In truth, he was at first disposed to oust both Sieyes and Barras from the Directory.

The latter of these men was odious to him for reasons both private and public.

In time past he had had good reasons for suspecting Josephine's relations with the voluptuous Director, and with the men whom she met at his house.

During the Egyptian campaign his jealousy had been fiercely roused in another quarter, and, as we have seen, led to an almost open breach with his wife.

But against Barras he still harboured strong suspicions; and the frequency of his visits to the Director's house after returning from Egypt was doubtless due to his desire to sound the depths of his private as well as of his public immorality.