SECRET MEMOIRS

William II and Francis Joseph

VOLUME I

[Illustration: _WILLIAM II EMPEROR OF GERMANY__From Life_]

SECRET MEMOIRSOF THECOURTS OF EUROPE

William II_Germany_

Francis Joseph_Austria Hungary_

BY

MME. LA MARQUISE DE FONTENOY

IN TWO VOLUMES

VOL. I

ILLUSTRATED

1900

PUBLISHERS' NOTE

The essential qualifications for an author of such a work as thepresent are an actual acquaintance with the persons mentioned, anintimate knowledge of their daily lives, and a personal familiaritywith the scenes described. 

The author of William II. And Francis-Joseph, sheltered under the _nomde plume_ of Marquise de Fontenoy, is a lady of distinguished birthand title. Her work consists largely of personal reminiscences, anddescriptions of events with which she is perfectly familiar; a sort ofpanoramic view of the characteristic happenings and striking featuresof court life, such as will best give a true picture of persons andtheir conduct. 

There has been no attempt to trammel the subject, --which embracesreligious, official, social and domestic life, --by following astrictly sequential form in the narrative, but the writer's aim hasbeen to present her facts in a familiar way, impressing them withcharacteristic naturalness and lifelike reality. 

To this task the author has brought the habits of a watchful observer, the candor of a conscientious narrator, and the refinement of awriter who respects her subject. Hence she presents a true, vividand interesting picture of court life in Germany and Austria. If suchmerely sensational, and too often fictitious, unsavory tales as crowdthe so-called court narratives expressly concocted for the "society"columns of the periodical press are not the most prominent featuresof the present work, it is because they receive only a truthfulrecognition and place in its pages. 

WILLIAM II

AND

FRANCIS-JOSEPH

CHAPTER I

"If only Emperor William would be true to himself--be natural, in fact!" exclaimed Count S----, a Prussian nobleman, high in thediplomatic service of his country, with whom I was discussing theGerman Emperor a year or so ago. Then my friend, who had, a shorttime previously, been brought into frequent personal contact with hissovereign, in connection with his official duties, went on to say:

"There are really two distinct characters, one might almost saytwo personalities, in the kaiser. When he is himself he is the mostcharming companion that it is possible to conceive. His manners are asgenial and as winning as those of his father and grandfather, bothof whom he surpasses in brilliancy of intellect, and in quicknessof repartee, as well as in a keen sense of humor. He gives onethe impression of possessing a heart full of the most generousimpulses, --aye, of a generosity carried even to excess, and this, together with a species of indescribable magnetism which appears toradiate from him in these moments, contributes to render him a mostsympathetic man. "

"But, " interposed an Englishman who was present, "that is not how heis portrayed to the outer world. Nor is that the impression which hemade upon me and upon others when he was at Cowes. "

"That is precisely why I deplore so much that the emperor shouldfail to appear in his true colors, " continued Count S----. "Allthe qualities which I have just now ascribed to him are too oftenconcealed beneath a mantle of reserve, self-consciousness, nay, even pose. During my recent interviews with his majesty, whenever wehappened to be alone, he would show himself in the light which Ihave just described to you. But let a third person appear upon thescene--be it even a mere servant--at once his entire manner wouldchange. The magnetic current so pleasantly established between uswould be cut through, his eyes would lose their kindly, friendlylight, and become hard, his attitude self-conscious and constrained, the very tone of his speech sharp, abrupt, commanding, I would almostsay arrogant. In fact he would give one the impression that he wasplaying a rôle--the rôle of emperor--that he was, in one word, posing, even if it were only for the benefit of the menial who had interruptedus. But when the intruder had vanished, William would, like a flash, become his own charming self again. That is what made me exclaim justnow, 'if only the kaiser would be true to himself!--be natural, infact. '"

"I fully agree with you, my dear S----, " I remarked, after a shortpause. "If the emperor has remained anything like what he was priorto his ascension to the throne, your estimate of his character iscorrect. " And I went on to relate a little incident which occurred onthe occasion of my first meeting with the emperor many years ago. 

This meeting took place on that particular spot where the empires ofGermany, Austria, and Russia may be said to meet, the frontier guardsof each of those three nations being within hail of one another. The great autumnal military manoeuvres were in progress, and a merryparty, including a number of ladies, were riding home from the mimicbattlefield. We passed through a narrow lane, bordered on each side bygroups of stunted willows and birch trees, under the sparse shadow ofwhich nestled a few cottages painted in blue, pink, or yellow, intrue Polish fashion. Suddenly our progress was arrested by terrifyingscreams proceeding from one of these hovels. Several of us were out ofour saddles in an instant and rushed in at the low door. 

Before the hearth, where a huge peat-fire was burning, stood a youngpeasant woman, her face distorted with agonized grief, and holding inher arms a bundle of blackened rags. We found that her baby had falleninto the glowing embers, while she herself was occupied out of doors, and the poor mite was so badly burned that there seemed but littlehope of its ever reviving from its state of almost complete coma. Wewere all busying ourselves eagerly about the child and its distraughtmother, when raising my eyes from the palpitating form of the child, I caught sight of "Prince William, " as the kaiser was then called, standing near the door, apparently quite undisturbed and unmoved bythis tragedy in lowly life. It even seemed to me in the dim light asif he were smiling derisively at our efforts to relieve the sufferingsof the little one, and to soothe the grief of its mother. But myindignation vanished quickly when a slanting ray of the setting sun, piercing through the grime of the little window, revealed the presenceon his cheek of two very large and _bona-fide_ tears, which hadwelled up in his eyes, to which the lad was endeavoring to impart anexpression of callous indifference; and when at last we left the hutto seek a doctor for the tiny sufferer it was Prince William's ownmilitary coat, none too new, and even, to say the truth, much worn, that remained as an additional coverlet upon the roughly-hewn woodencot, over which the sobbing mother was bending. 

"Nobody, " I added, "will, therefore, make me believe that EmperorWilliam has not got a very soft spot in his heart, and that beneaththe mannerisms which he considers it necessary to affect in order tomaintain the dignity of his position as emperor, --those mannerismswhich have given rise to so much misapprehension about hischaracter, --there is not concealed a very kindly spirit, literallybrimming over with generous impulses, which, if more widely known, would serve to render the kaiser the most popular, as he is the mostinteresting figure of Old World royalty. "

It is because Emperor Francis-Joseph and the veteran King of Saxonyare so thoroughly acquainted with his real nature, that they are trulyand honestly fond of him. Both of them old men, with no sons in whomto seek support for the eventide of lives that have been saddened bymany a public and private sorrow, they entertain a fatherly affectionfor William, who as emperor treats them in public as brothersovereigns, and as equals, but accords to them in private the mosttouching filial deference and regard, remembering full well thekindness which both of them showed to him when he was still themuch-snubbed, and not altogether justly-treated "Prince William. " Theyon their side are led by his behavior towards them to regard him inthe light of a son. Of course they cannot be blind to his faults, butthey are disposed to treat them with an indulgence that is even morethan paternal, and to see in them relatively trivial defects, dueto the manner in which he was brought up, and which are certain todisappear with advancing years and experience. 

During his early manhood, Prince William was by no means a favoriteeither at his grandfather's court or at that of any other foreignsovereign which he was occasionally allowed to visit. Pale-faced anddelicate-looking, very severely treated by his mother, who is what oneis bound to call _une maîtresse femme_, the boy at seventeen was by nomanner of means prepossessing, and his efforts to assert himself, andto crush down a good deal of natural awkwardness and timidity added tohis singularly unlikeable appearance. 

In those days it could clearly be seen that everything that he did orsaid was meant to create an impression of dignity and of grandeur, towhich his physique did not lend itself very easily, and the contrastbetween him and his bosom friend the courteous, graceful and dashingCrown Prince of Austria, was very marked. 

Good-hearted and endowed with a great many truly generous instinctsthe young fellow was, however, sorely handicapped by his education, the abnormal strictness displayed towards him at the Court of Berlin, and also by a continually and most distressingly empty purse. It is ahard and almost pitiful thing for the heir apparent of a great empireto find himself often without the necessary amount with which to cutthe figure which his social rank forces him to adopt, and it must havebeen especially galling to the overbearing and proud nature of thisboy to be continually obliged to borrow from his friends, nay evenfrom his _aides de camp_, small sums wherewith to pay his way whereverhe went. Nevertheless his father and mother, then Crown Prince andCrown Princess of Germany, believed it to be a thoroughly wholesomething for the young man to have to humble his pride, should he not becontent with the very small allowance made to him, this unfortunateidea being, however, the cause of a great deal of bitterness, which tothis day has not completely faded from the heart of the now omnipotentruler of the German Empire. 

It is undeniable that many eccentricities and false moves on the partof William II. Have been grossly exaggerated and placed before thepublic in a false light, showing him up as a conceited, bumptiousand silly person, whereas not only his state of health, but his_entourage_ should have been blamed for whatever he did that was outof place. During a great many years the young prince suffered fromwhat is called technically _otitis media_, namely, a disease of themiddle ear, very painful, exasperating and even somewhat humiliatingto endure, and which he must have inherited in some extraordinary wayfrom his great-uncle, King William IV. Of Prussia, who died insane. There are certainly some traits of resemblance between this haplessmonarch and the present occupant of the German throne, for in boththere exists and has existed the same exaggerated and narrow-mindedreligious beliefs, bordering on mysticism, and also an all-embracingfaith in their absolute and unquestionable infallibility. 

It has long since become a well-anchored creed that William II. Hasoccasional fits of insanity. This is by no means the case, but it mustbe admitted that the peculiar malady to which I referred above, andwhich is as yet not eradicated from his system, causes him, at times, days of the most excruciating pains all over the back and side of hishead, and it is scarcely surprising that at such moments the emperorshould act in a way which astonishes the uninitiated. Indeed, WilliamII. Displays extraordinary force of character in suppressing physicalagony, when the duties he owes to the state force him to come forwardwhen unfit for anything else but the sick room. 

The truth of the matter is that there are but few who can boast ofknowing him well, and the masses as well as the classes both at homeand abroad seem to take a peculiarly keen delight in accepting forgospel truth any sweeping statements made about him by the press ofall civilized countries. 

Although twenty-nine years of age when he ascended the throne on June15, 1888, he may be said to have been at that time still but a rawyouth, continually kept in the background, and treated more or lesslike a child, without any consequence or weight. It is, therefore, not remarkable that the first years of his reign should have beensignalized by many errors of judgment; for it is not with impunitythat one suddenly releases a person, locked up for years in a darkroom and drives him into dazzlingly-lighted spaces without a guide, a philosopher, or a friend by his side to lead him on the way. The mental, as well as the physical optic has to gradually becomeaccustomed to so complete a change, and this fact was not sufficientlytaken into consideration by all the detractors of the young monarch, when he, to speak very familiarly, leaped over the saddle in hisanxiety to secure for himself a firm seat on the throne of hisforefathers. 

It is well to mention also that Emperor Frederick III. , who reignedalas! but for a few weeks, was positively worshipped by the Germanpeople, and not without cause, for he was undoubtedly one of thefinest personalities of this century. His appearance, his demeanor, his unaffected dignity, kindness of heart, and loftiness of purposewere difficult to surpass, and it was a bitter disappointment to hissubjects when death snatched him away before he had had time to carryout the grand plans and ideas which he had long cherished and reservedfor the time when he would have the reins of government in his ownhands. 

Speaking with all kindness and good-will, one cannot but aftera fashion understand the disappointment of the Germans when thistowering military figure, this magnificent specimen of perfectphysical and mental manhood, vanished from their ken, to be replacedby the slender, pale-faced, somewhat arrogant and despotic young man, who resembled this father so little. 

Emperor William II. Is an extremely intelligent personage, in spiteof all that may have been said to the contrary. He thinks for himselfwhen he has a mind to do so, and, what is more, thinks logically, andis quite capable of following a thus logically-attained conclusion toits furthermost point. He feels keenly his enormous responsibilities, and the tremendous international importance of his position as theruler of over 50, 000, 000 people, for he well knows that any manwearing on his head the double crown of King of Prussia, and of GermanEmperor, is a being endowed with powers which are bound to compelattention from every point of the European Continent. Being given, asI have just remarked, that his health and his physique are neither ofthem of a kind to aid him in the tremendous task which belongs to himby right of birth, it is easily explainable that his self-assertiveways and imperious manners should often be mistaken for posing andposturing. Moreover, his imperfect left arm--a misfortune which hasbeen a source of great distress to him ever since his birth--is butanother one of those physical troubles which his pride makes himanxious to conceal, this only adding to his stilted and repellentattitude. In spite of all these drawbacks, the emperor fencesexceedingly well, rides with pluck, and even skill, managing to holdhis reins with his poor withered left hand when in uniform, in orderto keep his sword-arm free, and during his visit to Austrian Poland, which I referred to at the beginning of this chapter, I more than oncesaw him with my own eyes, whilst we were riding across country, takeobstacles which would have made a far older and more experiencedhunter pause and reflect on. 

Nobody, even the best-intentioned, can deny that Emperor William hasmany faults; those are, however, either ignored altogether, or elseexaggerated to an extent that eclipses all his good qualities, by hisvarious biographers. Very few pen-portraits of royal personages thatpass through the hands of the publishers can be said to present a truepicture of their subject. Either the writer holds up the object of hisliterary effort as a person so blameless as to suggest the idea thathe is an impossible prig, or else every piece of malevolent gossip isconstrued into a positive fact, his shortcomings magnified until theylose all touch of resemblance, while every word and action capable ofmisrepresentation is construed in the manner most detrimental to hisreputation. In one word, he is either glorified as a preposteroussaint, or else held up to public execration as an equally impossiblevillain. Now, in pictorial art, a portrait, in order to present asatisfactory and successful resemblance to its subject, must containlights and shadows. You cannot have all light, or all shadow, but itis necessary to have a judicious mixture of both. So it is with theart of biography. If one wishes to give in print a true, and aboveall, a human picture of one's subject, it is necessary to mingle theshadows with the lights. In fact, the former may be said to set offthe latter, and there are many shortcomings, especially thosewhich the French, so graphically describe as _petits vices_, --smallvices--which, resulting from a generous and impulsive temperament, serve, like the Rembrandt shadow of a portrait, to render the subjectmore attractive to the eye. 

It is my object, not to give a definitive biography of either of thetwo kaisers, or even a mere record of their _vie intime_, but ratherto present to my readers a series of incidents, full of lights andfull of shadows, showing their surroundings, describing as far aspossible the atmosphere in which they move, the conditions of lifewhich they are obliged to consider, the temptations to which theyare exposed--and to which they sometimes succumb--and when I havecompleted my task I venture to believe that the readers of thesevolumes, while they may find the two emperors neither quite soblameless, nor yet quite so bad as they expected, may neverthelessexperience a greater degree of sympathy and regard for them as beingafter all so extremely human. 

CHAPTER II

While Emperor Francis-Joseph is justly reputed to have played sadhavoc with the hearts of the fair sex in his dominions, especially inhis younger days, having inherited that frivolity with regard to womenwhich is a traditional characteristic of the illustrious House ofHapsburg, he has never at any moment during his long reign permittedhis susceptibility to feminine charms to go to the length ofinfluencing his political conduct, or the action of his government. 

Emperor William, on the other hand, whose married life has been, froma domestic point of view, singularly blameless, and who has beenan exceptionally faithful husband, has, in at least two instances, permitted himself to be swayed in his rôle of sovereign by ladies, who for a time figured as his "Egerias. " One of them was a woman ofextraordinary cleverness, and an American by birth, who while she haslong since ceased to exercise any influence upon him, has retained theaffection and the regard of both his consort and himself. She is theCountess Waldersee, daughter of the late David Lee, a wholesalegrocer of New York, and who at the time that she became the wife ofField-marshal Count Waldersee, was the widow of the present Germanempress's uncle, Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein. The latterabandoned his royal rank and titles, and assumed the merely nobiliarystatus of a Prince of Noer, in order to make her his consort. 

The countess is treated as an aunt by both William and the kaiserin, and she may be said to have swayed her imperial nephew by hercleverness and intellectual brilliancy, rather than by her looks, forshe is a woman already well-advanced in years. 

Different in this respect was the influence of the emperor's otherEgeria, namely, the Polish baroness, Jenny Koscielska, a woman of rareelegance and beauty, whose political importance during the timeshe reigned supreme at the Court of Berlin, was attributable to herpersonal fascination rather than to her sagacity or statecraft. Sheis the wife of that Baron Kosciol-Koscielski, who was one of the mostcelebrated leaders of the Polish party in the Russian House of Lords, and perhaps, also, the most popular of all modern Polish poets andplaywrights. 

It would be going too far to assert that William was infatuated by herloveliness. Yet there Is no doubt that as long as she figured at theCourt of Berlin, he not only paid her the most marked attention, butlikewise allowed himself to be advised by her in political matters. It was during the so-called "reign of the baroness" that the kaisershowed such an extraordinary degree of favor to his Polish subjects asto excite the jealousy and ill-will of the people in many other partsof his dominions. He reestablished the Polish language in the schoolsand churches of Posen, that is of Prussian-Poland, nominated a Polishecclesiastic to the archbishopric of that province, and conferred somany court dignities, government offices, and decorations upon thecompatriots of the fair Jenny, as to give rise to the remark that thebest road to imperial preferment at Berlin was to add the Polish andfeminine termination of "ska" to one's name. Old Prince Bismarck, whowas at the time at daggers-drawn with his young sovereign, at lengthgave public utterance to the popular ill-will, excited by the rôleof Egeria, which the baroness was accused of playing to the "NumaPompilius" of Emperor William. For, in the course of an addressdelivered by the old ex-chancellor at Friedrichsrüh, and reproduced inextenso in the press, he declared among other things that: "The Polishinfluence in political affairs increases always in the measure thatsome Polish family obtains of more or less influence at Court. I neednot allude here to the rôle formerly played by the princely house ofRadziwill. To-day we have exactly the same state of affairs, whichis to be deplored!" Bismarck's allusion to the Radziwills was anungenerous reference to the romantic attachment of old Emperor Williamfor that Princess Elize Radziwill, whom he was so determined to marrythat he offered his father to abandon his rights of succession to thethrone on her account. This King Frederick-William would not permit, and William was compelled to wed Goethe's pupil, Princess Augustaof Saxe-Weimar. A loveless match in every sense of the word, for heremained until the day of Princess Elize's death her most devotedfriend and admirer, seeking her advice in many a difficulty, to thegreat annoyance of Prince Bismarck, who detested her, and after herdeath the old emperor continued to show the utmost favor and good-willto the members of her family in honor of her memory. Of course thisspeech of Prince Bismarck created no end of a sensation throughout theempire, as well as abroad, the press being encouraged thereby toprint in cold type what had until that time been merely whisperedin official and court circles. It is possible that the young emperormight have remained indifferent to popular clamor about the matter, had not two other incidents occurred about the same time to cool hisliking for the fair Jenny. 

In the first place, she felt herself so much encouraged by theinfluence which she believed that she exercised over the emperor, thatwhen during the annual army manoeuvres Field Marshal Prince George ofSaxony, and other Prussian and foreign royalties were quartered underher roof, she absolutely declined to hoist either the German flag, orthe Royal Saxon standard, but insisted upon flying the nationalcolors of Poland from the flag staff that surmounted the turret ofher château. Naturally, Prince George and his fellow royal guestscomplained of this breach of etiquette to the kaiser, and protestedstrongly against it. 

Almost at the same time, her husband, the baron, having been invitedto attend the opening of a provincial exhibition in the neighboringEmpire of Austria, was so carried away by enthusiasm, due to thekindness with which the Poles present were treated by EmperorFrancis-Joseph, that forgetting all he owed to Emperor William, he publicly hailed Francis-Joseph as "sole sovereign of all Polishhearts, " and as "Poland's future king!" About this time too, theempress paid a couple of rather mysterious visits to her mother-in-lawat Friedrichkron. Court gossip ascribed these hurried trips tothe fact that the empress had been prompted by her jealousy of thebaroness to invoke the intervention of the strong-minded widow ofFrederick the Noble. But it is far more likely that the empressvisited the Dowager Kaiserin in order that she should call theattention of her son to the harm which the association of the name ofthe baroness with his own was doing him in a political sense both athome and abroad. 

Whatever the cause of these consultations between the twoempresses may have been, the fact remains that almost immediatelyafterwards Baron and Baroness Koscielski received from theGrand-Master-of-the-Court, Count Eulenburg, an official intimationthat their presence at court was not desired in highest quarters untilfurther notice, and that under the circumstances they would do wellto remain at their country seat. In fact they were virtually banished, and when both husband and wife travelled all the way to Berlin withthe object of asking for an explanation from the emperor, he declinedto receive either the one or the other. He had apparently come to theconclusion that the game was not worth the candle, and that in viewof the fact that his intimacy with the baroness had never gone beyondplatonic friendship and mild flirtation, it was ridiculous to incurthe ill-will of his subjects and expose himself to slanderous storiesconcocted by his enemies on her account. 

The influence of the American born Countess Waldersee was of a farmore lasting character, and may be said to have been inauguratedvery shortly after his marriage. Prior to becoming a benedict, PrinceWilliam was as gay as his very limited financial means would permit. In fact, he was charged with playing the rôle of Don Juan to at leasthalf a dozen beauties of the Prussian Court, while at Vienna he becameinvolved in a scandal of a feminine character, from which he was onlyextricated with the utmost difficulty by the then German Ambassador tothe Austrian Court, namely, Prince Reuss. The presumption is that hehad allowed himself to become the prey of an adventuress, and with theobject of avoiding publicity he was practically compelled to providefor the welfare and future of a child which may or may not have beenhis offspring. But as soon as he married, he turned over a new leaf, and became the very model of husbands. 

It has always been my conviction that this was due in part to theinfluence of the Countess Waldersee, and largely also to the unkindlytreatment which his consort received during the early years ofher marriage at the hands of his family. Although a nice andgentle-looking girl, Augusta-Victoria was far from shining either byher beauty or her elegance at a court which is one of the most cruellycritical and satirical in all Europe. Moreover, she labored under thedisadvantage of being the daughter of the Duchess of Augustenburg, whois not credited with a robust intellect, and, in fact has passedthe greater part of her life in retirement, and of the Duke ofAugustenburg, who was famed thirty years ago for the dullness of hismind. In fact, after Prussia had undertaken in his behalf the conquestof the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, to which he was entitled by rightof inheritance, and which had been unlawfully seized by Denmark, Prince Bismarck refused to permit the duke to assume the sovereigntythereof, on the publicly expressed ground that it would be an act ofthe most outrageous tyranny to subject any state to the rule of sointensely stupid a man as the duke. 

This utterance on the part of Bismarck, which may be found in mostof the German histories printed prior to the accession of the presentEmperor, was naturally recalled to mind at the Court of Berlin, whenthe daughter of the duke became the bride of Prince William, and thewidespread belief in her inherited dullness of intellect was furtherincreased by the mingled impatience and pity which characterized thebehavior of her husband's mother and sisters towards her. 

There is much that is chivalrous in the nature of the present Germanemperor, and it was precisely the unkindness and slights to which hisbride was subjected that had the effect of drawing him more closelyto her. He did not conceal the fact that he strongly resented theattitude of his family towards her, and his friendship with CountessWaldersee owes its origin to the motherly way in which she behavedto his wife, acting as her mentor, as her adviser and guide in theintricate maze of Berlin society, and of court life. Debarred from allintimacy with her sisters-in-law, who were ever ready to scoff at, andto make fun of her, Augusta-Victoria was wont to have recourse tothe countess in all her difficulties, and inasmuch as Count Walderseehimself is the most brilliant soldier of the German army, and wasdesignated at the time by the great Moltke as his successor and hisprincipal lieutenant, Prince William and his wife ended by becomingvery intimate indeed with the Waldersees, and almost daily visitors attheir house. 

The countess is of a deeply religious turn of mind, with a strongdisposition towards evangelism, and already before the marriageof Prince William, she had become conspicuous as one of the mostinfluential leaders of the anti-Semite party in Prussia. It was in hersalons at Berlin that the great Jew-baiter Stoecker was wont to holdhis politico-religious meetings, denouncing the Jews, and it wasthrough her influence, too, that he obtained appointment as courtchaplain, in spite of the opposition of the father and the mother ofPrince William. It was also under the roof of the Countess Walderseethat the present emperor became imbued with that very religious, --onemight almost say pietist--disposition, which has since been so markeda feature of his character. 

True, the hereditary tendency of the sovereign house of Prussia isdistinctly religious, leaning in fact towards fanaticism, and KingFrederick-William III. , his son Frederick-William IV. , and likewiseold Emperor William, entertained the most extraordinary ideas on thesubject of Providence, with which they believed themselves to be inconstant communion, as well as its principal agent here on earth. In fact, there is hardly a public utterance of any of these threesovereigns, which is not marked throughout by a deep religious tone, and by a degree of familiarity with the Almighty which would beblasphemous were it not so manifestly sincere. This hereditarytendency towards religion was, to a certain extent, obliterated by theeducation which William received, and which was of a nature to disposehim to be both a materialist and a free-thinker. He may be saidin fact to have been brought up in an atmosphere of Renan-ism andStrauss-ism, for which his extraordinary and mercilessly clevermother, Empress Frederick, was largely responsible, and at the momentof his marriage it looked as if he were destined to figure in historyas quite as much of a philosopher, and even atheist, as Frederick theGreat, for whom he professed the most profound veneration. 

It was Countess Waldersee who revived all the inherited and latentreligious tendencies of his character. 

Up to the time when he ascended the throne, Prince William and hisconsort were constant and devout attendants at the prayer-meetingsheld in the salons of the countess, and if he remains to this daya remarkably religious man, with a sufficient regard for scripturalcommands to have shown himself a more faithful husband than any otherprince of his house, either living or dead--if, to-day, piety isfashionable at the court of Berlin instead of being bad form, if thebuilding or endowment of a church, or of a charitable institution, is regarded as the surest road to imperial favor, it is due to theinfluence of William's American aunt, the daughter of that NewYork grocer, the first Princess Noer, and who is to-day Countess ofWaldersee. 

It is natural that the influence exercised over William and hiswife by the countess should have given rise to the utmost jealousy, especially on the part of his mother, Empress Frederick, and duringthe hundred days' reign of her lamented husband, she availed herselfof her brief spell of power to secure the virtual banishment of thecount and the countess from Berlin, by causing the field marshal tobe transferred from the chieftaincy of the headquarter staff tothe command of the army stationed in Altona. Moreover, she did nothesitate to denounce the influence of the Waldersees as disastrous, as illiberal, and in every sense of the word reactionary, and if herhusband, Emperor Frederick, was led to share her views concerningthem, it was because of his disapproval of the movement against theJews in which the countess had figured so conspicuously. It is apeculiar fact that although Emperor William has always remained onthe most affectionate terms with the Waldersees, and never loses anyopportunity of manifesting the warmth of his affection for them, he has never repealed the decree of banishment to which they werevirtually subjected during his father's reign. He has transferred thefield marshal from one post to another, but he has never appointedhim to one which would admit of his coming back to live in Berlin. Icannot help thinking that the emperor resented the imputation that hewas subject to the sway of his wife's aunt, and was offended by thearticles which appeared at one moment both in the German and foreignpress intimating that she was the power behind the throne. He issufficiently jealous of his dignity to object to be considered assubject to the influence of anyone, be it man or woman, and one ofthe chief causes of the dismissal of old Prince Bismarck was preciselybecause so long as he remained in office there was a disposition toregard the kaiser as a mere puppet in the hands of the old statesman. 

It is this aversion to being considered as swayed by any otherinfluence than his own that has led the emperor on so many occasionsto adopt a course diametrically opposed to that urged upon him by hisclever and masterful mother, a woman with the most powerful intellectand the least tact to be found in all Old World royalties. It wasthis, too, that led the emperor to banish, just a trifle unjustly, the pretty and dashing Countess Hohenau from his court. She had beenguilty of no indiscretion with regard to him. She had done nothingwrong, and she was not only a brilliant ornament of the imperial_entourage_, but likewise a relative of the family. But he banishedboth her husband and herself almost at a moment's notice, owing tothe fact that in the anonymous letters circulated at the time of theso-called Kotze scandal, he was mentioned as altogether infatuated andsubjugated by her beauty. 

Count Hohenau is the half-brother of that Prince Albert of Prussia, who is now Regent of the Grand Duchy of Brunswick. Old Prince Albertof Prussia, his father, was married to the eccentric and half-crazyPrincess Marianne of the Netherlands. Not long after the birth ofthe present Prince Albert, she lost her heart to such an extent to achamberlain in her household that her husband was compelled to divorceher, whereupon she contracted a morganatic marriage with the gentlemanin question, and lived and died at an advanced age only about twelveyears ago. 

Prince Albert, the elder, thereupon married morganatically a younggirl of noble birth of the name of Baroness Rauch, whose family hadfor more than one hundred and fifty years occupied leading positionsat the Court of Berlin. On the occasion of her marriage to the prince, she received from the Prussian Crown the title of Countess of Hohenau, and the children whom she bore to Prince Albert the elder are nowknown as Counts and Countesses of Hohenau. The elder of these CountsHohenau bears the name of Fritz, and his wife, before their banishmentfrom the capital, was one of the most dashing and brilliant figuresin the ultra-aristocratic society of Berlin. No entertainment wasregarded as complete without her presence, and in every socialenterprise, no matter whether it was a flower corso, a charity fair, a hunt, a picnic, or amateur theatricals, she was always to thefore, besides being the leader in every new fashion, and in every newextravagance. Although eccentric--she was the first member of her sexto show herself astride on horseback in the Thiergarten--and in spiteof her being famed as a thorough-paced coquette, and as a flirt, yet no one ventured to impugn her good name, until the disgracefulanonymous letter scandal; and both her husband and herself naturallyresent most keenly that without any hearing or explanation they shouldhave been banished from the court, and sent to live, first at Hanover, then at Dresden, but always away from Berlin and Potsdam, solely onaccount of an anonymous letter. 

The sympathy of society in the affair was all with the Hohenaus, whoalthough absent from Berlin, may be said to have taken the leadingpart in that great controversy which is known to this day as "theanonymous letter scandal, " and which not only divided all Berlinsociety into separate hostile camps, but led to innumerable duels, some of them with fatal results; to the imprisonment of some greatpersonages; to the ruin of others, and in one word to one of themost talked of court scandals of the present century. In fact, theanonymous letter affair, many of the features of which remain shroudedin mystery to this day, played so important a part in the history ofthe Court of Berlin during the first decade of the present emperor'sreign, that it deserves a chapter to itself. 

What, however, I wish specially to impress upon my readers is that inspite of the many scurrilous stories that have been circulated on bothsides of the ocean concerning the alleged intrigues of Emperor Williamwith the fair sex, since his marriage, nearly eighteen years ago, hiswedded life has been singularly free from storms, and exceptionallyhappy. In fact, there are few more thoroughly-devoted couples thanWilliam and Augusta-Victoria, who is to-day far more comely as a womanthan she was as a young girl. So domestic, indeed, are the tastes ofthe kaiser, so excellent is he both as a husband and a father, thathis home life may be said to atone for many of his political errorsand shortcomings as a monarch. His loyalty towards his consort is allthe more to his credit, as the Anointed of the Lord in the Old Worldare exposed to feminine temptations in a degree of which no conceptioncan be formed in this country. In most of the capitals of Europe itis in the power of the sovereign to make or mar the social positionof any man, and of any woman. Social ambitions coupled with anexaggerated degree of loyalty will lead many a beautiful womanto cross that border line which separates mere indiscretion fromsomething worse, all the more that the reputation of being the fairfavorite of a monarch, and able to influence his conduct, is regardedas a title to prestige, and has the effect of converting the fair oneinto one of the acknowledged powers of the land. 

For an ambitious woman it is something to be treated by statesmen andthe representatives of foreign governments, as the power behind thethrone, and provided this power is wisely exercised, the intimacy ofthe lady with the monarch is regarded by high and low with somethingmore than mere indulgence. 

History has given so lofty a pedestal to Madame de Maintenon, thatthere are many women who are eager to emulate her rôle in presenttimes, and to likewise figure in history. That is why royalpersonages, and especially kings and emperors, are exposed to suchextraordinary temptations. 

Most women put forth all their charms and powers of fascinationto captivate the attention, and, if possible, the heart of theirsovereign, who is, after all, but human. That is why Emperor Williamdeserves so much credit for having remained true to his wife, andwhy Emperor Francis-Joseph of Austria merits so much indulgence inconnection with the indiscretions which had the effect of keeping himfor so many years parted and estranged from his lovely consort, thelate Empress Elizabeth. 

While on this subject, it should be stated that for many years past, probably for the last decade, the life of Francis-Joseph has been freefrom affairs of this kind, for it is hardly possible to treat in thelight of a scandal his association with that now elderly actress, Mlle. Schratt, since it is virtually tolerated, accepted and, so tospeak, recognized both by the imperial family and by the Austrianpeople. Indeed the only persons who have ever taken exception tothis intimacy have been Herr Schoenerer, and some of his anti-Semitecolleagues who, to the indignation of every one, gave vent threeyears ago to their spite against their kindly old sovereign by callingattention in the Reichsrath to the alleged questionable relationsbetween the sovereign and the popular and veteran star-actress of theBurg Theatre. 

Herr Schoenerer, who was formerly a baron, but who was deprived ofhis title by the emperor at the time when he was sentenced to ayear's imprisonment for a violent and unprovoked assault upon a Jewishnewspaper proprietor, declared in the legislature, to which he hadbeen elected on emerging from jail, that public opinion was becomingoutraged by the impropriety of the conduct of the emperor. The scenewhich ensued defied description. Schoenerer was suspended, and had notsteps been taken to assure his protection, would have been subjectedto very violent treatment by the vast majority of the house, whichis intensely loyal to the emperor, and the members of which resentedcriticism of his majesty's twenty years' friendship with old FrauSchratt Even the late empress herself did not regard as serious ordangerous her husband's association with the actress. This is shown bythe fact that on two separate occasions she honored Frau Schratt witha visit at the actress's villa near Ischl. At the Austrian Court itis generally understood that whatever may have been the nature of theintimacy of the monarch and the actress in the past, it is now nothingmore than a platonic affection between two old friends, the emperorbeing accustomed to spend half an hour or so with this witty andamiable lady nearly every day. The actress is a great favorite withthe people at large, on account of her devotion to the emperor, andfor her tact in declining to take any undue advantage of the favorwhich he accords to her. Indeed, the degree of indulgence with whichAustrian society, as well as the masses, look upon this intimacy maybegathered from the fact that one of the most--popular photographs onexhibition in the windows of the leading picture-shops at Vienna, andat Pesth, is a snapshot, showing the kindly-faced old emperor andthe sunny-tempered old actress seated in the most domestic fashionopposite one another at a breakfast table with the actress's pet dogon a chair midway between stage and throne. 

CHAPTER III

It was on the evening of June 7th, 1894, that a carriage, the servantsof which wore court liveries, drew up at the entrance of that oldbuilding on the avenue known as "Unter Den Linden, " which serves asa military prison of the Berlin garrison. From this equipage alightedtwo men, each of them a well-known figure in the great world of thePrussian metropolis. The one in uniform was General Count von Hahnke, chief of the military household of the emperor, while the other, whowas in civilian attire, was Baron von Kotze, master of ceremonies atthe court of Berlin, one of the most well-to-do and jovial of _bonsvivants_, and who up to that time had stood so high in the favor ofthe reigning family that his sovereign was accustomed to address himby his Christian name, and by the so familiar equivalent pronoun inGerman of "thou. "

Shortly afterwards General von Hahnke reappeared alone, entered thecarriage hurriedly, and drove back to the palace. On the followingmorning it became known that Baron von Kotze had been suddenlyarrested, and lodged in the military prison by personal order of thekaiser, and without the warrant of any tribunal or magistrate, eithermilitary or civil. 

While the general public was speculating as to the cause of thismysterious and startling disciplinary measure against a nobleman sowell known and so prominent in every way as Baron von Kotze, the courtgossips were rubbing their hands, chuckling with satisfaction, andcongratulating themselves on the fact that success had at lengthcrowned the efforts made to bring to book the author of the hundredsof anonymous letters that had been circulated in the great world ofBerlin during the two preceding years. 

Gradually the circumstances which had led to the arrest of Baron Kotzebecame public property, and people both at home and abroad were madeaware for the first time of the existence of a scandal which for overfour-and-twenty months had set court and society by the ears, andwhich had caused every man and woman to regard with suspicion notmerely their acquaintances, but even their most intimate friends andnearest relatives. No one, with the exception of the emperor, theempress, and the widow of Emperor Frederick, can be said to have beenaltogether exempt from this reflection on their honor. For among thosewho were at one time most strongly suspected of being the authorof these letters were the eldest sister of the kaiser, PrincessCharlotte, and the only brother of the empress, Duke Ernest-Gunther ofSchleswig-Holstein. 

Color was given to these suspicions by the fact that many of theanonymous letters contained remarks and information that manifestlyemanated from the imperial family, while some of the views expressedin the letters were known not merely to have been shared, but evento have been uttered in conversation by the prince and princess inquestion. What gave still further weight to these suppositions was theextraordinary fact that incidents which had occurred within what maybe described as the most intimate circle of the court, --incidents, indeed, of which no one could be aware, save royal personagesthemselves and those few chosen friends and associates who werewith them at the time when the incidents in question occurred, --wererevealed a few days later in the anonymous letters, twisted anddistorted in such a manner as to admit only of the most shamefulinterpretation. 

Added to this was the knowledge that there are few women at the Courtof Berlin more cruelly satirical or have a keener sense of ridiculethan Princess Charlotte, or any more inveterate gossip than DukeErnest-Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein. 

The anonymous letters had literally spared no one, not even that mostblameless and excellent of women, the Empress Augusta-Victoria; norwas there anybody of mark who had not received at least several ofthem. But for some reason or other which was not understood at thetime, they seemed to be imbued with an especially relentless andsavage animosity against the charming Countess "Fritz" von Hohenau, who must not be confounded with her less attractive sister-in-law, Countess "Willy" von Hohenau; for whereas the latter is by birth aprincess of Hohenlohe and a niece of the imperial chancellor ofthat ilk, Countess Fritz is by birth a Countess von der Decken, andrejoices in the Christian name of Charlotte. 

If Countess Fritz has one weakness which in any degree lends itself tounfriendly criticism and ridicule it is the pride which she manifestsin her relationship through marriage to the reigning house of Prussia, and in her being the sister-in-law of that Prince Albert of Prussia, who is regent of the Duchy of Brunswick, her husband, Count Fritz vonHohenau, being a half-brother to Prince Albert. It is owing tothis very innocent weakness of the countess that she was nicknamed"_Lottchen von Preussen_, " or "_Die Preussiche Lotte_" that is to say"_Lotte of Prussia_" and at least a third of the hundreds of anonymousletters confided to the mails during the period extending between 1892and 1896 were filled with the most scurrilous remarks concerning theunfortunate "_Lottchen von Preussen_. "

The letters imputed to the countess almost every crime under the sun. Inasmuch as her husband's principal friend was Baron Schrader, whowas of course frequently seen in her company at the races and at theopera, it naturally followed that she was charged with an altogetherquestionable intimacy with him. In fact, she was accused of sharingher favors between him and the emperor, and in the letters thatreached both the kaiser and his consort, it was asserted that she was, moreover, in the habit of constantly boasting among her friends aboutthe influence which as "_Sultana"_ she was able to exercise over theruler of the German Empire. 

It was on the receipt of one of these letters that the emperor withouta moment's warning abruptly ordered Count and Countess Fritz Hohenauto leave Berlin and to transfer their residence to Hanover. The countand countess were not long in discovering the cause of their disgrace, and bitterly incensed, at once resolved to leave no stone unturned intheir efforts to discover the culprit. 

In this determination they were supported by the "Willy" von Hohenaus, by the various members of the Hohenlohe family, by Baron Schrader, Baron Hugo Reischach, chamberlain to the Empress Frederick, Prince andPrincess Aribert of Anhalt, the latter being a granddaughter of QueenVictoria, Prince and Princess Albert of Saxe-Altenburg, and last, butnot least, Baron von Tausch, the chief of the secret police attachedto the particular service of the emperor. 

I have already mentioned that suspicions had at first beendirected against the empress's only brother, Duke Ernest-Gunther ofSchleswig-Holstein. Somehow or other, probably through reading thedetective novels of Gaboriau, Baron Schrader became imbued with theidea that the most successful manner of discovering the identity ofthe suspected writer of the anonymous letters would be to carefullyexamine the blotting-pads which either he or she were in the habit ofusing. Accordingly, Countess Fritz von Hohenau took advantage of theadmiration and devotion entertained for her by Count Augustus Bismarckto induce him to bring to her the blotting-pad habitually used by theduke, to whose household he belonged, as chief aid-de-camp. The count, very reluctantly, it is true, brought to Madame von Hohenau, the saidblotting-pad, and it was immediately submitted to a most careful andeven microscopical examination by her husband, herself, and theirfriends. But in spite of every effort it was impossible to discoverthe slightest analogy between the writing of the anonymous letters andthe impressions left on the blotting-pad of the duke. The countess andher assistants in this queer task, therefore, came to the conclusionthat they would have to search in a different direction. 

It is impossible to say with any degree of certainty how suspicion wasthen directed towards Baron Kotze. But I am under the impression thathis name was first mentioned in connection with the affair by BaronSchrader, who like himself was a Master of Ceremonies of the Courtof Berlin. The vast wealth enjoyed by the Kotzes, as well as theextraordinary favor manifested towards them by the emperor and themembers of the reigning family, had not unnaturally rendered themobjects of no little jealousy on the part of other personagesbelonging to the court circle. The exceedingly sarcastic andmalevolent tongue of the Baroness Kotze, and the somewhat coarseflavor of the ever-ready jest and quip of her jovial, loud-voiced, hail-fellow-well-met mannered husband did not tend to render thecouple very popular. 

Baron Kotze's mother had been an heiress in her own right as thedaughter of the court banker, Krause, while the baron's wife is thedaughter of that extraordinary old General von Treskow, who for solong commanded the division of Guards, and whose reputation as one ofthe bravest and most dashing officers of the war of 1870, alone savedhim from the ridicule which his corseted waist, his painted cheeks, his dyed moustache, and his youthful wig, would otherwise haveexcited. While he himself has no drop of Jewish blood in his veins, both his daughter, Madame Kotze, and her brother possess the facialfeatures of the Semitic race in a most marked degree, and despitetheir protestations to the contrary, have undoubtedly Hebrewancestors, if not on the father's side, at any rate on that of themother. Old General Treskow was very rich indeed, his country seat atFriedrichsfeld being one of the most magnificent country seats in theneighborhood of Berlin. 

During the early years of the reign of Emperor William, his eldestsister, Princess Charlotte, and her husband, Prince Bernhardt ofSaxe-Meiningen, occupied a lovely little palace, or rather, I shouldsay large and roomy villa on the outskirts of the Thiergarten, atBerlin. Among their near neighbors were Baron and Baroness Kotze. Little Ursula Kotze, the daughter of the baroness, was precisely ofthe same age as Princess Fedora of Saxe-Meiningen, the only child ofPrincess Charlotte, and the two young girls soon became inseparablefriends. The relations thus established soon extended to the parents, and while Princess Charlotte, --herself disposed to satirizing andridiculing everybody, and like many royal personages, passionatelyfond of gossip, especially when spiced with scandal, --foundnever-ceasing entertainment in the witty comments of the baronessabout the social events of the day, and in her reports of the lateststories current concerning mutual acquaintances and friends, PrinceBernhardt, in spite of his seriousness, and his fond predilectionfor Hellenic research, could not help laughing and enjoying the merrysallies of Baron Kotze. In fact, the Kotzes ended by becoming the mostintimate friends of the princely Saxe-Meiningen couple, whose tastefor their society was eventually shared by the Empress Frederick toa degree that excited the utmost jealousy and ill-will of herchamberlain, Baron Reischach. The latter was, therefore, only tooready to accept the view expressed by his friend. Baron Schrader, tothe effect that Baron Kotze was the author of the anonymous letters. 

I think that it was in the latter part of 1892 that the Prince andPrincess of Saxe-Meiningen, having made up their minds to visit Greeceand the Holy Land, invited Baron and Baroness Kotze to accompanythem. Some quarrel, however, took place between the princess and thebaroness during this trip, which they did not complete together, andwhen they took up their residence once more at Berlin the formerly sointimate relations between the two families ceased absolutely. It wasabout this time that it became known that Princess Charlotte eitherduring her trip to the Orient, or just before she started, had in someunexplainable manner lost the diary in which she had, like so manymembers of the fair sex, been accustomed to describe her dailyimpressions, and to the pages of which she was wont to impartsentiments and opinions that she did not venture to confide to anybodyelse. 

For a considerable time after the return of the princess from theOrient the anonymous letters contained phrases and peculiarities ofexpression that clearly indicated Princess Charlotte, and to such anextent was this the case that those in pursuit of the sender of themissives would have ascribed their authorship to the princess, had itnot been that she herself was referred to in many of the letters ina particularly savage and scurrilous manner. Baron Schrader, theHohenaus and their friends, being aware of the existence of thequarrel between the Kotzes and the Saxe-Meiningens, naturally becamemore convinced than ever that it was either Baron Kotze, or his"viper-tongued" wife, as they described her, who were the culprits, and insisted that it was the baroness who had taken advantage of herintimacy with the princess to get possession of her royal highness'sdiary, the contents of which were now being used in so many of theletters. 

What has now become of the diary it is impossible to say, butjudging by the excerpts used in the anonymous letters, it must haveconstituted a particularly piquant volume or series of volumes!Thus there was one remark about the emperor which ridiculed "hisintolerable swagger. " There were also some comical references toPrincess Victoria of Prussia, who was jilted by the late PrinceAlexander of Battenberg, on the very eve of the day appointed for thewedding, and that for the sake of a little actress. This princesshas since then married Prince Adolph of Schaumburg, who was recentlyousted from the regency of the tiny principality of Lippe. "_PoorVicky_" was described as being "_many-sided_" owing to the number ofher _affaires de coeur_, notably those with Baron Hugo von Reischach, at that time a very handsome lieutenant of the "Garde-du-Corps, "but who afterward became gentleman-in-waiting to the widowed EmpressFrederick, and married one of the princesses of Hohenlohe. Thisflirtation between Baron Reischach and Princess Victoria formedthe theme of quite a number of the anonymous letters, in whichthe princess was charged with every kind of indelicacy, while theunfortunate baron was ridiculed in connection with the modernityof his nobility. Other love affairs of "_poor Vicky_" were likewisediscussed in no friendly manner, and she was represented as being tosuch a degree infatuated for Count Andrassy, the eldest son of thefamous Austro-Hungarian statesman, that the young fellow, itis declared, was forced to resign his secretaryship to theAustro-Hungarian Embassy, at Berlin, and to flee from the PrussianCourt, in order to escape from the demonstrative attentions of theprincess: "If it is like this now, " said one of the letters, "what inHeaven's name will it be when '_Vicky_' marries!"

There were, moreover, all sorts of matters relating to the _vieintime_ of the imperial family discussed in these anonymouscommunications, such as bickerings between the emperor and his mother, quarrels with his English relatives, flirtations of the youngerprincesses, etc. , which no one could possibly have known about, savemembers of the imperial family, and which were just the sort of thingthat Princess Charlotte would have written in her diary, in her wittyand sarcastic manner. 

In fact there was so much of the phraseology and style habitual toPrincess Charlotte in the letters, that they would inevitably havebeen, as I remarked above, positively ascribed to her had it not beenfor the grossly improper and even disgusting twist and constructionthat was invariably added to her well-known manner of writing. Although a terrible flirt as well as a daring coquette, the princesshas never been charged with anything more serious than trivial_affaires de coeur_, excepting by the writer of the anonymous letters. 

Then too, as I have also already stated many of these letters assailedthe princess herself, in the most unscrupulous fashion; an abominableand impossible story, picked up from the filthiest of Berlin gutters, impugning the legitimacy of the only child of the princess, being thuscirculated far and wide. This vile fabrication alleged that Charlottehad been married off in a hurry to Prince Bernhardt of Saxe-Meiningen, in order to avoid a public scandal. It is only necessary to recall thefact that the sole child of Princess Charlotte, Princess Fedora, nowmarried to Prince Henry of Reuss, was born twelve months after hermother's marriage, in order to show how utterly without foundation wasthis shameful slander. At least a dozen anonymous letters sent to theemperor and to various other personages dealt with an episode said tohave taken place during a trip undertaken by the princess in Norwayand Sweden. She was attended on that occasion by a Captain von Berger, and his wife, who were her gentleman and lady-in-waiting, and therewas also in her suite a diminutive officer holding the rank oflieutenant, and bearing the old Silesian name of Count Schack, whoacted as aid-de-camp. 

According to the anonymous letters, Princess Charlotte made a kindof toy of the little officer, and behaved in a most volatile manner. There was evidence of such intense malignity in these letters againstPrincess Charlotte that they were attributed to a jealous woman, and that if not actually written by one, they had at any rate beeninspired by a member of the fair sex. 

