This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr., carlo traverso, Charlie Kirschner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. MY FIRST YEARS AS A FRENCHWOMAN [Illustration: Madame Waddington. From a photograph taken in the year of the Exposition, 1878.] MY FIRST YEARS AS A FRENCHWOMAN 1876-1879 BY MARY KING WADDINGTON ILLUSTRATED 1914 CONTENTS I. WHEN MACMAHON WAS PRESIDENT II. IMPRESSIONS OF THE ASSEMBLY AT VERSAILLES III. M. WADDINGTON AS MINISTER OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION IV. THE SOCIAL SIDE OF A MINISTER'S WIFE V. A REPUBLICAN VICTORY AND A NEW MINISTRY VI. THE EXPOSITION YEAR VII. THE BERLIN CONGRESS VIII. GAIETIES AT THE QUAI D'ORSAY IX. M. WADDINGTON AS PRIME MINISTER X. PARLIAMENT BACK IN PARIS XI. LAST DAYS AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE INDEX ILLUSTRATIONS MADAME WADDINGTON _Frontispiece From a photograph taken in the year of the Exposition_, 1878. MONSIEUR THIERS MARSHAL MACMAHON SITTING OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES THE FOYER OF THE OPERA MEETING OF OFFICERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, AND OF DELEGATES OF THE NEW CHAMBERS, IN THE SALON OF HERCULES, PALACE OF VERSAILLES THEODOR MOMMSEN PALACE OF THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, PARIS FRANZ LISZT WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE LORD LYONS HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES, IN 1876 PRINCE HOHENLOHE M. WILLIAM WADDINGTON. IN THE UNIFORM HE WORE AS MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND AT THE BERLIN CONGRESS, 1878 NASR-ED-DIN, SHAH OF PERSIA PRINCE BISMARCK THE BERLIN CONGRESS M. JULES GRÉVY, READING MARSHAL MACMAHON'S LETTER OF RESIGNATION TO THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES M. JULES GRÉVY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC BY THE SENATE AND CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES MEETING AS THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY THE ELYSÉE PALACE, PARIS HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA, ABOUT 1879 M. DE FREYCINET MME. SADI CARNOT PRESIDENT SADI CARNOT MY FIRST YEARS AS A FRENCHWOMAN I WHEN MACMAHON WAS PRESIDENT