This etext was produced by David Widger
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE PRIVATE LIFE OF NAPOLEON, V5
By CONSTANT
PREMIER VALET DE CHAMBRE
TRANSLATED BY WALTER CLARK
1895
CHAPTER I.
I left the Emperor at Berlin, where each day, and each hour of the day,he received news of some victory gained, or some success obtained by hisgenerals. General Beaumont presented to him eighty flags captured fromthe enemy by his division, and Colonel Gerard also presented sixty takenfrom Blucher at the battle of Wismar. Madgeburg had capitulated, and agarrison of sixty thousand men had marched out under the eyes of GeneralSavary. Marshal Mortier occupied Hanover in the name of France, andPrince Murat was on the point of entering Warsaw after driving out theRussians.
War was about to recommence, or rather to be continued, against thelatter; and since the Prussian army could now be regarded as entirelyvanquished, the Emperor left Berlin in order to personally conductoperations against the Russians.
We traveled in the little coaches of the country; and as was the rulealways on our journeys, the carriage of the grand marshal preceded thatof the Emperor. The season, and the passage of such large numbers ofartillery, had rendered the roads frightful; but notwithstanding this wetraveled very rapidly, until at last between Kutow and Warsaw, the grandmarshal's carriage was upset, and his collarbone broken. The Emperorarrived a short time after this unfortunate accident, and had him borneunder his own eyes into the nearest post-house. We always carried withus a portable medicine-chest in order that needed help might be promptlygiven to the wounded. His Majesty placed him in the hands of thesurgeon, and did not leave him till he had seen the first bandageapplied.
At Warsaw, where his Majesty passed the entire month of January, 1807, heoccupied the grand palace. The Polish nobility, eager to pay their courtto him, gave in his honor magnificent fetes and brilliant balls, at whichwere present all the wealthiest and most distinguished inhabitants ofWarsaw.
At one of these reunions the Emperor's attention was drawn to a youngPolish lady named Madame Valevska, twenty-two years of age, who had justmarried an old noble of exacting temper and extremely harsh manners, morein love with his titles than with his wife, whom, however, he loveddevotedly, and by whom he was more respected than loved. The Emperorexperienced much pleasure at the sight of this lady, who attracted hisattention at the first glance. She was a blonde, with blue eyes, andskin of dazzling whiteness; of medium height, with a charming andbeautifully proportioned figure. The Emperor having approached her,immediately began a conversation, which she sustained with much grace andintelligence, showing that she had received a fine education, and theslight shade of melancholy diffused over her whole person rendered herstill more seductive.
His Majesty thought he beheld in her a woman who had been sacrificed, andwas unhappy in her domestic relations; and the interest with which thisidea inspired him caused him to be more interested in her than he hadever been in any woman, a fact of which she could not fail to beconscious. The day after the ball, the Emperor seemed to me unusuallyagitated; he rose from his chair, paced to and fro, took his seat androse again, u