There can be no doubt that Princess Charlotte and her husband ended bysharing the opinion entertained by the Schrader-Hohenau clique, aboutthe letters being inspired by Baroness Kotze, and written by herhusband, and it must be confessed that there was a certain amount ofground for their doing so. The blotting pads used by Baron Kotze, both at the Union Club and elsewhere, were subjected to much thesame microscopic examination as those of Duke Ernest-Gunther ofSchleswig-Holstein, and when at length a distinct degree of similaritywas discovered to exist between the caligraphy of the anonymousletter writer and the impressions which figured on the blotting padshabitually used by Baron Kotze, Baron Schrader drew up a report on thesubject, charging Baron Kotze with being the author of the letters, and presented it to the emperor. The latter hesitated a little beforetaking any action in the matter, and would doubtless have yieldedto the advice of the minister of the imperial household, PrinceStolberg-Wernigrode, who urged him to institute a very careful secretinvestigation of his own before rushing the _denouement_, cautioninghim that Baron Schrader's evidence was inadequate, had it not been forthe pressure brought to bear upon his majesty by the Saxe-Meiningensand other members of his family, who were all convinced that BaronKotze was the guilty party. 

It was due entirely to this pressure that the kaiser, incensed beyondmeasure at the persistency and the malignity of these letters, tookthe extraordinary step of having Baron von Kotze arrested by the chiefof his military household, General von Hahnke merely on the strengthof his imperial order, dispensing with any legal warrant. That CountHahnke should have been selected for this duty, and that a militaryprison, rather than the ordinary house of detention, should have beenchosen for the incarceration of Baron Kotze, must be ascribed tothe fact that the latter was at the time a captain of cavalry on thereserve lists, and that in a military prison the authority of theemperor, as head of the army, is supreme and absolute, which cannot besaid of the ordinary civil prisons, the officers of which are subjectabove everything else to the tribunals and to the laws of the land. 

Of course, from the very moment when the baron was arrested, theentire scandal, that is to say the existence of a conspiracy for thewriting and distribution of anonymous letters, became public, andserved to furnish material for articles both in the German and theforeign press on the alleged moral rottenness of the Court of Berlin. At first there is no doubt that society, and even the ordinary public, accepted the guilt of Baron Kotze as assured, and were further ledto believe the story about the baroness having been the instigator ofmany of the letters, by her at once withdrawing to her country-seat atFriedrichsfeld, and refusing to receive anyone. 

Doubts as to the baron's guilt, however, commenced to arise when itwas found that in spite of his incarceration, the anonymous letterscontinued to be sent as before, without any interruption, while allefforts to bring home the guilt to the baron completely failed inevery sense of the word. Not only did the famous expert in caligraphy, Langenbuch, declare that the handwriting of the letters had nothingwhatsoever in common with that of Baron Kotze, but that those writtenduring his incarceration were exactly similar to the others. Theemperor himself received anonymous letters, describing him to be afool for having unjustly imprisoned an altogether innocent man, andrecommending him to look after his brother-in-law, Duke Ernest-Guntherof Schleswig-Holstein. 

At the end of a fortnight, therefore, the military governor of Berlin, old Field Marshal Count Pape, declared to his majesty that he woulddo well to immediately set Baron Kotze at liberty, since there wasno adequate ground for keeping him under arrest. The field marshal, however, suggested that in view of the seriousness of the charge thathad been made against the baron, the only thing to do would be tohold a court-martial, permitting the baron meanwhile to reside "_onparole_" at Friedrichsfeld. The whole matter was thereupon turned overto General Prince Frederick of Hohenzollern, brother of the Kingof Roumania, commanding the metropolitan division of troops, to thereserve force of which Baron Kotze belonged. 

Nine months after his arrest. Baron Kotze appeared before acourt-martial, composed of a colonel, who acted as president, andeight other officers, and after a lengthy trial, during the course ofwhich Baron Schrader acted not merely as witness against Kotze, but likewise as prosecutor, endeavoring to show analogy between thewriting of the anonymous letters, and the caligraphy, not merely ofBaron Kotze, but also of the baroness, the court-martial acquittedthe prisoner, and the emperor not only signified his approval of theverdict, but a week later took the occasion of the Easter festivitiesto send to his former favorite Kotze, a huge floral piece in the shapeof an Easter egg, bound with ribbons in the national colors. 

William, however, refrained from intimating to Kotze his desire thathe should resume his service at court as master of ceremonies, andthis taken in conjunction with the fact that the procedure of thecourt-martial remained a secret, left a painful degree of suspicionresting upon the character of the unfortunate Baron Kotze. It isperfectly true that many of those members of the court, and ofsociety, who had been most bitter in their denunciation of him, left cards at his residence, but the Hohenau clique still remainedobdurate, and in spite of every possible intervention, persistedin regarding Baron Kotze as having been unable to clear himselfcompletely. His most obdurate detractor remained Baron Schrader. 

Kotze learning the part which Schrader had played in the entireaffair, after having consulted with his friends, came to theconclusion that the injury done to him by his fellow master ofceremonies, was far too great to admit of its being expiated, oratoned for by a mere exchange of bullets on the duelling field, andhe accordingly instituted criminal proceedings against him. Thepreliminaries to this sort of thing are exceedingly intricate andtedious in Germany, and the legal authorities having received theimpression in one way or another that the public trial in connectionwith the scandal would be viewed with displeasure in high quarters, naturally placed every obstacle in Baron Kotze's way. Of course, having instituted legal proceedings against Schrader, he wasdebarred by the so-called code of honor from challenging Schrader, acircumstance of which the latter took advantage to insinuate that ifKotze had refrained from calling him to account on the field of honor, it was because he did not feel sufficiently sure of his ground. 

This insinuation was taken up by Kotze's cousin, Captain DietrichKotze, who challenged Schrader and fought a duel with him, slightlywounding him. Kotze himself meanwhile challenged, and fought a duelwith another of his persecutors, Baron Hugo Reischach, the chamberlainof Empress Frederick, and received a rather severe wound, which kepthim in bed for several weeks. 

As legal proceedings were pending, which were expected to eventuallyclear up the entire scandal, and show who was the author of theanonymous letters, it was generally assumed that Baron von Kotze couldnot be regarded as altogether cleared from the suspicion which restedupon him, until the case had come up for trial. Meanwhile poor Kotzeremained under a cloud. Nearly nine months elapsed before the criminalauthorities declared that there was no ground for a criminal suitagainst Schrader. Kotze thereupon endeavored to institute a civilsuit, this requiring still more time, and when at length the mattercame into court, Kotze was non-suited virtually without any hearing, on the ground that the statutes of limitation had disqualified himfrom any civil redress against Baron Schrader. 

Kotze being thus frustrated in his efforts to obtain punishmentfor his foe and persecutor through the courts of law, came to theconclusion that there was no other means left him to vindicate hishonor, but a challenge to fight a duel. His demand for satisfaction, however, was declined by Baron Schrader, on the ground that it was toolate for Kotze to resort to arms, and that if he had stood in need ofsatisfaction of this kind, he should not have allowed so long a periodto elapse before demanding it. The matter was referred to a so-calledcourt of honor, which sustained the contention of Baron Schrader, anddeclared that inasmuch as Baron Kotze had by his dilatoriness placedhimself beyond the power of exacting satisfaction from Baron Schraderfor the indignities to which he had been subjected, he was no longerworthy to wear the uniform of a Prussian officer. This decision of thecourt of honor was ratified by Prince Frederick of Hohenzollern, thegeneral commanding the division of Guards, to the reserve force ofwhich Baron Kotze belonged, but it was annulled by the emperor, anaction on the part of his majesty which led Prince Frederick to resignhis command, and to withdraw for the time from the Court of Berlin. 

The emperor thereupon entrusted the affair to another jury of honorat Hanover, which rendered a decision, blaming Baron Kotze forhis dilatoriness in demanding satisfaction of Baron Schrader, butauthorizing him to continue to wear the uniform, and to remain in theservice of the emperor as an officer. This verdict was ratified by theemperor himself and on the strength thereof the long delayed dueltook place between the two barons. In June, 1896, Baron Schrader waswounded in the abdomen by Baron Kotze, a wound to which he succumbedon the following day. That seemed to settle, in the minds of all, theinnocence of Baron Kotze, for after spending the customary few monthsin nominal imprisonment for infraction of the civil laws, whichprohibit the fighting of those very duels which are prescribed by themilitary code, he was invited to resume his service as master of theceremonies at court, was treated once more with the utmost distinctionby the emperor, while his wife spent several weeks in the autumn ofthat year as the guest of Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, at thelatter's country seat. 

But who was the author of the anonymous letters?

That is a question with which I propose to deal in the followingchapter, at the same time showing how this most sensational courtscandal of the latter half of the nineteenth century led to theexodus from Berlin, and the desertion of its court by numerous royalpersonages and great nobles. 

CHAPTER IV

To this day the identity of the writer of the anonymous lettersremains a secret to the general public in Germany, as well as abroad, but it is pretty generally known in court circles at Berlin and atVienna; and if steps have been taken by the authorities to prevent thetrue facts from getting into print, and the writer was merely expelledfrom Germany, instead of being brought to justice and sentenced to along term of imprisonment, it is only because the culprit could nothave been tried and convicted without the name of one of the greatestpersonages in Germany being dragged into the case. 

Needless to add that the anonymous letter writer was a woman--aforeign lady of title--who for a time was one of the most admiredbeauties at the Court of Berlin, where, thanks to her inimitable chic, elegance and brilliancy of wit, everybody, men and women alike, werecharmed. Old Emperor William, who was always very attentive to thefair sex, up to the very last, and easily smitten by a pretty face, had introduced the lady to his court without taking much trouble toinvestigate her antecedents or character, and of course, with sucha sponsor, everyone took it for granted that she was above reproach, socially, as well as morally. She became very intimate with many ofthe court people, notably with the Hohenaus, the Kotzes, etc. , and waseven admitted to the intimacy of Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, the emperor's eldest sister. She possibly might have, in spite ofall, retained her social eminence, had she not allowed herself to becompromised, first, in the eyes of a few, and subsequently, in amore general fashion, by the only brother of the empress, DukeErnest-Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein-Augustenburg. The association oftheir names ultimately became such that the great ladies of theBerlin Court, commenced to cut adrift from the fair foreigner, whoseresentment at this treatment naturally became particularly bitteragainst precisely those with whom she had been most intimate. 

Her animosity against Countess Fritz Hohenau was especiallyintensified by the particularly offensive manner in which she wascut by "Charlotte of Prussia, " whose bitter and contemptuous remarksconcerning her were naturally communicated to the foreign lady bythe men who still frequented her salons. Through these noblemen andprinces she was kept _au courant_ of everything that went on at court, and there is no doubt that she was able to extract much informationconcerning the emperor and his family from the duke, who visited herdaily, and who was infatuated by her potent and undeniable charmsbeyond all reason. 

Of course, no one dreams to-day of accusing the duke of havingknowingly played any part in the fabrication of the anonymous letters;but there is no doubt that, with his utter absence of discretion, hislack of intellectual brilliancy, and the thoroughly royal predilectionfor gossip and tittle-tattle, which monopolize to this day hisinterest, he imparted to her, in the course of his daily visits, avast amount of news and information which she could not possibly haveobtained from any one else. Dissipated, foolish and indiscreet to anincredible extent, the duke is nevertheless an honorable man, and inspite of the suspicions entertained at one time concerning him by theSchraders, the Hohenaus, the Anhalts, and the Reischachs, there is nodoubt that he had not the slightest conception of the manner in whichthe gossip which he retailed day by day to his _inamorata_ was used byher for the fabrication of her anonymous letters. 

It was Baron von Kotze's cousin, Captain Dietrich Kotze, mentioned inthe preceding chapter as having espoused the cause of his unfortunaterelative with particular vigor, to whom belongs the credit of havingdiscovered the culprit. He accomplished this more through a piece ofgood fortune than by design, for he was put on the right scent by amere chance remark which he happened to overhear at a dinner party inParis. The information which he obtained was imparted to the emperor, and the latter without a moment's hesitation gave orders that hispalace police should visit the "Grande Dame's" residence during thefollowing night, take possession of all her papers and correspondence, and convey her to a small town, near the Belgian frontier, where shewas to be kept by the police under strict surveillance, without beingpermitted to see any one, until further orders. 

It is impossible to say exactly what was discovered among thesepapers, but it is generally understood that the police recoveredpossession of the missing diary of Princess Charlotte, and obtainedample proofs of the fact that the fair foreigner was the author of allthe anonymous letters. 

After a twenty-four hours' detention, she was conducted to thefrontier by the police, and warned against returning to Germany. If noseverer measures were taken against her, it is because it would haveresulted in a more or less public disclosure of the indiscreet rôleplayed by the duke in the matter, and likewise because she reallyknew too much! In fact, there is scarcely a secret pertaining to thereigning family, or to the Court of Prussia, with which she is notacquainted, and the fact that she should have refrained frommaking any attempt to publish them to the world, gives rise to thepresumption that means of a financial character, or else some threatsof terrorism, have been used to insure her silence. 

At the time of the descent of the police upon her house, DukeErnest-Gunther was staying at Lowther Castle, in Westmoreland, England, as the guest of Lord Lonsdale, and was to have gone on at theend of the week to Sandringham, to stay with the Prince and Princessof Wales. On receiving telegrams, however, from his beautiful friend, notifying him of her expulsion from Germany, he left Lowther Castle, literally at an hour's notice, and without taking leave of his host, proceeded immediately to Paris for the purpose of meeting her, inorder to find out to what extent the situation was compromised. Thereis every reason to believe that it was not until then that he realizedthat the writer of the long series of anonymous letters was noother than the lady by whose fascinations he had been so completelycaptivated. A considerable time elapsed before he returned to Berlin. In fact, a very serious estrangement between himself and the emperorensued, William declining to hold any intercourse with a relativewhose susceptibility to feminine charms, and whose extraordinaryabsence of even the most elementary discretion, had contributed to oneof the most painful scandals that have overtaken the Prussian Courtsince the close of the last century. 

Not even the Kaiser's fondness for his wife, nor his anxiety to pleaseher, could soften the anger which he felt against his brother-in-law, and when after a prolonged voyage to India and elsewhere, the dukeon landing at Trieste, ran over from there to the neighboring seasideresort of Abbazia, for the purpose of visiting the German imperialcouple, who were spending the early spring there with their children, the kaiser declined to receive his brother-in-law and went outshooting, so as to avoid an interview with him, the princely prodigalmeeting with no one except his sister, the empress, with whom he hadan interview of a couple of hours. 

It is generally believed that Princess Charlotte's missing diary isto-day in the possession of the emperor, after having been seizedby the police among the correspondence of Duke Ernest-Gunther's fairfriend; for the former very warm affection manifested by William forhis eldest sister, arising from the belief that she had been subjectedto as harsh treatment as he imagined himself to have received at thehands of their mother, the imperious, masterful and immensely cleverEmpress Frederick, appears since the anonymous letter episode tohave given way to feelings of distrust, and even dislike. PrincessCharlotte and her husband have been ever since that time virtuallybanished from the Court of Berlin, at which they are rarely if everseen. Prince Bernhardt of Saxe-Meiningen, was transferred to thecommand of the troops at Breslau, although he has but little taste fora military career, and is far more devoted to art, literature, music, and the drama, than to soldiering. At Berlin his duties as a generalwere more or less titular, and he had all the leisure which herequired for the researches into the affairs of modern and ancientGreece, which have won for him celebrity as one of the most eruditeHellenists of the present time. He was surrounded by a congenialcircle of friends possessed of the same disposition as himself, andhad access to some of the finest libraries and museums in the world, while his still charming wife was the most conspicuous figure in acircle composed of all that was most elegant, witty, brilliant andclever in the so-called "_Athens on the Spree_" Indeed, her palacein the Thiergarten was the centre of everything that was eclectic andbrilliant, and her salons were the rendezvous of all that was best inBerlin society. 

Imagine, therefore, a prince and princess with tastes and dispositionssuch as these compelled to close up their lovely home, to bid adieu toall their friends, and to take up their residence in the dullest, most uninteresting and provincial of cities, situated in the leastpicturesque portion of the empire; where the only society consistsof bureaucrats of the most starchy description, with no ideasbeyond their office, or of impoverished landowners, belonging to thedistrict, whose nobiliary pretensions can only be compared with thepaucity of their resources, and whose conversation and even intellectis restricted to mangelwurzels, potatoes, and the different grades offertilizers. 

Breslau, to say the whole truth, is a city utterly without anyattractions, either social or intellectual; the only other royalpersonage in the place is an eccentric Wurtemberg princess, a cousinof the now reigning King of Wurtemberg. This lady sacrificed her royalrank and prerogatives in order to marry a physician of the name ofDr. Willim, who had attended her father in his last illness. She couldnot, however, bring herself to descend to the social level of herhusband, who is of plebeian origin, and a mere commoner, but thoughtthat she had done enough in that direction when she contented herselfwith the name and title of Baroness Kirchbach, which she now bears. Oflate years she has become a convert to socialism, much to the dismayand distress of her eminently respectable husband, and at the lastSocialist Congress held at Breslau, took a very prominent part in theproceedings, arrayed in a blouse of flaming red. 

I am very sorry to have to destroy the romance by which the name ofthis Princess Wilhelmina of Wurtemberg has until now been surrounded, especially that portion thereof which represents her as a lovely andinteresting woman. The truth is that she is fearfully homely, both inface and figure, while her eccentricities are such that in America, for instance, she would be described as a "crank. " Thus shedistinguishes herself through her inordinate fondness for cats, goatsand rabbits; escorted by whole herds of which she is wont to wanderthrough the gloomy streets of Breslau. Her costumes are invariablyas queer as the one in which she appeared on the platform of theSocialist Congress. Compare this strange figure so utterly unfemininein its lack of all elegance, with the dainty, spirituelle PrincessCharlotte! Yet Baroness von Kirchbach is the only lady of sufficientlylofty birth either in Breslau or in the vicinity to associate withPrincess Charlotte on terms of any thing like equality!

It is probable that Princess Charlotte and her husband will be keptat Breslau, virtually exiled from the Court of Berlin, until theaccession of Prince Bernhardt to the throne of Saxe-Meiningen, throughthe death of his aged father. It is naturally surprising that PrinceBernhardt, as heir to his father's crown, should not take up hisresidence in the capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, instead ofbeing condemned to vegetate at Breslau. The fact of the matter is, however, that the atmosphere of the Saxe-Meiningen capital is evenless congenial than that of Breslau to Prince Bernhardt and PrincessCharlotte, for the old duke is morganatically married to an actressof the local theatre, upon whom he has conferred the title of BaronessHelburg, and the princess finds it difficult to associate with thisperson. 

How unrelenting William remains with regard to his sister, may begathered from the fact that when her only daughter, Princess Fedora, was married the other day at Breslau, he himself, and the empress, pointedly avoided being present at the ceremony, although they werewithin a couple of hours' distance of Breslau at the time, spendingthe day in shooting. The slight thus placed upon Princess Charlotteand her husband was all the more marked, as not only were all theother members of the reigning house of Prussia present, but even theaged King of Saxony, the King of Wurtemberg and the Grand Duke ofHesse, had all three taken the trouble to come from long distances inorder to attend the wedding, at which Queen Victoria was representedby several members of her family, who had travelled from England forthe purpose. The sensation created, not only over all Germany, buteven throughout Europe by the absence of the emperor and empress fromthe wedding of the only child of the hereditary Prince and Princessof Saxe-Meiningen, when they were actually in the neighborhood, was sogreat that it can only be assumed that the emperor intended to give apublic manifestation of his continued ill-will towards his sister;and that his so kind-hearted and good-natured consort should have thusjoined him in this act of public discourtesy, can be explained by astory current at Berlin to the effect that she, too, feels that shecan neither forget nor forgive the mingled ridicule, satire and evendownright contempt expressed not only about herself, but about theemperor, her sisters, and her mother in the missing diary of PrincessCharlotte. 

Another reason why Princess Charlotte and her husband are forced toconform themselves to the command, by means of which the sovereignkeeps them almost permanently at Breslau, is that Prince Bernhardt haslittle or no money at all, as long as his father lives, and that thecouple are, therefore, almost entirely dependent upon the allowancewhich the princess receives as a member of the reigning houseof Prussia. Now it is the kaiser who, as chief of the family ofHohenzollern, controls all its vast private possessions, and, if atany time, a member of the House of Prussia declines to yield obedienceto his orders, he is empowered by the statutes of the Hohenzollernfamily to suspend the allowances of those guilty of suchinsubordination. Thus it is greatly because they are so poor that theprince and princess invariably travel incognito when they go abroad, although it has been asserted that the kaiser carries his irritationagainst his sister to the extent of declining to permit her to leaveGermany, save on the understanding that neither she nor her husbandwill anywhere exact, or receive the honors due to their royal rank. 

At the time of the visit of the Emperor and Empress of Germany toRome, during the silver-wedding festivities of King Humbert and QueenMarguerite of Italy, Prince Bernhardt and Princess Charlotte were inthe Eternal City, entirely ignored by the Italian court, as well as byall the foreign royalties present. Indeed, while the emperor, and eventhe pettiest foreign princelets invited for the occasion, were drivingabout the streets and parks in royal equipages, the kaiser's sisterand brother-in-law had to content themselves with the dingiest of hackcabs, and also with the rôle of ordinary sight-seers. 

Those who imagine that Princess Charlotte prefers an incognito rôleto that of a royal princess are singularly mistaken. No one is fonderthan she is of the prerogatives of rank, and like all clever andpretty women, she is ever eager to be the centre of attraction, andthe object of much homage. She cannot, therefore, be said to relishthe treatment and neglect to which she is subjected through herbrother's displeasure. 

In the Berlin great world the princess has always been popular, notmerely by reason of her devotion to society, but because a certainamount of sympathy was felt for her in connection with the treatmentwhich she had received at the hands of her mother. For some strangereason or other, Princess Charlotte was never appreciated by hermother, who showed her preference for her younger daughters in a verymarked manner. Charlotte was always treated with a far greater degreeof strictness than any of the other girls, in spite of her beingvastly superior to them in intellect and in looks. Princess Charlotteis still a very charming woman, and was in her younger days asingularly attractive girl, one of the fairest indeed of all QueenVictoria's numerous descendants, but her sisters are inclined to behomely, absolutely deficient in feminine elegance or chic, and, whileaccomplished, are extremely dull, and not a bit sparkling or witty. 

Empress Frederick always declared that her daughter Charlotte wasfrivolous, and as much inclined to be forward and rebellious todiscipline and control as her eldest son, the present emperor. Therefore, as I have already stated, Charlotte and William weretreated by their mother with exceptional severity, were snubbed onevery occasion, often in the most humiliating manner, and were made tofeel that Prince Henry and their younger sisters held a higher placein the maternal heart than they. 

Sad is it to add that the youth of neither William nor Charlotte wasa particularly happy one, and thus it is not astonishing that one aswell as the other should have felt inclined to run a bit wild, likeyoung colts, when first emancipated from the school-room. It wasduring the very few years that intervened between his leaving theuniversity at Bonn and his marriage, that William obtained hisreputation for dissipation. His shortcomings, due to the exuberance ofyouth, were exaggerated until they were transformed from very venialoffences into the most mortal of sins, while in the same way thedelight manifested by Princess Charlotte at the admiration and homageto which her comeliness gave rise--a very natural feeling when onerecalls the snubbings and humiliations to which she had been subjecteduntil then--were construed into frivolity and deep-dyed coquetry, altogether unworthy of a royal princess. She was taxed, too, with anabsence of that simpering modesty, more or less affected, which is_de mise_ with so many young girls in Germany and in France, when theymake their début in society, and even her most harmless flirtationswere condemned by her mother as grave indiscretions. 

Empress Frederick became very soon imbued with the idea that it wasnecessary to marry off Charlotte without delay, in order to avertthe danger, as she conceived it, of one or another of these girlishflirtations developing into something calculated to compromise bothher dignity and her fair name. Had the princess been less hurried inthis matter, it is probable that she would have found a more suitablehusband, and above all one calculated to capture the fancy of ayoung girl, reared at a court which can boast of some of the finestspecimens of manhood in the world. But she was married to the firstprincelet who happened to catch the eye of Empress Frederick, namelyPrince Bernhardt of Saxe-Meiningen--aye, and she was hustled intomatrimony in such a hurry, too, as to give a sort of foundation forsome shameful and base slanders, cruelly unmerited, but which onehears even Germans who profess loyalty to the crown repeating to thisday. Prince Bernhardt, though an excellent man in his way, was veryfar from meeting the requirements of the "Prince Charmant" fit tobe mated to a princess so gay and so brilliant as Charlotte ofHohenzollern. His appearance is effeminate, his manner finicky andold-maidish to a degree. He is neither stalwart nor good-looking; heexcels neither as a dancer nor as a rider, nor yet as an athlete, andhe gives one at first sight the impression of being an artist or acomposer, rather than a son of that grand looking old fellow, thereigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. 

Indeed, there was at the time of the marriage but one voice in Berlinsociety, condemning it as having been forced upon Princess Charlotteagainst her inclinations by her mother. And after the marriage thepoverty of the prince rendered him to such an extent dependent uponthe financial assistance of his mother-in-law, that he, as well ashis wife, was compelled to remain subservient in every respect toher wishes. Nor was it until William came to the throne and availedhimself of his position as head of the family to grant PrincessCharlotte an allowance suitable to her rank, that the princess andher husband were emancipated from the strict control of her mother, Empress Frederick. 

Young married folks in America can form no conception of the extent ofsuch tyranny, and when, some time after the wedding, Prince Bernhardtand Princess Charlotte secured permission from Empress Frederick--thenonly crown princess--to visit Paris, and to make a stay there of threeweeks, she only gave her consent on the condition that they shouldbe accompanied by one of her chamberlains, and one of herladies-in-waiting who had known the princess from childhood, and whosebehests the prince and princess were obliged to obey throughout theirsojourn in the French capital, just as if they had been a littleboy and girl, instead of grown-up and married people. Probably thehappiest time of Princess Charlotte's life was the period whichelapsed between the death of her lamented father and her exile toBreslau. She amused herself to her heart's content, fluttered about inBerlin like a butterfly, took a leading part in every social movement, was admired, fêted and petted by everyone, but gave her worthy husbandno cause whatsoever for uneasiness, and avoided all scandals, savethose contained in the anonymous letters, for which she cannot reallybe held responsible. 

To-day she must feel that she has exchanged the unbearable tyranny ofEmpress Frederick for the yet infinitely more oppressive despotism ofher eldest brother, Emperor William, --a despotism so harsh that it haswon for her, somewhat late it is true, the kindly sympathy of her ownmother, --a severity which may be said to have its source in that mostdangerous of all the intimate friends and confidants of the princess, namely, that diary of hers which was stolen from her, and which isbelieved to be now in the possession of the kaiser. 

CHAPTER V

I am thoroughly aware that the point which is likely to excite theattention of my readers to a greater degree than any other in theprevious chapter, is the reference contained therein to the tyrannyexercised by the monarchs of the Old World upon their relatives. Infact, it is far better in Europe to be a mere subject than a kinsmanor kinswoman of the sovereign. 

Even the lowliest of the lieges of the anointed of the Lord hascertain constitutional rights and prerogatives which may be saidto safeguard him from oppression and persecution, but princes andprincesses of the blood have no such rights, and are exposed to everycaprice and every whim of the head of their family, defiance of whosewishes entails exile, loss of property, even poverty and outlawry, without any redress. 

Royal and imperial personages, in addition to being subjected tothe ordinary laws of the land, are expected to yield blind andunquestioned obedience to another code, comprising what are officiallystyled the "Family Statutes" of the dynasty to which they belong. These are administered by the head of the family, who is free toconstrue them as he sees fit, and while they are binding upon themembers of his house, they in no way can be said to constitute anylimitation to the exercise of his authority. In fact, the latter isabsolutely unrestricted, and extends to every phase of the life of aroyal personage. Thus, a prince or princess of the blood is debarredfrom contracting a marriage without the consent of the sovereign, andif any union has taken place without the sanction of the head of thefamily, it is regarded, not only at court, but even by the tribunalsof the land, as invalid, and children that may be born of the marriagebear the stigma of illegitimacy. If a marriage has received the fullauthorization of the ruler, and there is any issue, the childrencannot be educated without the sovereign's wishes being consulted. The parents, in fact, are regarded much as if they were either minors, outlaws, or demented people, unfitted to be entrusted with the controland bringing up of their offspring, for the sovereign is _ex officio_the guardian of all children who are under age, belonging to themarried members of his family, and his rights over the children aresuperior to those of the latter's father and mother. 

If the boy is to have a tutor, or the girl a governess, theappointment cannot be made by the parents without their previouslyobtaining the permission of the sovereign, and he has it in his powerto reject their nominee, and to assign some candidate of his own, who may possibly be regarded as most objectionable to the unfortunateparents, for the duty of taking charge of the education of the youngpeople in question. The royal or imperial mother, indeed, may esteemherself fortunate if the sovereign does not insist on personallyselecting the nurses of her infants: when the present kaiser wasborn, not merely the late Empress Augusta, but likewise all the othermembers of the reigning house of Prussia, and of the Court of Berlin, thought it quite right and natural that the old Emperor William shouldexercise his authority for the purpose of prohibiting the young motherfrom herself nursing her baby; on the ground that it was contrary tothe traditions of the House of Hohenzollern, and a quite undignifiedproceeding. Fortunately, the late Emperor Frederick, who had spentmuch of his time at the court of his mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, and who was aware that she had nursed every one of her numerouschildren herself, without permitting this motherly duty to interferewith the arduous official business of the State, expostulated withhis father, and persuaded him to withdraw his prohibition, much to thehorror of the courtiers, and greatly to the satisfaction of the royallady, who is now Empress Frederick. 

In Austria one of the principal sources of the domestic unhappinessof the lamented Empress of Austria, was the small voice that she wasallowed by the sovereign--her husband--to have in the management andthe control of her own children, as long as her mother-in-law, thelate Archduchess Sophia, was alive. It was only after the demise ofthe archduchess that Empress Elizabeth first realized in their fullmeasure the joys of motherhood. 

While on the subject of Austria, I may cite the case of the widowedCrown Princess Stephanie as another illustration of the extent towhich royal parents are deprived of all authority over their children. Thus when Crown Prince Rudolph died at Mayerling, his littledaughter, at that time barely six years of age, was assigned to theguardianship, not of her widowed mother, but of her grandfather. Avery general belief prevails that this arrangement about the care ofthe little Archduchess Elizabeth, was due to a piece of animosity onthe part of the ill-fated crown prince against his wife, and I haveseen it stated in print that he had left a will confiding his onlychild to his father, and directing that its mother should be allowedno voice in its education. There is no official authority for any suchstatement, but no matter whether the crown prince expressed any suchtestamentary wish or not, the fact remains that at his death his childwas bound by the statutes of the House of Hapsburg, to become the wardof the sovereign, who in this case happened to be her grandfather. Gentle and soft-hearted as is Emperor Francis-Joseph, he neverthelessexercised his authority over his grandchild in a way that cannot buthave been galling in the extreme to its mother, a way, in fact, whichI imagine would be beyond the endurance of any American woman. Thushe insisted upon himself appointing and selecting her governesses andteachers; he nominated her entire household without consulting hermother, and its members, as well as the girl's instructors made theirreports not to Crown Princess Stephanie, but to him, from whom, also, they alone took their instructions. 

It was the emperor who decided where his grandchild was to stay, whereshe was to spend this part of the year, and where another season, andfinally he strictly prohibited her from leaving his dominions. Theposition of the Crown Princess of Austria since the death of herhusband has been so extremely unpleasant and painful, that she hasspent much of her time--indeed, at least nine months of the year--inforeign travel. The imperial family, the court and the people, holdher responsible for that domestic wretchedness which drove her souniversally popular husband to his tragic death at Mayerling. Ofa jealous disposition and of a temper that even at its best isdifficult, she is generally understood to have driven him by herviolence and injustice to seek, away from his home, the pleasures thathe could not find by his own fireside. 

It had been known that she had been strangely lacking in dignity inher complaints concerning his behavior, and after his death she gavecruel offence both to his parents and to the people of her adoptedcountry by her indifference to his terrible fate, and by the frivolitywith which she bore her widowhood, not a little of which was spentat the gaming tables of Monte-Carlo in the gayest mourning costumespossible; a circumstance which horrified Queen Victoria, who was atthat time at Nice, and naturally cruelly embittered the bereaved andsorrowing mother, Empress Elizabeth, who, robed in deepest black, was at Cap-Martin, endeavoring to recover her health, which had beenabsolutely shattered by the tragedy. 

All these things led to the crown princess being regarded with deepdisfavor in Austria. Difficulties were raised with regard to her rankand precedence at court, and the animosity manifested towards her wassuch at Vienna, and elsewhere in the dual empire, that she found itpreferable to spend the greater part of her time abroad. She was not, however, permitted to take her little daughter with her, and thus theyoung archduchess may be said to have grown up altogether away fromher mother, whom she saw for barely two months of the year, and thenmore as a visitor and a stranger, than as a relative who had any voicein the ordering of her life. 

If, then, this control of the minor princes and princesses of hisdynasty is insisted upon to such an extent by the aged Emperor ofAustria, the kindliest, most warm-hearted and sympathetic of old men, always prone to patient forbearance and indulgence, it will be readilyunderstood that it is exercised to its fullest extent by EmperorWilliam, in whose character the tendency to autocracy, and the spiritof command, is far more developed than in his brother monarch. Indeed, he not only claims the right to act as the chief guardian of thejunior members of the reigning house of Prussia, of which he is thehead, but likewise of the children of all those sovereign families ofGermany which have acknowledged him as their emperor. Thus he insistedupon having entire control of his young cousin, the only son ofthe reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, declaring that his ownauthority must be substituted for that of the lad's father, in spiteof the latter being himself a reigning sovereign, and an ally ratherthan a vassal. 

The tragic fate of the young prince will be too fresh in the memory ofmy readers to need more than passing reference here. The boy, removedfrom parental care, was transferred by Emperor William to Berlin, withthe avowed purpose of being under his own imperial eye. Unfortunately, the duties and occupations of William are so multifarious that he wasunable to fulfil his very excellent intentions with regard to PrinceAlfred. The latter fell into bad hands, squandered large sums ofmoney at cards, became involved in pecuniary difficulties, and inhis endeavors to retrieve them, sunk deeper and deeper into the mire, until finally Emperor William, suddenly alive to the results of hiswholly-unintentional neglect of the royal lad, sent him back tohis heart-broken parents, discredited, implicated in all sorts ofunpleasant gambling transactions, and shattered alike in health andmind. In the midst of their silver-wedding festivities, they wereforced to send their only boy off to a sanitarium in Austria, where, in spite of the close restraint under which he was kept, he managedto put an end to his life, only a few days after his arrival, promptedthereto by either physical or mental agony, no one knows which. 

Small wonder, when it became necessary to find a likely successor tothe present reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg, and his younger brother, Prince Arthur of Great Britain, Duke of Connaught, was proclaimedheir, that the prince decided that it would be preferable to sacrificehis rights to this throne, rather than his rights over his only son. On being given to understand that if he accepted the position of heirapparent, his sixteen-year-old boy would become the ward of EmperorWilliam, and that the authority of the kaiser would be superior to hisown over the lad, Prince Arthur declined to have anything to do withthe Saxe-Coburg succession, and abandoned both his own claims theretoand those of his son, in favor of his young nephew, the fatherlessDuke of Albany. It was precisely on the same ground that the Duke ofCumberland declined to complete the agreement whereby a reconciliationwas to be effected between himself and the kaiser. Born crown princeof the now defunct Kingdom of Hanover, he should have succeeded to thethrone of the Duchy of Brunswick on the death of his kinsman, the lateDuke of Brunswick, in 1884. The German Emperor, however, decided thathe could not be permitted to take possession of the sovereignty of theduchy, nor to assume the status of one of the federal rulers of theconfederation known as the German Empire, unless he recognized thelatter, as now constituted, that is to say with his father's Kingdomof Hanover incorporated with Prussia. For a long time he refused todo this, but was ultimately persuaded by his brother-in-law, the lateczar, and the Prince of Wales, to consent to a reconciliationwith Prussia, and to accept the present condition of affairs. Thearrangements were on the eve of being completed when a conflict arosebetween the duke and the kaiser, as to the education of the former'seldest son, Prince George. The duke wished to send him to the VizhumCollege, at Dresden, where so many members of the sovereign families, and of the great houses of the nobility, have received theirinstruction, while the kaiser objected to this particular school onthe ground that its teachings were calculated to increase insteadof to diminish particularist and anti-Prussian sentiments. The dukethereupon declared that he alone was competent to judge and determinehow his boy should be educated, whereupon the kaiser put forth hispretension to the guardianship of all the junior members of thesovereign houses comprised in the German Empire. Rather than consentto this, the Duke of Cumberland, who has inherited much of theobstinacy for which his great-grandfather, King George III. Of GreatBritain, was so celebrated, broke off all negotiations with EmperorWilliam, and refused to have anything more to do with him, for, likehis cousin, the Duke of Connaught, he would rather sacrifice hisrights to a German throne than his parental rights over a much-lovedboy. 

But the despotism of the monarchs of the Old World is by no meansrestricted to this question of the control and custody of the juniormembers of their respective families. Every prince and princess ofthe latter, no matter what his or her age, or superiority in point ofyears to the sovereign may be, is subjected to the will of the headof the house. For instance, no Russian grand duke or grand duchess canleave the Muscovite empire without previously asking and obtaining thepermission of the czar, and in the same way, the Austrianarchdukes and archduchesses have to crave the sanction of EmperorFrancis-Joseph, and the Prussian princes and princesses, that of thekaiser, before they can leave their respective countries for a foreigntrip. Even Empress Frederick is compelled to obtain the permissionof her son, the emperor, before taking her departure from Germany forEngland or Italy, and a few years ago when quietly enjoying herself inParis, she was forced by a peremptory command from her son to suddenlycut short her stay in the French capital, and to betake herself toEngland. 

To such an extent is this despotism carried that when Prince Henryof Prussia was stationed at Kiel, he had to ask his elder brother'spermission before he could run up to Berlin, although Kiel is onlya few hours' trip from the capital; and, as stated in the previouschapter, Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen and her husband, are kept at Breslau, except when their brother William graciouslycondescends to permit them to leave their home. Two years ago theemperor, for reasons which can only be surmised, and which were ofa personal rather than of a political character--of which moreanon--suddenly ordered his only brother Henry off to China, and alittle later, possibly with the object of showing to the world thathis authority extended to the ladies of his house, as well as to themen, he directed Princess Henry to join her husband at Hong Kong. Asthe two little boys of the princess are exceedingly delicate, owingpossibly to the fact that their parents are first cousins, the poormother was very reluctant to undertake the trip, but she was forcedby the emperor to go, and had scarcely reached Hong Kong beforeshe learnt by cable that both her little ones were prostrated by aterrible attack of diphtheria. She was not, however, permitted toreturn, but was kept out in China away from her children until latein the spring, and reached home well on towards autumn, to find herlittle ones--the youngest was but two years old--more delicate thanever, but fortunately alive. 

In the memoirs of Bismarck published by Dr. Busch, there is reproducedone of Emperor William's letters, written prior to his accessionto the throne, in the course of which he asks the great chancellorwhether he approves of his "commanding" (the German word is"_befehlen_") his brother Prince Henry to make certain inquiries ofthe late Prince Alexander of Battenberg. William in this letter doesnot talk of "requesting" his brother, but of ordering him to do this. If then William, as crown prince, already took upon himself the rightof ordering his brother and his sisters to do this and to do that, itmay be readily imagined that he is not less peremptory in his dealingswith them now that he is their emperor and king. 

If they disobey him, he has various means of punishment at hiscommand. He can banish them from court for a long term; he candeprive them temporarily, or for all time, of the prerogatives, theprivileges, and the honors due to their rank; he can suspend theirallowances from the national treasury, or from the family property, or can stop it altogether; he can take from them the control of anyestates which they may have inherited, and confide the administrationthereof to curators appointed for the purpose; finally, he can subjectthem to various forms of arrest, as he once did in the case of hisbrother-in-law, Prince Frederick-Leopold; while in very extreme caseshe can place the offending relative under restraint in an asylum forthe insane on the pretext of dementia, as has been done in the caseof Princess Louise of Coburg, daughter of King Leopold of Belgium, and mother of Princess "Dolly" of Coburg, who is now the wife of DukeErnest-Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein. 

"_Aux arrêts_, " or confinement to one's quarters, is the most commonform of punishment inflicted by Old World monarchs upon those of theirkith and kin who have failed to comply with their behests, and thereis scarcely a single sovereign or prince of the blood, who has notbeen subjected to this species of discipline at one time or another ofhis career. Thus the late Emperor Frederick, prior to his accessionto the throne, but long after his marriage, was sentenced to severalweeks' detention in his palace under strict arrest, as a punishmentfor a little joke which he had played during the course of a militaryinspection. 

He had been protesting for a long time against the tightness of theuniforms, and of the belts of the rank and file of the infantry, declaring that it impeded the movements and play of the muscles of themen, to such an extent as to deprive them of more than fifty per cent, of their usefulness. One day, during an inspection of the division ofguards at Potsdam, while the troops happened to be standing at ease, he walked along the front rank of the first regiment, accompanied bya number of officers, with whom he had just been discussing this veryquestion of equipment; suddenly, he stopped short in his walk, andextracting a piece of gold from his pocket, dropped it on the ground, and told the men nearest him to pick it up, adding that whoever gothold of it first, might keep it! Several of them made frantic attemptsto bend down in order to get the money, but so tight were theiruniforms and belts that they found it absolutely impossible to reach, the coin, which Emperor Frederick ultimately picked up himself, andhanded to them. 

"And how do you expect to win battles with soldiers hampered to suchan extent as that in their movements?" he exclaimed contemptuouslyto the officers around him. "What greater demonstration than this isneeded to prove the justice of my argument?"

The incident was reported to the then Minister of War, who immediatelylodged a complaint with Frederick's father, the result being that"Unser Fritz, " at that time Crown Prince of Prussia, was placed by oldEmperor William for several weeks under arrest in his palace!

Prince Rupert of Bavaria, the heir apparent to the ancient throne ofthe Wittelsbachs, was sentenced by his grandfather, the prince regent, to no less than three months' close arrest in his quarters at Munich, for having left the kingdom without permission, in order to spendthree days at Paris, in fair but frail company; while the widowedDuchess of Aosta on one occasion was placed under arrest in her palaceof Turin by her brother-in-law, King Humbert, because she had venturedto appear in public on her wheel wearing a pair of bloomers!

Prince and Princess Frederick-Leopold, the latter a younger sister ofthe Empress of Germany, have both been condemned on several occasionsby the kaiser to close confinement in their palace under the moststringent kind of arrest, for having disobeyed his majesty's commandswith regard to the management of their household. Duke Ernest-Guntherof Schleswig-Holstein, the brother of the empress, has been subjectedto more numerous orders of arrest by his imperial kinsman than anyprince of the blood now living. 

Severe as are European monarchs nowadays in punishing the disobedienceof the members of their families, they do not, however, venture anylonger to proceed to such extremities as the father of Frederick theGreat, who when the latter was still crown prince, cast his son intoprison, and ordered him to be shot, merely because he discoveredthat he was about to leave the kingdom without his permission for thepurpose of undertaking a trip to England; and there is no doubt thatthe crown prince would have been put to death, and thus shared thefate of his two aids-de-camp, who were beheaded before his veryeyes, in the fortress prison of Küstrin, had it not been for theintervention of the ambassadors of Austria, Great Britain, Russia andFrance in behalf of his royal highness. 

Yet another phase of this despotism, which the two kaisers, --namelytheir majesties of Germany and of Austria, --exercise over the membersof their respective families, is the right which they claim to selectand appoint the officers and ladies-in-waiting of every prince andprincess of the blood. In order to appreciate what this means itmust be explained that it is not merely contrary to etiquette, butabsolutely forbidden by the rules and regulations instituted byEmperor William and his brother sovereigns, that any such princes orprincesses should venture to appear anywhere in public without beingescorted either by a gentleman or a lady-in-waiting. These attendants, who are, it is needless to state, of noble birth, may be said toconstitute the very shadow of the personage to whose household theyare attached. In fact a royal or imperial prince or princess cannoteven cross the street, far less leave home for a ride, a drive, awalk, or for the purpose of paying a visit, or of doing some shoppingwithout being escorted, if a prince, by a gentleman-in-waiting, andif a princess, by a lady-in-waiting, and possibly by a chamberlain aswell. 

Nor are the duties of the ladies and gentlemen-in-waiting confined toattendance upon their royal charges in public, for they form part andparcel of the royal or imperial household to which they are attached, and if they do not occupy quarters in the palace, at any rate theytake all their meals there, since their duties commence in the earlymorning, and only cease late at night. 

Now, human shadows of this kind are all very well when one is atliberty to choose them one's self; but it is very different whenone has no voice whatsoever in the matter, and when one is forced tosubmit to close and intimate attendance of this kind by ladies andgentlemen whom one neither likes nor trusts. In such cases as these, the gentlemen or ladies-in-waiting are apt to be regarded in thelight of spies by their royal charges, and as people appointed by thesovereign to keep watch upon their actions. It is probable that noone has suffered so cruelly in this connection as the widowedEmpress Frederick of Germany. Possessed of extremely liberal views inpolitical matters--ideas which she imparted to her consort, she foundherself, within a few years after her marriage, in complete oppositionto Prince Bismarck. The latter regarded her as a very dangerousopponent, and responded to her openly avowed disapproval of hispolitical methods by using his influence with her father-in-law, oldEmperor William, urging him to interfere with her management ofher children; and above all, to appoint as members of her householdpersonages with whom she could have no possible sympathy, politicalor otherwise, and who were, in every sense of the word, devoted tothe Iron Chancellor. In fact, Prince Bismarck acknowledges in hisreminiscences, as published by his Boswell, Dr. Busch, that he causedthe crown princess--as Empress Frederick was then--to shed many abitter tear, by his interference, through her father-in-law, in herdomestic affairs. 

Bismarck made no secret of his enmity towards Empress Frederick andher husband before the latter ascended the throne, and it is on recordthat he even officially insisted that secrets of state should not beconfided to "Unser Fritz, " for fear that the latter's consort mightcommunicate them to her English relatives. He even went so far as toaccuse her of having, during the war of 1870, betrayed to non-Germanrelatives Prussian military secrets, which were used by the Frenchagainst her adopted country, and served to prolong the conflict. Theseodious charges, "_which have been abundantly disproved_" and for which"_there was not even the shadow of a foundation_, " are merely referredto here in order to show the intense bitterness of the personalanimosity entertained by the chancellor towards Empress Frederick. Yetit was he, Bismarck, who, through the old emperor, had the right ofselecting and nominating, not merely the instructors and attendants ofher boys, but her own gentlemen and ladies-in-waiting--nay, even thephysicians and surgeons to be called in cases of illness. 

CHAPTER VI

It is to the part played by Prince Bismarck in selecting theattendants and tutors of the present emperor that must be ascribed thestrained relations that notoriously existed between the kaiser and hismother during the few years immediately preceding and following hisaccession to the throne; while there is no doubt whatsoever that thelast eighteen months of Emperor Frederick's so prematurely-ended life, were saddened and embittered by the feeling that a conspiracy wason foot to prevent his succession to the throne on the ground of theincurable malady from which he was suffering--a conspiracy in whichsome of the principal participants were members of his household andphysicians who had been forced upon him by his father at instigationof Prince Bismarck. 

If I mention this, it is not so much with the idea of evoking a verypainful chapter of the history of the Court Berlin, as it is for thepurpose of explaining, and in a measure of excusing, the chargesof unfilial conduct brought against the present emperor, and whichcontributed so much to his unpopularity both at home and abroad duringthe early years of his reign. 

I have related in a previous chapter how William, while a boy, wassnubbed by his parents, and treated with considerable strictness. His father, like so many good-looking giants, utterly free fromaffectation and pose, believed that he saw in his eldest boy atendency to posture, a forwardness of manner, and a dispositiontowards pride of rank, amounting to arrogance, which it was necessary, at all costs, to repress. Prince William, therefore, was constantlyreceiving setbacks, often of a most humiliating character, from hisparents, and I am sorry to say that this practice of regarding him asa presumptuous youth whom it was necessary to check, extended to otherEuropean courts, so that poor William can not be said to have had analtogether enjoyable time; and in this connection it is just as wellto state that the Prince of Wales and his other English relatives, took their cue from his mother in their treatment of him, acircumstance which he has neither forgiven nor forgotten. Indeed thenotorious absence of cordiality between the Prince of Wales and hisimperial nephew of Berlin originates with the snubs which theBritish heir apparent, in his capacity of uncle, felt it necessary toadminister to William, when the latter was a lad, and even when he hadreached manhood. 

Yet it would be unfair to ascribe any undue blame in the matter to theparents of Emperor William. The responsibility must rest ratherwith those people with whom Prince Bismarck, acting through the oldemperor, surrounded the young prince. The mission of these nomineesof the chancellor was to counteract the influence of the then crownprince and crown princess over their eldest son, and this was achievedby setting the boy against his parents. Every direction or commandgiven by Frederick or by his consort to their son was made the subjectof critical discussion by the personages with whom Bismarck hadsurrounded him, until the latter became convinced that the judgment ofhis parents was at fault in almost everything that could be imagined, and that all their views, political as well as social, were thoroughlyout of keeping with Prussian traditions and German patriotism. 

