Page:Helen Leah Reed - Napoleons young neighbour.djvu/127

Rh Emperor, casting his eye over the group that had gathered to bid him good-bye.

"She sent her kind regards to you," replied Betsy, "but is sorry that she is not well enough to come down."

"Then I will go up to her;" and Napoleon impulsively ran upstairs before word could be given of his approach.

When Napoleon entered her room, Mrs. Balcombe was lying down. The girls, who had followed him, saw him sit down on the edge of her bed as he thanked her very warmly for all her attention to him.

"I should have preferred to stay at The Briars. I am sorry to go to Longwood," he said; and then he handed a little package to her, saying, "Now please give this to your husband as a mark of my friendship." "This" proved to be a beautiful gold snuffbox.

As he turned to leave the room, Napoleon saw the red-eyed Betsy standing near the door.

"Here, my dear," he said, putting something in her hand, "you can give this as a gage d'amour to petit Las Cases."

Betsy had no heart now to reply to a jest