"There will be no gun missing, I promise Your Majesty."
Count Haeseler referred, of course, to the astounding memory and precision of the great Napoleon. Once, when occupied by much business, the Emperor sent an officer to Belgium to investigate military stores. The officer handed in his report. Napoleon gave him back the document with these words: "There are two guns missing at Ostend." And there were two missing.
"And your general opinion of Franz based on intimate observation?" queried Wilhelm.
"He seems to regard himself as a sort of necessary barricade to progress, yet has no patience with the idea uppermost in Austria that laissez faire must be perpetuated for ever and a day simply because it's as old as the hills."
"And the Duchess?"
"With Your Majesty's leave, confidently expects to be Empress of Austria."
"Must have Pan-German leanings."
"No, Your Majesty; only the truly womanly passion to be the most envied of her sex."
"Slav conflict with Austria suits me all right," said the War Lord. "The Czechs and Hungarians wanting Sophie, the Austrian Germans will feel the more inclined to join my Germanic Federation."
"But," said Haeseler, "Franz counts upon Your Majesty to help at the enthronisation of Sophie by force, if necessary."