We actually flew over land and dale. I never traveled so fast in all my
life; but then I had never been in an Imperial train before. We did not
stop until we reached the station of Compiègne.
I think the whole twelve thousand inhabitants of Compiègne were gathered
there to stare at us, and they did stare persistently, until we had
mounted the many equipages waiting for us and had driven away.
It certainly must have been very entertaining for them to see the long
procession of carriages, the hundreds of trunks, the flurrying maids, and
the self-important valets.
There were two landaus: one for the Metternichs and one for the German
Ambassador.
The _chars-à-bancs_, of which there must have been at least ten, were
dark green outlined with red, each with four prancing horses whose tails,
jauntily braided with red cords, were tied to the saddles.
Each carriage had two postilions, who looked very trim in their short
velvet jackets embroidered with gold and covered with endless buttons.
They wore white breeches, long top-boots, black-velvet caps over their
white wigs, and their little pigtails, tied with a black bow, hung down
their backs, flapping up and down as they galloped.
The Princess Metternich had fourteen trunks and two maids; the Prince had
his private secretary and valet, and a goodly number of trunks. This will
give you a vague idea of the amount of baggage which had to be transported
in the _fourgons_.
Don't you think we must have made a very imposing spectacle, as we rattled
through the quiet town of Compiègne, over its old stone pavement, the
postilions blowing their horns, cracking their whips, the horses galloping
full speed, the _chars-à-bancs_ filled with handsomely dressed ladies, and
after this long procession came the maids and the valets and mountainous
piles of baggage?
When we entered the _grande cour_ (inclosure), the sentinels grasped their
guns and saluted, as we passed by them, before we pulled up in front of
the grand staircase of the château, where an army of lackeys were waiting
to help us alight.
The Grand Chamberlain received us at the head of the stairs with pleasant
cordiality and waved us toward a _huissier_, who, dressed in a black
livery with heavy chains around his neck, looked very important. He, in
his turn, passed us on to the particular valet allotted to us, who
pompously and with great dignity showed us the way to our apartments.
Our names were on the doors, and we entered the brilliantly lighted rooms,
which, after our journey, seemed most welcome with their bright fires and
cheerful aspect.
Tea and chocolate were on the table waiting us, and I regaled myself while
the soldiers (who seem to be the men-of-all-work here) brought in the
trunks and the maid and valet were unpacking.
I must describe our rooms. We have a large salon, two bedrooms, two
servants' rooms, and an antechamber. In the salon there are two long
windows which reach to the floor and overlook the park. The walls are
paneled with pink and mauve brocade. The covering of the furniture and the
curtains are of the same stuff.
My bedroom is furnished in white and green with a delightful _chaise
longue_ and large _fauteuils_, which to me are more inviting than the
stiff Empire style of the salon.
I made my toilette in a maze of excitement; my maid was confused and
agitated, and I thought I should never be ready. I think you will be
interested to hear what I wore to-night. It was light-green tulle,
embroidered in silver, the waist trimmed with silver fringe. If one could
see the waistband, one would read WORTH in big letters. I thought it was
best to make a good impression at the start, so I put on my prettiest
gown.
On leaving our apartment, a little before seven, we found the lackey
waiting to show us the way to the _Grande Salle des Fêtes_, and we
followed his plump white calves through the long corridors, arriving at
last at the salon where the company was to assemble.
Here we found more white calves belonging to the gorgeous liveries and the
powdered heads of the lackeys, who stood there to open the doors for all
comers. We were not the last, but of the latest, to arrive.
The salon seemed immense to me. On one side the windows (or rather the
doors) opened on to the terrace; on the opposite side of the walls,
between the pillars, were mirrors resting on gilded consoles. At one end
of the room was the statue of Laetitia Bonaparte (_Madame Mère_), and at
the other end was one of Napoleon I. Banquettes and tabourets of Gobelins
tapestry stood against the walls. The ceiling is a _chef-d'oeuvre_ of
Girodet--_style Empire_.
The Vicomte de Laferrière and the Duchesse de Bassano, the _grande
maîtresse_, came forward to receive the guests.
