o7G Ten Years of my Life. 



There is nothing monkish or ascetic about Monsignore 

 Merode ; on the contrary, he has all the manners of a man of 

 the world, and is very politq and agreeable. In his purple 

 dress, with his large golden tross, he looked elegant and 

 splendid. I saw him frequently, and to his kindness I owed 

 several privileges which are not generally granted. 



I confided my desire to him to enter a convent, but he did 

 not approve of it ; and his reasons had already half convinced 

 me, when he procured me an audience with the Holy Father, 

 which honour I had twice. 



The Pope had been already iniormed of my intention and 

 person. He said he did not think I had a vocation for a nun- 

 nery ; he advised me to reflect on it somewhat longer, and to 

 stay at least one year more in the world, to see whether I 

 would not change my mind. This advice oi the Holy Father 

 was extremely kind , his clear mind anticipated what would 

 happen ; he read my character, ior indeed I changed my mind, 

 and before the year had passed I did not think any more of 

 burying myself in a nunnery 



Monsignore Merode introduced me to a distinuished priest, 

 who understood English, and to whom I could confess ; and 

 after having done so Monsignore himself conferred on me the 

 distinction oi celebrating, assisted by one priest, a private mass 

 on the grave of the holy apostle St. Peter, that is in the little 

 chapel, and giving me the holy sacrament. After that he pre- 

 sented me, on the part of the Holy Father, with a splendid 

 golden Agnus Dei, in Roman mosaic, with the inscription ' Pix 

 tib'i' on the reverse, also with a large-sized photograph with the 

 signature of His Holiness. 



Victor Emmanuel was then in Rome, and I saw him fre- 

 quently pass ; but everybody will understand that 1 would and 

 could not make any attempt to be introduced to his court. 



On the promenade I saw also an interesting personage, who 

 had been in some connection with Victor Emmanuel, and was 

 now the wife of a great politician. She appeared always in a 

 grand carriage, with an immense princely crown on its panels, 

 for she pretended to have been formerly the wife of a German 

 prince of a well-known family, though this lormer husband had 

 only the same name, without being a prince or having any con- 

 nection with the family. There are, for instance, many Mr. 

 von Salms and Mr. Salms in Germany, and it is the same with 

 other family names. 



