464 SANS SOUCI. 



" The train by which I left Berlin was filled with offi 

 cers and diplomatic officials in full uniform, going down 

 to do homage to the Czar. In the carriage in which I sat, 

 were two old gentlemen who presently commenced con- 

 versing in French. After a time, their talk wandered to 

 the Orient, and they spoke of Diebitsch and his cam- 

 paigns, and the treaty of Unkiar-Iskelessi. Suddenly, 

 one of them asked in Arabic, ' Do you speak Arabic ? ' 

 The other answered in Turkish, ' No, but I speak Turk- 

 ish.' The first replied in the same language, which, 

 after a time, the two exchanged for Modern Greek, and 

 finally subsided into Russian. I made out that one was 

 a Wallachian, but could discover nothing more, notwith- 

 standing there was an air of a secret mission about them, 

 which greatly piqued my curiosity. With us was also a 

 Prussian regimental surgeon, decorated with the Order of 

 St. Stanislaus for his service in the Crimea. 



"Potsdam was all alive with the Imperial arrival. The 

 King of Saxony was also coming to dinner ; and, that 

 the three monarchs might be pleasantly diverted in the 

 evening, the sparkling Marie Taglioni, who had arrived 

 with us, tripped out' of the cars and off to the Royal 

 Theatre. The park at Sans Souci was in brilliant holi- 

 day trim, the walks newly swept, and the fountains jet- 

 tins: their tallest and brightest streams. The streets of 

 the dull little court-town glittered with resplendent uni- 

 forms, among which the driver of my carriage pointed 

 out Carl, Albert, and various other princes of the House 

 of Prussia. As we were crossing an open space near the 

 palace, a mounted guard, followed by an open carriage, 

 drawn by a span of superb black horses, suddenly ap- 

 peared. I at once recognised the punchy figure in a 



