Franz d’Este and his morganatic wife at Sinaia--My recollection of him
at Vienna--Society girls with cold feet--The German Crown Prince
was popular at Bucarest--But he was only there a fortnight--The
King and his “shadowers”--Predeal--The leap over the frontier--A
little smuggling--A beautiful and historic road.
The Archduke Franz d’Este and his morganatic wife, the Fürstin
Hohenberg, whose murder at Serajevo by a Servian student was the
ostensible reason for the outbreak of the Great War, visited Sinaia
in the lifetime of the late King Carol and Queen Elizabeth. They were
received there in a very private circle, no public reception being
accorded them, as of course the Fürstin, not being of the same exalted
rank as her husband, could not have taken her place at his side. When
the Archduke went to the Spanish wedding as representative of the
Emperor of Austria his wife accompanied him only to San Sebastian, and
there awaited his return.
Franz d’Este was not a pleasant person, and when I was a girl in Vienna
I heard many stories of his escapades and of those of his equally wild
brother the Archduke Otto. The Emperor was constantly obliged to call
them to account. Many of the stories were no doubt exaggerated, but
I understand that the often-told tale of how Franz d’Este stopped
a funeral procession and leaped his horse over the bier was well
authenticated.
I remember very well skating one afternoon at a place by the Stadt
Park, near the Ring Strasse. Franz d’Este was amongst the skaters, and
he was distributing his favours pretty impartially amongst the crowd of
young society girls. They stood huddled in a crowd, and not one would
move till Franz came to claim her. Poor things! They must have had cold
feet, but I suppose they thought it worth while.
The German Crown Prince spent a fortnight in Bucarest some years ago,
and I presume that he was also taken to Sinaia. Of that, however, I am
not quite sure, as I was away at the time. Anyhow, I am certain of one
thing, and that is, that he made himself most agreeable to the ladies
of Bucarest, winning golden opinions on every side.
Germans are not liked by the Roumanians, but the Crown Prince was an
exception. He admired the ladies of society very much, and was greatly
taken by their toilet. I daresay he gave many a hint to his wife
regarding her dress on his return from Roumania.
At the dances in the palace the Crown Prince never waited for a formal
arrangement by the Master of Ceremonies. In the case of a young friend
of mine, he simply took her by the hand when the music started and
said, “Let us dance this together.”
On taking leave of the Roumanian officers who had been attached to
his suite, he presented each of them with a photograph of the German
Emperor, simply saying, “My father wished me to give you this.”
All this absence of formality delighted the Roumanians, who like to
dispense with ceremony themselves. But of course we must remember that
the German Crown Prince only stayed in Roumania for a fortnight, and
since then his character seems to have developed in an extraordinary
way.
The late King and Queen of Roumania liked to stay at Sinaia as
long as they possibly could. King Carol’s desire was to live as
simply as possible and to stroll about the woods without any guard
whatever. Of course, a guard could not be entirely dispensed with,
but private detectives were employed to follow the King in his walks
as unobtrusively as was possible. Poor men! I think they had a hard
time of it trying to carry out their instructions. I met the King
and Prince Ferdinand one day walking in the woods, and some distance
behind followed two rather shabby-looking men. They behaved in such a
suspicious way, taking cover behind every tree or bush if they thought
the gentlemen were about to turn, that if I had not been aware of their
identity I should have thought they had designs on the King. They were
detectives who were really concerned for the King’s safety, but they
were obliged to be careful, as his Majesty was always very angry if one
of them crossed his path.
The road from Sinaia to Predeal in the Carpathians is beautiful and
full of interest. There is a gentle incline for a considerable part
of the way, till the road finally reaches its culminating point at
Predeal, on the frontier between Roumania and Transylvania.
Predeal is a pretty little village with a great many villas scattered
about, as it is a favourite summer resort for the inhabitants of
Bucarest. It is surrounded by pine forests, and these, together with
the health-giving air (Predeal is situated at the highest point of the
Carpathians), attract a great many sufferers from chest complaints. I
spent a summer once in Predeal, and enjoyed it very much. The village
is of course Roumanian, but our villa happened to be built just a few
yards over the boundary on Hungarian soil. The Hungarians were very
anxious that people should settle on their side, therefore they gave
special facilities for building purposes. To mark the boundary there
was a deep ditch running from the forest high up behind our house right
down to the road. This ditch was constantly patrolled by a Hungarian
soldier, who sternly prohibited any crossing into Roumanian territory
except by the legitimate means at the barrier on the road further down.
