The Empress’s eyes darted from face to face.

‘Marshal Berthier,’ she cried, ’I insist upon your telling me this instant where the Emperor is, and what he is doing.’

The slow-witted soldier stammered and twisted his cocked hat about.

‘I know no more than Monsieur de Talleyrand does,’ said he; ’the Emperor left us some time ago.’

‘By which door?’

Poor Berthier was more confused than ever.

’Really, your Imperial Majesty, I cannot undertake to say by which door it was that the Emperor quitted the apartment.’

Josephine’s eyes flashed round at me, and my heart shrunk within me as I thought that she was about to ask me that same dreadful question.  But I had just time to breathe one prayer to the good Saint Ignatius, who has always been gracious to our family, and the danger passed.

‘Come, Madame de Remusat,’ said she.  ’If these gentlemen will not tell us we shall very soon find out for ourselves.’

She swept with great dignity towards the curtained door, followed at the distance of a few yards by her waiting lady, whose frightened face and lagging, unwilling steps showed that she perfectly appreciated the situation.  Indeed, the Emperor’s open infidelities, and the public scenes to which they gave rise, were so notorious, that even in Ashford they had reached our ears.  Napoleon’s self-confidence and his contempt of the world had the effect of making him careless as to what was thought or said of him, while Josephine, when she was carried away by jealousy, lost all the dignity and restraint which usually marked her conduct; so between them they gave some embarrassing moments to those who were about them.  Talleyrand turned away with his fingers over his lips, while Berthier, in an agony of apprehension, continued to double up and to twist the cocked hat which he held between his hands.  Only Constant, the faithful valet, ventured to intervene between his mistress and the fatal door.

’If your Majesty will resume your seat I shall inform the Emperor that you are here,’ said he, with two deprecating hands outstretched.

‘Ah, then he is there!’ she cried furiously.  ’I see it all!  I understand it all!  But I will expose him—­I will reproach him with his perfidy!  Let me pass, Constant!  How dare you stand in my way?’

‘Allow me to announce you, your Majesty.’

‘I shall announce myself.’  With swift undulations of her beautiful figure she darted past the protesting valet, parted the curtains, threw open the door, and vanished into the next room.