming with joy,
and in his own energetic language speak TO her
of his love and hopes. Was she to be present at
the reception of the five monarchs of Paris, it
was General Bonaparte who waited for her at
the door of the hall to offer his arm and lead her
amid the respectful, retreatng and gently ap-
plauding crowd to her seat, where he stood by
her, drawing upon her the attention of all. Did
she take drive, at the accustomed hour, in the
Champ Elysees, she was confident soon to see
General Bonaparte on his gray horse gallop at
her side, followed by his brilliant staff himself
the object of public admiration and universal
respect. And, finally, if she went to the theatre,
General Bonaparte never failed to appear in her
loge, to remain near her during the performance,
and when she left to offer his arm to accompany
her to her carriage. 1t could not fail that this
persevering homage of the renowned and uni
versally admired young General should make a
deep and fattering impression on Josephine's
heart, and fill her with pride and joy. But Jo-
sephine made resistance to this feeling she en-
deavored to shield herself from it by maternal
love. She she sent for her children from their
respective schools, and with her nearly grown
up son on one side, and her daughter budding into
womanhood on the other, she thus presents her
self to the General, and with an enchanting
smile said


"See, General, how old I am, with grown
up son and daughter who soon can make of me
Grandmother


But Bonaparte, with heartfelt emotion, reached
his hand to Eugene and said:


GA man who can call so worthy youth as
this his son is to be envied."


A cunning, smiling expression of the eye
vealed to Josephine that he had understood her
war stratagem-that neither the grown-up son
nor the marriageable daughter could deter him
from his object.


Josephine was at last won by so much love
and tenderness but she could not yet acknow-
ledge that the wounds of her heart were closed
that once more she could trust in happiness and
devote herself to new love, to new future.
She shrank timidly away from such shaping of
her destiny and even the persuasions OF her
friends and relatives, even the father of her de-
ceased husband, could not bring her to a deci-
sion. The state of her mind is depicted in Il let
ter which Josephine wrote to her friend, Madame
de Chateau Renaud, and which describes in
great measure the strange uncertainty of her
heart:


&C You have seen General Bonaparte at my
house? Well, then, he is the one who wishes to
be the father of the orphans of Alexandra de
Beauharnais and the husband of his widow.
Do you love him? you will ask. Well, no
Do you feel any repugnance towards him him !?
No !; but feel in a state of vacliation and doubt,
a state very disagreeable to me, and which the
devout in religious matters consider to be the
most scandalizing. As love is a kind of wor-
ship, one ought in its presence to feel animated
by other feelings than those | now experience,
and therefore | long for your advice, which
might bring the constant indecision of my mind
to fixed conclusion. To adopt firm course
has always appeared to my creole nonchalance
something beyond reach, and find it infinitely
more convenient to be led by the will of another.
admire the courage of the General; am sur
prised at his ample knowledge, which enables
him to speak fuently on every subject; at the
vivaeity of his genius, which enables him to
guess at the thoughts of others before they are
expressed but l avow I frightened at the
power be seems to exercise over every one who
comes near him. His searching look has some
thing strange, which cannot explain, but which
has controlling influence even upon our Direc-
tors Judge, therefore, of his influence over a
woman Finally, the very thing which might
please-the violence of his passion-of which he
speaks with so much energy, and which admits
of no doubt that passion is exactly what creates
in me the unwillingness | have SO often been
ready to express. The fret bloom Of youth lies
behind me. Can !, therefore, hope that this pas
sioh, which, in General Bonaparte, resembles an
attack of madness, will last long? If, after our
union, he should cease to love me, would he not
reproach me for what be had done? Would he
not regret that he had not made another and
more brilliant union? What could then an
swer? What could do? | could weep. "A
splendid remedy 7 could hear you say. know
well that weeping is useless but to weep has
been the only resource which could find when
my poor heart, so easily wounded, has been hurt
Write me long letter, and do not fear to scod
me if you think am wrong. You know well
that everything which comes from you is agree
| able to me-"


After their marriage and the successful cam
paign in Italy, the happy pair enjoyed each
others society for brief time at Montebello.
TIE "bump of destructiyeness"-a railway