on, as well as a bust in bronze of the Kaiser. My
gift from the Emperor is a beautiful gold cigarette-case with his
autograph in diamonds on the front, with the imperial crown, also in
diamonds.

The Kaiser went to a dinner given in his honor at the Y's.... Johan,
Frederick, Nina, and I were among the guests. At the end of the rather
long dinner a little episode happened which shows how quick the
Emperor is to understand a situation and perceive its humorous side.
According to custom, the Emperor occupies the hostess's place, with
her at his right. Herr Y made signs to his wife across the table, and
in a stage whisper begged her to find out from the Emperor if he
wished coffee served at table or in the adjoining _salon_. The hostess
apparently neither heard nor understood; at any rate, she said nothing
to the Emperor. The host asked again, in a stagier whisper, and made
signs with his head toward the other room. Still no answer. The
Emperor, looking over to me (I sat next to the host), said, with a
merry twinkle in his eye, "Something wrong in the code of signals." A
few moments after he said quite casually to the host, "Would you mind
if we had coffee in the other _salon_?"

The Emperor that evening was in excellent spirits. In his short
mess-jacket he looked like a young cadet. He told us several amusing
anecdotes and experiences in a most witty manner. Nina said to him:

"Your Majesty, I have been looking in all the shop-windows to-day to
see if I could find a good photograph of you. I wanted to bring it,
and was going to ask you to sign it, but--"

"But you could not find anything handsome enough, _hein_?" inquired
the Emperor, laughing.

"That is true," Nina answered. "Your Majesty's photographs do not do
you justice."

Beckoning to an adjutant, the Emperor said, "I want you to send to the
shops and bring what photographs of me you can find."

The man departed. Although it was nine o'clock and most of the shops
must have been shut, he did manage to bring some. Then the Kaiser
examined the photographs, with a little amusing remark on each. "I do
not think this is handsome enough--I look so cross. And this one looks
conceited, which I don't think I am. Do you?"

"Not in the least," Nina answered.

"In this one," he remarked, "I look as if I had just ordered some one
to be hanged. And this one [taking up another] looks like a Parsifal
_de passage_"--referring to something I had once said.

"I did not say