This in itself was bad enough: but what made matters infinitely worse, was that whenever William was subjected to any reproof or disciplineby either his father or mother, those composing his immediate_entourage_ at once impressed upon the royal youth that he was thevictim of the most gross and unpardonable injustice, that bothhis father and mother were inordinately jealous of his strikingindividuality, that the unmerited severity to which he was subjectedwas brought about by their consciousness that his intellect wassuperior to theirs, and that his ideas were too thoroughly Prussian toconstitute anything but a serious danger to their English liberalism. The effect of influences such as these upon a high-spirited andimpulsive youth, at the time entirely devoid of experience or ofknowledge of the world, may readily be conceived. It naturally led toan increase of what his parents regarded as his presumptuousness andforwardness of manner, and consequently to a growth of their severitytowards him. He, on the other hand, became more and more embitteredby the unduly harsh and rather unjust treatment to which he was beingsubjected by both his father and his mother. 

The persons in attendance on the imperial family, with the conspicuousexceptions of Count Seckendorff and Countess Hedwig Brühl, werecareful to fan the embers of bitterness rankling in the bosom of youngWilliam whenever any opportunity offered, and thus it happened thatwhen Emperor Frederick, while still crown prince, was discovered to besuffering from that cancer of the larynx which ultimately carried himoff, the relations between parents and son were so strained as to giverise to the very widespread belief that William was the ally of hisfather's enemies, and a participator in the disgraceful conspiracywhich ensued for the purpose of barring him from succession to thethrone on the ground of his fearful malady. 

As soon as the nature of the disease from which Frederick wassuffering had been ascertained, his opponents, Prince Bismarck firstand foremost, dug out from the most remote recesses of the familyarchives of the house of Hohenzollern an obsolete and forgotten lawbarring from the succession to the throne of Prussia any prince ofthe blood who was afflicted with an incurable malady. Of course, the original object of the statute in question was to enable theelimination from the line of succession of princes afflicted withhopeless insanity, or some such disease as would prevent them fromadministering the government, thus rendering the institution of aregency necessary. In one word, the purpose of the measure was toprevent such a situation from arising in Prussia as prevails now inBavaria, where, since 1886 the throne has been occupied by a lunaticprince, who was incurably insane for many years before his accessionto the crown, and whose dementia takes that peculiar form, which isdescribed in the Bible as having overtaken Nebuchadnezzar. King Ottoof Bavaria imagines himself to be alternately a quadruped or a bird, and when he is not browsing on leaves and grass in the gardens of hisprison palace at Fürstenried, under the impression that he is a sheepor goat, he will stand on one leg in the centre of a shallow pond, firmly convinced that he is a stork, occasionally flapping his longcoat-tails in lieu of wings, and greedily attempting to devour anyfrogs or tadpoles that may come within his reach, unless prevented byhis attendants from doing so. 

There have been, alas! numerous cases of insanity in the reigninghouse of Prussia. Old Emperor William's elder brother and predecessor, King Frederick-William IV. , spent the last few years of his lifeunder restraint, hopelessly insane, his brother and ultimate successoradministering the government as regent. The late Princess Frederickof Prussia was afflicted like her brother, the last Duke ofAnhalt-Bernburg, with a peculiar kind of lunacy which took the form ofan invincible objection to clothing of any kind whatsoever; while oneof her two sons, Prince Alexander, who died only a few months ago, suffered from a species of good-natured imbecility, which led himto offer his heart and his hand to every woman or young girl thathe encountered, no matter what her age, or looks, or rank, sometimesmaking as many as thirty or forty offers of marriage in the same day!The above-mentioned law was created for the purpose of preventing aprince thus situated from ascending the throne of Prussia, but thefamily statutes evoked by Prince Bismarck and his followers certainlynever contemplated the deprival of a prince of his hereditary rightsof succession to the throne because of some physical ailment orinfirmity. This would have been entirely contrary to the spirit andethics of the monarchical system of the Old World; as will be readilyseen when attention is called to the fact that both the late King ofHanover, and the present reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, were absolutely and totally blind at the time they succeeded to theirpresent thrones. 

Prince Bismarck took the view, however, that the statute in questionwas sufficient to bar "Unser Fritz" from succeeding to his father, ifit were once medically admitted that his malady was incurable, or ifcurable, that it was liable to permanently destroy the vocal chords, thus abolishing forever the power of speech. 

Prince Bismarck declared that in a matter of such extreme importance, where the succession to the throne, and the life of the heir apparentwere at stake, the surgeons and physicians should be selected by theState--that is, by himself--and that their verdict should be final. Chief among the medical experts whom he nominated for the purpose, wasthe celebrated German surgeon, Professor von Bergmann, who is as famedfor his skill in the use of the knife as for his fondness in applyingit in cases where it might possibly be dispensed with. Havingconvinced himself that the malady from which Crown Prince Fredericksuffered was a cancer, he decreed that the only manner of saving thelife of the illustrious patient was the extremely dangerous and almostcertainly fatal operation of removing the entire portion of the larynxthat was affected. This, as stated above, would have left the crownprince dumb for the remainder of his days, and according to theviews of Prince Bismarck would have barred him from succession to thethrone. 

It is related in court circles at Berlin, that Professor Bergmann wason the point of operating upon the crown prince unknown to the crownprincess, and under the pretext of making a very radical examination, for which anaesthetics were necessary, when, he was prevented at thevery last moment by her imperial highness. It is even stated that shetore the instruments from his hands, and turned him out of the roomwith the most bitter and cutting reproaches. Whatever may be true inthis bit of court gossip, it is certain that a fierce quarrel did takeplace between the crown princess and the great surgeon, and that thecause of this quarrel was the decision taken by the latter to operateupon the crown prince as the only means of saving his life. 

[Illustration:_THE CROWN PRINCESS AND PROFESSOR VON BERGMANN__After a drawing by Oreste Cortazzo_]

The crown princess thereupon summoned to her assistance Sir MorelMacKenzie, the greatest throat specialist in England, who throughouthis long career was consulted by all the leading singers and oratorsof his day. MacKenzie came to Berlin, examined the crown prince, and utterly rejected the diagnosis of Professor Bergmann, and of theGerman physicians. He declared that the affection of the larynx, whilecancerous, would not be bettered by using the knife, at any rate atthat time, and that he believed the malady to be curable by treatment. Needless to add that his opinion was reviled in Germany as that ofa charlatan, and that the Teuton specialists declared that the crownprince was doomed to certain death within six months, unless theoperation was performed. 

Fearing that some further attempt might be made at Berlin to operateupon her husband without her knowledge, or in spite of her opposition, the crown princess took him off to England, and from thence tothe Tyrol, from which place they eventually migrated to San Remo. Meanwhile, the German newspapers, that is to say, those which werebelieved to be receiving their inspiration from Bismarckian sources, were filled with abuse of the crown princess, who was charged openlywith being willing to sacrifice the life of her husband rather thanher chances of becoming German Empress. 

Meanwhile the crown prince became worse and worse, and while at SanRemo had several fits of agonizing suffocation, to which he almostsuccumbed, and from the worst of which he was virtually saved bythe late Dr. Thomas Evans, of Philadelphia, who displayed the utmostdevotion and intelligence of treatment in the case of the imperialsufferer. 

It was at this juncture that one of the most dramatic scenes which canbe imagined took place in the antechamber of the illustrious patient. The crown princess received letters which informed her that PrinceBismarck had submitted to the old emperor, then himself near death, adecree for signature, transferring the succession of the throne fromCrown Prince Frederick to the latter's son, Prince William, a decreewhich, by the by, the old emperor could not bring himself to sign. Furthermore, she learnt through the same sources that one of theprincipal members of her household at San Remo, in fact, one of thechamberlains in attendance, was sending daily reports of the mostvenomous character to Berlin, and to Prince Bismarck particularly, about everything that went on around the unhappy crown prince. Not athing was said, not a thing done, not a change for the worse or thebetter in the condition of the hapless crown prince, that was notinstantly reported to the chancellor, in a sense most detrimental andinimical to the imperial couple at San Remo. This traitor in the campowed his appointment to the imperial household to Prince Bismarck, butby his charming manners, his professions of loyalty and of devotion, and his denunciations of Prince Bismarck, and of the latter's policyand ways, had completely captured the confidence of both the crownprince and crown princess. 

Empress Frederick has inherited from her mother, Queen Victoria, asingularly fiery temper. Her passionate anger when she realizedthe base treachery to which her sick husband and herself had beensubjected in their time of cruel tribulation and trouble can only beimagined by those who have the privilege of knowing her, and the scenethat took place between herself and the offending chamberlain was notmerely dramatical, but tragical in its fierce intensity. 

It was very shortly after this that the old emperor died. If PrinceBismarck entertained any further hopes of preventing the accession ofCrown Prince Frederick to the throne, they were frustrated by PrinceWilliam, who declined to be a party to any such conspiracy. Indeed, inspite of all that has been said to the contrary, I am firmly convincedthat William at no time took any part, either directly or indirectly, in the Bismarckian plot to oust his so sadly afflicted father from hisrights to the crown. But, on the other hand, it is certain that he wassuspected by his parents and relatives of being privy to the scheme, and that he was treated with still greater hostility and lack ofaffection by them than previously, which naturally served to embitterhim more than ever before. 

Emperor Frederick's reign lasted not quite one hundred days, andthroughout that period a conflict may be said to have raged around thebedside of the dying man. Both he and his wife, aware how brief histenure of the throne was destined to be, were bent on inauguratingsome of those liberal reforms and popular measures which had been thedream of their entire married life, and which they wished to see putin force, as a lasting memorial of that monarch who figures in Germanhistory to-day as "Frederick the Noble. "

Prince Bismarck, and all the leading statesmen of Prussia, it must beadmitted, ranged themselves against the imperial couple in the matter. They expressed profound pity for the dying emperor, but they denouncedthe empress with the utmost virulence for taking advantage, as theydescribed it, of his condition to endow Germany with some of the mostpernicious features of English political life, which, while all verywell for Britons, were destined to prove disastrous in the extreme ifapplied to Prussia. The fiercer the opposition, the more resolute didboth the emperor and empress become in their determination to attaintheir aim, before death once more rendered the throne vacant; andthe position of William, who was now crown prince, became even moredifficult than it had hitherto been. His political sympathies were, itis impossible to deny, with Prince Bismarck and his followers, and hecould not with his training and with the influences by which he hadbeen surrounded, ever since he had left school, but disapprove ofthe measures which his father and mother wished to adopt. This verynaturally added to their distrust of him, and while they lavishedevery token of affection upon their other children, he was treated bythem more as a political adversary and a personal foe than as a friendor a son. 

At length the end came. The pitiful sufferings of "Unser Fritz, "uncomplainingly and patiently borne, were brought to a close by adeath which in his case must have been a longed-for release; andwithin an hour afterwards, William, the present emperor, hadstartled his subjects and the entire civilized world, by taking anextraordinary step, which for a long time afterwards served as a themefor the denunciation of unfilial character hurled against him bothin Germany and abroad; this step being the giving of an order to theeffect that the guards placed at all the entrances of the Palace ofPotsdam, in which his father had breathed his last, should be doubled, that a cordon of troops should be drawn around the park walls, andthat no one should be allowed to enter or leave the palace without hispermission. 

While there is every reason to believe that this measure was suggestedto him by Prince Bismarck, yet it must be admitted that it was to acertain extent justified by the circumstances. Emperor Frederickwas known to have kept a most exhaustive diary throughout his entiremarried life, dealing day by day with all the political questions ofthe hour, the secrets of the Prussian State, the incidents of courtlife, etc. , just as they occurred. From a German point of view itwas a matter of the most extreme importance that this collectionof diaries should not be permitted to leave Prussia, or to reach aforeign country, for it would practically have meant the placing atthe mercy of a foreign land all the state secrets of Prussia duringthe previous thirty years. Emperor William and Prince Bismarck hadboth been led to believe that Empress Frederick had made arrangementsto have these books conveyed to England by Sir Morel MacKenzie, whomthey both disliked as much as they distrusted him. The idea thatthese volumes should be in the care of MacKenzie, even during thetwenty-four hours journey separating Berlin from London, was to themquite intolerable. 

Before many hours had elapsed, however, the measures were relaxed. Itwas discovered that the diaries were no longer in the palace, and thatthey had been taken over to England either knowingly or unknowingly byQueen Victoria on the occasion of her visit to Potsdam, when she cameto bid adieu to her dying son-in-law. 

Let me add that some time later, after a considerable amount ofexplanation and negotiation, Queen Victoria, of her own accord, returned the cases containing Emperor Frederick's diaries to hergrandson at Berlin, with the seals unbroken, taking the very sensibleground that inasmuch as there were many Prussian state secretstherein contained, their place was in the archives of the House ofHohenzollern, rather than in England. 

Emperor William has never forgotten the course adopted by hisgrandmother in the matter, and by his manner towards her hasrepeatedly shown since then that he feels how greatly he can relyupon having his actions appreciated with perfect impartiality and allabsence of prejudice at Windsor. 

Empress Frederick was naturally deeply offended by the precautionarymeasures adopted by the emperor on his father's death, and saw thereina new and most insulting indication of his unfilial conduct towardsherself. Nor were the relations between the mother and the sonimproved, but on the contrary rather aggravated by the presence of thePrince of Wales at Berlin. The latter remained in the Prussian capitalfor a number of weeks after the funeral of Emperor Frederick, and theEnglish newspapers, which had been most outspoken in their criticismsof the young emperor's attitude towards his parents, did not hesitateto declare openly that if the prince was continuing his stay inBerlin, it was for the purpose of championing the interests of hisfavorite sister, and of protecting her from the insults of her son, and of the latter's mentor and chief counsellor, Prince Bismarck. 

There were all sorts of troublesome questions cropping up between themother and the son during the first few months of her widowhood, manyof which were inevitable; for certain courses of policy uponwhich Emperor Frederick had embarked were disapproved by the youngsovereign's constitutional advisers. Then, too, it would appear thatFrederick III. Had taken advantage of his brief tenure of power tounduly favor his wife and his younger children at the expense of theHohenzollern family property in a manner that was not in consonancewith the traditions of the reigning house. It was also whisperedthat the late emperor had lent a very large sum of money to hisbrother-in-law, the Prince of Wales, and it was further asserted thatthe then minister of the imperial household had preferred resigninghis post to countenancing such a use of the money belonging tothe Hohenzollern family. There was the question, moreover, of thedistribution of the palaces. While William was perfectly ready topermit his mother to keep her residence at Berlin, he felt that hewas entitled, as emperor and chief of the family, to the new palace ofPotsdam, the finest of the lot, and the only one roomy enough for theabode of a reigning sovereign. It was, therefore, necessary that heshould have possession thereof. His mother, on the other hand, tookthe ground that inasmuch as it had been her principal home throughouther married life, that nearly all her children had been born there, and that it was in many respects a creation of her husband's, sheought to be allowed to retain it. Of course the emperor had his way, and this but served to increase the bitterness, particularly whenhe issued an order to the effect that its old name of "Neues Palais"should be restored in the place of "Friedrichskron, " which had beengiven to it by the widowed empress during her husband's brief reign. 

Of course all these differences of opinion between the mother and theson were carefully intensified by Prince Bismarck, and aggravatedby the continued presence of the Prince of Wales, who was regarded, probably unjustly, as largely responsible for the animosity which itwas claimed was entertained and manifested by the imperial widow forher son. The newspapers took sides in the matter, and the press beingvery active, there is every reason to believe, in view of the widefield of German and foreign journalism over which the influences ofthe chancellor extended at the time, that he had a finger, not alonein the denunciation on the one hand of Empress Frederick as grasping, mercenary, and too much of an Englishwoman to be a patriotic German, but likewise in the abuse of Emperor William for unfilial conduct. Every act of his that could possibly be construed as such, was paintedin the blackest of colors, especially in the English press, manifestlywith the idea of conveying to the kaiser the impression that theattacks originated with his English relatives, possibly with hismother herself; and I can recall seeing at the time a story to whichthe London papers devoted columns, and which was made the theme ofeditorials, the subject of which was that the emperor had sold to acarpenter the pony-carriage and pony used by his father daring the fewweeks immediately preceding his death, for his drives in the palacegardens. The story related with much detail about how the pony trapwas to be seen during the week in the streets of Potsdam, laden withwindow-sashes, etc. , while on Sunday and holidays the seat whereformerly the dying emperor reclined was occupied by the "HerrTischlermeister" and his frowsy, vulgar-looking "frau. " Yet there wasnot a word of truth in this story. The pony-carriage used by "UnserFritz" during the closing days of his life is preserved as a speciesof sacred relic in the imperial coach-house at Potsdam, while the ponyleads a life of ease, idleness and equine luxury, out of regard forthe fact that it had the honor of drawing the moribund monarch aroundthe grounds of Charlottenburg and Potsdam. Inasmuch as this preciousstory about Emperor William's selling the pony-carriage in questionfirst made its appearance in a London newspaper, which, as long asBismarck remained in office, was regarded as his particular organ inthe British press, being owned by a gentleman bearing a distinctlyGerman name, there is every reason to believe that the tale inquestion originated with some of the journalistic myrmidons employedby the chancellor, and that its object was to embitter William againstthe English, against his British kinsfolk, and, above all, against hismother. 

It is not without significance that the mother and the eldest son haveunderstood one another only since the dismissal from office of PrinceBismarck. From that time the relations between the two have been ofthe most affectionate and cordial character. Perhaps at first therewas at times a little difference of opinion, owing to the difficultyexperienced by a woman of the imperious character of Empress Frederickin realizing the fact that her eldest son was no longer "her boyWillie, " to be ordered about and controlled, but that he had become, not merely emancipated from her control, but her sovereign master, whose commands she is now forced to obey, and whose wishes she isobliged to consult and consider. But every year since the fall ofBismarck has had the effect of bringing the mother and the son nearerto each other. 

The empress seems to have come to the conclusion that she has judgedher son harshly and unjustly, prejudiced by appearances which werefrequently against him; while he, on the other hand, demonstrated toPrince Bismarck that, while he was grateful to him for his servicesto the empire, he found difficulty in pardoning him for the advantagewhich he had taken of his--the emperor's--youth and inexperience toestrange him from both his father and his mother. 

If I have repeated in this chapter some history that may be regardedas ancient, since it dates back to eleven and twelve years ago, itis for the purpose of relieving Emperor William of much unmeritedreproach heaped upon him, as the most unfilial of royal and imperialprinces in modern times. William has a warm heart, and an affectionatedisposition. He shows this in the happiness of his home life, and bythe tenderness of his devotion to his wife and children. If he was fora time estranged from his parents, and in particular from his mother, it was less through any fault of his, or of theirs--I repeat it--thanthrough the intrigues of Bismarck, and of the latter's friends withinand without the imperial household, who fondly imagined that they wereserving the "vaterland" by keeping the parents and their son estrangedfrom one another. 

CHAPTER VII

Everyone, I presume, is acquainted with that old French saying, "_Dismoi qui tu hantes et je te dirai qui tu es!_" which may be rendered inEnglish: "Tell me with whom you associate and I will tell you whoyou are!" While this adage is almost invariably true in the case ofordinary people, it would hardly be just to apply it where monarchsand princes of the blood are concerned. Given that every form ofpleasure, of entertainment and of amusement is always within theirreach, thanks to the loftiness of their station, their wealth, andfacilitated furthermore by the anxiety of their courtiers both toplease them and to retain their favor, they naturally soon becomeblasé to such an extent that they become a prey to ennui--a thoroughlyroyal malady, from which few, if any, of the scions of the reigninghouses of Europe are exempt. "Ennui, " like "chic, " is a Frenchword difficult to translate and subject to much misinterpretation, especially in the United States, where it is practically unknown. Themajority of Americans are far too busy, and are environed by too muchbustle and activity to experience such a thing as ennui, and even theAmerican leisure class, still in an embryo condition, as a rule aretoo new to their privileges to have that feeling. To suffer from ennuiimplies so deep a knowledge of life, and a corresponding satiety ofits pleasures, that all the ordinary routine events of existence haveno longer any power to interest the mind. Ennui is not weariness nortediousness, as described in the dictionary; neither is it boredom, for the latter differs therefrom in its not necessarily being theoutcome of a high degree of civilization, which ennui certainly is. 

An untutored savage of Central Africa, or of the wilds of Australiamay be bored; so are many of the ignorant houris of Oriental haremsand zenanas. Nay, even an energetic business man may feeltemporarily bored by enforced bodily or mental inaction, or by drearyassociations; but that can scarcely be described as _ennui_, a feelingwhich in the true sense of the word means being thoroughly _blasé_and oppressed by moral and physical satiety. You must know everything, have tried everything, have had all your personal wishes and desiressatisfied, all obstacles removed from your path, and pass your waythrough life with the firm conviction that there remains nothing tointerest or arouse your ambition in order to be a victim of _ennui_. The greatest sufferers from this disagreeable sensation are, as Ihave just remarked, the royal and imperial personages of Europe, andalthough the emperors of Germany and Austria have the greaterportion of their time taken up by the business of the State, and theadministration of the government of their respective countries, yetneither of them is exempt from ennui. Indeed, there are no princeswhose features betray to such an extent unmistakable evidence ofennui, as those of the imperial house of Hapsburg, while EmperorWilliam's choice of many of his friends is guided by the powers whichthey may possess to entertain him, and to deliver him in his hours ofleisure from that dreaded complaint. Of course there are exceptions tothis rule, and there are several of Emperor William's cronies who owethe friendship of their sovereign to kindnesses which they rendered, and devotion which they displayed to him, in the days prior tohis accession to the throne. But in the majority of instances, the sometimes strange selection of friends made by the emperor isattributable to the fact that the personages to whom he accords hisfavor succeed in amusing and entertaining him during the time that heis not occupied with the cares of his empire. 

Conspicuous among friends of this particular character, is Baron vonKiderlen-Waechter, who holds the rank of minister plenipotentiary inthe diplomatic service of Germany, and who was recently, and possiblystill remains, Prussian envoy to the Court of Denmark, but who isknown in the imperial circle at Berlin by the nickname of "August, "that being the "sobriquet" given to the clowns belonging tovariety-shows and circuses in England, Austria, and France. In fact, he certainly occupies among William's immediate circle of cronies andassociates the position of court jester, and the emperor makes a pointof taking the baron along with him whenever he goes on his annualyachting trips along the coast of Sweden and Norway. The latter is thelife and soul of these imperial yachting parties, his witticisms, hisantics, and, above all, his inimitable talent for mimicry keeping eventhe sailors of the _Hohenzollern_ in continual roars of laughter. Yethe can be grave and dignified on state occasions, and when one seeshim at the Court of Berlin arrayed in full uniform, his breastcovered with decorations, it is difficult to realize that thisimposing-looking diplomat is the principal partner of the autocratof Germany in such juvenile games as "Hot Cockles, " which is a veryfavorite game on board the _Hohenzollern_, and in which the kneelingand blindfolded victim receives a terrific spank or smack, and thenhas to guess, under the penalty of ridiculous forfeits, who it is thatstruck him!

No one would ever have dreamt of finding any fault with this intimacybetween the emperor and the baron, had it not been for the fact thatthe latter laid himself open to charges of having taken advantage ofthe imperial favor won by mimicry and practical joking, to furtherpolitical and personal intrigues in which he was interested. Indeed, he was repeatedly accused in the German press of being largelyresponsible for the manifestation of animosity between the Court ofBerlin and Friedrichsrüh that characterized the last eight or nineyears of the life of Prince Bismarck. The newspapers did nothesitate to assert that the baron, who had formerly been one of theconfidential secretaries of the old chancellor, had deliberatelyfomented the irritation of the kaiser against the veteran statesman, believing that any reconciliation between the monarch and his formerchancellor would entail the baron's disgrace. Finally, the abuseof the baron in the Berlin press became so pronounced that hewas virtually obliged to challenge the editor of one of the mostvituperative of the metropolitan sheets, and very gallantly lodged abullet through the shoulder of this "knight of the quill!"

For this escapade the baron was condemned to three months'imprisonment by the courts, duelling, as has been intimated already, being forbidden by law in Germany. His incarceration in the militaryfortress of Ehrenbreitstein on the Rhine was absolutely unprecedented. Ambassadors and envoys have in times gone by been imprisoned bysovereigns to whose courts they were accredited, in defiance of allthe laws of international right regulating the intercourse betweencivilized powers, but this was the first occasion of a governmenttaking the unheard-of step of jailing one of its own envoys. 

Fortunately for the baron, the King of Denmark was, before hisaccession to the throne, an officer of the German army, and as suchwas disposed to regard with the utmost leniency the offence for whichhis excellency was condemned to imprisonment. He realized thatthe baron had no alternative but to fight, his honor having beenquestioned by the paper whose editor he challenged. Although duellingis forbidden by the criminal law of Germany, under the penalty ofimprisonment, yet, had the baron failed to fight, and taken shelterbehind the law, he would not only have been compelled to resign hisdiplomatic office, his position at court, and his rank in the army, but he would have subjected himself to such odium as to have becometo all intents and purposes a social outcast, and compelled to leaveGermany. 

Appreciating this, old King Christian raised no objections to theappointment of a chargé d'affaires, to represent the diplomaticinterests of Germany at his court, during the term of imprisonmentserved by the minister plenipotentiary, and from the moment when thelatter completed his term, and was liberated from prison, he resumedhis duties as envoy at the Court of Copenhagen, just as if nothing hadhappened. 

Another intimate friend of the kaiser, who possesses much the same_talents de société_ as Baron Kiderlen-Waechter, and whose positionin the high favor of the kaiser has been a subject of much unfavorablecomment, and even of open abuse in Berlin, is Baron Holstein, popularly known as the "_Austern-Freund"_ or "Oyster-Friend, " owing tohis altogether phenomenal capacity for the absorption of bivalves, andhis strongly developed fondness for good cheer! Baron Holstein, like Baron Kiderlen-Waechter, was formerly one of the confidentialsecretaries of Prince Bismarck, and a daily guest at his table, andwas treated as a member of the old chancellor's family for years, yethe became one of the most relentless foes of the Bismarck family assoon as the prince was dismissed from office. 

Prince Bismarck was not the sort of man to submit in silence to theenmity of his former secretary, and a few years after his retirementto Friedrichsrüh he took occasion, during the course of a publicdiscussion of the circumstances which led to the disgrace and ruinof Count Harry Arnim, for a long time German ambassador at Paris, todisclose for the first time in speech, and in print, the part whichBaron Holstein had played in the affair. According to the prince, Baron Holstein, while first secretary of the German embassy at Paris, and though treated by Count Arnim as an inmate of his home, livingin fact under his roof, and eating at his table, was in the habitthroughout an entire year of sending secret reports to Berlin againstthe chief under whom he was serving--reports which subsequentlyfurnished the basis of the charges upon which Count Arnim was tried, convicted and disgraced. 

It is true that some mention was made in the Parisian and Englishpress at the time of the Arnim trial of the questionable rôle whichBaron Holstein had played in the affair, and there were a number ofParisian papers that did not hesitate to hold up the baron to, atany rate, French obloquy, as a man guilty of the base betrayal of thekindest and most indulgent of chiefs. The only person on that occasionwho had the courage to take up the baron's defence was M. De Blowitz, French correspondent of the London _Times_, of which he is describedon the banks of the Seine, as the "ambassador, " and who possessesan immense amount of influence with the Parisian press. Blowitz'schampionship of the baron's cause was sincerely appreciated by thelatter. He called upon the correspondent, thanked him effusively, anddeclared that it was his intervention alone that had made his stay atParis possible. 

During the conversation that followed, Blowitz opened his heart to hisvisitor, telling him that his own position as the Paris correspondentof the _Times_ was in danger owing to some changes in theadministration of the London office. A fortnight later, Blowitzreceived from the managing editor of the _Times_ in London a lettersixteen pages long, addressed to Printing-House Square, and entirelywritten and signed by Baron Holstein. It denounced Blowitz as beingone of the creatures of the late Duc Decazes, as wilfully ignoringand concealing for interested purposes of his own, a number of mattersthat should have found their way into the columns of the _Times_, andurging the managers of the latter to send to Paris some fitter andmore impartial person, who would be better able to keep the greatEnglish newspaper _au courant_ of what was going on below as well asabove the surface, than so unscrupulous a person as M. De Blowitz. This letter was dated exactly three days after the latter's visit ofgratitude to the correspondent, and the incident may be regarded asbeing in perfect harmony with the behavior of this favorite of thekaiser to both Count Harry Arnim and subsequently to Prince Bismarck. 

The third of these cronies of the kaiser, to whom his subjects takeobjection on the ground that they are in the habit of using the favorshown to them by his majesty to further their own interests, andto injure those who, for one reason or another, have incurred theiranimosity, is Count Philip Eulenburg, who has been again and againreferred to in the Berlin newspapers as "the Troubadour. " He is at thepresent moment German ambassador at Vienna, whence his predecessor, Prince Reuss, was ousted in spite of the eminent services of apersonal character which he had rendered to the emperor, in order tomake way for the count. The latter's intimacy with his sovereign islargely due to his cleverness as a poet, a dramatist, and acomposer, and while he has furnished the words to many of the musicalcompositions of the kaiser, William has, in turn, had much of his ownpoetry set to music by the count. 

Philip Eulenburg has been clever enough to foster William's verypardonable weakness as to his gifts as a musician and a poet, andbeing a man of the most charming manners, possessed of an unusualsupply of tact, and extremely accomplished in many respects, he hasacquired an extraordinary degree of influence over his sovereign. Indeed it may be doubted whether there is any member of the imperialentourage who stands as high in the good graces of the German ruler asdoes his ambassador to the Court of Vienna. 

Each year the emperor makes a point of spending a week at Liebenberg, the country-seat of the count, and it has long been a matterof comment that these visits are invariably signalized by theinauguration of some political or administrative move on the part ofthe kaiser. It was, indeed, at Liebenberg that the emperor decidedupon the dismissal from the chancellorship of General Count Caprivi, who had been unfortunate enough to incur the enmity of the Eulenburgs. 

Count Philip, who possesses a fine voice, and who during theannual yachting trip of the emperor on board the _Hohenzollern_, isaccustomed to sing duets with the monarch, and to play the latter'saccompaniments, is not, as is generally supposed, the brother, but merely the cousin of Botho, Augustus, and the late Count WendEulenburg. His career was almost wrecked at its very outset byan incident which developed into an international question. Whilestationed as a young sub-lieutenant of cavalry at Bonn, he was one dayinadvertently jostled in the street by a gray-haired and rather portlystranger, whom he at once addressed in the most insulting manner. Uponthe stranger responding in kind, the count drew his sabre and cut theman down, inflicting upon him such a wound that he expired a shorttime afterwards at the hospital. There it was discovered that hewas one Ott, a Frenchman, and one of the chefs of Queen Victoria, momentarily detached from his duties at Windsor Castle, in orderto attend her majesty's second son, the Duke of Edinburgh, --now thereigning sovereign of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, --during his stay on thecontinent. Both the queen and Prince Alfred were indignant at theoutrage, which was made the subject of an acrimonious correspondencebetween the English, French and Prussian Governments, the result beingthat Count Philip was sentenced to pay heavy damages to the widowand to the orphaned children of his victim, and to undergo a year'simprisonment in a fortress. 

He only joined the diplomatic profession in 1881, when he wasappointed as third secretary to the German embassy at Paris, and heoccupied very inferior rôles in the diplomatic service of his countryuntil the accession to the throne of his friend and patron, EmperorWilliam, who promoted him a few weeks later, at one bound, from thepost of second secretary of the legation at Munich to the rankof Prussian minister-plenipotentiary at Aldenberg, whence he wastransferred a year later to Stuttgart, then, to The Hague, and thenback to Munich, as chief of the legation, which post he retained untilhis nomination in 1892 to the German ambassadorship at Vienna, that isto say, to the blue ribbon of the diplomatic service of the kaiser. 

He is generally regarded as destined in course of time to becomechancellor of the empire, in spite of the human blood with which hishands are stained. 

Both the court and the public object far less to the intimacy thatexists between Count Augustus Eulenburg and his imperial friend, forAugustus, who is the grand master of the imperial household and thechief executive dignitary of the court, has been the closest associateof William since the latter's earliest boyhood. He was one of thoseofficials whom Prince Bismarck forced upon the then crown princeand crown princess, in order to keep watch over their actions andto counteract their influence on their eldest son. It was he, CountAugustus, who acted as the comforter of William whenever he wassubjected to reproof or to disciplinary measures by his father ormother; who invariably espoused the lad's cause, and who contributedmore than anyone else to convince William that he was a victim of themost cruel and unmerited form of parental severity and persecution. Heconstituted himself the mentor and the guide of the prince, initiatedhim into all the intricacies of the imperial court, as well as intothe secrets of its most prominent members. In one word, he renderedhimself so indispensable to the prince, that as soon as the lattersucceeded to the throne he at once appointed Count Augustus Eulenburgto the grand mastership of the court and household. 

To what extent Emperor and Empress Frederick were aware of the spiritcharacterizing the count's relations with their eldest son, it isdifficult to say, but there is no doubt that during the last two orthree years of Emperor Frederick's life, the position of Augustus inthe household of "Unser Fritz" was vastly improved and facilitated bythe sensational quarrels of his elder brother, Count Botho Eulenburg, the celebrated statesman, with Prince Bismarck, for both Frederickand his wife, from, that time forth, ceased to look upon Augustus as acreature and a spy of the chancellor. 

How great was the intimacy between William and the count, may begathered from the fact that Augustus was the invariable and solecompanion of the emperor in that species of Haroun-al-Raschidnocturnal expeditions which his majesty was wont to undertake in theslums of his capital, for the purpose of learning what his people weresaying about him. At that time, his features were far less familiarto the public than they are to-day, and by giving his moustachea different twist, and his hair another turn, he experienced nodifficulty in disguising himself. The adventures which he met withduring the course of these nightly prowls in the company of CountAugustus are numerous enough to fill a book. Still, while theyfurnished plenty of amusement, excitement, and experiences notaltogether unpleasant, they involved his majesty, on one or twooccasions, in so much personal danger, that the count, realizing theresponsibility which would rest upon his shoulders in the eyes notmerely of the nation, but of the entire world, if anything untowardhappened to the monarch, induced him, though with difficulty, toabandon this species of pastime so dear to crowned heads. 

Let me add that it was on the occasion of one of these expeditionsthat the emperor met with a very severe injury to his hand. Thereis an old established usage in Berlin, on New Year's eve, whichprescribed that any man appearing in the street in a high or stiff hatshould be incontinently bonneted, that is to say, have his hat crusheddown over his eyes and ears by a blow of the fist. Emperor William, who is somewhat fond of rough horse-play, used to delight in this formof amusement, and on the first New Year's eve after his accessionto the throne, he sallied forth with Augustus Eulenburg in search ofadventures. Catching sight of a portly citizen of mature years walkingalong under the shadows of the trees that line the magnificent avenueknown as "Unter den Linden, " he immediately proceeded to crushthe high silk hat which the man wore by a tremendous blow from hisimperial fist! He was unable, however, to refrain from a cry of pain, and his companion the count, on seeing that his sovereign's hand wasdrenched with blood, at once summoned the two detectives who werefollowing discreetly in the rear, and caused them to arrest thecitizen. The man on being searched at the palace police station, wasfound to be a merchant of high standing, who, determined to get evenwith the practical jokers from whose brutality he himself had sufferedon previous New Year's eves, had devised a sort of thick leatherhat-lining, armed with long and sharp prongs, pointed outward like thequills of a porcupine. The emperor, on smashing the hat, naturally hadhis hand dreadfully lacerated. The citizen was kept under arrestfor twenty-four hours, during which the question was discussed as towhether he should be prosecuted and punished for inflicting personalinjury upon the sovereign, or not. Finally, William himself, withthat good sense which so often characterizes him, gave orders for hisliberation, on the ground that he could not possibly have dreamt thathe would be bonneted by his sovereign, that he was, therefore, quiteinnocent of any intention to inflict injury upon the person of theemperor, and that he, William, had, after all, got nothing but whathe deserved for playing such a prank. Moreover, in order to show thecitizen that he bore him no grudge, he sent him, by way of consolationfor his arrest and the destruction of his hat, a portrait bearing theautograph signature of the kaiser, as well as the words: "In memory of_Sylvester-nacht_. "--New Year's eve is sacred to Saint Sylvester. 

Count Botho Eulenburg, the elder brother of Augustus, has repeatedlyheld the offices of cabinet minister and Premier of Prussia. Hehappened to be at the head of the Department of the Interior atthe time when the attempts were made by Nobiling to assassinate oldEmperor William, and ever since that time has been the sworn foe ofsocialism, and identified with everything that is reactionary anddespotic in Prussian legislation. His influence with the emperor isvery great, and there is no doubt that he has contributed in a greatmeasure to the somewhat extravagant views which the kaiser entertainswith regard to the Divine Rights of monarchs, and especiallyconcerning their responsibility, not towards their people alone, butalso towards the Almighty. 

Count Botho's quarrel with Prince Bismarck, originated in thefollowing manner. The count, in accordance with a decision reached ata cabinet meeting, spoke as Minister of the Interior in the PrussianDiet in favor of placing the communal councils under the provincialboard, instead of under the central government. He had no sooner satdown than a member arose and said that he was instructed by the PrimeMinister, Prince Bismarck, to disavow the view taken by the Ministerof the Interior. This extraordinary action of the prince was dueto the fact that he had suddenly decided upon coquetting with theLiberals, for the sake of obtaining their support upon the subject ofanother of his little inaugurations. Count Botho immediately sent inhis resignation, and did not resume office until after the disgrace ofPrince Bismarck. Previous to this quarrel, however, as I havealready stated, the most intimate relations had subsisted between theEulenburgs and the Bismarcks. Indeed, Countess Marie, only daughterof Prince Bismarck, was at one time betrothed to Wend, the youngest ofthe three Eulenburg brothers. Three days before the day fixed forthe wedding, the young man was suddenly seized with typhus, andforty-eight hours later succumbed to this awful disease. CountessMarie, it may be added, subsequently married Count Rantzau, afterhaving been between times engaged to Baron Eisendecker, once Germanenvoy at Washington, and now the kaiser's adviser in yachting matters, whom she jilted in consequence of differences of religious opinion. 

So much for the Eulenburgs, who may be said to constitute the mostinfluential family at the Court of Berlin, and without a descriptionof whom no history of the life and surroundings of Emperor Williamcould possibly be regarded as complete. 

Other cronies of the kaiser, who are less influential in a politicalsense, and, therefore, less obnoxious to the people, are CountsDouglas, Count Dohna, and Count Goertz. Public attention, however, hasoften been drawn to the friendship of the kaiser for the Dohnas bythe frequency of the imperial visit with which Count Richard Dohnais honored at his superb old château of Schlobitten, and likewise byreason of the fact that on two occasions William almost lost his lifethrough carriage accidents which he sustained while out driving withthe count. 

[Illustration: _THE RUNAWAY AT PROECKELWITZ__After a drawing by Oreste Cortazzo_]

The Dohnas are one of the most ancient houses of the old Germannobility, and Schlobitten, with its grand old park, shaded by glorioustrees, has been in the possession of the family since the fourteenthcentury. The castle, as now arranged, is only two hundred years old, having been reconstructed on the site, and with the ruins, of anancient monastery and dwelling. The name of Dohna is recorded in themost important pages of Prussian history. Statesmen, generals, andin particular, confidants and cronies of their successive rulers haveborne that name, and there is not a king who has reigned over Prussia, and previous to that an elector who has ruled over Brandenburg, who has not stayed at the castle of Schlobitten and occupied theantiquated four-poster bed, in which the present emperor sleepswhenever he makes a visit there. 

Count Richard Dohna is a great breeder of blooded horses, amagnificent whip, and the accidents which happened to the kaiser, while out driving with him, were merely due to the fact that in eachcase the horses were too young, and not sufficiently broken in. On oneoccasion, the drag was upset into a ditch not far from Schlobitten, the kaiser and the count being severely bruised and shaken up; whileat another time a splendid team got beyond the control of the count, smashed harnesses and pole, and dashed helter-skelter into the littletown of Proeckelwitz, where they were fortunately stopped withoutfurther mishap. 

The intimacy of the kaiser with the Dohna family serves to recall thefact that there was a daughter of this house, Countess Anna Dohna, whoclaimed to have become the wife of the late Emperor William. She livedfor a time in London, Geneva, and then in New York, and was wont tostyle herself Countess Dohna-Brandenburg, having added the name ofBrandenburg to that of Dohna by reason of this alleged marriage. 

While in New York she lived in a large house in Lexington Avenue, which she furnished handsomely, and she never seemed to be in want ofmoney. According to her own story she met the late Emperor William in1825, during the lifetime of his father, King Frederick-William III. , when she was sixteen years of age. After several clandestine meetings, she claimed that they were married late one night at Clegnitz, inSilesia, by a young country parson. The latter did not know theprince, who gave the name of William Count Brandenburg, and hisoccupation as that of an officer of the Royal Guards. The marriagecertificate was duly made out, and then her husband told her that itwould be expedient to keep their union secret for a time. To this shereluctantly assented. 

When at length, urged by her entreaties, her husband revealed theirmarriage to his father, King Frederick-William III. , he flew into aterrible rage, forced him to sign a renunciation of the countess'shand, and she was conveyed to a small castle near Königsberg, inEast-Prussia, where she was kept a close prisoner for years. In 1837, always according to her story, she succeeded in escaping, and crossingthe Polish frontier reached Warsaw, where in the following year shewas recognized at a state performance of the opera given by CzarNicholas, in honor of the King of Prussia and Prince William, who werevisiting the Russian Court. 

She was arrested at the theatre, and on the following morning conveyedto Eastern Russia, where she was kept under strict surveillance untilthe death of Frederick-William III. , in 1840, led to her release. She was then permitted to return to Prussia, and the new king, Frederick-William IV. , offered to compromise the matter with her. Thisshe refused to do. Her father's death placed her in possession of alarge fortune, and she spent several years in travelling. 

In 1848 she intended to appeal to the Prussian National Assembly forjustice, but the police got wind of it, and she was interned in herchâteau in Silesia. On William becoming King of Prussia, she was giventhe alternative of leaving the country or of becoming an inmate ofa lunatic asylum, so she transferred her abode to Paris, and afterliving for awhile in London and Geneva, came to New York in 1876. 

The truth of this story having been questioned, it may be mentionedthat the Prussian _Staats Anzeiger_, or official Berlin Gazette, ofJune 4, 1829, contains the following royal decree:

"By order of his majesty the king, Anna Countess Dohna having claimedto be the wife of Prince William of Prussia, I hereby decree that sucha union if it ever took place, be null and void. 

 "FREDERICK WILLIAM, Rex. 

 "ANTHONY VON ALTENSTEIN, "Secretary of State. "

I have seen it mentioned both in German and foreign publications thatthe three Counts of Brandenburg, two of them distinguished generals, and the third for many years Prussian envoy at Brussels, were theissue of the union of Countess Anna Dohna and old Emperor William ofGermany. But this is not true; for their father, a famous premier andsoldier, of whom a fine statue exists at Berlin, was the son ofKing Frederick-William II. Of Prussia, and his morganatic wife, theCountess of Dohenhoff. 

With regard to Count Douglas, I may state that the kaiser's intimacywith him dates back to many years prior to his accession to thethrone. Like his twin brother, Count Louis Douglas, the Swedishstatesman, who until a few weeks ago occupied the post of minister offoreign affairs at Stockholm, Count Willie Douglas may be said to haveroyal blood in his veins, for his father, old Count Douglas, now dead, married the morganatic daughter of a royal princess of the reigninghouse of Baden. On the old count's death, William, the elder of thetwins, inherited his mother's vast property, while Louis, the younger, took possession of his father's estates in Sweden. 

William was educated in Germany, is an officer of the Prussian army, as well as a member of the Prussian House of Lords: Louis was broughtup in Sweden, entered the Swedish army, became chamberlain to theCrown Prince of Sweden, married the daughter of Count Ehrensward, lateminister of foreign affairs at Stockholm, and eventually succeeded tohis father-in-law's post at the head of Sweden's foreign office. Likehis twin brother in Prussia, he is exceedingly conservative, imbuedwith the necessity of retaining the old feudal prerogatives, and ofplacing every obstacle in the way of the rising tide of democracy. Indeed, whatever influence he exercises over the King and Crown Princeof Sweden, is as reactionary as any influence which his German brothermay be said to enjoy over the kaiser. 

The Douglas twins are descended from the great Scotch family ofDouglas, and are therefore allied to the Duke of Hamilton and theMarquis of Queensberry. Their ancestors emigrated to Prussiafrom Scotland at the time of the Thirty Years' War, fought underGustavus-Adolphus, and afterwards returned with him to Sweden, wherethey became members of the Swedish nobility. Count Willie, like hisbrother, displays all the hereditary traits of the Scotch house thatbears his name, having the peculiar jaw, falling underlip, and darkcomplexion of the celebrated "Black Douglas. " Yet neither of the twinsspeaks a word of English, nor has ever visited the land of his sire, though they bear the Douglas motto of "Do or Die. " Count Willie hasfew British sympathies, but some British tastes, being famous asa four-in-hand whip, and as a magnificent shot. He is also veryhospitable, and entertains at Berlin in a right royal fashion, hiswealth, derived from the mines which he owns in the Hartz Mountains, enabling him to do so without hesitation on the score of expense. 

It is no secret that Emperor William has, on two or three occasions, offered a cabinet office to his friend William Douglas, who has, however, invariably declined it, much to the relief of those who areconvinced that the same peculiar moral and psychological affinityexists between the Douglas twins as that attributed to the Corsicanbrothers. It would have been, they declare, a dangerous experiment tohave had one of them directing the foreign policy of Germany, and theother that of the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. 

It may interest my American readers to add that a few years ago CountWillie Douglas was the defendant in an extraordinary lawsuit at Berlinwhich had an American end to it. It seems that some thirty years ago aman of the name of Brandt died in the United States, leaving a fortuneof several millions of dollars. Having no near relatives in America, the lawyers advertised for any heirs that he might have leftbehind him in Germany. The father of Count Douglas was at the timeburgomaster of the little town of Aschersleben, and one day some ofthe inhabitants of the place bearing the name of Brandt placed a lotof papers in his hands, asking him to glance over them, and to seewhether there was any truth in the statement that they were heirsto an immense fortune in America. The old count, in his capacity ofburgomaster, declared that the affair looked to him very questionable, that he believed it was a mere swindle, and that there was surelynothing in it for them. Whether he returned to them the papers ornot, is unknown, but he declared to the day of his death that he hadrestored them, whereas the Brandts of Aschersleben swear that he didnot. Eventually, they brought suit against his son, not merely forthe recovery of the documents, but likewise for the fortune, actuallyalleging that the latter had been appropriated by old Count Douglas, with the connivance of the late Prince Bismarck, who had received alarge share of the plunder. It is scarcely necessary to state thatthey were non-suited. 

Emperor William's intimacy with Count and Countess Goertz may be saidto be a sort of inherited friendship, the count's father, presidentof the Hessian House of Lords, and his consort, a princess ofSayn-Wittgenstein, having been the most intimate friends of Emperorand Empress Frederick, whose acquaintance they made through thelate Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Hesse. In order to show theaffectionate relations existing between the parents of the kaiserand those of the present head of the ancient and illustrious house ofGoertz, it is merely necessary to state that Professor Hintzpeter, whofor a number of years directed the education of Emperor William andhis brother Henry, and who, as their old tutor, retains much influenceover both the imperial brothers, was selected by Emperor and EmpressFrederick for the purpose, on the personal recommendation of the lateCount and Countess Goertz, in whose family he had resided for a numberof years as tutor to their son. 

In fact, the present Count Goertz, who is some eight or nine years thesenior of the emperor, can boast, like the latter, of having beena pupil of old Hintzpeter, who in some respects is the Germancounterpart of the late Czar Alexander's tutor, M. Pobietnotzoff. That William shares the confidence placed by his parents in the Goertzfamily is shown by the fact that when he found it necessary, atone time, to obtain the services of a tutor for one of his youngrelatives, in a case, it must be added, of particular delicacy, heat once nominated to the post Professor Krenge, who at the time wastutoring the sons of the present Count Goertz. Countess Goertz is awoman of great beauty, which she may be said to have inherited fromher mother, the so-celebrated Countess of Villeneuve, wife to theBrazilian envoy to the Court of Brussels, and renowned throughoutEurope on account of her loveliness. 

Although the admiration which the kaiser displays for the fascinatingcountess is of the most undisguised character, it fails to excite thejealousy either of his consort or the count, and the relations betweenthe empress and the countess are so close that the former has beenknown to lend to her friend articles of jewelry, and even of dress, for use at fancy dress balls and elsewhere. The emperor and the countare also as united and unrestrained with each other as two men can bewho have the same tastes, who have been intimately acquainted sincechildhood, and whose parents have been close friends before them. Itis doubtful whether William ever enjoys himself so much, or feels sothoroughly at home, as when visiting the Goertzes at Schlitz. Therehis days are spent in shooting and hunting with the count, and theevenings in composing new melodies, and setting songs to music withthe countess. The emperor's children and the young Goertzes are boundby equal ties of affection, and are old-time playmates, so that thereseems every likelihood of this friendship between the Hohenzollernsand the former reigning sovereign house of Goertz being continued inthe third generation. 