[Illustration: SALLE DES FÊTES--CHÂTEAU DE COMPIÈGNE]
My first feeling, when I entered the room, was that I knew no one in this
numerous assemblage. There must have been a hundred people at least; but
gradually the faces of my acquaintances loomed one by one out of the mist,
and among them I recognized the lovely Marquise de Gallifet, who kindly
beckoned me to come and stand by her, for which I felt very grateful.
The chamberlains--there were many of them--bustled about, constantly
referring to some papers which they had in their hands, in order to tell
each gentleman which lady he was to take in to dinner.
The Grand Chamberlain glanced round the room with an all-comprehensive
look, and seemed intuitively to know when we were all present. He then
disappeared into his Majesty's private salon.
There was an ominous hush, a flutter of agitation, a stiff attitude of
expectancy, the guests arranging themselves according to their own
consciousness of their rank; and presently the doors of the salon were
quietly opened and their Majesties entered. The gentlemen bowed
reverentially; the ladies courtesied very low, and the sovereigns,
responding with a gracious inclination of the head, advanced toward us.
The Empress turned to the ladies, the Emperor to the gentlemen, speaking a
word of welcome to as many of the guests as the time allowed. Fifty or
sixty _bon soirs_ and _charmé de vous voir_'s occupy some time; but their
Majesties kept their eyes on the Grand Maréchal, and he kept his eye on
the clock.
The Empress looked lovely. She wore a beautiful gown, a white-spangled
tulle, with a superb tiara of diamonds, and on her neck a _collier_ of
huge pearls.
The Emperor was in white _culottes courtes_, white-silk stockings and
low shoes, as were the rest of the gentlemen. He wore the ribbon of the
_Légion d'honneur_, and on his left breast the star of the same.
The Grand Maréchal, waiting his opportunity, approached his Majesty, who
went up to the Empress and gave her his arm. The Grand Maréchal then led
the way slowly and with due stateliness to the banqueting hall.
The gentlemen offered their arms to their respective ladies, and we
marched in procession through the long gallery, trying to prevent
ourselves from slipping on the waxed floor, and passed between the
splendid _Cent Gardes_, who lined both sides of the entire length of this
enormous hall. Their uniforms are magnificent and dazzling; they wear
light-blue coats under their silver cuirasses, white breeches, and high,
shiny top-boots; and on their heads silver helmets, from which flow long
manes of white horsehair that hang down their backs.
There the men stood, motionless as statues, staring stolidly before them,
without so much as a stolen side-glance at the beauty and elegance passing
before their eyes.
This procession of ladies glittering with jewels, the officers and
diplomats in their splendid uniforms covered with decorations and gay-
colored _cordons_, made a sight never to be forgotten; at least, _I_ shall
never forget it.
When their Majesties entered the dining-room they separated, and took
their places on opposite sides of the table, half-way down its length and
exactly facing each other. The Emperor had Princess Metternich on his
right hand, and the Duchess of Fernan Nuñez on his left. The Empress had
the Austrian Ambassador, Prince Metternich, on her right, and the German
Ambassador, Count Golz, on her left.
The other _invités_ were placed according to their rank and position:
all the _gros bonnets_ were in their right places, you may be quite sure.
I was such a little _bonnet_ among all those great people that I was
practically nowhere, and at the tail end of everything except the members
of the Household and the ladyless gentlemen, who, of course, were below
me.
There must have been about one hundred persons seated at the table. I
never saw such a tremendous long stretch of white linen.
The flowers, stiffly arranged at intervals, alternated with white
_épergnes_ filled with bonbons, and larger fruit-dishes filled with the
most delicious-looking fruit. All along the whole length of the table
were placed, at regular intervals, the groups of _pâte tendre_
representing the Hunt. These, as my cavalier (Count de Bourgogne) told me,
are made only at the Sèvres manufactory, expressly for the French
sovereigns. They were designed in the time of Louis XV. by an artist
called Urbain, and have been reproduced ever since. It would seem as if
nothing had been found worthy to replace them.
The _service de table_ was of white Sèvres porcelain with only the letter
"N" in gold surmounted by the Imperial crown; many of the courses were
served on silver plates, in the center of which were engraved the arms of
France.
