The drama of Saint Helena . d been brought up in terror of his name,as she herself relates. When she was five years old,Bonaparte was described to her as an ogre whosesolitary red eye blazed in the middle of his forehead,and whose big teeth—that, especially, alarmed her—tore to pieces little girls who grieved their , aged fourteen, she still believed him to be theugliest and most wicked of men. And this is how heappeared to her on a radiant afternoon of a southernspring :— The party arrived at the gate, and there beingno carriage road, they all dismounted, exceptingthe Emperor. He r
The drama of Saint Helena . d been brought up in terror of his name,as she herself relates. When she was five years old,Bonaparte was described to her as an ogre whosesolitary red eye blazed in the middle of his forehead,and whose big teeth—that, especially, alarmed her—tore to pieces little girls who grieved their , aged fourteen, she still believed him to be theugliest and most wicked of men. And this is how heappeared to her on a radiant afternoon of a southernspring :— The party arrived at the gate, and there beingno carriage road, they all dismounted, exceptingthe Emperor. He retained his seat and rode up theavenue, his horses feet cutting up the turf on ourpretty lawn. Sir George Cockburn walked on oneside of his horse, and General Bertrand on the vividly I recollect my feelings of dread, mingledwith admiration, as I now first looked upon himwhom I had learned to fear so much. His appear-ance on horseback was noble and imposing. Theanimal he rode was a superb one ; his colour jet. MRS. ABELL (BETSY BALCOMBE).After the Portrait in her Recollections (1S44). THE EMPEROR 79 black ; and as he proudly stepped up the avenue,arching his neck and champing- his bit, I thought helooked worthy to be the bearer of him who was oncethe ruler of nearly the whole European world. Napoleons position on horseback, by addingheight to his figure, supplied all that was wantingto make me think him the most majestic person Ihad ever seen. His dress was green, and coveredwith orders, and his saddle and housings were ofcrimson velvet richly embroidered with gold. Healighted at our house, and we all moved to theentrance to receive him. Sir George Cockburnintroduced us to him. He was deadly pale, and I thought his features,though cold and immovable, and somewhat stern,were exceedingly beautiful. He seated himself onone of our cottage chairs, and after scanning ourlittle apartment with his eagle glance, he compli-mented mamma on the pretty situation of The Briars
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectnapoleo, bookyear1910
