MADAME DE STAEL.

323

passage of the troops, while they themselves stood ina balcony which commanded the high road. It wasmid winter, but the weather was clear : the alps werereflected in the lake at their feet, while the sound ofmilitary music alone broke the silence of the scene.Madame de Stael ’s heart beat with fear for her father’ssake. Her vivid imagination painted, her impetuousheart anticipated, a thousand horrors which transportedher with terror. She perceived an officer quit a troopon its way, and direct his steps towards the chateau,—it was Suchet. He came charged by the directory tooffer a safeguard to her father. Thus re-assured withregard to the dearest interest of her life, she began tofeel fresh anguish for the Swiss , attacked thus againstthe law of nations. She heard at Coppet the cannon ofthe battle between the Bernese and French ; — herheart, for the first time, was against the latter. As soonas the triumph of France united Geneva to its ownterritory, it became necessary that Necker’s name shouldbe erased from the list of emigrants. Madame de Stael visited Paris , and presented a memorial from her fatherto the directory. His request was accorded instantlyand unanimously; and his daughter, so much moreeasily moved to kindly than angry emotions, felt gratefulfor this act of simple justice. She endeavoured also totreat with the French government for the payment ofthe two millions of francs which Necker had depositedin the public treasury. The directory acknowledged thedebt, and were ready to defray it from the property ofthe church. Necker refused so to be repaid, fromthe noble motive of not choosing to mingle his worldlyinterests in the great question of the revolution, and soto forfeit the reputation for impartiality by which helaid store.

Madame de Stael witnessed, in Paris , the 18th Bru- 1799 .maire, when Bonaparte overthrew the power of the direc- AStat .tory and established his own supremacy. Her feelings 3;i -were much divided: if the jacobins triumphed, sanguinaryscenes might be renewed; but she anticipated with pro-'s 2