dear mother encouraged me in this, and later on I frequently went
to Freiburg, in the Black Forest, to get a practical insight into
smelting. When I was about nineteen, however, a message arrived
from my father, directing me to return to France and report myself
as a conscript; but against this my mother resolutely set her face.
I fancy my father wanted me to take up the army as a career, but in
deference to my mother's wishes I remained with her in Switzerland
for some time longer. She and I had many talks about my future,
and she at length advised me to take a trip to the East, and see
what the experience of travel would do for me. Neither of us had
any definite project in view, but at length my mother gave me about
7000 francs and I set out for Cairo, intending eventually to visit
and make myself acquainted with the French possessions in the Far
East. My idea was to visit such places as Tonkin, Cochin-China,
Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, &c. My mother was of the
opinion that if I saw a bit of the world in this way I would be
more inclined to settle down at home with her at the end of my
wanderings. The primary cause of my going away was a little love
episode. Whilst at Montreux I fell in love with a charming young
lady at a boarding-school near my home. She was the daughter of
some high personage in the court of Russia--but exactly what
position he held I cannot say. My mother was quite charmed with
the young lady and viewed our attachment with delight. But when my
father heard of the matter he raised a decided objection to it, and
ordered me to return to France and join the army. He had, as I
have previously intimated, made his own plans for my future, even
to the point of deciding upon a future wife for me, as is customary
in France; but I resolutely declined to conform to his wishes in
this respect, and my mother quite sided with me. I never quite
knew how he got to hear of my love affair, but I conclude that my