BERLIN, _January 22, 1903_.
Dear L.,--J.'s presentation of his _lettres de créance_ to the Emperor
was a small affair compared with former functions, which were combined
with gala coaches, powdered coachmen, and _pourboires_. It was simply
taking a train to Potsdam, in which there was a section called
_Kaiserlich_. The Minister of Foreign Affairs accompanied him, as was
his duty. In a royal carriage from the court they were driven to the
Neues Palais. J. was met by the _Introducteur des Ambassadeurs_ (Herr
von Knesebeck) and conducted into the presence of the Emperor, where
J. made his speech. The Emperor was very official and ceremonious when
he responded, but in the conversation afterward was affability itself.
J.'s audience with the Empress was very hurried, because of the Crown
Prince of Denmark, who had arrived the night before in Berlin. He
stayed two days at Neues Palais.
I arrived two weeks after this. The custom here is for a Minister's
wife to be presented by the _doyenne_ (Madame Sjögeny) to the _grande
maîtresse_ (Countess Brockdorf) on one of her reception-days _before_
the _Schleppenkur_. I found her very charming. My audience with the
Empress was fixed for a date a week later, and the Swedish and the
Peruvian Ministers' wives were to be received at the same time.
We met in the _salon_ of Countess Brockdorf on the day appointed, and,
preceded by her, went together to the _salon_ of the Empress, where we
found Her Highness already waiting. We sat about in a circle. The
Empress talked French with us and was most gracious. She has a
wonderful figure; her white hair and youthful face and her lovely,
kind smile make her very beautiful. She said that the Emperor
remembered me from Rome and Prince Henry (her brother-in-law)
recollected having met me at Monza.
I went in company with these same two ladies at an audience to the
Princess Henry, who lives in the pretty pavilion on the left of the
palace, overlooking the canal. She only comes to Berlin when there are
_fêtes_ at court, otherwise she and the Prince live at Kiel.
Our next visit was to Princess Friedric-Leopold, the Empress's sister.
She lives in a palace in Wilhelm-strasse when in Berlin. She is very
lively, talkative, and extremely natural in conversation. She has a
beautiful country place near Potsdam.
The _Schleppenkur_ is a great event in Berlin. It takes place before
the birthday of the Emperor. I had never seen anything like this
ceremony, and it interested me very much. Perhaps it will you. It
takes place at a very early hour in the evening--eight o'clock. This
makes it necessary for one to begin to dress at six. Naturally, you go
without any dinner--a cup of bouillon is considered sufficient to keep
you alive.
It is the custom for diplomats to engage for the evening a
_Schutzmann_--a heavy mounted policeman. Our particular one was
waiting for us before our house and rode by the side of our carriage
until we arrived at the entrance of the _Schloss_. He looked very
important, but I do not think he was of much use. However, it seems
that a _Schutzmann_ comes under the chapter of _Noblesse oblige_, and
we took him. He did a great deal of horsemanship, but never dared to
disobey the chief policeman's orders, and when we arrived at Portal 4
we had to wait for the file like other people. He did not call up our
carriage at the end, but had to be called up himself by the police
force; then he appeared, bristling with energy, and galloped at our
horses' heads to our door, where we laid our offering in his hand and
bade him good night. The _Schutzmann_ is one of our privileges and
nuisances. I felt sorry for people who had been standing in the cold
street for hours to watch the procession of carriages and the gala
coaches (which the Ambassadors use on this occasion), because they
only get a glimpse through the frost-covered windows of glittering
uniforms and dazzling diamonds. Your dress (instructions as to which
are printed even to the smallest detail on the back of your
invitation) must be a ball-dress, with a train four meters long, short
sleeves, and a _décolletage_ of the Victorian period, and white kid
(_glacé_) gloves.
