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Ch. XIV.]
the Emperor Napoleon.
155

clared he had never before seen such vegetables produced on the sterile rock of St. Helena. Napoleon's concluding remark was, that "Whatever British sailors took in hand, they never left undone."

When we were visiting Madame Bertrand's, we always passed our Sundays as if at home, reading the lessons for the day and observing the prayers, &c. One Sunday morning, Napoleon came bustling in. and seeing me very earnestly employed reading aloud to my sister, asked what I was so intently engaged upon, and why I looked so much graver than usual. I told him I was learning to repeat the collect for the day, and that if I failed in saying it, my father would be very angry. I remarked, "I suppose you never learnt a collect or any thing religious, for I am told you disbelieve the existence of a God." He seemed displeased at my observation, and answered, "You have been told an untruth; when you are wiser you will understand that no one