No account of the emperor's private life can be properly writtenwithout including a brief sketch of General Count von Hahnke, and ofBaron von Lucanus. The former is the chief of the military cabinet ofthe emperor, and the other is at the head of his civil cabinet, thatis to say, he occupies the post of principal private secretary. Bothof them accompany the emperor wherever he goes, and in fact constitutehis very shadow, enjoying by reason of their proximity to thesovereign, and by their close association with him, a far greaterdegree of power and influence than any cabinet minister. 

Baron Lucanus is an extremely good-looking man, whose popular nicknameat Berlin, namely, "the emperor's Blackie Man, " is in nowise due toany swarthiness of complexion, but to the fact that among the greatdignitaries in attendance on the emperor, he is the only one incivilian attire, while moreover he is invariably selected by thesovereign to convey to any cabinet minister, whose resignation isrequired, the imperial intimation "_that he has ceased to please_. "

It was Baron von Lucanus who communicated to Prince Bismarck theemperor's request and subsequent peremptory command for the surrenderof the chancellorship of the empire, and it was he, too, who wassent to ask Bismarck's successor, General Count Caprivi, for hisresignation; in fact, there has not been a single ministerial headto fall during the last ten years--and they have been very numerousduring the present reign--where Herr von Lucanus has not been theimperial emissary of these evil tidings. This is so well knownin Berlin that the moment the baron is seen to be calling at theresidence of any distinguished statesman who happens to be in office, it is at once taken for granted that the axe has once more fallen, andthat it is another case of a ministerial downfall. 

The Berliners declare that Emperor William pitches upon Lucanusfor these particular jobs in consequence of his being the son of aHalberstadt druggist, and as such, more likely to be proficient in theart of sugar-coating the bitter pills than any mere military officer!He owes his patent of nobility to the late Emperor Frederick, whoentertained a very high opinion of his intelligence, and it is worthyof note that he first came to the fore in the entourage of the emperorwhen Prince Bismarck's power as chancellor commenced to wane. He isa man of about fifty, and served for a quarter of a century in theDepartment of Public Worship. It was, however, as an expert in artmatters, and as an intelligent assistant in the organization of theImperial Museum of Science and Art at Berlin, that he first attractedthe notice and good-will of the late emperor, and particularly of theEmpress Frederick. 

His military colleague, General Count von Hahnke, although a charmingman, is, nevertheless, one of the most bitterly-hated officers of theGerman army; this is due to the fact that he has virtually usurpedthe prerogatives and the power of the minister of war, who has beenreduced to a mere instrument of his wishes. This is not altogether thefault of the general, for the emperor insists on retaining absolutecontrol of the army in his own hands, and of exercising its command inevery particular, no appointment being made without his initiativeand sanction, while everything is done through Count Hahnke as supremehead of the military cabinet of his majesty. 

A few years ago the general lost his son under singularly tragical andsomewhat mysterious circumstances. The misfortune occurred duringone of the annual yachting trips of the kaiser, young Hahnke being alieutenant on board the yacht. According to the official version, theyoung officer met with his death while coasting down a mountain roadat one of the Norwegian ports at which the yacht had touched, hisbicycle getting beyond his control, and precipitating itself with itsrider over a low stone parapet into a fierce torrent hundreds of feetbelow. The emperor happened at the time to have a bruise on the face, caused by a block and tackle swinging against him during a squall, while on deck, and on the strength of this temporary disfigurement, a story most painful to the emperor was circulated to the effect thathis black eye was due to a blow from young Hahnke, who resented someindignity in connection with the practical jokes and rough horse-playso frequent on board the _Hohenzollern_ during the emperor's annualholiday. It was added that the young officer had been given bymilitary and naval etiquette the alternative of blowing out hisbrains, or of taking his life in some other way, as the only means ofsaving his name from disgrace and his honor from loss; and a certaindegree of color was given to the tale by the fact that it waspublished at full length in a London society newspaper, at the verytime when its proprietor and editor was sojourning at Marienbad withthe Prince of Wales, and in daily intercourse with the British heirapparent, who was naturally supposed to know the truth about youngHahnke's death. Perhaps the most striking and convincing evidence ofthe absurd fabrication of this story, which has given much sorrow, both to the emperor and empress, is to be found in the fact that theyoung officer's father remained at the head of the emperor's militarycabinet, and has never abandoned, even temporarily, his service nearthe kaiser; this the general would certainly not have done had Williambeen in any sense of the word responsible for the death of his boy. In fact it was the kindly and tactful sympathy of both the emperorand the empress that enabled the bereaved father to bear his losswith fortitude, and his gratitude for the kindness shown to him by hissovereign is of a deep and undying quality. 

CHAPTER VIII

Great is the contrast between the Court of Berlin to-day and theaspect which it presented during the closing years of the reign of oldEmperor William, and were any of the latter's familiars to return tothe place where so much of their existence had been spent, they wouldindeed find themselves amidst strange surroundings and strange faces. In those days, grey and white hair were the rule rather than theexception. To-day the contrary is the case, and not merely dothe dignitaries of the court and of the army belong to a youngergeneration, but also the members of the imperial circle, that is tosay, the princes and princesses of the blood, with whom the emperorand empress associate as kinsfolk and near relatives. 

The few older members of the reigning house of Prussia whosurvive--the contemporaries of the grandfather and father of WilliamII. --find the atmosphere of the court so different from what they havebeen accustomed to in the past, so out of keeping with their ideas--inone word, feel themselves so little at home there, that they prefer tostay away as much as they can. Thus Prince Albert of Prussia, one ofthe grandest looking soldiers of the imperial army, and certainly oneof the most gigantic in stature, divides his time between Brunswick, where he holds a court of his own as regent, and England, where heis accustomed to spend his holidays. The widowed PrincessFrederick-Charles lives nearly all the year round in Italy withher chamberlain, Baron Wangenheim, whom she is understood to havemorganatically married, and in whose company she occasionally visitsthe pope, a circumstance which has led to the rumor that she hasjoined the Church of Rome. The widowed Empress Frederick is eitherat her lovely castle of Kronberg, near Homburg, which is stocked fromgarret to cellar with those art treasures of which she is one of thefinest _connaisseuses_ in Europe, or else is traveling about in Italy, Austria or England. Indeed the only contemporary of the old Emperorwho still remains at Berlin, and who is occasionally to be seen atcourt, giving one the impression of a spectre of the past, isPrince George, who bears a startling resemblance to the old kaiserparticularly when arrayed in uniform. 

While slightly eccentric, he is remarkably accomplished, and has notonly written a number of German plays over the pen-name of "GeorgeConrad, " which have been successfully staged in Germany, but is eventhe author of a drama written in the purest and most exquisitelycorrect French, sparkling with Parisian wit and brilliancy, which hashad long runs in many theatres without either the actors or the publicbeing aware that it was from the pen of a prince of Prussia. 

Until the war of 1870, Prince George was on terms of the utmostintimacy with the de Goncourts, the Dumases, de Girardin, and allthe principal literary lights of France, with whom he was wont toforegather on a footing of artistic equality each year at Ems, aGerman watering-place much frequented by the French prior to the greatstruggle of 1870; of course, since that time his intercourse withFrench people has been much more restricted, and through a feelingof delicacy and tact, with which he is not usually credited, he hasrefrained from visiting Paris, or even from setting his foot on Frenchterritory since the war. This, however, has not prevented him fromkeeping himself _au courant_ of every literary and dramatic event thattakes place on the banks of the Seine, and a French academician ofmy acquaintance who was presented to him last summer at Ems, andwho spent several days there in his company, could not sufficientlyexpress his amazement, not merely at the extraordinary purity of theprince's French, but likewise at the amazing manner in which he seemsto have kept track of everything that has happened at Paris in theworld of letters and art, as well as of the French idioms, figures ofspeech, and even witticisms of the present day. 

The delicacy which Prince George manifests with regard to theFrench people, and his fear lest his admiration for them should bemisinterpreted, is largely due to the treatment that he received atthe hands of Empress Eugénie at Carlsbad, in 1874 or 1875. Havingbeen a frequent and welcome guest at the Tuileries during the reign ofNapoleon III. , the prince, when he found that the widowed empress hadarrived at Carlsbad, and had taken up her residence at the very hotelat which he was staying, naturally considered that he could not dootherwise than take some notice of her presence; if he affected toignore her, he would have exposed himself to the reproach of grossdiscourtesy; at the same time he felt that any public form ofattention might prove unwelcome to her, and might possibly serve toimpair her son's prospects of recovering his father's throne; so hecontented himself with sending her every day magnificent baskets offlowers, and with bowing to her with the utmost deference, but withoutattempting to accost her when he met her in the gardens or park. Helikewise caused it to be intimated to her secretary, M. Pietri, thatif at any moment she felt disposed to accord him an audience, he wouldbe only too glad of the opportunity to "lay his homage at the feet ofher majesty. " That was all. Yet such as it was, the empress managed toturn it to political account, for she suddenly left Carlsbad, makingit known throughout France, by means of the press, that she had beencompelled to quit the baths, and to interrupt the cure, in consequenceof the undesirable attentions which Prince George of Prussia persistedin forcing upon her. Naturally, the newspapers made the most of herstory, and were filled with denunciations and abuse of the prince, some of the sheets asserting, by way of explanation of hisconduct, that he was mentally unbalanced, his mother having been anacknowledged lunatic, and his brother. Prince Alexander, an imbecile. Nothing can be further from the truth. It cannot be denied that hehas a few harmless and kindly eccentricities which would attract noattention whatever in an ordinary septuagenarian, but which excitecomment merely by reason of his rank as a prince of the blood. He isa gentle, brilliantly accomplished, chivalrous old fellow, withoutan enemy in the world, and is a great favorite with the emperor'schildren, who will deeply miss him when he passes over to themajority, and is laid to rest in the family vault of the house ofHohenzollern. 

With this exception, the princes and princesses of the blood of theCourt of Berlin are all of much the same age as the emperor. Theycomprise Prince Henry, his only brother, who is due home from China inthe spring of 1900, and his consort, Princess Irene of Hesse, sisterof the young czarina. Then there is Prince Frederick-Leopold, theextremely wealthy son of Prussia's celebrated cavalry general, PrinceFrederick-Charles, to whom belonged the credit of taking the Frenchstronghold of Metz, in the war of 1870. He is married to a youngersister of the empress, and is, therefore, not only the cousin, butlikewise the brother-in-law of the kaiser. 

Prince Adolph, of Schaumburg-Lippe, although nominally stationed atBonn, is also accustomed to spend the entire season at Berlin, withhis wife, Princess Victoria of Prussia, a sister of the kaiser. Thelatter is credited with the intention of investing Prince Adolph withthe regency of Brunswick, should it be vacated by Prince Albert, orelse of appointing him Viceroy of Alsace-Lorraine. Princess Aribertof Anhalt and her husband, too, are very conspicuous figures in theimperial circle, the princess being a special favorite of the kaiser. She is his first cousin, being the offspring of Queen Victoria'sdaughter Helena, who married Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the guardian of the present empress, who spent much of her girlhoodin England with Prince and Princess Christian, so that her friendshipwith Princess Aribert may be said to date from childhood. DukeErnest-Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein, the only brother of the empress, has quieted down to a great extent since his marriage a year ago toPrincess Dorothy of Coburg, and inasmuch as his eighteen-year-old wifeappears to be supremely happy, there is every reason to believe thathe has demonstrated the truth of the good old adage, according towhich "reformed rakes make the best husbands!" The only daughter ofthe King of Wurtemberg has made her home at Potsdam and at Berlinsince her marriage to the Prince of Wied, and as she is not only thecousin, but likewise the most intimate friend of the young Queenof Holland, the kaiser finds considerable political advantage inlavishing tokens of his affection and regard upon both her and herhusband. 

Another young couple belonging to the Court of Berlin are Prince andPrincess William of Hohenzollern. The princess is a daughter of theSicilian branch of the house of Bourbon, while her husband is theeldest son of that Leopold of Hohenzollern, on account of whoseelection to the throne of Spain in 1870, France embarked upon herdisastrous war with Germany. Young Prince William of Hohenzollern, itmay be added, figured for a time as Crown Prince of Roumania, and asheir to the throne of his uncle, King Charles; but after livingfor some time at Bucharest, he came to the conclusion that life inRoumania as crown prince was infinitely less agreeable than that ofa scion of the house of Hohenzollern at Berlin, so he renounced hisrights to the Roumanian throne, and came back to Berlin to live. 

His younger brother, Charles of Hohenzollern, divides his time betweenBerlin and Potsdam; he is married to Princess Josephine of Belgium, daughter of that Count of Flanders, who is brother and next heir toKing Leopold. Besides these, there are Prince and Princess Albertof Saxe-Altenburg, and several other young couples belonging to thejunior sovereign houses of the German empire, who prefer to maketheir home at Berlin, and at Potsdam, rather than in the smaller andinfinitely less brilliant capitals of their respective countries. Moreover, it has now become the fashion among the various non-Prussianrulers of the German Confederation, to send the junior members oftheir families--the young men--to Berlin for a time, in order tocomplete their military education under the eyes of the kaiser, andto be in touch with that general staff which is virtually the SupremeCouncil of War of the German army. 

It is for this reason that Prince Louis of Bavaria, although henotoriously dislikes the kaiser and resents his assumption ofsuperiority, claiming that the members of the Wittelsbach family arenot the vassals, but the allies of the emperor, nevertheless has sentfirst his eldest son, and then each of his younger ones in turn, to spend a year or two at the Court of Berlin, under the immediatedirection and eye of the kaiser. Prince Louis was particularly anxiousthat his eldest son, Rupert, as future King of Bavaria, should getin touch with the emperor, and become thoroughly acquainted, notonly with Prussian methods, but also with the leading statesmen andgenerals, and with the trend of political aims and aspirations atBerlin. The example of Prince Louis has been followed by all the otherpetty German sovereigns, so that there are always about a score ofnon-Prussian but German young princes of the blood, giving life andgayety to the Courts of Berlin, and Potsdam, and taking a leading partin Berlin society. 

Among the princes there is none, however, who possesses so striking anindividuality as William's only brother, Henry. His assignment to thecommand of the German naval forces in the far Orient a couple of yearsago, created much comment and speculation, being construed by many, both in Germany and abroad, as a banishment resulting from thekaiser's jealousy and dislike of the very popular Sailor Prince. Ido not believe for one moment that this supposed jealousy exists, although everything that can possibly be conceived has been done, unintentionally and intentionally, to create it, in a manner which Iwill describe a little further on. 

The reason of Prince Henry's being sent to the far Orient was of atwofold character. In the first place, the Chinese Empire seemed tobe on the eve of a break-up, and each of the various Great Powers ofEurope, was exerting its utmost energies to secure the lion's share inthe game of grab in progress at Pekin. Scions of European royalty whovisit China and Japan are few and far between, and the emperor verynaturally thought that the presence of Prince Henry at the head ofthe German naval forces in Chinese waters--a prince who in additionto being the kaiser's only brother, is brother-in-law to the Russianczar, and a grandson of the Queen of England, --would have the effectof giving to the cause of Germany in the Orient an importance and aprestige which would atone for the inferiority of its naval strengthin that part of the globe. Then, too, the emperor is generallybelieved to have foreseen the conflict between Spain and the UnitedStates, and to have known beforehand of the intention of the latter tomake a dash upon Manila, in order to secure possession of the rich andfertile Philippine archipelago at the first outbreak of hostilities. Germany's navy is of such relatively recent origin that itsflag-officers are far from possessing either the spirit of resource, or the cleverness and diplomacy for which the commanding generals ofthe German army are so distinguished. They are men who, officially, intellectually, and socially, are of an inferior calibre, the majorityof them being of plebeian birth. The emperor held, therefore, that itwas all-important that Germany's squadron in the far Orient should be, at that particular juncture, under the command of an officer suchas Prince Henry, who, by reason of his royal rank and his intimateknowledge of his brother's views and wishes, would have the necessaryboldness, tact, and presence of mind to know exactly how to deal withany crisis that might arise. 

I am perfectly aware that there is a disposition in the United Statesto blame Prince Henry for the bad feeling which was caused by theattitude of the German warships at Manila during the few months thatfollowed the great American naval victory gained under the guns ofthat city, but the trouble was due to the Prussian rear-admiral, Diederichs, who, to use the expressive phrase of the English captain, Sir Edward Chichester, in endeavoring to excuse him in the eyes ofAdmiral Dewey, "had no sea-manners, " and there is no doubt that hadPrince Henry been at Manila, instead of Diederichs, at that moment, there would have been no friction whatsoever, either between the navalcommanders, or subsequently between the two nations, for Prince Henrypossesses precisely those qualities which would have resulted infeelings of good-will and friendship with Admiral Dewey. He is modest, honest, broad-minded, speaks English perfectly, and is entirely freefrom any affectation or pose. He is a man, indeed, who has so manyqualities in common with Dewey that it is impossible that they shouldnot have understood each other, and under the circumstances it is mostunfortunate that the prince happened to be in the northernmost portionof the China seas at the very time that the battle of Manila wasfought. It may be remembered that matters went on very much moresmoothly between the Germans and the Americans at Manila after thewithdrawal of Admiral Diederichs. 

There was another very important reason for sending Prince Henry toManila; he is, of all the members of his house, the one most stronglyimbued with liberal and progressive ideas in political affairs. Infact, he seems to have inherited all those political views of hisfather, Emperor Frederick, which were a source of so much concernand apprehension to the late Prince Bismarck. To tell the truth, thepolitical views and aspirations of Henry are diametrically opposed tothose of his elder brother, a circumstance which does not, however, inany way impair the affection existing between the two. 

At the time when he sent off Prince Henry to China, the kaiser was farfrom well, and was suffering more than usually from the painfulmalady of the ear already referred to, and which is identical withthe disease which first of all wrecked the mind and then killed hisgrand-uncle, King Frederick William IV. Added to this, he is firmlyimbued with the idea that he is destined to meet with a sudden deathat the hands of an assassin, a conviction which never leaves him, and which is perhaps responsible for that species of stern and evenaggressive air with which he, gazes at the cheering crowds when herides home at the head of his troops through the streets of Berlinor of Potsdam after a day spent in military manoeuvres on the greatplains of Tempelhof. 

If any of my readers feel disposed to condemn him for thisapprehension, --it would be unjust to style it fear, --let them try toimagine how they themselves would feel if they knew that there werescores of desperate men and women who had sworn to take their lives bymeans of bullets or explosive bombs, fired or hurled from the centreof some dense crowd, which would destroy the life of the victim ofsuch an outrage without a moment's warning, or without being able toeven so much as raise a hand in self-defense. 

Now at the time when Prince Henry sailed for China, the young crownprince was sixteen years of age; that is to say, he lacked two yearsof the attainment of his majority. Had anything untoward happenedto the kaiser during the minority of the crown prince, Prince Henrywould, according to the laws of the house of Hohenzollern and of thePrussian constitution, have been appointed as regent until his nephewcame of age. Prince Henry's right to the regency, as nearestmale relative, was one of which he could not be deprived, save byaltogether exceptional and questionable methods, which both policyand fraternal affection forbade the emperor to employ. Yet he realizedthat were Henry to be entrusted with the regency he would changein the most radical fashion the course of the ship of state; wouldintroduce measures dear to the late Emperor Frederick, but to whichhe, the kaiser, was unalterably opposed, and would, in short, undoeverything that he himself had done; so that when eventually the crownprince came of age there would be no longer any possibility of hiscontinuing his father's policy, a policy which the emperor has been atgreat pains to inculcate into his boy. 

With Prince Henry at the Antipodes, there was an excuse for vestingthe regency either in the harmless hands of Frederick-Leopold, or inthose of Prince Albert, whose ideas on the subject of government areto a great extent in keeping with those of the kaiser. That was oneof the reasons why Henry was sent off to China, and any doubt upon thesubject will be removed by remembering the fact that his sojourn inthe far East will terminate with the eighteenth birthday, --the comingof age--of his nephew, the young crown prince. 

That such real and lasting affection should subsist betweenWilliam and Henry is indeed surprising, and speaks volumes for thewarm-heartedness, and I might almost say magnanimity of the kaiser'scharacter. For everything that could possibly have contributed torender him jealous of his brother, has been done, as I remarked above. 

Henry was always favored at the expense of William by his father andmother, as well as by the entire imperial family. In fact, the lateemperor gave a striking expression of his preference for his youngerson, when at the time of the prince's marriage to Princess Irene ofHesse, he pressed into Henry's hand a slip of paper--he could notspeak any longer, owing to the awful malady which carried him off, --onwhich he had written, "_You at least have never given me a moment'ssorrow, and will make as good a husband as you have been a lovingson_;" and when soon after this Emperor Frederick breathed his last, it was found that he had left the major part of his fortune eitherto Henry directly, or to Empress Frederick, in trust for this, hisfavorite son. 

This privileged position in the affection of his parents, aye, andit may be added in the hearts of the German people, is due in a largemeasure to Prince Henry's education. He was brought up, so to speak, at sea, and the moral profession is of all others the one whichcalls forth all the best qualities of a man, develops manliness, anddiminishes pride and affectation. Before he was twenty years of age, he had twice circumnavigated the globe, visiting every corner of theearth, and carrying the flag of Germany into regions where it hadnever been seen before. This in itself was sufficient to interestGermans in the young prince, the first of his house to seek adventuresin such far distant climes; and this healthy, manly, interesting modeof life was compared to his advantage with the somewhat dissipatedexistence of a young army officer, which his elder brother, prior tohis marriage, indulged in at Berlin. 

Occasionally, stories reached the public through the press of featsof gallantry performed by the royal sailor, such as the plungingoverboard once in a squall, and at another time in shark-infestedwaters, to save drowning sailors; while every incident which thusbecame known concerning the young prince served to confirm hiscountrymen in the belief that he was endowed in an altogetherexceptional degree with those qualities which we are so fond ofascribing to "those who go down to the sea in ships. " These long seavoyages had, moreover, the effect of keeping him clear of allthose court and political intrigues with which Emperor William wassurrounded, as if with a very network, prior to his accession to thethrone; intrigues, I may add, which since William became emperor, havebeen devoted to many a futile endeavor designed to create mischiefbetween the two brothers. It is probable that they will have lesseffect than ever from henceforth, since William, now that his eldestboy has attained his majority, will have no longer any reason toapprehend the possibility of Henry's undoing, in the capacity ofregent, all the work that he, the kaiser, has accomplished during theeleven years of his reign; indeed, now that this danger is eliminated, the two brothers are likely to become more intimate than ever, and theCourt of Berlin will probably see much more of the sailor prince thanheretofore. Henry is the very life of his brother's court, as he isnot only extremely fond of making fun, even at the expense sometimesof his majesty, especially about the excessively earnest attitudewhich the emperor assumes, with regard to the most trivial questions. Absolutely unconventional, save on his own quarter-deck, he carriesabout with him an atmosphere of brightness and breeziness which isalmost as infectious and as bracing as a whiff of sea air. 

For all his love of skylarking, and the freedom of his manners, hisname has never been associated with any questionable story, save bythe gutter element of the Parisian press, which endeavored to drag himinto the Dreyfus case by declaring that Germany's strange attitude inthe affair was due to the alleged knowledge the French War Departmentof terrible immorality proved to have been committed by Prince Henryduring frequent secret visits to Paris. Of course there is not a wordof truth in these contemptible stories, and the prince's reputation asa perfect husband and a healthy-minded gentleman, stands high, evenin Berlin, where people are overfond of scandalous gossip. Certainlythere are plenty of stories current about the pranks that he hasplayed, but these are all of an innocent and boyish character. Theprince creates the impression of the most complete wholesomeness; hissix feet of well set up manhood, his bright eyes and clear, tannedskin, seem the outward and visible sign of a thoroughly clean andsound mind; common sense, frankness, fearlessness, dignity andkindness, are written in his every feature in a way that remindspeople vividly of his lamented father; while the easy movements ofan athletic body, always apparently in the pink of condition, areevidently allied to the smooth serenity of a mind confident in itself, but modest with the humility of knowledge. 

After having said so much that is pleasant of the prince, I must, in pursuance of my determination to give the shadows as well as thelights of my portraits, admit that there are two particulars in whichPrince Henry cannot be said to shine. One of these is public speaking, and the other is shooting; he is as unfortunate in the one respect asin the other. 

His only public utterance of any importance was made at the timeof his departure for China, when he addressed the emperor in suchextravagant terms, referring to his "consecrated majesty, " and so on, that it created mingled feelings of amazement and amusement from oneend of the civilized world to the other! There has always been animpression in my mind that there was in this extraordinary speech justa suspicion of a disposition to guy his brother: for not only were theterms that he used entirely foreign to his character, --their _outré_tenor bordering on the ridiculous, --but it is impossible for anyonewho has ever heard him chaffing his seasick brother while outyachting, putting his head in at the cabin door every now and again, and calling out, "Well, Willie, how do you feel now, and what hasbecome of your imperial dignity?" to believe that he was reallyserious when he so solemnly ascribed divine attributes to thisselfsame Willie. 

I heard that after the prince's arrival in China, where banquets weregiven in his honor by the German and English leading colonists, he wasrepeatedly asked to make a few remarks in reply to the toasts drunkin his honor, but that on each occasion he politely informed his hoststhat he would see them in Jericho before he got on his feet to addressthem. "Only once in my life, " he was wont to say, "did I make aspeech, and I shall never hear the end of that to the close of mydays!" A little later on, when the Shanghai correspondent of theLondon _Times_ was presented to him, he himself referred to this mostcelebrated and oft-quoted speech by inquiring good-humoredly, andwithal plaintively, "By the way, don't you think your newspapers haveroasted me enough about it?"

With regard to his shooting, there is no scion of royalty who has beenthe cause of more gun accidents than the prince. He had not attainedhis majority before he managed, while shooting in the game preservesof his uncle, the Grand Duke of Baden, to wound a gamekeeper soseverely that the man was crippled for life, and has since been in thereceipt of a generous pension from the prince. Then in Corfu, whileclambering up a steep hill, he had the misfortune to unintentionallydischarge his gun, the lead lodging in a Greek gentleman who wasfollowing a few feet behind him and grievously injuring him; whileat a later period he succeeded in inflicting serious damage upon aTurkish dignitary appointed by the Sultan to attend him during hisshooting trips in Syria. It is of him, too, that is related the storyof how, when asked as a youth of twenty, by Queen Victoria, duringone of his stays at Balmoral, what sport he had had while out deerstalking, he replied proudly: "Well, grandma, I did not succeed inkilling a stag, but I hit quite a number. " It is recorded that therewas a painful silence after this remark, and that the prince was notagain urged to go out deer stalking during his stay at Balmoral!

Princess Henry is probably the least favored, both as to beauty andbrilliancy of intellect, of the daughters of the late Grand Duke ofHesse, and of his consort, Princess Alice, second daughter of QueenVictoria. Her three sisters, the Grand Duchess Sergius of Russia, Princess Louis of Battenberg, and the young czarina, are renowned fortheir loveliness and their cleverness, the latter inherited from theirtalented mother; whereas Princess Irene and her brother, the reigningGrand Duke of Hesse, take far more after their father. Princess Irenewas born in 1866, during the Seven Weeks' War, when her father wascalled upon to fight his own brothers in the Prussian army, and hisbrother-in-law, the late Emperor Frederick, then Crown Prince ofPrussia. Her baptismal sponsors were the officers and men belongingto the two cavalry regiments under her father's special command duringthat war:--there is no other princess in Europe who has ever had twoentire regiments of cavalry for godfathers! The name of Irene wasbestowed upon her by way of gratitude for the restoration of peace, and she used always to be known in her young days at Darmstadt as the"Friedenskind, " or "child of peace. " After her mother's death fromdiphtheria, it was the latter's eldest sister, the now widowed EmpressFrederick, who endeavored, as far as possible, to look after thechildren, and it was perhaps this that led to Prince Henry's fallingin love with his cousin. The match was strongly opposed by PrinceBismarck, partly upon the ground of the close relationship of theparties, but mainly on account of his hatred for the reigning house ofHesse. But when Prince Henry declared that he would remain single allhis life unless he were allowed to marry Princess Irene, consent wasgiven, and the wedding took place at Charlottenburg in the presenceof the dying Emperor Frederick, this being the last public ceremony atwhich he was present. One of the saddest of sights, indeed, was thatpresented by "Unser Fritz, " almost too weak to stand, giving hisvoiceless blessing after the ceremony to his favorite son, and tohis new daughter-in-law, who, having been born in a time of war andmisery, was entering upon her new life as a wife at a time when thewhole nation was once more sorrowing. While Princess Irene isperhaps less attractive than her sisters, she is more interested inphilanthropic movements than any other member of her family, and atKiel, where she makes her home, she is greatly liked, especially bythe poor. She is a magnificent equestrienne, and a very clever shot, being infinitely more successful in this respect than her husband, whois so devoted to her that he bears this superiority with the greatestequanimity. 

Although Prince Frederick-Leopold has certainly relieved himself fromany imputation of effeminacy by the conspicuous part he took in thelong-distance rides between Berlin and Vienna, and by his magnificenthorsemanship, yet he does not convey to people the impression ofmanliness that constitutes so distinguishing a characteristic of hiscousins, Prince Henry and the kaiser. He is lacking alike in virilityand intellect, and seems to have no other aim and aspiration in lifethan to live up to his name and reputation as the leader of masculinefashion or "Gigerl König, " which may be rendered into English as"king of the dudes. " They say at the Court of Berlin that he is soparticular about the fit of his clothes that he will never remainseated for more than five minutes at a time, not even when traveling, for fear of spoiling the crease in his trousers or of making thembaggy at the knees! He does not attempt to disguise the fact thatthe faultlessness of his coats or of his uniforms is an object ofparamount importance. These are, however, very harmless weaknesses, which are more than atoned for by the fact that he is an excellentfather and husband, but the obstinacy of his temper and his vagariesas a leader of masculine fashion at Berlin have often been a source ofimpatience and irritation to the kaiser. It is only just to lay stresson his excellence both as a husband and a father, as all sorts ofstories have been circulated, not merely in the foreign press, butalso in the German newspapers, charging him with intemperance and withbrutality towards his wife, who is a younger sister of the empress, such as to necessitate the intervention of the kaiser. 

These stories are pure calumnies, and originate in a confusion betweenthe prince and his father, the celebrated cavalry general. The latter, popularly known as the "Red Prince, " was the commander to whom Metzcapitulated in 1870, and was not only noted for his hard drinking, but likewise for his rough usage of his amiable and formerly lovelyconsort when he was in his cups. He is credited with having frequentlybeaten her, either with his fist or with his riding whip, when crazedwith drink; and it is no secret that she left him on three occasionswith the avowed intention of securing a separation and even divorce, and was only persuaded to return to her husband by the entreaties ofthe old emperor. 

Of course all this was a matter of court gossip at the time, and threeor four years ago the stories formerly current concerning the father, who has been dead for more than a decade, were revived with regard tohis son, for no other reason than that the prince had quite frequentlyrendered himself subject to disciplinary measures by the kaiser. Ifthe latter has, however, ordered him to remain under arrest in hispalace at various times, it has not been as a punishment for havinghorsewhipped his wife when drunk, as some foreign illustrated paperswould have the world believe, but only because the prince had beenguilty of some neglect in military duty, or had disobeyed the wishesof the emperor in connection with the management of his household. 

Thus, some two or three winters ago, Princess Frederick-Leopold wasalmost drowned while out skating near Potsdam; she broke through theice, was completely unconscious when miraculously rescued by fourpeasants who happened to be in the neighborhood, and was only broughtback to life with the utmost difficulty. The emperor and empresswere naturally much concerned and distressed by this accident; butWilliam's sympathy changed into very serious anger when he learnt thatthe princess had remained so long under the ice and had been dependenton the courage and bravery of the peasants who rescued her, onlybecause neither her husband nor any of the gentlemen of his householdhad been in attendance upon her. In fact, she was quite alone with alady-in-waiting, who lost her head, and was completely unable to offerany assistance when the mishap occurred. The emperor also discoveredthat on the previous day the princess had, without any escortwhatsoever, skated alone all the way from Potsdam to Brandenburg andback, a remarkable feat, calling for much endurance and attended byno little danger. Now, as I have already stated, it is contrary to therules of court etiquette and usage for any prince or princess of theblood to leave their residence, unattended, and it was on account ofthe infraction of this regulation that the kaiser sentenced both theprince and his consort to several weeks' arrest in their palace. Itwas this circumstance that gave rise to the ridiculous and sensationaltale of the prince having been punished by the emperor in consequenceof the latter having caught him in the act of beating the princesswhile in a fit of drunken fury. 

Prince Frederick-Leopold is a great traveller, and has not only spenta considerable time in India as the guest of his brother-in-law, theDuke of Connaught, when the latter was in military command at Bombay, but, moreover, he has visited China and Japan, and devoted severalmonths to a tour in the United States, which was wound up by somerather exciting events at Coney Island before his return home toBerlin. 

[Illustration: _SCENE IN DUKE ERNEST GUNTHER'S QUARTERS__After a drawing by Oreste Cortazzo_]

Of the bachelorhood days of the kaiser's other brother-in-law, DukeErnest-Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein, already mentioned several timesin these pages, especially in connection with the anonymous letterscandal, the least said the better. A hard-drinking, dissipated, andsomewhat coarse-mannered cavalry officer, he has often been a sourceof perpetual anger to the kaiser and of distress to his sister, theexcellent empress. He managed to get his name involved in all sorts ofunsavory speculations on the stock exchange and in gambling scandals, invariably, it is true, as a victim; while at least three foreignfootlight favorites were expelled from Germany by the police onaccount of the scandals created by his association with them. On oneoccasion, he even had the audacity to appear at Charlottenburg with anotorious American "_demi-mondaine_" seated beside him on the box ofhis drag, although his sister, the empress, was present at the races, as well as a large number of ladies of the court and many greatdignitaries. Seeing the servants of his coach arrayed in the familiarliveries of his house, they all naturally imagined that thelady beside the duke was one of his sisters, either PrincessFrederick-Leopold or Princess Fedora, and accorded to her the homagewhich would have belonged by right to either of these two princesses, but which was totally misplaced when conceded to a woman of suchunenviable notoriety as the fair stranger who sat beside the duke. Needless to add that the emperor was furious when he heard of theaffair, and after giving orders for the immediate expulsion of thewoman, directed the prince to leave Berlin, and to remain at hiscastle of Prinkenau until he had expiated his gross and flagrantbreach of the proprieties. 

Duke Ernest-Gunther was a suitor for the hand of quite a large numberof princesses, and among those to whom he proposed were the daughtersof the Prince of Wales and of the latter's brother, the Duke ofCoburg, his suit being rejected with touching unanimity in eachinstance, in consequence of his unenviable reputation. Yet strangelyenough, as stated previously, he seems to have developed intoan exemplary husband, although his marriage was contracted undercircumstances which, verged on a tragedy; for his wife, a mereseventeen-year-old girl, just issuing from the school-room when hemade an offer for her hand, was literally flung into his arms by bothher parents, who were determined to separate from each other, and whohad been informed by Emperor Francis-Joseph of Austria, and by KingLeopold of Belgium, that no such step could be tolerated until afterthe marriage of little Princess "Dolly, " the only daughter of thisill-matched couple. The betrothal took place in due course at Vienna. But before the marriage could follow, the young girl's mother, namely, Princess Louise of Coburg and of Belgium, deliberately eloped from theAustrian capital with her husband's chamberlain, the Hungarian CountKeglewitch; and what was worse, took her daughter with her. The triofled to Nice, where they were visited by King Leopold, who afterendeavoring in vain to persuade the princess to return to her husbandat Vienna, discarded her in hot anger, declaring that she was nolonger his daughter!

The next act in the drama was a challenge issued by Prince Philip ofCoburg against Count Keglewitch, who left Nice for the encounter: theduel was fought in the army riding-school at Vienna, the commander ofthe metropolitan garrison and the minister of war acting as secondsto Prince Philip, although duelling is strictly forbidden by law inAustria, as it is in Germany. Prince Philip received a painful woundin the hand, and the count forthwith left to rejoin the princess atNice. The publicity given to this duel had the unfortunate result, however, of calling attention to the presence of poor little PrincessDorothy at Nice with her misguided mother and the count, and theprincess having been warned by the Austrian authorities and the Frenchpolice that her daughter would be taken from her by force unless sherelinquished her hold upon the child, she sent her back to Vienna, whence the girl was immediately dispatched to Dresden and placed underthe care of the mother and the unmarried sister of the German empress, with whom she remained until her marriage. 

Shortly after her departure from Nice, her mother was forced to takeflight in consequence of the persecution to which she was subjected byher creditors; and with a shamelessness that can only be explained onthe score of an unbalanced mind, she deliberately returned to Austriawith her lover, and coolly took up her residence at his castle nearAgram, where the count actually made preparations for a siege, inorder to resist by force any attempt on the part of the authorities totake the princess from him. 

Ultimately, both were captured by strategy, and while the princess wasconveyed under police escort to Vienna, and lodged at the request ofher husband in a lunatic asylum, on the sworn statements of two courtphysicians concerning her insanity, the count was placed under closearrest at Agram on the charge of grossly immoral conduct, unbecomingan officer and a gentleman. Before he had been very long in themilitary prison, this charge was changed to one of forgery; for it wasdiscovered that there were notes in circulation at Vienna and Paristo the extent of more than a million dollars, which the count hadnegotiated, and which bore the forged signature of Princess Louise'ssister, the widowed Crown Princess Stephanie of Austria. 

The count of course denied that he had forged the signature, butas the fact remains that he negotiated the notes, and that PrincessLouise, who, failing himself, can alone have been the culprit, isofficially declared insane, and legally irresponsible, he has had tobear the brunt of the affair, and is now, after having undergone theterrible ceremony of military degradation, working out a sentence offive years' penal servitude in a fortress; doubtless comparing hisfate with that of the celebrated Baron Trench, who was imprisonedfor years in the dungeons of Spandau, and of Magdeburg, for havingcompromised the fair name of the sister of Frederick the Great byindiscreet attentions. 

Princess Louise is now under strict restraint in an asylum for theinsane near Dresden, and inasmuch as both her father, King Leopold ofthe Belgians, and her husband, have declined to pay any of herdebts, public sales of her belongings, even of her dresses and herunder-garments, were permitted to take place at Vienna and at Nicefor the benefit of her creditors. It is only fair to the unfortunateprincess to state that her entire married life has been one ofuninterrupted misery, owing to the brutality and drunken habits ofher husband, who is noted as one of the most dissolute princes inall Europe. In fact if court gossip at Berlin and Vienna is to bebelieved, the princess first became enamored of Count Keglewitch whenthe latter, in attendance on the princely couple as their chamberlain, interfered one day to protect her from the blows of her husband. 

It was amidst circumstances such as these that Princess Dorothy wasmarried to Duke Ernest-Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein, neither herfather nor her mother being present at her marriage; the reigning Dukeof Coburg, as chief of the Coburg family figuring in the place of herparents, and giving her away at the altar. That with such a father, such a mother, and with a husband of such a past reputation fordissipation and wildness, the little princess should have foundhappiness in marriage, is, to say the least, surprising. But the dukeseems devoted to his little wife, while she on her side is completelywrapped up in her husband, and thinks him perfect, in every way. 

Yet another brother-in-law of the kaiser who is a conspicuous figureat the Court of Berlin, is Prince Adolphus of Schaumburg-Lippe, married to Princess Victoria, the least attractive and leastpopular of William's sisters. After several flirtations of a rathersensational character with young Count Andrassy, and several other gaydiplomats and noblemen, which were a source of amusement to the court, although of great concern to her mother, she ultimately fell in lovewith Prince Alexander of Battenburg, who at the time had just beenforced to abandon the throne of Bulgaria, and who was certainly one ofthe handsomest and most fascinating of European princes. The prince, who was at the time, to put matters plainly, out of a job, beingwithout fortune or future, was persuaded by his relatives, notably byhis brother Henry, who had married Princess Beatrice of England, to apply for her hand; this he did, on the understanding that hismarriage to her would facilitate his restoration to the German army, from which he had resigned on ascending the throne of Bulgaria; for asa general of the Prussian army, he anticipated retrieving the prestigeand fame which he had lost as ruler of Bulgaria. 

Prince Bismarck, however, set his face strongly against the match onthe ground that it would impair the friendly relations between theCourts of Berlin and St. Petersburg, Prince Alexander being forpersonal reasons an object of the most intense animosity to the lateczar. Indeed, it was this hatred on the part of the late Emperor ofRussia that had rendered it impossible for Prince Alexander to retainhis throne of Bulgaria. Old Emperor William, supported his chancellorin the matter, and while the late Emperor Frederick, at that timemerely crown prince, remained quite passive, the cause of PrincessVictoria and Prince Alexander was strongly championed by EmpressFrederick and Queen Victoria. The controversy continued even after thedeath of old Emperor William, and finally, in face of the persistenthostility in the matter displayed by Prince Bismarck, and by thepresent kaiser, it was arranged that the couple should be married, notin Germany, but in England, at Windsor Castle, and that they shouldmake their home elsewhere than in Germany. This, however, did not meetthe views of Prince Alexander, who thus saw all his ambition for amilitary career in the German army frustrated instead of promoted bythe union. So at the very last moment, within a few days of the dateappointed for the wedding at Windsor, and after all the trousseau hadbeen purchased and the wedding presents bought, he deliberatelyjilted his royal fiancee, and married at Nice, an actress named Mlle. Lösinger, an offspring of the valet and the cook of the old AustrianGeneral Faviani. 

The prince, it may be remembered, subsequently abandoned the titleand status of a Prince Battenberg, secured the title of Count Hartenaufrom his father's old friend and comrade, the Emperor of Austria, aswell as a colonelcy in the Austrian army, and died as major-general incommand of a brigade at Gratz. 

It was more than a year after this, that Princess Victoria found ahusband in the insignificant-looking and inoffensive Prince Adolph ofSchaumburg-Lippe, son of Prince George of that ilk, the prince at thattime serving as Captain of Hussars at Bonn. Soon afterwards, EmperorWilliam learning that Prince Waldemar of Lippe was dying, tookadvantage of the fact that he was rather weak-minded to induce him tosign a species of will bequeathing the regency of the principality athis death to Prince Adolph of Schaumburg-Lippe, the next heir to thethrone of Lippe; his brother Alexander of Lippe being an incurablelunatic. On the strength of this document, which was of a purelypersonal character, and which was neither ratified by the legislatureof the principality of Lippe, nor recognized by the federal council ofthe German empire, Prince Adolph, with the assistance of a coupleof Prussian regiments, coolly took possession of the principality ofLippe, proclaimed himself regent, and assumed the reins of government. 

According to the laws of Germany governing the succession of itssovereign houses, the regency in such a case as that presented by theprincipality of Lippe, should have fallen to the lot of the nearestliving agnate. The latter happened to be Count Ernest of Lippe, chiefof the Beisterfeld branch of the Lippe family. Prince Adolph, however, and his brother-in-law, Emperor William, took the ground that CountErnest was debarred from the regency, and from succession to thethrone on the death of the crazy Prince Alexander, by the factthat sometime in the early part of the last century one of his maleancestors had contracted a mésalliance, and thus brought a plebeianstrain into the family. This contention was accepted neither by thepeople of Lippe, nor by the count; they appealed to the tribunalsof the empire, and to every reigning family of Germany in turn, theentire non-Prussian press, as well as many newspapers in Prussiaitself, espousing their cause. 

Finally, the emperor and his brother-in-law were forced bypopular clamor to consent to bring the matter before a tribunal ofarbitration, composed of the principal judges of the Supreme FederalCourt at Leipzig, presided over for the occasion by the dean andveteran of German sovereigns, King Albert of Saxony. The tribunal, after due deliberation, rendered a decision against the emperor andPrince Adolph; directing the latter to at once surrender the regencyand the Lippe estates, which are immensely valuable, yielding anincome of eight hundred thousand dollars, to Count Ernest of Lippe, on the ground that if a mésalliance such as the one contracted by thecount's eighteenth-century ancestor were to be considered sufficientto invalidate his rights to the regency and to the succession to thethrone, as the nearest living male relative of the crazy reigningprince, half the thrones of Germany would have to be vacated by theirpresent occupants. 

It was pointed out by the arbitrators that if the contention of PrinceAdolph and the kaiser were admitted, the Grand Duke of Baden wouldhave to abandon his throne; the branch of the Baden family to whichhe belonged being descended from a prince of Baden who contracted amésalliance at the close of the last century; that all the children ofthe emperor himself would be barred from succession to the throne ofGermany, since the great-grandfather of the present Empress of Germanywas the offspring of a terrible mésalliance; while last, but notleast, Prince Adolph himself was descended from a prince of Lippe whotowards the close of the last century, fell in love with and marriedthe daughter of a mere writ-server, whose blood flows in the veins ofthe emperor's brother-in-law. 

Emperor William and Prince Adolph bitterly resented the setback towhich they were subjected by this decree of the King of Saxony; andalthough they were forced to yield in the present instance, theythreatened to reopen the entire question should anything untowardhappen to the present regent, Count Lippe, for they insist that underno circumstances can any of his sons be permitted to inherit eitherhis rights or his honors, owing to the fact that his wife, theCountess of Lippe, is also the issue of a mésalliance, her motherhaving been an American girl, a native of Philadelphia, who marriedCount Leopold Wartensleben. On the strength of this, Prussianauthorities, military as well as civilian, while directed to accordto the Count of Lippe the honors due to the regent of a Germansovereignty, are forbidden to recognize in any way either the count'sconsort or his children, on the ground that these can only be regardedas morganatic, and as such debarred from the tokens of respect due tofull-fledged members of a sovereign house. 

Naturally, all this has served to render Prince Adolph and his wifeextremely unpopular throughout the length and breadth of Germany; andwhen a short time ago there was a question of appointing the princeas regent of the Duchy of Brunswick in succession to Prince Albertof Prussia, who is tired of the post, or as a stadtholder ofAlsace-Lorraine in the place of Prince Herman Hohenlohe, the pressthroughout Germany, and even in Prussia, raised its voice in protestagainst the emperor's forcing his brother-in-law into places for whichhe was in no sense of the word fitted, either by his talents, hisadministrative skill, his tact, or his intellectual abilities. 

CHAPTER IX

Although Germany's young crown prince has until now been more or lessof a stranger to court functions and gaieties at Berlin, his timebeing absorbed by his studies at the military academy of Plön, and hisholidays spent in travel and Alpine expeditions, yet, as he is aboutto celebrate his majority, and has passed from the stages of boyhoodto those of manhood, he will be from henceforth a personage of theutmost importance--second only in rank to the emperor. 

Destined, in course of time, to succeed to the throne and to theimmense responsibilities of his father, and to become virtually theautocratic ruler of a nation of fifty million people, as well as theabsolute master of the greatest military power on the face of theglobe, every scrap of information concerning this youth must naturallybe of vast interest, not only to his future subjects, but also tothe entire civilized world. Under the circumstances, therefore, it issatisfactory to be able to say truthfully that Germany's future kaiseris a fine, healthy-minded, healthy-bodied lad, disposed to take anextremely serious view of his duties and his obligations, and who, thanks to the excellent education which he has received both from hisparents and his teachers, seems destined to prove a wise as well as apopular monarch. 

It seems but the other day that the young crown prince, as a chubbyten-year-old lad, was being introduced by his father to the officersand men of the first regiment of Foot Guards at Potsdam, to which, in accordance with traditional usage, he was appointed on his tenthbirthday as lieutenant. There may be some of my readers who werepresent on that occasion, and who may remember the spectacle presentedby the little fellow, vainly endeavoring to keep step with the giantstrides of these huge grenadiers, the tallest men in the German army, during the march-past that followed the ceremony. Since then therehave been so many portraits of the crown prince published, as heappeared at that time, that this taken in conjunction with the rapidflight of years, renders it difficult to realize that he is now nolonger a little boy, but a youth considerably taller and almost asbroad and stalwart as his father, whose best friend he has become. 

William and his eldest boy are fondly devoted to each other. To thecrown prince, his father is in every sense of the word "William secondto none;" while the kaiser himself is entirely wrapped up in his heir. For the last few years the emperor has given every spare moment thathe could snatch away from his multifarious occupations to the task ofinstilling his ideas and views into the crown prince. In talkingand reasoning with him, he has treated the lad as far older than hisyears, has discussed with him, in fact, as if he were a man; and itis due to this that Germany's future emperor is at the present momentremarkably mature for his age, and really in a position to viewmatters with a degree of experience and knowledge that are unrivalledin so young a man. As a general rule, young people are unwilling toaccept the advice of their elders, or to benefit by their experience, convinced that their seniors are behind the spirit of the age, and inno sense of the word up to date. But with the German crown prince thisis different: he is so imbued with the idea that his father is wiserand better than anyone else in the world, that he is willing and gladto accept the paternal recommendations and to benefit by paternaladvice. 

