Some days later, the Prince of Hohenzollern married the niece of the Grand Duke of Berg, Mademoiselle Antoinette Murat. His Majesty did for her what he had done for Mademoiselle de Tascher, and was present also with the Empress at the ball given by the Grand Duke of Berg on the occasion of this marriage, the honors of which were done by the Princess Caroline.

This was a noticeable winter in Paris, by reason of the great number of entertainments and balls that were given. I have said already that the Emperor had a sort of aversion for balls, and especially for masked balls, which he thought the most ridiculous things in the world. On this point he was nearly always at war with the Empress. One day, however, he yielded to the urgent solicitations of M. de Marescalchi, the Italian ambassador, who was renowned for his magnificent balls, at which the most distinguished persons in the State were present. These brilliant reunions took place in a hall which the ambassador had had built expressly for this purpose, and decorated with extraordinary richness and profusion. His Majesty consented to honor by his presence a masked ball to be given by the ambassador, which was to outshine all the others.

In the morning the Emperor called me and said: "Constant, I have concluded to dance this evening at the Italian ambassador's; during the day I want you to take ten complete costumes to the apartment he has prepared for me." I obeyed, and in the evening I went with His Majesty to M. de Marescalchi's. I dressed him as well as I could in a black domino, and tried to make him entirely unrecognizable. Everything went well enough in spite of many observations made by the Emperor concerning the absurdity of a disguise, the bad shape given by a domino, etc. But when it came to changing his shoes, he refused absolutely, notwithstanding all I could say; hence he was recognized as soon as he entered the ball. He went straight up to a mask, his hands behind his back, as usual; he wanted to get up an intrigue, and at the first question he asked, he was called Sire in response. . . . Disappointed, he turned brusquely away, and came back to me: "You were right, Constant, I have been recognized. . . . Bring me some brodekins and another costumer." I shod him with brodekins, and disguised him anew, advising him to let his arms hang down if he did not wish to be known at the first glance. His Majesty promised to observe on all points what he called my instructions. But scarcely had he entered in his new costume, when he was accosted by a lady who, seeing him with his hands still crossed behind his back, said to him: "Sire, you are recognized." The Emperor dropped his arms at once; but it was too late, and everybody was already keeping at a respectful distance so that he might pass. He returned once more to his apartment, and took a third costume, promising me to pay attention to his gestures, his gait, and offering to bet that he would not be recognized. This time, in fact, he went into the hall as if it were a barrack, pushing and jostling all around him; and in spite of that, some one again whispered in his ear: "Your Majesty is recognized." New disappointment, new change of costume, new advice on my part, new promises on his, the same result; until at last His Majesty left the house of the ambassador, convinced that he could not disguise himself, and that the Emperor was recognizable under no matter what disguise.

The next evening at supper, the Prince de Neufchâtel, the Duc de Treviso, the Duc de Frioul, and several officers being present, the Emperor told the story of his disguises, and joked a good deal about his lack of skill. In speaking of the young lady who had recognized him the night before, and who, it seems, had greatly perplexed him: "Would you believe, gentlemen," said he, "that I never could recognize that hussy?"

It was the carnival time. The Empress expressed her wish to be present once at the masked ball at the Opéra. She begged the Emperor to take her, but he refused, in spite of all the tender and persuasive things she could say. It is known with what grace she could surround an entreaty, but all was in vain; the Emperor said distinctly that he would not go. "Very well, I will go without you." "As you please;" and the Emperor went away.

That evening, at the appointed hour, the Empress started for the ball. The Emperor, who wished to surprise her, sent for one of her women and asked for an exact description of the costume of the Empress. Then he told me to dress him in a domino, and getting into a carriage bearing no escutcheon, along with the grand marshal of the palace, a superior officer, and me, he set off for the Opéra. On reaching the private entrance for the members of the Emperor's household, we experienced many difficulties on the part of the doorkeeper, who would not let us pass without making me state my name and condition. "Are these gentlemen with you?" "You see perfectly well that they are."—"Pardon, M. Constant, it is because, you see, on days like this, there are always persons who try to get in without paying."—"That's good! that's good!" and the Emperor laughed heartily at the remarks of the old woman. At last we went in. Having entered the ball-room, we promenaded in couples, I giving my arm to the Emperor, who, while thee-ing and thou-ing me, recommended me to do the same to him. We had given ourselves fictitious names. The Emperor was called Auguste, the Duc de Frioul, François, the superior officer, whose name escapes me, Charles, and I, Joseph. Whenever His Majesty perceived a domino like that described by the chambermaid of the Empress, he would press my arm hard, and ray: "Is it she?" "No, Si—, no, Auguste," I would invariably really, checking myself; for it was impossible for me to grow used to addressing the Emperor otherwise than as Sire or Your Majesty. As I have already said, he had very expressly recommended me to thee and thou him; but he had to remind me of it every moment, for respect tied my tongue every time I was about to say thou. . . . At last, after turning in every direction, visiting every nook and corner of the hall, the lobby, the boxes, etc., examining all, picking each costume to pieces, His Majesty, no more able to find the Empress than we were, began to be very uneasy, though I contrived to quiet him by saying that Her Majesty the Empress had doubtless gone to change her costume. Just as I was speaking, a domino came up and attached herself to the Emperor, talking, teasing, and tormenting him in every way, and with such vivacity that Auguste scarcely knew what he was about. I should never be able to give a just idea of the laughable character of His Majesty's embarrassment. The domino, who noticed it, redoubled her freaks and epigrams until, thinking it was time to have done with them, she vanished in the crowd.

