CHAPTER XIII

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Some men of the Empire -- Fialin de Persigny -- The public prosecutor's opinion of him expressed at the trial for high treason in 1836 -- Superior in many respects to Louis-Napoleon -- The revival of the Empire his only and constant dream -- In order to realize it, he appeals first to Jerome, ex-King of Westphalia -- De Persigny's estimate of him -- Jerome's greed and Louis-Napoleon's generosity -- De Persigny's financial embarrassments -- His charity -- What the Empire really meant to him -- De Persigny virtually the moving spirit in the Coup d'Etat -- Louis-Napoleon might have been satisfied with the presidency of the republic for life -- Persigny seeks for aid in England -- Palmerston's share in the Coup d'Etat -- The submarine cable -- Preparations for the Coup d'Etat -- A warning of it sent to England -- Count Walewski issues invitations for a dinner-party on the 2nd of December -- Opinion in London that Louis-Napoleon will get the worst in the struggle with the Chamber -- The last funds from London -- General de Saint-Arnaud and Baron Lacrosse -- The Elysee-Bourbon on the evening of the 1st of December -- I pass the Elysee at midnight -- Nothing unusual -- London on the 2nd of December -- The dinner at Count Walewski's put off at the last moment -- Illuminations at the French Embassy a few hours later -- Palmerston at the Embassy -- Some traits of De Persigny's character -- His personal affection for Louis-Napoleon -- Madame de Persigny -- Her parsimony -- Her cooking of the household accounts -- Chevet and Madame de Persigny -- What the Empire might have been with a Von Moltke by the side of the Emperor instead of Vaillant, Niel, and Leboeuf -- Colonel (afterwards General) Fleury the only modest man among the Emperor's entourage -- De Persigny's pretensions as a Heaven-born statesman -- Mgr. de Merode -- De Morny -- His first meeting with his half-brother -- De Morny as a grand seigneur -- The origin of the Mexican campaign -- Walewski -- His fads -- Rouher -- My first sight of him in the Quartier-Latin -- The Emperor's opinion of him at the beginning of his career -- Rouher in his native home, Auvergne -- His marriage -- Madame Rouher -- His father-in-law 261

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