d and respect each other
more, the trouble gradually subsided. The Russian element, usually
rather undesirable in Darmstadt, contributed largely to the
disturbances.

There were several duelling corps in town, and an American friend of
ours, a student at the technical college, told us of witnessing their
extremely bloody combats. Part of the glory is to have yourself sewed up
without an anesthetic, and go on fighting, and we heard sickening
details. It is supposed to make your nerve tremendously steady, and the
ones who go through the stated number of duels, fighting their way
slowly through a regular course of progression, always the winner, must
indeed be shock and disgust proof. The authorities frowned on the
practice but it existed in force nevertheless. One boy killed another
while we were there; he was imprisoned, but on his return was treated as
a conquering hero by the members of his corps. That surely belongs to
Hun training.

CHAPTER XXI

STAGE FASHIONS AND THE GLORY OF COLOUR

We played continuously nine months from September to June, and then
scattered for the holidays. I often went to Munich for the Wagnerian
_Festspiel_. We have many German relatives (though not a drop of German
blood), as three of my grandfather's sisters married German officers.
Through remote ancestors we also have dozens of cousins in the north of
Germany. The Munich relations I dearly loved. The son of the famous
court architect, von Klenze, who built nearly all the noble buildings in
Munich for the old King Ludwig of Bavaria, who abdicated his
throne--married my mother's aunt, and their descendants were always very
charming to me. The northern cousins who lived in East and North Prussia
we always heard were quite different, cold, critical, and not warm, and
artistic, and friendly, as I found our southern relations. In Darmstadt
they seem between the two peoples in character, and of course in the
theatre one meets all sorts.

Our _Souffleuse_, "Bobberle," was from Schwabia, and her sister was a
character. She proved her elegance by wearing the most brilliant colours
on her fat little body, and plastering the family jewelry all over
herself. She screamed remarks about the members of the company to her
friends between the acts, and the remarks were not as undiscerning as
you might think.

The top box on the right side of the house, was reserved for the humble
hangers-on of the _Personal_. My sister used often to sit up t