imperturbable smile. When his voice thundered at them, they had
lowered their heads only to raise them slowly again as soon as the
general was silent.

To-day, on the thirteenth of October, another interview was to take
place, at the hotel of Count Cobenzl, and perhaps that was the
reason why General Bonaparte had risen at an unusually early hour in
the morning. He had just finished his toilet; the four valets who
had assisted him had just concluded their task. As usual, Bonaparte
had suffered them to dress and wash him like a child. [Footnote:
"Memoires de Constant, premier valet de chambre de l'Empereur
Napoleon," vol. i., p. 180.] With a silent gesture he now ordered
the servants to withdraw, and called out, "Bourrienne!"

The door was opened at once, and a tall young man, in the citizen's
dress of that period, stepped in. Bonaparte, greeting his youthful
secretary with a slight nod of his head, pointed with his hand at
the desk.

Bourrienne walked noiselessly to the desk, sat down, took a pen and
some blank paper, and waited for what the general would have to
dictate.

But Bonaparte was silent. With his hands folded on his back, he
commenced rapidly walking up and down. Bourrienne, holding the pen
in his hand and momentarily ready to write, enjoyed this pause, this
absorbed pondering of the general, with genuine delight; for it
afforded him leisure to contemplate Bonaparte, to study his whole
appearance, and to engrave every feature, every gesture of the
conqueror of Italy upon his mind.