im, for I have never had a liking for Germans. At heart
Rasputin had, I knew, no great liking either. He admired them and
assisted them because he was a born adventurer, and as the tool of the
Kaiser was well paid for his services, while at the same time he had
succeeded in placing himself in the position of autocrat over the Tsar
himself.

After an expensive supper at a small place near the Rosenthal Thor, where
two scantily-clad girls danced while the patrons ate, we retraced our
steps to the Neustadische-strasse.

On re-entering the hotel the hall-porter gave me a message asking me to
ring up Herr Weghinger at No. 2862, Potsdam.

This I did from our sitting-room, asking for Herr Weghinger.

"Yes," came the voice. "Are you Herr Koster?"

I replied in the affirmative, recognising the voice of Baron von Hausen,
who said:

"Will you please tell your friend that I have arranged for your visit
here, and that you will be welcomed. Be outside the French Embassy at
three o'clock, when a yellow car will drive up. Enter it, and you will be
brought here. I shall await you." And then he wished me good night.

The wire over which I had spoken was, I knew, one of the private ones to
the Neues Palais at Potsdam.

Rasputin had again triumphed. When I told him he laughed coarsely,
remarking:

"People are too apt to regard this Kaiser fellow as lord of the world. He
will never work his will upon Gregory. Nicholas tried, and failed. Let
William try, and he will discover that at least one man is his equal--and
more!"

On the following day at three o'clock we both stood upon the kerb in the
Pariser Platz, opposite the closed French Embassy, when suddenly from the
Sommerstrasse a big yellow car approached us and drew up. The driver, who
had evidently been given our descriptions, got down, saluted, and opened
the door for us. Then a minute later we were on our way out of Berlin on
the Potsdam road. The papers that day had reported that the Emperor was
in Brussels, but such misleading statements are permissible in war.

When we had come down the hill to the Havel and passed over the Glienicke
Bridge, we sped through the pleasant town of Potsdam, until at last we
entered the great Sanssouci Park, driving past the fountains straight up
the tree-lined Hauptweg till we pulled up before the private door of the
palace, that used by the Imperial family.

The baron, in uniform and all smiles, was there to meet us, as he had
promised.