AS AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY 1897-1903 143 



tive is not infrequently obliged to take up his residence in 

 unfit apartments and in an unsuitable part of the town. 



After looking at dozens of houses, the choice was nar 

 rowed down to two; but, as one was nearly three miles 

 from the center of the city, selection was made of the large 

 apartment which I occupied during nearly four years, 

 and which was bought from under my feet by one of 

 the smallest governments in Europe as the residence for 

 its minister. Immediately after my lease was signed there 

 began a new series of troubles. Everything must be ready 

 for the three receptions by the eighth day of January ; and, 

 being at the mercy of my landlord, I was at a great disad 

 vantage. Though paying large rent for the apartment, I 

 was obliged, at my own expense, to put it thoroughly in 

 order, introducing electric light, perfecting heating appa 

 ratus, getting walls and floors in order, and doing a world 

 of work which, under other circumstances, would have 

 been done by the proprietor himself. As to furnishing, a 

 peculiar difficulty arose. Berlin furnishers, as a rule, have 

 only samples in stock, and a long time is required for com 

 pleting sets. My former experience, when, as minister, I 

 had been obliged to go through a similar ordeal, had shown 

 me that the Berlin makers could never be relied upon to 

 get the apartment furnished in time ; and therefore it was 

 that, having secured what was possible in Berlin, I was 

 obliged to make large purchases at Dresden, London, and 

 Paris, and to have the furniture from the last-named city 

 hurried on to Berlin in special wadded cars, with atten 

 dants to put it in place. It was a labor and care to which 

 no representative of the United States or of any other 

 power ought to be subjected. The vexations and difficul 

 ties seemed unending ; but at last carpenters, paper-hang 

 ers, electric-light men, furniture men, carpet-layers, uphol 

 sterers, and the like were driven from the house just five 

 minutes before the chancellor of the empire arrived to 

 open the first of these three official receptions. Happily 

 they all went off well, and thereby began my acquaintance 

 with the leaders in various departments of official life. 



