One of the rules of Brienne school was that each pupil should know something about agriculture. To illustrate, each one of the 150 boys had a little garden-spot set aside for him to cultivate and keep in order.

Some of the boys did this from choice, and because they loved to watch things grow; but many of them were careless, and had no love for fruit or flowers; so while some of the garden-plots were well kept, others were neglected.

Napoleon was glad of this garden-plot, for it gave him something which he could call his own. He cared for it faithfully; but he wished to make it even more secluded. He remembered his dear grotto at Ajaccio and studied over a plan to make his garden-plot a real retreat.

But it was not large enough. He looked about. The boys to whom belonged the garden-plots on either side of him were careless and neglectful. Their gardens received no attention; they were overgrown.

“I will take them,” said Napoleon; “what one cannot care for, another must.”

So the boy went systematically to work to “annex” his neighbors’ kingdoms, and make from the 3 plots one ample retreat for himself. He cut down the separating borders and, in the centre of the paths and flower-beds he put up a seat and a little summer-bower for his pleasure.

It took some time to get this into shape, of course. When he had completed it, and was beginning to enjoy it, the owners of the plots he had confiscated awoke to a sense of their loss and the excellent garden-spot this young Corsican had made for them.

When the dispossessed boys demanded their property, he refused it; when they spoke of their rights, he laughed at them; and when they attempted to enter the garden by force, he fell upon them, drove them flying from the field…

… and pommelled them so soundly that they judged discretion to be the better part of valor, and made no further attempt to disturb the conqueror.