. Life in the Tuileries under the second empire. I had watchedthis symptom in the case of the Duke with con-siderable alarm; but the family did not see itsimportance. The servants had given me someparticulars of his health, which seemed to point todisease not identical with that of the Emperor,but of the same nature, and producing the sameunnatural depression. On one occasion when the court circle was play-ing at the society game which asks questions as totastes, habits, preferences, etc., in answer to an in-quiry as to his favorite occupation, the Emperorwrote: Chercher la solution de problem
. Life in the Tuileries under the second empire. I had watchedthis symptom in the case of the Duke with con-siderable alarm; but the family did not see itsimportance. The servants had given me someparticulars of his health, which seemed to point todisease not identical with that of the Emperor,but of the same nature, and producing the sameunnatural depression. On one occasion when the court circle was play-ing at the society game which asks questions as totastes, habits, preferences, etc., in answer to an in-quiry as to his favorite occupation, the Emperorwrote: Chercher la solution de problemes insolu-bles (Seeking the solution of insoluble problems).The problems were more insoluble than ever, andthe Emperor had no longer the strength to seek asolution. In his evident anxiety as to what wascoming, he provoked an appeal to the nation — aplebiscite — to confirm the liberalized constitutiongranted by the Emperor, which was approved byabove 7,000,000 votes. I remember the excitement and enthusiasm in a> r- r-m m>n z v. o UNDER THE SECOND EMPIRE 209 Paris when the result was known. Eveiy one wouldhave supposed that the future of the Empire was se-cured indefinitely. Lord Malmesbuiy mentions that he came to Parisat this time; and, speaking of the Emperor, he says: I found him much altered in appearance, andlooking very ill, it being three years since I hadseen him. . He observed later that Europe ap-peared to be tranquil; and it was evident to me thatat that moment he had no idea of the coming hurri-cane which suddenly broke out in the first weekof the following July. ... I feel sure that not athought of the impending idea of a Hohenzollernbeing a candidate for the Spanish throne had crossedhis mind. Count Bismarck had kept it a profoundsecret, and that very deep secrecy and sudden sur-prise is the strongest proof of his intention to forcea quarrel upon France. . The result of my visitand conversation with the Emperor was one of ex-treme pain, for I saw tha
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectnapoleo, bookyear1895