[Illustration:
EMPEROR WILHELM IN THE UNIFORM OF THE GUARDS]
[Illustration:
THE EMPRESS OF GERMANY ON HER FAVORITE MOUNT]
We arrived at the Wendel entrance and mounted the long and fatiguing
staircase before we reached the second story where the state
apartments are. In the hall of the _corps de garde_ were several
masters of ceremony, who received us with deep bows. I wondered what
certain large baskets which looked like clothes-baskets were, and was
told that ladies wearing boas or lace wraps around their shoulders
were expected to drop them into these baskets. They would then be
conveyed to the other staircase, where, after the ceremony, we would
find our servants and carriages--and, we hoped, our boas! We passed
through different rooms where groups of ladies were assembled. The
_Corps Diplomatique_ filled two rooms. The ladies were in the first
one, which leads to the Throne Room.
The Hungarian and Russian ladies wear their national costumes, which
are very striking and make them all look like exotic queens. The
English ladies wear the three feathers and the long tulle white veil,
which make them look like brides. We others wear what we like,
ball-dresses of every hue, and all our jewels. No one can find fault
with us if our trains, our _décolletage_, our sleeves and gloves, are
not according to regulations.
The chamberlains arranged us, consulting papers which they had in
their hands, after the order of our rank. Being the latest member, I
was at the very end, only the wives of two _charges d'affaires_ being
behind me. The one directly behind me held up my train, just as I held
the train of the Peruvian Minister's wife in front of me. I hope that
I have made this clear to you. The _doyenne_ stood by the door which
led into the Throne Room through which she was to enter. Four meters
behind her was her daughter holding her train, and behind her were the
ladies who had not already been presented at court.
The room not being long enough, we formed a serpentine curve,
reminding one of the game called "Follow the leader." It must look
funny to any one not knowing why we were so carefully tending the
clothes of other people. I never let go the train of the colleague in
front until she reached the door of the Throne Room, where I spread it
out on the floor. Then, as the lady passed into the room, two lackeys,
one on each side of the door, poked the train with long sticks until
it lay peacock-like on the parquet.
[Illustration:
TWO VIEWS OF ROYALTY
From photographs taken at Lyngby, near Copenhagen, in 1894. In the
facing photograph the former Czar of Russia is seen, with black hat
and light clothes, holding his favorite dog. From left to right the
others are: the Princess of Hesse; the Princess Marie; Prince Waldemar
with his dog; a _dame d'honneur_; King Christian X. of Denmark; and
the present Czar of Russia. The man at the extreme left of the picture
is the present King, George of Greece.]
This is rather a critical moment. One has a great many things to think
of. In the first place, you must keep at the proper distance from your
predecessor. Of this you can be pretty sure, because if you walk too
fast there is the restraining hand of the chamberlain to prevent you.
Still, there is always the fear of dropping your fan or tripping over
the front of your gown or of your tiara falling off.
When I came in I saw His Majesty standing on the throne, stately and
solemn. For two hours he stands thus. With a mass of officers on my
right and a few chamberlains at intervals on my left I advanced very
slowly and, I hope, with a certain dignity. I saw the train of my
colleague turn the corner around the officers. Two other lackeys
darted forth and pronged my train in place. I made my courtesy first
to the Emperor and then to the Empress, who stood at his left.
Next to her Majesty stood the _grande maîtresse_. I put myself by her
side and presented Frederikke and our secretary's wife, and the
_grande maîtresse_ said their names to the Empress. Then as we passed
out a servant picked up our trains and threw them over our arms,
disappearing through the door of the immensely long gallery which is
filled with pictures commemorating the numerous battles and events of
the last forty years. I wondered, when I looked at the stretch of
carpet, how any one carpet could be made so long.
As I am the latest arrived Minister's wife, I and my two acolytes were
the last persons to enter the _Weissesaal_ where the buffet stood.
