ieve for me. All the rest hate me; and my brothers are the
first to betray me in misfortune.' I sobbed and threw myself into his
arms. He could not resist me--he burst into tears, and our tears mingled
as we folded each other in a close embrace.

"'Write, oh, write a letter to the Empress Josephine!' I cried, sobbing.
Napoleon started, reflected, and said, 'You remind me of a third heart
which loves me. Thank you, my friend;' and then and there he sat down
and wrote that letter to Josephine, with which Constant was sent off
next day."

"You did a good action," said the prince, "for in the midst of his angry
feelings you insinuated a kind thought into his heart."

"Just so, prince, just so. How well you bring out that fact! Because
your own heart is good!" cried the ecstatic old gentleman, and,
strangely enough, real tears glistened in his eyes. "Yes, prince, it was
a wonderful spectacle. And, do you know, I all but went off to Paris,
and should assuredly have shared his solitary exile with him; but, alas,
our destinies were otherwise ordered! We parted, he to his island,
where I am sure he thought of the weeping child who had embraced him
so affectionately at parting in Moscow; and I was sent off to the cadet
corps, where I found nothing but roughness and harsh discipline. Alas,
my happy days were done!"

"'I do not wish to deprive your mother of you, and, therefore, I will
not ask you to go with me,' he said, the morning of his departure, 'but
I should like to do something for you.' He was mounting his horse as
he spoke. 'Write something in my sister's album for me,' I said rather
timidly, for he was in a state of great dejection at the moment. He
turned, called for a pen, took the album. 'How old is your sister?'
he asked, holding the pen in his hand. 'Three years old,' I said. 'Ah,
petite fille alors!' and he wrote in the album:

'Ne mentes jamais! NAPOLEON (votre ami sincere).'

"Such advice, and at such a moment, you must allow, prince, was--"

"Yes, quite so; very remarkable."

"This page of the album, framed in gold, hung on the wall of my sister's
drawing-room all her life, in the most conspicuous place, till the day
of her death; where it is now, I really don't know. Heavens! it's two
o'clock! _How_ I have kept you, prince! It is really most unpardonable of
me."

The general rose.

"Oh, not in the least," said the prince. "On the contrary, I have been
so much interested, I'm really very much obliged