, 1917-08-02

to end, at about six o'clock in the eve
ming, / passed the sentries and ascend
ed to the emperor's study with some
papers 1 had been going through re-
garding the reorganization of the Stet-
tin garrison. l was one of the very
few persons ever admitted to that
wing of the palace.
As l approached the door, treading
noiselessly upon the soft carpet, 1
heard voices raised excitedly, the door
being slightly ajar.
Naturally l halted. In my position l
was able to ear a great deal of palace
intrigue, but never had l listened to a
conversation that held me more
breathless than at that moment.
"WOman," cried the emperor, do
you, then, openly defy'my authority?'
"What that crafty s%ycophant, Won
Metzsch, has told you is, l repeat, a
foul and abominable lie," was the re-
ply.
And l knew that the unfortunate
princess was defending her reputation,
which her enemies at the court of
Saxony had torn to shreds.
mo woman ever admits the truth,
Of course" sneered the emperor. Il
consider you a disgrace to the Dresden
court"
$50 this is the in which you
openly insult your guests! !" was the
princess retort. you, who believe
yourself the idol of your people, now
exhibit yourself in your true light as
the traducer of a defenseless womanH"
How dare you utter those words to
mel" cried the all-highest one, in fury.
81 dare defend myself-even though
you may be emperor" replied Louisa,
in a cold, hare tone of defiance. 81
repeat that your allegations are I'M
true, and that you have no right to
make them. Surely you can see that
my enemies, headed by the king of
Saxony, are all conspiring to effect my
downfall. 1 know it! 1 have written
proof of til"
"Boshl You say that because you
know that the statements are truel"
you lie!' she cried fiercely. 'They
are not true. You cannot prove Them"
Every WELL" answered the emperor
in that tone of cold determination that
1 knew too well. 81 will prove the
charges to my entire satisfaction"
Words That the Kaiser Would Never
Forgive.
1 was startled at the name in
which the princess had dared to call
the emperor a liar. Surely nobody
had ever done so before.
1 drew a long breath, for as l crept
away unseen / recollected the kalser's
~unrelenting vindictiveness.
Poor princess! I knew that the red
talons of the Hohenzollern eagle would
sooner or later be laid heavily upon
her.
She left Berlin two hours later, but
half an hour before her departure /
found a hurriedly scribbled note upon
my table explaining that she had had
"a few unpleasant words with the en-
peror,'' and that she was leaving for
Dresden a day earlier than had been
arranged.
A fortnight passed. Twice Baron
von Metzsch came to Potsdam, and
was on each occasion closely closeted
with the emperor, as well as having
frequent consultations with Judicial
Councillor Lohlein. / had strong sus-
picion that the conspiracy against the
lively daughter of the Hapsburgs was
still in progress, for / felt assured that
the kaiser would never forgive those
words of defiance from a woman's lips,
and that his vengeance, slow and SUBJ
tie, would assuredly fall upon her.
I did not know at the time-not, in
deed, until fully three years later
how the actions of Won Metzsch, who
was a creature of the kaiser, had from
the first been instigated by the all
highest, who, from the very day of he
princess marriage, had, nOtwithstand-
ing his apparent graciousness toward
her, determined hat a Hapsburg
should never become queen of Saxony.
For that reason, namely, because
the emperor in his overweening vanity
believed himself to be the heaven-sent
ruler of the d~estinies of the German EN-
pire, was much opposed to an Austrian
princess as a potential queen at Ores
den, and had set himself the task to ruin
the poor woman's life and love and 10
arouse such a scandal concerning her
that she could not remain in Saxony
with every finger pointing at her In
%opprobrium and scOrn.
! Decipher a Message for the Kaiser.
A fresh light, however, was thrown
upon what l afterward realized to be
an astounding conspiracy by the re-
ceipt of a cipher message late one No
vember night at Potsdam. 1 was at
work alone with the emperor in the
| pale green upstairs room, reading and
placing before him n number of state
documents to which he scrawled his
scribbly signature, when the telegram
was brought.