Chapter 44

IN November, 1862, my wife and I received an invitation tospend a week at Compiegne with their Majesties the Emperorand Empress of the French. This was due to the circumstancethat my wife's father, Lord Wilton, as Commodore of the RoyalYacht Squadron, had entertained the Emperor during his visitto Cowes.

　　We found an express train with the imperial carriagesawaiting the arrival of the English guests at the station duNord. The only other English besides ourselves were Lord andLady Winchilsea with Lady Florence Paget, and Lord and LadyCastlerosse, now Lord and Lady Kenmare. These, however, hadpreceded us, so that with the exception of M. Drouyn deLhuys, we had the saloon carriage to ourselves.

　　The party was a very large one, including the Walewskis, thePersignys, the Metternichs - he, the Austrian Ambassador -Prince Henri VII. of Reuss, Prussian Ambassador, the Princede la Moskowa, son of Marshal Ney, and the Labedoyeres,amongst the historical names. Amongst those of art andliterature, of whom there were many, the only one whom I madethe acquaintance of was Octave Feuillet. I happened to havebrought his 'Comedies et Proverbes' and another of his bookswith me, never expecting to meet him; this so pleased himthat we became allies. I was surprised to find that he couldnot even read English, which I begged him to learn for thesake of Shakespeare alone.

　　We did not see their Majesties till dinner-time. When theguests were assembled, the women and the men were arrangedseparately on opposite sides of the room. The Emperor andEmpress then entered, each respectively welcoming those oftheir own sex, shaking hands and saying some conventionalword in passing. Me, he asked whether I had brought my guns,and hoped we should have a good week's sport. To each one aword. Every night during the week we sat down over a hundredto dinner. The Army was largely represented. For the firsttime I tasted here the national frog, which is neither fishnor flesh. The wine was, of course, supreme; but after everydish a different wine was handed round. The eveningentertainments were varied. There was the theatre in thePalace, and some of the best of the Paris artistes wererequisitioned for the occasion. With them came Dejazet, thennearly seventy, who had played before Buonaparte.

　　Almost every night there was dancing. Sometimes the Emperorwould walk through a quadrille, but as a rule he would retirewith one of his ministers, though only to a smaller boudoirat the end of the suite, where a couple of whist-tables wereready for the more sedate of the party. Here one evening Ifound Prince Metternich showing his Majesty a chess problem,of which he was the proud inventor. The Emperor askedwhether I was fond of chess. I was very fond of chess, wasone of the regular HABITUES of St. George's Chess Club, andhad made a study of the game for years. The Princechallenged me to solve his problem in four moves. It was nota very profound one. I had the hardihood to discover thatthree, rather obvious moves, were sufficient. But as I wasnot Gil Blas, and the Prince was not the Archbishop ofGrenada, it did not much matter. Like the famous prelate,his Excellency proffered his felicitations, and doubtlessalso wished me 'un peu plus de gout' with the addition of 'unpeu moins de perspicacite.'

　　One of the evening performances was an exhibition of POSES-PLASTIQUES, the subjects being chosen from celebratedpictures in the Louvre. Theatrical costumiers, under thecommand of a noted painter, were brought from Paris. Theladies of the court were carefully rehearsed, and the wholething was very perfectly and very beautifully done. All theEnglish ladies were assigned parts. But, as nearly all thesedepended less upon the beauties of drapery than upon those ofnature, the English ladies were more than a little staggeredby the demands of the painter and of the - UNdressers. Tothe young and handsome Lady Castlerosse, then just married,was allotted the figure of Diana. But when informed that, inaccordance with the original, the drapery of one leg wouldhave to be looped up above the knee, her ladyship used veryfirm language; and, though of course perfectly ladylike,would, rendered into masculine terms, have signified that shewould 'see the painter d-d first.' The celebrated 'Cruchecassee' of Greuze, was represented by the reigning beauty,the Marquise de Gallifet, with complete fidelity and success.

