Towards 10 o’clock in the morning, sometimes later, seldom earlier, one of the Chancery attendants comes into the Central Bureau and calls out “The Prince is in the breakfast-room.” That is the _réveille_, the first signal for action of the Chancellor’s little army of assistants, to whom the departmental secretaries now hand all the despatches and documents received for him through the post or otherwise. Some time afterwards the second signal follows: “The Chancellor is in the study”--a sign that the higher officials who have communications to make may report themselves to the Chief, and that the others should hold themselves in readiness to be summoned to him. Finally, in busy seasons late at night, as a general rule about 10 P.M., those who have been kept at their desks by their work (--while the Chancellor is in Berlin the faithful Lothar Bucher is always amongst the last of these) hear the retreat sounded: “The Chancellor is in the tea-room.” That puts an end to the day’s work, or to the obligation of sitting booted and spurred, awaiting orders. The workers put on their hats and leave, the shutters are closed, and the Chancery servant puts out the lights. CHAPTER II FROM OUR RETURN FROM THE WAR UP TO THE TEMPORARY DISCONTINUANCE OF MY PERSONAL INTERCOURSE WITH THE CHANCELLOR--GLIMPSES OF THE DIPLOMATIC WORLD--COMMISSIONS FOR THE PRESS After a few days’ rest we returned again to our former work at the office, accustoming ourselves to it once more, so that everything fell again into the old groove. The only difference for me was that I continued to enjoy the privilege accorded to me at Versailles, of access to all documents of a political character received by or despatched from the Foreign Office. Some of these were entrusted to my diary in the form of short summaries, or longer notices, together with many of my experiences and observations of that period, and an anthology of the tasks set to me by the Chief, which, as formerly, I noted down at once for future use. And now these faded leaves may themselves speak.