found a
dynasty.

A marriage had been consummated by procuration at Vienna, and she set
out to actually meet her future spouse for the first time at Soissons.
At the little village of Courcelles, on the edge of the forest between
Soissons and Compiegne, two men enveloped in great protecting cloaks had
arrived post-haste from Compiegne. At the parish church they stopped a
moment and took shelter under the porch, impatiently scanning the
horizon. Finally a lumbering _berlin de voyage_ lurched into view, drawn
by eight white horses. In its depths were ensconced two women richly
dressed, one a beautiful woman of mature years, the other a young girl
scarce eighteen years.

The most agitated of the men, he who was clad in a gray redingote,
sprang hastily to the carriage door. He was introduced by the older
woman as "_Sa Majeste l'Empereur des Francaises, mon frere_." The
speaker was one of the sisters of Napoleon, Caroline, Queen of Naples;
the other was the Archduchess Marie Louise, daughter of Franz II,
Emperor of Austria.

An imposing ceremonial had been planned for Soissons and the court had
been ordered to set out from Compiegne with the emperor, in order to
arrive at Soissons in due time. When the actual signal for the departure
was given the emperor was nowhere to be found. As usual he had
anticipated things.

For weeks before the arrival of the empress to be Napoleon had passed
the majority of his waking hours at Paris in the apartments which he had
caused to be prepared for Marie Louise. He selected the colour of the
furnishings, and superintended the very placing of the furniture. Among
other things he had planned a boudoir which alone represented an
expenditure of nearly half a million francs.

Lejeune, who had accompanied Marechal Berthier to Vienna to arrange the
marriage, had returned and given his imperial master a glowing
description of the charms of the young archduchess who was to be his
bride. The emperor compared his ideal with her effigy on medals and
miniatures and then worked even more ardently than before that her
apartments should be worthy of her when she arrived.

It was just following upon this fever of excitement that Napoleon and
the court had repaired to Compiegne. So restless was the emperor that
he could hardly bide the time when the archduchess should arrive, and it
was thus that he set out with Murat to meet the approaching cortege.

The pavilion which had been erected for the meet