avoid it. Prince Jerome is, of all the Napoleonic family, the one who most
resembles Napoleon I. in appearance, but not in character. There is
nothing of the hero about him. Since he had the misfortune to be suddenly
indisposed the night before the battle of Solferino, and did not appear,
they call him "craint-plomb." _Se non e vero e ben trovato._

The stories people tell of the Prince are awful; but one is not obliged to
believe them if one does not want to.

There was such an amusing _soiree_ at the Duke de Morny's in honor of
the Duchess's birthday. They gave a play called "Monsieur Choufleuri
restera chez lui le.......," which the Duke wrote himself, and for which
Offenbach composed the music inspired by the Duke, who vowed that he
"really did make the most of it." But, his conscience pricking him, he
added, "At least some!" which I think was nearer the truth.

It was a great success, whether by the Duke de Morny or by Offenbach, and
was the funniest thing I ever saw. Every one was roaring with laughter,
and when the delighted audience called for "l'auteur," the Duke came out
leading Offenbach, each waving his hand toward the other, as if success
belonged to him alone, and went off bowing their thanks together. Apropos
of the Duke de Morny, he said of himself: "I am a very complicated person.
_Je suis le fils d'une reine, frere d'un Empereur et gendre d'un Empereur,
et tous sont illegitimes_." It does sound queer! But he really is the son
of Queen Hortense (his father being Count Flahaut); he is in this way an
illegitimate brother of Napoleon III., and his wife is the daughter of the
Emperor Nicholas of Russia. There you have a complicated case. My young
sister-in-law has just married Count Hatzfeldt, of the German Embassy
(second secretary). He is very good-looking without being handsome, and
belongs to one of the most distinguished families in Germany. Countess