as no wish
whatever to mingle in society? She would confine herself to the circle
of a few friends, a list of whom she would give to your Majesty. You,
Sire, who love France so well, may form some idea of the misery my mother
suffers in her banishment. I conjure your Majesty to yield to my
entreaties, and let us be included in the number of your faithful
subjects."--"You!"--"Yes, Sire; or if your Majesty persist in your
refusal, permit a son to inquire what can have raised your displeasure
against his mother. Some say that it was my grandfather's last work; but
I can assure your Majesty that my mother had nothing to do with that."--
"Yes, certainly," added Napoleon, with more ill-humour than he had
hitherto manifested. "Yes, certainly, that work is very objectionable.
Your grandfather was an ideologist, a fool, an old lunatic. At sixty
years of age to think of forming plans to overthrow my constitution!
States would be well governed, truly, under such theorists, who judge of
men from books and the world from the map."--"Sire, since my
grandfather's plans are, in your Majesty's eyes, nothing but vain
theories, I cannot conceive why they should so highly excite your
displeasure. There is no political economist who has not traced out
plans of constitutions."--"Oh! as to political economists, they are
mere-visionaries, who are dreaming of plans of finance while they are
unfit to fulfil the duties of a schoolmaster in the most insignificant
village in the Empire. Your grandfather's work is that of an obstinate
old man who died abusing all governments."--"Sire, may I presume to
suppose, from the way in which you speak of it, that your Majesty judges
from the report of malignant persons, and that you have not yourself
read it."

"That is a mistake. I have read it myself from beginning to end."--
"Then your Majesty must have seen how my grandfather renders justice to
your genius."--"Fine justice, truly! . . . He calls me the
indispensable man, but, judging from his arguments, the best thing that
could be done would be to cut my throat! Yes, I was indeed indispensable
to repair the follies of your grandfather, and the mischief he did to
France. It was he who overturned the monarchy and led Louis XVI. to the
scaffold."--"Sire, you seem to forget that my grandfather's property was
confiscated because he defended the King."--"Defended the King! A fine
defence, truly! You might as well say that if I give a man poison and
present hi