what will you do now?" I inquired.
"They released me because there is no evidence against me. But I am very unpopular with the gentlemen at the Ministry of War. Unpopular, do you understand? And they will send me off to one of the dullest sectors of the front and . . ."
"It's raining," I interrupted. The first heavy drops of rain were falling on my face.
"That doesn't matter!" he said and went right on explaining to me what can happen to a general whom the authorities want out of the way. I tucked up my legs and wrapped the general's coat more closely around me. We could hear thunder again, and a horse was neighing. "My horse. I tied him to your garden fence," he remarked casually.
It began to rain harder. There was a flash of lightning. The thunder was frightening and the horse was neighing desperately. Napoleone shouted at the horse.
Above us a window rattled. "Is anyone there?" Etienne called down.
"Come in the house, we'll get so wet," I whispered to Napoleone.
"Who is there?" Etienne shouted. At the same time we could hear Suzanne's voice, "Shut the window, Etienne, and come to me—I'm frightened—" Etienne's again: "There is someone in the garden. I must go down and look."
Napoleone got up, stood under the window and said, M. Clary—it's me." There was a flash of lightning. For a fraction of a second I could see the small slender figure in the tight- fitting uniform. Then it was pitch dark again. Thunder crashed, the horse neighed wildly, the rain splashed.
"Who is there?" Etienne shouted into the rain.
"General Buonaparte!" Napoleone called back.
"But you are still in prison!" Etienne roared. "And and anyway what are you doing in the middle of the night, in this weather, in our garden, General?"
I jumped up, clutching the uniform coat which went down to my ankles, and stood next to Napoleone. "Sit down again and wrap your feet in the coat. Do you want to be sick?" Napoleone whispered to me.
"With whom are you talking?" Etienne called down.
The rain was slackening, so I could hear well enough now to tell that Etienne's voice was trembling with rage.
"He's talking to me," I called. "Etienne—it's I, Eugénie"
It had stopped raining. To my horror, because of my compromising situation, a very pale moon shone timidly between the clouds and showed us Etienne, his nightcap on his head.
"General—you owe me an explanation." The nightcap fairly quivered.
I have the honour to request the hand of your younger sister in marriage, M. Clary," Napoleone called up to him. He had put his arm around my shoulder.
" Eugénie, come into the house at once," commanded Etienne. Behind him Suzanne's head appeared. She was wearing a lot of curlers in her hair and this made her look very weird.
"Good night, carissima, we'll meet tomorrow at the wedding party," Napoleone said and kissed my cheek. His spurs clanked down the gravel path. I slipped into the house, forgetting to return his coat to him. At the open door of his bedroom stood Etienne in his nightgown and holding a lighted candle. I crept past him, barefooted and wrapped in
Napoleone's coat.
"If Papa had lived to see this—" snarled Etienne.
In our room Julie sat straight up in bed. "I heard everything," she said.
"I must wash my feet, they're muddy," I said. And I took the jug and poured water into the washbasin. When I had washed I went to bed and spread the uniform coat over me. "It's his coat," I said to Julie, "and I'm sure I'll have happy dreams because I'm covered up with his coat."
"Mme General Buonaparte," Julie murmured thoughtfully.
"If I'm lucky, he'll be dismissed from the Army," I said.
"That would be perfectly terrible," Julie answered.
"Do you think I want a husband who'll spend his life roaming about at some front or other, who comes home only now and then and always wants to talk to me about battles? No, I'd much rather they made him leave the Army and then perhaps I could persuade Etienne to give him a job in the shop."
"You'll never
"They released me because there is no evidence against me. But I am very unpopular with the gentlemen at the Ministry of War. Unpopular, do you understand? And they will send me off to one of the dullest sectors of the front and . . ."
"It's raining," I interrupted. The first heavy drops of rain were falling on my face.
"That doesn't matter!" he said and went right on explaining to me what can happen to a general whom the authorities want out of the way. I tucked up my legs and wrapped the general's coat more closely around me. We could hear thunder again, and a horse was neighing. "My horse. I tied him to your garden fence," he remarked casually.
It began to rain harder. There was a flash of lightning. The thunder was frightening and the horse was neighing desperately. Napoleone shouted at the horse.
Above us a window rattled. "Is anyone there?" Etienne called down.
"Come in the house, we'll get so wet," I whispered to Napoleone.
"Who is there?" Etienne shouted. At the same time we could hear Suzanne's voice, "Shut the window, Etienne, and come to me—I'm frightened—" Etienne's again: "There is someone in the garden. I must go down and look."
Napoleone got up, stood under the window and said, M. Clary—it's me." There was a flash of lightning. For a fraction of a second I could see the small slender figure in the tight- fitting uniform. Then it was pitch dark again. Thunder crashed, the horse neighed wildly, the rain splashed.
"Who is there?" Etienne shouted into the rain.
"General Buonaparte!" Napoleone called back.
"But you are still in prison!" Etienne roared. "And and anyway what are you doing in the middle of the night, in this weather, in our garden, General?"
I jumped up, clutching the uniform coat which went down to my ankles, and stood next to Napoleone. "Sit down again and wrap your feet in the coat. Do you want to be sick?" Napoleone whispered to me.
"With whom are you talking?" Etienne called down.
The rain was slackening, so I could hear well enough now to tell that Etienne's voice was trembling with rage.
"He's talking to me," I called. "Etienne—it's I, Eugénie"
It had stopped raining. To my horror, because of my compromising situation, a very pale moon shone timidly between the clouds and showed us Etienne, his nightcap on his head.
"General—you owe me an explanation." The nightcap fairly quivered.
I have the honour to request the hand of your younger sister in marriage, M. Clary," Napoleone called up to him. He had put his arm around my shoulder.
" Eugénie, come into the house at once," commanded Etienne. Behind him Suzanne's head appeared. She was wearing a lot of curlers in her hair and this made her look very weird.
"Good night, carissima, we'll meet tomorrow at the wedding party," Napoleone said and kissed my cheek. His spurs clanked down the gravel path. I slipped into the house, forgetting to return his coat to him. At the open door of his bedroom stood Etienne in his nightgown and holding a lighted candle. I crept past him, barefooted and wrapped in
Napoleone's coat.
"If Papa had lived to see this—" snarled Etienne.
In our room Julie sat straight up in bed. "I heard everything," she said.
"I must wash my feet, they're muddy," I said. And I took the jug and poured water into the washbasin. When I had washed I went to bed and spread the uniform coat over me. "It's his coat," I said to Julie, "and I'm sure I'll have happy dreams because I'm covered up with his coat."
"Mme General Buonaparte," Julie murmured thoughtfully.
"If I'm lucky, he'll be dismissed from the Army," I said.
"That would be perfectly terrible," Julie answered.
"Do you think I want a husband who'll spend his life roaming about at some front or other, who comes home only now and then and always wants to talk to me about battles? No, I'd much rather they made him leave the Army and then perhaps I could persuade Etienne to give him a job in the shop."
"You'll never
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