He stood, leaning upon his black ebony stick, with his bulky
shoulders stooping forward, and an amused smile upon his face, as if the
most innocent of compliments had been addressed to him. One of his few
titles to respect is that he always met Napoleon upon equal terms, and
never condescended to fawn upon him or to flatter him.
'You think I should desert you, Sire, if your enemies offered me more
than you have given me?'
'I am perfectly sure that you would.'
'Well, really I cannot answer for myself, Sire, until the offer has been
made. But it will have to be a very large one. You see, apart from my
very nice hotel in the Rue St. Florentin, and the two hundred thousand
or so which you are pleased to allow me, there is my position as the
first minister in Europe. Really, Sire, unless they put me on the
throne I cannot see how I can better my position.'
'No, I think I have you pretty safe,' said Napoleon, looking hard at him
with thoughtful eyes. 'By the way, Talleyrand, you must either marry
Madame Grand or get rid of her, for I cannot have a scandal about the
Court.
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