Bismarck: some secret pages of his history (Vol. 3 of 3). Being a diary kept by Dr. Moritz Busch during twenty-five years' official and private intercourse with the great ChancellorBusch, Moritz
History
Bismarck: some secret pages of his history (Vol. 3 of 3). Being a diary kept by Dr. Moritz Busch during twenty-five years' official and private intercourse with the great Chancellor
Busch, Moritz
Bismarck, Otto, Fürst von, 1815-1898
During our walk I had mentioned to Rottenburg my longing for some
work to do, and had sought refuge from my boredom in three volumes
of Hallberger’s _Ueber Land und Meer_, which I found in my room. He
promised to send me Schmidt’s work on the French Revolution, but
did not do so. In my despair I plucked up courage and applied to
the Chief himself, asking him if he could not give me something to
do, if it were only ciphering, deciphering or copying, perhaps some
matter of no importance,--“for my part it may be making out lists or
adding up accounts.” He smiled, and, after reflecting for a moment,
said: “Perhaps I can find some more interesting occupation for you
to-morrow. I will see.”
On Tuesday, October 2nd, took a walk through the wood to Dassendorf
and back, which occupied from 11 to 1 o’clock. The weather was very
fine. At lunch I ascertained from Rottenburg that the Prince wished
to give me a number of letters to look through. When the Chief got
up from table he whispered something to Rottenburg at the door,
whereupon the latter came back to me and said the Prince was now
going upstairs to look out the papers. In about a quarter of an hour
I was summoned to his study, where he had several large packets of
documents lying before him. He began: “I once promised you that
you should arrange my papers. Here are some of them--letters and
other things from the Frankfurt and St. Petersburg period. Here for
instance is the Gerlach correspondence, and there are letters from
Frederick William IV. to me.” He read over one of the latter to me,
and then said: “I think you will find other matters of interest among
them. I myself can no longer remember exactly all they contain. Take
these upstairs with you, and settle how you are going to arrange
them. I think the chronological order will be the best.” Was I not
delighted? Such confidence! and such a prospect of fresh information!
the fulfilment of a hope that had almost died. Pleased beyond measure
I hurried off with my burden and immediately set to work on them,
first glancing through the various papers at hazard. The sifting of
this treasure was to commence next morning, and to be continued on
the following days with as little interruption as possible.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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