Now, as most of our friends lived on the Roumanian side, the fancy
often seized us to pay them an evening visit. But to travel all the
way down to the road was not to be thought of when the crossing of the
ditch was so easy. Therefore we used to watch for the favourable moment
when the soldier was up near the forest, take a flying leap across the
ditch, and land safely on Roumanian territory before the sentinel could
return. When he did arrive he could do no more than hurl threats after
us, as he could not leave his post.
Crossing the boundary with forbidden commodities was always attended
with a certain amount of risk. What an anxious moment when one was
requested to come into the office, and how great was the pleasure
afterwards when one was successful in smuggling through certain
articles! Lengths of muslin pinned in front under one’s skirt, cakes
of soap hidden in the hat, chocolate in the bag or under the saddle of
one’s bicycle, what a pleasure it was to get them through! The Customs
officials may strongly suspect that something is hidden, but they
must not touch or search the _person_ unless they are certain. Should
they do so and find nothing, it is then a punishable offence. We had
a number of fowls which we had brought with us from Bucarest, but the
grain to feed them had to be kept on the Roumanian side, as the duty on
it was very high. Every time that the supply ran short we had to cross
the boundary wearing cloaks or loose jackets. On returning, each person
had a small parcel concealed under these garments, so the fowls had
what they required and the Hungarians were none the wiser.
The road from Predeal down into the Hungarian plain is one of the most
lovely I have ever seen. It begins at the summit of the mountain,
gradually descending in lovely curves, with beautiful glimpses of the
valley beneath. When one finally reaches the plain it is charming to
look back at the heights from which one has come.
How often have I cycled down from Predeal to Kronstadt, enjoying to
the full all the lovely scenery _en route_! I have made many enjoyable
excursions in the surrounding mountains, and one of these particularly
is in my memory as I write.
We started from Predeal one fine summer morning on foot, preceded by
two lads carrying our basket of provisions. As we walked at a brisk
pace down the road, we had still time to admire the dancing shadows
caused by the sun shining through the trees that thickly bounded the
road on each side. After a walk of half an hour we struck off to the
right, and, after crossing some upland meadows and ascending the steep
mountain-side for some time, found ourselves at the opening of a rocky
gorge. The gorge was so narrow that there was just enough space for
one person at a time to pass along the footpath, made of rough boards.
By many turns and twists and sudden little jumps from one platform to
the next lower down, we managed, with a good deal of difficulty, to
arrive in the valley beneath. The slight bruises that we had sustained
in the descent were now speedily forgotten, and we greatly enjoyed our
lunch, supplemented as it was by the wild raspberries and strawberries
which were growing there in abundance. As our party was mostly composed
of Britishers, the inevitable cup of tea had to be provided. A little
spirit-lamp was placed in the most sheltered corner we could find, and
set alight. Just as we were in hopes that all was going on well and
that the water was near boiling-point, a sudden puff of wind came along
and blew out the flame. Time after time this tantalising experience
was repeated. At length one of the party, a clergyman, undertook the
difficult task of getting the water boiled. To see him on his knees,
anxiously shading the flame with his hat, his hands, his whole body,
and softly ejaculating sundry remarks when the spiteful little puff of
wind succeeded in getting in between and undoing all his work, offered
a spectacle which helped to solace the others. I am sure if he had not
been a clergyman he would have said something wicked. However, in the
event, we had to content ourselves with tea made of lukewarm water;
and although the Roumanians of the party did not seem to mind, we
Britishers decidedly disliked it.
When one returns in memory to the scene of so much pleasure and
enjoyment, it becomes impossible to imagine the bloody struggle that
recently was enacted there. That beautiful road leading up to Predeal
was probably cut up by the German heavy guns, the splendid forest trees
torn to splinters, and all the merry animal life scared away. It is sad
to think of the beautiful village of Predeal being even temporarily in
the hands of the enemy, and of the number of valiant Roumanians who
there made the supreme sacrifice.