much offended, "if you are to reply in that manner, there is an end of
all argument;" and for some time would not converse with him.
Buonaparte, so far from taking umbrage, did all he could to soothe him
and restore him to good-humour, which was not very difficult to
effect.

One morning he began to talk of his wife and child, and desired
Marchand to bring two or three miniature pictures to show me: he spoke
of them with much feeling and affection. "I feel," said he, "the
conduct of the allied sovereigns to be more cruel and unjustifiable
towards me in that respect than in any other. Why should they deprive
me of the comforts of domestic society, and take from me what must be
the dearest objects of affection to every man--my child, and the
mother of that child?" On his expressing himself as above, I looked
him steadily in the face, to observe whether he showed any emotion:
the tears were standing in his eyes, and the whole of his countenance
appeared evidently under the influence of a strong feeling of grief.

There were two pictures of young Napoleon: one in the dress of a
Polish lancer, and the other with long curly flowing ringlets: they
both represented a fair, strong, chubby boy, with features very much
resembling those of his father. That of his mother, a very fair woman,
with good features, but by no means handsome.

From the observations I was enabled to make, I very much doubt
Monsieur Savary's statement, that the passion of ambition was so
completely overcome in his bosom, "that had it been proposed to him
again to ascend the throne of France, he would have declined it"; and
I do think, that if he had succeeded in eluding the British cruisers
and arrived in America, he would always have looked forward to
returning to France. In all his conversations, he spoke of ambition as
a quality absolutely necessary to form the character of a soldier. On
one occasion, Savary spoke of Kleber, (who was left by Napoleon in
command of the army when he quitted Egypt,) in terms of high encomium;
this brought on a discussion upon the respective merits of that
officer and Dessaix, whose aid-de-camp Savary had been during the
negotiation of the convention of El Arish. Buonaparte, speaking of
Kleber, bestowed upon him great praise as an officer; but he added,
"He was deficient in one of the most necessary qualifications of a
soldier,--ambition. He was indolent, and required constant spurring.
Dessaix, on the contrary, had all h