Page:Helen Leah Reed - Napoleons young neighbour.djvu/81

Rh the hands, Betsy gleefully boxed his ears until he begged for mercy.

"Stop, stop!" he cried.

"No, I will not. This has all been your fault. If you hadn't kissed me—"

"There, there," at last called the Emperor to the boy, "I will let you go, but you must run as fast as you can. If you cannot run faster than Betsy, you deserve to be beaten again."

The young French page did not wait for a second warning, but starting off at a run travelled as fast as he could, with Betsy in full pursuit. Napoleon, watching them, laughed heartily and clapped his hands as the two raced around the grounds. The little encounter amused him, but Las Cases the elder took the matter more seriously.

Betsy wrote, "From that moment Las Cases never liked me, after this adventure, and used to call me a little rude hoyden."

The next afternoon Betsy and Jane joined the Emperor, accompanied by General Gorgaud, in a walk in a meadow.

"Look, Betsy!" cried Jane, "there are the cows I saw the other day. I am half afraid of them."