　　There was one stage of the performance which neither I norLord Castlerosse, both of us newly married, at allappreciated. This was the privileges of the Green-room, orrather of the dressing-rooms. The exhibition was given inthe ball-room. On one side of this, until the night of theperformances, an enclosure was boarded off. Within it, werecompartments in which the ladies dressed and - undressed. Atthis operation, as we young husbands discovered, certainyoung gentlemen of the court were permitted to assist - Ithink I am not mistaken in saying that his Majesty was of thenumber. What kind of assistance was offered or accepted,Castlerosse and I, being on the wrong side of the boarding,were not in a position to know.

　　There was a door in the boarding, over which one expected tosee, 'No admittance except on business,' or perhaps, 'onpleasure.' At this door I rapped, and rapped againimpatiently. It was opened, only as wide as her face, by theempress.

　　'What do you want, sir?' was the angry demand.

　　'To see my wife, madame,' was the submissive reply.

　　'You can't see her; she is rehearsing.'

　　'But, madame, other gentlemen - '

　　'Ah! Mais, c'est un enfantillage! Allez-vous-en.'

　　And the door was slammed in my face.

　　'Well,' thought I, 'the right woman is in the right placethere, at all events.'

　　Another little incident at the performance itself alsorecalled the days and manners of the court of Louis XV.

　　Between each tableau, which was lighted solely from theraised stage, the lights were put out, and the whole roomleft in complete darkness. Whenever this happened, thesounds of immoderate kissing broke out in all directions,accompanied by little cries of resistance and protestation.

　　Until then, I had always been under the impression thathumour of this kind was confined to the servants' hall. Onecould not help thinking of another court, where things weremanaged differently.

　　But the truth is, these trivial episodes were symptomatic ofa pervading tone. A no inconsiderable portion of the ladiesseemed to an outsider to have been invited for the sake oftheir personal charms. After what has just been related, onecould not help fancying that there were some amongst them whohad availed themselves of the privilege which, according toTacitus, was claimed by Vistilia before the AEdiles. So far,however, from any of these noble ladies being banished to theIsle of Seriphos, they seemed as much attached to the courtas the court to them; and whatever the Roman Emperor mighthave done, the Emperor of the French was all that was mostindulgent.

　　There were two days' shooting, one day's stag hunting, anexpedition to Pierrefonds, and a couple of days spent inriding and skating. The shooting was very much after thefashion of that already described at Prince Esterhazy's,though of a much more Imperial character. As in Hungary, thegame had been driven into coverts cut down to the height ofthe waist, with paths thirty to forty yards apart, for theguns.

　　The weather was cold, with snow on the ground, but it was abeautifully sunny day. This was the party: the twoambassadors, the Prince de la Moskowa, Persigny, Walewski -Bonaparte's natural son, and the image of his father - theMarquis de Toulongeon, Master of the Horse, and we threeEnglishmen. We met punctually at eleven in the grand saloon.

　　Here the Emperor joined us, with his cigarette in his mouth,shook hands with each, and bade us take our places in thechar-a-bancs. Four splendid Normandy greys, with postilionsin the picturesque old costume, glazed hats and huge jack-boots, took us through the forest at full gallop, and in halfan hour we were at the covert side. The Emperor was verycheery all the way. He cautioned me not to shoot back forthe beaters' sakes, and asked me how many guns I had brought.

　　'Two only? that's not enough, I will lend you some of mine.'

　　Arrived at our beat - 'Tire de Royallieu,' we found asquadron of dismounted cavalry drawn up in line, ready tocommence operations. They were in stable dress, with canvastrousers and spurs to their boots. Several officers weregalloping about giving orders, the whole being under thecommand of a mounted chief in green uniform and cocked hat!

　　The place of each shooter had been settled by M. deToulongeon. I, being the only Nobody of the lot, was put onthe extreme outside. The Emperor was in the middle; andalthough, as I noticed, he made some beautiful shots atrocketers, he was engaged much of the time in talking toministers who walked behind, or beside, him.

