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208
Recollections of
[Ch. XVIII.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Who goes there?—stranger,—quickly tell.
A friend! The word? Good night! All's well.


NAPOLEON'S TALENT FOR MIMICRY.—HIS RETIRED WALK, PLANNED BY HIMSELF.—CARDINAL RICHELIEU, ETC.—THE PIC-NIC.—NOCTURNAL ADVENTURE, ETC.

Napoleon was a tolerable mimic: one day he asked my sister if she had ever heard the London cries; on her replying she had, he began imitating them, very much to our diversion. He did it well in all, save the pronunciation of the English, which sounded very droll. My sister said she was sure he must have visited England incog. to have acquired them so perfectly. He said he had been much entertained by one of his buffo actors introducing the cries of London, in some comedy which was got up in Paris.