ld, although fully warned of
the risk of his daughter being scorned by Napoleon. Previous to her
marriage she said to her father, "Suppose the First Consul should refuse
to receive me?"--"Do not fear," he replied: "you shall come back to me
an honored daughter."

While in Martinique, Jerome Bonaparte said to a former resident of
Baltimore, "Ah! il me faut une mariage de convenance." "Not so,"
rejoined the lady; "and I know the most beautiful woman in the world,
whom you must marry--Miss Elizabeth Patterson of Baltimore." And so he
first heard her name. Soon after Jerome's arrival in Baltimore one of
his suite, M. Rubelle--his father a member of the famous French
Directory--married a young lady of that city, to whom Jerome said,
"Jamais je n'epouserai une demoiselle Americaine."--"Ne soyez pas si
sur," replied she: "Mademoiselle Patterson est si belle que la voir
c'est l'epouser." Mrs. Patterson, with a maternal prevision of
misfortune, wishing to prevent their meeting, carried her daughter to
her country place, where they remained until November. This enforced
exclusion from the festivities consequent on Jerome's arrival naturally
excited the young girl, who was found by her brother in tears. "What
ails you, Betsey?" Having sobbingly disclosed her woes, she was allowed
to return to town. Meanwhile Jerome was saying, "Ma belle femme,
pourquoi ne revient-elle de la campagne." One morning, as Mme. Rubelle
entered her carriage, in which Miss Patterson awaited her as chaperon to
the races, Jerome appeared, was presented and accompanied them, to the
annoyance of the fair Betsey, who, irate at his rumored impertinence in
calling her his _belle femme_, turned from him with indifference and
even _brusquerie_, which, if coquetry, could not have been better
designed: from that moment he was captive. On this momentous occasion
she was attired in buff-colored silk, very scant as to drapery, a lace
fichu and a huge Leghorn bonnet trimmed with pink gauze and long ostrich
feathers. The wooing was ardent, but growing at one moment lukewarm, Mr.
Patterson, wise in his generation, sent Miss Betsey to Virginia; which
ruse had the desired effect, piquing the lover into an immediate
declaration on her return. Mrs. Patterson yielded a reluctant consent.
"Your father," she said, "would probably force you into something
detestable for money, so this may be for you a happy escape." The
marriage, the preliminaries of which are historically famili