　　Our servants were already in the places allotted to theirmasters, and each of us had two keepers to carry spare guns(the Emperor had not forgotten to send me two of his, which Icould not shoot with, and never used), and a sergeant with alarge card to prick off each head of game, not as it fell tothe gun, but only after it was picked up. This conscientiousscoring amused me greatly; for, as it chanced, my bag was aheavy one, and the Emperor's marker sent constant messages tomine to compare notes, and so arrange, as it transpired, tokeep His Majesty at the top of the score.

　　About half-past one we reached a clearing where DEJEUNER wasawaiting us. The scene presented was striking. Around atent in which every delicacy was spread out were numbers oflittle charcoal fires, where a still greater number of cooksin white caps and jackets were preparing dainty dishes; whilethe Imperial footmen bustling about brightened the picturewith colour. After coffee all the cards were brought to hisMajesty. When he had scanned them, he said to me across thetable:

　　'I congratulate you, Mr. Coke, upon having killed the most.'

　　My answer was, 'After you, Sir.'

　　'Yes,' said he, giving his moustache an upward twist, butwith perfect gravity, 'I always kill the most.'

　　Just then the Empress and the whole court drove up.

　　Presently she came into the tent and, addressing her husband,exclaimed:

　　'Avez-vous bientot fini, vous autres? Ah! que vous etes desgourmands!'

　　Till the finish, she and the rest walked with the shooters.

　　By four it was over. The total score was 1,387 head. Minewas 182, which included thirty-six partridges, two woodcocks,and four roedeer. This, in three and a half hours' shooting,with two muzzle-loaders (breech-loaders were not then inuse), was an unusually good bag.

　　Fashion is capricious. When lunch was over I went to one ofthe charcoal fires, quite in the background, to light acigarette. An aide-de-camp immediately pounced upon me, withthe information that this was not permitted in company withthe Empress. It reminded one at once of the ejaculation atOliver Twist's bedside, 'Ladies is present, Mr. Giles.'

　　After the shooting, I was told to go to tea with the Empress- a terrible ordeal, for one had to face the entire feminineforce of the palace, nearly every one of whom, from thehighest to the lowest, was provided with her own CAVALIERESERVENTE.

　　The following night, when we assembled for dinner, I receivedorders to sit next to the Empress. This was still moreembarrassing. It is true, one does not speak to a sovereignunless one is spoken to; but still one is permitted to makethe initiative easy. I found that I was expected to take myshare of the task; and by a happy inspiration, introduced thesubject of the Prince Imperial, then a child of eight yearsold. The MONDAINE Empress was at once merged in the adoringmother; her whole soul was wrapped up in the boy. It waseasy enough then to speculate on his career, at least so faras the building of castles in the air for fantasies to roamin. What a future he had before him! - to consolidate theEmpire! to perfect the great achievement of his father, andrender permanent the foundation of the Napoleonic dynasty! tobuild a superstructure as transcendent for the glories ofPeace, as those of his immortal ancestor had been for War!

　　It was not difficult to play the game with such court cardsin one's hand. Nor was it easy to coin these PHRASES DESUCRECANDI without sober and earnest reflections on theimport of their contents. What, indeed, might or might notbe the consequences to millions, of the wise or unwise orevil development of the life of that bright and handsomelittle fellow, now trotting around the dessert table, withthe long curls tumbling over his velvet jacket, and theflowers in his hand for some pretty lady who was privilegedto kiss him? Who could foretell the cruel doom - heedless ofsuch favours and such splendid promises - that awaited thepretty child? Who could hear the brave young soldier's lastshrieks of solitary agony? Who could see the forsaken bodyslashed with knives and assegais? Ah! who could dream ofthat fond mother's heart, when the end came, which eclipsedeven the disasters of a nation!

