Page:Napoleon (O'Connor 1896).djvu/101

Rh which were not taken up in his work-room in the park, and there again his time was not wasted."

was fond of Josephine; but this picture he gives of her is not very flattering:

"Josephine spent her time as she chose. She received numerous callers during the day. She used to lunch with some friends, and with new and old acquaintances. She had no accomplishments, did not draw, and was not a musician. There was a harp in her apartment on which she used to play for want of anything better to do, and it was always the same tune that she played. She used to work at tapestry, and would get her ladies or her visitors to help her. In this way she had made the coverings for the furniture in the drawing-room at La Malmaison. Napoleon approved of this busy life. The re-establishment of peace with England had allowed Josephine to correspond with some English botanists and the principal London nurserymen, from whom she received rare and new plants and shrubs to add to her collection. She used to give me the letters from England, written in connection with this business, to translate into French. At La Malmaison, Josephine used to visit her fine hothouses regularly and took great