The Revs. H. P. Costobadie and J. W. King 53 



England with him many tokens of Royal friendship, including a 

 fine portrait of the Queen Augusta presented to him by one of the 

 Royal family, but he could not help being surprised at the curious 

 manners of the German people at that time, even among the 

 upper classes of the state, especially at table. But, after all, 

 such things are matters of custom, and for all we know, the 

 good chaplain may often have hurt the feelings of Saxe- 

 Weimar hostesses by failing to sound as if he were enjoying his 

 soup. He always stood up for the Germans as lovers of cold 

 water, after seeing several hardy spirits regularly break the ice 

 and bathe in the river throughout the winter, much as certain 

 hardy ones are reputed to bathe in the Serpentine on Christmas 

 Day every year. 



Hohenzollern Princes have never been remarkable for con- 

 stancy to their consorts, and stimulating court gossip was 

 provided by Frederick, the present Emperor's father, on the 

 occasion of a state ball in honour of his bride's birthday, 

 the Princess Royal of England. She discovered a magnificent 

 pearl necklace in the Prince's apartments just before the ball, 

 and naturally thought it was a present for herself, so pretended 

 to know nothing about it, fully prepared to be amazed and 

 delighted at the proper time. As it turned out, she was amazed, 

 but not delighted, for during the ball she saw the necklace adorn- 

 ing the neck of one of the most famous court beauties. Her 

 mortification was so great that the poor Princess drove off in 

 haste and tears to the palace of the Empress Augusta, to whom 

 she complained bitterly. The Empress failed to be as sym- 

 pathetic as the Princess expected, and merely remarked that if 

 she took such matters to heart she should never have married 

 a Hohenzollern. 



At the end of his chaplaincy the Reverend Costobadie came 

 home and enjoyed a year's holiday in the Isle of Man, fishing 

 and shooting to his heart's content, before returning to the placid, 

 healthy life of a country rector, surrounded by loving friends 

 and relations. He never hunted in pink, preferring a neat 

 black coat, and taking particular pride in the polish of his top- 

 boots, which always shone like glass. He was a moderate High 

 Churchman and distinctly orthodox, one of his favourite say- 

 ings being, " All things work together for our good," a belief 

 that, combined with a sound digestion, should insure a long life 