This buffet extended almost the whole length of the vast room. We
refreshed ourselves. My little self was in sad need of being
refreshed, and I devoured the sandwiches spread out temptingly under
my eyes, and drank some reviving champagne, and waited for my better
half, who, with the other better halves, was making his bow to the
sovereigns. The ladies of the _Corps Diplomatique_ pass before the
throne first and are followed by the gentlemen; then come the
highest-ranked princesses, and so forth. It is very fatiguing moving
about with one's court train dragging on one's arm, and I for one know
that I was glad when we went down the marble staircase and found the
servant who had sorted our boas from the baskets. There is no
antechamber at the foot of the staircase, so one must stay exposed to
the wintry blasts when the door is opened to let people out. It is
extraordinary how long it takes ladies to disappear after their
carriages are announced. They say a few last words, linger over the
picking up of their skirts, and go out leisurely; also the servant
seems unnecessarily long mounting his box, settling himself before the
coachman drives away.
BERLIN, _January, 1903_.
Dear ----,--The 21st was the Emperor's birthday.
The whole city is beflagged, and there are all sorts of illumination
preparations. "W's" in every dimension and color, the Emperor's bust
surrounded by laurel leaves, and flags in every window. Johan went in
gala uniform to the chapel in the _Schloss_, where a religious service
is always held, after which every one goes to congratulate his Majesty
and see the _défilé cour_ afterward.
In the evening was the gala opera. Johan dined at Count Billow's (the
_Reichskanzler_) at five o'clock, while I dressed for the theater. We
were obliged to be there at eight o'clock sharp. "Sharp" is the word
here. There is no loitering where the Emperor is concerned. Everything
is on time, and his Majesty is sometimes _before_ the hour mentioned,
but never _after_.
The Opera-house is rather small, but was beautifully decorated with
garlands of artificial flowers hanging from the center of the dome
down to the balconies, and from the proscenium boxes to the orchestra.
In the center of the house is the royal box, the balustrade of which
is covered with real flowers. From all the balconies are hung
beautiful carpets covered with festoons. The whole interior was a mass
of color.
The Emperor and Empress sat, of course, in the front of the box, while
the other chairs were filled by royal guests who had come to Berlin to
congratulate the Emperor. The King of Saxony, the King of Würtemberg,
and the other German royalties, all sat in the royal box. The
Emperor's sons had their seats in the balcony.
The Ambassadors occupied the four proscenium boxes. The highest
princesses of the German nobility sat in the next balconies. The
_Corps Diplomatique_ occupied the boxes and balconies adjoining the
royal box. All the officers and secretaries of the Embassies sat in
the parquet.
When the audience was seated the _directeur générale des théâtres_
entered the royal box, came forward, and rapped with his stick three
times, a signal that their Majesties were about to enter. The royal
party came in very quietly and took their places. Every one in the
house, of course, stood up and bowed. It was a pretty sight from our
balcony to see all the men's heads in the parquet bend down while they
saluted their Majesties. It looked like the swaying of wheat by the
wind.
Gradually all the lights were turned out and the overture commenced.
The opera was "Carmen" and Madame Destinn sang.
In the _entr'acte_ the diplomats and the ladies and gentlemen in the
first balcony were begged to go in the foyer, where they were
presented to the different royalties assembled there.
The Empress was covered with magnificent diamonds and pearls, and the
jewels displayed by all these royal ladies, and all the glittering
uniforms of the princes and officers made a splendid sight.
The Emperor came toward me with a gleam of recognition, and commenced
in an entirely unceremonious way, shaking me heartily by the hand:
"How do you do? It's a long time since I saw you."
"Not since Rome, when your Majesty was there in 1889," I answered.
"So long ago? I remember it so well! As if it was yesterday!"
"I, too," I said. "I remember your Majesty being in the Statue Gallery
of the Capitol, where you looked like one of the statues itself, in
your white uniform."
"I remember," he said. "It was a dreadful glare."
"It was the first time they ever put electricity in the Capitol."
"They put too much in," he said, "and such a lot of people! Dear me! I
shall never forget it. Didn't I look bored?"
"No, your Majesty looked very serious and as handsome as a Lohengrin"
I answered.
"Lohengrin, really! I did not see any Elsa I wanted to save."
"Oh, I meant only a Lohengrin _de passage_," I replied.