The manner in which the restoration of the imperial dignity in Germany had been brought before the Reichstag was then discussed, and Frankenberg as well as Prince Pless were of opinion that it might have been better managed. The Conservatives had not been informed beforehand, and the statement was actually made when they were sitting at lunch. To all appearance Windthorst was not wrong when, with his usual dexterity in seizing his opportunities, he remarked that he had expected more sympathy from the Assembly. “Yes,” said the Chief, “there ought to have been a better stage manager for the farce. It should have had a more effective _mise-en-scène_,--but Delbrück does not understand that sort of thing. Some one should have got up to express his dissatisfaction with the Bavarian Treaties, which lacked this, that, and the other. Then he should have said: ‘If, however, an equivalent were found to compensate for these defects, something in which the unity of the nation would find expression, that would be different,’--and then the Emperor should have been brought forward.”... “Moreover, the Emperor is more important than many people think. I could not tell them. (that is to say, the Princes) what it all means--if I had, I certainly should not have succeeded.... I admit that the Bavarian Treaty has defects and deficiencies. That is, however, easily said when one is not responsible. How would it have been, then, if I had refused to make concessions and no treaty had been concluded? It is impossible to conceive all the difficulties that would have resulted from such a failure, and for that reason I was in mortal anxiety over the easy unconcern of centralising gentlemen in the Diet.”... “Last night, after a long interval, I had again a couple of hours of good deep sleep. At first I could not get off to sleep, worrying and pondering over all sorts of things. Then suddenly I saw Varzin before me, quite distinctly to the smallest detail like a big picture, with all the colours even--green trees, the sunshine on the stems and a blue sky above it all. I saw each single tree. I tried to get rid of it, but it came back and tormented me, and at length when it faded away it was replaced by other pictures, documents, notes, despatches, until at last towards morning I fell asleep.” Whilst Bucher and myself were alone at tea, he told me that Delbrück, who is the “Liberal Minister,” holds with the Liberals and is “thinking of the future.” “At an early stage of his career the Chief offered him the Ministry of Commerce. Delbrück declined it, saying: ‘Yes, Excellency, but you may not remain long yourself, and I should prefer not to accept it. What should I do if you retired? I should be obliged to go too and renounce official life, and of course that would not do.’” CHAPTER XV CHAUDORDY AND THE TRUTH--OFFICERS OF BAD FAITH--FRENCH GARBLING--THE CROWN PRINCE DINES WITH THE CHIEF.