Parsifal, your Majesty. I said Lohengrin."

"All the same thing," said he.

"Not at all," I said. "One was a knight, and the other was a fool."

"Well," he laughed, "I look like both."

He did not like any of the photographs, and sent to the _Hohenzollern_
for his own collection. His servant came back almost directly (he must
have had wings) and brought a quantity of portraits, which were much
finer and larger than those from the shops. He begged us to choose the
one we liked best, and he wrote something amusing on it and signed his
name.

BERLIN, _January, 1906_.

Dear ----,--The sad news of the death of our adored old King arrived
this evening. We were very surprised, as the last account we had heard
of him seemed more hopeful. Though he was so very old (eighty-six
years), he had a wonderful constitution and always was so active. I am
glad that I saw him when he was here last year and had such a pleasant
afternoon with him.

Johan was one of the pall-bearers at the King's funeral at Roskilde. I
did not go on to Copenhagen. There was a funeral service here at the
Scandinavian chapel. We are to have mourning for six months.

BERLIN, _June 6, 1906_.

Dear L.,--If I were going to be married and had to go through all the
ceremonies which attend the marriage of a German princess, I think I
would remain an old maid.

I will tell you what the wedding of the Princess Cecilia of
Mecklenburg was like. As it was the first royal wedding that I had
ever attended, my impressions are fresh, if not interesting. I have
seen royal silver and golden weddings, but never anything like this.

The day before yesterday, the hottest day of all the tropical days we
have been having, the Princess arrived in Berlin. The Emperor and the
Empress met her at the station and drove her to Bellevue Castle, where
there was a family lunch. She had numerous deputations and visits of
all sorts until five o'clock, when she made her public entrance into
Berlin, passing through Brandenburger Tor. All the streets where the
Princess was to pass were decorated _a l'outrance_ with flags and
flowers. Carpets were hung from the balconies.

The middle of the Unter den Linden, usually left to pedestrians, was
freshly strewn with red earth for the procession of the carriages. All
the public buildings were festooned with enormous paper roses as big
as cabbages. There were high poles holding gilded baskets filled with
flowers. In order that every one o