d her. She was very fond of her
nephew Ferdinand--hers was a truly loving heart--and she trembled lest
he should commit some act of treachery. I remember once how, through
her tears, she said to me: "Calm my fears. Tell me that he will never
be guilty of such an act." I was unable to reassure her, but a kind
Fate spared her from hearing the declaration of war.

Later, not long before her death, the old Queen was threatened with
total blindness. She was anxious to put herself in the hands of a
French oculist for an operation for cataract, who would naturally be
obliged to travel through the Monarchy in order to reach Bucharest. At
her desire I mentioned the matter in Vienna, and the Emperor Francis
Joseph at once gave the requisite permission for the journey.

After a successful operation, the Queen sent a short autograph poem to
one of my children, adding that it was her _first_ letter on
recovering her sight. At the same time she was again very uneasy
concerning politics.

I wrote her the following letter:

Your Majesty,--My warmest thanks for the beautiful little poem you
have sent to my boy. That it was granted to me to contribute
something towards the recovery of your sight is in itself a
sufficient reward, and no thanks are needed. That Your Majesty has
addressed the first written lines to my children delights and
touches me.

Meanwhile Your Majesty must not be troubled regarding politics. It
is of no avail. For the moment Roumania will retain the policy of
the late King, and God alone knows what the future will bring
forth.

We are all like dust in this terrible hurricane sweeping through
the world. We are tossed helplessly hither and thither and know
not whether we are to face disaster or success. The point is not
whether we live or die, but how it is done. In that respect King
Carol set an example to us all.

I hope King Ferdinand may never forget that, together with the
throne, his uncle bequeathed to him a political creed, a creed of
honour and loyalty, and I am persuaded that Your Majesty is the
best guardian of the bequest.

Your Majesty's grateful and devoted

CZERNIN.

When I said that King Carol fought the fight to the best of his
ability, I intended to convey that no one could expect him to be
different from what he always was. The King never possessed in any
special degree either energy, strength of action, or adventurous
courage, and at the time