Yet with all this the lad is not a prig, nor is he forward orpresumptuous. True, he has a keen sense of his own dignity, but ittakes the form of an extreme simplicity, and of an absolute lack ofaffectation, since he is intelligent enough to realize that his rankand position are sufficiently assured to render it unnecessary that heshould call attention thereto either by his manner or by his speech. He is modest too, very frank, particularly courteous to old people, boyishly chivalrous to women, and firmly convinced that there is nomember of the fair sex in the entire world who is so ideally perfectin appearance, as well as in character, as his mother. 

I would not for all the world that this description of the crownprince should in any way convey the impression to my readers that heis a milksop or an overgrown child! Devoted to every form of sport, asplendid gymnast, a clever oarsman, a skilful driver and a bold rider, an excellent shot, he is in every sense of the word a manly youngfellow, who, however, has been kept free from all contact with thedarker sides of life, and who still retains, therefore, mingled withthe experience of a grown man, much of the innocence and freshness ofmind of a mere boy. Indeed, he is a son of whom any father and mothermight well be proud!

Fair-haired and blue-eyed, with the down of a blond moustache upon hisupper lip, the young prince is a typical Hohenzollern, and resembleshis grandfather, Emperor Frederick, more than he does his father. Heis passionately devoted to everything military, and keenly relishesthe idea that the six months following the attainment of his majorityare to be devoted to military duties at Potsdam, for although he hasheld a commission of lieutenant of the first regiment of Foot Guardssince his tenth year, he is only now about to be called upon to fulfilthe duties of his rank with the regiment. 

It will be in every sense of the word an arduous training, for thefirst regiment of Guards being considered all the world over as thecrack corps of the German army, and as the embodiment of militaryperfection in every sense of the word, its officers, realizing thatit is, so to speak, the star phalanx of Germany, are engaged, morning, noon and night, in maintaining it at its proper standard, and thereare no officers anywhere in Europe who are so hard worked as thoseof the first regiment of Prussian Guards;--that regiment which in thedays of Frederick the Great's father was composed entirely of giants, recruited, or rather purchased often, at a cost of several thousanddollars apiece, from all parts of the world!

The prince must be on the drill grounds and the manoeuvre fields asearly as four o'clock in the morning, returning for a sort of luncheontowards ten or eleven; he must devote his afternoon to militarystudies of one kind or another; while from four o'clock till seven histime will be taken up by barrack-room inspections, company reports, and the other thousand and one duties incidental to regimental lifein Germany. In the case of the crown prince the work will beexceptionally heavy, as he is expected to acquire in the course of sixmonths an experience which other subalterns take years to obtain. Atthe end of the term in question he is to go to Bonn, there to takehis seat, like his father before him, on the benches of the celebrateduniversity as an ordinary student. 

From his eighteenth birthday the crown prince will have anestablishment and a civil list of his own. He will have his courtmarshal, who will be at the same time the treasurer, governor, andchief officer of his household. He will have his aids-de-camp, whowill, as far as possible, be young men of his own age and alive to theresponsibilities of their office; he will also have a palace of hisown, stables of his own, and his own shooting. Indeed the forest ofSpandau has already been for some time past strictly preserved in viewof his coming of age. 

This particular forest has from time immemorial been assigned as theparticular game-park of the heir to the crown. The crown prince isto make his home in the so-called "Stadtschloss" at Potsdam, wherehe will occupy the same suite of apartments that was tenanted by hisparents during the alterations that recently took place at the "NeuesPalais. " This palace was erected at the close of the seventeenthcentury, and contains, among other objects of interest, the furnitureused by Frederick the Great, the coverings of which were nearly alltorn to shreds by the claws of his dog; his writing-table covered withink-stains, his library filled with Trench books, music composed byhimself, etc. The various halls and rooms are kept nearly in the samemanner, indeed, as when he used them. Adjoining his bedroom there isa small cabinet, where he used to dine alone or with Voltaire, withoutattendants, everything coming through the floor on a dumbwaiter, theking himself placing the dishes on the table. 

It is in this palace, haunted, one might almost say, at every pointby memories and by the spirit of the most famous of Prussian kings, a monarch distinguished as a general, as an administrator and as aphilosopher, that Germany's future emperor will from henceforth makehis home until he in turn, on the death of his father, will migrate, as did the latter, from the so-called Stadtschloss to the "NeuesPalais, " two miles and a half distant. The crown prince is also tohave a residence of his own at Berlin, where he is to occupy theBellevue Palace during the court season. 

Among other characteristics of the young crown prince is his fondnessfor animals, and the extraordinary influence which, even as a child, he has always seemed to exercise over them. He succeeded in traininghis ponies, his dogs and other domestic pets to perform such clevertricks that on several occasions he managed, with the assistance ofhis brothers, to organize very creditable circus performances, usuallyin honor of the birthday of his father or his mother. There was oneinstance especially that I may recall, which took place some yearsago. This particular performance began in the afternoon at three, witha prologue spoken by Prince August William, in which he mentioned thedifferent items of the programme. Then each of the royal lads led hispony in front of the box in which the imperial couple sat with theirguests, and the crown prince put his horse "Daretz, " through all kindsof tricks, of a high school character, winding up by making the horsekneel in token of salute before the emperor and empress. More trickriding on another horse named "Puck, " belonging to the crown prince, followed, and thereupon there was a comical _intermezzo_, in whichPrince Adalbert and Prince Eitel took the part of two clowns. Lateron, the crown prince's dogs were brought on the scene, and hisfavorite "Tom" went through some extraordinary antics, walking aboutall over the ring on his hind legs, tolling bells, driving other ofthe prince's dogs with reins, and jumping through hoops coveredwith tissue paper. The whole affair lasted over two hours, was veryentertaining, even to grown-up people who did not happen to be relatedto the organizers of the entertainment, and did great credit tothe cleverness of the crown prince, and above all to the marvellousinfluence which he exercises over animals of every description. 

Military tastes in the royal lad have been developed by the gamesand pastimes in which he and his brothers were encouraged to indulge;hence, in the grounds of the Bellevue Palace at Berlin, as well as ina corner of the great park of the Neues Palais at Potsdam, the boysconstructed full-fledged forts with water-filled moats, and cleverlyconstructed bastions, which were stormed from time to time in dueform, and being defended with the utmost tenacity, hard knocks wereofttimes given and received. The playmates of the crown prince and hisbrothers have been not merely the sons of nobles forming part of theimperial household and court, but likewise the children of employés ofmuch less exalted rank, such as the sons of lodge-keepers, gardeners, game-keepers, etc. , who all played and tumbled with the young princeson a footing of the most perfect equality, drubbing one anothertotally irrespective of rank. It is a pleasant thing to know thatfriendships thus formed subsist in after life; as an instance, whenthe kaiser's sister, now crown princess of Greece, sent to Germanysome time ago for a nursery governess for her young children, shewas able to acquire the services of her old girlhood playmate, thedaughter of one of the gardeners employed at the "Neues Palais. "

The crown prince may be said to have traveled over all Germany, andthat, too, in the most democratic and sensible fashion. In Germany, and, in fact, all over the continent of Europe, a pedestrian tour, domestic and foreign, constitutes part and parcel of the educationof every youth, especially those of the industrial classes. Noapprenticeship is considered complete without the accomplishment of atrip of this kind, which is usually performed with a knapsack on theback, and in the most economical manner imaginable. This portion ofthe youth's life is known as his "_wanderjahr_" and the traveler isknown by the name of "_wanderbürsche_" The trip serves to broaden themind of the "_bürsche, _" to render him self-reliant, and to give hima knowledge and experience of the world--aye, and of his craft aswell--that he could never obtain if he remained at home. EmperorWilliam, who in many things is so exceedingly reactionary, andso apparently assured that royalty is constructed of an entirelydifferent clay than that used for ordinary folks, gave a manifestationof those democratic notions which constitute such a paradox to theremainder of his character by sending forth his three eldest boys eachyear during their holidays on a pedestrian tour through the length andbreadth of his dominions, just as if they were the sons of artisans, and were compelled to learn a trade for a living. The crown prince andhis brothers traveled, not in a palace-car, nor in carriages, but onfoot, with knapsacks on their backs, and spending the nights at mereroadside inns. They had no servant with them, only their militarygovernor, Colonel von Falkenheyn, and his assistant, the latter alieutenant of the guards, and the name tinder which they journeyed wasan incognito one; indeed, so cleverly did they manage to conceal theiridentity that it was hardly ever revealed. 

It is difficult to imagine anything that appealed more to the massesin Germany than this manner adopted by the kaiser for making his sonsacquainted with the world. It was felt that the royal lads, with theirknapsacks on their backs, afoot, and with no indication of their rank, would obtain by actual experience a contact with the people and aknowledge which they could never hope to acquire if they hadtoured through the land in special trains, on horseback, or insplendidly-appointed carriages. Moreover, it makes every German youth, trudging along the dusty roads, and ignorant for the most part ofwhere and how he is to sup and sleep that night, feel that afterall his lot is not such a very unenviable one, since even his futuremonarch has been a "_wanderbürsche_, " like himself. 

It is probable that before the education of the crown prince isconsidered complete, he will be sent on a trip around the world, mainly with the object of endowing him with that breadth of mindwhich foreign travel alone can give, and partly also with the idea ofreviving the dormant loyalty of Germans who have settled in foreignlands. Emperor William has frequently expressed the opinion thatamong the hitherto unused factors in German politics, are the Germansestablished in the United States, in Australia, and in other equallydistant climes. While he does not in any way expect or imagine thatGermans who have thus emigrated from the Fatherland, will renderthemselves guilty of any disloyalty to the land of their adoption, yethe believes that by keeping alive their memories of the old country, and their affection for its reigning house they may help Germany byusing their political influence in their new home for the benefitof Germany. Thus William, in spite of all that has been said to thecontrary, has in contemplation an eventual understanding if not anactual alliance with the United States; this result to be broughtabout largely through the influence of the immense and prosperousGerman population in America, and he believes that the project islikely to be promoted and fostered by a visit of his eldest son, thecrown prince, to the United States for the purpose of making himselfacquainted, not only with the country, but above all with its Germaninhabitants. 

In making the grand tour of the world, the crown prince will be butfollowing in the footsteps of the heirs to the thrones of Austria andBelgium, who have both visited the United States for the purpose ofimproving their minds, and of fitting themselves more thoroughlyfor their duties as twentieth century rulers. The present Emperor ofRussia, and his younger brother, the late Czarevitch George, likewisestarted on a tour round the world, which in the case of George was cutshort at Bombay by that sickness to which he subsequently succumbed, while the globe-trotting tour of Nicholas was brought to a suddenclose through his attempted assassination in Japan. 

No pen-sketch of the young Crown Prince of Germany would be completewithout a reference to his remarkable skill as a violinist, aninstrument which he has been studying steadily ever since his eighthyear, under the direction of the Berlin court violinist Von Exner. Heseems to have inherited all the musical talent for which the reigninghouse of Prussia is so celebrated, and to which I propose to devote atleast a part of the following chapter. 

CHAPTER X

If it is observable that the taste, ear, and talent for music prevailamong the inhabitants of the mountain districts of the world far moreextensively than among the populations of the plains, it is no lesstrue that nearly all persons belonging to the exalted spheres oflife, for instance, emperors and kings and their consorts, as well asprinces and princesses of the blood, are not only passionately fondof music, but frequently absolute melomaniacs. In none of the reigninghouses, however, is this particular branch of art developed to suchan extent as in the Hohenzollern family. Thus the collection of thecompositions for the flute by Frederick the Great discovered some tenyears ago in the lumber rooms of the "Neues Palais" at Potsdam, andrecently published after being edited by Professor Spitta, proves thatthe royal patron of Voltaire, and the founder of Prussia's militarypower was no mere dilettante, but a real genius in the art ofcomposition. Prince Louis Ferdinand, the son of Frederick the Great'sbrother, who courted and met with a premature death at Saalfeld, whilerashly engaging the French enemy, against strict orders, showed, withall his eccentricities, remarkable musical gifts, leaving in factbehind him a variety of compositions for orchestras. He also wrote amarch which is published under his name. 

Among the collection of marches constantly used in the Prussian army, is one composed by Frederick-William III. In 1806, which occupies aplace between that of Frederick the Great, written in 1741, andthe well-known Dessauer march. In that very same collection are theso-called _"Geschwind Marsch, " No. 148, for infantry_, the _"ParadeMarsch" No. 51, for cavalry_, and the _"Marsch Für Cavallerie" No. 55_, which emanate from the pen of Princess Charlotte of Prussia, niece of old Emperor William, and first wife of the present reigningDuke of Saxe-Meiningen. It is doubtless from her that Prince Bernhardtof Saxe-Meiningen, married to the eldest sister of the present kaiser, has inherited his powers of composition, for his name figures onthe title page of many a piece of music; and among his other moreimportant works has been the setting to music of _"the Persians ofAeschylus, "_ which has been most successfully staged at Athens. Thisis published under the initials of _"E. B. " (Erbprinz Bernhardt)_. 

Though King Frederick-William IV. Did not himself add anything toroyal musical literature, as did his predecessors on the throne, hedevoted much attention to ecclesiastical melody and song. The Berlincathedral choir of men and boys--trained to sing without musicalaccompaniments--owes its origin to his ambition for having a choir inhis own Protestant basilica at Berlin, corresponding more or lessto the Pope's in the Sistine Chapel of Rome. It was he who engagedMendelssohn as director of this choir, as well as composer; and it wasthe latter's successor, the director of the music of the Chapel Royalat the Prussian court, who compiled a collection of volumes containingsettings of many of the Psalms of David, most beautifully arranged. 

Among living Hohenzollerns, musical talent is most strongly developed. Prince Albert, regent of Brunswick, is not only a composer of raregenius, but likewise a most talented organist. His son, PrinceJoachim, has inherited his talent for composition, and is the authorof some eight works, which have been printed for circulation, in courtcircles only, and have not become the property of the public; thecleverest of them being a festal march, written for his father'sbirthday, and a grand funeral march. He shares his father's intensedevotion to Bach and Handel, as well as his fondness for the worksof Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Mozart, and is a most accomplishedperformer on the violoncello, being a pupil of the well-known masterof that instrument, Professor Luedemann. Prince Albert's sister, thewidowed Duchess William of Mecklenberg-Schwerin, has been particularlyactive as a composer of songs for mezzo soprano, but none of herworks, which are printed for private circulation under the initials of"A. H. M. ", have been placed on public sale. Her songs, some thirty innumber, are melodious and full of feeling. She seems to thoroughlyunderstand how to bring out the meaning of the words of hercomposition, the melody of one of them, _"Ein Duerres Blatt"_furnishing a particularly striking illustration of this peculiarity;they left a very lasting impression upon my mind. Among hercollections is an English song, beginning with the words:

 "No ditch is too deep, And no wall is too high, If two love each other They'll meet by-and-by. "

The music of this is particularly sweet, graceful and tender. 

Prince Henry, the sailor brother of the kaiser, has written a numberof pieces, one of the best known and most popular of which is calledthe _"Matrosen Marsch, "_ which is to be purchased in all large musicstores. He also holds his own as a first-class amateur performer, bothon the violin and the piano. His sister, the crown princess of Greece, a pupil of Rufer, excels on the organ, as does also the widowedEmpress Frederick, while there is not one of the children of thepresent kaiser who does not possess musical gifts of a high order, which are being developed both in theory and in practice by celebratedprofessors and masters. 

There is no doubt that, but for the weakness of his left arm, EmperorWilliam would have been as skilful a performer as the other membersof his family. As it is, his devotion to music is restricted tocomposition and to conducting. The kaiser is very fond of actingas bandmaster during the musical soirées given at court, and otherentertainments of this kind honored by the presence of the reigningfamily. It has been claimed that he is the first Prussian ruler tothus wield the bâton since the days of Frederick the Great. But thisis not the case, for I recall being present, many years ago, at adinner at the palace of Koblenz, given by Empress Augusta in honor ofher consort, old Emperor William, who had come over from Ems for thepurpose, when during the dinner the old emperor remarked that the bandof the Augusta regiment, which was playing at the further end of theWhite Hall, had played the ballet melody of _"Satanella"_ in toofast a time. Rising from his seat, and pushing aside the screen whichconcealed the band from view, he took the bâton from the hand of thebandmaster, and after exclaiming: "Very quietly and slowly, gentlemen, if you please, " he tapped twice on the music-stand in front of him, and then commenced to conduct with as much skill and art as if he hadnever done anything else in his life. Several times during the courseof the piece he exclaimed "Noch rühiger, " (still more gently) andwhen the end of the piece was reached he laid down the bâton withthe remark, "Now, that was fine, " and, thanking the band with a veryfriendly and kindly smile, returned to his seat at table. 

The present kaiser's principal contribution to music is undoubtedlyhis composition of the melody to the "_Sang am Aegir, _" a poemof considerable power by his friend Count Philipp Eulenburg. Thecomposition begins as follows:

[Illustration: O Ae-gir Herr der Flu-then dem Nix und Nex sich beugt!]

The words may be rendered as:

 "Of Aegir, Lord of the Waves, Whom mermaids and mermen revere. "

The bars that follow rivet the attention of the listener on account oftheir weird originality. They are full of feeling, very melodious, and easily caught by the ear. Towards the close, the melody breaks offinto a purely military strain, so that the final bars are suggestiveof the sound of trumpets, recalling to mind some ancient martialfanfare. 

William has a very marked predilection for Wagnerian music, and is thelife and soul of the "Potsdam-Berlin Wagner Society, " which is one ofthe most influential social institutions of the Prussian capital. His principal lieutenant and Adlatus in the management of thisassociation, which is in every sense of the word a court institution, is Major von Chelius, who holds a commission in the kaiser's own bodyregiment of Hussars of the Guard. The major is a particular favoriteof both the emperor and the empress, and he takes a very prominentpart in all the musical entertainments at court, almost invariablyplaying the piano accompaniments for the singing of Princess Albertof Saxe-Altenburg, and of Prince Max of Baden, who possesses arich baritone voice. The major is the composer of the popular opera"_Haschisch, _" and has inherited his musical talents from his mother, a Hamburger by birth. His father is a dignitary of the Court of Baden, while his wife, a most charming woman, was, prior to her marriage, aFraulein von Puttkamer, a member, therefore, of the same family as thelate Princess Bismarck. 

But although manifesting a preference for Wagner, the kaiser is notaverse to Mozart, or to the Italian school. "_Der Freischuetz_" is oneof his favorite operas, and while he does not care for Falstaff, heis very fond of "_I Medici_, " and greatly admires Leon Cavallo. Hepossesses a very correct ear, and a most pleasing voice, and manyof his evenings are passed in trying new songs, his wife, who is anexcellent pianist, playing the accompaniment. 

Though quite as passionately fond of music as the Hohenzollerns, theHapsburgs have achieved less distinction as composers, and even asperformers. Indeed, there are but two scions of the reigning house ofAustria, who can be said to have won any kind of fame as composers, namely, the missing Archduke John, who was the author of anexceedingly pretty and catchy ballet that still figures on therepertoire of the imperial opera, and Archduke Joseph, so well knownby the name of the "Gypsy Archduke, " who has done more than anyoneelse in Europe to place on record, both in writing and in print, the weird music and extraordinary quaint melodies of the Tziganes, melodies which he has arranged exquisitely for orchestral use. True, there is not a single archduke or archduchess in Austria and Hungary, who does not play with taste and feeling. Indeed, music seems to beinborn in them, and while the widowed crown princess is devoted toher piano, on which her performances are characterized by a superbtechnique, but coupled alas! with a complete absence of sentiment, herhusband, the lamented Crown Prince Rudolph, was a composer of nomean power and seemed at times to pour forth his entire soul in themelodies which he coaxed from this instrument. Indeed he often sat atthe piano for hours, playing, in a manner indescribably expressive andtouching, airs improvised on the spur of the moment, which, while theyremained impressed on the minds and ears of those present, would seemto fade at once from the memory of the prince himself. His was whatmay be called a true genius for music. 

The member of the House of Hapsburg most famous in the annals of musicof the present century, was undoubtedly that Archduke Rudolph, son ofEmperor Leopold II. , who died a cardinal. He was the protector, thefriend and disciple of Beethoven, many of whose most famous works, would assuredly have remained unwritten had it not been for the factthat he received the same powerful support, both material and moral, from the imperial cardinal as Richard Wagner obtained from King Louisof Bavaria. 

With regard to Archduke Joseph, the above-mentioned "Gypsy Archduke, "there is no doubt that without him the outer world would still havebeen left in ignorance of the incalculably rich mine of Tzigane music. He is only distantly related to Emperor Francis-Joseph, being thesenior member of a branch of the house of Hapsburg which has beensettled for more than one hundred years in Hungary. His father'sentire life was spent there, where he held the office of Viceroy, andit is there that Archduke Joseph himself was entirely brought up, andwhere he has spent his whole existence. 

At an early age he was attracted to the gypsies by their music, and itwas this that led him to think of their welfare, and to devote himselfto the study of the characteristics, the history and the origin ofthese mysterious nomads. Until he took them under his protection, theywere regarded more or less as pariahs of Central and Southern Europe, the hand of every man being against them, and the authorities andpeople at large combining to subject them to persecution of the mostcruel character. Their gratitude to the archduke when he obtainedbetter treatment for them knew no bounds, and was shown, among otherinstances, in a notable manner during the Austro-Prussian. War, whenJoseph was at the head of a division of Magyar troops. 

"Our retreat, " so the archduke tells the story, "before the advance ofthe Prussian army, immediately preceding the battle of Sadowa, ledus to camp one night in the neighborhood of a town in Bohemia. I waslodged in a peasant's cottage, when about midnight I heard thesentry at my door hoarsely challenging some new-comer. My aid-de-campentered, and reported that a gypsy wanted to see me in private. 

"On my asking the dusky visitor in Romani what was the matter, he toldme that the enemy was approaching to surprise us. 

"'The outposts have not heard anything suspicious?' I remarked. 

"'No, your imperial highness, ' he replied, 'because the enemy is stilla long way off. '

"'But how do you know this?' I asked. 

"'Come to the window, ' replied the Zingari, leading me forward to thenarrow glazed opening in the rough wall, and directing my gaze to thedark sky, lighted by the silver rays of the moon. 'Do you see thosebirds flying over the woods towards the south?'

"'Yes, I see them. What of it?'

"'What of it? Do not birds sleep as well as men? They would certainlynot fly about at night-time thus had they not been disturbed. Theenemy is marching through the wood southwards, and has frightened anddriven the birds before it. '

"I at once ordered the outposts to be reinforced, and the camp to bealarmed. Two hours later, the outposts were fighting fiercely with thefoe, and I was able to realize that my camp and my division had beensaved from surprise and destruction only by the keen observation andsagacity of a grateful gypsy. "

The archduke spent a large sum of money, some years ago, inendeavoring to turn the gypsies from their nomadic life, and to inducethem to settle down, in order to devote their time and energies to thepractice of the wonderful art of working metal, which they possess toso marked a degree, instead of roaming aimlessly about, and sometimesthieving, as is unfortunately their habit. He built a number ofvillages for them in the district surrounding Presburg, and organizedgypsy settlements. But the scheme proved a failure. The Tziganes, trueto the instincts that they have inherited from countless generations, abandoned the comfortable houses, the fields and blossoming gardenswith which they had been provided by their imperial benefactor. Theyrefused to till the soil, and commenced once more their interminablewanderings. 

In spite of this fiasco, the archduke still continues to considerhimself as the protector of the Romanys, and remains proud of histitle of "Gypsy Prince, " being sagacious enough to realize that itis impossible for a race to eradicate from their character, in acomparatively short space of time, traits that have been theirs forhundreds, nay thousands of years; for the origin of these gypsies isstill shrouded in mystery and lost in the gloom of prehistoric ages, although it is probable that they are of Persian descent. 

While Emperor William's taste as regards music meets with verywidespread approval, and his gifts as a composer are very generallyrecognized, he has been less fortunate with regard to other branchesof art; notably in the matter of painting, where he finds himself infrequent conflict with his people, especially with the great paintersof his empire. Of all the muses there is none so truly democratic asthat of pictorial art. The pictorial muse displays a truly republicanintolerance of control on the part of either king or government. Henceit is only natural that Germany, which has produced in the past, and still possesses, so many world-famed painters and architecturaldesigners, should strongly resent the kaiser's assumption of thesupreme arbitership in all matters relating to art. His subjectssubmitted to his claim of "_Regis voluntas suprema lex_, " in mattersconnected with the administration of the government, in diplomacy, in the drama, in music, and in literature, but they deny his power toimpose upon them his taste in pictorial art. 

It is no exaggeration to state that the emperor is in almost perpetualconflict, and at open war with the great majority of German paintersand designers--a notable exception being the case of Professor vonMenzel. Indeed, their discontent occasionally breaks forth withan intensity altogether new in the annals of German loyalty to thethrone. A very remarkable instance thereof is the means which theyadopted to show their disapproval of the emperor's treatment ofWallot, the designer of the palace of the imperial parliament. Wallotis universally recognized as the foremost architect of the age inGermany, and his original design for the building, as accepted bythe authorities, was a very grandiose and magnificent conception. Financial considerations necessitated the modification of some of thefeatures of the building, while others were forced upon the architectsorely against his will by the emperor, with the result that thepalace is not quite so superb as originally projected. It remains, however, a magnificent and imposing pile, well worthy of the purposefor which it has been erected, and in no way a displeasing monument ofGerman art and architecture as understood in the nineteenth century. 

All the recognized authorities, both Teuton and foreign, in questionsof art and architecture, have pronounced themselves in this sense, the only discordant note being that to which the emperor has givenutterance. Not only has he publicly declared the new Reichshaus tobe "the very acme of bad taste, " but he even went to the length ofstriking the designer's name from the list of gold medalists at theexhibition of art and architecture held at Berlin shortly after thecompletion and inauguration of the building. The gold medal had beenvoted to Herr Wallot by a jury composed of all the most celebratedartists in Germany, whose verdict, representing that of the nation, might have been considered as definite and final. The kaiser, however, when the list was submitted to him for final approval, substituted, in lieu of the name of Professor Wallot, that of his favoriteportrait painter, Madame Palma Parlaghy, whose work is, in the eyes ofGermany's leading artists, so execrable that the hanging committee ofthe Berlin Academy have repeatedly refused to accord places to any ofher pictures on its walls. 

Madame Parlaghy is a pupil of Makart and of Lenbach, and a native ofHadji-Dóròg, in Hungary. She is between thirty and forty, possessedof glittering, enigmatic eyes, highly-colored cheeks and lips, and thealmost too profuse head of hair that one sees so often on the shoresof the Danube. Her beauty may, nevertheless, be described as majestic, and she conveys the idea of being a woman possessed of considerablestrength of mind, as well as much diplomacy. She was first recommendedto the emperor by the present Czarina of Russia, to whom she gavedrawing lessons, prior to the marriage of the empress, and afterWilliam had obtained an idea of her skill by a very pleasing portraitwhich she painted of Field Marshal von Moltke, which was, however, rejected by the hanging committee of an art exhibition at Berlin, hepurchased the picture in question for a large sum, and likewise gaveher an order to paint several portraits of himself, declaring openlythat if the judgment of the leading Berlin artists were to be final inthe matter of admitting paintings to public galleries and exhibitions, there would never be a single work of art worthy of the name on view. Madame Parlaghy's portraits of the emperor, though questionable asworks of art, are, it must be confessed, very flattering likenesses ofhis majesty. 

It was shortly after this slight inflicted by the emperor on ProfessorWallot, and the honor conferred upon Madame Parlaghy, that theNational Society of Architects and the National Associationof Artists, the two principal organizations of the kind inGermany--composed of all that is most eminent in the realms ofarchitecture and art--jointly invited Professor Wallot to a greatbanquet in Berlin, at which over six hundred guests were present, inthe course of which William was guyed in a most merciless manner! Thechief ornament on the principal table was a model of the Reichshaus in"Schwarzbrod, " cheese and confectionery. The dome consisted of a Dutchcheese, the "Germania" on the top was represented by a smartly apronedchambermaid on horseback, the horse being led by a footman in imperiallivery, while the whole was labeled "Der gipfel des geschmack, "--theacme of taste. Another item of the programme was a sort of automaticmachine, which, when a gold medal was placed in the slot, wouldperform "Der gesang an Ihr, "--the song to her--meaning, of course, Madame Parlaghy. 

The joke, I need hardly say, consisted in the parodying of the titleof the emperor's musical composition "Sang am Aegir!" Thelustre hanging from the ceiling, which is known in Germany as a"Kronleuchter" was in the form of an old crinoline. At the entrance tothe banqueting hall hung the representation of a gold medal, whicha lady painter was trying in vain to grasp. The tone of the speechesthroughout the evening was in thorough keeping with the decorations, and it is doubtful whether such a bold exhibition of independence, and even disloyalty towards the sovereign, has ever been seen in thePrussian capital. It speaks well for William's good sense that heshould have refrained from proceeding against any of the organizers ofthe entertainment on the ground of _lése majesté_. 

There is, as I stated above, one Prussian painter, however, of whomthe kaiser is exceedingly fond, whose eminence in art is acknowledged, not only in Germany, but all the world over, and upon whom Williamhas lavished the highest honors that it is in his power to bestow. Thepainter in question is Professor von Menzel; popularly known in Berlinas "His Little Excellency, " owing to his diminutive size, his staturebeing about four feet nine inches! Professor Menzel, who is of themost humble origin, is to-day a Knight of the Order of the BlackEagle, which is the Prussian equivalent of the English Order of theGarter, or of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece, thisdecoration carrying with it a patent of hereditary nobility. He is nowconsiderably over eighty, but from his twelfth year he has earned hisliving by means of his brush and palette. All his principal paintingsare devoted to the illustration of historic episodes of Prussianhistory and of the reigning house of Hohenzollern. One of hismasterpieces is entitled "The Flute Concert, " and represents Frederickthe Great in his palace at Sans-Souci, at a concert with the principalmembers of court and his household around him. 

One evening the emperor sent for old Menzel, and asked him to join theroyal family at Sans-Souci. When the little painter alighted he wasconducted to the imperial presence, and was somewhat astonishedto notice that the sentinels at the various doors instead of beingarrayed in their ordinary uniform, wore the military garb of the timeof Frederick the Great. But his surprise developed into downrightamazement, when at length two folding-doors were thrown open, and hefound himself in the same apartment which had furnished the scene ofhis painting of "The Flute Concert. " The room was lighted, as inolden times, with wax candles, the old-time furniture was disposedidentically as represented in his painting, and, moreover, the companyassembled was composed of men in the costumes of the time of Frederickthe Great, and of ladies attired in the picturesque dress of themiddle of the last century. There advanced to welcome the astoundedartist a personage who, but for the moustache, was the very imageof Frederick the Great, and in whom the little professor hadsome difficulty to recognize the kaiser. William greeted him withold-fashioned courtesy, using the elaborate politeness of our greatgrandfathers, and after having presented the little painter to allthe guests, the ladies curtsying deeply in the fashion of the Court ofVersailles, and the men bowing low, Menzel was led by the emperor toa seat beside the empress, and the emperor's private band, whoseuniforms were in perfect keeping with the costumes of the guests, played first of all several of Frederick the Great's compositions forthe flute, and then a few of Bach's loveliest _morceaux_. The emperorhimself remained standing beside the little painter's chair throughoutthe entire concert, the empress alone and some of her ladies beingseated, while the remainder of the fair guests, as well as all themen, stood about the apartment endeavoring as far as possible to groupthemselves in the same way as the personages figuring in Menzel'spainting. After the concert was finished, the company adjourned to anadjoining room, Menzel occupying the place of honor to the right ofthe empress, while the emperor toasted the little fellow with morethan ordinary eloquence and cordiality. 

It is doubtful whether any sovereign has ever gone to such lengthsin order to honor the leading artist of his dominions, and it isdifficult to speak too highly of the delicacy of the compliment, or ofits originality. It might have been sufficient to turn the head ofany other painter than Menzel. But while he is devoted to the reigningfamily there is certainly no one who is less of a courtier. In fact heis terribly outspoken, and never hesitates to speak to his sovereignwith the fearless sincerity of a Diogenes. Of a truth, there is no endto the stories current, illustrating his independence of character. Once, having been commissioned by the grandfather of the presentkaiser, namely, old Emperor William, to paint a picture of hiscoronation as King of Prussia, he reproduced with too much exactitude, and too little flattery, the features of the emperor's exceedinglyvain and by no means youthful consort, Empress Augusta. Her majestyinsisted that he should alter his portrait of her, and render itmore attractive, but this Menzel absolutely refused to do, and theconsequence was that the empress on numerous occasions made him feelthe weight of her displeasure. 

The old painter bided his time, and eventually got even with her ina very characteristic fashion. Being entrusted with the task ofreproducing on canvas the scene of the emperor's departure for theseat of war in 1870, he portrayed the Empress Augusta with her faceentirely concealed in her handkerchief, as if weeping, although sheprided herself on not having shed a single tear on that occasion. 

Another time during the life of old Field Marshal Wrangel, a lady ofthe court, more famous for her vanity than her beauty, complainedto him that Menzel had done her scant justice in a large picturerepresenting some important event of contemporary court history. Wrangel, who was famous as a brow-beating bully of the good oldPrussian type, --people trembling at the mere sight of him, --promisedto see Menzel, and to make him change the portrait of the lady to amore flattering likeness. Greatly to his surprise, however, when hebroached the subject to Menzel, he discovered that the latter greatlyresented such meddlesomeness. Indeed, Menzel even had the temerity tosuggest that field marshals would do far better to attend to subjectsthat they knew something about than to the art of painting, of whichthey knew nothing. Wrangel flared up, so did Menzel, and soon theair was blue with finely characterized and bona-fide Prussian oaths, punctuated with the angry sarcasms of the enraged painter. The upshotof the interview was that Wrangel, who had never before turned hisback on an enemy, was compelled to beat an ignominious retreat withouthaving accomplished his object; but before disappearing through thedoor of the studio, he turned and positively yelled at the painter:

"You are a disgusting little toad, and your picture is vile. "

While most of the members of the House of Hapsburg paint and sketchwith a good deal of cleverness and skill, there is only one, namely, the now widowed Archduchess Maria-Theresa, who can be regarded as anartist in every sense of the word. She excels alike with the chiseland the brush, while during the lifetime of her husband, her salonbecame, in spite of the strictness of Austrian court etiquette, the one place where eminent artists were certain to find a cordialwelcome, irrespective of birth or social status. 

The studio of the archduchess is situated on the second floor of herpalace, in the Favoritenstrasse, and is a very lofty, long and narrowapartment, looking out on the street. It is particularly remarkablefor its simplicity, presenting therein a powerful contrast to themagnificence of the two salons through which it is necessary to passin order to reach it. The few stools, tabourets, armchairs and divanstherein contained, are upholstered with soft-toned Oriental rugs, thewalls are hidden by some sort of olive-colored velvety fabric, andthe wall opposite the windows is divided in the middle by a speciesof gallery, the exquisite wood carvings of which were brought bythe archduchess herself from Meran. The parqueted floors are partlyconcealed by the skins of tigers and polar bears, shot in the Arcticregions and in India by her brother, Dom Miguel, Duke of Braganza, thelegitimist pretender to the throne of Portugal, while on easels, andsuspended from the walls, are oil-color portraits by the archduchessof Baroness C. Kolmossy, to whom she is indebted for her knowledge ofpainting, of her husband, the late Archduke Charles-Louis, and of hersister-in-law, the lamented Empress Elizabeth, in riding habit and inball-dress. 

There is also a very pretty picture of a cat in the act of effectingits escape from the basket in which it had been confined, anda wonderful crayon sketch of Maria-Theresa's stepson, ArchdukeFrancis-Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Thecolossal fire-place niched in one of the corners of the studio, issurmounted, not by a mirror, but by a panel of well-nigh pricelessOriental embroidery, the brilliant colors of which have been softenedand rendered harmonious and mellow by age. 

The doors are draped by portieres of Flemish tapestry, and shieldedby Mucharabieh screens of curiously-carved wood from Cairo. Preservedfrom dust and damage beneath plate-glass are some unique pieces ofantique Venetian point lace, presented by another brother-in-law, DonAlfonso of Spain, the younger brother of the Pretender Don Carlos, while on a huge square writing-table, the equipments of which areof Oriental gold filigree-work, richly jewelled, are usuallyfound letters either to or from the favorite brother-in-law of thearchduchess, Duke Charles-Theodore of Bavaria, the celebrated oculist, who during the course of his practice has performed more than threethousand successful operations for cataract without accepting a singlepenny-piece by way of remuneration. 

True, the patients of this royal physician are nearly all of them poorpeople, and it is for their benefit that he has converted one of hiscastles into an ophthalmic hospital, and another palace into a speciesof convalescent home and resort, where poor gentlefolk and governmentservants with inadequate means can spend a couple of weeks in thecountry free of all cost. 

It is difficult to refrain from a deep degree of sympathy for this sobrilliant and accomplished Archduchess Maria-Theresa, whose characteris best illustrated by the fact that she is literally worshipped byher grown-up step-children. The sudden death of her husband was notonly a cruel bereavement, but was also the destruction of great andmuch-cherished ambitions. 

Through the death of Crown Prince Rudolph, her husband, as nextbrother to Emperor Francis-Joseph, became heir to the throne, andowing to the refusal of Empress Elizabeth to take any part whatsoeverin court life, the archduchess was from that moment, to all intentsand purposes, the "first lady in the land. " It was she who presidedat all court ceremonies and official functions, who received thepresentations, and who filled the post of empress alike at Viennaand at Pesth. Her husband was entirely swayed by her, and completelysubject to her influence, and it is notorious that she looked for theday when, through his accession to the throne, she would becomethe virtual ruler of the great dual empire, and be in a position toinaugurate all sorts of political ideas, peculiar to herself, notablyin connection with a reversal of Austria's present foreign policy. Shehas never made any secret of her disapproval of the Austrian alliancewith Italy, and has even gone so far as to attend with her husbandpublic meetings in favor of the restoration of the temporal power ofthe Papacy, at which King Humbert was bitterly denounced and abusedas a usurper! There seemed no reason whatsoever why her consort shouldnot live to succeed his elder brother, and as the archduke possesseda singularly strong constitution, and had scarcely suffered a singlehour's illness since his childhood, there was no cause to fear anyuntoward event. Indeed he might have been alive at the present momenthad it not been for his unfortunate pilgrimage to Jerusalem, wherein some way he contracted the malady which carried him off so verysuddenly. He enjoys the distinction of being the only member of hishouse whose whole body reposes in the vault of the Capuchin Churchat Vienna, where so many hundred Hapsburgs sleep, some in coffins ofsilver and gold, others in caskets of exquisitely ornamented copper. According to a very gruesome custom in vogue with the reigning houseof Austria for many centuries, the heart is extracted from the body ofthe imperial dead within twenty-four hours after their demise, placedin a silver urn filled with spirits of wine, hermetically sealed, andthen conveyed with the utmost pomp and ceremony, though at night, to the old cathedral of St. Stephen, where it is received with muchsolemnity by the clergy, and placed in niches of the wall, near thehigh altar. The entrails are in the same way removed, and conveyedwith identically the same ceremonies to the ancient church of theAugustines, and it is only what is left that is buried in the vaultsof the Capuchin Church. 

Archduke Charles-Louis did not relish this extraordinary yettraditional treatment of his remains after death, and ferventlybelieving in the resurrection of the body in the flesh, thought itdistinctly uncanny that his heart and his entrails should each haveto go hunting through the city for his body on the Day of Judgment. Accordingly, he was laid to rest just as he died, instead of beingentombed, like all the other members of the House of Hapsburg, insections. 

CHAPTER XI

If I have refrained in the preceding chapter from making any mentionof the attainments of the Dowager Empress Frederick, either asa sculptor or as a painter, it is because she is so immeasurablysuperior to all other royal personages in the realms of art that shecan no longer be regarded as a mere amateur, no matter how clever. Besides this, her individuality is so strong, her intellectual giftsso great, and the part which she has played in German politics soimportant that she really deserves separate treatment. 

If I link her name with that of her daughter-in-law, EmpressAugusta-Victoria, it is because the latter's influence on Germanaffairs has been even still more weighty, though she is far lessbrilliant and clever than her husband's mother. Indeed my readersafter perusing this chapter may feel disposed to ask themselveswhether ordinary intelligence in high places does not work moresuccessfully than genius. 

It is difficult to describe Empress Frederick as anything else thana genius. Certainly I have never known a more gifted woman. Thediversity, the scope, and the depth of her knowledge are simplyamazing. In conversation it is difficult to broach any subject, nomatter what it is, that she has not mastered. Her acquaintance withthe mediaeval, Renaissance and modern schools of painting, and withevery form and work of art industry is unsurpassed even by those menwho have devoted their entire lives to these studies. I have on oneand the same evening heard her converse on Venetian art with LudovicPassini, proving herself his equal in her astounding knowledge ofVenice, past and present; talk with a distinguished physician, who wasamazed by the theoretical knowledge which she displayed of the throatand breathing organs, and who declared that if she had only hadpractical experience, she would have been the finest throat specialistin the world; and discuss literature with a celebrated Englishman ofletters, chiding him upon his admitting his inability to cap a passagefrom Pope, which she quoted! The late Sir Richard Wallace, than whomno one possessed a more profound knowledge of the masterpieces of thepainters, goldsmiths, jewelers and potters of bygone centuries, waswont to declare that Empress Frederick surpassed him as an expert, although, with unlimited wealth at his disposal, he had devoted morethan half a century of his life to the collection of "chefs d'oeuvre"in all parts of the world. 

The depth of her researches into chemical science exceeds that of LordSalisbury, who is her most intimate personal friend in England, andat whose Elizabethan country seat she invariably visits when in hernative country, most of her time while under his roof being spent withhim in his laboratory. But it is particularly as an artist, both withbrush and chisel, that she excels, and while as a painter she rankswith some of the leading professional masters of the present day, as asculptor she surpasses anything achieved or even attempted as yet by awoman. 

The subject which naturally stimulates her most to artistic effort isthe portraiture of her fondly-loved husband. His memory, although hehas been dead eleven years, is so fresh in her mind, her eye is socapable of recalling his image, and her hand is so well trained tofollow her impressions, and to reproduce what she can visualize, thatno sculptor could vie with her in reproducing his splendid form andmanly features. She once gave a commission to the celebrated Germansculptor Uphues for a colossal statue of "Unser Fritz, " and callingat the artists' studio, whilst he was at work on his clay model, shepointed out to him some points in which he had not caught the rightexpression. Verbal explanations not adequately conveying her meaning, she asked permission to use the roughing chisel, set to work, andin half an hour with a touch here and a touch there, modified thefeatures to such a degree that the sculptor was astounded at thestriking improvement. The model has since been transferred to marble, and is universally considered to be the best portrait extant ofEmperor Frederick. 

No greater tribute to her brilliancy and penetration in the matterof statecraft could possibly be given than the undisguised and openlyacknowledged animosity with which she was, throughout her marriedlife, regarded by the late Prince Bismarck, who feared her more thanall his masculine rivals and opponents together. She was a politicalfoe worthy in every respect of his steel, for she repeatedlycheckmated his moves; and if he sometimes spoke of her with abrutality and a degree of vehemence altogether out of place, thismust be regarded as more in the light of a compliment than as anintentional piece of discourtesy, as it was a virtual admission ofthe fact that her opposition to his projects was of altogether toomasculine and virile a character to admit for one moment of hisaccording to her that forbearance and chivalrous deference which menas a rule are wont to concede to women as a tribute to their sex. Shefought him unceasingly, from the time when he violated the Prussianconstitution, shortly before the war with Denmark, until the daywhen through her efforts and statecraft he was driven from office, --avanquished foe. He had used in vain every weapon against her that hisingenuity could devise. He had even gone so far as to publicly chargeher with treason in betraying to the English, and through them tothe French, military secrets which had been imparted to her by herhusband, during the war of 1870. He had, in short, done everythingthat lay in his power to prevent her husband from succeeding to thecrown, mainly, as he admitted, with the object of preventing her fromsharing the throne as empress; and after having grossly insultedher in the presence of her dying, voiceless and helpless husbandby refusing to transact any state business, or to communicate anyconfidential reports to the monarch as long as she was in the room, he incited her eldest son, whose mind he had deliberately poisonedagainst her, to take steps which could only intensify the sorrow ofthe grief-stricken woman immediately after her so fondly loved husbandhad been taken from her. 

Yet she carried the day in the end, and her son is now the very firstto acknowledge his mother's cleverness and the fact that she showedherself more than a match in statecraft for the man reputed as thegreatest statesman of the century, namely, Bismarck. 

One of the cleverest of the many clever things that she did, was themanner in which she brought about the fall of Bismarck. She was tooshrewd to dream of exercising any direct pressure on her son. It wasdone indirectly, and with so much diplomacy, that William never dreamtat the time of dismissing the iron chancellor that he was playing hismother's game. Abstaining from any steps towards a reconciliationwith her son, she merely took advantage of the kaiser's visit toWestphalia, to place in his path his old tutor, Professor Hintzpeter, a pedagogue of whom William had been very fond, and whose teachingshad left a deep impression upon the mind of his imperial pupil. Theempress knew the professor's characteristics, his fads, and his views. She likewise recognized and understood, as only a mother can do, thecomplex character of her son, and she foresaw the effects thatwere likely to be achieved by bringing the two men once more intocommunication with each other. 

Like William II. , Hintzpeter is full of contrasts, for while on theone hand he has always professed the most advanced radical and evensocialistic doctrines, --doctrines with which he impregnated the mindof his princely charge, --yet he would tolerate no familiarity orcondescension on his part towards inferiors, and was even wont toforce William to wash his hands when he had so far forgotten himselfas to shake hands with anyone of a subordinate or menial rank. Anothertrait of character of Professor Hintzpeter, is his firm convictionthat difficulties, no matter how vast and intricate, are alwayscapable of being settled and satisfactorily arranged by means ofeloquent phrases and good intentions. 

At the time when William renewed his acquaintance, in the capital ofWestphalia, with his old tutor, the socialistic and labor problemswere engaging the attention not merely of Germany, but likewise ofall Europe. Prince Bismarck was in favor of a continuance of harshmeasures with regard to labor, and of persecution of the mostresentless nature so far as the socialists were concerned. Hintzpeter, full of his former sympathies for autocracy and socialism at one andthe same time, called William's attention to the fact that Bismarck'spolicy had merely had the effect of vastly increasing the strength ofthe socialists as a factor in German politics, and of rendering thelabor difficulties more acute. He, therefore, suggested to the emperorthe idea that he should endeavor to solve both problems by means ofan international congress, under his own presidency, at which meansshould be devised for reconciling the interests of socialism with thestate, and those of capital with labor. 

William, with all his common-sense and cleverness, has inheritedfrom his ancestress, Queen Louise, and one might almost say from hisgrand-uncle, King Frederick William IV. , a very strongly developedtendency towards idealism. It was to this phase of his nature that therecommendation of Professor Hintzpeter particularly appealed, and themore he considered the matter, the more he discussed it with his oldtutor, the more convinced he became that it was in his power to solvethe difficulties of both socialism and labor, and thus to earn thegratitude, not only of his own people, but of the entire civilizedworld. 

Of course, Prince Bismarck immediately realized the Utopian characterof the scheme, saw its impracticability, and proceeded to condemn itwith more than his ordinary irritability and _brusquerie_. Finding, however, that the emperor was not to be argued out of the idea ofholding a labor conference, he proceeded to ridicule it, and what wasworse, to cause it to be scoffed at and treated with derision asthe vaporings of an inexperienced and altogether too generous-mindedyouth, in German as well as foreign papers, which William knew derivedtheir inspiration from the chancellor's palace in the Wilhelmstrasse. 

All this served to embitter the relations between the emperor and theprince. The latter perceived that the kaiser was getting beyond hiscontrol, and was subject to other influences, while the emperornow commenced to appreciate the extent to which, he had been madesubservient to the policy and to the wishes of his chancellor. Meanwhile the necessity became apparent of taking some immediatestep, one way or another, in connection with the prolongation of theexceptional measures against the socialists which were just expiring. The chancellor was determined that they should be renewed, while theemperor felt that, with the international congress coming on, he wouldbe handicapped in his rôle of arbitrator, and his good faith wouldjustly be suspected by the socialists were he to consent to thecontinuance of repressive measures against them that were extra-legal, that is to say, beyond the laws of the land, and as such, strictlyspeaking, unconstitutional. 

Finally, William discovering that Bismarck was negotiating with thevarious party leaders, notably with the late Dr. Windhorst, leader ofthe Catholic party in the Reichstag, with a view to the prolongationof the anti-socialist measures, made up his mind to dismiss him, andcalled for his resignation for having ventured to negotiate with theopposition leaders in the Reichstag, without his knowledge or consent, in order to obtain their support to a measure about which he hadexpressed his disapproval. That was the real cause of Bismarck's fall, despite all other stories current on the subject, and had not EmpressFrederick engineered the meeting in the Westphalian capital betweenher son and his former tutor, it is possible that Prince Bismarckmight have died in office. 