The Emperor was stung to the quick; he would have no more of it, and we went home. Next morning, on seeing the Empress, he said: "Well! so you were not at the Opéra ball last night!" "Yes, really, I was there."—"Come, come!" "I assure you that I went there. And you, my dear, what were you doing all the evening?"—"I was working." "Oh! that is singular! I saw at the ball a domino who had the same foot and hand as you; I took him for you, and talked to him in consequence." The Emperor shouted with laughter on learning that he had been taken for a dupe, and that the Empress, at the moment of starting for the ball, had changed her costume because she did not think the first one sufficiently elegant.

The carnival was extremely brilliant that year. There were all sorts of masquerades at Paris. The funniest were those in which game was made of the system then taught by the famous Doctor Gall. I saw passing on the Place du Carrousel a troop composed of mummers, harlequins, fishwomen, etc., all feeling their heads and performing a thousand monkey-tricks. A merry-Andrew carried a number of pasteboard skulls of different sizes and colors, blue, red, green, with these inscriptions: Skull of a robber, Skull of an assassin; Skull of a bankrupt, etc. A mask representing Doctor Gall was mounted on a donkey, with his head toward the animal's tail, and received wigged heads crowned with quitch-grass from the hands of a stork-mother who followed him, also seated on a donkey.

Her Imperial Highness the Princess Caroline gave a masked ball at which the Emperor and Empress were present; it was one of the most beautiful fêtes that was ever seen. The opera of the Vestal was new at the time, and very much in vogue; it gave the notion of a quadrille of priests and vestals, who made their entry to the sound of delightful music from flutes and harps. Along with this were enchanters, a Swiss wedding, a Tyrolese betrothal, etc. All of the costumes displayed an astonishing splendor and correctness. In the apartments of the palace was a magazine of costumes, so that the dancers could change their dress four or five times during the night, and thus renew the appearance of the ball as many times.

While I was dressing the Emperor for this ball, he said to me: "Constant, you are to come along with me, but in disguise. Take any costume you choose, arrange yourself so as not to be recognized, and I will give you your instructions." I made haste to do what His Majesty desired. I put on a Swiss costume which suited me very well, and thus equipped I waited for the Emperor's orders.

What he wanted was that I should perplex and embarrass several great personages and two or three ladies, whom he described with such care and minute detail that it was impossible to mistake them. He told me some very curious and little known things concerning them which were well adapted to cause them the most acute embarrassment. I was going; the Emperor called me back: "Above all, Constant, take care not to make a mistake; don't go and confound Madame de M—— with her sister. They wear pretty nearly the same costume, but Madame de M—— is taller than her sister. Look out!" Arriving in the midst of the ball, I looked for and easily found the persons designated by His Majesty. The answers made to me amused him very much when I told them to him at his couchee.

There was a third marriage at court at this period, that of the Prince de Neufchâtel and the Princess of Bavaria. It was celebrated in the chapel of the Tuileries by Cardinal Fesch.

About this time, a traveller from the Isle of France presented the Empress with a female ape of the orang-outang species. Her Majesty gave orders to have the animal placed in the Malmaison menagerie. This ape was extremely gentle and peaceable. Her master had given her an excellent education. It was a sight worth seeing when any one approached the chair on which she was sitting, to watch her take a decent attitude, drawing over her legs and thighs the tails of a long pelisse she wore, and then rising to salute the newcomer, still keeping the pelisse closed in front of her, and, in fine, doing all that a well-bred young girl would do. She ate with a knife and fork at table, in a more cleanly fashion than many children who pass for being well brought up; while she was eating, she loved to cover her face with her napkin and then uncover it, uttering a cry of joy. Turnips were what she liked best; a lady of the palace having shown her some, she began to run, caper, turn somersaults, and, in fact, totally forget the lessons of modesty and decency given her by her professor. The Empress was in fits of laughter at seeing the ape struggling with this lady in such disordered attire.

This poor beast had an inflammation of the intestines. According to the instructions of the traveller who had brought her, she was placed in a bed, dressed like a woman, in a chemise and a short nightgown. She was careful to draw the covering up to her chin, would have nothing under her head, and kept her arms outside the clothes and her hands hidden in the sleeves of her nightgown. When persons of her acquaintance entered her room, she would incline her head and take their hands, which she pressed affectionately. She drank with avidity the infusions prescribed for her malady, because they were sweetened. One day when some one was preparing a potion of manna for her, she thought there was too much delay about it, and showed all the signs of impatience of a child, crying, moving about, throwing off her bedclothes, and finally pulling her doctor by the coat with such obstinacy that he was obliged to give in to her. As soon as she had the delightful cup in her possession, she began to drink, very slowly, with little sips, showing all the sensuality of a "astronomer who lingers over a glass of very old and well-perfumed wine; then she gave back the cup and lay down again.

It is impossible to imagine all the gratitude this poor animal testified for the care taken of her. The Empress was very fond of her.