the
practical conduct of the family affairs.

As the time for return to service drew near it was clear that the
mother with her family of four helpless little children, all a serious
charge on her time and purse, could not be left without the support of
one older son, at least; and Joseph was now about to seek his fortune
in Pisa. Accordingly Napoleon with methodical care drew up two papers
still existing, a memorandum of how an application for renewed leave
on the ground of sickness was to be made and also the form of
application itself, which no doubt he copied. At any rate he applied,
on the ground of ill health, for a renewal of leave to last five and a
half months. It was granted, and the regular round of family cares
went on; but the days and weeks brought no relief. Ill health there
was, and perhaps sufficient to justify that plea, but the physical
fever was intensified by the checks which want set upon ambition. The
passion for authorship reasserted itself with undiminished violence.
The history of Corsica was resumed, recast, and vigorously continued,
while at the same time the writer completed a short story entitled
"The Count of Essex,"--with an English setting, of course,--and wrote
a Corsican novel. The latter abounds in bitterness against France, the
most potent force in the development of the plot being the dagger. The
author's use of French, though easier, is still very imperfect. A
slight essay, or rather story, in the style of Voltaire, entitled "The
Masked Prophet," was also completed.

It was reported early in the autumn that many regiments were to be
mobilized for special service, among them that of La Fere. This gave
Napoleon exactly the opening he desired, and he left Corsica at once,
without reference to the end of his furlough. He reached Paris in
October, a fortnight before he was due. His regiment was still at
Douay: he may have spent a few days with it in that city. But this is
not certain, and soon after it was transferred to St. Denis, now
almost a suburb of Paris; it was destined for service in western
France, where incipient tumults were presaging the coming storm.
Eventually its destination was changed and it was ordered to Auxonne.
The Estates-General of France were about to meet for the first time in
one hundred and seventy-five years; they had last met in 1614, and had
broken up in disorder. They were now called as a desperate remedy, not
understood, but at least untried, for ever-i