lasted for four hours, and was not ended until after one o'clock. Later in the day a dinner was given at the Palace, where the court displayed all its brilliancy. The King drank to the health of the army and of its leader, who was crowned with honour, after which the Crown Prince returned thanks to Ludwig in a lengthy speech. At seven o'clock the dinner came to an end. The court, and the officers and civilians invited by the Minister of War, then adjourned to a gala performance in the royal theatre, where Der Friede by Paul Heyse was the piece given. The returning warriors, and the citizens of the metropolis and their dames, made merry until far into the night and the following day. The cheers for the King, for the Crown Prince of Prussia, for all who had fought and conquered, were ceaseless. The military bands which had so long been absent were once more heard in the great Feldherren Halle. Patriotic songs were played on the stands in the Odeon Platz. The houses were illuminated. All were delighted at the success of the reception, and at the friendship between the King and the Crown Prince, which was looked upon as a good omen for the new alliance. The day afterwards the royal family, with their guest, made an excursion to the Roseninsel, where the roses were in full bloom. Ludwig, wishing to do honour to Friedrich and give him pleasure, asked his permission, as they were walking together in the afternoon, to make him colonel of one of his regiments of light horse. The Crown Prince answered loftily that it depended on the Emperor whether he could accept the offer or not, adding, with a smile: "I do not know if the slim Uhlan uniform would suit my stout figure!" The King was greatly displeased with this remark, and later repeated it to several persons. After the return from the Roseninsel he informed his secretary that he would under no circumstances be present at the military banquet in the Glas Palast the following day. This banquet, to which nine hundred invitations had been issued, and which was to mark the height of the festivities, was given in honour of Friedrich, but was intended at the same time to be a recognition shown to the Bavarian army. The secretary wrote a letter to his Majesty, in which, with the deepest respect, he endeavoured to persuade him at least to show himself for some minutes, pointing out that his absence might have extended political consequences. He described in graphic words the pleasure the Monarch would give the brave and faithful defenders of his country if he showed them the honour of being their comrade at table. The King answered that he needed quiet. This, however, did not preclude the hope that at the last moment he might appear. The dinner, nevertheless, took place without him. Shortly before nine the Crown Prince Friedrich arrived with his suite. The house of Bavaria was represented by the greater number of its princes; but a painful impression was caused by the King's absence. [26]