"Meanwhile," said Bonaparte, "as you are probably hungry, you had better just brush the mud off you,--don't bother to do more than that,--and you shall breakfast with us. Have you met Joséphine?" "No, General, I have not had that honour." "Very well, I will introduce you to her: go and come back quickly." Dermoncourt did not wait to be told twice. He breakfasted and dined with Bonaparte, who insisted that he should stay and sleep at the palace. Next morning he sent a letter by him to my father loaded with compliments, and told him he might set off when he liked, a carriage being at his disposal. Dermoncourt entered the carriage in the courtyard; Bonaparte and Joséphine were at one window, and Berthier at the next. "A good journey to you!" cried Bonaparte to Dermoncourt. "Thank you, General," he replied; "do not forget the 13th of January, and be careful with those delicacies of Capua." "Rest easy," cried the commander-in-chief; "I will not act as Hannibal did." Here is Bonaparte's letter to my father:-- "ARMY OF ITALY--THE FRENCH REPUBLIC. "_Liberty--Equality._ "FROM THE HEADQUARTERS AT MILAN, 7 _Nivôse_ (_Sunday, 28th December_), _Year V of the Republic, one and indivisible._ "BONAPARTE, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Italy, to GENERAL DUMAS. "I am in receipt of the letter brought[2] me by your aide-de-camp; it would have been impossible to have acquired more opportune or more valuable information. You will receive an order to the effect that all the inhabitants of the countryside are to be sent a league away from Mantua; I do not doubt that you will faithfully carry out this order; although somewhat harsh, it is extremely necessary. "I give this order because precautions are being taken on the other side of the Po; this project from the Court of Vienna seems to me very mad. I beg you to send the spy you have arrested under a good escort to Milan. "I congratulate you on your good fortune and augur better to come. BONAPARTE." It will be seen that, though a year had hardly elapsed, after the battles of Montenotte, Millesimo, Dego, Mondovi, Lonato, Castiglione, and Arcole, Bonaparte recognised so clearly that his fate was bound up with that of France that he suppressed the _u_ in his name. Dermoncourt reached my father's camp, and gave him the commander-in-chief's letter; my father read it, and probably the observation we make in the light of to-day did not then occur to him, namely, that by suppressing the _u_ Bonaparte had suppressed that which gave an Italian flavour to his name. The same day that Dermoncourt left Milan, the French army received the order to occupy the positions of Montebaldo, Corona, and Rivoli. On the 5th of January, General Alvintzy left Bassano. On the 6th, Bonaparte occupied Bologna with 7000 men. On the 11th, Bonaparte advanced to the walls of Mantua.