h his superiority; it bore no resemblance to that of men
informed and cultivated through study and social intercourse, such as
we find in France and England. His conversation indicated the tact
of circumstances, like that of the hunter in pursuit of his prey. His
spirit seemed a cold, keen sword-blade, which freezes while it wounds.
I felt a profound irony in his mind, which nothing great or beautiful
could escape, not even his own fame, for he despised the nation whose
suffrages he sought... "--"With him, everything was means or aims;
spontaneity, whether for good or for evil, was entirely absent."

No law, no ideal and abstract rule, existed for him;

"he examined things only with reference to their immediate usefulness; a
general principle was repugnant to him, either as so much nonsense or as
an enemy."

Now, if we contemplate Guerin's portrait,[1134] we see a spare body,
whose narrow shoulders under the uniform wrinkled by sudden movements,
the neck swathed in its high twisted cravat, the temples covered by
long, smooth, straight hair, exposing only the mask, the hard features
intensified through strong contrasts of light and shade, the cheeks
hollow up to the inner angle of the eye, the projecting cheek-bones, the
massive, protuberant jaw, the sinuous, mobile lips, pressed together as
if attentive, the large, clear eyes, deeply sunk under the broad, arched
eyebrows, the fixed, oblique look, as penetrating as a rapier, and the
two creases which extend from the base of the nose to the brow, as if
in a frown of suppressed anger and determined will. Add to this the
accounts of his contemporaries[1135] who saw or heard the curt accent or
the sharp, abrupt gesture, the interrogating, imperious, absolute tone
of voice, and we comprehend how, the moment they accosted him, they felt
the dominating hand which seizes them, presses them down, holds them
firmly and never relaxes its grasp.

Already, at the receptions of the Directory, when conversing with men,
or even with ladies, he puts questions "which prove the superiority
of the questioner to those who have to answer them."[1136] "Are you
married?" says he to this one, and "How many children have you?"to
another. To that one, "When did you come here?" or, again, "When are you
going away? He places himself in front of a French lady, well-known for
her beauty and wit and the vivacity of her opinions, "like the stiffest
of German generals, and says: 'Madame, I don't like