of the fire and that he should have the eating of
them. That is what his self-abnegation meant, nothing more."

I am afraid that De Persigny was not altogether wrong in his estimate of
the ex-King of Westphalia. He was insatiable in his demands for money to
his nephew. In fact, with the exception of Princesse Mathilde, the whole
of the Emperor's family was a thorn in his side.

The Emperor himself was absolutely incapable of refusing a service. I
have the following story on very good authority. De Persigny, who was as
lavish as his Imperial master, was rarely ever out of difficulties, and
in such emergencies naturally appealed to the latter. He had wasted on,
or sunk enormous sums in, his country estate of Chamarande, where he
entertained with boundless hospitality. As a matter of course, he was
always being pursued by his creditors. One early morn--Persigny always
went betimes when he wanted money--he made his appearance in the
Emperor's private room, looking sad and dejected. Napoleon refrained for
a while from questioning him as to the cause of his low spirits, but
finally ventured to say that he looked ill.

"Ah, sire," was the answer, "I am simply bent down with sorrow. This
Chamarande, which I have created out of nothing as it were"--it had cost
nearly two millions of francs--"is ruining me. I shall be forced to give
it up."

De Persigny felt sure that he would be told there and then not to worry
himself; but the Emperor was in a jocular mood, and took delight in
prolonging his anxiety. "Believe me, my dear duc," said Napoleon with an
assumed air of indifference, "it is the best thing you can do. Get rid
of Chamarande; it is too great a burden, and you'll breathe more freely
when it's gone."

De Persigny turned as white as a ghost; whereupon Napoleon, who was
soft-hearted to a degree, took a bundle of notes from his drawer and
handed them to him. De Persigny went away beaming.

It must not be inferred from this that De Persigny was grasping like
Prince Jerome and others, who constantly drained Napoleon's purse. De
Persigny's charity was proverbial, but he gave blindly, and as a
consequence, was frequently imposed upon. When young he had joined the
Saint-Simoniens; his great aim was to make everybody happy. To him the
restoration of the Empire meant not only the revival of Napoleon's
glory, but the era of universal happiness, of universal material
prosperity. As a rule, he was thoroughly unpractical; the whol