The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 9, May, 1835Various
History
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 9, May, 1835
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
mischievous urchin himself, treading upon roses, is placed in the
centre, and on the pedestal beneath him, this vindictive couplet is
inscribed:
Il l'est, le fut, ou le doit être,
Qui que ce soit, voici ton Maitre.
We quitted the shades of Malmaison with regret, and proceeded to the
neighboring village of Ruelle to visit the tomb of Josephine in the
church there, where her ashes repose. The monument is of white marble,
and was erected to her memory by Eugene Beauharnais, her son. On its
summit she is represented clad in a folding robe with a diadem on her
head, and kneeling before an open breviary. It is a handsome tribute
of filial love.
Near Ruelle is a chateau that once belonged to Cardinal Richelieu, and
since then to Marshal Massena, whose widow still inhabits it.[1] Being
informed that the family were absent and that it was customary for
strangers to visit this sojourn of those distinguished men, we drove
there; and, alighting from our carriages, were demanding permission of
a person in the yard to see the mansion and its grounds, when a lady
suddenly made her appearance, and we had the mortification to find
that we were intruding on the privacy of Madame Massena herself. We
immediately explained our mistake, and would have come away but she
insisted on our entering, and was so polite that we could not refuse.
The chateau is very plain, and furnished with corresponding
simplicity. In front of it is a limpid sheet of water, and behind it a
pleasant garden, where we wandered awhile and then took leave,
gratified with our adventure, awkward as it was at the commencement.
[Footnote 1: This lady is since dead. She died soon afterwards.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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