Theft of Chassepots. 333 



safe and well. He gave me telegrams for his wife and family, 

 which I sent by post to Princess Croy. 



When returning to Jouy and passing the gate of Metz I saw 

 there a whole heap of chassepots, thrown awiy by the French, 

 and two Prussian soldiers standing as guard near them. Now 

 everybody wanted to have a chassepot at that time, and I also. 

 I therefore stopped the cariage and requested the sentinels, 

 who knev/ me, in my bad German, to turn their backs, because I 

 wanted to •: A a -hassepot. The manner in which I expressed 

 myself must have been very funny, for they laughed like mad 

 and turned round, whilst Frank, the coachman, took two 

 chassepots and put them in the carriage. 



When next evening we were sittmg at supper, an orderly 

 with a gun in his hand entered the room, addressing himself 

 to me. I was quite frightened, for I thought my theft had 

 been discovered, and t^he soldier had come to arrest me. But 

 nO; General von Fransecky, remembering my wish to have a 

 chassepot, and not knowmg that I had helped myself already, 

 sent his compliments, togeJier with ihe desired object, which 

 1 gave to Alfred. 



The surrender of Metz of course made a g^eat change in our 

 arrangements. The hospitals were evacuated as soc.-^. as pos- 

 sible, and I di'tributed my clothes amongst the soldiers who 

 were going home. Poor good fellows, when they said good- 

 bye to me, they had tears in ' aJir eyes, and expressed their 

 thanks for what I had done for them in simple, heartlelt 

 words. 



Whilst in Jouy 1 received letters of condolence from Her 

 Majesty the Queen, the Grand Duchess of Baden, Princess 

 William of Baden, and many other kind per on;=ges. I of 

 course answered that of Her Majesty at once, but most of the 

 others I could not answer then for want of time or other causes. 



I drove with my brother-in-law on November i to Metz to 

 see Count Man, the relative of Princess Croy, and found that 

 he had already left with .his general. When we were lunching 

 in the hotel in Metz I had a little adventure which I shall 

 mention, because it was the only instance of my ever having 

 been annoyed by rudeness during the wliole war. Though I 

 had to mix everywhere with soldiers and other persons in the 

 camps and in the hospitals, I never had to complain of any- 

 one ; I was always treated with respect. 



