. Life in the Tuileries under the second empire. ot dislike a certainamount of flirtation, keeping at a sufficient distancefrom the Rubicon in all cases; but there wasa little too much playing in the neighborhood, per-haps unconsciously, for the Empress was essentiallya spotless wife, as she had been a spotless bride, not-withstanding the calumny which assailed her at thetime of her extraordinary marriage. The Due de Tascher once volunteered to say,when he was relating to me the scene which hadtaken place between the Emperor, his father, andhimself, on the announcement of the formers inten-tio
. Life in the Tuileries under the second empire. ot dislike a certainamount of flirtation, keeping at a sufficient distancefrom the Rubicon in all cases; but there wasa little too much playing in the neighborhood, per-haps unconsciously, for the Empress was essentiallya spotless wife, as she had been a spotless bride, not-withstanding the calumny which assailed her at thetime of her extraordinary marriage. The Due de Tascher once volunteered to say,when he was relating to me the scene which hadtaken place between the Emperor, his father, andhimself, on the announcement of the formers inten-tions : As to the Empress herself, my absolute con-viction on my word of honor is that no purer brideever knelt at the altar. Our objections were notdirected against her personally, but on politicalgrounds ; and we still think that the Emperor madea great mistake for his future position among thesovereigns of Europe. •a S -: o X -i — r— i O ~ ™ - -^ < PC ; Z z- n (1 g H - X /■ - x s CO — -. ?y /. a / - - = — 5- — 3 2 o — -. /*. UNDER THE SECOND EMPIRE 193 The outbreak of the cholera, and the noble conductof the Empress, showing the higher side of her com-plex character, won admiration from her most deter-mined adversaries, so that there was a reaction inher favor, which her friends hoped might be durable. The act of visiting the cholera hospitals was per-formed with a degree of resolution and calm cou-rage, which few women in such a position could haveshown. She would not allow her ladies to followher in the hospital wards, but went herself to everyone, and, though unaccustomed to such dreadfulscenes of suffering, she showed no fear of contagion,taking the patients by the hand, and encouragingall by kind and hopeful words. At Amiens the disease and deaths had reachedfrightful proportions. The Empress did not hesi-tate to go there, for the sole purpose of trying to en-courage the population, and stimulate the , too, she went to all the beds, and s
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectnapoleo, bookyear1895
