Williams news., 1917-08-16

- I to sleep these very dear
 cousins of ours, the Brit
 A A ish!'' His imperial highness, the crown prince made this remark to me as he sat in the corner of a first-class compartment of an express that had ten minutes before left Pad dington station for the West of Eng land.
 The crown prince, though not gen. erally known, frequently visited Eng land and Scotland incognito, and we were upon one of those flying visits on that bright summers morning as the express tore through the delightful English scenery of the Thames valley, with the first stopping place at Ply mouth, our destination.
 The real reason for the visit of my young hot-headed imperial master was concealed from me.
 Four days before he had dashed into my room at the Marmor palace at Pots- dam. He had been with the emperor in Berlin all the morning, and had mo- tored back with all speed. Something had occurred, but what it was I failed to discern. He carried some papers in the packet of his military tunic. From their color saw that they were secret reports-those documents pre- pared solely for the eyes of the kaiser and those of his oldest son.
 He took a big linen-lined envelope and, placing the papers in it, carefully sealed it in wax.
 we are going to London, Heltzen- dorh. Put that in your dispatch box. l may want it when we are in Eng land."
 "To London-when?'' I asked, sur prised at the suddenness of our jour- ney, because knew that we were due at Weimar in two days time.
 "We leave at six o'clock this eve ning," was the crown princes. reply. 'Koehler has ordered the salon to be attached to the Hook of Holland train. Hardt has already left Berlin to en- gage rooms for us at the Ritz, in Lon don.'
 And the suite?" asked, for it was one of my duties to arrange who trav- eled with his imperial highness.
 "Oh! We'll leave Eckhardt at home," he said, for he always hated the sur velllance of the commissioner of se- cret police. "We shall only want Schu- Ter, my valet, and Knof."
 We never travelled anywhere with out Knof, the chauffeur, who was an impudent, arrogant young man, in- tensely disliked by everyone.
 So 1t was that the four of us duly landed at Harwich and travelled to London, our identity unknown to the Jostling crowd of tourists returning from their annual holiday on the con tinent.
 At the Ritz, too, willie" was not recognized, because all photographs of him show him in an elegant uniform. In tweed suit, or in evening clothes, he presents an unhealthy, weedy, and somewhat insignificant figure.
 His imperial highness had been on the previous day to Carlton House ter race to luncheon given by the am- bassador's wife, but to which nobody was invited but the embassy staff.
 That same evening an imperial courier arrived from Berlin and called at the Ritz, where, on being shown into the crown princess sitting room, he handed his highness a sealed letter from his wife.
 Willie" ea reading it, became very grave. Then, striking a match, he lit .t, and held 1t until it was consumed. There was a second letter-which I saw from the emperor. This he also read, and then gave vent to an expression of impatience. For a few minutes he reflected, and 1t was then he announced that we must go to Plymouth next day.