The Man of Destiny

from memory, occasionally marking the position of the forces by taking a grapeskin from his mouth and planting it on the map with his thumb like a wafer. He has a supply of writing materials before him mixed up in disorder with the dishes and cruets; and his long hair gets sometimes into the risotto gravy and sometimes into the ink.

Giuseppe	Will your excellency⁠—
Napoleon	Intent on his map, but cramming himself mechanically with his left hand. Don’t talk. I’m busy.
Giuseppe	With perfect good humor. Excellency: I obey.
Napoleon	Some red ink.
Giuseppe	Alas! excellency, there is none.
Napoleon	With Corsican facetiousness. Kill something and bring me its blood.
Giuseppe	Grinning. There is nothing but your excellency’s horse, the sentinel, the lady upstairs, and my wife.
Napoleon	Kill your wife.
Giuseppe	Willingly, your excellency; but unhappily I am not strong enough. She would kill me.
Napoleon	That will do equally well.
Giuseppe	Your excellency does me too much honor. Stretching his hand toward the flask. Perhaps some wine will answer your excellency’s purpose.
Napoleon	Hastily protecting the flask, and becoming quite serious. Wine! No: that would be waste. You are all the same: waste! waste! waste! He marks the map with gravy, using his fork as a pen. Clear away. He finishes his wine; pushes back his chair; and uses his napkin, stretching his legs and leaning back, but still frowning and thinking.
Giuseppe	Clearing the table and removing the things to a tray on the sideboard. Every man to his trade, excellency. We innkeepers have plenty of cheap wine: we think nothing of spilling it. You great generals have plenty of cheap blood: you think nothing of spilling it. Is it not so, excellency?
Napoleon	Blood costs nothing: wine costs money. He rises and goes to the fireplace.
Giuseppe	They say you are careful of everything except human life, excellency.
Napoleon	Human life, my friend, is the only thing that takes care of itself. He throws himself at his ease on the couch.
Giuseppe	Admiring him. Ah, excellency, what fools we all are beside you! If I could only find out the secret of your success!
Napoleon	You would make yourself Emperor of Italy, eh?
Giuseppe	Too troublesome, excellency: I leave all that to you. Besides, what would become of my inn if I were Emperor? See how you enjoy looking on at me whilst I keep the inn for you and wait on you! Well, I shall enjoy looking on at you whilst you become Emperor of Europe, and govern the country for me. Whilst he chatters, he takes the cloth off without removing the map and inkstand, and takes the corners in his hands and the middle of the edge in his mouth, to fold it up.
Napoleon	Emperor of Europe, eh? Why only Europe?
Giuseppe	Why, indeed? Emperor of the world, excellency! Why not? He folds and rolls up the cloth, emphasizing his phrases by the steps of the process. One man is like another fold: one country is like another fold: one battle is like another. At the last fold, he slaps the cloth on the table and deftly rolls it up, adding, by way of peroration, Conquer one: conquer all. He takes the cloth to the sideboard, and puts it in a drawer.
Napoleon	And govern for all; fight for all; be everybody’s servant under cover of being everybody’s master: Giuseppe.
Giuseppe	At the sideboard. Excellency.
Napoleon	I forbid you to talk to me about myself.
Giuseppe	Coming to the foot of the couch. Pardon. Your excellency is so unlike other great men. It is the subject they like best.
Napoleon	Well, talk to me about the subject they like next best, whatever that may be.
Giuseppe	Unabashed. Willingly, your excellency. Has your excellency by any chance caught a glimpse of the lady upstairs?
	Napoleon promptly sits up and looks at him with an interest which entirely justifies the implied epigram.
Napoleon	How old is she?
Giuseppe	The right age, excellency.
Napoleon	Do you mean seventeen or thirty?
Giuseppe	Thirty, excellency.
Napoleon	Good-looking?
Giuseppe	I cannot see with your excellency’s eyes: every man must judge that for himself. In my opinion, excellency, a fine figure of a lady. Slyly. Shall I lay the table for her collation here?
Napoleon	Brusquely, rising. No: lay nothing here until the officer for whom I am waiting comes back. He looks at his watch, and takes to walking to and fro between the fireplace and the vineyard.
Giuseppe	With conviction. Excellency: believe me, he has been captured by the accursed Austrians. He dare not keep you waiting if he were at liberty.
Napoleon	Turning at the edge of the shadow of the veranda. Giuseppe: if that turns out to be true, it will put me into such a temper that nothing short of hanging you and your whole household, including the lady upstairs, will satisfy me.
Giuseppe	We are all cheerfully at your excellency’s disposal, except the lady. I cannot answer for her; but no lady could resist you, General.
Napoleon	Sourly, resuming his march. Hm! You will never be hanged. There is no satisfaction in hanging a man who does not object to it.
Giuseppe	Sympathetically. Not the least in the world, excellency: is there? Napoleon again looks at his watch, evidently growing anxious. Ah, one can see that you are a great man, General: you know how to wait. If it were a corporal now, or a sublieutenant, at the end of three minutes he would be swearing, fuming, threatening, pulling the house about our ears.
Napoleon	Giuseppe: your flatteries are insufferable. Go and talk outside. He sits down again at the table, with his jaws in his hands, and his elbows propped on the map, poring over it with a troubled expression.
Giuseppe	Willingly, your excellency. You shall not be disturbed. He takes up the tray and prepares to withdraw.
Napoleon	The moment he comes back, send him to me.
Giuseppe	Instantaneously, your excellency.
A Lady’s Voice	Calling from some distant part of