On arriving the next day, toward eleven in the morning, at the Hôtel des Ambassadeurs, Madame de Montrevel was astonished to find, instead of Roland, a stranger awaiting her. The stranger approached her.
“Are you the widow of General de Montrevel, madame?” he asked.
“Yes, monsieur,” replied Madame de Montrevel, not a little astonished.
“And you are looking for your son?”
“Yes; and I do not understand, after the letter he wrote me—”
“Man proposes, the First Consul1 disposes,” replied the stranger, laughing. “The First Consul has disposed of your son for a few days, and has sent me to receive you in his stead.”
Madame de Montrevel bowed.
“To whom have I the honor of speaking?” she asked.
“To citizen Fauvelet de Bourrienne, his first secretary,” replied the stranger.
“Will you thank the First Consul for me,” replied Madame de Montrevel, “and have the kindness to express to him the profound regret I feel at not being able to do so myself?”
“But nothing can be more easy, madame.”
“How so?”
“The First Consul has ordered me to bring you to the Luxembourg.”
“Me?”
“You and your son.”
“Oh! I am going to see General Bonaparte; I am going to see General Bonaparte!” cried the child, jumping for joy and clapping his hands. “What happiness!”
“Edouard, Edouard!” exclaimed Madame de Montrevel. Then, turning to Bourrienne, “You must excuse him, sir; he is a little savage2 from the Jura Mountains.”
Bourrienne held out his hand to the boy.
“I am a friend of your brother’s,” said he. “Will you kiss me?”
“Oh! willingly, sir,” replied Edouard. “You are not a thief, I know.”
“Why, no; I trust not,” replied the secretary, laughing.
“You must excuse him once again, sir. Our diligence was stopped on the way.”
“Stopped?”
“Yes.”
“By robbers?”
“Not exactly.”
“Monsieur,” asked Edouard, “when people take other people’s money, are they not thieves?”
“That is what they are generally called, my dear child.”
“There, you see, mamma.”
“Come, Edouard, be quiet, I beg of you.”
Bourrienne glanced at Madame de Montrevel, and saw clearly from the expression of her face that the subject was disagreeable to her; he therefore dropped it.
“Madame,” said he, “may I remind you that I have I orders to take you to the Luxembourg, and to add that Madame Bonaparte is expecting you?”
“Pray give me time to change my gown and to dress Edouard, sir.”
“How long will that take, madame?”
“Is half an hour too much to ask?”
“No, indeed; if half an hour really suffices I shall think you most reasonable.”
“Be easy, sir; it will be sufficient.”
“Well, madame,” said the secretary, bowing, “I will attend to an errand, and return in half an hour to place myself at your orders.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t be annoyed if I should be punctual.”
“I shall not keep you waiting.”
Bourrienne left. Madame de Montrevel dressed Edouard first, then herself, and was ready five minutes before Bourrienne reappeared.
“Take care, madame,” said Bourrienne laughing, “lest I tell the First Consul of your extreme punctuality.”
“What should I have to fear if you did?”
“He would keep you near him to give lessons in punctuality to Madame Bonaparte.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Madame de Montrevel, “you must forgive unpunctuality in a Creole.”
“But I believe you are a Creole also, madame.”
“Madame Bonaparte sees her husband every day,” said Madame de Montrevel, laughing, “whereas I am to see the First Consul for the first time.”
“Come, mother, let us go!” said Edouard.
The secretary drew aside to allow Madame de Montrevel to pass out. Fifteen minutes later they had reached the Luxembourg.
Bonaparte occupied the suite3 of rooms on the ground floor to the right. Josephine’s chamber4 and boudoir were on the first floor; a stairway led from the First Consul’s study to her room.
She was expecting Madame de Montrevel, for as soon as she saw her she opened her arms as to a friend. Madame de Montrevel had stopped respectfully at the door.
“Oh! come in, come in, madame!” said Josephine. “To-day is not the first that I know you; I have long known you through your excellent son, Roland. Shall I tell you what comforts me when Bonaparte leaves me? It is that Roland goes with him; for I fancy that, so long as Roland is with him, no harm will befall him. Well, won’t you kiss me?”
Madame de Montrevel was confused by so much kindness.
“We are compatriots, you know,” continued Josephine. “Oh! how well I remember M. de la Clémencière, and his beautiful gardens with the splendid fruit. I remember having seen a young girl who seemed its queen. You must have married very young, madame?”
“At fourteen.”
“Yes, you could not have been older to have a son of Roland’s age. But pray sit down.”
She led the way, making a sign to Madame de Montrevel to sit beside her.
“And that charming boy,” she said, pointing to Edouard, “is he also your son?” And she gave a sigh. “God has been prodigal5 to you, madame, and as He has given you all you can desire, will you not implore6 Him to send me a son.”
She pressed her lips enviously7 to Edouard’s forehead.
“My husband will be delighted to see you, he is so fond of your son, madame! You would not have been brought to me in the first instance, if he were not engaged with the minister of police. For that matter,” she added, laughing, “you have arrived at an unfortunate moment; he is furious!”
“Oh!” cried Madame de Montrevel, frightened; “if that is so, I would rather wait.”
“No, no! On the contrary, the sight of you will calm him. I don’t know just what is the matter; but it seems a diligence was stopped on the outskirts8 of the Black Forest in broad daylight. Fouché will find his credit in danger if the thing goes on.”
Madame de Montrevel was about to answer when the door opened and an usher9 appeared.
“The First Consul awaits Madame de Montrevel,” he said.
“Go,” said Josephine; “Bonaparte’s time is so precious that he is almost as impatient as Louis XV., who had nothing to do. He does not like to wait.”
Madame de Montrevel rose hastily and turned to take Edouard with her.
“No,” said Josephine; “leave this beautiful boy with me. You will stay and dine with us, and Bonaparte can see him then. Besides, if my husband takes a f............