long time since I've had an opportunity to participate in such interesting conversation." With this, he looked quite appealingly at the General; he paid no attention to Joseph.
Julie and I hurried to our room to do something about our hair. "Thank goodness," she said, "they both made a good impression on Mama and Etienne."
I must tell you," I said, "that Joseph Buonaparte will soon ask for your hand. And mostly because—" I stopped, my heart was beating so-"because of the dowry!"
How can you say such a hateful thing!" Julie's face was flaming. "He told me how poor his family is, and—" she put two little black velvet bows in her hair—"and naturally he couldn't marry anyone without a dowry because he has only a small salary and has to help his mother and the younger children. I think that's very fine of him. Otherwise . . . Eugénie.!" she exclaimed. "I won't have you constantly using my rouge!"
"Has he told you already that he wants to marry you?" I asked.
"Whatever put that idea into your head? Why, we just discussed things in general, and his little brothers and sisters."
On our way down to the dining room, where they were all crowded around our two guests, Julie suddenly put her arm around my shoulders and pressed her cheek to mine. Hers was very hot. "I don't know why," she whispered, and she kissed me, "but I'm so happy!"
I took her hand. In spite of her burning cheeks, her fingers were ice-cold. I suppose that's love. For myself, I wasn't hot or cold but I had that queer heaviness around my heart. Napoleone—a queer name. So that's what it's like to be in love. Napoleone . . .
That was all two months ago.
And yesterday I was kissed for the first time and Julie was betrothed. The two events belong together somehow, for while Julie and Joseph were sitting in the summer house Napoleone and I were standing by the hedge at the bottom of the garden, so as not to disturb the others. Mama has told me always to spend the evenings in the garden with Julie and Joseph, because Julie is a young lady of good family.
Since that first visit the two brothers have been to see us almost every day. Etienne—who could have believed it? Wonders will never cease—invited them to come. He never gets enough of his talks with the young General. (Poor Napoleone, how terribly they must bore him!) Etienne is one of those people who values a person according to his success. When I first said that the two Buonapartes were Corsican refugees he refused to have anything to do with them, and called them "adventurers." But ever since Joseph showed him the clipping from the December Moniteur in which his brother was gazetted Brigadier General, Etienne has been fascinated with Napoleone.
Napoleone had driven the English out of Toulon. This is how it happened. The English, who are always meddling with our affairs, were enraged at our condemning our King to death (though Napoleone says it's only a hundred and fifty years since they did the same thing to their own king). So they, the English, formed an alliance with the Royalists of Toulon, and occupied the town. Then our troops besieged Toulon. Napoleone was ordered there, and in no time succeeded where his superiors had failed. Toulon was stormed, and the English routed. Then for the first time the name Buonaparte appeared in the Army Orders, and Napoleone was promoted to Brigadier General. Etienne, of course, pestered him for the whole story of the siege of Toulon; but Napoleone says there was no trick to it, merely a matter of a few cannon, and he, Napoleone Buonaparte, understands thoroughly how and where to put cannon to the best advantage.
After his success at Toulon, Napoleone went to Paris to try to see Robespierre. Robespierre is the most powerful man in the Committee of Public Safety. That committee is our Government. To get to the great Robespierre he had first to see the younger Robespierre, the great man's brother. Robespierre—the right one—thought Napoleone's plans for a
Julie and I hurried to our room to do something about our hair. "Thank goodness," she said, "they both made a good impression on Mama and Etienne."
I must tell you," I said, "that Joseph Buonaparte will soon ask for your hand. And mostly because—" I stopped, my heart was beating so-"because of the dowry!"
How can you say such a hateful thing!" Julie's face was flaming. "He told me how poor his family is, and—" she put two little black velvet bows in her hair—"and naturally he couldn't marry anyone without a dowry because he has only a small salary and has to help his mother and the younger children. I think that's very fine of him. Otherwise . . . Eugénie.!" she exclaimed. "I won't have you constantly using my rouge!"
"Has he told you already that he wants to marry you?" I asked.
"Whatever put that idea into your head? Why, we just discussed things in general, and his little brothers and sisters."
On our way down to the dining room, where they were all crowded around our two guests, Julie suddenly put her arm around my shoulders and pressed her cheek to mine. Hers was very hot. "I don't know why," she whispered, and she kissed me, "but I'm so happy!"
I took her hand. In spite of her burning cheeks, her fingers were ice-cold. I suppose that's love. For myself, I wasn't hot or cold but I had that queer heaviness around my heart. Napoleone—a queer name. So that's what it's like to be in love. Napoleone . . .
That was all two months ago.
And yesterday I was kissed for the first time and Julie was betrothed. The two events belong together somehow, for while Julie and Joseph were sitting in the summer house Napoleone and I were standing by the hedge at the bottom of the garden, so as not to disturb the others. Mama has told me always to spend the evenings in the garden with Julie and Joseph, because Julie is a young lady of good family.
Since that first visit the two brothers have been to see us almost every day. Etienne—who could have believed it? Wonders will never cease—invited them to come. He never gets enough of his talks with the young General. (Poor Napoleone, how terribly they must bore him!) Etienne is one of those people who values a person according to his success. When I first said that the two Buonapartes were Corsican refugees he refused to have anything to do with them, and called them "adventurers." But ever since Joseph showed him the clipping from the December Moniteur in which his brother was gazetted Brigadier General, Etienne has been fascinated with Napoleone.
Napoleone had driven the English out of Toulon. This is how it happened. The English, who are always meddling with our affairs, were enraged at our condemning our King to death (though Napoleone says it's only a hundred and fifty years since they did the same thing to their own king). So they, the English, formed an alliance with the Royalists of Toulon, and occupied the town. Then our troops besieged Toulon. Napoleone was ordered there, and in no time succeeded where his superiors had failed. Toulon was stormed, and the English routed. Then for the first time the name Buonaparte appeared in the Army Orders, and Napoleone was promoted to Brigadier General. Etienne, of course, pestered him for the whole story of the siege of Toulon; but Napoleone says there was no trick to it, merely a matter of a few cannon, and he, Napoleone Buonaparte, understands thoroughly how and where to put cannon to the best advantage.
After his success at Toulon, Napoleone went to Paris to try to see Robespierre. Robespierre is the most powerful man in the Committee of Public Safety. That committee is our Government. To get to the great Robespierre he had first to see the younger Robespierre, the great man's brother. Robespierre—the right one—thought Napoleone's plans for a
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