A certain Thuringian Serene Highness appeared to be particularly objectionable to him. He spoke of his “stupid self-importance as a Prince, regarding me as _his_ Chancellor also;” of his empty head, and his trivial conventional style of talk. “To some extent, however, that is due to his education, which trained him to the use of such empty phrases. Goethe is also partly to blame for that. The Queen has been brought up much in the same style. One of the chairs in the Palace would be taken to represent the Burgomaster of Apolda, who was coming to present his homage. ‘Ah!’ she was taught to say, ‘very pleased to see you, Herr Burgomaster!’ (Here the Chancellor leant his head a little to one side, pouted his lips, and assumed a most condescending smile.) ‘How are things going on in the good town of Apolda? In Apolda you make socks and tobacco and such things, which do not require much thinking or feeling.’” I ventured to ask how he now stood with the Crown Prince? “Excellently,” he answered. “We are quite good friends since he has come to recognise that I am not on the side of the French, as he had previously fancied--I do not know on what grounds.” I remarked that the day before the Crown Prince had looked very pleased. “Why should he not be pleased?” replied the Count. “The Heir Apparent of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world, and with the best prospects. He will be reasonable later on and allow his Ministers to govern more, and not put himself too much forward, and in general he will get rid of many bad habits that render old gentlemen of his trade sometimes rather troublesome. For the rest, he is unaffected and straightforward; but he does not care to work much, and is quite happy if he has plenty of money and amusements, and if the newspapers praise him.” I took the liberty to ask further what sort of woman the Crown Princess was, and whether she had much influence over her husband. “I think not,” the Count said; “and as to her intelligence, she is a clever woman; clever in a womanly way. She is not able to disguise her feelings, or at least not always. I have cost her many tears, and she could not conceal how angry she was with me after the annexations (that is to say of Schleswig and Hanover). She could hardly bear the sight of me, but that feeling has now somewhat subsided. She once asked me to bring her a glass of water, and as I handed it to her she said to a lady-in-waiting who sat near and whose name I forget, ‘He has cost me as many tears as there is water in this glass.’ But that is all over now.”