regiment of La Fere was one of the best in the French army, and the boy
immediately took a great liking to everything connected with it. He
found the officers well educated and anxious to help him. He declared
the blue uniform with red facings to be the most beautiful uniform in
the world.

He had to work hard, still studying mathematics, chemistry, and the laws
of fortification, mounting guard with the other subalterns, and looking
after his own company of men. He seemed very young to be put in charge
of grown soldiers, but his great ability had brought about this
extraordinarily rapid promotion. He had a room in a boarding-house kept
by an old maid, but took his meals at the Inn of the Three Pigeons. Now
that he was an officer he began to be more interested in making a good
appearance before people. He took dancing lessons and suddenly blossomed
out into much popularity among the garrison. Older people could not help
but see his great strength of character, and time and again it was
predicted that he would rise high in the army.

He had not been long with his regiment when he was given leave of
absence to visit his family in Corsica. His father had died, but his
mother was living, with a number of children. All of them looked to
Napoleon for help. When he reached his home, although he was only
seventeen, he was hailed as a great man. Not only his own family, but
all the neighbors and townspeople spoke of him with pride, and expected
that he would do a great deal for their island.

He still had the same passion for that rocky land, and spent hours
wandering through the grottoes by the seashore, or in the dense olive
woods, or lying under a favorite oak tree reading history and dreaming
of his future. The open life of the fields and the pleasures of the farm
appealed strongly to him, but he knew that there was more active work
for him to do in the world, and so, after a short stay, he went back to
the main land.

It was not long before great events took place in France. The people
arose against their king and the first gusts of the French Revolution
blew him from his throne. The young Napoleon was a great lover of
liberty; he wished it for Corsica and he wished it for the French
people. It seemed at first as though the island might be able to win its
independence, owing to the disorder in France, and the Bonapartes sided
with the conspirators who were working toward this end. But the young
lieutenant attended stric