Part 6 (2/2)
Napoleon loved Josephine with that aly which characterized all the movements of his impetuous spirit The stream did not fret and ripple over a shallow bed, but it was serene in its unfathomable depths The world contained but two objects for Napoleon, glory and Josephine; glory first, and then, closely following the more substantial idol
Many of the Parisian ladies, proud of a e than Josephine could boast, were exceedingly envious of the supremacy she had attained in consequence of the renown of her husband Her influence over Napoleon ell known Philosophers, states her hoe A favorable word from Josephine they kneould pave the way for them to fame and fortune Thus Josephine, from the saloons of Paris, with milder radiance, reflected back the splendor of her husband
She solicitous of securing as encies, was as diligent in ”winning hearts” at horacefulness of Josephine, her consummate delicacy of ifts, thevoice, charmed courtiers, philosophers, and statesmen alike Her saloons were ever crowded Her entertainments were ever embellished by the presence of all ere illustrious in rank and power in the metropolis And in whatever circles she appeared the eyes of the gentleht for her Two resistless attractions drew the in person and in character, and, through her renowned husband, she could dispense the ine the envy which hty duchess was provoked, alhter of a West Indian planter, should thus engross the hoe of Paris, while she, with her proud rank, her wit, and her beauty, was comparatively a cipher Moreau's wife, in particular resented the supreht General Moreau entitled to as much consideration as General Bonaparte By the jealousy, rankling in her own bosoainst Napoleon, and thus the hero of Hohenlinden was ruined Some of the brothers and sisters of Napoleon were also jealous of the paraladly wrest a portion of it from her hands Under these circumstances, in various ways, slander had been warily insinuated into the ears of Napoleon, respecting the conduct of his wife Conspiring enemies beca forgotten her husband, as reveling exultant with feuilty of gross infidelity
Nearly all the letters written by Napoleon and Josephine to each other, were intercepted by the English cruisers Though Napoleon did not credit these charges in full, he cherished not a little of the pride, which led the Roman monarch to exclaim, ”Caesar's wife must not be suspected”
Napoleon was in the troubled state of ypt One day he was sitting alone in his tent, which was pitched in the great Arabian desert Several months had passed since he had heard a word froain Junot entered, having just received, through sonity, communications froet of Parisian gossip Josephine had found, as he represented, in the love of others an ample recompense for the absence of her husband She was surrounded by aded in an incessant round of intrigues and flirtations Regardless of honor she had surrendered herself to the dominion of passion
Napoleon was for a few itation With hasty strides, like a chafed lion, he paced his tent, exclai, ”Why do I love that woe from my heart? I will do so I will have an immediate and open divorce-open and public divorce” He immediately wrote to Josephine, in ter the coquette with half the world” The letter escaped the British cruisers and she received it It almost broke her faithful heart Such were the circumstances under which Napoleon and Josephine were to hteen ly anxious to see Napoleon before he should have an intervieith her eneuish hich she heard her husband had passes her Two or three days must have elapse ere she could possibly retraced the weary miles over which she had already traveled
In thethe ht his path was brilliant with bonfires and illu of bells, the thunders of artillery, and the acclamations of the multitude, accompanied him every step of his way But no smile of triumph played upon his pale and pensive cheeks He felt that he was returning to a desolated honed in his heart He entered Paris, and drove rapidly to his oelling Behold, Josephine was not there Conscious guilt, he thought, had made her afraid to uish of Napoleon's soul That his proud spirit must have suffered intensity of woe no one can doubt The bitter ene advantage of her absence, to inflaree, by adroit insinuations, his jealousy and anger Eugene had accoypt, and his affectionate heart ever gloith love and aduish, he watched at thefor her arrival Said one to Napoleon,to prevent the possibility of reconciliation, ”Josephine will appear before you, with all her fascinations She will explain ive all, and tranquillity will be restored” ”Never!” exclai nervously too and fro, through the rooazing the interlocutor wildly in the face, he exclaiesticulation, ”You know me Were I not sure of my resolution, I would tear out this heart, and cast it into the fire”
How strange is the life of the heart of man From this interview, Napoleon, two hours after his arrival in Paris with his whole soul agitated by the tu, to visit the Directory, to forovernment of France Pale, pensive, joyless, his inflexible purposes of aies yielded not
Josephine was an idol He execrated her and he adored her He loved her most passionately He hated her most virulently He could clasp her onekisses; the next moment he would spurn her frolory was a stilladoration He strove to forget his door, his sche, sonized his person, and he was instantly greeted, with enthusiastic shouts ”Long live Bonaparte” The clah the spacious halls of the palace, and fell, like a death knell, upon the ears of the Directors
The populace upon the paveht the sound and reechoed it fros at the Opera, were stopped, that it e, that Bonaparte had arrived in Paris Men, women, and children simultaneously rose to their feet, and a wild burst of enthusiastic joy swelled upon the night air All Paris was in commotion The naious
Illuan to blaze, here and there, without concert, fro, till the whole city was resplendent with light One bell rang forth its , and then another, and another till every steeple was vocal with its cla its heavy thunders over the city It was the signal for an instantaneous, tumultuous roar, from artillery and musketry, fros of the great victories of Aboukir and Mount Tabor, reached Paris with Napoleon Those Oriental nah the streets, and blazed upon the eyes of the delighted people in letters of light Thus in an hour the whole of Paris was thrown into a deliriueous festival
