A great many prizes of minor importance were subsequently drawn for, and there was a kind of mild ‘give and take’ in connection with them. The room was so crowded that I only caught sight of Ypsilanti when he came forward to receive a sable cape which he offered to the Princesse Souvaroff. Taking advantage of a momentary thinning of the crowd, I drew up to them to say a few words to Princesse Hélène, whom I was sincerely pleased to meet again. ‘I dare say we have a lot to tell each other,’ she said. ‘Come with Ypsilanti to luncheon to-morrow. We’ll be more at our ease than here, and by ourselves. We’ll have a talk about bygone days.’ I accepted gladly, confident that her conversation would remind me of my stay in Russia, which constituted one of the best periods of my life. When the sovereigns had retired, there were some music and dancing, followed by an elegant supper, without restraint and during which one could gossip to one’s heart’s content. It was, in short, one of those series of fleeting hours which at Vienna seemed to be woven of gold and silk by fairies in the loom of pleasure. CHAPTER VI The Castle of Laxemburg--Heron-Hawking--The Empress of Austria --A Royal Hunt--Fête at the Ritterburg--A Recollection of Christina of Sweden--Constance and Theodore, or the Blind Husband--Poland--Scheme for her Independence--The Comte Arthur Potocki--The Prince de Ligne and Isabey-- The Prince de Ligne’s House on the Kalemberg--Confidential Chats and Recollections--The Empress Catherine II.--Queen Marie-Antoinette--Mme. de Staël--Casanova. ‘These sovereigns on their holidays,’ as the Prince de Ligne called them, had to be constantly amused, or at any rate prevented at all cost from being bored. The committee appointed by the emperor, and composed of the most eminent personages of the Austrian Court, cudgelled their brains to devise a new diversion for each day. They were, above all, very busy with the preparations for the great imperial tournament which, it was intended, should constitute a never-to-be-forgotten feature of the brilliant functions of the Congress. The cut, the shape, and the colour of the dresses were matters of incessant study; the horses were drilled every day; the champions spent many hours rehearsing the various movements and passes which were to remind all of us of the ancient days of chivalry; the ladies tried on the magnificent gowns and ornaments, the historical accuracy of which was to carry the suffrages of everybody by pleasing the eye. But pending the termination of those busy preparations, a big hunt had been organised in the woods and park of the imperial residence, Laxemburg, and numerous invitations issued.