The Emperor, seeing the crushed look on my face, raised his glass and said, with a kind glance at me, "Here's to the American corn!" I reproached the Princess Metternich for having suggested my taking it there. COMPIÈGNE, _November 22, 1866._ DEAR A.,--You know it has always been my wish to see the life at Compiègne, and behold, here I am! We received the invitation twelve days ago. It reads thus: MAISON DE L'EMPEREUR _Palais des Tuileries, le 10 Novembre 1866. Premier Chambellan_ Monsieur, Par ordre de l'Empereur, j'ai l'honneur de vous prévenir que vous êtes invité, ainsi que Madame Charles Moulton, à passer huit jours au Palais de Compiègne, du 22 au 29 Novembre. Des voitures de la Cour vous attendront le 22, à l'arrivée à Compiègne du train partant de Paris à 2 heures 1/2, pour vous conduire au Palais. Agréez, Monsieur, l'assurance de ma considération très distinguée. _Le Premier Chambellan_. V'te de Laferrière. Monsieur, Madame Charles Moulton. This gave me plenty of time to order all my dresses, wraps, and everything else that I needed for this visit of a week to royalty. [Illustration: THE MAIN FAÇADE--CHÂTEAU DE COMPIÈGNE] I was obliged to have about twenty dresses, eight day costumes (counting my traveling suit), the green cloth dress for the hunt, which I was told was absolutely necessary, seven ball dresses, five gowns for tea. Such a quantity of boxes and bundles arrived at the house in Paris that Mademoiselle Wissembourg was in a blue fidget, fussing about, boring me with silly, unnecessary suggestions, and asking so many useless questions that I wished her at the bottom of the Red Sea. A professional packer came to pack our trunks, of which I had seven and C---- had two; the maid and the valet each had one, making, altogether, quite a formidable pile of luggage. As we saw it on the wagon driven from the house, it seemed an absurdly large amount for only a week's visit. We arrived at the St. Lazare Station at 2.30, as indicated on the invitation. We found the Vicomte Walsh (the Chamberlain of the Emperor) waiting to show the guests where the train was. It would have been rather difficult not to have seen it, as it was the only one in the station, and was marked "Extra and Imperial." There were several large salon carriages with large, comfortable _fauteuils_, and some tables covered with newspapers and _journaux illustrés_ to beguile the time. It would take too much time to tell you the names of all the people I recognized at the station; but in the carriage with us were the Duke and Duchess Fernan Nuñez, Madame de Bourgogne (whose husband is Equerry of the Emperor), the two Princes Murat, Joachim and Achille, Monsieur Davilliers, Count Golz (the German Ambassador), Baron Haussmann and his daughter, and Mr. de Radowitz of the German embassy, who immediately stretched himself out contentedly in a comfortable arm-chair and fell fast asleep.