The drama of Saint Helena . takes ad-vantage of my respect for him. Assassin ! I donot think I can be accused of that. I have killednobody ; it is my enemies who desire to assassinateme, to bring about my death by anxieties ! — Iforbid you to threaten Montholon. I shall fight forhim, if you yourself ... I shall curse you ! — Sire,I cannot allow myself to be ill-used without callingthe author to account ... it is the law of Nature . .I am more unfortunate than the slaves ; there arelaws for them ; for me only those of caprice. I havenever done a low action, and never shall.—Come,come, if you fi
The drama of Saint Helena . takes ad-vantage of my respect for him. Assassin ! I donot think I can be accused of that. I have killednobody ; it is my enemies who desire to assassinateme, to bring about my death by anxieties ! — Iforbid you to threaten Montholon. I shall fight forhim, if you yourself ... I shall curse you ! — Sire,I cannot allow myself to be ill-used without callingthe author to account ... it is the law of Nature . .I am more unfortunate than the slaves ; there arelaws for them ; for me only those of caprice. I havenever done a low action, and never shall.—Come,come, if you fight he will kill you ! — Well, Sire !It has always been my motto that it is better to diehonourably than to live shamefully. This remark offends the Emperor, who againwaxes furious. The Grand Marshal is leaning againstthe wall, and does not utter a word ; in vain I appealto him, and beg him to state that for a long time Ihave been imploring him to tell His Majesty heis wrong to treat me so badly, and I shall make. GENERAL DE MONTHOLON (1834). THE TEDIUM OF SAINT HELENA 197 Monsieur de Montholon suffer for it. Bertrandmakes no reply. To incense him against me, HisMajesty maintains that I have spoken ill of him andhis wife. Seeing me firm, and having exhaustedall contrivances, he asks me what I want ... to pre-cede Montholon . . always to dine with HisMajesty ... to see him twice a day ? I retortbitterly that a brigand has no right to ask Emperor then apologises : I request you toforget my expressions. I am disarmed, and consentto abstain from challenging de Montholon, if HisMajesty will give me an order in writing to thateffect. He promises to do so. Some days later Gourgaud took leave of Napoleon,who, moved in spite of everything, patted him a lasttime on the cheek, and said : We shall see each otheragain in another world. Well, good-bye ! . . em-brace me ! . . On the 14th of March, 1818, he setsail for Europe, having previously obtained authorisa-tion at P
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectnapoleo, bookyear1910