　　One by-day, when my wife and I were riding with the Emperorthrough the forest of Compiegne, a rough-looking man in ablouse, with a red comforter round his neck, sprang out frombehind a tree; and before he could be stopped, seized theEmperor's bridle. In an instant the Emperor struck his handwith a heavy hunting stock; and being free, touched his horsewith the spur and cantered on. I took particular notice ofhis features and his demeanour, from the very first moment ofthe surprise. Nothing happened but what I have described.

　　The man seemed fierce and reckless. The Emperor showed notthe faintest signs of discomposure. All he said was, turningto my wife, 'Comme il avait l'air sournois, cet homme!' andresumed the conversation at the point where it wasinterrupted.

　　Before we had gone a hundred yards I looked back to see whathad become of the offender. He was in the hands of two GENSD'ARMES, who had been invisible till then.

　　'Poor devil,' thought I, 'this spells dungeon for you.'

　　Now, with Kinglake's acrimonious charge of the Emperor'spersonal cowardice running in my head, I felt that thisexhibition of SANG FROID, when taken completely unawares,went far to refute the imputation. What happened later inthe day strongly confirmed this opinion.

　　After dark, about six o'clock, I took a stroll by myselfthrough the town of Compiegne. Coming home, when crossingthe bridge below the Palace, I met the Emperor arm-in-armwith Walewski. Not ten minutes afterwards, whom should Istumble upon but the ruffian who had seized the Emperor'sbridle? The same red comforter was round his neck, the samewild look was in his face. I turned after he had passed, andat the same moment he turned to look at me.

　　Would this man have been at large but for the Emperor'sorders? Assuredly not. For, supposing he were crazy, whocould have answered for his deeds? Most likely he wasshadowed; and to a certainty the Emperor would be so. Still,what could save the latter from a pistol-shot? Yet, here hewas, sauntering about the badly lighted streets of a townwhere his kenspeckle figure was familiar to every inhabitant.

　　Call this fatalism if you will; but these were not the actsof a coward. I told this story to a friend who was well'posted' in the club gossip of the day. He laughed.

　　'Don't you know the meaning of Kinglake's spite against theEmperor?' said he. 'CHERCHEZ LA FEMME. Both of them were inlove with Mrs. - '

　　This is the way we write our histories.

　　Wishing to explore the grounds about the palace before anyonewas astir, I went out one morning about half-past eight.

　　Seeing what I took to be a mausoleum, I walked up to it,found the door opened, and peeped in. It turned out to be amuseum of Roman antiquities, and the Emperor was inside,arranging them. I immediately withdrew, but he called to meto come in.

　　He was at this time busy with his Life of Caesar; and, in hisenthusiasm, seemed pleased to have a listener to hisinstructive explanations; he even encouraged the curiositywhich the valuable collection and his own remarks could notfail to awaken.

　　Not long ago, I saw some correspondence in the Times' andother papers about what Heine calls 'Das kleinewelthistorische Hutchen,' which the whole of Europe knew sowell, to its cost. Some six or seven of the Buonaparte hats,so it appears, are still in existence. But I noticed, thatthough all were located, no mention was made of the one inthe Luxembourg.

　　When we left Compiegne for Paris we were magnificentlyfurnished with orders for royal boxes at theatres, and foradmission to places of interest not open to the public. Thusprovided, we had access to many objects of historicalinterest and of art - amongst the former, the relics of thegreat conqueror. In one glass case, under lock and key, wasthe 'world-historical little hat.' The official whoaccompanied us, having stated that we were the Emperor'sguests, requested the keeper to take it out and show it tous. I hope no Frenchman will know it, but, I put the hatupon my head. In one sense it was a 'little' hat - that isto say, it fitted a man with a moderate sized skull - but theflaps were much larger than pictures would lead one to think,and such was the weight that I am sure it would give anyordinary man accustomed to our head-gear a still neck to wearit for an hour. What has become of this hat if it is notstill in the Luxembourg?