Then I sent him to the King with the request to be received at seven
o'clock. He also carried a note to the Princess, telling her I would
call at six thirty.
In due time, he returned: The King would receive me at the hour named.
The Princess, however, sent her reply by a footman. It was a note; and,
except that I was expected for sure at _six thirty_, it is quite
unnecessary to give its contents. They were not intended for general
circulation. I might say, however, that the note was eminently
satisfactory to me, and that I read it more than once. And it was in the
inside pocket of my coat when I rode across to Headquarters to assume my
new authority.
The ceremony was very brief. The retiring Governor, Marshal Perdez, with
an Aide, met me at the causeway and escorted me to the large audience
chamber, where His Majesty's formal order was read. Perdez then
presented his staff, and the doors were thrown open and I received the
officers of the Army and Navy on duty at the Capital. It was all over in
an hour, and I was alone in my office with Bernheim.