and at length usurps the place of what before had been
our idol? As a boy, liberty, the bold assertion of my country's rights,
stirred my heart, and made me wish to be a soldier. As years rolled on,
the warlike passion sank deeper and deeper in my nature,--the thirst for
glory grew upon me; and forgetting all save that, I longed for the time
when on the battle-field I should win my name to fame and honor.

In this wise were my musings, as I loitered homeward and entered my
quarters. A sealed packet, addressed Sous-Lieutenant Burke,--how that
humble title made my heart beat!--lay on my table. Supposing it referred
to my new appointment, I sat down to con it over at my leisure; but no
sooner had I torn open the envelope than a card fell to the ground. I
took it up hastily, and read,--"D'apres l'ordre de Madame Bonaparte,
j'ai l'honneur de vous inviter a une soiree--"

"What!" cried I, aloud; "_me!_--invite me to the Palace! There must be
some mistake here." And I turned again to the envelope, where my name
was legibly written, with my grade and the number of my new corps. There
could be no doubt of it; and yet was it still inexplicable. I that was
so perfectly alone,--a stranger, without a friend, save among the
humble ranks of the school,--how came such a distinction as this to
be conferred on me? I thought of Tascher; but then we had lived months
together, and such a thing had never been even alluded to. The more
I reflected on it, the greater became my difficulty; and in a maze of
confusion and embarrassment, I passed the day in preparation for the
evening,--for, as was customary at the period, the invitations for small
parties were issued on the very mornings' themselves.

My first care was to look after the uniform of my new corps, in which I
knew I must appear. My last remaining bank note--the sole survivor of my
little stock of wealth--was before me; and I sat calculating with myself
the costly outlay of a hussar dress, the full uniform of which had not
till now entered into my computation. Never was my ingenuity more sorely
tried than in the endeavor to bring the outlay within the narrow limits
of my little purse; and when at length I would think that all had been
remembered, some small but costly item would rise up against me, and
disconcert all my calculations.

At noon I set out to wait on my new colonel, whose quarters were in the
Place Vendome. The visit was a short and not over pleasant one; a crowd
of of