r first reception when
ladies were presented to her. She was to say, "Are you married,
madame?" and then, "Have you any children?" Of course, she did not
understand the answers. "She was very unlucky," the King laughed, "and
got things mixed up, and once began her conversation with a lady by
asking, 'Have you any children?'"

The lady hastened to answer, "Yes, your Majesty, I have seven?"

"Are you married?" asked the Queen, very graciously.

"You must not do anything like _that_," said the King, smilingly.

I promised that I would try not to.

The _Grande Maitresse_ came in, and I thought it was the signal for me
to go--which apparently it was. There was a little pause; then the
Queen held out her hand and said, "I hope to see you again very soon."
The King shook hands kindly with me, and I reached the antechamber,
escorted by the ladies.

My next audience was with the Crown Princess. She is the daughter of
the late King of Sweden (Carl XV.) and niece of the present King Oscar,
whom I used to know in Paris. This audience was not so ceremonious as
the one I had had with the Queen. There was only one lady-in-waiting,
who received me in the _salon_ adjoining that of the Princess. She
accompanied me to the door, presented me, and withdrew, leaving us
together. In the beginning the conversation palled somewhat. I had been
warned that it was not etiquette for me to start any subject of
conversation, though I might enlarge on it once it had been broached.
The Crown Princess was so kind as to speak of something which she
thought would interest me, and the conventional half-hour passed
pleasantly and quickly.

I had other audiences. The Queen Dowager, the widow of King Christian
VIII., lives in one of the four palaces in the square of Amalienborg.
She is very stately, and received me with great etiquette. She was
dressed in a stiff black brocade dress, with a white lace head-dress
over her bandeaux; she wore short, white, tight kid gloves. She spoke
French, and was most kind, telling me a great deal about Denmark and
its history, which interested me very much.

As Mademoiselle de Rosen, her first _dame d'honneur_, re-entered the
room I made my courtesy, kissed the Queen's hand, and the audience was
over.

Johan accompanied me to the fourth audience, which for me was the most
difficult one. It was with the Princess Caroline, widow of Prince
Ferdinand, brother of King Christian VIII., who died when he was
heir-apparen