Prince Charles Salmi-Horstinar. 267 



Majesty ! ' I rose hurriedly, and was presented to the King, 

 who had entered. He received me very kindly, and having 

 taken notice of that part of my diary contained in my hus- 

 band's book, he spoke of Mexico, complimenting me most 

 graciously about my ' tapferes Benehmen/ He spoke Ger- 

 man, the Queen kindly interpreting what he said, though he 

 understood what I answered in EngHsh. His presence made 

 on me the same impression as on everybody who had had the 

 honour of being addressed by him, and I now understood per- 

 fectly the love and enthusiasm with which my husband always 

 spoke of his Majesty. He remained about five minutes, and 

 I then went home quite delighted with my reception. 



During this stay in Berlin I made the acquaintance of a 

 rather queer and original relative of my husband, Prince 

 Charles Salm-Horstmar, and his wife, a born Princess Hohen- 

 lohe. The Prince was a great devotee and philanthropist, but 

 nothing of this was betrayed by his exterior, for though he was 

 lame he was dressed in a highly dandified style, to which the 

 very simple, almost homely appearance of his wife formed a 

 rather strange contrast. He was an enthusiastic promoter of 

 piety and virtue, and he and his wife had undertaken to estab- 

 lish a reformatory for unfortunate girls, but they had to give it 

 up in despair. Having some doubts about matrimony in com- 

 bination with his profession of apostle, he had resolved to re- 

 main a bachelor all his life, and in consequence of this fancy 

 renounced the majorate of his family to his )c>unger brother. 

 But even the most devoted men are not shot-proof against the 

 arrows of the little great mischief-maker, and our pious cousin 

 fell desperately in love with Princess Elise, before whose charms 

 his celibate resolutions crumbled to dust. Princess Elise did 

 not exactly share the abnegatory inclinations of her virtuous 

 Prince Charles ; she regretted much the renunciation of the 

 majorate, which left her husband only a very moderate income, 

 and thinking that money was no hindrance to devotion, she 

 *ried all she could to find a legal' flaw in the proceeding, but 

 without success. 



While Felix was still sowing his wild oats and persecuted by 

 the Jews, his pious cousin imagined that this was the proper 

 time for working the salvation of his soul. Being still rich at 

 that time, he thought it necessary to win first the confidence of 

 Felix by' keeping at bay the hooked-nosed fiends who troubled 



