The Emperor asked, smilingly:
“But why didn’t you bring your little ones with you; the mountain air would have been splendid for them.”
“Yes, but grandpapa, it would have cost too much!”
The Emperor nodded assent: “You are right; three little Princes do cost a good deal.”
When the royal family met for a late supper, the Emperor handed a telegram to his granddaughter. She looked at it, scarcely able to comprehend the contents, until the old gentleman said with a kindly smile:
“No need to keep you in suspense
The children are coming—at my expense.”
The Emperor’s Thoughtfulness
While the Emperor and Empress were at Ems, Count von Gneisenau, a son of the famous general of that name, was often asked to dine at the royal table. It was his habit always to decline the after-dinner coffee. One day he had again been a guest at dinner. A lackey offered him a cup of coffee. The Count declined, without interrupting his conversation with the Empress. A second time a cup was offered to him, and before he could decline again, the Empress said: “Do take that cup!”