A Fearful Bream. 317 



made inquiries about the trains going to Metz, where we heard 

 that fighting was going on ; but the information I received was 

 very unsatisfactory, as I was told it would require eight days 

 to go to Nancy. 



On August iS, the day of the battle of Gravelottee — of 

 which we then of course knew nothing — my feeling of dread 

 became alarmingly oppressive, for I had had the most fearful 

 dreams about battles, and felt almost sure that something had 

 happened to my husband. Until the 20th, we heard in 

 Saarbrucken only vague rumours, but when I went on that 

 day with Dr. Busch to Saarlouis, where we had to wait at the 

 station* several hours, many trains with wounded arrived from 

 the battlefields near Metz. There I saw a wounded soldier 

 from the Augusta regiment ; he belonged to the battalion of 

 my husband, and totd me that they had been in the battle of 

 the 1 3th and behaved extremely bravely, but he pretended not 

 to know whether Felix was wounded. I however felt an in- 

 discribable anguish, and when we late in the evening returned 

 to Saarbrucken, and I went to bed, I saw in a half-awake 

 vision, poor Felix dead at my side, with a fearfully still, pale 

 face. 



Early in the morning on August 21, I called on j\Irs. von 

 Berenhorst, who was in Saarbrucken to nurse her brother, 

 Major von Nettlebeck. She had also a son in the troops be- 

 fore Metz, of whom she heard that he was wounded, and she 

 was going to the front with us, for at last we were ready to 

 start. 



When I was about leaving my quarters Professor Busch came 

 and told me that my poor husband was killed ! He was mor- 

 tally wounded on the 18th and died after three hours. Poor 

 little Prince Florentine was dead also. 



I shall not attempt to describe my feelings, for words would 

 be insufficient. All I can say is that I wished to be dead also, 

 for I felt utterly alone and forsaken, and life a burden. I had, 

 however, to fulfil a sacred duty, a promise made long ago in 

 America, and repeated solemnly when my husband left me. 

 He wished that in case he should be killed I should bring his 

 body to Anholt, and have it buried at the side of his father 

 and mother. 



In Saarbrucken I found Lieutenant von Arnim, who was 

 severely wounded, and also the colour-sergeant of Felix's bat- 



