Not to theatres or balls , however , for heated rooms were bad for Laddie , but pleasant trips out of the city in the bright spring weather , quiet strolls in the gardens , moonlight concerts in the Champs Elysées ; or , best of all , long talks with music in the little red salon , with the gas turned low , and the ever-changing scenes of the Rue de Rivoli under the balcony . Never were pleasures more cheaply purchased or more thoroughly enjoyed , for our hearts were as light as our purses , and our ` little economies ' gave zest to our amusements . Joseph and Napoleon sometimes joined us , and I felt in my element with the three invalid soldier boys , for Napoleon still limped with a wound received in the war , Joseph had never recovered from his two years ' imprisonment in an Austrian dungeon , and Laddie 's loyalty might yet cost him his life . Thanks to them , I discovered a joke played upon me by my ' polisson ' . He told me to call him ` ma drogha , ' saying it meant ` my friend , ' in Polish . I innocently did so , and he seemed to find great pleasure in it , for his eyes always laughed when I said it . Using it one day before the other lads , I saw a queer twinkle in their eyes , and suspecting mischief , demanded the real meaning of the words . Laddie tried to silence them , but the joke was too good to keep , and I found to my dismay that I had been calling him ` my darling ' in the tenderest manner . How the three rascals shouted , and what a vain struggle it was to try and preserve my dignity when Laddie clasped his hands and begged pardon , explaining that jokes were necessary to his health , and he never meant me to know the full baseness of this ` pleasantrie ! ' I revenged myself by giving him some bad English for his translation , and telling him of it just as I left Paris . It was not all fun with my boy , however ; he had his troubles , and in spite of his cheerfulness he knew what heartache was . Walking in the quaint garden of the Luxembourg one day , he confided to me the little romance of his life . A very touching little romance as he told it , with eloquent eyes and voice and frequent pauses for breath . I can not give his words , but the simple facts were these : -- He had grown up with a pretty cousin , and at eighteen was desperately in love with her . She returned his affection , but they could not be happy , for her father wished her to marry a richer man . In Poland , to marry without the consent of parents is to incur lasting disgrace ; so Leonore obeyed , and the young pair parted . This had been a heavy sorrow to Laddie , and he rushed into the war , hoping to end his trouble . ` Do you ever hear from your cousin ? ' I asked , as he walked beside me , looking sadly down the green aisles where kings and queens had loved and parted years ago . ' I only know that she suffers still , for she remembers .
Her husband submits to the Russians , and I despise him as I have no XXXXX to tell ; ' and he clenched his hands with the flash of the eye and sudden kindling of the whole face that made him handsome .
Elysées English Napoleon Paris Poland Rivoli baseness day polisson years