mpany, especially Caesar. I derive great pleasure from their
society; and then they are almost the only persons whose friendship has
continued faithful to me since I left you. You know people do not care
for those who can render them no service."--"Maret will not see the
Fauchers."--"That may be, General; but it is nothing to me; and you must
recollect that as it was through him I was introduced to them at the
Tuileries, I think he ought to inform me of his reasons for dropping
their acquaintance."--"I tell you again he has closed his door against
them. Do you the same; I advise you." As I did not seem disposed to
follow this advice without some plausible reason, the First Consul added,
"You must know, then, that I learn from Caesar all that passes in your
house. You do not speak very ill of me yourself, nor does any one
venture to do so in your presence. You play your rubber and go to bed.
But no sooner are you gone than your wife, who never liked me, and most
of those who visit at your house, indulge in the most violent attacks
upon me. I receive a bulletin from Caesar Faucher every day when he
visits at your house; this is the way in which he requites you for your
kindness, and for the asylum you afforded his brother.--[Constantine
Rancher had been condemned in contumacy for the forgery of a public
document.--Bourrienne.]--But enough; you see I know all--farewell;" and
he left me.

The grave having closed over these two brothers,--[The Fauchers were twin
brothers, distinguished in the war of the Revolution, and made
brigadier-generals at the same time on the field of battle. After the
Cent Jours they refused to recognise the Bourbons, and were shot by
sentence of court-martial at Bordeaux. (Bouillet)]--I shall merely state
that they wrote me a letter the evening preceding their execution, in
which they begged me to forgive their conduct towards me. The following
is an extract from this letter:

In our dungeon we hear our sentence of death being cried in the streets.
To-morrow we shall walk to the scaffold; but we will meet death with such
calmness and courage as shall make our executioners blush. We are sixty
years old, therefore our lives will only be shortened by a brief apace.
During our lives we have shared in common, illness, grief, pleasure,
danger, and good fortune. We both entered the world on the same day, and
on the same day we shall both depart from it. As to you, sir....

I suppress what relates to myse