done to their citizens.

The claims of England and Spain were satisfied, and they withdrew the
troops they had sent to Mexico to enforce their demands.

France, however, could get no satisfaction, and so she remained, and
carried on war against the Mexicans until she succeeded in getting a
little the best of them.

It was at this moment that Louis Napoleon made up his mind that an Emperor
was what Mexico needed, and sent out the unfortunate Archduke Maximilian
to rule a wild, boisterous, and only half-conquered people.

The Mexicans, ever pleased with a change, welcomed the Emperor very
kindly; the beauty and charity of the Empress made many friends for her,
and for a time all went well.

With the aid of the French troops, Maximilian completed the conquest of
the rebellious Mexicans, and was at the height of his popularity, when, in
an evil moment, he made a proclamation that all the rebels who had fought
against the government should be regarded as bandits, and punished as
such.

The people were furious at this. These bandits were many of them of their
own families and friends, and revolutions were so common in the country,
that they could not see why these men should be hanged and shot by a
foreign prince, whom they had never invited to come and govern them.

From that moment they began to conspire against him, and his position was
becoming very unsafe, when Napoleon ordered his French soldiers to return
from Mexico.

Maximilian would not allow this; he reminded Napoleon that he had only
accepted the throne on the condition that the French soldiers were left to
protect him; but Napoleon III. paid no attention to his protest, nor to
the assurance that he would not be safe if the French soldiers were
withdrawn.

The orders to return to France were repeated.

Both Maximilian and Charlotte were fearful of the result of this rash act;
and as the Empress had been very successful in managing several difficult
affairs in the government of Mexico, it was thought best that she should
go to Napoleon and explain things to him, and get the order for the
soldiers to remain in Mexico.

She started on her long voyage, hopeful of success; but when she reached
France, Napoleon managed to avoid seeing her for months, and when at last
she was admitted to his presence, she found him cold, hard, and determined
to follow out his own plans.

The French soldiers should leave Mexico at all cost.

The poor young Empress had liv