oice:
"Your majesty, then, will graciously accept the proposals of the Emperor
Napoleon as to his union with the archduchess, order the marriage
contracts to be made out, and permit the Prince de Neufchatel, Marshal
Berthier, to apply to your majesty and the archduchess for the hand of
the imperial princess?"

"Yes, I will," said Francis, hesitatingly, "but let me tell you, I am
afraid of what the empress, my consort, will say about the matter, and
also of Maria Louisa herself. The empress never liked Bonaparte, and I
do not know how I shall break the news to her, that the man for whose
sake, but a few months since, so much Austrian blood was shed, and to
whom I had to sacrifice the brave Tyrolese, Andrew Hofer, is to become
my son-in-law. And Maria Louisa will be greatly surprised; I am afraid
she will weep a good deal on hearing the news."

"I believe the archduchess will cheerfully submit to her fate," said
Metternich. "I heard her imperial highness speak in terms of intense
admiration of the heroism and marvellous deeds of the Emperor Napoleon."

"Yes, she did," replied Francis, "but I commanded her not to give
expression to such sentiments. I explained to her how much misery and
ignominy Bonaparte had brought upon Austria and our house, and what a
cruel, tyrannical, and bloodthirsty man he is; and my words made so deep
an impression on the mind of my dutiful daughter, that she has detested
Bonaparte ever since, and is afraid of him, as though he were a
monster."

"Perhaps, if your majesty were to tell the archduchess that the Emperor
Napoleon is not so bad after all," said Metternich, smiling--"if you
were to assure her imperial highness that he is a very great and
admirable man, and that his laurels are as good as a long line of
ancestors, the words of your majesty would not fail to impress
themselves on her mind, and her hatred would disappear, particularly if
you should show her a correct likeness of the emperor, for care has been
hitherto taken to exhibit to the imperial princes and princesses only
those representations of Napoleon in which he is horribly caricatured. I
know that the mistress of ceremonies of the archduchess, Countess
Colloredo, in her passionate hatred against him, and against France
generally, tried this remedy to cure the imperial princess of her
admiration for the conqueror, and the archduchess sees, hears, and reads
nothing but what has been previously examined by the countess. I repea