Abeken, who had been with the King, came in afterwards, and reported that his Majesty considered it would be well to write again to the Emperor of Russia, and give him the views held here respecting the Gortschakoff Note. The Chief said: “I think not. Enough has been already written and telegraphed on the subject. They know in St. Petersburg what we think. At least we must not write discourteously, but rather in a friendly and amiable spirit: It is better however to say nothing. If it were England! But we shall still want Russia’s good will in the immediate future. When that is no longer necessary, we can afford to be rude.” Bohlen said: “They are quite beside themselves in Berlin. They will have tremendous rejoicings there to-morrow, about the Emperor. They are going to illuminate the town, and are making immense preparations--a regular scene from fairyland!” “I fancy that will have a good effect on the Reichstag,” observed the Chief. “It was really very nice of Roggenbach to start off at once for Berlin” (in order to urge moderation upon the grumblers in the Reichstag). “They” (the members of Parliament, or the Berliners?) “attach much more importance to the title of Emperor than the thing really deserves--although I do not mean to say it is of no value.” “That was really funny,” said Bohlen, “what Holnstein told us about his interview with the King of Bavaria while he had a toothache!” “And the way I wrote to him in order to bring him round,” added the Chancellor. “I knew that he could not bear me, and did not trust me. So I wrote to him at last, that one of our estates had been granted to our family by Ludwig, the Bavarian, as Lord of Brandenburg, and that consequently we had had relations with his house for more than five centuries. That was true, in so far as the estates which we now hold were given to us in exchange for those which the Hohenzollerns extorted from us. Holnstein said the letter must have pleased the King very much, as he asked to read it again. It was Holnstein who did most in this matter. He played his part very cleverly. Tell me (to Bohlen), what Order can we give him?” Bohlen: “He got the first class of the red fowl (the Red Eagle), when the Crown Prince was in Munich.” “Well then,” said the Chief, “he has got the highest decoration that can be given to him.” Bohlen: “Well, the King might give him the Imperial German Order, about which Stillfried is already meditating, or he can found a new Prussian Order, and thus supply a long-felt want.” The Chief: “The Green Lion.” Bohlen: “The German Order, with a black, white, and red ribbon.”