such haste? Cannot you stay a few minutes longer?" He then began to
speak of the first return of the Bourbons, and asked me how I could so
easily bring myself to act in their favour. He then entered into details
respecting the Royal Family which I conceive it to be my duty to pass
over in silence: It may be added, however, that the conversation lasted a
long time, and to say the least of it, was by no means in favour of
"divine right."

I conceived it to be my duty to make the King acquainted with this
conversation, and as there was now no Comte de Blacas to keep truth and
good advice from his Majesty's ear, I was; on my first solicitation,
immediately admitted to, the Royal cabinet. I cautiously suppressed the
most startling details, for, had I literally reported what Fouche said,
Louis XVIII. could not possibly have given credit to it. The King
thanked me for my communication, and I could perceive he was convinced
that by longer retaining Fouche in office he would become the victim of
the Minister who had been so scandalously forced upon him on the 7th of
July. The disgrace of the Duke of Otranto speedily followed, and I had
the satisfaction of having contributed to repair one of the evils with
which the Duke of Wellington visited France.

Fouche was so evidently a traitor to the cause he feigned to serve, and
Bonaparte was so convinced of this,--that during the Hundred Days, when
the Ministers of the King at Ghent were enumerated in the presence of
Napoleon, some one said, "But where is the Minister of the Police?"

"E-h! Parbleu," said Bonaparte, "that is Fouche?" It was not the same
with Carnot, in spite of the indelible stain of his vote: if he had
served the King, his Majesty could have depended on him, but nothing
could shake the firmness of his principles in favour of liberty. I