'Very good. You may come in, if you prefer it!' And he passed us into
the huge tent, which was unfurnished, save for a row of wooden benches
round the sides. A number of men in naval and military uniforms were
seated upon these, and numerous groups were standing about chatting in
subdued tones. At the far end was a door which led into the Imperial
council chamber. Now and then I saw some man in official dress walk up
to this door, scratch gently upon it with his nail, and then, as it
instantly opened, slip discreetly through, closing it softly behind him.
Over the whole assembly there hung an air of the Court rather than of
the camp, an atmosphere of awe and of reverence which was the more
impressive when it affected these bluff soldiers and sailors.
The Emperor had seemed to me to be formidable in the distance, but I
found him even more overwhelming now that he was close at hand.

'You need have no fears, Monsieur de Laval,' said my companion.
'You are going to have a good reception.'

'How do you know that?'

'From General Duroc's manner. In these cursed Courts, if the Emperor
smiles upon you everyone smiles, down to that flunkey in the red velvet
coat yonder. But if the Emperor frowns, why, you have only to look at
the face of the man who washes the Imperial plates, and you will see the
frown reflected upon it. And the worst of it is that, if you are a
plain-witted man, you may never find out what earned you either the
frown or the smile. That is why I had rather wear the shoulder-straps
of a lieutenant, and be at the side of my squadron, with a good horse
between my knees and my sabre clanking against my stirrup-iron, than
have Monsieur Talleyrand's grand hotel in the Rue Saint Florentin, and
his hundred thousand livres of income.'