56L' IX THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE- VI 



bishop is simply the sacristan of an old church in Venice, 

 and certainly the most dignified ecclesiastic I have ever 

 seen." The musical soirees at Becker's beautiful apart- 

 ments were 1 among the delights of my stay both then and 

 during my more recent embassy. 



Very delightfully dwell in my memory, also, some even- 

 ings at the palace, when, after the main ceremonies were 

 over, Kuans, Becker, and Auerbach wandered with me 

 through the more distant apartments and galleries, point- 

 ing out the beauties and characteristics of various old 

 portraits and pictures. In one long gallery lined with the 

 portraits of brides who, during the last three centuries, 

 had been brought into the family of Ilohenzollern, we 

 lingered long. 



Then began also my friendship with Anton von Werner, 

 lie had been present at the proclamation of the Emperor 

 \Yilliam I in the great ' k llall of Mirrors" at Versailles, by 

 ex pros invitation, in order that lie might prepare his fa- 

 mous painting of that historic scene. 1 asked him whether 

 the inscription on the shield in the cornice of the Galerie 

 des G laces, '"Passage du Uhin, " which glorified one of the 

 worst outrages committed by Louis X I V upon Germany, 

 was really in the place where it is represented in his pic- 

 ture. Me said that it was. It seemed a divine prophecy 

 of ret ribution. 



The greatest genius in all modern German art Adolf 

 Men/el I came to know under rather curious circum- 

 stances, lie was a little man, not more than four feet 

 high, with an enormous head, as may be seen by his bust 

 in the Berlin Museum. On being presented to him during 

 an evening at court, I said to him: " Herr Professor, in 

 America I am a teacher of history; and of all works I 

 have ever seen on the history of Frederick the Great, your 

 illustrations of Kugler's history have taught me most." 

 Thi> was strictly true; for there are no more striking 

 works o| genius in their kind than those engravings which 

 throw a flood of light into that wonderful period. At this 

 be invited me to visit his studio, which a few davs later I 