A strip of red velvet carpet laid over the polished floor surrounded the
table. On the outer side of this carpet were the chair, to be pushed
forward as soon as people were ready to sit down. The lackeys stood in a
line all the way down the room, making a very imposing sight in their red-
and-white liveries; there must have been forty or fifty of them at least.
The Emperor's _chasseur_ always stands behind his chair and serves him,
and him alone, taking a dish of each course, as it is brought in, from the
maître d'hôtel. No one but this privileged _chasseur_ can hand anything in
the way of food to his Majesty. When the Emperor has served himself, the
_chasseur_ hands the dish back to the _maître d'hôtel_, who passes it on
to the other servants, who then serve the guests. The Empress is served in
the same way.
I suppose this custom dates back to the time of the Borgias, when, in
order to save their own lives, they were willing to risk those of their
trusty menials by making them taste the food before it was put on the
table.
A military band played during the dinner. It was placed in a large
circular loggia having windows opening on to a courtyard, thus serving two
purposes: to let in the air and let out the music, which, fortunately, it
did, otherwise we could not have heard ourselves speak.
The dinner lasted about an hour. (The Emperor dislikes sitting long at
table.) It seemed almost impossible that so much eating and drinking and
changing of plates--in fact, such an elaborate repast--could be got
through within such a short time. But it was!
When their Majesties had finished they rose, and everyone followed their
example. All the chairs were drawn from under you, _tant pis_ if you
were in the act of eating a pear and had not yet washed your fingers; but,
no matter, you had to skip across the red carpet in order to let their
Majesties pass.
A rather amusing incident occurred at dinner. One of the foreign
ministers, who is very vain of the smallness of his feet, had donned a
pair of patent-leather shoes evidently much too tight for him. During the
dinner he relieved his sufferings by slipping his aching toes out of them.
All went well until his chair was suddenly drawn from underneath him, as
their Majesties were about to pass. In utter despair he made the most
frantic efforts to recover the wandering shoes from under the table; but,
alas! the naughty things had made their escape far beyond reach (a little
way shoes have of doing when left to themselves); consequently, he was
obliged to trip across the red carpet as best he could without them. The
Empress, who keenly appreciates a comical situation, had noticed with
great amusement his manoeuvers and embarrassment, and (was it just for a
little fun?) stopped in passing and spoke to him, much to his confusion,
for it was impossible to prevent her from seeing his little, white
shoeless feet.
On our returning to the salon the magnificent _Cent Gardes_ stood just as
we had left them, and I wondered if they had unbent for a moment all the
time we had been at dinner.
The _cercle_ began, and their Majesties circulated about among their
guests. When the Empress was in front of me, she gave me her hand and said
some very kind words to me. She noticed I wore the bracelet she had given
me and seemed pleased. I do not know if you ever saw this handsome
bracelet--it is composed of large rubies and diamonds set in three heavy
gold coils. The date when the Empress gave it to me and her name are
inscribed inside. The Prince Imperial spoke to every one he knew. He has a
very sweet voice, such gentle manners and winning ways. He speaks
excellent English and, of course, several other languages.
Waldteufel, _le fabricant de valses_, put himself at the piano (an upright
one, standing at the extreme end of the immense ballroom), and played some
of his charming _entraînante_ music. But though he played as loudly as
possible, it was difficult to distinguish what sort of music it was, the
ballroom being so enormous. However it did not make much difference as
there were only a few who wanted to dance and one could see that they were
urged to do so by the chamberlains. Waldteufel has an apartment in the
town of Compiègne, where he fabricates his waltzes by day and comes here
to play them by night.
At ten o'clock their Majesties went into the Emperor's private salon with
a selected few; then the dancing become general and livelier. Tea and
cakes were served at eleven o'clock and their Majesties reentered,
conversed a few moments, bowed to every one and withdrew, turned round on
reaching the door, and, with a sweeping inclination of the head,
disappeared.
We bade good night to our friends about us and withdrew, as did every one
else, and I, for one, was glad to go to my Royal couch. Good night!