Chapter 30 - Page 2

off."

"But, Monsieur," exclaimed the usher, "nearly everybody
arrived after the dinner had begun; go in. Monsieur
is expected."

I remarked this military and imperial punctuality, which
used to be customary with Napoleon. With the Emperor
7 o'clock meant 7 o'clock.

I crossed the ante-chamber, then a salon, and entered
the dining-room. It was a square room wainscotted in the
Empire style with white wood. On the walls were engravings
and pictures of very poor selection, among them
"Mary Stuart listening to Rizzio," by the painter Ducis.
Around the room was a sideboard. In the middle was a
long table with rounded ends at which about fifteen guests
were seated. One end of the table, that furthest from the
entrance, was raised, and here the President of the Republic
was seated between two women, the Marquise de Hallays-Coëtquen,
née Princess de Chimay (Tallien) being
on his right, and Mme. Conti, mother of the Representative,
on his left.

The President rose when I entered. I went up to him.
We grasped each other's hand.

"I have improvised this dinner," he said. "I invited
only a few dear friends, and I hoped that I could comprise
you among them. I thank you for coming. You
have come to me, as I went to you, simply. I thank you."

He again grasped my hand. Prince de la Moskowa, who
was next to General Changarnier, made room for me beside
him, and I seated myself at the table. I ate quickly, for
the President had interrupted the dinner to enable me to
catch up with the company. The second course had been
reached.

Opposite to me was General Rulhières, an ex-peer, the
Representative Conti and Lucien Murat. The other guests
were unknown to me. Among them was a young major
of cavalry, decorated with the Legion of Honour. This
major alone was in uniform; the others wore evening
dress. The Prince had a rosette of the Legion of Honour
in his buttonhole.

Everybody conversed with his neighbour. Louis Bonaparte
appeared to prefer his neighbour on the right to his
neighbour on the left. The Marquise de Hallays is
thirty-six years old, and looks her age. Fine eyes, not much hair,
an ugly mouth, white skin, a shapely neck, charming arms,
the prettiest little hands in the world, admirable shoulders.
At present she is separated from M. de Hallays. She has
had eight children, the first seven by her husband. She
was married fifteen years ago. During the early period of
their marriage she used to fetch her husband from the
drawing-room, even in the daytime, and take him off to bed.
Sometimes a servant would enter and say: "Madame the
Marquise is asking