I would as soon have thought of being cheerful in Abraham's bosom as in the palace of an Emperor.

I supposed that Emperors were terrible people.

I thought they never did any thing but wear magnificent crowns and red velvet dressing-gowns with dabs of wool sewed on them in spots, and sit on thrones and scowl at the flunkies and the people in the parquette, and order Dukes and Duchesses off to execution.

I find, however, that when one is so fortunate as to get behind the scenes and see them at home and in the privacy of their firesides, they are strangely like common mortals.

They are pleasanter to look upon then than they are in their theatrical aspect.