As soon as Jerome Bonaparte left the platform of Fort Saint Jean and stepped onto Canabière Avenue, known as the Little Champs-Élysées, he attracted the attention of the crowds coming and going on the avenue. People stopped just to take another look at this "legendary figure" who seemed to have walked out of a gold coin.
[The Napoleon gold coin features a bust of Napoleon, whose profile is remarkably similar to Jerome Bonaparte's facial features.]
The eyes of the people on the street showed curiosity, surprise, and even confusion. They couldn't imagine how a man long dead for decades could once again appear in France.
Jerome Bonaparte didn't speak. He smiled at all the people on the street and walked slowly on the slightly damp road, his black riding boots making a clattering sound on the ground, as if tapping into the hearts of every resident who had heard the legendary stories of Napoleon.
