MY RECOLLECTIONS OF WILLIAM 11-1879-1903 219 



and aspiration in it which seemed to me so radically 

 different from the perfunctory utterances usual on such 

 occasions that, at the close of the official interview with 

 his father and mother, I alluded to it. Their response 

 touched me. There came at once a kindly smile upon the 

 father s face, and a glad sparkle into the mother s eyes: 

 pleasing was it to hear her, while showing satisfaction and 

 pride, speak of her anxiety before the good news came, 

 and of the embarrassments in the way of her son at his 

 first public address on an occasion of such importance; 

 no less pleasing was it to note the father s happy acquies 

 cence : there was in it all a revelation of simple home feel 

 ing and of wholesome home ties which clearly indicated 

 something different from the family relations in sundry 

 royal houses depicted by court chroniclers. 



Not long afterward the young prince appeared at some 

 of the court festivities, and I had many opportunities to 

 observe him. He seemed sprightly, with a certain exu 

 berance of manner in meeting his friends which was not 

 unpleasing; but it was noticeable that his hearty saluta 

 tions were by no means confined to men and women of 

 his own age; he was respectful to old men, and that is 

 always a good sign ; it could be easily seen, too, that while 

 he especially sought the celebrities of the Franco-Prus 

 sian War, he took pains to show respect to men eminent 

 in science, literature, and art. There seemed a healthy, 

 hearty life in him well befitting a young man of his po 

 sition and prospects : very different was he from the heir 

 to the throne in another country, whom I had occasion 

 to observe at similar functions, and who seemed to regard 

 the whole human race with indifference. 



Making the usual visits in Berlin society, I found that 

 people qualified to judge had a good opinion of his abil 

 ities ; and not infrequent were prophecies that the young 

 man would some day really accomplish something. 



My first opportunity to converse with him came at his 

 marriage, when a special reception was given by him and 

 his bride to the diplomatic corps. He spoke at consider- 



