t himself to his environment. It was all
frightfully strange and different. From the sunny island in the
Mediterranean he found himself transported suddenly to the northern
gloom of the Champagne region. The very language was different. He
must unlearn Italian, and learn French. It always came hard to him.
To the end of his days he never could spell correctly--although he did
learn in time to express himself with clarity and precision.

He found himself, also, thrown into contact with a group of youngsters
who were by no means disposed to put up with his overbearing ways.
Many of them were the sons of wealthy parents, while he at times was in
straitened circumstances. They were fastidious in dress, while he had
inclined to the slovenly. Small wonder that they derided him, or that
he withdrew within the shell of his pride--and stayed there. He had no
intimates. One schoolmate who perhaps came nearest to making a friend
of this stand-offish chap from the South, and who was to enjoy a large
measure of his confidence in after life was Bourrienne. The latter
wrote his famous "Memoirs of Napoleon," which give us many interesting
personal glimpses. Here is one of the earliest:

"At Brienne, Bonaparte was remarkable for the dark color of his
complexion, which the climate of France afterwards very much changed,
as well as for his piercing and scrutinising glance, and for the style
of his conversation, both with his masters and companions. His
conversation almost always gave one the idea of ill-humor, and he was
certainly not very sociable. This, I think, may be attributed to the
misfortunes of his family during his childhood, and the impressions
made on his mind by the subjugation of his country."

It is interesting to note that at this time the boy was still far from
reconciled to the idea of being French. He resented the fact that his
father's sword, at one time, had helped to further the conquest of
Corsica by France. It was to this fact, indeed, that Napoleon himself
owed his appointment to this military college. But the boy does not
let this consideration sway him. "I hope some time to be in a position
to restore her freedom to Corsica!" he exclaimed.

Napoleon's isolation from his fellow cadets was not entirely to his
disadvantage. Brienne possessed a good library, and here day after day
the boy might be found poring over the stories of great exploits of the
past, and dreaming his own day dreams. But