enthusiasm of an heroic people who will suffer death rather than be
subjugated by a tyrant. She will never accept King Joseph, whom
Napoleon forced upon her; and as they see themselves deserted and
given up by their royal family, the Spanish patriots turn their eyes
toward Austria, and are ready to proclaim one of your majesty's
brothers king of Spain, if your majesty would send him to them with
an auxiliary army."

"That would be a nice thing!" cried the emperor, angrily. "Not
another word about it! If my brothers should hear it, their heads
would be immediately on fire, for they are very ambitious; hence, it
is much better that they should not learn anything of these chateaux
en Espagne. Tell me rather how it looks in France. Are the French
still satisfied with their emperor by the grace of the people!"

"They are not, your majesty. Let me tell you that not only
Napoleon's own officers, his marshals and ministers, are
dissatisfied with him; but the whole people, those who possess money
as well as those who own no other property than their lives, are
murmuring against the emperor. He robs the moneyed men of their
property by heavy taxes and duties, and those who have nothing but
their lives he threatens with death by forcing muskets into their
hands, and compelling them to do military service. Another
conscription has been ordered, and as the population of France is
decreasing, youths from sixteen to eighteen years old have to be
enrolled. France is tired of these everlasting wars, and she curses
Napoleon's insatiable bloodthirstiness no longer in secret only, but
loud enough to be heard by the emperor from time to time."

"And the army?"