Monday, October 3rd.—We were joined at table by the Grand Chamberlain, Perponcher, and a Herr von Thadden, who was to be appointed a member of the Administration at Reims. The Chief told several anecdotes of the old Rothschild of Frankfurt. He had on one occasion heard Rothschild talking to a corn-dealer who wanted to buy some wheat. The latter said that such a rich man ought not to put the price of wheat so high. “What have my riches got to do with it?” replied the old gentleman. “Is my wheat any the worse because I am rich?” “He gave dinners however which did all honour to his wealth. I remember once when the present King, then Prince of Prussia, was in Frankfurt and I invited him to dinner. Rothschild had also intended to invite him. The Prince told him, however, that he must settle that with me, otherwise he would be quite as pleased to dine with him as with me. Rothschild then wanted me to give up his Royal Highness to him. I refused, whereupon he had the naïveté to propose that his dinner should be brought to my house, as of course he did not partake of it himself—he only ate meat prepared in Jewish fashion. Naturally I also declined this proposal, although there can be no doubt that his dinner would have been better than mine.” The Chief was once told by old Metternich,—“who, by the way, was very well disposed towards me,”—that at one time when he had lodged with Rothschild, on his way to Johannisberg (Metternich’s estate), his host had put six bottles of Johannisberg wine into his lunch basket for the road. These were taken out unopened on Metternich’s arrival at Johannisberg, where the Prince asked his chief cellarer what they cost per bottle. “Twelve florins,” was the answer. “Well then,” said Metternich, “send these six bottles back to Baron Rothschild when he gives his next order, but charge him fifteen florins a piece for them then, as they will have grown older by that time.”
Tuesday, October 4th.—In the forenoon again called to the Chief Bucher, Councillor of Embassy; and Wiehr, a decipherer, arrived after lunch. Bucher appears to have been summoned here in order to replace Abeken, who has been ill and ought to have gone home, but who has now nearly recovered. No one could have filled his place better than Bucher, who is unquestionably the best informed, most intelligent and unprejudiced of all the principal workers by whom the Chief is surrounded, and who help to propagate his ideas. In the evening the Chancellor talked about Moltke, remarking how gallantly he had attacked the punch bowl on a recent occasion, and in what excellent spirits he was. “I have not seen him looking so well for a long time past. That is the result of the war. It is his trade. I remember, when the Spanish question became acute, he looked ten years younger. Afterwards, when I told him that the Hohenzollern had withdrawn, he suddenly looked quite old and infirm. And when the French showed their teeth again ‘Molk’ was once more fresh and young. The matter finally ended in a diner à trois—Molk, Roon and I—which resulted (here the Chancellor smiled a cunning smile) in the Ems telegram.”
We start early to-morrow morning, as we have a long journey to make. Our next halt will be at Versailles.
CHAPTER IX
THE JOURNEY TO VERSAILLES—MADAME JESSE’S HOUSE, AND OUR LIFE THERE
We left Ferrières about 7 o’clock on the morning of the 5th of October. At first we drove along by-roads, which were however in excellent condition, passing a large wood, several parks and châteaux and a number of respectable villages that appeared to be entirely deserted by their inhabitants and were now occupied solely by German soldiers. Everywhere an appearance of exceptional prosperity. Later on we reached a pontoon bridge decorated with the Prussian colours, which took us over the Seine. On the other side we met the Crown Prince and his suite, who had ridden out to welcome the King. The latter, accompanied by the Chancellor, was to proceed from this point on horseback to a review of troops. We then drove on alone, turning into a high road which led to the village of Villeneuve le Roi.
I had long been looking forward to my first glimpse of Paris. It was however out off on the right by a rather high range of wooded hills, on the sides of which we now and then, noticed a village or small white town. At length we come to an opening, a little valley, and we observe the blue outline of a great cupola—the Pantheon! Hurrah! we are at last outside Paris.
We shortly afterwards turned into a broad paved highway where a Bavarian picket was stationed to watch a road which crossed it at this point and led towards Paris. To the left an extensive plain, and on the right a continuation of the chain of wooded heights. A white town half way up the slope, then, lower down, two other villages, and we finally pass through an iron gateway partially gilt, traverse some busy streets, and a straight avenue with old trees, and then find ourselves in front of our quarters in Versailles.
On the 6th of October, the day after our arrival in the old royal town of France, Keudell remarked that we might possibly remain here for some three weeks. Nor did I think it improbable, as the course of the war up to that time had accustomed us to speedy success. We remained however five long months. But, as will be seen later on, the Minister must have suspected that our stay would not be a short one. For this reason, and as our lodging was the scene of very important events, a fuller description of it will probably be welcome.
The house which was occupied by the Chancellor of the Confederation belonged to one Madame Jesse, widow of a wealthy cloth manufacturer, who shortly before our arrival fled to Picardy with her two sons, leaving her property to the care of her gardener and his wife. It is No. 14 in Rue de Provence, which connects the Avenue de St. Cloud with the Boulevard de la Reine. The Rue de Provence is one of the quietest in Versailles. Many of the houses are surrounded by gardens. Ours is a slate-roofed house of three stories, the third of these being a garret. From the entrance in the courtyard a flight of stone steps leads up to the hall door. On the right of this hall is the principal staircase, and the following rooms open on to it; the dining-room looking out on the garden, the salon, a billiard-room, a conservatory, and the library of the deceased M. Jesse.