It is scarcely necessary to remind my readers that, as predicted bythe old chancellor, the international labor congress resulted ina fiasco, while the emperor ultimately became so embittered by thefailure of the socialists to appreciate his kindly intentions towardsthem, that he now regards them as his most bitter enemies, andpractically calls upon every soldier who joins the army to be preparedto use his rifle, not only against the enemies from without, but alsoagainst the enemies within--that is, the socialists. 

Naturally William to-day regrets that he permitted himself to betalked into any such schemes as the reconciliation of the socialistswith the crown, and of capital with labor, and Professor Hintzpeter, while retaining the affection of his former pupil, has long ceased toenjoy his confidence as a political adviser. He is no longer lookedupon in the light of a German Richelieu, as the foreign newspaperswere wont to describe him when he was at the climax of his power, and he no longer possesses anything in common with his Russiancounterpart, Professor Pobiedenotsoff, except in a singularpeculiarity of appearance. Indeed, Hintzpeter's looks invitecaricature. He is lanky, ungainly and lantern-jawed, and seems likea man who has never been young, and who has not yet obtained thevenerability of old age. His manners are exceedingly ungracious, andeven repellent, but when once he becomes interested in a discussionhe seems to undergo an entire transformation. He is no longer the sameman, and gives one at that moment the impression of being nothing buta bundle of seething nerves, the vibrations of which seem to extendto, as well as to influence, all those who are within range of hisvoice. 

The Empress Frederick was shrewd enough to keep in the background allthe time! She took no part in the fight between her son and PrinceBismarck, and was particularly careful to avoid identifying herself inany way with Professor Hintzpeter. The result was that the kaiser didnot dream of ascribing to her any responsibility for the mistake intowhich he had been led by his former tutor. 

As foreseen by Empress Frederick, with Prince Bismarck once inretirement and disgrace, and the emperor disposed to reverse theentire Bismarckian policy, it commenced to dawn upon his majesty thatamong other errors into which he had been led by his ex-chancellor washis own harshness and unfriendliness towards his mother. It waswhile under this impression that he took the first steps towardsa reconciliation with the imperial widow, who, by showing herselfparticularly affectionate and amiable, made her son feel still morebitterly the unfilial nature of the conduct which he had been ledby Bismarck to adopt until then towards his mother. The friendlyrelations thus established between mother and son have subsistedever since, and the emperor does not disdain now to seek EmpressFrederick's advice in a number of matters, having realized how clevershe is, while there is no one whose approval he values more highlythan hers. Most people are in the habit of portraying the EmpressFrederick as a woman embittered and soured by disappointment. Yet ifthe truth were known, there are few whose existence at the presentmoment is of a more ideal character, She has lost a noble and devotedhusband, but this bereavement must, to a certain extent, have beensoftened by the genuine sorrow manifested by all, not only in hisown country, but throughout the civilized world, when he died. Hermarriage was a singularly happy one, unclouded by even the faintestdifference of opinion with her consort, and she is now enjoying adelightfully contented eventide of life. 

She resides during the greater part of the year in a home constructedin one of the loveliest portions of Germany, near Homburg, accordingto her own designs, and her own ideas; she possesses a vast fortune, which renders her independent of all her relatives, and which she isfree to spend as she wishes. With all her sons and daughters married, she has no domestic cares of her own, and is at liberty to order hermode of existence as she pleases, unhampered by any obligations orrestrictions, save those which her son may see fit to impose. Her rankis of the highest, for she is the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, and the mother of the present German emperor, besides which she hasthe status and title of an empress-queen. In fact, she has the rankof a sovereign, without any of the responsibilities that areattached thereto, and while she may have experienced, at one moment, disappointment at being deprived by her husband's premature deathof engineering a number of political, social and economic reforms inGermany, upon which she had set her heart, yet she cannot but haverealized by this time that her existence as an empress-dowager isinfinitely more agreeable than that of an empress-regent would havebeen, for had she been at the present moment seated by her husband'sside on the throne, she would have found no time to devote to thosearts and sciences to which she is so passionately devoted, and whichnowadays occupy the greater portion of her life. 

In spite of being a great-grandmother, Empress Frederick is stillin splendid bodily health and vigor. She rides on horseback daily insummer, and in winter spends a considerable amount of time skatingon the ice. She is not handsome, and, in fact, has never been evenpretty, but has always had a bright, intelligent and pleasing face. Moreover, she has inherited her mother's peculiarly melodious voice. Unfortunately, she is imperious, and intolerant of stupidity; it isthis, coupled with her lack of tact, which is responsible for herunpopularity. 

In spite of all her philanthropy, her generosity, and her cleverness, and notwithstanding the blamelessness of her life, she is not likedby the people of her adopted country, and this, while it has notprevented her from playing a preponderant rôle in German politics, as above described, has proved an obstacle to her exercise of anyinfluence upon the German people. After all, this absence of tact maybe excused, for it is usually wanting in people of genius. She is verytender-hearted, and will not, if she can prevent it, allow any livingthing on the estate to be disturbed or killed. 

No description of Empress Frederick seems complete without addingthereto a brief reference to the grand-master of her court, CountSeckendorff, who may be said to have devoted his entire life to herservice, and to that of her husband. A scion of one of the oldesthouses of the Prussian aristocracy, and bearing a name that figuresfrequently in the pages of German history, he was attached to thehousehold of Empress Frederick as chamberlain in the early days of hermarriage, and the only time since then when he has been absent fromher side was during the war; for the count is no mere drawing-roomsoldier, as is the case with so many military men who are inattendance on royalty. He has seen active service in the wars of1864, 1866 and 1870, winning the iron cross for bravery in the lattercampaign, and was likewise attached to Lord Napier's expedition toAbyssinia, which found its climax in the storming of Magdala, and inthe death of Emperor Theodore. 

As an artist he may be said to be almost as gifted as EmpressFrederick is herself, and his paintings have won distinctions of thehighest order at many national and foreign exhibitions. Indeed, itis this sympathy of artistic tastes that has contributed in no smallmeasure to the altogether exceptional position which he enjoys inthe favor and confidence of the widowed empress. He has seen all herchildren grow up around her, has been the confidant of many of hersorrows, and at a moment when both she and her dying husband weresurrounded by chamberlains and officers who were devoted to theinterests of Bismarck, and virtually traitors in the camp, he aloneremained loyal in evil as well as in happier days. Being a bachelor, he makes his home with the empress, attends her wherever she goes, and, after having been the object of much abuse and even calumny, --thelatter originated and circulated by the so-called "reptilepress, "--that is to say, the newspapers, domestic and foreign, drawingpay and inspiration from Prince Bismarck, --he now enjoys the regardand the good-will of everyone at the Courts of Berlin and Windsor, particularly at the latter, where his lifelong devotion to the widowedempress is keenly appreciated by her mother, Queen Victoria. 

No greater contrast can be conceived than that which exists betweenEmpress Frederick and her daughter-in-law, the empress-regnant. Farless brilliant than either her husband's mother or grandmother, shehas nevertheless managed to achieve, as I have remarked before, notonly an infinitely greater degree of popularity, but likewise a moreextensive influence upon the German people. Experience and historyshow that ordinary sense on the throne is far more beneficial tothe population than a lofty order of intellect, and EmpressAugusta-Victoria merely offers another illustration of the truth ofthis assertion. None of the queens of Prussia, nor either of thefirst German empresses, can be said to have left any impress upon thesubjects of their respective husbands. There is no doubt that theso celebrated Queen Louise of Prussia was the cause of Prussia'sreceiving infinitely harsher treatment at the hands of Napoleon thanthe kingdom would otherwise have experienced; while the consort ofold Emperor William, a pupil of Goethe, and famed for her culture andaccomplishments, was disliked by the people, and was just as littlein touch with them as her still more talented daughter-in-law, EmpressFrederick. 

For Empress Augusta-Victoria, however, a most profound sympathyextends throughout the length and breadth of Germany. Every housewife, every mother, looks to her as to a model, knows that she is satisfiedto excel in her purely domestic duties, and that she does, not striveto render herself superior to her sex by intellectual brilliancy andscientific attainments. Thanks to this sympathy which she inspires, and to the fact that she is looked upon by men and women alike in herhusband's dominions as the ideal of what a German "_hausfrau_" shouldbe, she has been able to exercise an influence of infinitely greaterimportance upon the nation at large than any other consort of aPrussian sovereign can have boasted to achieve. 

It is to this estimable woman, whom some were disposed at first todenounce as narrow-minded and witless, that must be attributedthe very strongly developed religious revival apparent throughoutProtestant Germany since the present emperor came to the throne. Priorto the present reign, church-going was as a rule eschewed by the malesex, women constituting the backbone of the congregation, while theclergy of the Lutheran persuasion was looked down upon, being treatedby the territorial nobility much in the same way as upper servants, that is to say, on a par with the farm bailiffs, the stewards and thehousekeepers In a word, religion and everything pertaining thereto wasnot considered fashionable. 

To-day all this is changed. Under the guidance of the empress, herhusband, reared by his broad-minded mother in the ideas of Straussand of Renan, has become a strict churchman, and court, nobility, bureaucracy and in fact the middle and lower classes too, havefollowed suit. Free-thinking and neglect of religious duties areat present considered the acme of bad form in Germany. Everybodyprofesses the most profound interest in questions and enterprisesrelating to the church, and a large number of daughters of the mostillustrious houses of the German nobility have conferred their handsand their hearts upon penniless Lutheran pastors, whose social statushas thereby been entirely changed. Moreover, if during the past tenyears more churches have been built, particularly in Berlin, than hadbeen the case in the entire previous half-century, this is becauseevery one has become aware that the most facile way of winningthe good graces of the empress, and the favor of her consort is bybuilding a church, or endowing some hospital. 

The empress is ever ready to help in every good work, and her privatecharities are very great, but she does not approve of the highereducation or the emancipation of women, and entertains a holy horrorof everything pertaining to the female suffrage movement. Women, according to her views, should remain in their own sphere, and shouldregard their duties to their husbands, their children, and their homesas their first and foremost obligations; the nursing of the sick, the training of young people, and the organization and direction ofcharitable institutions, affording plenty of scope for those membersof the fair sex who have no domestic tasks to occupy their time. 

[Illustration: _AUGUSTE VICTORIA EMPRESS OF GERMANY_]_From Life_

She claims that in this way a woman is able to exercise a far moreimportant and beneficial influence than by endeavoring to supplantmen in professions essentially masculine, and certainly she herselfconstitutes a striking illustration of the truth of her contention, for the influence of the present German empress is felt throughout thelength and breadth of the land--a gracious womanly influence in everysense of the word. 

Among the many philanthropic organizations which owe their origin tothe empress, is the Central Association of German Actresses, which hasof late years done more towards elevating the stage than has ever beenaccomplished by members of the aristocracy who have seen fit to jointhe dramatic profession with that avowed object in view. The workof this society is to enable actresses to provide themselves, at thelowest possible cost, with the costumes considered necessary by themanagers of the theatres. It is well known that while in Germany thepieces are beautifully put on the stage, the salaries paid to theactresses do not in many cases cover the expenses of the stagedresses. The empress makes a point of giving all her court and eveninggowns, which were formerly the perquisites of her dressers and maids, to the association, and has invited the ladies of the Court of Berlinto follow her example. Those ladies who feel that they cannot affordto give the dresses, are asked to sell them to the Association ascheaply as possible, and the latter then turns them over at amerely nominal cost to such ladies of the dramatic profession as areconsidered worthy of support and assistance. 

This organization is managed entirely by great ladies, the empressherself acting as president, and in this manner they are broughtinto personal contact with actresses both of high and low degree. Theintercourse thus established has been most beneficial, for it hasnot only helped to place the social status of the stage on a moreagreeable basis, but it also constitutes an incentive to actressesto keep their names and reputations free from blemish, since theynaturally understand that the empress and the great ladies of thearistocracy can only treat them as friends, so long as they live upto the same standard of respectability as that which prevails in thehighest circles of society, and at court. 

One of the most valuable qualities of Empress Augusta-Victoria is herextraordinary tact. It is due to this, more than anything else, thatshe has been able to retain, not only a hold upon the affection andregard of her impulsive and brilliant husband, but also an influenceover him without his being aware of the fact. By the leading membersof his court, and by his principal ministerial advisers, she isregarded not merely in the light of his guardian angel, but as hismost sensible counsellor. She may be relied upon at all times tosoothe his anger, soften any bitterness which he may entertain towardsthis or that person, and call forth at critical moments the mostgenerous and chivalrous phases of his, on the whole, very attractivecharacter. 

She is claimed by those who know the true state of affairs to act inthe capacity of a brake and a safety-valve to her husband, and itis no secret that both the classes and the masses feel an additionalsense of security when they know their popular empress to be by theemperor's side; for every mistake that he has made since he ascendedthe throne has taken place during her absence, and he himself is thefirst to acknowledge that she is largely responsible for every successthat he has achieved. 

The sentiments of the empress towards Bismarck have been muchmisunderstood and misconstrued. It is perfectly true that she wasbrought up from her earliest childhood to regard him as the enemyof her house, the prince having, as I have already related, been theauthor of the indefensible act of spoliation, by means of which herfather had been deprived of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, nowforming part of the kingdom of Prussia. The manner in which the IronChancellor was viewed in the home of the empress when a young girl, may best be gathered from the fact that whenever her nurses andgovernesses were desirous of putting a stop to her naughtiness andof frightening her into obedience, they would exclaim: "_Bismarck'scoming! wow! wow!_" This childhood impression has continued sodeep that even to this day, whenever the empress shows any signs ofreluctance to comply with her husband's wishes, or betrays irritation, the kaiser is in the habit of springing upon her the familiar old cryof "_Bismarck's coming! wow! wow!_" which at first always makes herstart as she did in infancy and girlhood, and then causes her to burstinto laughter, and restores her to good humor. 

These sentiments of aversion to Bismarck were to a great extentmodified at the time of her marriage by the knowledge that it was thechancellor who had contributed more than anybody else to facilitateand bring about the match. The latter was opposed by many of EmperorWilliam's kinsfolk, as well as by influential people at court, on theground that her rank was inadequate to render her a suitable match forthe heir to the throne of Germany. Bismarck, however, took the groundthat a marriage between the heir presumptive and the eldest daughterof the _de jure_ Duke of Schleswig-Holstein would go a long wayto reconcile the inhabitants of the above-named duchies to theirannexation by Prussia, while at the same time it would constitute thereparation of an act which he himself admitted was extremely unjust, but to which he was compelled by imperative considerations of policy. 

Empress Augusta-Victoria has been so supremely happy in her marriedlife that she has always felt a certain amount of gratitude toBismarck, which tended to obliterate her childhood's impressionsagainst him; and no more striking indication of her sentiments towardsthe famous statesman can be given than the fact that she travelled allthe way to Friedrichsrüh at a moment when the sickness of her childrendemanded her presence by their bedside, in order to attend the privateand home funeral of the man who had publicly described her fatheras the most stupid prince in all Europe; who had deprived him of histhrone, and who had sent him to an early grave as a broken-spiritedand thoroughly embittered man. 

While the empress takes but little part in politics, on her favoriteground, that women should have no concern whatsoever in the conductthereof, she has at least on two occasions, to my knowledge, intervened in important crises. Thus in 1892, when General CountCaprivi, having differed with William on the subject of the neweducation laws, had written to tender his resignation of the officeof chancellor, the empress at once indicted an autograph letter, inwhich, with expressions of mingled pathos and dignity, she appealed tohim so strongly not to desert her husband, or to subject the latterto the anxiety, the trouble, and even the odium of another ministerialcrisis, that he at once traveled down to Hübertüsstock, wherethe emperor was staying, and informed him that he withdrew hisresignation, and would remain in office. 

Two years later, when Caprivi again resigned, it was largely thepersonal entreaties contained in the letters which she addressed toold Princess Hohenlohe which led to the latter's withdrawal ofthe opposition that, until then, had stood in the way of PrinceHohenlohe's acceptance of the chancellorship. 

Like most other consorts of reigning sovereigns and princesses of theblood, Empress Augusta-Victoria holds the colonelcy of a number ofPrussian and Russian regiments, whose uniform she occasionally wearsin a somewhat feminized form at those grand military reviews of whichthe kaiser is so fond. Her favorite garb of this kind is the uniformof the second regiment of Pomeranian Cuirassiers, one of the oldestand most celebrated corps of cavalry of the Prussian army. Theregimental tunic is of snow-white cloth, and held in its place by thesilver shoulder-straps of a colonel is the orange ribbon of the Orderof the Black Eagle, which crosses her breast to the left hip, wherethe jewel of the order is attached by a large rosette. The star of theorder is worn on the left breast, while just above it are a number ofsmaller decorations. With this white tunic, with its silver buttons, its silver embroidery and scarlet facings, a white cloth skirt isworn, while in lieu of the helmet now in use by the regiment, theempress has adopted the old-fashioned, broad-brimmed cavalier hat, with the flowing white ostrich plumes which the officers of the corpswere wont to don in the early part of the last century. Thus attired, the empress takes her place by the side of her husband at the salutingpoint at any of the grand reviews at which she may happen to bepresent, and as soon as a regiment of which she happens to be colonelapproaches, she at once canters, takes her place at its head ascommanding officer, and leads it past her husband in true militaryfashion, saluting with her riding whip before returning to his side. 

Sometimes she is accompanied by one or another of the emperor'ssisters, or else by the handsome young Grand Duchess of Hesse, all ofwhom hold honorary colonelcies, and who appear on such occasions onhorseback and in uniform. The Grand Duchess of Hesse, who holds thecommand of an infantry regiment, wears not merely the tunic, butlikewise the helmet of the corps in question, and looks particularlyfascinating on these occasions. 

Empress Augusta-Victoria and her mother-in-law, the Empress Frederick, are the only two women who have ever been admitted to the Order of theBlack Eagle, the highest order of the kingdom of Prussia, and neitherthe consort of Old Emperor William nor any of the earlier queens ofPrussia, not even Queen Louise, ever received this distinction. Theinnovation dates from the time of the late Emperor Frederick. Thefirst thing he did on becoming emperor was to take the ribbon of theorder from his own uniform and hang it across the shoulders of hiswife, in token of gratitude, and in recognition of the fact that, hadit not been for her championship and faithful guard of his interests, Bismarck would have carried the day, and debarred him from accessionto the crown. While the emperor's action, of course, excited a gooddeal of criticism amongst the older dignitaries of the order, andamong the members of the government and court, it was heartilyapproved of by the world at large, as being not only well deserved, but also a singularly pathetic demonstration on the part of thedying monarch of his profound sense of obligation to his most devotedconsort. 

When Emperor William in turn ascended the throne, he at once proceededto follow his father's example, and to invest his own wife with theBlack Eagle, in order to place her, as the reigning empress, uponthe same level in this particular respect, as her mother-in-law, thedowager empress. It may be taken for granted that henceforth the Orderof the Black Eagle will remain a prerogative of all the consorts ofthe kings of Prussia and emperors of Germany. 

The whole youth of the empress was spent at Prinkenau, the finecountry seat of her parents, which is now owned by her brother. Thosedays were varied only by visits to her uncle, Prince Christian ofSchleswig-Holstein, who makes his home in England, where he is marriedto Queen Victoria's daughter Helena, and to her relatives, the Princeand Princess Hohenlohe. The emperor first made her acquaintance duringa day's shooting at Prinkenau. He was _en route_ to the château, when, having lost his way in the forest, he met a young girl, of whom heinquired his whereabouts and how to proceed. This was the PrincessAugusta-Victoria, and he always declared that he fell in love with herfrom that moment. 

She was, therefore, a total stranger to Berlin court life and Berlinsociety at the time of her marriage, and at first found it verydifficult to adapt herself to the formal etiquette by which royalpersonages are surrounded at Berlin. It was here that her Americanaunt, Countess Waldersee, came to her assistance, instructed her, andacted as her mentor, not only in matters of etiquette and manner, butin the attitude to be observed towards the various members of Berlinsociety as well. 

It is as a mother that the empress shows herself in one of her mostcharming lights. She is, indeed, an ideal mother, and, in spite of hermanifold duties, personally supervises, not merely the educationof her children, but even every little detail connected with theircomfort and well-being. In fact the empress, as well as the emperor, are at their best when surrounded by their children, in whose companythey spend far more time than fashionable people in less exaltedspheres of society consider it necessary or pleasant to do. 

The empress is extremely economical as regards the clothing of herchildren, and the suits of the elder princes are cut down to fit theiryounger brothers. 

With her own wardrobe the empress is equally careful, and she has astaff of dressmakers who are always at work remodelling her gowns, sothat it is possible for her to appear in them several times withouttheir being recognized. On state occasions she is always superblydressed, and covered with the most gorgeous jewels, but when in thecountry she delights in the simplest costumes; a serge skirt, a prettyblouse, and a plain straw hat, being her favorite garb. Hergrand court costumes, as a rule, hail from Vienna, and EmpressAugusta-Victoria probably shares with her grandmother, Queen Victoria, the distinction of being one of the two ladies, occupants of thrones, who do not patronize any of the great Parisian couturiers. 

The empress never orders her dresses herself. That is done by herprincipal lady-in-waiting, who has patterns sent to the palace, fromwhich she selects a certain number to show the empress. When theimperial lady has made her choice, she settles from plates the wayin which the gown is to be made, after invariably submitting herselections to the emperor, who has excellent taste in such matters. 

The empress usually breakfasts alone with the emperor. In summer, often at the unearthly hour of six in the morning! The meal is asubstantial one, American and English, rather than Continental infashion, and she is apt to declare that it is the only time throughoutthe entire day when she is able to discuss matters of a private ordomestic character with her husband. The imperial couple often rideout on horseback together in the early morning, after breakfast, before the kaiser repairs to the palace to begin his day's work atnine o'clock. The empress looks very well on horseback, as she has anexcellent seat, and the plain habit suits her rounded figure extremelywell. Her stable is quite distinct from that of the emperor, and withthe exception of one white horse all the mounts that she uses arebrown in color. 

At luncheon the emperor and empress generally have a few guests, andit is the same at dinner, which takes place at seven in the evening. On rising from the table, the empress frequently takes her place atthe piano to accompany the emperor, who has a fine baritone and mostexpressive voice. 

It is asserted by those who know the empress best, that she has kept adiary since her earliest girlhood, in which she has set down her dailyexperiences, although it is claimed that these diaries have been seenby no one, not even by the emperor. The empress, who never fails towrite her diary every evening, keeps the precious volumes under lockand key in a large cabinet situated in her bedroom. Perhaps someday the personal experiences of Empress Augusta-Victoria will bepublished, and while they may possibly throw light on many dark placesin the history both of the nation and the court, there is no doubtthat their revelations will be characterized by that kindliness ofheart, that forbearance, and, above all, that sound common sense whichare so conspicuous in Empress Augusta-Victoria. 

CHAPTER XII

Since the days of the canonized rulers of Hungary, Bohemia, Russia, and France, there have been no sovereigns of the Old World who havebeen so distinguished for their piety and for the fervor of theirreligious belief as the present Emperors of Germany and Austria, forthey both take very seriously to heart their official and liturgicaldesignation as the Anointed of the Lord. 

It is no mere cant or hypocrisy in their case, but a profound beliefin the teachings of the Scripture in which they truly believe is to befound the most powerful bulwark of the throne against the ever risingtide of democracy, and the fundamental basis of the entire monarchicalsystem. Save for this, their manifestations of Christianity may besaid to differ. 

Francis-Joseph, now in the eventide of a singularly sad and stormylife, and of a reign that was inaugurated by a most sanguinary civilwar, reminds one, in spite of the hereditary title of "_ApostolicMajesty_" conferred upon his forbears by the Papacy, of nothing somuch as of the publican of the parable going up to the temple to pray, so deep and unaffected is the humility with which he approaches thealtar or kneels at the priedieu in the chapel of his palace, or besidethe tombs of those most near and dear to him. 

Emperor William's piety, while equally fervent, does not give one thesame idea of self-abasement in the sight of the Almighty. It would beunfair to compare him to that other personage of the parable, namely, the Pharisee, for the latter was obviously lacking in sincerity;but at the same time, William in his moments of religious fervor, invariably recalls to mind that pretty story told by the late AlphonseDaudet, entitled the "Dauphin's Deathbed, " in which the littleboy-prince, on the eve of his departure for a happier world, respondsto the exhortations of his chaplain with the exclamation: "Butone thing consoles me, M. L'Abbé, and that is that up there in theParadise of the stars I shall still be the Dauphin. I know that thegood God is my cousin, and cannot fail to treat me according to myrank!"

Emperor Francis-Joseph will be prepared, in, a future existence, totake his place among the very humblest of his subjects, realizing thatin the eyes of the Divinity all human creatures are equal, whereasEmperor William, on the other hand, in his heart of hearts, iscertainly convinced that there will be a special place reserved forhim above--a place in keeping with his rank here on earth. True, hehas never actually said this in so many words, but he has assuredlyindicated this belief both by his utterances and his actions. He makesno attempt to conceal his conviction that personages of royal birth, and, in particular, reigning sovereigns, are fashioned by the Almightywith clay of a quality vastly superior to that employed for thecomposition of ordinary human creatures. 

Notwithstanding all the Spartan rigor and severity to which he wassubjected in his youth, for the purpose of dispelling exaggeratedpride of birth and station, he feels assured that the rights andprivileges which he enjoys above his fellow-men are of Divine origin. Although a constitutional sovereign, he is never tired of declaringthat he is responsible for the performance of his duties as rulerof Germany to the Almighty alone, and that God alone is able toappreciate and to pass judgment upon his actions. 

That Emperor William considers himself to be far nearer to the throneof God, and in an infinitely closer degree of communion with theAlmighty than any ordinary being, is apparent from many of his publicutterances. In fact, the amazing intimacy which he professes withhis Maker, and the strange manner in which he implies that he and theCreator have interests in common, and joint understandings that arebeyond the comprehension of ordinary mankind, would savor of downrightblasphemy, were it not for the undeniable sincerity of his Teutonicmajesty, who really regards himself as a Divine instrument. Indeed, there is no doubt that it is this belief which he honestly entertainsthat has served to keep his private life, since he ascended thethrone, so thoroughly blameless. For there is no doubt that Williamdoes his utmost to live up to the teachings of his faith, to orderevery phase of his existence in conformity with the precepts ofChristianity, and to avoid everything that could tend to impair hisstatus as a vice-regent of Providence in the eyes of the devout. 

Few are the incidents and events of his reign to which he does notimpart a religious flavor. Thus it was only last summer, on thecompletion of a new fort at Metz, that he insisted on its inaugurationtaking place with much religious pomp and ceremony, and he himselfchristened the fortress in the name of the Father, and of the Son, andof the Holy Ghost, thus calling down the blessing of the Trinity ona stronghold, the guns of which are pointed against France, and thesuccess of which can only consist in the destruction of innumerableFrench foes!

It is he, too, who has originated the practice of christening withreligious ceremonies the great guns furnished by Krupp for use afloatand ashore against Germany's enemies; and on the blades of the swordswhich he has presented to his elder sons, and to his favorite generalsand officers, there is invariably inscribed on the one side, "In thename of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, " and on theother, averse from the Bible, surmounted by the imperial cypher. 

William has even gone to the length of drawing up an extraordinaryargument in defence of duelling based upon quotations taken from theBible. The emperor takes as the text of his argument that verse ofthe writings of St. Paul, in which the Apostle declares that he wouldrather die than that anyone should rob him of his good name. Williaminfers from this that the most eloquent and forcible of all thefathers of the Church was prepared to fight to the death for the honorof his name. 

"Nowhere in the Bible, " adds his majesty, "is there any prohibitionof duelling, not even in the New Testament, which, unlike the OldTestament, is not a book of law. Indeed, every attempt to use the NewTestament as the basis for a new code of law has resulted in failure. "

With regard to the use made by the opponents of duelling of thatlaw in the Old Testament which proclaims, "Thou shalt not kill, "the emperor draws attention to another portion of the Old Testament, wherein is mentioned that the sword shall not be carried in vain. Theninvoking St. Paul's epistle to the Galatians, in which the Apostleexclaims: "Oh! ye foolish Galatians. This only would I learn of you. Received ye the spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing ofthe faith? Are ye so foolish, having begun in the spirit, that ye wishto perfect yourselves in the flesh?"

The emperor declares that to twist the Word of God into a prohibitionof duelling is nothing else than to perfect one's self by theflesh--that is to say to attribute an altogether material andcommon-place interpretation to what is meant spiritually. He addsthat this is just as reprehensible in the eyes of the Almighty asthe attempts by the Pharisees to adapt the Mosaic law to their ownconvenience, attempts which were so bitterly denounced by Christ. 

Finally, the emperor generally concludes this extraordinary expositionof his views by the following exordium:

"He who after careful self-examination finds himself compelled tofight a duel, and whose conscience is clear of sentiments of hatredand of vengeance, may do so in the conviction that he is in no wiseacting contrary to the Word of God, to the obligations of honor, orto the accepted customs of society. As in battle, so also in the duel, which has been forced upon him in one way or another, he may say tohimself: _If we live, we live in the Lord, and if we die, we die inthe Lord, Amen_. "

It must be borne in mind that Emperor William delivered himself ofthese utterances, not merely in his capacity of Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia, and commander-in-chief of the entire German army, butalso in his self-assumed rôle of _Summus-Episcopus, _ or spiritual aswell as temporal chief of the Lutheran Church throughout the empire. Such a speech was delivered on the occasion of the endeavor made bycertain members of the court circles to induce the Lutheran synod toinstitute disciplinary measures against the Potsdam pastor whohad declined to accord the rites of Christian burial to Baron vonSchrader, killed in a duel by Baron Kotze, the encounter being theoutcome of the anonymous letter scandal already described. The synod, however, thoroughly endorsed the attitude of the Lutheran minister inquestion, and availed itself of the opportunity to pass a resolutionto the effect that no person killed in a combat of this kind, or evendying from wounds received in a duel, could be regarded as having methis death as a Christian, and as such entitled to Christian burial. 

Curiously enough this view was endorsed by the gallant old GeneralBronsart von Schellendorf, at that time minister of war, who, inexpressing his approval of the resolution, called upon the emperoras commander-in-chief to take more radical steps for checking thephenomenal growth of the practice of duelling. 

William, however, declined to comply with the request, dismissedthe general shortly afterwards from office, and, on the contrary, proceeded to condemn both the action of the synod and of the Potsdampastor who had declined to officiate at Baron Schrader's obsequies, giving as the reason for his position in the matter the argument fromwhich I have just given some extracts. 

This was by no means the first time that William found himself inconflict with the provincial synods of the Lutheran Church in hisdominions. On one occasion the consistory of the Lutheran Church ofthe Province of East Prussia, in which the imperial game preservesof Rominten are situated, passed a unanimous vote of censure upon thekaiser for having desecrated the Sabbath, and violated the secularlaws with regard to its observance, by giving a big hunting-party onSunday at Rominten. It was understood at the time that the consistorywould have abstained from taking this extreme step had it not beenfor the comment excited throughout Germany by the somewhat maliciousjuxtaposition in most of the newspapers of two articles, one of whichgave an elaborate description of the Sunday shooting-party of theemperor at Rominten, while in a parallel column was a proclamationjust issued by the civil governor of the province of Westphalia, calling attention to the lax observance of the Sunday laws, andreiterating the pains and penalties that are prescribed by statutefor those who shoot, sing, dance, play skittles or indulge in anyrecreation, whether in public or in private, that is inconsistent withrepose on Sunday. 

Of course, the vote of the consistory of Eastern Prussia waseventually quashed, and its members disciplined. But the publicitygiven to the affair served to call the attention of the people atlarge to the emperor's disregard of the laws which he himself hadcaused to be enacted. Previous to his reign, Sunday had been lookedupon as a day of recreation, revelry, and festivity throughoutGermany. 

In the days of the old emperor all the finest performances of thecourt theatres were reserved for Sunday, the principal state banquetstook place on that day, as well as the imperial hunting parties andbattues. Among the _bourgeoisie_, dances, balls and picnics were theorder of the Lord's Day, while the lower classes thronged the beergardens and the beer halls that constitute so important a featureof German life. Regattas, parades, race-meetings, and popularentertainments and festivals of one kind or another, were, in fact, all reserved for Sunday. 

All this was changed when the emperor came to the throne, and amongthe earliest laws enacted on his initiative, were those to whichthe Governor of Westphalia called attention in the proclamation justdescribed, and which prohibited every form of revelry on the Sabbath. For instance, a few months after William's accession he was invited bythe Berlin Yacht Club to attend the annual regatta, which was to takeplace on the following Sunday morning, but he declined on the groundthat it would prevent his going to church, and when the committeeoffered to postpone the races until the afternoon he declared thathis principles would not permit him to regard Sunday as a day to bedevoted to regattas, and analogous forms of popular entertainment. It must be explained that he was at the time strongly imbued withthe evangelistic views which he had derived from his wife's aunt, the American Countess of Waldersee, and from her protégé, ex-CourtChaplain Stoecker, who combined with his strict and Puritanical viewson the subject of the Sabbath, the most intense animosity towards theJews, and a virulent hatred for the late Emperor Frederick. 

This strange divine, so famous for many years as the leader of theso-called "Jüdenhetz" movement, is one of the most displeasing figuresin German public life, and Emperor William, who has long since turnedhis back upon him, and dismissed him from his court chaplaincy, mustbitterly regret that he ever accorded him any favor or intimacy, andpermitted himself to be influenced by his views. How is it possible tospeak with any patience of a minister of the Church who, in a weeklypaper, "The Ecclesiastical Review, " of December 10, 1887, actually hadthe audacity to write in an editorial article signed with his name thefollowing cruel sentence? "Let us pray every day and every hour forour royal family, and in particular for the Old Man (the old kaiser)and for the Young Man (the present emperor) of this race of heroes. May God in His mercy grant that the terrible punishment which hasovertaken the sick Prince Frederick (the late Emperor Frederick) bearfruit, and may it bring resignation to his mind, and peace to hisconscience. "

At the moment when the article appeared, in which it was publiclyintimated that the crown prince's malady was a just and well-meritedpunishment for his sins, the imperial patient, so sorely afflicted, whose life had been so blameless, was at death's door, a factover which the court chaplain openly rejoiced, proclaiming that "abrilliant future is about to open up before us. "

Since William has cut himself adrift from Pastor Stoecker, thestrictness of his views with regard to the observance of Sunday, hasundergone a change. At any rate, he has modified them in so far as hehimself is concerned, and while he is very regular in his attendanceat church on Sunday morning, he no longer seems to consider it a sinto go out sailing, shooting or hunting on Sunday afternoons, or toattend theatrical performances or other kinds of entertainment inthe evening. Inasmuch as the Sunday Observance Laws have not beenrepealed, one can only take it for granted that he considers himselfand his consort as being above the law of the land, and in no wisebound thereby. Yet neither of their majesties has a legal right to anysuch immunity. According to the terms of the Prussian constitution theemperor and empress are just as amenable to the laws that figure inthe statute book, and equally required to obey them as any ordinaryGerman citizen. The only advantage that the emperor enjoys is thathe possesses certain prerogatives in connection with the givingof evidence, and with the punishment of offences that are directedagainst his person and his honor. 

In this obligation to submit to the laws of the land he differsfrom his grandmother Queen Victoria, and from his ally, EmperorFrancis-Joseph, the tenure of whose thrones was originally based onwhat in olden times was known as the Divine right of kings. Thus, inEngland, as in Austria, and even in Spain and Portugal, the mediaevaltheory still prevails that "_the king can do no wrong!_" QueenVictoria, for instance, is not below the law like Emperor William, but above it. No court has jurisdiction over her, and legally speakingthere is no jurisdiction upon earth to try her in a civil or criminalway, much less to condemn her to punishment. 

Of all the prerogatives enjoyed by Queen Victoria, the one, however, of which the kaiser is the most envious is her supremacy of the stateChurch of England. His ambition is to acquire the same position withregard to the whole Lutheran Church as she enjoys over the Anglicandenomination. This dream, difficult of execution for reasons which Iwill proceed to explain, originated with his great-grandfather, KingFrederick-William III. , who first conceived the idea of a species ofLutheran Kaliphate, with its headquarters at Berlin, and its Mecca atJerusalem. 

His successor, King Frederick-William IV. , took up the notion with allthe enthusiasm natural to his mystic character, and kept one of hismost trusted statesmen and confidants busily employed for years inendeavoring to federate all the Reformed Churches, with the exceptionof that of England, under the protectorate and supremacy of theHohenzollerns. Emperor William goes still further. He aspires tobecome, not merely the temporal head of the Lutheran Church throughoutthe world, but likewise its spiritual chief, its pontiff, in fact, inthe same manner that the czar is the chief ecclesiastical dignitaryand the duly consecrated spiritual head of the national Churchof Russia. William bases his claims to the dignity of a_summus-episcopus_ on the fact that he is a titular bishop andarchbishop, some nineteen times over, for his ancestors, when annexingthe various petty states and sovereignties in bygone times, alwaysmade a point of getting the mitre with the crown, and the crozierwith the purple and ermine. Many of the petty states of Germany inmediaeval days were ruled, not by temporal rulers, but by archbishopspossessing the rank of sovereign and the title of prince. 

The ecclesiastical dignity was, in fact, inherent, and part and parcelof the sovereignty. Consequently, when Emperor William's ancestorsacquired the one, they likewise secured possession of the other, andthus among his many ecclesiastical titles is that of Prince Archbishopof Silesia, and it is in his ecclesiastical capacity that he hasconferred canonries and deaneries upon the military and civil membersof his household. 

Of course, the difficulty in the way of the emperor's recognition asthe supreme head of the Lutheran Church is the fact that the Lutheranfaith is by no means confined to his dominions. Lutherans constitutethe major part of the population in Würtemberg, Saxony and Baden, aswell as in all the other non-Prussian states of the Confederation, save Bavaria. Besides this, there are millions of Lutherans inAustro-Hungary, the Netherlands, Russia and Scandinavia, who could notrecognize his supremacy without disloyalty to their own rulers, allof whom, with the exception of the king of Saxony, the Czar and theAustrian emperor, are, like himself, members of the Reformed Church. 

His celebrated pilgrimage to Jerusalem a year ago, the firstpilgrimage of a German emperor to the Holy Land since the days of theCrusades, clearly showed the trend of the kaiser's aspirations. Hehad invited all his fellow-Protestant monarchs to accompany him toJerusalem, either in person or to send one of the princes of theirhouses as their representatives, and to ride in his train when hemade his entry into the Holy City of Christendom. But not one of thesovereigns thus invited responded to the invitation tendered, andWilliam had no German or foreign prince with him during this memorablepilgrimage. 

It was the most extraordinary thing of the kind that has ever beenseen, the strangeness of the affair being intensified by that samemixture of the mediaeval with the intensely modern and up-to-dateways which constitutes so peculiar a phase of William's character. Theemperor rode into Jerusalem by the same route as that followed by theFounder of Christianity on the first Palm Sunday, wearing a flowingwhite mantle, and mounted on a milk-white steed. He prayed at duskwith the members of his suite in the Garden of Gethsemane, piouslykneeling on the ground, pronounced a religious discourse on the Mountof Olives, received the Holy Communion in the Coenaculum, that is tosay, the house in which, according to tradition, Christ celebratedthe Last Supper, --nay, he even preached a full-fledged sermon on theoccasion of the dedication of the Church of the Saviour at Jerusalem, and traveled by road from Jerusalem to Damascus! And yet, destroyingall the romance and old-time glamor that might otherwise havesurrounded this imperial crusade, was the fact that he was a"_personally conducted" Cook's tourist_, that his meals were preparedby French chefs, that champagne was the ordinary beverage at histable, and that, while tramcars were used to go about Damascus, therailroad was selected by him to get back from Jerusalem to Jaffa!

Emperor William has a weakness for preaching, and it must be confessedthat he does it well. He possesses a very ready gift of speech, and his fervent religious belief seems to serve as a species ofinspiration to his eloquence. Thus on board the Hohenzollern, duringhis annual yachting cruise along the coast of Norway, he invariablyconducts divine service on Sunday morning, taking his place in frontof an altar erected on deck, upon which the German war-flag isspread, in lieu of an altar-cloth. Luther's hymns, accompanied by thetrombones of the band, are sung. Then the emperor reads the epistleand the gospel with great feeling, and recites the liturgical prayerswith considerable fervor. Next he preaches a sermon, which, as a rule, is of his own composition, and extemporary, though occasionally hewill read the sermon of some well-known pulpit orator. 

It has been observed that he is always much more indulgent in casesof inattention on the part of the congregation when he reads asermon than when he preaches one of his own. Any sailor who has themisfortune to fall asleep during the discourse is disciplined, andhis name figures, of course, on the punishment roll on the followingmorning, when the day's report is presented to the emperor as thecommanding officer of the ship. If the sermon has been one of hismajesty's own composition, as a rule he allows the punishment tostand. But if the discourse happens to have been of less illustriousorigin, he will almost invariably order the penalty to be remitted, adding, with a smile of indulgence, that "the sermon was ratherdreary, wasn't it?"

At Berlin and at Potsdam the kaiser keeps his court chaplainsunder very strict discipline, and they expose themselves to a sternreprimand if they presume to extend their pulpit orations beyond theterm of ten or, at the most, fifteen minutes. Emperor William veryjustly takes the ground that if they are sufficiently concise in theirremarks, they can say all that they have to say within that space oftime, and if their discourse is prolonged beyond the stipulated periodit loses its force and its power of retaining the interest and theattention of the congregation. 

The emperor does not hesitate to call the divines to account whenthey enunciate doctrines of which he does not approve, and whereasin former reigns a court chaplaincy was regarded in the light ofan office for life, it is now considered as a merely temporaryappointment, so frequent are the dismissals. 

At the Dome at Berlin, and at the Garrison Church at Potsdam, theemperor follows the service with an air of mingled devotion andauthority that is rather amusing. While most devout and fervent in hisprayers, and joining in the hymns in such a manner that his ringingbaritone voice is easily discernible above the rest, his eyes wanderin a stern fashion around the church, quick to note any member of thecongregation who is not behaving with proper decorum and reverence. Heconveys the impression that he considers it to be his duty to keep thecongregation in proper order, and if he finds that either he, or theimperial party is being stared at with any degree of persistency orcuriosity, he at once sends off one of his officers to sharply warnthe offenders. Indeed, he has more than once caused it to be madeknown through official communications to the press that he thoroughlydisapproves of being stared at when attending church, and engaged inhis devotions. 

Like William, Francis-Joseph has made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem andthe Holy Land, but it was without any fuss or pomp. In fact, there arefew persons, save those connected with the Court of Austria, who areaware that Austria's ruler ever visited the Holy Land. He went therein 1869, traveling in the strictest incognito, and attended onlyby two of his gentlemen-in-waiting and two servants, after theinauguration of the Suez Canal, at which he had been present. Therewas no solemn entry on horseback into the city that witnessed thefoundation of Christianity, and while he prayed at the Holy Placeslike Emperor William, he did so quietly and unobtrusively, withoutattracting any attention. His pilgrimage was characterized by the sameunaffected humility that distinguishes his religion from that of hisbrother monarch at Berlin. 

William's faith still retains the enthusiasm and, if I may use theword, the exuberance of youth, whereas that of Francis-Joseph, though even more fervent, is chastened, humbled and mellowed by theexperience of many a cruel sorrow and many a hard blow. To someof these he would have succumbed had it not been for his religiousbelief. There have been at least three different occasions duringhis fifty years' reign when he would have abandoned his throne, and abdicated his crown had it not been pointed out to him by hisspiritual adviser that it was his duty--his religious duty--to remainat his post, and to bear with bravery the trials with which he wasoverwhelmed. 

The first of these occasions was at the close of the disastrous warsof 1866, when the march of the Prussians on Vienna was only stayedwithin a few hours' distance of the capital by the ignominious peaceof Nicolsburg. The second time was when he lost his only son by thefrightful tragedy of Mayerling, and he saw his boy's body refused evenChristian rites of burial by the church, until he had been able toconvince the kindly old pontiff at Rome that the poor lad's mind wasunbalanced at the time that he took his life. The third occasion waswhen his lovely consort, to whom, in spite of all that is said to thecontrary, he was so deeply devoted, was taken from him by the handof an assassin in a foreign land, and under peculiarly heartrendingcircumstances. 

Moreover, he saw the body of his brother Maximilian brought home fromthe Mexican plain of Queretaro, where he had been shot down by a fileof soldiers as if a vulgar criminal; he stood by the deathbed ofa favorite niece, burnt to death before his eyes in the palace ofSchoenbrunn, when her dress had caught fire from a lighted cigarettewhich she was endeavoring to conceal from him and from her father; hefollowed to the grave another favorite of his, a nephew, accidentallykilled while out shooting. Indeed, there is no end to the tragedieswhich have gone to sadden the life of this now septuagenarian monarch, and while on ordinary occasions, especially when engaged in militaryinspections or in great court functions, he appears to retain theelasticity, vigor and temperament of a man still in his prime, yetwhen in church or chapel, attending divine service, and so wrapped upin his devotions that he becomes oblivious to his surroundings, therestraint which he puts upon his feelings at other times disappears, and one is able to realize the extent of his sufferings, and howsupreme is the consolation that he finds in his religion. 

Vienna is the only capital in the world where one can see afull-fledged monarch kneeling bareheaded in the streets, and offeringup prayers in the most fervent manner, the spectacle exciting notridicule, but sentiments of profound reverence and sympathy on thepart of the people--Christians, Jews, and Mohammedans from Herzegovinaand Bosnia--who throng the thoroughfares of the beautiful city onthe Danube. The sight is witnessed each year, on the occasion of the_Corpus Christi_ procession. This glorious procession starts out fromthe Cathedral of St. Stephen at an early hour in the morning, and theentire route through the various streets which it traverses Is kidwith boards, over which grass is strewn. At various points along theway there are altars, or so-called _reposoirs_, where the Sacred Hostis placed for a few moments, the emperor and the great personages withhim kneeling piously on the ground and offering up prayers. 

The procession is opened by choristers, then come priests and monkswith hands crossed upon their breasts, next the rectors of the variousmetropolitan parishes, displaying their distinctive banners likethe knights of old. The municipal authorities, the officers of theimperial household, the Knights Grand Cross of the various orders, thecabinet ministers, and the principal dignitaries of the army, of thenavy, and of the crown. Finally, comes a magnificent canopy borne bygenerals, under which walks the tall and stately Cardinal Archbishopof Vienna, carrying the Host, to which the troops lining the routebend the knee while presenting arms, the civilians behind them baringtheir heads, while the women cross themselves. Immediately behind theHost, bareheaded and alone, with a lighted candle in his hand, andwearing the full uniform of an Austrian field marshal, --a snow-whitecloth tunic with scarlet and gold facings, --strides the aged emperor, still erect as a dart, with all the slender, shapely elegance of a manof thirty, in spite of his three-score years and ten. He is followedby the archdukes, conspicuous among them the gigantic Archduke Eugene, grand master of the Teutonic Order, in the semi-ecclesiastical habitsof his rank, while the procession is brought to a close by escorts ofthe superbly arrayed Archer and Hungarian Body Guards. 

The spectacle is impressive, and the silence along the route, save forthe chanting of the choristers, and the recitation of prayers in anundertone by the clergy, adds to the solemnity of the occasion. Indays gone by, the murdered empress used to figure in the processionin full court dress and followed by her ladies, but now women take nopart therein. 

Another remarkable religious ceremony in which the emperor plays theleading part, and which is only to be witnessed nowadays at theCourt of Vienna, is the washing of the feet of twelve aged men on theThursday of Holy Week, in memory of the washing of the feet ofthe twelve apostles on the first Holy Thursday by the Founder ofChristianity. The ceremony takes place at the imperial palace, inthe presence of the entire court. The twelve old men, each carefullydressed for the occasion, who have been brought from their homes tothe palace in imperial carriages, are seated in a row, and, after abrief religious service celebrated by the cardinal archbishop, theemperor kneels in front of each, and washes his feet in a golden basinfilled with rose water, the ewer being carried by the heir to thethrone, while the prelate who holds the office of court chaplain handsto his majesty the gold-embroidered towel with which the feet aredried after having been washed. When the emperor has reached the endof the line there are more prayers, and the blessing; then a banquetis served to the old men, at which they are waited on in person by theemperor, the various dishes being handed to him by the archdukes andprinces of the blood. The old people are finally sent home, each witha purse containing gold pieces, and a large hamper, wherein are placedseveral bottles of fine wine and the remains of the various dishes andgastronomical masterpieces which have figured on the table during thebanquet. As a rule, the old men dispose of these for considerable sumsof money to wealthy Viennese, who are only too delighted to purchasethem, and thus to be able to boast of having partaken of the emperor'shospitality!

