would be at
the house in a short moment." Our colleagues most amiably sent the
rugs, etc., down again, and we sat in state and waited.

The Prince came, bringing a large photograph of himself, and said
many nice things, expressing his sorrow that we were going to
leave Stockholm, and bade us good-by.

The time was gradually approaching when I should put on my hat to
depart.

There were still a lot of things to be attended to at the last
moment. Our people had to be bid good-by and paid, and thousands
of trifles, as you may imagine, to be thought of, and I began to
despair of getting away. I seriously proposed to J. to pretend to
leave, bidding people good-by at the station, and stop at the
first place, to return the next morning and finish quietly what
seemed so impossible to do then.

What was our dismay, then, at receiving a telephone message from
Prince Carl, asking if I could receive him. Of course, I answered
I would be proud, and our colleagues above, learning of this new
complication, sent, without begging, the useful and ornamental
things which had adorned our _salon_ before.

Prince Carl came. He brought me a little bunch of
lilies-of-the-valley, intending a gentle allusion to my name. We
were very sad at the idea that we were to part, but part we must,
and pretty soon. The tired rugs were taken back once more.

Prince Eugen kindly telephoned that he wished to say good-by. It
was already so late that there was no question of the rugs, for it
was within an hour of our departure; therefore we were obliged to
receive the Prince without any accessories. He came with a little
offering of flowers. However, that did not make any difference,
because we all stood up. It is the custom here in Stockholm that
every one goes to the station to speed the parting guest. The
station was overcrowded. We were showered with the good wishes of
two hundred and fifty people, and flowers were in such quantities
that we had to have an extra compartment for them.

[Illustration:
A LETTER IN ENGLISH FROM KING OSCAR]

PARIS, 1897-1902

PARIS, _May, 1897_.

Dear L.,--I can hardly believe that we have been here a month. The
time has slipped by, as it has a way of doing when one is
frightfully busy; in my case it was particularly exasperating.

Johan's secretary took rooms for us at the Hotel Chatham, which
was not a very good choice, as you will see.

The day for Johan to present his _lettres de creance_ was fi