urs after it, Sire.'

'Serve it up then at once.'

'Yes, Sire. Monsieur Isabey is outside, Sire, with his dolls.'

'Ah, we shall see them at once. Show him in.'

A man entered who had evidently just arrived from a long journey. Under
his arm he carried a large flat wickerwork basket.

'It is two days since I sent for you, Monsieur Isabey.'

'The courier arrived yesterday, Sire. I have been travelling from Paris
ever since.'

'Have you the models there?'

'Yes, Sire.'

'Then you may lay them out on that table.'

I could not at first imagine what it meant when I saw, upon Isabey
opening his basket, that it was crammed with little puppets about a foot
high, all of them dressed in the most gorgeous silk and velvet costumes,
with trimmings of ermine and hangings of gold lace. But presently, as
the designer took them out one by one and placed them on the table, I
understood that the Emperor, with his extraordinary passion for detail
and for directly controlling everything in his Court, had had these
dolls dressed in order to judge the effect of the gorgeous costumes
which had been ordered for his grand functionaries upon State occasions.

'What is this?' he asked, holding up a little lady in hunting costume of
amaranth and gold with a toque and plume of white feathers.

'That is for the Empress's hunt, Sire.'

'You should have the waist rather lower,' said Napoleon, who had very
definite opinions about ladies' dresses. 'These cursed fashions seem to
be the only thing in my dominions which I cannot regulate. My tailor,
Duchesne, takes three inches from my coat-tails, and all the armies and
fleets of France cannot prevent him. Who is this?'

He had picked up a very gorgeous figure in a green coat.

'That is the grand master of the hunt, Sire.'

'Then it is you, Berthier. How do you like your new costume? And this
in red?'

'That is the Arch-Chancellor.'

'And the violet?'

'That is the Grand Chamberlain.'

The Emperor was as much amused as a child with a new toy. He formed
little groups of the figures upon the table, so that he might have an
idea of how the dignitaries would look when they chatted together.
Then he threw them all back into the basket.

'Very good,' said he. 'You and David have done your work very well,
Isabey. You will submit these designs to the Court outfitters and have
an estimate for the expense. You may tell Lenormand that if she
ventures to send in such an account