Page:Napoleon (O'Connor 1896).djvu/342

326 away. . . . Josephine to have thus deceived me. She, she. . . . woe to them. . . . I will exterminate the whole tribe of fops and puppies. As for her divorce. Yes. . . . a public overwhelming divorce. . . . I know all."

Poor Bourrienne seeks in vain to stop this torrent of wrath, and recalls to Napoleon the fact that whatever might be his domestic misadventures, he had at least the comfort of the mighty glory that his Egyptian campaign had gathered around him. There is something extremely human, something really that makes Napoleon less of the scarcely human monster of the Taine portrait, in the passage which follows:

"My glory!" exclaimed Napoleon in despair. "What would I not give if only what Junot has told me were not true, so dearly do I love that woman!"

The origin of all these outbursts was the behaviour of Josephine with Hippolyte Charles. That young gentleman, after his expulsion from the Army of Italy, had entered into business in a large provision firm, was prospering, had money to spend, kept up a fine establishment, and Josephine again listened to him. He paid her visits at Malmaison, her residence as the General's wife; and, finally—it is scarcely credible that a woman could be so imprudent and expect to retain her reputation and her husband's love—"ended by living there altogether as its master."