and our regret that you did not act according to our wishes; the
Emperor of Austria and the Archduke Albrecht express the same regret in
their letters to us. We presume that we did not express ourselves
definitely enough in our letter to Aunt Olga: otherwise we cannot
imagine why she did not urge you more strongly to ask the Archduchess
Valerie for an interview and to speak to her of the important matter
which we all at this moment have so much at heart. You would then have
been able to announce your engagement _sous cachet_ at the courts which
you are now visiting; and the betrothal could have been celebrated, at
the conclusion of journey, at Sigismundingen. Whereas now you have
probably placed yourself in a false position towards our friends Their
Majesties of Denmark and of England, as all the newspapers are speaking
of a possible betrothal to the Archduchess Valerie and the press is
already so kind as to discuss the _pros_ and _cons_ of this alliance in
a loud voice. Your journey, however, would have had to take place _in
any case_, as it had already been so long announced--your illness
intervened to postpone it--and as it is therefore nothing more than an
act of courtesy towards our friends.

"Once again, your neglect to act in accordance with our wishes causes us
great regret. We perceive in you, Othomar, a certain tendency towards
_bourgeois_ hypersensitiveness, which we hope you will learn to master
with all the strength you possess. Few of us have in this life escaped a
sorrow such as Prince von Lohe-Obkowitz has caused your future bride,
but it remains an entirely personal and subordinate feeling and should
not be allowed to interfere _in the least_ with affairs of such great
political importance as the marriage of a future emperor of Liparia. The
archduchess will doubtless, when she is older, learn to look at this in
the same light; and we hope that she will very soon realize that her
affection for Prince Lohe could never have brought her happiness, as it
would have caused a rupture with his imperial majesty her uncle and with
all her relations.

"Master yourself, Othomar, we ask and urge. You sometimes have ideas and
entertain proposals which are not those of a ruler. We have noticed this
more than once or twice: among other occasions, when you visited Zanti
at Vaza. We did not like to reproach you with this at the time, as we
were otherwise very well pleased with you. Your dearest wish will no
doubt be tha