The daughter of an emperor is my partner; and
the King of Rome, the future emperor of the French, will be more of
a legitimate ruler than any other prince, for the battles of his
father and the ancestors of the Hapsburgs form his pedigree. Let the
Count de Lille, then, flood France with copies of his proclamation,
I shall in the mean time win battles for France, and with the
bulletins of my victories drive his proclamations from the field. I-
-"
At this moment the door opened, and Roustan's black face looked in.
"Sire, the Duke de Vicenza requests an audience," he said.
"Caulaincourt!" exclaimed Napoleon, surprised, rising and throwing
the penknife on the floor. "Caulaincourt! Let him come in!"
CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE TRAITORS.
Roustan stepped back, and the imposing form of the Duke de Vicenza
appeared on the threshold. The emperor hastily met him and looked at
him with a keen, piercing glance. "Caulaincourt," he exclaimed,
"whence do you come, and what do you want here?"
"Sire," said the duke, gravely and solemnly, "I come from Prague,
whither the order of your majesty had sent me, to attend the
congress and to conduct the negotiations in the name of your
majesty."
"These negotiations are broken off, then, as you have come without
having been recalled?"
"No, they are not broken off, but I have important news to
communicate to your majesty, and as I think that we are served best
when serving ourselves, I have made myself the bearer of my own
dispatches, to be sure that they reach your majesty in time.
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