The nightingale was not yet singing in the French park, embedded in the heart of that Germany whither Fate had led me. But behind that window a poignant long-drawn wail, interrupted at intervals by maddening silences that made my nerves quiver with apprehension, came slowly and softly from the silent palace straight to my heart. For Fräulein von Graffenfried was playing Schumann's most plaintive berceuses to her mistress on her violin. [Footnote 2: _Secret History of the Duchess of Hanover_, published in London in 1732, without the author's name but attributed to Baron von Bielefeld, _chargé d'affaires_ of the Court of Prussia at Hanover. For this and later references I have amplified Vignerte's particulars with the aid of Blaze de Bury's articles, which appeared first in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_ and were collected into one volume, the "_Episode de l'Histoire du Hanovre, Les Königsmark_," in 1855.] [Footnote 3: Blaze de Bury: "_Episode de l'Histoire du Hanovre_." Notes and evidence, p. 378.] [Footnote 4: A duplicate in manuscript of this confession, entitled "_Funeral Oration of Countess C. E. von Platen_," may be seen in the archives of Vienna.] V _PETERMANN'S MITTHEILUNGEN_ is the most exhaustive. And also it must be confessed the best, geographical work in the world. Our _Annales de Géographie_ is only a feeble reflection of it. The Russians have an excellent geographer, Woïkow. We have Vidal de la Blache, whose preface to Lavisse's _Histoire de France_ is a masterpiece. But these are only fragments and do not cover the whole ground. The astonishing feature of _Petermann's Mittheilungen_ is its universality. My tutors at the Sorbonne--I won't mention names as it would hardly be kind to them at the present moment--have told me hundreds of times that no serious geographical work could be attempted without the assistance of this powerful machine. I will not exaggerate either the scope or value of the lessons I gave my pupil by having you imagine that I never prepared _one_ without consulting the _Mittheilungen_. But I can assure you that whenever it was necessary to emphasize some particular point I never failed to fortify myself by reference to the great work. Accordingly I had recourse to it when occasion arose to instruct Duke Joachim on a question which was indeed a topic of the hour--the question of the Cameroons and the recent German acquisitions in the Congo. It was just two years since the Cambon-Kiderlen-Wächter conversations had resulted in an agreement which gave Germany the famous "Duck's bill" and Togoland. It, therefore, seemed to me a natural proceeding to dwell at some length on the region which had been the cause of the Kaiser's famous bang on the diplomatic table. I shall never forget that day--Monday, March 2nd--nearly eight months ago now.