The Washington herald., 1912-07-30
Court Gossip That Brings In
Countess and Ex-Empress Eugenie

The published memoirs Of Princes
Pauline Metternich. wife Of Prince Rich
ard Won Matternich-w -wInneburg. one o
the leading society women OF the Aus
trian capital. contain much that Is Of
cosmopolitan interest She was born 9
Hungarian countess and her delicious
eccentricities, amusing pranks. and per
petual gayety. electrified Paris when, In
1859. she arrived there as the wife of the
Austrian Ambassador. for at last Ma
poleon III was able to point with pride
to the fact that he had bona fide grea'
foreign noble among the diplomatic
corps forced by his position to appear
In his salons. Until then especially Aus
tria had refused him that satisfaction.
The coup d'etat was still too fresh In
everybody's mind and up to the arrival
of the Metternichs none OF the ENJOYS
OF the powers could claim the rank or
splendor OF that princely couple. 1t may
be imagined that some OF Princess Paul
ines Adventures at the court of Ma
poleon III' are well worth reading.
She says that Empress Eusenie was
feverishly restless and never satisfied to
stay at home. Continually she planned
cASui siOHs 10 WHICH tne drnDdssduOr anu
his wife always were invited. and the
princess tells of them and her having to
put up with outward and ill-digested
etiquette in her own witty and inim-
table style.
1t has been said that the couple was
III mated and not happy. This is not so.
On the contrary they were a very happy
pair. understanding each other better
than thousands OF others do nowadays.
Prince Metternich knew very well that
he had not chosen a bread-and-butter
maiden, bowling TO established rules-a
daughter of the ''madcap count" as her
father had baen nicknamed for his dar-
ing exploits, and who rode up a steep
flight of steps sstride his charger with
the same delighted smile as he once
jumped with his horse from one of the
bridges spanning the Moldau at Prague
into the turbulent stream and swan
ashore.
With infinite tact Prince Richard made
every allowance for his wife's vitality.
She was irresistible and most charming.
graceful, kind. and very charitable.
She is as good 10 the beggar in the
street as to the people on her estates;
10 the friend in distress and the wretch
who rolls in the gutter, from which she
has him eXtraCted and cared for. Still.
when once she is deeply hurt. she does
not forgive, as may be seen from the
following incident:
Some time ago ex-Empress Eugene
asked Emperor Franz Josef to allow her
TO come to see him before she passed
~
old monarch invited Eugenie TO dinner,
sending at the same time a pressing call
for Princess Pauline Metternich, who.
as he wrote. had been such a friend
during the DAYS of the second empire"
Much to the venerable sOvereign's amaze
ment this demand was quite firmly de-
olined and when he asked for an ex-
PLANTATION the reason was given with
Pauline's habitual frankness.
During the twclvc-year sojourn of
FRINGE and Princess Metternich in Paris
as representatives Of their Emperor they
displayed the greatest kindness. indul-
gel nee, and loyalty to Napoleon and Eu-
genie. Indeed. ii was Prince Richard.
when the empire Crumbled in 1871. who.
together with Chevalier Nigra, the Ital-
ian Ambassador. saved her from the
ropulace. The reward Of this behavior
began to show itself within a short De-
riod.
When escaping from Paris in a cham
bermaid's garb. Eugenie had managed to
spirit away jewels OF enormous value and
4 few choice" papers which her crafti-
ness indicated to her as means Of
revenge. Some of those documents were
tie treaties unsigned. II Is true but
hearing in margin annotations by august
hands, Of the proposed alliance OF Aus
tria and Italy with France in case OF
war breaking out. The cause of their
unsigned was easily explained
ty the victories of the Germans
OF course. neither Rome nor Vienna
desired to have it known that they had
both been on the verge of helping the
stood quite well. At any rate these COM
promising documents We're at Chislehurst
cng after the establishment there OF the
former Emperor and Empress
One day Princess Metternich availed
herself of a sOiourn in London to go and
'isit her fallen friends. During the con-
'ersation between herself and Eugene
here came up something about a certain
'ook, presumably TO be soon published
This volume was by the French Am
'assadOr to Vienna at the time of the
declaration of war-a man of caustic |
Wit, who. as he had himself said. desired |
o put the responsibilities Of the catas-
rophe of 1870 upon the shoulders of those |
whom they fitted best. Pauline burst |
MT with a brusque: TT would be a |
misfortune for many people. l wish he'd |
eep still.' The other pinched her lips
In the following year Napoleon III died !
uddenly after a successful operation |
rom which he had been recovering salts
actorily, owing to the mistaken ad- !
of a narcotic which he had |
efused to take but was finally ''coaxed" |
o swallow. \ few months before this a |
obbery had taken place at Chislehurst, |
few trinkets and 17.OO0 francs in cash |
eing taken from Napoleon's private
Ooms. One of the French servants was
ismissed. But when death stole to that
portion of the house a search |
ad to be made for the proper ordering
( his confidential papers. They were
ound to be in a remarkable confusion
EYrNnv