ars a red uniform, white knee-breeches, very high boots, a
breastplate representing a brilliant rising sun, and a high blazing
helmet surmounted by a silver eagle. This makes him the most
conspicuous person in the room, so that you may always know where the
Emperor is by seeing the young officer's towering helmet above the
crowd. The other is General Scholl, a dear, kind old gentleman, who is
dressed in the costume of Frederick the Great's time, with a white
wig, the pigtail of which is tied with black ribbon, a huge jabot of
lace with a diamond pin on his breast.

All the other court persons wear dark blue dress-coats, with gold
buttons, and carry in one hand the awe-inspiring stick, and in the
other the list for the suppers. Some of them are rather vain about
their legs, and stand profile-wise so that they can be admired. They
do look very well turned out, I must say, with their silk stockings
and low buckled shoes.

The ladies of the _Corps Diplomatique_ are not always as observant of
court rules as they ought to be, and their _decolletage_ is not always
impeccable. If Worth sends a corsage with the fashionable cut--what do
they do? They manage, when they stand on their platform _en vue_, to
slip their shoulders out, thereby leaving a tell-tale red mark, only
to slip the shoulders in place when royalty has its back turned.

The Empress was followed by a second tall young officer. He wore a red
uniform and a hat with a high red feather, easily seen from a
distance. Countess Brockdorf, to distinguish her from other ladies,
wears a long black mantilla on her head and looks like a _duegne a
l'Espagnole_. The other ladies of honor stand near the Empress in the
background. I forgot to say that the wives of foreign Ministers have
_fauteuils_ on their platform, behind which stand their secretaries'
wives.

The ball was opened by the Crown Prince, who danced with the youngest
_demoiselle d'honneur_, then the other princely couples joined. None
but the princes have the privilege of dancing at first. The _valse a
deux temps_ only is permitted. The court likes better the
old-fashioned method of revolving in circles round and round the room,
but occasionally it permits the lancers.

The young ladies and gentlemen, who had been practising their dancing
for weeks, began their gavotte. The ancient _ballet-danseuse_ sat up
under an arch in the ceiling, and held up a warning finger if any
mistake happened. The dances they learn