Brought up by parents who axe renowned for their religious bigotry, in the absolutist school of the great Prince Metternich, EmperorFrancis-Joseph has experienced the utmost difficulty in reconcilinghis religions belief with his obligations as a constitutional monarch, for he has been repeatedly obliged to give his sanction as a sovereignto reforms enacted by the legislature of Austria, and particularlyof Hungary, which were strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church, fiercely denounced by the clergy, and condemned by the Vatican. Thathe should in matters such as these have sacrificed his religiousprejudices and conscientious scruples to what he conceived to be hisduty as a constitutional monarch, speaks volumes for his strength ofcharacter, and for his uprightness as a ruler. There is only one thingthat he has declined to do, in spite of all the pressure brought tobear upon him by his ministers and by his allies: he has absolutelydeclined to visit Rome so long as the Pope remains deprived of histemporal sovereignty. Ordinarily the most chivalrous and courteousof monarchs, and extremely punctilious in the fulfilment of all theobligations imposed by etiquette, he has up to the present momentrefrained from returning the visit paid to his court at Vienna by KingHumbert and Queen Marguerite nearly twenty years ago. Leo XIII. , likehis predecessor, has intimated that he would regard any visit paid tothe King of Italy in the former Papal Palace of the Quirinal at Rome, by a Catholic sovereign, as a cruel affront to the occupant of thechair of St. Peter. The only Catholic ruler who has visited KingHumbert at the Quirinal, in spite of this papal protest, is PrinceFerdinand of Bulgaria, who was at the time subject to the ban ofthe church, in consequence of the conversion of his little son fromCatholicism to the Greek orthodox rite, in order to insure hisown (Ferdinand's) recognition by Russia as ruler of Bulgaria. ButFrancis-Joseph has never consented to set his foot in Rome, althoughit has been pointed out to him that the existence of the triplealliance was imperilled by this slight placed upon King Humbert andQueen Marguerite. He did not hesitate to declare that he would ratherforego the alliance than affront the Pope by visiting Rome under thepresent circumstances. 

One little scene, in conclusion, which I witnessed at Vienna, hasalways remained impressed upon my mind, illustrating as it does thedemocracy of the Catholic Church, if I may use that expression, anddemonstrating the good old emperor's belief, --so different from thatof Emperor William, --that in the eyes of the Almighty all men areequal. 

It transpired at the funeral of Cardinal Gangelbauer, the popular anduniversally venerated Archbishop of Vienna. The obsequies took placein the ancient Cathedral of St. Stephen. Military and ecclesiasticalpomp were combined with the magnificent ceremonial of the Austriancourt for the purpose of rendering the last honors to the deadprelate. The entire metropolitan garrison was under arms, and linedthe streets through which the funeral procession passed. The bellsof all the churches in the metropolis were tolling throughout theceremony, and added to the solemnity of the occasion. The statelyPapal Nuncio performed the funeral service in the most impressivemanner, and when he stood on the step of the high altar, and raisedhis hands aloft to pronounce the absolution, the whole of the vastassemblage bowed down, the wintry sunlight streaming through the richstained glass windows, falling alike upon the reverently bent head ofthe monarch, and those of the peasant mourners who stood by his sideat the head of the bier. For the dead cardinal was the son of an oldfarmer, and his brothers, his sisters, and his nephews, all of themplain, humble peasants of Upper Austria, were kneeling there in theirpeasant garb with the emperor in their midst, and surrounded by theglittering uniforms of the archdukes, the princes, the generals, cabinet ministers and ambassadors assembled around the coffin. Therewas no undue exaltation or timidity on the part of the peasants, no undue condescension or contempt on the part either of emperor ordignitaries for the lowly rank of their fellow mourners. All seemedthoroughly to realize that they were equal in the face of death, andin the presence of their Creator. 

It is only in a metaphorical sense that William can be described as anAnointed of the Lord. For whereas Francis-Joseph was both anointed andcrowned as King of Hungary in 1867, Emperor William has never been theobject of either of these ceremonies. The fact of the matter is thatthere is a good deal of difference of opinion concerning the dignityof a German emperor; for while William claims that it is identicalwith the status of the emperors of Austria and Russia, thenon-Prussian states of Germany insist that it is merely titular, inasmuch as he has no control or jurisdiction in the various federalstates which constitute the empire, such as Bavaria, Saxony andWürtemberg, each of which has an independent king in nowise subject, but merely allied to the Prussian monarch. 

It is only in time of war, and for the sake of successful co-operationthat the supreme command of the united German military forces is byspecial agreement vested in the hands of the German emperor--atribute to the superiority and pre-eminence of the Prussian militaryreorganizations. It is true that Prussia has since then, by degrees, endeavored to encroach upon the independence of the federal states. But this is strongly resented, to-day more than ever, and Williamis constantly being reminded by the non-Prussian press, by thenon-Prussian governments, and even by the non-Prussian reigningdynasties that they are not vassals, but allies of Prussia. 

The German emperor has no crown as such, nor any civil list, andwith the solitary exception of his eldest son, all the members of hisfamily figure merely as royal Prussian, not imperial German princes. Thus, for instance, Prince Henry, the brother of the emperor, isaddressed not as imperial highness, but only as royal highness. 

Had William attempted to have himself crowned as German emperor, itwould merely have had the effect of attracting public attention to thedifference existing between his own status as emperor and that of hisfellow-sovereigns of Austria and Russia, besides which it wouldhave raised all sorts of troublesome questions with the non-Prussiancourts, and intensified their sensibilities and prejudices. If, on theother hand, he had caused himself to be crowned king of Prussia inthe ancient city of Königsberg, where all Prussian kings have beencrowned, the ceremony would have had the effect of impressing upon theworld at large the fact that the only real crown to which William canlay claim, and which he is entitled to wear, is the crown of the kingsof Prussia. 

That is why he has never been either crowned or anointed, differing inthis respect from Francis-Joseph, Emperor Nicholas and Queen Victoria, all of whom have experienced both ceremonies, which by the masses ofEurope, especially among the uneducated and ignorant, are consideredindispensable to endow the majesty of the sovereign with a sacredcharacter. The Hungarians did not consider Francis-Joseph as entitledto their allegiance and loyalty until he had been crowned at Pesthwith the crown of St. Stephen, and anointed with the sacred oil, andthere is no doubt that the Bohemians would be transformed from themost turbulent, malcontent, and troublesome of his subjects into hismost devoted lieges, were he to comply with their demands, and havehimself anointed and crowned as King of Bohemia, with the crown ofSaint Wenceslaus. 

Nor was Emperor Nicholas of Russia considered a full-fledged Czarof Russia, nor his consort a czarina, until he had been anointed andcrowned at Moscow, nearly two years after his accession to the throne. In fact, until the time of his coronation, his mother, the dowagerempress, enjoyed precedence of his wife on all official occasions, onthe ground that she was the widow of a crowned czar, and had herselfbeen solemnly crowned as the consort of Alexander III. , by herimperial husband, whereas her daughter-in-law, the younger empress, had enjoyed no such advantage up to that time. 

Only those who know William well can realize how deeply he feels thisdifference which exists between himself and the rulers of more ancientdynasties, or how glad he would be to find some means of being crownedand anointed, not as a mere titular German emperor, but as Emperorof Germany. It is difficult to see how this ambition of his could befulfilled so long as the Austrian empire remains in existence. Thedignity of Emperor of Germany belonged for centuries to the houseof Hapsburg, in relation to the head of which the chief of theHohenzollern family ranked merely as a cup-bearer, being compelled tostand behind the chair of the Hapsburg monarch at all state banquets, and to keep his cup supplied with wine. The whole of the ancientinsignia of the former Emperors of Germany, including the sceptre, the orb, and the sword of state, are in the possession of EmperorFrancis-Joseph at Vienna, and are comprised in the imperial Austrianregalia. Indeed, at the time when King William of Prussia wasproclaimed German Emperor at the palace of Versailles, in 1871, theEmperor of Austria wrote to the then widowed Queen Marie of Bavaria, that he protested, "from the very bottom of his heart, against thedignity and crown of his father being vested in persons without ashadow of right thereto, and that he had placed his rights inthe hands of Providence. " Although he entertains the friendliestsentiments towards Emperor William, there is no reason to believe thateither he or the members of his house have modified their resentmentin connection with this quasi-usurpation of the dignity of Emperor ofGermany by the Prussian family of Hohenzollern. 

CHAPTER XIII

There is no more restless man in all Europe than the kaiser. It isrelated of him at the Court of Berlin that when on one occasion heinquired of his brother, Prince Henry, if he could suggest to himanything new wherewith to startle both his own subjects and the worldin general, the sailor prince, with a merry laugh, proposed thathis majesty should remain perfectly quiet, without saying or doinganything, for an entire week! That, he assured his imperial brother, would amaze and dumbfound the entire universe more than anything elsethat could possibly be conceived. 

While this lack of repose on the part of William is the source of agood deal of fun both at home and abroad, there is no doubt that ithas had the effect of strengthening the monarchial system in Prussiato a far greater degree than in any previous reign. It is not thatthe kaiser is more popular than his predecessors on the throne. Onthe contrary, it may be doubted whether he holds the same place in theaffections of the German people as did his father and grandfather. Butwhile it is possible to imagine a Prussia without either of them, itis difficult to picture to oneself a Germany without William! It seemsas if he were indispensable to the existence of the nation, and thatif anything untoward were to happen to him, everything in Germanywould suddenly stop working, precisely as if the mainspring of a watchwere to break. He conveys the impression of being the source fromwhich proceeds every action, every phase of activity and everyenterprise, no matter what its character. To such an extent is thisthe case, that practically nothing seems to be done throughout thelength and breadth of his dominions without his influence in thematter being both felt and apparent. There is nothing so trivial thatit does not interest him. He will turn from the greatest and mostimportant matters of state to the most petty question concerningcourt etiquette or domestic mismanagement, and will not hesitate tointerrupt an interview with the chancellor of the empire, or with someforeign ambassador, to spank one of his youngsters if he happens tohave been misbehaving himself!

He keeps absolute personal control over the army, the navy, the stateadministration, and his court, and yet finds time to supervise hischildren's lessons and amusements. He attends even to the pulling outof the milk teeth of his little ones and permits no one else to do it, as the following little anecdote, concerning Prince Oscar, his fifthson, will illustrate. 

The boys had, and I believe still have, an English governess, who isvery strict and independent with them, and who just on that account, probably, is highly esteemed and liked by her young pupils, as well asby their parents. On the occasion of her last anniversary, the empresswith her usual kindness prepared a pretty birthday table for her, decked out with all kinds of presents from the imperial couple, andfrom each of the children. Prince Oscar's gift, which he had carefullydone up himself in ribbons and tinted paper, and inscribed with hisname, turned out to be a small and empty cardboard box. On being takento task by his mother as to what he meant by this, he informed herthat the box was destined to hold the first tooth, which he was aboutto lose, and which his father, the emperor, was to pull for him witha string that very afternoon, at the conclusion of a "Kronrath, " orcouncil of the crown, at which his majesty was to preside. The littleprince regarding that tooth as the greatest treasure at his disposal, was convinced that he could bestow upon his governess no moreacceptable gift. She now wears it in a gold bangle presented to her bythe empress. 

Among other domestic affairs which have occupied the kaiser'sattention, has been the tendency of his boys to dyspepsia anddigestive troubles, owing to their habit of eating too rapidly, afault which they have certainly inherited from their father, for hehas subjected them to the same process that was adopted in his casewhen a child, to make him eat slowly; to wit, whenever apples or pearsare given to the boys they are not permitted to get them whole, and tomunch them, like any ordinary boy, but only to receive them cut intoquarters, each bit being wrapped in a number of pieces of tissuepaper, the unfolding of which requires time, thus preventing the youngprinces from eating too fast! The kaiser often alludes to the factthat he was subjected to the same formalities and will add:

"You see nothing was made easy for me in my youth. Even the matter ofeating an apple was rendered as difficult for me as possible!"

The kaiser is followed wherever he goes by an extremely cleverstenographer, Dr. Weiss, who was formerly official shorthand writer tothe imperial parliament. He now forms part of the emperor's household, and accompanies his majesty on all his numerous travels. It is thedoctor's duty to place on record and preserve all the pearls that dropfrom the imperial lips, or perhaps, to put it more correctly, to givethe emperor and his advisers an opportunity of editing and revisinghis public utterances before they find their way into print. Dr. Weiss has several assistants who help him in the transcription of hisshorthand notes, and none of the emperor's public speeches or casualremarks find their way into print nowadays except through Dr. Weiss. Thanks to the tact of this precious secretary, there exists, veryoften, a considerable diversity between what the emperor says, andwhat he is represented as having said, and it is in consequence ofthis wise provision that the imperial speeches appear to have becomeso much more discreet, and at the same time less sensational, than wasthe case during the early part of his reign. 

Quick-tempered, passionate, generous-hearted, and extremely impulsive, the emperor, often speaking on the spur of the moment, frequentlysaid more than he intended to say, and thus laid himself open to bothdomestic and foreign criticism and abuse. He has not yet outgrown thisfault, although he has become much more cautious than formerly, andmoreover, with Dr. Weiss at his elbow, and with the care that isobserved by the authorities to let none of the imperial utterancesreach the public in print, save through Dr. Weiss, after being dulyedited by him, most of the former perils have been averted. Theemperor is very particular, indeed, about having Dr. Weiss by hisside, and frequently at public functions himself directs the doctorwhere to stand and where to sit, so that he may not lose a word ofwhat his imperial master says. 

Like the aged pontiff at Rome, William manifests a great predilectionfor the telephone. There are telephonic instruments in his library, in his workroom, and even in his bed-chamber, and quite a considerableportion of the day is spent talking over the wires to his ministers, government officials, relatives, courtiers or mere friends. Heseems to find the same pleasure in calling up the various governmentdepartments that he does in alarming the various garrisons at nighttime, being evidently under the impression that by so doing he keepsthe officials strictly attentive to their duties, and convinced thatif not the eye, at any rate the ear of the emperor is on the _quivive!_ Nor are the government offices safe from being rung up by hismajesty over the wires even at night time. For the past two or threeyears he has insisted that at the ministry of foreign affairs, at theministry of the interior, and at the war and naval departments, atleast one of the divisional chiefs and half a dozen clerks should bekept on duty all night long, in order to attend to any business orto communicate to him without delay anything that they may regard asneeding his immediate attention. 

Berlin is the only capital where the principal government officesare thus kept open for official business all night long, andthe circumstance serves to furnish another illustration of theextraordinary activity, energy, and impatience of delay thatdistinguish the emperor, who wants everything done right away, withouta moment's waiting!

Emperor William gives the telephone companies at Berlin and at Potsdamfar more trouble than any other of their subscribers, for when hetelephones to any of the government departments, or to dignitaries orofficials of high rank, the operators at the central office are underthe strictest orders to abstain from listening to the conversation, and are forced to rise from their seats and remove to a distance fromthe wires. Anyone caught disobeying in this particular is subject notonly to dismissal, but to serious unpleasantness on the part of thepolice. 

When the emperor rings up anybody, he does not announce his identity, taking it for granted that the tones of his voice are sufficientlywell known to reveal it. It has been noted, moreover, that hecommences all his conversations over the wire with the pronoun "I, "while the verb "command, " either in the past or in the present tense, almost invariably follows. This is quite sufficient to show who istalking. 

William is the first sovereign of his line to accept the hospitalityof his subjects. Prior to his advent to the throne, such a thing asthe monarch attending any private entertainment or dinner given by oneof his lieges was altogether unknown. Neither King Frederick-WilliamIII. , King Frederick-William IV. , nor old Emperor William, whosereigns extended over nearly ninety years of the nineteenth century, ever once honored any member of the nobility, no matter how high inrank, with their presence for a single evening or night, exceptduring the course of the annual manoeuvres, when the monarch, ascommander-in-chief of the army, was quartered in some château, muchin the same manner as the officers of minor rank and the soldiers. Emperor William, however, following the example of his Britishrelatives, and greatly to the dismay of all the old-fashionedauthorities on the etiquette of the Court of Berlin, has adoptedthe practice of inviting himself out to dinner in town, and toshooting-parties in the country, in a manner that is absolutelystartling, even to his English relatives; for whereas the latter neverdine out anywhere, unless the list of guests invited to meet them ispreviously submitted to them for consideration and revision, inorder to avoid being brought into contact with people that are notcongenial, the kaiser, on the other hand, when he hears that a dinneris about to be given by one of his friends or followers, frequentlyinvites himself either at the last moment, an hour or two before thetime fixed for the meal, or else arrives unannounced and uninvited, knowing full well that he will always be welcome, since his comingcan only be regarded as a particular mark of imperial regard and favortoward the giver of the entertainment. 

Thus, while Count Shuvaloff was still Russian ambassador at Berlin, the emperor was in the habit of dropping in unannounced about luncheontime, and of sitting down with the count and countess, the latterbeing as often as not in the négligée of a mere tea-gown, and morethan once when he had sat with them longer than he intended, and foundthat there was no time left to return to the palace before proceedingto the railroad station to take his departure for Potsdam or someother place, he would ask leave of the count to use his telephone, ring up the empress, and not only bid her adieu, but also dispatch hera kiss over the wires, in the most charmingly domestic fashion. 

William prides himself in no small degree on his descent through QueenVictoria in an unbroken line from the Biblical King David, and claimsthat he, therefore, belongs to the same family as the founder ofChristianity. Hanging in a conspicuous position in his workroom in the"Neues-Palais" at Potsdam, is a copy of the royal family tree, showingthe name of King David engrossed at the root of it, with that ofEmperor William at the top. According to this tree, the reigning houseof England is descended from King David through the eldest daughterof Zedekiah, who, with her sister, fled to Ireland in charge of theprophet Jeremiah, --then an old man, --to be married to Heremon, theking of Ulster of the period. 

Curiously enough, a Mr. Glover, a clergyman of the Church of England, who had devoted the greater portion of his life to the study ofgenealogy, wrote to Queen Victoria a letter in 1869, informing herthat he had discovered her to be descended in an unbroken line fromKing David. Her majesty sent for him to come to Windsor, and to hisastonishment informed him that what he thought he had been the firstto discover had been known to herself and to the prince consort formany years. 

Naturally, William, with his religious ideas, has always been deeplyinterested in this family tree, and soon after his accession to thethrone requested his grandmother to let him have a copy thereof, whichwas sent to him most handsomely engrossed and magnificently framed. Its contemplation has, of course, tended to increase his belief in thedivine origin of his authority, since, if he does not, like the oldkings of France, describe himself as "first cousin of the Almighty, "he can at any rate claim to be a near kinsman of the founder ofChristianity. 

Notwithstanding all the emperor's manifest desire to render himselfagreeable to the French, and his evident eagerness to assuage bygracious and chivalrous courtesy the bitterness resulting from thewar of 1870 and the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, he has absolutelydeclined since he ascended the throne to permit France's nationalhymn, "The Marseillaise, " to be played at his court, at any of theimperial and royal theatres, or by any German military or naval band. When he entertains the French ambassador at dinner or receives him instate and wishes to pay him musical honors, he causes the old "Marchof St. Denis, " in use at Versailles prior to the great revolution, which is in every sense of the word a Bourbon hymn, to be played. 

The ambassador who now represents France is the Marquis de Noailles, ascion of one of the oldest ducal houses of the French nobility, whoseorigin dates back to the crusades. This being the case, the envoynaturally offers no objection to the attitude of the emperor withregard to the "Marseillaise. "

The kaiser, after all, acts in the matter with a far greater degree oflogic and reason than any of his fellow-sovereigns, for the strainsof the "Marseillaise" are familiar in the palace of the czar at St. Petersburg, at Windsor Castle, in the royal palace of Madrid, inthe imperial Hofburg at Vienna, and even at the Vatican, and it isdifficult to conceive anything more paradoxical than a royal bandof music playing for the delectation of royal and imperial ears anational hymn, the words of which passionately call upon the peopleto rise up and to put to death all kings and emperors, queens andempresses, denounced as bloodthirsty tyrants. 

Emperor William, even before his accession to the throne, manifestedsuch a pronounced hostility towards the practice of gambling at cards, which is one of the curses of the corps of officers of the Germanarmy, that a very widespread impression prevails to the effect that heobjects to card games in any shape or form. This is a mistake. It isthe gambling and not the game itself to which the kaiser is opposed. In fact, he is very fond of a game of cards, provided the stakes aremerely nominal, and I have known him to play an entire evening aftera dinner at the castle of Kuckelna, which marked the close of a greatpheasant "drive" organized in his honor by Prince Lichnòwski. The gamewhich the emperor played was the German one called _Skat_, and thepoint was a German penny. The emperor was the principal loser, havinghad poor hands dealt to him throughout the entire game, and when hearose from the table he was out of pocket exactly six cents. In thuslimiting the stakes to a merely nominal amount he has followed theexample of his old friend and adviser, the veteran King of Saxony, whois accustomed to play every night his game of _skat_ after dinner, hisstakes, like those of the kaiser, never exceeding one penny. 

I have often wished that I could see the face of the kaiser's uncle, the Prince of Wales, were such truly regal stakes as these proposed tohim. His ordinary points and stakes are any sum from five guineas tofifty, and even a hundred, and the only time that I can recollect hishaving played for less than a guinea was at Hughenden when on a visitto the Earl of Beaconsfield. Bernal Osborne, father of the Duchess ofSt. Albans, was one of the party when the prince proposed a game ofwhist at five-guinea points. Lord Beaconsfield was a poor man, obligedto count every penny, and Bernal Osborne caught sight of the mannerin which his face fell when the proposal was made. Grasping thesituation, and remembering that Lord Beaconsfield had but a few weekspreviously added the imperial crown of India to the British regalia, by causing Queen Victoria to be proclaimed Empress of India, he turnedto the prince and remarked:

"Would it not be more appropriate, sir, to play for crown stakes?" Theprince grasped the situation at once, made a flattering reference tothe old premier, and the points played for were, as suggested, fiveshillings instead of five guineas!

Apropos of this question of cards, William has done everything inhis power to check gambling, especially among the army officers, andbefore succeeding to the throne, while still only Prince of Prussia, he actually went to the length of issuing a stringent order to theofficers of the Hussar regiment, of which he was colonel, forbiddingthem to cross the threshold of the Union Club, on account of thehigh play for which that institution was notorious. The club deeplyresented being thus placed under a ban, and sent its president, thelate Duke of Ratibor, to the aged emperor to entreat him to rescindhis grandson's order, on the ground that it was a reflection upon themost aristocratic and exclusive club of all Germany, besides beingunjust to the officers of the regiment, some of whom were among themost brilliant and popular members of that institution. Old EmperorWilliam, after inquiring whether Prince William had really issued suchan order, shook his head rather seriously for a few minutes, and thentold the duke that he would see what he could do, but that knowing hisgrandson well, he feared that there would be a good deal of difficultyabout the matter. On the following morning, when young Prince Williamcame to pay his daily visit to his grandfather, the latter broachedthe subject to him with the utmost caution, and with manifestexpectation of encountering a refusal. Nor was he disappointed. For nosooner had he mentioned the matter than the young prince declared inthe most positive manner that nothing would induce him to rescind hisorder, and that rather than give way, he would resign command of theregiment, arguing that in such a matter especially he could brook nointerference. The old emperor admitted in a rather shame-facedway that his grandson was in the right, excused himself for havingmentioned the matter, did all that he could to soothe what he believedto be the ruffled feelings of the prince, and on the following daytold the Duke of Ratibor that he was very sorry, but that, in spiteof all his efforts, he had been unable to accomplish anything with hisgrandson in the way desired. 

Immediately after he came to the throne he requested the resignationof a number of officers, some of them bearing the greatest namesin the empire, for instance, the late Prince Fürstenberg and PrinceGeorge Radziwill, for no other reason than their fondness forcards, and in consequence of the large sums of money which they wereaccustomed to stake. All the princes and nobles thus forced to leavethe army also quitted Berlin, in token of their disapproval of anemperor who took upon himself to interfere with what they were pleasedto regard as their private amusements, and there is no doubt that fora time the brilliancy of the Berlin Court and the prosperity oftrade in the Prussian capital suffered through the closing of so manyprincely palaces and grand houses. 

It is strange that in spite of all that the emperor has done tostop gambling, the play has been higher, and the card-scandals morefrequent since he became emperor than during any previous reign, withthe exception of that of his grand-uncle, King Frederick-William IV. The latter's crusade against gambling culminated in the tragic deathof his chief of police, and most intimate friend and crony, Baronvon Hinkelday, whose spectre he was wont to see before him duringhis moments of temporary dementia, previous to his becoming entirelyinsane. 

Emperor William's reign has been saddened much in the same waythrough the suicide of his young cousin, Prince Alfred of Coburg; theself-destruction of the young prince, who had been placed under theimmediate care and guardianship of his majesty, having been due, asI have intimated, to enormous losses at the card tables of Berlin andPotsdam. In spite of all the well-meant efforts of the kaiser, andnotwithstanding all his threats and disciplinary measures, gamblingis more rampant to-day among the officers of the German army, andoverwhelming a greater number of illustrious names with ruin anddisgrace than ever before. 

With all his keen sense of dignity, his shortness of temper, and hisimpulsiveness, the emperor is nevertheless more easily diverted fromanger to good humor by means of a piece of wit than most of his fellowsovereigns. Some time ago, when old Baron Boetticher, secretary ofstate for the interior, was discussing with his majesty the mostsuitable nominations to be made in the case of a number of vacantoffices, the latter became greatly irritated by the old statesman'sunanswerable objections to the candidate for whom he himself desiredto obtain a certain post, his anger grew quite violent, and when thebaron inquired if there were no other person upon whom he would liketo confer the appointment, William replied, curtly, "Oh, confer it onthe devil if you like!"

"Very well, " replied the old minister, with a twinkle in his eye, but in his most suave and courtly manner, and with a most unruffleddemeanor: "And shall I allow the patent signed by your majesty inthat case to go out in the usual form, 'To my trusted and well-belovedcousin and counsellor?'"

The kaiser saw the joke at once, burst into a loud peal of laughter, his ill-temper having vanished in a moment. 

Another amusing incident in which the devil was called upon to play apart occurred on the occasion of the emperor's inspection of a numberof newly-joined recruits for the first regiment of Foot Guards. Inaccordance with his invariable custom, he was examining-them as towhat they would do in this or that emergency. Addressing one burlyPomeranian grenadier, he inquired what he would say to a man whoannoyed him while on sentry duty. 

"Go to the devil! Get out! your majesty, " responded the man. 

"All right, my friend, " exclaimed the emperor, laughing, "I'll getout; but I'll be hanged if I'll go to the devil, " and with that heturned to the next man. 

Military inspections very often furnish the occasion for amusingand sometimes rather disconcerting episodes. I can recall as anillustration an inspection of recruits for the navy at Kiel. On thatday the emperor had been holding forth, as he so often does, about theduty of sailors as well as soldiers to defend the crown againstthe foes beyond the frontiers of the empire, as well as against theenemies within the boundaries of the latter. He then singled out astolid-looking recruit, and having ascertained that he was the sonof a Bavarian farmer, with a strongly developed taste for the sea, heproceeded to question him with regard to the address which he had justdelivered. 

"And who are our foreign foes, my good fellow?" he inquired. 

"The Russians and the French, your majesty, " replied the recruit. 

"And who are the enemies within the empire?" proceeded the emperor, expecting of course that the sailor would say that they were thesocialists. 

"The Prussians, your majesty, " answered the Jack-tar that was tobe, without apparently realizing that he had said anything wrong orimpolite, and merely giving a frank utterance to the sentiment inwhich he, like all his countrymen in Bavaria, had been brought up. 

One of the most pleasing features about Emperor William is hisreadiness to forgive and forget, and his inability to bear a grudgefor any length of time against those who have either insulted orinjured him. No more striking instance of this can be given than histreatment of General Baron von Krosick, who expected to be dismissedfrom the army, possibly even banished, when William ascended thethrone, but who instead has been overwhelmed by his sovereign withevery conceivable honor, having received not merely his promotionfrom the rank of brigadier-general to that of inspector-general of thearmy, but also investiture with the exceedingly rare distinction ofthe Order of the Black Eagle, which, as I have already stated before, is the Prussian equivalent to the English Order of the Garter, andthe Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece. The baron enjoys thewell-deserved reputation of being the most phenomenally rude andrough-spoken man in the German army, and was at one time colonel incommand of the hussar regiment in which William, prior to becomingemperor, received his cavalry training. 

On one occasion an almost incredible scene took place. It was ata regimental mess banquet, to which William, at that time only acaptain, had invited Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria, then on a visitat Berlin. During the course of the dinner, the conversation turnedupon some projected reforms in cavalry drill and movements, whichultimately turned out to be impracticable and were not carried intoeffect. William, in his impulsive, impetuous, and somewhat arrogantway, declaimed in a loud tone of voice on their superlative merits, declared himself in their favor, and added that he would do his utmostto see them carried through, as he regarded them as indispensable toraise the standard and tone of the German cavalry. 

Colonel von Krosick, like the remainder of the officers, had drunk hisfair share of wine. He never liked his royal subaltern, and tookno pains to conceal his sentiments. The arrogance of the prince'sutterances, as well as his assumption of superiority, exasperated himbeyond measure, and, breaking into the conversation, he exclaimed intones that were heard throughout the apartment:

"_Aber das ist ja der blödste Unsinn_ [But that is the most ridiculousnonsense];" and then proceeded to contemptuously ridicule William'sarguments. 

Much nettled, and quite as short-tempered as his colonel, Williamcalled out, half jokingly, half bitterly:

"That is all very well, colonel. You are my superior officer atpresent, and I am bound to defer to your opinion. But our positionsmay change one of these days, and then you will see. "

Perfectly frantic and purple in the face, Colonel von Krosickthundered forth:

"When that day comes to pass, prince, I will rather break my sabreacross my knee than serve under your command. "

Immediately the whole place was in an uproar. The Austrian crownprince being the first to jump from his seat, and a minute later bothprinces had left the mess-room and the barracks. Contrary to generalexpectation, Prince William made no report about the matter, either tohis father or grandfather, and Colonel von Krosick heard nothing moreabout the affair. 

Of course he expected to receive his discharge when William ascendedthe throne. But to his amazement, he has ever since been made theobject of the most signal favor, kindliness and respect: the respectthat is frequently entertained by a man after he has grown up towardthe head master who caned him when he was at school. Indeed, Williamseems never to be able to forget that he was for several years underthe old martinet's direct command. 

In spite of Emperor William being at the present moment over fortyyears of age, he still retains a great store of boyishness, and inparticular, a liking for practical jokes, though never when they areat his own expense! It is not so very long ago that he had notifieda number of generals and military dignitaries to meet him at therailroad station at Potsdam, at half-past eleven in the evening, inorder to accompany him to manoeuvres that were to be held at a placeseveral hours' distance on the following day. Leaving the palace onfoot shortly after eleven, he entered the railroad station by a backdoor, and managed to slip in without being recognized. 

Shielded by the darkness, he made his way unobserved to the specialtrain, which was in waiting, got into his carriage by the door on theopposite side from the platform. For at least half an hour he amusedhimself by peeping at the officers on the platform, whose facesexpressed surprise and vexation that his majesty, ordinarily sopunctual, should be so long in coming. Suddenly he raised the blind, opened the window, and intimated by loud and prolonged laughter hispresence in the carriage, and the success of his little trick. Theastonishment and the dismay depicted on the visages of those on theplatform can be more easily imagined than described. 

Emperor William is not fond of the press, and has never taken anytrouble to conceal his dislike for that branch of the literaryprofession. It is true that he has been subjected to a good deal ofabuse at its hands, and that he has been made the object of calumnysufficient to drive a man so hypersensitive to public comment into alunatic asylum. Many of the most intricate troubles and most annoyingepisodes of his life and his reign have been in a large measure due tothe press, inasmuch as they were either originated or envenomed by thenewspapers. William is as nervous about what the papers will say as ayoung débutante on the stage. Not only does he keep an anxious watchupon the utterances of all German editors, but he ordains a vigilantscrutiny of the articles printed in foreign countries from the pens ofcorrespondents stationed in Berlin, who, if any unfriendly mentionof his name is brought home to them, are ultimately driven out of thecountry. 

One of the first acts of Emperor William's reign was the expulsionfrom Berlin of a number of foreign journalists, whose criticismsand comments on his attitude towards his mother, as well as onhis opposition to the political views of his dead father, had beendistasteful to the imperial eye. A year later he caused a new seriesof press laws to be presented to the Reichstag, which contained sucharbitrary provisions for stamping out the remaining liberties ofthe press that even the _Cologne Gazette_ denounced it as "puttinga frightful weapon into the hands of the government for suppressingfreedom of speech and silencing opposition. " This measure did notpass, in spite of all the efforts of his majesty, and its rejectionmerely served to embitter the emperor still further against the press. 

As far as the German press is concerned William manages to get evenwith it by insisting upon the strict execution of the laws concerningthe crime of _Lése majesté_ with a severity that savors of themiddle ages rather than of modern times. Indeed, while there are fewprominent journalists in Germany who have not undergone imprisonmentsince he ascended the throne, for writing of him in a manner that heconsidered disrespectful, there are some newspapers that are literallyobliged to employ distinguished members of their staff for no otherpurpose than doing time in jail, as the penalty of too free utterancesof the sheet with which they are connected. 

Of course, William has no such means of dealing with the foreignpress, which being more fearless, thanks to its immunity, hasnaturally subjected him to worse treatment than that of Germany. Occasionally though, he gets even with some of his foreign assailants, and the following story is told of the manner in which he dealt witha newspaper proprietor in New York, who after rendering his journalconspicuous above all others for its personal attacks on his majesty, had the audacity to write him a letter, asking him for a brief articlefrom his, the kaiser's, pen. 

The editor in question gave as a pretext for his request, the allegedexistence of a widespread belief in the United States that his majestywas not quite right in his mind, and suggested that a brief message, for which a check of five thousand dollars was enclosed, might relievethe anxiety of millions of Germans in America, and convince them thatthe kaiser was quite sane. Some weeks later the enterprising editorreceived a visit from the German consul-general in New York. On beingadmitted to the august presence of the editor the consul-generalextracted an envelope from his pocket, and from the envelope thefive-thousand-dollar check, to the order of his majesty, the Germanemperor, and bearing the signature of the editor; the consul-generalthen made a bow to the latter, handed him the check, made another bow, and withdrew without having said a single word, or opened his mouth, even to greet him!

CHAPTER XIV

Emperor William, like his brother monarch at Vienna, is seldom seenout of uniform. Soldiers above everything else by profession, itconstitutes the garb to which they have been accustomed from theirboyhood, and both look ill at ease and uncomfortable in civilianclothes. 

Francis-Joseph, in fact, never wears "mufti" except when abroad, andit is doubtful whether anyone in Switzerland or in the South of Francewould have recognized the Emperor of Austro-Hungary in the elderlygentleman who was there on several occasions, and who wore a blackround hat, and a rather badly-fitting morning or sack suit of darkcloth, had it not been for the striking appearance of the beautifuland slender black-garbed empress by his side. In the same way, EmperorWilliam, although he gets his civilian clothes from some of theleading London tailors, invariably looks by no means to advantage inthem, and suggests the French description of _endimanché_, that is tosay, like a young man in his Sunday, go-to-meeting attire. 

The uniforms ordinarily affected by Francis-Joseph are the undressregimentals of an Austrian general, the blue-gray short tunic, facedwith scarlet and gold, trousers with broad red stripes, and thatpeculiar, oval-shaped, rather high-crowned soft cap, with a smallvizor, which constitutes the undress headgear of officers belonging toevery rank of the Austrian army. The only token of his imperial rankis the small badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece peeping forthfrom between the first and second buttons of his tunic, the cross ofMaria-Theresa, and the medal accorded to every officer and soldier whohas served fifty years in the army attached to his breast. On stateoccasions at Vienna the emperor dons the full-dress uniform of anAustrian general, consisting of a white short tunic or "Atilla, " facedwith gold and scarlet, scarlet trousers, with broad gold stripes, and a general's three-cornered _chapeau_, surmounted by a big tuft ofgreen plumes. 

When Francis-Joseph is in Hungary he invariably wears either theundress or full-dress uniform of a Hungarian general, and it must beconfessed that, in spite of the somewhat theatrical appearance of thegold embroidered, tight-fitting scarlet pantaloons and gold-toppedhigh boots, the scarlet gold-laced tunic of the full dress, withthe heron-plumed kálpàk, or the slightly less gorgeous "shako, "and blue-grey, gold-laced tunic of the undress uniform, he looksremarkably well, thanks to the extraordinary elasticity and elegancewhich he has retained in spite of his three-score years and ten. 

Emperor William's ordinary garb is the familiar undress uniform of aPrussian general, the dark-blue long frock coat, with its double rowof silver buttons, its scarlet collar, and its silver shoulder-straps. The trousers are of the same hue as the coat, with broad scarletstripes, the latter being worn only by generals. Hanging from thecollar is usually the cross of the Brandenburg Langue of the Order ofSt. John of Jerusalem, while on the breast is fastened a sort of star, consisting of the letter "W" encircled by gold laurel leaves, whichhas been accorded to all the officers who formed part of the householdof Old Emperor William. The cap is the ordinary flat, black vizoredundress headgear of all the officers of the German army. 

The uniforms which the emperor wears on state occasions are eitherthe full-dress uniform of a Prussian general, richly-embroidered, dark-blue tunic, and epaulets, with a helmet surmounted by thewhite plumes of a field officer, or else the regimentals of acolonel-in-chief of the gardes-du-corps. In the latter, the emperorlooks exceedingly well, especially on horseback. The helmet issurmounted by a silver eagle with outstretched wings, the white tunicis partly concealed by a silver cuirass, adorned with a gold sun, andwith the white, tight-fitting knee-breeches are worn high jack-boots. In fact, it is no flattery to Emperor William to declare that hisappearance in this uniform invariably suggests "Lohengrin. " At courtentertainments, in the evening, he frequently wears the so-calledgala, or court dress of this regiment. The coat is scarlet instead ofwhite, while the cuirass is abandoned. Sometimes the emperor attireshimself in the uniform of a colonel of the Hussar regiment which hecommanded at the time of his accession to the throne. It is scarlet, gold-laced, and the tight-fitting scarlet pantaloons are worn withknee-boots, topped with gold. 

The emperor is likewise very fond of donning naval attire, beingparticularly proud of his connection with the fleet of Germany andthose of a number of foreign countries. Indeed, it may be safelyasserted that if there is any one foreign dignity which he cherishesextremely, it is that of admiral of the fleet in the British navy, conferred upon him by his grandmother, Queen Victoria. 

Emperor William was only a brigadier-general at the time of hisaccession to the throne. It was not until several months afterbecoming emperor that he assumed the insignia of a general ofdivision. Inasmuch as some curiosity exists as to how a monarch canpromote himself, it may be stated that old Field Marshal Moltke, whowas then possessed of the highest rank in the German army, calledone day upon William, and, presenting him with a pair of silvershoulder-straps, adorned with the insignia of a general of division, entreated his majesty in the name of the entire army, and inparticular on behalf of the corps of officers, to assume the rank of afull general. 

The same request was presented to the present czar at the time ofhis coronation, but met with a refusal on the part of his Muscovitemajesty, for he pointed out that Peter the Great had throughout hisentire reign contented himself with the rank of colonel. There is alsoanother reason which Nicholas did not mention officially, but which iswell known to the members of his immediate _entourage_. At the presentmoment his name figures on the army list as the principal orderlyofficer and personal adjutant of the late czar. This is an officewhich can only be held by military men below the rank of general. The moment young Nicholas acquires that rank his name _ipso-facto_disappears from the list of his dead father's adjutants, and he is fartoo attached to his memory to desire this, preferring the minor rankof colonel and the association with his beloved predecessor, to allthe pomp and glory of a generalissimo. 

Of all the other sovereigns in Europe there is not one who travelswith such an immense amount of luggage as Emperor William. He seldomundertakes a trip without taking along at least one hundred hugetrunks of the so-called Saratoga pattern, which fill several wagonsof the imperial train; indeed, an entire special train is notinfrequently chartered solely for the conveyance of his luggage. Likesome French _élégantes_ at a fashionable seaside resort, he changeshis garb five, six, and even seven times a day. The consequence isthat it is necessary to have at hand not only a vast number of navaland military uniforms, but also a diversity of shooting suits, huntingsuits, civilian clothes, Tyrolese jäger costumes, and even the kilt, sporran and tartan of a Highlander, for he is very proud of the factthat Stuart blood flows in his veins, and considers that he is quiteas much entitled to wear the Stuart tartan as his uncle, the Prince ofWales. 

All these clothes are not under the charge of a mere valet, but of a grand dignitary of the Court of Berlin, --CountPerponcher-Sedlinzky, --who holds the rank of privy councillor, andwho is addressed as "your excellency. " The count has a perfect army ofdressers and valets under his orders, but it is he who is responsible, not only for the uniforms being in good trim, but likewise for theirbeing on hand whenever the emperor happens to need them. 

In order to understand what this entails, it must be rememberedthat the kaiser is not only colonel of some hundred or more Germanregiments, but also of a very great many foreign corps, belonging toevery country in Europe, except Turkey, Bulgaria and France. Now foreach regiment, there are sometimes six, sometimes eight differentuniforms--one each for parade, fatigue duty, court wear, an undressuniform, and others too numerous to mention. 

When the emperor travels and is likely to be brought into contact withEnglish princes, with Russians or with Austrians, it is necessarythat he should have within his reach, not merely one of his English, Austrian or Russian uniforms, but all of them--that is to say, thirtyor forty at least, in addition to his German uniforms and ordinaryclothes. 

An immense amount of importance is attached to these sumptuaryquestions by the reigning families of Europe. On one occasion animperial meeting between the kaiser and the late czar was delayed forthree whole days, while government stocks all over the world declinedin value, and the utmost apprehension prevailed on the score of peace, merely because the prince who held the office of grand-master of theczar's wardrobe had neglected to bring with him the German uniforms ofhis master. It may be added that he lost his office in consequence. 

This peculiar form of royal and imperial courtesy, consisting in thesovereign and royal princes of one country donning the uniforms orlivery of the foreign monarch whom they wish to compliment, originatedwith Frederick the Great. In 1770, he had to pay a visit to theEmperor of Austria at the castle of Neustadt, in Moravia. Only sevenyears before, Prussia had been engaged in her great struggle with theempire, and had thoroughly beaten Austria. Frederick feared that thetoo familiar blue Prussian uniform might awaken unpleasant memories onthe part of the emperor and his court. So, with the utmost delicacy, he and all his staff appeared at Neustadt in the white Austrianuniforms, an act of courtesy on the part of the victor to thevanquished which was warmly appreciated both by Emperor Joseph and allhis Austrian _entourage_. The fashion thus inaugurated has remainedin existence ever since, being facilitated by the fact that everysovereign in Europe, including even Queen Victoria, the Queen Regentof Spain, and the two Queens of Holland, holds honorary commands in anumber of foreign regiments. 

During the reign of Old Emperor William, those who did not possessthe right to wear any civil or military uniform were permitted to maketheir appearance at court in ordinary evening dress, which ultimatelyhad the effect of giving a sort of _bourgeois_ flavor to imperialentertainments. The present kaiser, however, proceeded to change allthis before he had been very long on the throne, and having noticedthat at the court of his English grandmother, no one is allowed toappear at any of the state entertainments or functions in ordinaryevening dress, --the only exception made being in favor of the UnitedStates embassy, --he inaugurated similar regulations at Berlin. 

According to these sumptuary decrees gentlemen who are invited toentertainments at court, and who for any reason have no right tomilitary, naval or civil service uniform, are compelled to appear in aspecies of court dress, consisting of a coat cut after the fashion ofthe last, rather than of the present century. Its color is black, ordark blue, as are also the revers, the collar and the cuffs; with itare worn black, tight fitting knee breeches, black silk stockings, and low patent leather shoes with gold buckles. A three-cornered_chapeau_, without feathers, and a court sword, complete this costume. 

The emperor likewise directed that all officials of the court and thecivil service, namely, every man who did not happen to belong eitherto the army or to the navy, should wear at court balls and at allgreat state entertainments, white knee breeches, and white silkstockings, with low, gold-buckled shoes, in lieu of the blue, black, or white gold-laced trousers that had until then been habitually wornwith the gold-embroidered swallow-tail coat, which constitutes theuniform of the German civil service, and of court officialdom. Untilthat time, the only European court at which knee breeches had beeninsisted upon at court and state entertainments, was that of GreatBritain. They were likewise _de rigueur_ at the Tuileries during thereign of Napoleon III. The kaiser, however, came to the conclusionthat continuations of this kind gave a more brilliant and dressyappearance to court functions than long trousers, and accordingly thelatter are barred, save in the case of officers of the army and navy. 

At the imperial court of Berlin there are four types of receptionsor _cours_, the latter being the French word which has clung to thesestate functions ever since the reign of Frederick the Great. Theyare the "Défiler-Cour, " the "Spiel-Cour, " the "Sprech-Cour" and the"Trauer-Cour. " The first, namely, the "défiler cour"--from the Frenchword _défiler_, to file past--is the Berlin counterpart of QueenVictoria's drawing-rooms at Buckingham Palace in London, and is heldonce a year for the purpose of presenting débutantes, brides andladies whose husbands have recently been promoted, or raised to therank of nobility. They pass one by one before the throne, curtsyprofoundly to each of their majesties, while the grand chamberlainmentions their names, and then leave the imperial presence by a sideexit. No one kisses the empress's hand, as is the case with QueenVictoria in England, nor are the presentees compelled to back out ofthe imperial presence, as at Buckingham Palace. The court dress ofdébutantes at Berlin is not necessarily white, though that is the huemost affected. The long court train may be of an entirely differentmaterial and color from the dress itself, if the wearer pleases, theonly stipulation made being that the richness and splendor of thefabric must be beyond question. An indispensable feature of thetoilette is the so-called "barbe, " a sort of tiny lace veil, suspendedon each side of the coiffure, about two inches in width. The lace ofcourse must be real, though the kind is left to the wearer's choice. It is generally white Spanish point, Alençon, or _Point d'Angleterre_. 

The "défiler-cour" almost invariably takes place on New Year's Day, immediately after Divine service. This service begins at ten o'clock, the men being in full uniform, and during the benediction a battery ofartillery, stationed in the "Lust-Garten, " fires a royal salute of onehundred and one guns. 

As soon as the last gun has been fired, the royal and imperialprocession forms, headed by the grand marshal of the court, CountAugustus Eulenburg, bearing his wand of office, and leaves thecourt chapel. When it reaches the "Weisse-Saal"--one of the grandestapartments of this ancient palace--the band stationed in the gallerycommences to play, generally the Hohenzollern march. The emperor andempress thereupon take their places on the dais beneath the greatescutcheoned golden canopy, and in front of the two chairs of statethat represent the thrones. At the right and left are grouped thevarious royal and imperial personages present, while at the foot ofthe dais stands the grand master of the ceremonies for the purpose ofmentioning to their majesties the names of those who pass before them. At the back of the royal and imperial party are ranged the palaceguard in their quaint, old-fashioned, and exceedingly picturesqueuniforms. The first to pass before the throne is invariably thechancellor of the empire, and while the emperor and empress merelyrespond with an inclination of the head to the salutations of those ofminor rank, they invariably approach to the edge of the dais inorder to give their hands to be kissed by the octogenarian Princeof Hohenlohe, who has held the office of chancellor ever since theretirement of General Count Caprivi. The band plays throughout theentire ceremony, which is a most magnificent affair. 

The so-called "spiel-cour" still keeps its name, implying cardplaying, although, as a matter of fact, cards are never played atcourt now. In former times they constituted a very important featureof court entertainment, and the "spiel-cour, " or "le jeu de leursmajestés, " was the function to which those whom the anointed of theLord desired to honor were most frequently bidden. In earlier days, as soon as the guests had made their bows to the sovereign and to theprinces and princesses of the blood, card-tables were set out, andgambling commenced, those to whom their majesties wished to accordspecial distinction and honor receiving royal commands, through thechamberlains-in-waiting to take their places at the card-tables of theking, or of the queen, as the case might be. 

It was these royal games of cards at the Court of Versailles whichcontributed in no small measure to the downfall of the old Frenchmonarchy, and to the outbreak of the great revolution in Paris ahundred years ago. The ill-fated Queen Marie-Antoinette of Francebecame an inveterate gambler. It was her craze for high play thatled her to admit not only to her court, but also to her card-table, parvenus of doubtful reputation and of questionable antecedents, suchas the infamous Cagliostro, _soi-disant_ Count of St. Germain, andothers of his class, whose only merit in her eyes was that they wererich and willing to lose their money without counting it. Indeed, the celebrated diamond necklace scandal, which compromised to such aterrible degree the reputation of this French queen, and precipitatedthe overthrow of the throne, would have been impossible had it notbeen for her gambling propensities. 

[Illustration: IN THE WHITE HALL_After a drawing by Oreste Cortazzo_]

The "spiel-cour" only takes place on the eve of the wedding of amember of the Hohenzollern family. It is held in the _weisse-saal_ ofthe Berlin _schloss_, or palace. The kaiser and the kaiserin, with thebridal pair, seat themselves at a card table under a canopy of goldbrocade, adorned with the imperial arms. The other royal personagessit at card-tables lower down on the dais on each side. The invitedguests then pass before their majesties, precisely as at the"défiler-cour. "

The "sprech-cour" is, as its name signifies, a kind of_conversazione_. The persons invited are partitioned off, accordingto their ranks, in different rooms, through which their majestiespromenade. Those not personally known to the emperor and empress areintroduced by the masters of ceremonies in attendance, and others withwhom their majesties are already acquainted are honored by a shortconversation. 

