o78 Ten \ears of my Life. 



I had been a short time in my house when ray dear friend 



Mrs. von G mvited me to stay with her some time. The 



Colonel, her husband, had given up his idea of leaving the 

 army and had now a command'-in Rostock, in Mecklenburg. 



Whilst Miss Runkel took care of my house in Bonn I left 

 for Rostock. When, however, after a short sojourn there. Col. 



von G ha.d to attend to certain military manoeuvres which 



would keep him from home for several weeks, we resolved to 

 go to the watering-place of Warnemunde, on the Baltic. 



On my arrival in Rostock I had requested at once an audi- 

 ence with the Grand Duchess Dowager, the sister of our Em- 

 peror, and also called on the ladies of honour of the Grand 

 Duchess. Whilst I was with the Grand Duchess Dowager in 

 Heiligendamm near Rostock, the Grand l^uke and Grand 

 Duchess, who had heard of my presence, entered the room, 

 and I was presented to them. 



During my sojourn in Warnemunde occurred an annual 

 popular festival, in which the Grand Duke and his court always 

 take part. When their Royal Highnesses came to Warne- 

 munde and saw me in passing by my window, they shook 

 hands and graciously invited me to the ' Stromfahrt ' in the 

 evening. 



Several hundred boats of all sizes, headed by that in which 

 was the court, went down the Warne river, accompanied by 

 nuisic. The boats were all decked out with flower garlands 

 and canopies, illuminated with a great number ot Chinese lan- 

 terns. It was a most lovely, animated scene, for amid great 

 merriment and laughter was carried on an original warfare be- 

 tween the crews of the different boats. At the Roman carni- 

 val people shoot at each other with conlctti, but here they used 

 flower boi. ^uets which before being thrown were dipped in the 

 river. It was rather a wet game, and to protect our toilets we 

 wore all our waterproofs. It was amusing to observe the 

 lovely young Grand Duchess, who entered with much spirit 

 into this sport, her whole face beaming with pleasant excite- 

 ment, whilst throwing incessantly bouquets in all directions. 

 The festival lasted until ten o'clock p.m., when the royal party 

 mounted their carriages and returned to Heiligendamm. 



The same troublesome law-suit about the forged signature 

 which called me back from Rome, interfered again with my 

 plans, and on an urgent letter of my lawyer I had to return to 

 Bonn. 



