EMPRESS THEATRE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 631, 31 December 1913, Page 4

EMPRESS THEATRE.

"Hearts of the First Empire."--For reasons of State, Napoleon finds it necesasry to arrest the Count de Mauperg, whom he thinks will embarass his operations during, the Peninsular war. The Count is held as a hostage in the Royal Palace. While driving through the streets the Emperor's wife sees a girl, Beatrice Dupriel, being ill treated, and takes her to the palace to be trained as a maid of honour. The girl is not used to the ways of the court and is the occasion of much ridicule, but her part is taken by the Count de Mauperg, who sympathises with her. In time Beatrice loses all her strangeness and becomes popular, oven the Emperor suing for her favour. She treats everyone with indifference excepting the Count de Maupperg. The time comes for the Count to return home and he iB allowed a passport by Napoleon. On the eve of his departure he receives a note commanding him to slay the Emperor before leaving Paris. The note is intercepted by a spy and taken to the Emperor, but Beatrice, realising the Count's danger, kills the spy, dresses in his uniform and aids the Count to escape. She leaveß a note for Napoleon, in which she says, "I have killed a rogue, outwitted tho Emperor, and won a husband. Forgivo mo. Sire." The Emperor is not at all displeased that the lovers are outside his jurisdiction.