Keeping uiJ Airpeavances. 297 



Countess Larisch, and Felix increased our company. Whilst 

 the rest of us, after having seen the sights of Bonn, went to 

 dine at the Hotel Royal, the Duke satisfied his rather curious 

 whim to see the dead bodies ready for dissection in the anatomi- 

 cal room, and Felix had to accompany • him. 



In the afternoon I had a long con^iltation with Professor 

 Busch, and I went to his new house and in his pretty garden. See- 

 ing Mrs. Busch surrounded by such pretty, healthy children, a 

 blessed mother and wife, happy in every respect, and compar- 

 ing her condition with mine, I felt quite wretched, and had a 

 crying fit which made me quite angry, for I was afraid she 

 would tell the Professor, who always treated me like a child, 

 and would have laughed at me. 



Next morning when I was very low-spirited, I received a 

 despatch from Felix calling me back. I therefore said good- 

 bye to the kind people in Bonn and went to Coblentz, and i;-. 

 the afternoon returned with Felix to Ems, where we arrived at 

 eight. On the Promenade we saw the King sitting with our 

 usual company. His Majesty rose, shook hands with me, and 

 invited me to sit doAvn. After he left we went to supper at 

 the Prince of Wales. Prince Albrecht sat at my side. He 

 was in a very good humour, and said many funny things. 



Everybody will still remember that summer of 1S70, and 

 especially the important scenes enacted in Ems, which hu- 

 such serious and dreadful consequences. The candidature of 

 the young Prince Hohenzollern for the vacant throne of Spain 

 was then the great topic of the day, and hundreds of eager eyes 

 looked into the face of our' noble old King to read off from its 

 expression the future of the European world. When, on the 

 evening of the 8th, his Majesty honoured our company as usual 

 and was sitting next to me, he spoke about Spain, and said that 

 he did not feel satisfied with Prince Hohenzollern's acceptance 

 of the crown of that country, fearing that evil might result from 

 it. 



On the nth all sorts of rumours were current. We spoka 

 with the King only a iQw moments in the morning, and made, 

 with the Duchess, Countess Furstemberg, Countess Larisch, 

 and several gentlemen, a delightful party in the woods, from 

 which we returned at eight o'clock p.m. We found Felix in 

 Ems, and we all made a promenade with his Majesty. On 

 comuig home I found an order of her Majesty the Queen for 



