a room that he had had prepared for him; but before going out, Murat put
his hand in his pocket and pulled out a handful of gold and let it fall
in a shower in the midst of the gaol.

"See," he said, turning towards the prisoners, "it shall not be said that
you have received a visit from a king, prisoner and crownless as he is,
without having received largesse."

"Long live Joachim!" cried the prisoners.

Murat smiled bitterly. Those same words repeated by the same number of
voices an hour before in the public square, instead of resounding in the
prison, would have made him King of Naples.

The most important events proceed sometimes from such mere trifles, that
it seems as if God and the devil must throw dice for the life or death of
men, for the rise or fall of empires.

Murat followed Commander Mattei: he led him to a little room which the
porter had put at his disposal. Mattei was going to retire when Murat
called him back.

"Commander," he said, "I want a scented bath."

"Sire, it will be difficult to obtain."

"Here are fifty ducats; let someone buy all the eau de Cologne that can
be obtained. Ah--and let some tailors be sent to me."

"It will be impossible to find anyone here capable of making anything but