The French Camp at Chalons. 285 



not to think of the future, and to enjoy the present. At a 

 great ball given by General Herwarth von Bittenfeld I danced 

 every set, and amused myself in spite of all gloomy prospects. 



When, on the i6th of January, it was my turn to give a 

 party to the circle, I had the pleasure of receiving our new 

 Colonel, Count Waldersee, Colonel von Stiehle having been 

 called to Berlin on some other duty. I was much pleased 

 with our new Colonel, for he was not only a very agreeable 

 man, but also a very distinguished officer. He had been sent 

 the year before to the French camp at Chalons, where many 

 foreign officers were invited to admire the high excellence of 

 the grand French army. The eftect produced on Count Wal- 

 dersee was by no means a grand one. He was utterly 

 astonished at the state of that army, and especially of their 

 tactics; saying that they were still nearly a century behind, 

 predicting for them a very great defeat if they should dare to 

 provoke a war with Prussia. He had expressed these views in 

 his report sent in to the War Department. 



The ' little bills ' caused me to make a business journey to 

 Berlin, and Felix accompanied me. We travelled together 



with Lieutenant-Colonel von G and his wife, my dear 



poetical friend. Her husband had bought an estate with a 

 little chateau somewhere in Silesia, and with a tooth-breaking 

 name, and given in his resignation. On my suggestion, the 

 ladies of the regiment had given her a keepsake, which was, 

 however, I am sorry to say, a most ugly, paltry writing-port- 

 folio, which she scarcely would think worth a place on her 

 writing table. I regretted her leaving much, for I lost in her 

 a very dear good friend. 



In Berlin we met Baron von D from Kurland, his 



pretty daughter, and Lieutenant-Colonel von O , whose 



marriage we attended on the 20th of January. Before we 

 v.'ent to the dinner in the Hotel de Rome, Countess Haake 

 called, informing us that the Queen w^anted to see Lieutenant- 

 Colonel von G and us next day. 



The father of the fair bride led me to dinner which was 

 splendid. 



Next day we drove to the palace, and were received at one 

 o'clock by Countess Haake. A little while afterwards came 

 the Queen, who gave us her hand, and was as gracious as she 

 always was. 



