olence. This once royal
residence had suffered from the revolution, and was nearly in a state
of dilapidation. The restoration of the buildings and grounds
furnished employment to great numbers of people; and Josephine, in
addition to the pleasures of planting and agriculture, enjoyed the
delight--to her more dear--of spreading comfort and fertility over a
region where before reigned extreme misery.

Her life at Navarre was now more agreeable to her, because free from
the restraints of etiquette. Though constantly surrounded by the pomp
of a court, her courtiers were for the most part old and valued
friends, with whom she lived rather in society, than as mistress and
dependants. She exhausted every means to render their retreat
agreeable to them--a retreat, however, recompensed by salaries equal
to those of the imperial court, and which conciliated Napoleon's
approval. Benevolence and kindliness of feeling were the leading
traits of Josephine's character; besides distributing, by the hands of
competent and pious persons, a large portion of her limited revenues
in relieving distress wherever it occurred, she kept constantly about
her a number of young ladies, orphans of ancient houses, now fallen
into decay, to whom she not only gave an accomplished education, but
watched over their establishment in life with parental solicitude.

The first event of importance which broke in upon the tranquillity of
Josephine's life, was the birth of the king of Rome. It happened that
the whole household were at Evreux, at a grand entertainment, when the
news reached that place. The party returned immediately to the palace,
where Josephine had remained. "I confess," says a youthful member of
the party, "that my boundless affection for Josephine caused me
violent sorrow, when I thought that she who occupied her place was now
completely happy. Knowing but imperfectly the grandeur of soul which
characterized the empress, her absolute devotion to the happiness of
the emperor, I imagined there must still remain in her so much of the
woman as would excite bitter regret at not having been the mother of a
son so ardently desired. I judged like a frivolous person, who had
never known cares beyond those of a ball. On arriving at the palace, I
learned how to appreciate one who had been so long the cherished
companion, and always the true friend, of Napoleon. I beheld every
face beaming with joy, and Josephine's more radiant than any. No
sooner ha