e--if
your majesty hates me only because I am the friend of that country, I
can sever the alliance, and we shall easily agree, for I have as much
reason to complain of her as you have, and shall readily support you in
every thing your majesty may decide upon undertaking against her."

"In that case," said Napoleon, quickly, "everything can be arranged, and
peace is a matter of certainty. England alone stood between
us--perfidious, egotistic England, that is always interested only for
herself, and is ready at any time to sacrifice her faithful and generous
allies!"

"I have allowed England to deceive me a long while," exclaimed
Alexander, vehemently; "for I once regarded that nation of traders as a
nation of men, heroes, and profound diplomatists. But I was terribly
undeceived. Those selfish shop-keepers amused me with fair but false
promises; they care neither for my welfare nor for that of Europe, but
only for their commerce. The egotism of Great Britain is equalled only
by her narrow-minded avarice. I asked the British cabinet to guarantee a
Russian loan, and they were impudent enough to refuse me, although they
knew very well that I wished to negotiate it for the sole purpose of
equipping an army, with which I intended to take the field more in the
interest of England and Prussia, than in that of Russia. Faithful to my
word, and to the treaties I had concluded, I nevertheless equipped my
army and marched it into the field in order to join them. But where were
my allies? Prussia could not add to my forces a single army, but a few
corps, utterly demoralized by their misfortunes, and the assistance
promised by England came so late that it failed in saving Dantzic. The
English had taken their own time in appearing before that fortress; they
had other matters to attend to in the Baltic; they had to make money by
hunting up the merchant-vessels of other nations, and, in their
brutality and avarice, they did not shrink from laying their rapacious
hands even upon Russian ships! But while the English were taking unarmed
vessels, and calculating their profits, and the Prussians were bewailing
their misfortunes and dressing their wounds, I alone had to wage war and
ingloriously to shed the blood of my poor soldiers for a cause that was
hardly the cause of Russia. Ah, sire, I shall never forgive England for
deserting me in the hour of danger, and for basely deceiving me by false
promises!"

While Alexander was speaking, Napol