'I congratulate you, Mr. Coke, upon having killed the most.'
My answer was, 'After you, Sir.'
'Yes,' said he, giving his moustache an upward twist, but
with perfect gravity, 'I always kill the most.'
Just then the Empress and the whole court drove up.
Presently she came into the tent and, addressing her husband,
exclaimed:
'Avez-vous bientot fini, vous autres? Ah! que vous etes des
gourmands!'
Till the finish, she and the rest walked with the shooters.
By four it was over. The total score was 1,387 head. Mine
was 182, which included thirty-six partridges, two woodcocks,
and four roedeer. This, in three and a half hours' shooting,
with two muzzle-loaders (breech-loaders were not then in
use), was an unusually good bag.
Fashion is capricious. When lunch was over I went to one of
the charcoal fires, quite in the background, to light a
cigarette. An aide-de-camp immediately pounced upon me, with
the information that this was not permitted in company with
the Empress. It reminded one at once of the ejaculation at
Oliver Twist's bedside, 'Ladies is present, Mr. Giles.'
After the shooting, I was told to go to tea with the Empress
- a terrible ordeal, for one had to face the entire feminine
force of the palace, nearly every one of whom, from the
highest to the lowest, was provided with her own CAVALIERE
SERVENTE.
The following night, when we assembled for dinner, I received
orders to sit next to the Empress. This was still more
embarrassing. It is true, one does not speak to a sovereign
unless one is spoken to; but still one is permitted to make
the initiative easy. I found that I was expected to take my
share of the task; and by a happy inspiration, introduced the
subject of the Prince Imperial, then a child of eight years
old. The MONDAINE Empress was at once merged in the adoring
mother; her whole soul was wrapped up in the boy. It was
easy enough then to speculate on his career, at least so far
as the building of castles in the air for fantasies to roam
in. What a future he had before him! - to consolidate the
Empire! to perfect the great achievement of his father, and
render permanent the foundation of the Napoleonic dynasty! to
build a superstructure as transcendent for the glories of
Peace, as those of his immortal ancestor had been for War!
It was not difficult to play the game with such court cards
in one's hand. Nor was it easy to coin these PHRASES DE
SUCRECANDI without sober and earnest reflections on the
import of their contents. What, indeed, might or might not
be the consequences to millions, of the wise or unwise or
evil development of the life of that bright and handsome
little fellow, now trotting around the dessert table, with
the long curls tumbling over his velvet jacket, and the
flowers in his hand for some pretty lady who was privileged
to kiss him?
