Paul's as readily as he did the Mosque at
Cairo; but it would not do for a ruler to be a bigot. After all, the
Emperor has to think for all.'
'He thinks too much,' said Caulaincourt, gravely. 'He thinks so much
that other people in France are getting out of the way of thinking at
all. You know what I mean, de Meneval, for you have seen it as much as
I have.'
'Yes, yes,' answered the secretary. 'He certainly does not encourage
originality among those who surround him. I have heard him say many a
time that he desired nothing but mediocrity, which was a poor
compliment, it must be confessed, to us who have the honour of serving
him.'
'A clever man at his Court shows his cleverness best by pretending to be
dull,' said Caulaincourt, with some bitterness.
'And yet there are many famous characters there,' I remarked.
'If so, it is only by concealing their characters that they remain
there. His ministers are clerks, his generals are superior
aides-de-camp. They are all agents. You have this wonderful man in the
middle, and all around you have so many mirrors which reflect different
sides of him.
Pages:
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164