"I am sorry, madame," said the General, "but the expenses of my
Italian tour have been very great, and I am penniless. I will,
however, assist you to the full extent of my power. Here are three
collars and a dress-shirt. If you will launder them I will wear them
to the state ball to-morrow evening, and will tell all my rich and
influential friends who did them up, and if you wish I will send you
a letter saying that I patronized your laundry once two years ago,
and have since used no other."

These anecdotes, unimportant in themselves, are valuable in that they
refute the charges made against General Bonaparte at this time--
first, that he returned from Egypt with a fortune, and, second, that
he carried himself with a hauteur which rendered him unapproachable.

For various reasons the projected invasion of England was abandoned,
and the expedition to Egypt was substituted. This pleased Napoleon
equally as well.

"I wasn't stuck on the English invasion, anyhow," he said, in writing
to Joseph. "In the first place, they wanted me to go in October,
when the London season doesn't commence until spring, and, in the
second place, I hate fogs and mutton-chops. Egypt is more to my
taste. England would enervate me. Egypt, with the Desert of Sahara
in its backyard, will give me plenty of sand, and if you knew what
projects I have in mind--which, of course, you don't, for you never
knew anything, my dear Joseph--you'd see how much of that I need."

The Directory were quite as glad to have Napoleon go to Egypt as he
was to be sent. Their jealousy of him was becoming more painful to
witness every day.