rom Josephine to the Duchess
d'Aiguillon.--Josephine not her own mistress.

Early in the year 1802 Josephine accompanied Napoleon in various
excursions to distant parts of the empire. She went with him to Lyons to
meet the Italian deputies, who had assembled there to confer upon him
the dignity of President of the Cisalpine Republic. The entertainments
in Lyons upon this occasion were arranged with regal magnificence.
Josephine, by her grace and affability, secured universal admiration,
and every tongue was eloquent in her praises. Each succeeding month
seemed now to bring some new honor to Josephine. Her position as wife of
the first consul, her known influence over her husband, and the almost
boundless popularity he had acquired over the minds of his countrymen,
who were ever conducting him by rapid strides to new accessions of
power, surrounded her with multitudes striving in every way to
ingratiate themselves into her favor.

From Lyons they returned to their beloved retreat at Malmaison, where
they passed several weeks. But place and power had already deprived them
of retirement. Napoleon was entirely engrossed with his vast projects
of ambition. The avenue to their rural mansion was unceasingly thronged
with carriages, and the saloon of Josephine was ever filled with the
most illustrious guests.

One day Josephine happened to be in the cabinet with her husband
alone. A man, whose coat was much the worse for wear, and whose whole
appearance presented many indications of the struggle with poverty, was
ushered into the room. He appeared greatly embarrassed, and at length,
with much confusion, introduced himself as the writing-master at Brienne
who had taught the first consul hand-writing. "And a fine penman you
made of me!" exclaimed Napoleon, in affected anger. "Ask my wife there
what she thinks of my writing." The poor man stood trembling in
trepidation, when Josephine looked up with one of her sweetest smiles,
and said, "I assure you, sir, his letters are perfectly delightful."
Napoleon laughed at the well-timed compliment, and settled upon the
writing-master a small annuity for life. It was a noble trait in the
character of the first consul that in his days of power he was ever
mindful of those who were the friends of his early years. All the
instructors of the school he attended at Brienne were thus remembered
by him.

Napoleon and Josephine now made the tour of the northern provinces of
France. They were