leon, and landed after a pleasant passage at Boulogne.

Boulogne was for Hortense the first monument of her happiness, at the
foot of which she wished to pray! There, during the most brilliant
period of the empire, she had attended the military _fetes_, in the
midst of which the emperor was preparing to go forth to encounter new
dangers, and to reap, perhaps, new renown. A high column designated the
place where these camp-festivals had once taken place. It had been
erected under the empire, but under the restoration the name of Louis
XVIII. had been inscribed on it.

Accompanied by the prince, the Duchess of St. Leu ascended this column,
in order to show him from its summit the beautiful and flourishing
France, that had once been her own and through which they must now pass
with veiled countenances and borrowed names. From there she pointed out
to him the situation of the different camps, the location of the
imperial tent, then the place where the emperor's throne had stood, and
where he had first distributed crosses of the legion of honor among
the soldiers.

With a glowing countenance and in breathless attention, Louis Napoleon
listened to his mother's narrative. Hortense, lost in her recollections,
had not noticed that two other visitors, a lady and a gentleman, were
now also on the platform and had listened to a part of her narrative. As
the duchess ceased speaking, they approached to tell her with what deep
interest they had listened to her narrative of the most glorious period
of French history. They were a young married couple from Paris, and had
much to relate concerning the parties who were now arrayed against each
other in France, and who made the future of the country so uncertain.

In return for Hortense's so eloquent description of the past, they now
told her of a _bon mot_ of the present that was going the rounds of
Parisian society. It was there said that the best means of satisfying
everybody and all parties would be, to convert France into a republic
and to give it three consuls, the Duke of Reichstadt, the Duke of
Orleans, and the Duke of Bordeaux. "But," added they, "it might easily
end in the first consul's driving out the other two, and making
himself emperor."

Hortense found the courage to answer this jest with a smile, but she
hastened to leave the place and to get away from the couple, who had
perhaps recognized her, and told them of the _bon mot_ with a purpose.

Sadly and silently, mothe