"Trauer-cours, " or mourning levées, are held immediately after thedeath of the reigning sovereign, and are exceedingly impressive, mainly by reason of the flowing robes and peculiar sable-hued attirewhich the ladies of the royal family of Prussia and of their courtsare compelled by tradition and etiquette to adopt. Moreover, all theapartments are draped in black, the gilded ornaments being shroudedin crape. The last of these mourning courts was held by EmpressFrederick, in the place of her dying husband, on the demise of oldEmperor William, and so painful and depressing was this occasion, thatat her urgent request, no ceremony of the kind was held when "_UnserFritz_" in his turn, was gathered to his fathers. 

Very stately are the court balls, of which a number are given inthe early part of each year, between the First of January and thebeginning of Lent. In fact, court balls at Berlin are infinitelyless amusing, at any rate to young people, than are analogousentertainments at the Hofburg, at Vienna, or at Buckingham Palace, inLondon. This is due partly to the fact that Hohenzollern tradition andetiquette require that the proceedings should be inaugurated with thePolonaise, and furthermore, because the waltz has, for nearlyforty years, been denied a place in the programme of terpsichoreanentertainments at court. 

In fact, waltzes have been forbidden ever since an accident whichhappened to Empress Frederick at a court ball not long after hermarriage. She was waltzing with a young nobleman, when suddenly shewas tripped up inadvertently by her partner, and precipitated to thefloor at the very feet of old Empress Augusta, her mother-in-law. Thelatter, who was a terrible despot on the score of etiquette, couldnot bear the idea of a dance which could have the effect of placing aprincess of the blood in such an undignified position, and turninga deaf ear to all arguments about the mishap being due to theawkwardness of the dancers, rather than to the dance itself, shevetoed the inclusion of waltzes thenceforth in all programmes of courtballs. 

Fortunately, no such regulation prevails at the Court of Vienna, whereStrauss's waltzes invariably form the most attractive feature of theso-called "hofball" and "ball-bei-hof. " There is a great differencein the character of these two state balls at Vienna. To the first, all sorts of people are commanded who are entitled solely by virtue oftheir official position to appear at court. The second, and far morebrilliant one, is restricted to what is known as the court circle, orthe _elite_, --the old blue-blooded aristocracy, --alone. 

So far Emperor William has resisted all the pressure brought to bearupon him by the princesses and ladies of his court to revive thewaltz, taking the ground that it is more conducive than any otherdance to ridiculous mishaps on the highly polished and parquetedfloors of the royal and imperial palaces. Even with the polka, the schottische and the mazurka, to which the round dances are nowlimited, there are so many accidents that some time ago the kaisersummoned the generals commanding the various troops stationed in andaround Berlin, and instructed them to direct those officers who werenot able to dance properly, to abstain from attempting to do so at theimperial entertainments. The result is that young officers are now putthrough their paces by their seniors, and have to display a certainproficiency in dances around the billiard or mess table before theyare allowed to dance at court. 

I remember on one occasion at a court ball at Berlin when a youngsubaltern incurred the anger of the late Prince Frederick-Charles bytripping up his partner. The Red Prince assailed the young officer sobitterly that the crown prince was obliged to intervene. 

At a Viennese court ball I once saw the young secretary of aforeign embassy fall so unfortunately while dancing with one of thearchduchesses that he actually came down in a sitting position on herface, and caused her nose to bleed. It need scarcely be added that heleft Vienna the next day, and a week later obtained his transfer toanother post. 

A short time before the tragedy of Mayerling, Crown Princess Stephaniehad a very nasty fall, owing to the gaucherie of a cavalry officerwith whom she was waltzing. The emperor was terribly annoyed, andCrown Prince Rudolph spoke his mind in no measured tones to theoffender. 

Far more polite was Emperor Napoleon III. When at a Tuileries balla middle-aged officer and his fair partner came to grief. As themortified warrior scrambled to his feet, the emperor extended a handto help him, and turning to the lady, remarked:

"_Madame, c'est la deuxième fois que j'ai vu tomber monsieur lecolonel. La première fois c'était sur le champ de bataille deMagenta_. " (Madame, this is the second time I have seen the colonelfall. The first time was on the battlefield of Magenta. )

In order to see the Polonaise danced in all its glory, it must bewitnessed on the occasion of the wedding of some princess of thereigning house of Prussia, when the dance is headed by a procession ofcabinet ministers, bearing candles or torches, whence it is styled the"Fackel-tanz, " (Torch-dance). 

On such an occasion the emperor, the empress and the royal guestshaving taken up their places on the dais, under the baldaquin, andimmediately in front of the throne, the less exalted guests rangingthemselves to the right and left of the great white hall, accordingto rank and precedence, the court marshal receives orders from hismajesty for the dance to begin. The count thereupon approaches theroyal bride and bridegroom, and bowing low to them, invites themto take part in the dance. The bridegroom extends his hand to hisconsort, and to the sound of a very slow and stately march conductsher around the hall, preceded by the twelve ministers of state, walking two by two, those highest in rank coming last. Each, ministerbears in his hand a lighted torch of white perfumed wax. When theprocession returns to the point from which it started, in front of thethrone, the bride approaches the emperor, and with a curtsy inviteshis majesty to take part in the dance, and is conducted around theroom by him, the bridegroom going through the same formality with theempress. As soon as these first three rounds are concluded, the twelveministers hand over their wax torches to twelve pages of honor, eachlad being of noble birth, and the bridegroom then similarly invitesthe remaining princesses of the blood, two at a time, leading one witheach hand, while the bride goes through the same procedure with twoprinces of the blood, until the total list of royal personages hasbeen exhausted. When the number of royal guests is very large thisdance sometimes lasts nearly two hours. 

On ordinary cases, of course, the torches are dispensed with, and thepolonaise only continues long enough to enable the emperor andempress to march once round, the hall with those guests whom theywish particularly to honor. On such occasions they are preceded by thecourt marshal bearing the wand of grand marshal, by several masters ofthe ceremonies, and by picturesquely attired pages of honor. 

Court ceremonies have been few and far between during the last tenor twelve years at Vienna owing to the circumstance that the imperialfamily have been almost uninterruptedly in mourning, consequent uponthe successive deaths of Crown Prince Rudolph, Archduke Charles-Louisand Empress Elizabeth, in addition to a number of less importantmembers of the imperial family. The ceremonial is very differentfrom that which prevails at Berlin, and it must be confessed that theguests are more select, since the Court of Vienna is infinitelymore exclusive than that of Berlin, and requires much more stringentgenealogical qualifications on the part of women admitted to the honorof presentation. Indeed, there Is no court in Europe more exclusivethan that of Emperor Francis-Joseph, and the threshold of the Hofburgmay be regarded as barred without hope of admission to any lady who isnot endowed with the necessary ancestry, free from all plebeian strainfor at least eight generations on both the father's and the mother'sside. 

The presentation of débutantes and of brides ordinarily takes placeprior to the commencement of court balls, and there are no such thingsas state concerts or "défiler-cours, " as at Berlin, and in England, atwhich latter court guests receive their invitations to state ballsby means of large lithographed cards emblazoned with the royal orimperial arms, on which it is stated that the grand-master of theCourt at Berlin, or the lord chamberlain in London, has been directedby their majesties, or her majesty, as the case may be, to "command"the attendance of such and such a person to a ball at court. Thesecommands are usually sent out about a week or more in advance: butin Vienna, where it is taken for granted that all the people havinga right to invitations belong to the same intimate circle, cards aredispensed with, and on the day before the entertainment, sometimes onthe very morning on which it is given, one of the court messengers, orso-called Hofcouriers, calls at the residence of invited guests witha long sheet of paper, on which is inscribed the list of _invités. _ Onthis list, opposite his or her name, the invited person writes yesor no, indicating thereby acceptance of the imperial command orprevention by some grave event. 

The guests are already assembled in the Hall of Ceremonies before theimperial party makes its appearance. The ladies all wear court trains, and in almost every case the bodice of their dress is adorned withthe insignia of the "Sternkreutz" [star cross], an order restrictedexclusively to women, of which the late empress was grand-mistress, and to possess which even still greater ancestral qualifications areneeded than for presentation at court. The men are all in uniform, either civilian, military or naval. Indeed it is impossible to findin Austria any man that has the right to appear at court who doesnot possess some sort of uniform. If he happens to be a Hungarian, hewears the picturesque dress of the great Magyar kingdom, bordered withpriceless furs, adorned with jewels and composed of costly velvets andsilks. 

Shortly before the arrival of the imperial procession the grand-masterof ceremonies taps on the floor with his ivory wand of office toattract attention, and the guests thereupon range themselves along thetwo sides of the hall, the ladies to the right and the gentlemen tothe left. Suddenly the folding-doors at the further end of the hallare flung open, and to the sound of the most inspiriting march thatthe conductor of the court orchestra, Edouard Strauss, can devise, theimperial cortege makes its appearance, preceded by Count Hunyadi, inhis uniform of a cavalry general, and Prince Rudolph Leichtenstein, each armed with a wand of office. Since the disappearance of theempress from court life--a disappearance which may be said to havepreceded her death by several years--the emperor has been in the habiton these occasions of offering his arm to the Duchess of Cumberland, daughter of King Christian of Denmark, and _de jure_ sovereign duchessof Brunswick, as the principal foreign royal lady present. Immediatelyafter him follows the archduke next in the line of succession, nowFrancis-Ferdinand, or, failing him, Otto, leading the archduchessdesignated to take the place of the first lady of the land, and who atthe present time is Archduchess Maria-Josepha, wife of Archduke Otto. 

The imperial procession, consisting of all the archdukes andarchduchesses--there are nearly one hundred of them--and of theprincipal members of their households, marches along the avenue thusformed by the guests, and are welcomed by low curtsies on the part ofthe women, and by profound bows on the part of the men. The brilliantpageant then disappears in the room set apart for the imperial party, and thereupon the emperor and Archduchess Maria-Josepha return, andwhile the emperor passes along in front of the male guests, precededby one of the principal dignitaries of his court, either CountKalmàn Hunyadi or Prince Montenuovo, the archduchess, escorted by thegrand-mistress of her court, makes her way along the front rank of theladies, bowing to some, extending her hand to be kissed by others, andchatting familiarly to those who are old friends. 

As soon as the emperor and the archduchess reach the end of the linethe emperor passes over to the ladies' side, while the archduchess inher turn passes along the front rank of the men. The archduchess thenproceeds to the so-called "Rittersaal, " and taking her seat on asofa, sends her ladies-in-waiting and her chamberlains to bring to herpresence ladies who have presentations to make. With each débutantethe archduchess converses for a few seconds before dismissing her, thewives of the foreign ambassadors being on these occasions invited totake a seat beside the archduchess on her sofa while presenting theircountrywomen. 

Meanwhile the ball has commenced in the Hall of Ceremonies, and isusually opened with a waltz. While the dancing is in progress theemperor strolls about, talking from time to time to some guest. Foreign ambassadors and envoys usually avail themselves of thisopportunity to present their countrymen to his majesty. 

Of course no one is permitted to invite any of the archduchesses orforeign princesses of the blood who may happen to be present to dance. It is they who have the privilege of taking the first step in thematter. Whenever they desire to dance with any man they cause himto be notified of their wish by their chamberlain in attendance. Thecavalier thus honored is obliged to consider this intimation in thenature of a command, and all engagements with fair partners of a lessexalted rank, are annulled thereby. 

Refreshments are served for the ordinary guests in the "Pietra-Dura"room, where a superb buffet is set, the tables glittering with goldplate and Venetian glass. For the imperial princes and princesses theHall of Mirrors is generally reserved, and there the scene is evenstill more magnificent. By midnight all is over. The court has retiredwith the same ceremonial that marked its arrival, and the guests arelooking for their wraps and cloaks. All court entertainments at Viennabegin early and end early, so as not to interfere unduly with theemperor's practice of rising at about five o'clock in the morning. 

One of the features of the great court functions at Berlin, as well asat Vienna, which excites the greatest surprise of Americans visitingEurope for the first time, is that particular form of homage accordedto royalty which consists in the kissing of the hand or "handkuss. "Not only the hands of the royal and imperial ladies are requiredby etiquette to be kissed when offered to gentlemen, but it is alsoconsidered necessary for both men and women to kiss the hand of thesovereign when he condescends to extend it for the purpose. Thisseems, perhaps, less odd at Vienna, as the emperor is a septuagenarianwith snow-white hair and a sad and kindly face, inspiring feelings ofsympathy and loyal affection. Indeed there is nothing out of the wayin a young girl, and even a man of mature years, kissing the hand of aveteran of the age of Francis-Joseph, just as if he were their father. But it certainly does appear strange to those from across the Atlanticwho are obtaining their first insight into European court life, to seenot only grey-haired generals, and white-whiskered statesmen, but alsovenerable ladies, --grandmothers perhaps--and belonging to the highestranks of the nobility kissing the hand of Emperor William. 

It has always seemed to me that William must have realized for thefirst time his altered rank when old Field-Marshal Moltke, and thelate Prince Bismarck, on hailing him as emperor within a few hoursafter his father's death, bent down to kiss his hand. This took placemore or less in private. But shortly afterwards, when he opened theimperial parliament for the first time as emperor, in the presence ofmost of the German sovereigns who had come to Berlin for the purpose, and had finished reading his speech, and handed it to the chancellorof the empire, old Bismarck, as he took it, bent almost double to kissthe hand that was tendering the document to him, in the presence ofthe princes and representatives of the entire German empire. 

Kissing, it may be added, forms a great feature of court etiquettein Germany and Austria. It is, for instance, _de rigueur_ that twosovereigns of equal rank visiting each other, should embrace at leastthrice, no matter how deeply they may detest each other privately!A petty sovereign will have to content himself with being embracedmerely twice by a monarch such as Francis-Joseph or Emperor William, while a crown prince or heir apparent will receive only one hug. Mere princes of the blood receive no kisses at all, but only a heartyhand-shake, with which they have to be satisfied, and which is, afterall, perhaps the most sensible fashion of greeting. 

CHAPTER XV

All royal and imperial people are more or less superstitious, and neither Emperor William nor his brother monarch at Vienna areexceptions to the rule. Striking evidence thereof is furnished by thepresence of a large horseshoe cemented into the wall just outsidethe fourth window of the first story of Empress Frederick's palaceat Berlin. One day, some time before his accession to the throne, andbefore his father was seized with that terrible malady to which heeventually succumbed, William was invited to dine with his parents. Finding that he was very late, and knowing the strictness of hisfather and mother on the score of punctuality, William directed hiscoachman to drive as fast as he could, and the carriage positivelyraced up the incline to the portal. 

Suddenly one of the big Mecklenburg horses lost his shoe, which insome extraordinary manner, flew up into the air, dashed through thefirst-story window and fell upon the dinner table, right in frontof Frederick and the then crown princess, who, declining to waitany longer, had just sat down to table. The shoe is reported to havegrazed the nose of the late emperor. At any rate, the fact that itshould have failed to seriously injure anyone is a miracle. It was soregarded by Frederick, his wife and his children, who deemed the queeradvent of the shoe, and the escape of everybody from injury, as anindication of good luck. At the suggestion of the present kaiser, itwas thereupon cemented into the wall just outside the window throughwhich it had come, and was fastened upside down, in order to preventthe luck from dropping out. 

It is not altogether astonishing that royal personages should be proneto superstition, for in almost every case they are compelled to maketheir homes in palaces and castles that have been stained with theblood of one or more of their ancestors. Ordinary people experience anuncanny feeling when forced by circumstances to live in houses whichhave been the scene of suicide or murder, even when the victims ofthe tragedy, or the perpetrators thereof are in no way, even themost remotely, connected with them. What wonder, then, that royal andimperial personages should entertain the same kind of superstition andsentiments with regard to their palaces, when it is borne in mind thatthe participants in the drama have been members of their own families!

For months prior to the assassination of Empress Elizabeth, forebodings of an impending catastrophe were prevalent at the Courtof Vienna, and so imbued was Emperor Francis-Joseph with ominouspresentiments, that he repeatedly exclaimed in the hearing of hisentourage: "Oh, if only this year were at an end!"

These apprehensions on the part of the monarch and his court were dueto an incident which took place on the night of April 24, 1898, andwhich was of sufficient importance to be comprised in the regularreport made on the following morning to his military superiors by theofficer of the guard at the Hofburg. It seems that the sentinel postedin the corridor or hall leading to the chapel was startled almost outof his senses by seeing the form of a white-clad woman approachinghim, soon after one o'clock in the morning. He at once challenged her, whereupon the figure turned round, and passed back into the chapel, where the soldier then observed a light. Hastily summoning assistance, a strict search was instituted, but the chapel was explored withoutany result. 

The sentinel in question was a stolid, rather dull-minded Styrianpeasant, who was possessed of but little power of imagination or ofeducation, and who was entirely ignorant, therefore, of the traditionaccording to which a woman in white makes her appearance by nightin the Hofburg at Vienna, either in the chapel or in the adjoiningcorridors and halls, whenever any misfortune is about to overtake theimperial house of Hapsburg. 

On each occasion, this spectral appearance to the sentinel on dutyhas been described in the report of the officer of the guard on thefollowing morning, and is absolutely a matter of official record. Theprevious visitations of the "white lady" had taken place on the eveof the shocking tragedy of Mayerling; a few weeks previous to theshooting of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico; and prior to the burning todeath of the daughter of old Archduke Albert, at Schoenbrunn; whilethe very fact that there should have been no supernatural appearanceof this kind at the time when Archduke John vanished from human ken, leads the imperial family and the Court of Austria to still doubt thestory, according to which he perished at sea while on his way roundCape Horn, from La Plata to Valparaiso. 

I do not know the origin of the "white lady" tradition at Vienna, nor have I ever been able to ascertain anything definite about herhistory, but there is plenty of documentary evidence, as well asa wonderful array of records concerning "the white lady of theHohenzollerns, " who makes her appearance in the old palace at Berlinwhenever death is about to overtake a member of the reigning house ofPrussia. The late Emperor Frederick--the most matter-of-fact and leastimaginative prince of his line--was particularly interested in thematter, and collected all the evidence that he could upon the subject, for the purpose of depositing it in the archives of his family. 

Perhaps the most important testimony in this connection are the swornstatements signed by Prince Frederick of Prussia, and a number of hisfellow officers, to all of whom the "White Lady" is declared to haveappeared as they sat together on the eve of the prince's death at thebattle of Saalfeld in 1806. 

Moreover, Thomas Carlyle went to no little trouble to procure evidencewhen writing the history of Frederick the Great, that the "White Lady"had appeared to that famous monarch on the eve of his death. The king, it is asserted, was on the high road to recovery from his illness, when suddenly one morning he declared that he had seen the white-cladspectre during the night, that his hour had come, and that it wasuseless to ward off death any longer. So he refused to take anyfurther medicine or nourishment, turned his face to the wall, anddied. 

The "White Lady" is considered sufficiently real by the hard-headedmatter-of-fact commanders of the Prussian army, to lead to theiradopting special measures whenever her appearance is reported. Themoment she is seen, the sentinels within and around the royal palaceare at once doubled. The object of this is not so much to protect theroyal family from harm, as to prevent the sentinels themselves fromfollowing the example of the two who shot themselves while on guardat the palace in the year 1888, one, shortly before the death of oldEmperor William, the other, a few days before the demise of EmperorFrederick, the men in each case declaring before they expired thatthey had seen the "White Lady, " their story being in a measureborne out by the fact that their faces even after death seemed to bedistorted with terror. 

The appearances of the "White Lady" are kept as quiet as possible, the matter is never mentioned at court, save in whispers, and nothingconcerning her is ever permitted to appear in print in the Berlinpapers. 

This dread apparition that forebodes evil to the reigning house ofPrussia, is supposed to be the spectre of Countess Agnes Orlamunde, who murdered her first husband, as well as her two children, whoconstituted an obstacle to her marriage with, one of the ancestors ofthe kaiser. 

The palace in which the spectre of this historic murderess appearsis a huge and massive structure of grey stone, the walls of whichare pierced by over one thousand windows, and which contains over sixhundred rooms. Commenced four hundred and fifty years ago by one ofthe earliest electors of Brandenburg, it has been added to byeach sovereign in turn, until it has attained its present enormousdimensions. 

There is probably no structure of the kind in the world the buildingof which has cost so many lives. Indeed the very mortar used in itsconstruction may be said to have been mixed with blood. The people ofBerlin, who from time immemorial have been noted for their democracyand their spirit of independence, have opposed from the very outsetthe erection of this building in their midst as calculated to endangertheir liberty, and many were the attempts that they made to arrestthe undertaking, and to destroy the work already accomplished. Bloodyfights took place between the mob and the troops appointed to protectthe workmen, and on two occasions the populace even went so far as tocut the dams, and destroy the flood gates, deluging the foundationswith the waters of the River Spree, and drowning each time manyhundreds of workmen. 

Even at the present moment Emperor William is engaged in an angryfight with, the people of Berlin in connection with this palace. He wishes to surround it with a terrace and a garden, which willnaturally add to its beauty. At present the windows look onto thepublic streets, a fact which, in these days of bombs and dynamiteoutrages, renders it difficult to protect with any degree ofefficiency. The municipality and people of Berlin, however, absolutelydecline to consent to the expropriations necessary in order to enablethe destruction and removal of the existing houses and buildings whichinterfere with the execution of his majesty's project. 

Like his uncle, the Prince of Wales, the kaiser is very superstitiouson the subject of the number thirteen in the case of anyentertainment, and more than once has a mere subaltern who happened tobe on duty at the palace as an officer of the guard, been commanded ata moment's notice to join the imperial party in order to avoid therebeing thirteen at the table. 

This superstition is perhaps partly due to the fact that the emperoris aware of the old Scandinavian custom, from which it originates, andwhich still subsists among the peasantry of the west coast of France. In the Pagan days of Scandinavia, the hardy Norsemen were accustomedat all their banquets to invite the spirit of the last of their malerelatives or friends to participate in the feast, and the food that hewould have eaten and the mead that he would have drunk was cast intothe fire, the supposed resting-place of the soul. When the Norsemenembraced Christianity, on ceremonious occasions they sat down tothe banquet in parties of twelve, doing this in honor of the twelveApostles; but unable entirely to disassociate themselves from theirold heathen custom of inviting the spirit of a dead relative orfriend, they constituted him, --the spectre, --the thirteenth guest attable, and his health was always drunk in solemn silence. In courseof time people came to forget the traditional custom of consideringa spectre to be the thirteenth guest. He was, however, associated intheir minds with the notion of death, and thus the belief has grownthat though a thirteenth person at table is no longer a corpse, one ofthe party is destined, at any rate, to speedily become one. 

Throughout Brittany on the eve of the day sacred to the memory of thedead "La Toussaint, " the family all sit down to a festive repast, andthere is invariably a place laid at table, the plate filled with thechoicest viands, and the glass filled with the finest wine or cider, for the one or more members of the family who have died during theprevious twelve months. The peasantry are convinced that the spiritsof their dear ones take part in this repast at one time or anotherduring the course of the night. It is for this reason that theyconsider it their duty to sit up till daybreak, the women chieflypraying, the men talking in undertones about the qualities and thecharacteristics of the mourned ones. Wearied with watching, imbuedwith the most fervent and devout faith, blended with a belief inold-time legends, what wonder is it that towards dawn both the menand the women, especially the latter, should imagine that they seethe spirits of their dead glide into the room, take their place at thefamily board, and then, after a brief sojourn in their midst, vanishwith the light of the breaking day. It is a pretty and a touchingidea, which is not combated by the clergy, and of which, indeed, noone possessed of any heart would seek to disabuse the minds of thepoor, simple-minded peasant folks. 

Of course Emperor Francis-Joseph and Emperor William are imbued withall the old superstitions peculiar to Nimrods. As an instance, theywill give up an entire day's shooting, no matter how elaborate thearrangements made for it, if a hare is seen to cross their path, forthis is always looked upon as being a very bad omen. 

Both emperors also attach much importance to dreams, and claim to havebeen furnished by them with premonitions of each misfortune that hasovertaken them, and regard Friday as the most unlucky day of the week. 

There is no colder, more unemotional and level-headed woman inthe-world than the young Empress of Russia, who is a German princessby birth, and a first cousin of Emperor William, yet she too believesin dreams, since the following incident, which enjoys the fullestdegree of credence on the part of the emperors of Germany and Austria. It seems that during the coronation festivities she was resting oneafternoon, and had dropped off into a doze, when she suddenly foundherself awakened by one of her ladies who had been frightened by themanner in which she moaned and even wailed in her sleep. The empressthen related that her slumbers had been disturbed by a bad dream. An old gray-haired Moujik, or peasant, all covered with blood, hadappeared to her, and had exclaimed:

"I have come all the way from Siberia, czaritza, to see your day ofhonor, and now your Cossacks have killed me. "

The vision had been so real that the empress hastened to her husbandto inquire if any misfortune had happened. Nicholas laughed at hiswife's fears, but to soothe her, telephoned to the minister of theimperial household, asking whether anything untoward had occurred, and only then learnt of the terrible disaster that had taken place inconnection with the open-air banquet, where over two thousand liveswere lost, through a panic that had seized upon the vast concourse ofpeople, the terrible catastrophe being aggravated by the unfortunateattempts of large bodies of mounted Cossacks to restore order byriding into the crowd and using their whips and even their swordsagainst the terrified masses of penned-up Moujiks. 

It must be borne in mind that the entire monarchial system of the oldworld is largely based on legend and superstition, and that a beliefin the supernatural, therefore, is to be expected in such personagesas the anointed of the Lord, who are firmly convinced that there is aconsiderable amount of the supernatural in their authority and in theorigin of their power. 

Another manner in which Emperor William displays his superstition, ishis absolute refusal to permit any steps to be taken to clear up themystery which has existed throughout this entire century in connectionwith the hunting château of Grünewald, which, like the great palaceat Berlin, is popularly believed to be haunted. Indeed, it is regardedwith considerable misgiving by the peasantry of the surroundingdistrict. It is an old castle, built almost two centuries ago, by thefather of the first King of Prussia, and has been the scene of severaltragedies. 

The one which is supposed to have led to the haunting of the palaceis the murder by one of the princes of the house of Hohenzollern, in afit of passion, of a Prussian nobleman who was his guest at the time. The prince is reported to have run the nobleman through the back withhis sword while following him down one of the staircases from theupper story to the ground floor. 

Endeavors have repeatedly been made to obtain permission from thesovereign to tear down the brick wall so as to give access to thisstaircase, not only for the sake of convenience, but also with theobject of setting at rest forever the popular superstitions and rumorson the subject. Neither King Frederick-William IV. , nor the lateEmperor William would ever hear of such a thing, and the late EmperorFrederick, who was the least superstitious and most matter-of-factof men, grew grave and silent, when it was suggested to him that heshould give the desired permission. As for the present emperor, hehas sternly forbidden that the matter should even be mentioned in hispresence. This extraordinary reluctance displayed by both the kaiserand his predecessors to discover what there is behind that brick wallleads to the conviction that the mouldering remains of the victimof the treacherous hospitality of a prince of Prussia lie concealedthere. 

CHAPTER XVI

It is among the crowned heads and princes of the blood in the OldWorld that St. Hubert, the patron of the chase, finds his most ferventdevotees, and nowhere is his cult followed with a greater degreeof pomp and ceremoniousness, and, I might almost add, religioussentiment, than at the Courts of Berlin and Vienna. 

The foremost Nimrod of Europe is undoubtedly old EmperorFrancis-Joseph, who finds his only relaxation from the cares of statein stalking the chamois, and who is celebrated in the annals of sportas the most successful and fearless hunter of that excessively shy anddifficult quarry. 

No man living possesses a larger collection of gemsbock beards, whichconstitute the hunter's trophy of this form of the chase. Theynumber nearly three thousand, and the only person whose score at allapproximates the emperor's is his intimate friend and crony, theaged King Albert of Saxony. Both monarchs are now old men, with hair, whiskers and moustache, of a snowy white, but neither their years, nor their sorrows, which have contributed so much towards aging themprematurely, have been permitted until now to interfere with theirchamois-hunting expeditions in the Styrian Alps. On these occasionsthe two sovereigns make their headquarters at Francis-Joseph'spicturesque shooting-lodge, or rather château, at Mürzsteg. They areusually accompanied by the emperor's eldest son-in-law, Prince Leopoldof Bavaria, Archduke Francis-Ferdinand, heir apparent to the throne, some younger members of the imperial family, and a few of thedignitaries of the court who have been the longest attached to theservice of his majesty, prominent among whom is Baron Gudemus, grandhuntsman of the empire. The latter, by virtue of his office, holds aseat in the privy council, ranks higher than the cabinet ministers, has under his control all the game preserves, the hunting equipages, and the shooting lodges of the crown in the various parts of theempire, and is the generalissimo of the army of game-keepers, andjägers, many thousands in number, who wear the livery of the house ofHapsburg. 

Usually, the first three or four days of the stay at Mürzstegare devoted to stalking the chamois, the two sovereigns generallyremaining together, attended only by the grand huntsman, and by afew jägers and guides, while the other members of the shooting partyfollow their individual devices. The start is made each morning aboutan hour before dawn, so as to enable the sportsmen to be well up onthe mountain side by daybreak, that being the time when it is leastdifficult to get within range of a chamois. 

All day long the two old sovereigns, Alpenstock in hand, and short, stocky rifles slung over the shoulder, go toiling up and down themountains, along the edges of great precipices, tracing their stepsalong paths that to the uninitiated would seem to afford no footholdto any living thing, save a goat or a chamois. Sometimes they areovertaken by snowstorms while up in the mountains, and are unableto see their way, or to move either backwards or forwards, for wholehours together, while at other times they are forced to lie down flaton their stomachs and to cling with hand and foot to any friendlypiece of projecting rock in order to avoid being blown down theprecipices, or into the deep crevasses, by the terrible winds whichwithout warning suddenly sweep through the Alpine gorges and valleys, with a force that can only be described as cyclonic. 

All the party, emperor, king, princes, and attendants, down to thehumblest jäger, wear the same kind of Styrian dress, consisting of asort of Yoppe, or Austrian jacket of grey homespun, with green collarand facings, and buttons of rough stag-horn, homespun breeches, cutoff above the knees, which are left entirely uncovered, thick woollenstockings rolled below the knee, and heavy, hob-nailed, laced boots. The head gear is that known in this country as the Tyrolese hat, adorned by a chamois beard, which is inserted between the ribbon andthe felt. 

By nightfall, which comes early in the mountains, everybody is backat the "jagdschloss, " and dinner is served at five, in a room panelledwith wood and decorated with trophies. The emperor and the king sitnext to each other, while Baron Gudemus, as grand huntsman, faces themon the opposite table. The attendants are not liveried footmen, butjägers and game-keepers. On arising from the table the party as a ruledescends into the courtyard, where all the game killed during theday is laid out on a layer of pine branches, the jägers forming threesides of a square, lighting up the scene with great pine torches, while the huntsmen sound the _curée-chaude_ on their hunting horns. Byeight or nine o'clock, everybody is in bed, and the whole château iswrapped in slumber. 

During the last three or four days of the stay, the so-called"Treibjagds, " or "Battues" take the place of stalking. They arefar more ceremonious, but infinitely less fatiguing and interestingaffairs, and as they begin between eight and nine, and last till four, they do not involve getting out of bed at the unearthly hour of threeor four in the morning. They necessitate, however, an enormous amountof preparation and organization on the part of the grand huntsman. Forat least forty-eight hours previously, a vast corps of "treibers, "or Styrian mountaineers engaged for the purpose have been employed insurrounding a district of mountain and valley many miles in area. The circle is gradually narrowed down until the whole of the game isdriven from the heights into the valley, where the emperor and hisguests have taken up their positions. 

The selection of the positions of the party is regarded as a matter ofthe utmost importance, and on the evening before, the grand huntsmansubmits to the emperor a carefully drawn up plan of the locality. Hismajesty thereupon designates with his own hand the spot where eachof his guests is to take up his position on the following morning. Hehimself and the King of Saxony generally await the game in the lowestpart of the valley, the remaining guests and officials being spread upthe mountain side on each hand according to their degree of rank andthe imperial favor, those who enjoy the greatest share of the latterbeing the nearest to the sovereign down the valley, while those ofless importance are posted higher up on the mountain side. By nineo'clock, every member of the party must be in the place assigned tohim on the plan, and the beaters, who have kept the game carefullywithin the circle of their lines, now proceed to drive it down towardsthe shooting party. 

Usually, great nets are stretched a hundred yards to the rear of thetwo monarchs, with the object of forcing the game which may have gotpast their majesties to retrace its steps, and to face the royal andimperial sportsmen once more. 

Sometimes curious scenes result in connection with these nets. On oneoccasion a magnificent gemsbock had managed to get past the King ofSaxony, and finding a net in the way, charged it full tilt with aflying leap. Its horns got entangled in the meshes, seven or eightfeet high, and there it remained hanging and kicking until a couple ofjägers in attendance on the king disentangled it and carefullyplaced it on the ground. For a moment it stood as if transfixedwith amazement, gazing steadfastly at the net, and then deliberatelycharged head down, and with a tremendous bound, at the obstacle oncemore, with the same result, of course. Again the jägers disengagedit, but in its struggles to recover its liberty the gemsbock left itsbeard torn out by the very roots in the hand of one of the men who hadgrabbed it for the purpose of holding the animal fast. A third timethe gallant buck charged the net, and cleared it in magnificent styleand made good its escape. The beard which it left behind it figuresto this day on the Alpine hat of King Albert, who is probably the onlyman living who can boast of wearing the beard of a chamois that maystill be roaming over the Styrian Alps. 

Emperor William's favorite form of sport is wild-boar hunting. This species of game abounds in the imperial preserves ofKönigs-Wusterhausen, Letzlingen, Gohrde and Springe, the latter beingquite near to the ancient city of Hamelin, celebrated in legendarylore for its "_pied-piper_" and for its rats!

The preserves at Gohrde are liked best by the kaiser, as they were byhis grandfather, the old emperor, for they are alive with wild boars. Persons invited for the first time to these imperial shooting partieshave to go through a regular form of initiation, somewhat akin to thatpractised in the case of people crossing the line for the first timeat sea. 

On the eve of the day on which the hunt is to begin, and when theparty are assembled in the smoking and card-rooms of the jagdschloss, after dinner, the great oak table in the dining-room is cleared andornamented with several lines of chalk; thereupon, the deputy grandhuntsman, Baron Heintze Weissenrode, after receiving the emperor'sfinal instructions, selects a dozen members of the party, and conductsthem to the dining-room, where they take their places around thetable, each armed with a wooden spoon of a different size from thoseof his neighbors. 

At a given signal the huntsman in charge of the imperial pack ofboar-hounds, who has been stationed at the entrance leading into thedining-room, sounds the "view-halloo!" on his horn, and immediatelyevery one of the wooden spoons is rubbed up and down the oaken tablein a manner that produces a sound similar to that of the noise madeby a pack in full pursuit. The person about to be initiated is thenseized and blindfolded, after which the doors are thrown open, and heis carried into the dining-room, and laid upon the table athwart thechalk lines. The emperor immediately draws his short hunting-knife, and after making several mystic passes with it in the air, strikes theprostrate body of the neophyte a smart blow with the flat of the broadblade. The huntsman toots forth the signal of "dead! dead!" which isused to call the pack off the quarry, and the new-fledged "weide-man"is permitted to struggle off the table and onto the ground. 

I may add that the emperor's blow with the hunting-knife is not theonly one which the neophyte receives while stretched on the table onhis face, nor does it constitute the sum total of the initiation, butonly the conclusion thereof. Indeed, there is sometimes a good dealof rough horse-play on these occasions, in which the emperor, whodelights therein, takes a prominent part. 

The boar hunt on the following day partakes of the nature of thechamois drives already described, the only difference being that thebeaters are assisted in their work by a carefully trained pack ofboar-hounds, which are accustomed to obey the horn signals of thehuntsman in charge, and are of much service in driving the quarry fromits lair in the dense brush and underwood. 

Another difference is that the shooting parties, instead of firing inthe direction of the drivers, are under the strictest orders onlyto fire away from them; that is to say, the hunters are practicallyforced to wait until the wild boar rushes past before their rifles maybe levelled. Of course, it sometimes happens that the boar, insteadof charging past, charges directly at some member of the party in thefiercest and most dangerous manner, and it is in order to be preparedfor an assault of this kind, that each of them is provided with a kindof pike, or lance, which goes by the euphonious name of "sowpen. "

The costume worn on these occasions is an exceptionally hideousuniform, specially invented and devised by the present emperor. It consists of a double-breasted frock coat of grey cloth, withgrass-green lapels and collar, green striped pantaloons, high boots, and a grey Tyrolese hat, with a wide green band. In the emperor's caseit is further adorned by the ribbon and badge of a Hohenzollern familyorder known as that of the "White Hart. "

At these shooting parties the emperor is accustomed to wind up the daywith a most extraordinary kind of drink, of which he himself is veryfond, and of which he insists upon everybody's partaking, assuringthem that it will help them to sleep. It consists of the followingingredients: White beer, sugar, citron peel, ginger spices, the yolksof at least a dozen eggs, Rhine wine, Madeira, and old Santa Cruz rum. All this, after being thoroughly stirred, is placed on the fireand slowly heated, several large pats of butter being added to theconcoction while it is warm. 

It need scarcely be said that it requires a stomach as strong as thatof the emperor to be able to absorb several glasses of such a drinkbefore retiring, and it is asserted at the Court of Berlin that thereare many of his subjects of high rank who feign illness whencommanded to join the imperial hunting parties, solely because of theapprehensions they entertain of being called upon by the kaiser todrink this extraordinary brew. 

For shooting wild-fowl, hares and other small game, William uses avery dainty and extremely light fowling-piece, specially constructedfor him, which he raises to his shoulder with one hand, and withextraordinary rapidity takes a remarkably sure aim; but when it comesto hunting the wild boar, stag, elk, bear and big game in general, the killing of which requires a heavier gun, he is naturally forcedto adopt other devices. His crippled left arm being useless to supportthe weapon, his body jäger, specially trained for this particularduty, steps forward and offers either his arm or his shoulder for thesupport of his master's rifle. This, _bien entendu_, when his majestyis engaged in stalking. In cases where the chase takes the form of a"battue, " a species of horizontal bar is affixed at right angles tothe tree beside which the emperor stands, and it is on this supportthat the kaiser rests his gun when shooting at the driven game. 

Handicapped as William is by this crippled arm, his record of 33, 967head of game killed with his own hand, during the past two decades, isa very remarkable one. It may be found in his "Game Book, " published afew months ago for private circulation among the royal personages andcourt circles of the Old World. 

Comprised in this grand total are some pieces which do not fall to thelot of every sportsman. Thus there are a couple of "aurochsen, " whichis a species of bison-like wild cattle, still to be found strictlypreserved in the private domains of the Emperor of Russia. Unless Iam mistaken, there are only about five hundred of them left, and, inspite of all the efforts made to foster the breed, they are so rapidlydiminishing in number that ere many years are past they will surelybecome extinct. In pre-Christian times they roamed all over Germany, and were, and still are, larger, fiercer, and much lighter coloredthan the American buffalo. 

The wild boars number in the "Game Book" over 2, 700. There are elevenelks shot in Sweden, three reindeer killed in Norway, and ten bearslaid low, some of them in Russia, and others in Hungary. The emperorhas, much to his vexation, only managed to bag three unfortunatesnipe, an extremely difficult bird to shoot on the wing; but hisrecord of 120 chamois is decidedly good, when it is remembered whatan exceedingly difficult game this is to reach, entailing, as it does, mountaineering of the most arduous and perilous character, especiallyin the case of a man who can use but one arm easily. These 120 chamoisserve in a measure to atone for the twenty foxes which figure ashaving been shot by the emperor, a fact which is more likely to injurehis reputation and prestige in the eyes of hunting men than any otherfault or even crime of which he could possibly render himselfguilty. The most unique item of this "Game Book, " with the exception, naturally, of the two aurochsen, are assuredly the three whales whichthe emperor shot with a harpoon gun, on the occasion of his yachtingtrip to the furthermost portion of Norway a few summers ago. Thesethree huge monsters of the deep form a fitting and amusing counterpartin the "Game Book" to the three snipe above mentioned. 

Emperor William has a number of shooting-lodges, among the best knownof which is Hubertusstock, of which he is particularly fond owing toits proximity to the capital. Yet it is hated by the members of hissuite, for it is a terribly gloomy place. It stands in the midst ofa dense, dark forest of vast extent, and swarming with game, withina few hundred yards of the reed covered and marshy shores of theWerbellin Lake, and was built by the late King Frederick-William IV. During the last few years of his madness this monarch was frequentlytaken out to Hubertusstock by his attendants, who hoped that theentire absence of all excitement and the intense solitude of the placewould diminish the recurrences of his attacks of violence. 

The emperor sometimes spends an entire week at Hubertusstock and ithas frequently been asserted that he takes advantage of the completeabsence from public observation which he then enjoys, to make secrettrips abroad. It was his absence at this place for a period of tendays while the czar was at Paris that led to the very circumstantialstory in the German and foreign press about his having been in theFrench capital, in the strictest incognito, for several days duringthe Russian emperor's stay on the banks of the Seine. A number ofpeople claim to have recognized him, and it is even alleged that hecaught the czar's eye, and was recognized by him during the grandentertainment given by President Faure in honor of his Muscovitevisitors at the Palace of Versailles. 

A story was told at the time about a couple of German officers, one ofthem attached to the embassy, who happening to find themselves face toface with an individual presenting a striking likeness to the kaiser, save for the fact that his moustache was twisted downwards insteadof upwards, and his hair brushed in a different way, lost to such anextent their presence of mind that they could not help drawing theirheels together and standing at attention; a form of courtesy whichreceived as its only response the muttered exclamation of "VerdammteEsel!" which may be translated: "Accursed jackasses!"

That served to confirm their suspicions, and unfortunately both theirbehavior and the growl of the stranger had been witnessed and heard bypeople who were quick to make the matter public. 

It was with the object of endeavoring to disprove and discredit thesestories that the emperor caused a telegram, to be sent to the czarfrom Hubertusstock, not written, as usual, in cipher, but in ordinarylanguage. There is an old French proverb according to which "he whoseeks to prove too much, proves nothing, " and thus it happened thatthis open telegram which reached the czar at Châlons, and which waspublished in the German newspapers, even before Nicholas had madeit known to the members of his entourage, merely served to convincepeople that the kaiser had really been in Paris when he was supposedto be buried amidst the gloomy forests of Hubertusstock. 

Hubertusstock is not, as most people seem to imagine, a castle, butmerely a huge, overgrown two-storied chalet, surrounded by a numberof smaller wooden dwelling-houses for the use of the imperial suite. Formerly, it required a drive of at least three hours from the stationon the main line in order to reach the jagdschloss. But since theaccession of the emperor he has caused a private railroad to beconstructed from the trunk line to a small station within a fewhundred yards of the chalet. 

Seldom is the kaiser found in the schloss after daybreak. The entiremorning is spent by him in the woods, which are so vast that one canwander about them for days without meeting a soul. Luncheon is usuallypartaken of at some point in the forest, and frequently during thisrepast a concert takes place, the performers consisting of a quartetteof foresters, their instruments being mere hunting horns, and theirmelodies those of old hunting-songs. Within the limits of the imperialpreserves is the celebrated Schorfhaide, which each year, towards themonth of November, becomes the meeting place of thousands of stags. They come from all parts of Germany and Austria, this being renderedpossible by the proximity to one another of the great estates of theterritorial nobility, so that it would be feasible to march almostfrom the Adriatic to the Baltic without leaving forest glades. Thisannual assemblage of stags on the Schorfhaide has been taking placeevery autumn for untold centuries. In fact, mention thereof has beenfound in documents more than a thousand years old. The meetings affordan extraordinary sight, and are the scenes of numerous single combatsto death between "Royals, " the other stags and the deer standinground, as if to form a huge amphitheatre, and gravely watching theduel without making any attempt to interfere. 

All sorts of theories have been put forward with regard to this annualconcourse of stags on the Schorfhaide. Foresters, however, insist thatit is nothing more nor less than a species of great animal congress, at which the various antlered tribes meet for a big "palaver" todecide matters affecting the policy and the leadership of theirvarious clans! Far-fetched as this theory may seem at first sight, itis evident that there is something of the kind which brings stags andtheir mates from the remote forests of Galicia on the Russian border, from the vast Liechtenstein game preserves to the South of Vienna, and from the still larger sporting property of Belyer, in Hungary, belonging to Archduke Frederick, all the way to the Schorfhaide onthe reedy banks of the Werbellin Lake, in order to flock together bythousands. 

It is a matter of forest ethics, and of the law of the chase, toabstain from disturbing this annual _convivium_ of the stags, as itis called, and while it lasts, not a single shot is to be heard in theforests around Hubertusstock. In fact, November has on this accountbecome a species of close season there, no one interested in sportwishing to do anything that could in the least degree interfere withthis, so far as I know, altogether unique custom in the animal world. The meetings, however, have been witnessed by the emperor and a fewchosen companions who concealed themselves in the branches oftrees, bordering on the Schorfhaide, and William is never tired ofexpatiating on the magnificence of the spectacle presented. 

Next to Hubertusstock, the most favored shooting-lodge andsporting-estate of the kaiser, is Rominten, not far from the Russianfrontier. Owing to this proximity, bears and wolves, especiallythe latter, of Muscovite origin, are frequently to be found in theRominten forests, adjoining which is the celebrated imperial Trakenenstud and horsebreeding establishment, founded as far back as 1732by Frederick the Great. Some idea of the size and importance of thisstud-farm may be gathered from the fact that over two thousand handsare employed in connection with the concern. Trakenen was originallyfamous for elk, and an elk's horn remains to this day the Trakenenbrand placed upon all horses bred there. The emperor's headquarters atRominten are situated at a place called Theerbude. His jagdschloss orshooting-lodge consists of a handsome Norwegian block house, broughtfrom Norway, and erected on the Goldberg on the left bank of theRominten River. The stables are built on a most extensive scale, andthe chapel, as well as all the other buildings, are constructed in thepicturesque Norwegian style, which harmonizes so well with the darkfir forests by which they are surrounded. 

There is no interruption of the business of slate during the emperor'sstay at Rominten. Theerbude is connected with Berlin by wire, andtelegrams are arriving and departing at all hours of the day. 

The kaiser shoots as a rule twice a day, at four in the morning, andfour in the afternoon, the drive to the hunting-grounds often takingseveral hours, for most of them are at a considerable distance. Thevarious foresters' lodges, even at the most remote portion of theestates, are connected by telephone with the imperial residence, andthus the emperor is able to know at midday where the game is likely tobe most plentiful in the afternoon. 

When the emperor is not shooting, he transacts business with hisvarious military and civil secretaries, and long after his guests areasleep he himself is still at work, signing state papers or readingand annotating reports. Indeed one of the most remarkable things aboutEmperor William is his apparent ability to do almost entirely withoutsleep. 

On Sundays the emperor invariably makes a point of attending divineservice at the Chapel of St. Hubert, opposite his residence, andsubsequently is accustomed to walk to the Königshöhe, a neighboringhill on which he has built an observatory-tower about one hundred feethigh, which commands a magnificent view of the surrounding forest, extending about twenty miles in every direction from the tower. Curiously enough, wild boars are not found at Rominten; but the stagsthere are superb, and specimens turning the scales at a thousandpounds are the rule rather than the exception. 

One of the features of the Theerbude is a goblet of the time of KingFrederick-William III. The vessel is held between the points of acouple of antlers, and it is only possible to drink out of it bysqueezing one's face between these two points. The possessor of arotund countenance experiences considerable difficulty in performingthis feat, and is apt to spill the contents over himself, yet everyone of the emperor's guests has to submit to the ordeal, foran inscription on the goblet says that all persons attendingshooting-parties at Rominten for the first time must empty the vesselof its contents, --a pint bottle of champagne, --at one draught, to thehealth of the sovereign. 

So great are the quantities of game shot by the emperor and his guestsat these shooting-parties that they very much exceed the needs for theconsumption of the imperial household. Formerly, it was the kaiser'scustom to distribute all the surplus among the various hospitals andcharitable institutions; but since discovering that these gifts ofgame seldom reached the persons for whom they were destined, namelythe inmates, but were monopolized by the staff and the attendantsof the establishments, he has given orders that the game that is notneeded for imperial consumption should be sold, and the money derivedtherefrom turned over to the funds of the hospitals and convalescenthomes under the patronage of the crown. That is why one so frequentlysees in the great Central Market of Berlin, deer, stags, wild boars, etc. , adorned with greenery, and with cards intimating that the quarryin question has been shot by his imperial majesty the kaiser. 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

WILLIAM II AND FRANCIS JOSEPH

_VOLUME I_

WILLIAM II, EMPEROR OF GERMANY. . . . . . . . . . . _Fronts_

PRINCESS FREDERICK AND PROFESSOR VON BERGMANN. . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

THE RUNAWAY AT PROECKELWITZ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

SCENE IN DUKE ERNEST GUNTHER'S QUARTERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

AUGUSTA VICTORIA, EMPRESS OF GERMANY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

IN THE WHITE HALL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256