The governanized somewhat upon the model of that the United States Instead of one President, they have five, called Directors Their Senate was called The House of Ancients; their House of Representatives, The Council of Five Hundred The five Directors, asthe for the lion's share of power The Monarchist, the Jacobin, and the overnment They only circurace and ruin
The Abbe'Sieyes was decidedly the most able man of the Executive
He was a proud patrician, and his characteranecdote, which Napoleon has related respecting him:
”The abbe, before the revolution, was chaplain to one of the princesses One day, when he was perforregation, so occurred which rendered it necessary for the princess to leave the roo and the nobility, who attended church ion followed her exa his prayers, and, for a fewhis eyes from his book, behold the princess, the nobles, and all the ton had disappeared With an air of displeasure and contempt he shut the book, and descended fro, 'I do not read prayers for the rabble' He i the service half-finished”
Napoleon arrived in Paris on the evening of the 17th of October, 1799 Two days and two nights elapse ere Josephine was able to retrace the weary leagues over which she had passed It was the hour of e wheels was heard entering the court-yard of their dwelling in the Rue Chanteraine Eugene, anxiously awaiting her arrival, was instantly at hisher in his embrace Napoleon also heard the arrival, but he remained sternly in his chareet Josephine at the door of her carriage, even when she returned frorossed his uest were present, he would i, and hasten to the door to assist Josephine to alight and to accohteen months, the faithful Josephine, half-dead with exhaustion, was at the door, and Napoleon, with pallid check and co in his boso to overwhelnation
Josephine was in a state of terrible agitation Her limbs tottered and her heart throbbed ene, and accoly ascended the stairs to the little parlor where she had so often received the caresses of her most affectionate spouse She opened the door There stood Napoleon, as iainst the mantle, with his arms folded across his breast Sternly and silently, he cast a withering look upon Josephine, and then exclaier pierced her heart ”Madame! It is my wish that you retire iered and would have fallen, as if struck by a ht in the aruish, she was conveyed by Eugene to her own apartht of Josephine had revived all his passionate love But he fully believed that Josephine had unpardonably trifled with his affections, that she had courted the adraded herself and her husband by playing the coquette The proud spirit of Napoleon could not brook such a requital for his fervid love
With hasty strides he traversed the roonation The sobs of Josephine had deeply ain in fond love to his heart But he proudly resolved that he would not relent Josephine, with that prompt obedience which ever characterized her, prepared iht For a week she had lived in her carriage almost without food or sleep Malmaison was thirty miles from Paris Napoleon did not suppose that she would leave the house untilMuch to his surprise, in a fewthe stairs to take the carriage
Napoleon, even in his anger, could not be thus inhuman ”My heart,”
he said, ”was never formed to witness tears without eh his pride would not yet allow hied the party to return and obtain refreshly yielded to his wishes, and re-ascending the stairs, in the extrerief, threw herself upon a couch, in her apartment Napoleon, equally wretched, returned to his cabinet Two days of utterwhich no intercourse took place between the estranged parties, each of whom loved the other with almost superhuman intensity
Love in the heart will finally triuradually pride and passion yielded, and love regained the ascendency Napoleon so far surrendered on the third day, as to enter the apartment of Josephine She was seated at a toilet-table, her face buried in her hands, and absorbed in the profoundest woe The letters, which she had received fro, were spread upon the table Hortense the picture of grief and despair, was standing in the alcove of aNapoleon had opened the door softly, and his entrance had not been heard With an irresolute step he advanced toward his wife, and then said, kindly and sadly, ”Josephine!”
She started at the sound of that well-known voice, and raising her swollen eyes, swi in tears, mournfully exclaimed, ”Monami”
--my friendThis was the term of endearment hich she had invariably addressed her husband It recalled a thousand delightful reminiscences Napoleon was vanquished He extended his hand
Josephine threw herself into his ar head upon his bosouish, wept convulsively A long explanation ensued Napoleon becaed The reconciliation was cordial and entire, and was never again interrupted
Napoleon noith a stronger heart, turned to the accons to rescue France froovern the nation He knew that it was the alrasp the reins of power He was confident of their cordial co-operation in any plans he ht adopt Still it was an enterprise of no small difficulty to thrust the five Directors froet the control of the Council of Ancients and of The Five Hundred
Never was a difficult achievement more adroitly and proudly accomplished
For many days Napoleon al a studious avoidance of the public gaze He laid aside his military dress and assumed the peaceful costume of the National Institute Occasionally he wore a beautiful Turkish sabre, suspended by a silk ribbon This siination of the beholder to Aboukir, Mount Tabor, and the Pyraht the society of literary uishedpolitical discussion, conversed only upon literary and scientific subjects
Moreau and Bernadotte were the two rival generals from whom Napoleon had the most to fear Two days after his arrival in Paris Napoleon said to Bourrienne, ”I believe that I shall have Bernadotte and Moreau against y He prefers ain him by the promise of a command But Bernadotte has Moorish blood in his veins He is bold and enterprising He does not like me, and I am certain that he will opposeBesides, this fellow is not to be seduced He is disinterested and clever But, after all, we have just arrived We shall see”