f kings, who
lately reckoned millions of soldiers under his banners.

Napoleon himself, however, was aware, that his presence at Paris, and in
an imperial palace, might give the allies room to question the sincerity
of his abdication, and be detrimental to the re-establishment of peace.
He determined, therefore, to remove.

His private correspondence with the sovereigns, and some original
letters, concealed from their search in 1814, he caused to be
delivered into his own hands. He then directed us to burn the
petitions, letters, and addresses, that had been received since the
20th of March. I was employed in this business one day, when Napoleon
passed through the closet. He came up to me, and took a letter I had
in my hand. It was one from the Duke of .... He ran it over, and said
to me with a smile: "Don't burn this: keep it for yourself. It will be
an excellent recommendation, if you find yourself in any
trouble. * * * [TN: Missing words in the book] will not fail to
swear to those people, that he has maintained his fidelity toward them
inviolate; and when he knows, that you have in your hands substantial
proof of his having laid himself at my feet, and that I refused both
him and his services, he will be ready to quarter himself to serve
you, for fear you should blab." I thought the Emperor was jesting: he
perceived it, and resumed: "No, I tell you; don't burn that letter, or
any of those from persons of the same description: I give them to you
for your protection."--"But, Sire, they will accuse me of having
stolen them."--"If they complain, threaten, that you will print them
all as they are, and they will say no more: I know them."--"Since it
is your Majesty's desire, I will keep them." I did, in fact, set aside
a certain number of these letters. After the return of the king, I had
the complaisance, to restore some of them to the writers. This is not
said gratuitously: scarcely had their authors, whom I could name,
these letters in their possession, when they extolled their pretended
fidelity to the skies; and became the most virulent detractors, both
in their conversation and writing, of all who had embraced or served
the cause of the 20th of March.

On the 25th, at noon, Napoleon set off for Malmaison. He was received
there by the Princess Hortensia. This princess, so odiously
calumniated, and so worthy of respect, set us an example of courage
and resignation. Her situation, and that of Napoleon, must have
wo