the sword of the vicomte de beauharnais

after events like these, when cannon have thundered in the public squares and blood has run in the streets of the capital, society is always thrown into a turmoil from which it takes a long time to recover.

although the 14th vendémiaire had sufficed to remove the most noticeable traces of the combat as well as the corpses, the people continued for a long time to discuss that terrible day, which had resulted in restoring to the convention threatened with destruction—that is to say, to the revolution and its authors—the power which they needed to establish those institutions, fear of which had produced the event which we have just related.

the convention understood so thoroughly on the morning of the 14th that its power was fully restored, that it did not trouble itself as to what had become of the sectionaries, who had disappeared without leaving any trace of their passage other than the blood they had shed, and which had disappeared during the following day, if not from the memories of the citizens, at least from the pavement of the streets.

they contented themselves with dismissing the staff of the national guard, disbanding the chasseurs and grenadiers, who were almost all young men, placing the national guard under the orders of barras, or rather his young colleague, bonaparte, to whom the former had abandoned almost all the active part of the work. they also commanded the disarming of the section le peletier, and the section[pg 337] théatre fran?ais, and finally formed three commissions to try the leading members of the sectionists, who had almost entirely disappeared.

anecdotes of the day were related for some time—this day which was destined to leave so lasting and bloody an impression upon the minds of parisians. the magnificent words which had fallen from the lips of the wounded, or rather from the wounds themselves, on that day of supreme patriotism, were repeated and extolled. they told how the wounded, who had been carried to the convention in the salle des victoires, which had been transformed into a hospital, had been cared for by the gentle hands of the wives and daughters of the members of the convention, who assumed the r?le of sisters of charity.

they praised barras for choosing his second with such unerring judgment at the first glance, and that second, who, unknown to them on the previous evening, had burst upon them like a god from the midst of thunder and lightning.

descending from this brilliant pedestal, bonaparte remained general of the interior; and to be within reach of the staff, who had their headquarters on the boulevard des capucines, in what had formerly been the ministry of foreign affairs, he took two rooms in the h?tel de la concorde, rue neuve-des-capucines.

a young man was introduced into the room which he used for a study, under the name of eugene de beauharnais.

although he was already besieged by petitioners, bonaparte had not yet reached the point of drawing a sharp line as to whom he would or would not receive. besides, the name of beauharnais awakened only pleasing memories. he therefore gave orders that the young man was to be admitted.

for those of our readers who have already seen him at strasbourg some three years earlier, it will suffice to say that he was a handsome young man of sixteen or seventeen years of age.

he had large eyes, thick black hair, red lips, white teeth, and aristocratic hands and feet—a mark of distinction which[pg 338] the general immediately noticed—and apart from the embarrassment inseparable from a first interview, he had that attractive modesty which is so becoming in youth, above all when its possessor appears as a supplicant.

from the time he entered the room bonaparte watched him attentively, which did not tend to lessen eugene's timidity.

but suddenly shaking the feeling off as if it were unworthy of him, he raised his head, and, drawing himself up, said: "after all, i do not see why i should hesitate to proffer a request which is both pious and loyal."

"i am listening," said bonaparte.

"i am the son of the vicomte de beauharnais."

"of the citizen-general," corrected bonaparte gently.

"of the citizen-general, if you prefer," said the young man, "and if you insist upon republican forms."

"i insist upon nothing," replied bonaparte, "save that which is clear and concise."

"well," resumed the young man, "i come to ask at your hands, citizen-general, the sword of my father, alexandre de beauharnais, who was a general like yourself. i am sixteen years old, and my military education is almost completed. it is for me to serve my country now. i hope some day to wear at my side the sword which my father wore. that is why i have come to ask you for it."

bonaparte, who liked clear, precise replies, was much prepossessed by this firm, intelligent language.

"if i should ask you for more information concerning yourself and your family, citizen," asked bonaparte, "would you attribute the request to curiosity or to the interest with which you have inspired me?"

"i should prefer to think that the report of our misfortunes had reached your ears," replied the young man, "and that it is to that i owe the kindness with which you have received me."

"was not your mother a prisoner also?" asked bonaparte.

[pg 339]

"yes, and she was saved almost by a miracle. we owe her life to citizeness tallien and to citizen barras."

bonaparte reflected a moment. "how does your father's sword happen to be in my hands?"

"i do not say that it is in your hands, but you can have it restored to me, though. the convention ordered the disarming of the section le peletier. we are living in our old house in the rue neuve-des-mathurins, which the general had restored to us. some men came to my mother and asked for all the weapons in the house. my mother gave orders that they should take a double-barrelled hunting gun of mine, a single-barrelled rifle which i bought at strasbourg, and finally my father's sword. i regretted neither the double-barrelled gun nor the rifle, though i took pride in the memories which they recalled. but i regretted, and i confess still regret, that sword which fought so gloriously in america and france."

"if you were to see the weapons which formerly belonged to you," said bonaparte, "you would probably recognize them."

"beyond doubt," replied eugene.

bonaparte rang and a sub-officer entered.

"accompany citizen beauharnais to the rooms where they have put the arms belonging to the sections," said bonaparte. "you will allow him to take those which he will point out to you."

and he held out his hand to the young man, the hand which was to lift him so high. ignorant of the future, eugene darted toward it and kissed it gratefully.

"ah, citizen!" said he, "my mother and sister shall know how good you have been to me, and, believe me, they will appreciate it as much as i do."

just then the door opened and barras entered without being announced.

"ah!" said he, "here i am on ground with which i am doubly familiar!"

"i have already told citizen bonaparte how much we[pg 340] owe you," replied eugene, "and i am happy to repeat before you, that without your protection the widow and children of general beauharnais would probably have died of hunger."

"died of hunger!" said bonaparte, laughing. "that is a death which only those officers whom aubry has placed on the retired list need fear."

"i was indeed wrong," said eugene. "for while my mother was in prison, i worked with a carpenter where i earned my daily bread, and my sister was with a seamstress who supported her out of charity."

"well," said barras, "the bad days are over and the good ones have returned. what has brought you here, my young friend?"

eugene told barras the reason of his visit.

"why did you not come to me," asked barras, "instead of disturbing my colleague?"

"because i wished to meet citizen-general bonaparte," replied eugene. "it seemed to me that it would be a good omen if he returned me my father's sword."

and, bowing to the two generals, he went out with the officer, much less embarrassed than when he had come.