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Ch. XI.]
the Emperor Napoleon.
117

word for the future, repcating that he only meant to express that Madame Bertrand was his dear friend.

It was by Napoleon's especial desire that we ventured now and then to correct his English, and being very anxious to improve himself, he never let an opportunity pass when in our society without trying to converse in English, though, from his exceedingly bad pronunciation and literal translations, it required the most exclusive attention to understand him. For my part, I seldom bad patience to render him much assistance, my sister being generally obliged to finish what I had begun, for in the middle of his lesson I would walk away attracted by some more frivolous pursuit; on returning I was always saluted with a tap on the cheek or a pinch of the ear, with the exclamation of "Ah! Mademoiselle Betsee, petite étourdie que vous êtes, vous ne devenez jamais sage." Bonaparte on one occasion asked us if we had seen little

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