A Novel Signal
In 1871, while Bismarck, as Ambassador of the Confederation, lived at Frankfort, he occupied rooms in a private house. There was no bell in his study with which to call his valet from his room on the floor above, so he requested his landlord to have one put in. That gentleman, who was not a friend of “that Prussian,” declined to do so, saying, that his tenants always had done things of that sort at their own expense, and he didn’t see why he should make an exception now.
Some time later in the day a pistol-shot rang through the house. Very much frightened, the landlord ran through all the rooms until he came to Bismarck’s study, where the still smoking pistol lay on the table, and the smoking Bismarck sat quietly at work.
“For heaven’s sake, what has happened?” cried the landlord.
“Nothing at all,” said Bismarck, “that you need worry about. I just signaled to my valet that I want him. It is a perfectly harmless signal. I hope you will soon get used to it.”
It is hardly necessary to add that Bismarck got his bell in short order.