22 ST NICOTINE 



at the same time. He begged me to excuse him for a 

 moment. I waited a little while. By-and-by I got rather 

 tired of waiting, and, as he did not offer me a cigar, I took 

 one out of my case and asked him for a light, which he 

 gave me with a somewhat astonished expression of 

 countenance. But that is not all. At the meetings of the 

 Military Committee, when Rochow represented Prussia at 

 the Federal Diet, Austria was the only member who smoked. 

 Rochow, who was a desperate smoker, would have dearly 

 liked to smoke too, but did not venture to do so. When I 

 came in I also felt that I wanted to smoke, and, as I did 

 not see in the least why I should not, I asked the 

 Presiding Power for a light, which appeared to be regarded 

 both by it and the other powers with equal wonder and 

 displeasure. Obviously it was an event for them all. 

 Upon that occasion, therefore, only Austria and Prussia 

 smoked. But the other gentlemen considered it such a 

 momentous matter that they reported upon it home to their 

 respective governments. The affair demanded the 

 gravest consideration, and fully six months elapsed during 

 which only the two great powers smoked. Then Schrenkh, 

 the Bavarian Envoy, began to vindicate the dignity of his 

 position by smoking. Nostitz, the Saxon, yearned to do so 

 too, but he had not as yet received permission from his 

 minister ; but as, at the next meeting, he saw that Bothmer, 

 the Hanoverian, lit a cigar, he (who had strong Austrian 

 proclivities, and some of his sons in the Austrian army) 

 came to an understanding with the Rechberg, for he also 

 drew a weed from its leathern scabbard, and blew a cloud. 

 The only ones now remaining were the Wurtemberger and 

 the Darmstadter, neither of them smokers. But the 

 honour and importance of their respective States impera- 

 tively exacted that they should smoke ; and so, at the very 



