one leg, and covered with a napkin.  The prefect of the palace stood close by this table, with his hat under his arm.  The breakfast rarely lasted beyond eight minutes.  Sometimes, however, men of science or literature, or distinguished artists, were admitted at this time, with whom Napoleon is represented to have conversed in an easy and lively style.  Amongst these were M. Monge, Costaz, Denon, Bertholet, Corvisart, David, Gerard, Isabey, Talma, and Fontaine.  Dinner was served at six o’clock; the emperor and the empress dined alone on the common days of the week, but on Sunday all the imperial family attended, upon which occasion Napoleon, the empress, and Madame Mere had arm-chairs, and the rest chairs without arms.  There was only one course.  The emperor drank no wine but Chambertin, and that usually mixed with water.  Dinner lasted in general from fifteen to twenty minutes.  All this time the prefect of the palace had to superintend the affair en grand, and to answer any questions put to him.  In the drawing-room a page presented to the emperor a waiter with a cup and a sugar-stand.  Le chef d’office poured out the coffee; the empress took the cup from the emperor; the page and the chef d’office retired; the prefect waited till the empress had poured the coffee into the saucer and given it to Napoleon.  After this the emperor went to his papers again, and the empress played at cards.  Sometimes he would come and talk a little while with the people of the household in the apartments of the empress, but not often, and he never staid long.  Upon his retiring, the officers on duty attended the audience du coucher, and received their orders for the morrow.  This was the ordinary economy of the emperor’s time, when not with the army.

Napoleon read the English newspapers every day in French, and M. de Bausset says the translation was rigorously exact.  One day in January, 1811, the emperor gave some of these extracts to de B., and ordered him to read them aloud during dinner.  The prefect got on pretty well, till he stumbled at some uncouth epithets, with which he was puzzled how to deal, especially in the presence of the empress, and a room full of domestics.  He blew his nose, and skipped the words—­“No!” said Napoleon, “read out! you will find many more.”  “I should be wanting—­” “Read, I tell you,” repeated the emperor, “read every thing!” At last de B. ran upon “tyrant or despot,” which he commuted for “emperor.”  Napoleon caught the paper out of his hands, read the real phrase aloud, and then ordered M. de B. to continue.  These translations used to be made by Maret, Duke of Bassano.

* * * * *

THE GATHERER.

“A snapper-up of unconsidered trifles.” 
SHAKSPEARE.

* * * * *

RETENTIVE MEMORY.

The historian, Fuller, in 1607, had a most retentive memory; he could repeat 500 strange, unconnected words, after twice hearing them; and a sermon verbatim, after reading it once.  He undertook, after passing from Temple Bar to the farthest part of Cheapside and back again, to mention all the signs over the shops on both sides of the streets, repeated them backwards and forwards, and performed the task with great exactness.