﻿NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 135 



Previously to his departure from school to the army, he came to 

 pass some time at our house. My sister was then at her convent, 

 but she frequently came home while Napoleon was with us. I well 

 recollect that, on the day when he first put on his uniform, he was 

 as vain as young men usually are on such an occasion. There was 

 one part of his dress which had a very droll appearance --that was 

 his boots. They were so high and wide that his little thin legs 

 seemed buried in their amplitude. Young people are always ready 

 to observe anything ridiculous ; and as soon as my sister and I saw 

 Napoleon enter the drawing-room, we burst into a loud fit of laugh- 

 ter. At that early age, as well as in after life, Bonaparte could not 

 relish a joke ; and when he found himself the object of merriment, 

 he grew angry. My sister, who was some years older than I, told 

 him, that since he wore a sword, he ought to be gallant to ladies ; 

 and instead of being angry, should be happy that they joked with 

 him. "You are nothing but a child a little pensionnaire" said 

 Napoleon, in a tone of contempt. Cecile, who was twelve or thir- 

 teen years of age, was highly indignant at being called a child, and 

 she hastily resented the affront, by replying to Bonaparte, " And you 

 are nothing but a puss in loots" This excited a general laugh 

 among all present except Napoleon, whose rage I will not attempt to 

 describe. Though not much accustomed to society, he had too 

 much tact not to perceive that he ought to be silent when personali- 

 ties were introduced, and his adversary was a woman. 



Though deeply mortified at the unfortunate nickname which my 

 sister had given him, yet he affected to forget it; and to prove that 

 he cherished no malice on the subject, he got a little toy made and 

 gave it as a present to me. This toy consisted of a cat in boots, in 

 the character of a footman running before the carriage of the Mar- 

 quis de Carabas. It was very well made, and must have been rather 

 expensive to him, considering his straitened finances. He brought 

 along with it a pretty little edition of the popular tale of Puss in 

 Boots, which he presented to my sister, begging her to keep it as a 

 token of his remembrance. " Oh, Napoleon," said my mother, " if 

 you had merely given the toy to Loulou it would have been all very 

 well; but the tale for Cecile shows that you are still offended with 

 her." He gave his word to the contrary ; but. I think with my 



