He travelled in a carriage with Madame de Montesquiou, as his mother
soon grew tired of him, and much preferred the company of her
lady-in-waiting, Madame de Montebello. It was a long journey, and they
did not travel fast, so that it was the end of May before they reached
Schönbrunn. There the child began to feel as if he was a king again, so
warm was the welcome of the people, who were charmed with his fair hair
and merry smile. Indeed, though he did not forget his father, and often
asked about him, he was quite happy for a few months, surrounded by his
French friends who so dearly loved him. By this time he could read, and
every morning after he got up and had had some coffee and rolls, he
learned a little history and geography, with Gobereau, the valet's son,
as a companion in his studies. When these were finished, an Italian
master came and taught him the Italian names of the things in the room
and short sentences, and _he_ was followed by a German, whom the child
did not like as well. After the German took leave of him, his playtime
began, and he had great games at soldiers with himself and Fanny
Soufflot on one side, and his little uncle the Archduke Francis and
Gobereau on the other. From his earliest years war had been a passion
with him; guns never frightened him, and military music made him dance
with excitement. Little though he knew of his father—for his Austrian
tutors did not encourage conversation about Napoleon—he was at any rate
aware that he had been a great general, and the older the prince grew,
the more ardently he longed to tread in his footsteps. But the
Revolution, which had given Napoleon his chance, was past and gone,
though perhaps if the Eaglet (as the prince was called) had inherited
his father's genius, he would have made an opportunity for himself. But
he had not genius, only ambition; and the circumstances of his life were
against him.
One March morning the news flashed through Europe that Napoleon had
landed in France from Elba, and that with every fresh day many thousands
joined his standard. Not for one moment did Marie Louise think of
joining him, or of watching with any feeling but that of dismay the
struggle which was yet to come. Her child was hurriedly removed from
Schönbrunn into Vienna itself, so that he should run no risk of being
carried off by his father's friends. To make all safer, his grandfather,
Francis II., ordered Madame de Montesquiou to deliver the boy to him,
and to return at once to her own country, though as a matter of fact she
was kept in a sort of confinement till the battle of Waterloo had
decided the fate of Napoleon and his son.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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