Introduction
Antoine, Comte de Lavalette, had been Napoleon’s Adjutant, and his wife Émilie had been maid of honour to Josephine. After Napoleon’s fall, Antoine was arrested by the Ultra-Royalists and on November 21st, 1815, sentenced to death. He realised that hopes of a reprieve were an illusion when a female warder burst into his room weeping and kissed his Legion d’Honneur medal. Émilie had already reached the same melancholy conclusion.
MY wife came at six o’clock to dine with me.* She brought with her a relation, Mademoiselle Dubourg. When we were alone, she said: “It appears but too certain that we have nothing to hope; we must therefore, my dear, take a resolution, and this is what I propose to you. At eight o’clock you shall go out dressed in my clothes, and accompanied by my cousin. You shall step into my sedan-chair, which will carry you to the Rue des Saints-Peres, where you will find M. Baudus with a cabriolet, who will conduct you to a retreat he has prepared for you, and where you may await without danger a favourable opportunity of leaving France.”
I listened to her and looked at her in silence. Her manner was calm, and her voice firm. She appeared so convinced of the success of her plan, that it was some time before I dared to reply. I looked, however, upon the whole as a mad undertaking. I was at last obliged to tell her so; but she interrupted me at the first word by saying: “I will hear of no objections. I die if you die. Do not therefore reject my plan. I know it will succeed. I feel that God supports me!”
* Émilie de Beauharnais, comtesse de Lavalette (1781–1855), was dame d’atour (maid of honour) to her cousin, Empress Joséphine (Beauharnais) of France; Napoleon annulled his marriage to Josephine on January 10th, 1810. Émilie had married Antoine Marie Chamans (1769-1830), comte de Lavalette, in 1798. The Count was confined in the Conciergerie, a courthouse and prison (now a museum) on the Île de la Cité, little more than a stone’s throw from Notre Dame.
Précis
In 1815, following the downfall of Napoleon, one of his generals, the Comte de Lavalette, was condemned to death by the royalists. On the night before sentence was to be carried out, his wife Émilie visited his prison cell and proposed an escape plan. When he had recovered his breath, the Count began to raise objections but Émilie would not listen. (61 / 60 words)
In 1815, following the downfall of Napoleon, one of his generals, the Comte de Lavalette, was condemned to death by the royalists. On the night before sentence was to be carried out, his wife Émilie visited his prison cell and proposed an escape plan. When he had recovered his breath, the Count began to raise objections but Émilie would not listen.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: if, just, may, must, otherwise, unless, until, who.
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