been two days
at Malmaison, he was to all appearance, as much forgotten in the
neighbouring capital as if he had never returned from Elba.

The relics of Waterloo, and Grouchy's division, having at length been
gathered together under Soult at Laon; were now marching towards Paris,
and followed hard behind by Wellington and Blucher. The provisional
government began to be seriously alarmed lest Buonaparte should, by some
desperate effort, escape from Malmaison, and once more place himself at
the head of a considerable armed force. He himself, indeed, was
continually sending to them, requesting permission to take the field as
General for Napoleon II.; and one of the government, Carnot, was
heartily desirous that this prayer should be granted. Under such
circumstances, Fouche, who had, throughout, corresponded with and
plotted against all parties, now employed every art to persuade the
fallen chief that the only course, whether of safety or of dignity, that
remained for him, was to fly immediately to the United States of
America; and, that nothing may be wanting to show how the great and the
little were perpetually intermingled in the fortunes of Buonaparte, one
of the means adopted by this intriguer, and not the least effectual,
was that of stimulating the personal creditors of the dethroned Emperor
and his family to repair incessantly to Malmaison and torment him with
demands of payment. Meantime Fouche sent to the Duke of Wellington,
announcing that Napoleon had made up his mind to repair to America, and
requesting a safe-conduct for him across the Atlantic. The Duke replied,
that he had no authority to grant any passports to Napoleon Buonaparte;
and the only consequence (as Fouche had perhaps anticipated) was, that
the English Admiralty quickened their diligence, and stationed no less
than thirty cruisers along the western coasts of France, for the purpose
of intercepting the disturber of the world in his meditated flight.

Fouche, in communicating to Napoleon the refusal of Wellington, took
care to signify urgent fears that the English government might adopt
such measures as these, and to build on this a new argument for the
hastening of his departure from the neighbourhood of Paris. He informed
him that two frigates and some smaller vessels awaited his orders at
Rochefort, and assured him, that if he repaired thither on the instant,
he would still be in time.

Napoleon hesitated at Malmaison, as he had done before