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Leu were drawn up in a manner offensive to the queen, for they contained the following: "The king appoints Mademoiselle Hortense de Beauharnais Duchess of St. Leu." The queen refused to accept this title, under the circumstances, and rejected the letters-patent.
Before he had been a fortnight at home I received a letter from Hortense de Beaumont's mother, informing me of the serious illness of my little friend, and entreating me, if it were at all possible or convenient, to go to them for a little while, as my name was constantly on the lips of the dear invalid.
At Waterloo, the eagles that had been consecrated on the first of June, on the Champ de Mai, sank in the dust; the emperor returned to Paris, a fugitive, and broken down in spirit, while the victorious allies were approaching the capital. At the first intelligence of his return, Hortense hastened to the Elysée, where he had taken up his residence, to greet him.
According to his survey and observations, Jan Mayen is about sixteen miles long, by four wide; but I hope soon, on my own authority, to be able to tell you more about it. Certainly, this our last evening spent in Iceland will not have been the least joyous of our stay. The dinner on board the "Reine Hortense" was very pleasant.
When Hortense reproached her son for doing so, and threatened to make him no more presents, as he always gave them away again directly, Louis Napoleon replied, "Ah, mamma, this is why your presents give me double pleasure once when you give them to me, and the second time when I make others happy with them ." Fate seemed at last weary of persecuting the poor Duchess of St. Leu.
"That leaves only Owl, Highboy, and Malay Kris," said Andy. "Owl's eyes shine so we'd better not have him," Hortense added. So it was agreed that that night Hortense should bring only Highboy and Malay Kris with her. "You won't be afraid to climb the ladder all alone in the dark?" Hortense asked. "Well," said Andy, "I'll come anyhow." Hortense clapped her hands.
I obeyed instantly; and went, or rather ran, to the Emperor's cabinet, where I found him with the Empress, Queen Hortense, and another person whose name I do not perfectly recall. The Emperor deigned to give me a most cordial welcome; and as the Empress seemed to pay no attention to me, said to her in a manner whose kindness I shall never forget, "Louise, do you not recognize Constant?"
"Dear me," said Hortense, "I'll be It all the time at this rate. I wonder if Coal and Ember are in the fireplace. She looked, but they weren't there. "I'll try the library," thought Hortense. She hadn't more than reached the center of the room when Coal and Ember dashed past her. "Why didn't you tell me?" said Hortense reproachfully to the bronze image of Buddha seated placidly on his pedestal.
The flight of the Bonapartes in 1815 was rapid. Metternich writes to Maria Louisa in July 1815: "Madame Mere and Cardinal Fesch left yesterday for Tuscany. We do not know exactly where. Joseph is. Lucien is in England under a false name, Jerome in Switzerland, Louis at Rome. Queen Hortense has set out for Switzerland, whither General de Flahault and his mother will follow her.
Her motives, as may easily be divined, were to, gain support in a family where she experienced nothing but enmity, and she carried her point. However, the indifference with which Duroc regarded the marriage of Louis Bonaparte sufficiently proves that the regard with which he had inspired Hortense was not very ardently returned.
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