Of the peccadilloes of the elegant young blackguard of Europe--who became a fully-fledged colonel in the German Army at the age of thirty-one--I need say but little. His life has been crammed with disgraceful incidents, most of them hushed up at the Kaiser's command, though several of them--especially certain occurrences in the Engadine in the winter of 1912--reached the ears of the Crown-Princess, who, one memorable day, unable to stand her husband's callous treatment, threatened seriously to leave him. Indeed, it was only by the Kaiser's autocratic order that "Cilli" remained at the Marmor Palace. She had actually made every preparation to leave, a fact which I, having learned it, was compelled to report to the Crown-Prince. We were at the Palace in the Zeughaus-Platz, in Berlin, at the time, and an hour after I had returned from Potsdam I chanced to enter the Crown-Prince's study. The door was a self-locking one, and I had a key. On turning my key I drew back, for His Majesty the Emperor, a fine figure in the picturesque cavalry uniform of the Königsjäger--who had just come from a review, and had no doubt heard of the threatened Royal scandal--was standing astride in the room. "I compel it!" cried the Emperor, pale with rage, his eyes flashing as he spoke. "She shall remain! Go to her at once--make your peace with her in any way you can--and appear to-night with her at the theatre." "But I fear it is impossible. I----" "Have you not heard me?" interrupted the Emperor, disregarding his son's protests. And as I discreetly withdrew I heard the Kaiser add: "Cannot you, of our House of Hohenzollern, see that we cannot afford to allow Cilli to leave us? The present state of the public mind is not encouraging, much as I regret it. Remember Frederick August's position when that madcap Luisa of Tuscany ran away with the French tutor Giron. Now return to Marmor without delay and do as I bid." "I know Cilli. She will not be appeased. Of that I am convinced," declared the young man. "It is my will--the will of the Emperor," were the last words I heard, spoken in that hard, intense voice I knew so well. "Tell your wife so. And do not see that black-haired Englishwoman again. I had a full report from the Engadine a fortnight ago, and this _contretemps_ is only what I have expected. It is disgraceful! When will you learn reason?" Ten minutes later I was seated beside the Crown-Prince in the car on our way to Potsdam. On the road, driving recklessly as I sat by his side, he laughed lightly as he turned to me, saying: "What an infernal worry women really are--aren't they, Heltzendorff--more especially if one is an Imperial Prince! Even though one is a Hohenzollern one cannot escape trouble!"