general, whose carriage had just stopped at the door.

The Austrian plenipotentiaries met Bonaparte in the middle of the
staircase and escorted him to the dining-room, where the dejeuner
was waiting for him.

But Bonaparte declined the dejeuner, in spite of the repeated and
most pressing requests of Count Cobenzl.

"At least take a cup of chocolate to warm yourself," urged the
count. "Drink it out of this cup, general, and if it were only in
order to increase its value in my eyes. The Empress Catharine gave
it to me, and drank from it; and if you now use this cup likewise, I
might boast of possessing a cup from which the greatest man and the
greatest woman of this century have drunk!"

"I shall not drink, count!" replied Bonaparte, bluntly. "I will have
nothing in common with this imperial Messalina, who, by her
dissolute life, equally disgraced the dignity of the crown and of
womanhood. You see I am a strong-headed republican, who only
understands to talk of business. Let us, therefore, attend to that
at once."

Without waiting for an invitation, he sat down on the divan close to
the breakfast-table, and, with a rapid gesture, motioned the two
gentlemen to take seats at his side.

"I informed you of my ultimatum the day before yesterday," said
Bonaparte, coldly; "have you taken it into consideration, and are
you going to accept it?"