264 Ten Years of my Life, 



each single member reflect on the whole community. In con- 

 >equence of these relations an officer is not at liberty to marry 

 as he pleases ; he can only choose a wife who is considered by 

 the whole corps as worthy to enter the family. Does passion 

 lead him to disregard this, he must cease to be an officer. 

 From this results the advantage that each Avife of an officer 

 shares all the social advantages granted to his class. The 

 title of wife of an officer admits her to every society, for she 

 must be a gentlewoman, an advantage which is not granted to 

 all wives of officers in the civil service, even if the rank of their 

 husbands should be considered higher. 



This is, I think, the principal cause why almost everywhere 

 in Prussia the officers' families take the lead in society, which 

 is most decidedly the case in places like Coblentz, which have 

 a large garrison. 



Society in that city acquires still an additional tinge, making 

 it different from that in other garrison towns, by the frequent 

 presence of the Queen in Coblentz. for the officers and the 

 wives of officers belonging to the Queen's own regiment were 

 considered as it were forming part of her Court. This being 

 the case, the admittance of a new member was not alone left 

 over to the high military authorities, but more to the decision 

 of the Queen, This was the cause why the appointment of 

 my husband was delayed, for the King would not act for him- 

 self, but had first to ascertain the wishes of the Queen, who 

 was then absent from Berlin. 



It was one of my first duties to call upon the ladies of our 

 regiment and make their acquaintance, as well as that of some 

 other ladies forming part of their society. 



The former Colonel of our regiment had become a Major- 

 General, and his official connection with his former command 

 had ceased, though he remained in Coblentz. His wife had 

 also to resign her place as mother of the regimental family, 

 which had to be reserved for the wife of his successor ; but she 

 loved her old regiment, and resigned her place of mother only 

 for that of a grandmother. 



Mrs. General von S was a very lively, sharp-witted, 



nimble-tongued lady, whose conversation was pleasant and 

 amusing, because always seasoned with a particle of gossip 

 and 7nedisance. An adept in housekeeping, she knew exactly 

 the price of butter and eggs, and could calculate to a farthing 



