On taking leave of her Majesty, which was done with a great deal of weeping on my part, she handed me a beautiful sapphire-and-diamond brooch and a very large photograph signed by her dear hand _en souvenir_. The King gave Johan his photograph and the decoration of _la couronne d'Italie_. The day passed only too quickly. I cannot tell you how miserable I was to take leave of their Majesties, who had always been so kind and gracious to me. But what use is it to mourn my fate. Nothing can change the fact that we are bidding good-by to Italy. STOCKHOLM, 1890-1897 STOCKHOLM, _October, 1890_. Dear L.,--We arrived here (our new post) at an early hour in the morning. We found the secretary and carriages waiting for us, and drove to the hotel, where we stayed until our apartment was quite ready. Our furniture from Rome has already arrived, so all we have to do now is, like coffee, to settle. We have taken the same house that has been the Danish Legation for the last forty years, and where Johan used to live when he was secretary here twenty years ago. The apartment is very large. It has twenty-four rooms, ten windows on Drottning Gatan, and thirteen on the side-street. The ballroom has five windows (three on one street and two on another); a large _salon_, two smaller _salons_, a library, and a spacious dining-room; and it has (quite rare in Stockholm) a _porte-cochère_. The Chancellery is in the courtyard, having its separate entrance and staircase. The evening before we left Copenhagen we had the honor of dining with the King and Queen of Denmark, at Amalienborg. It was a family dinner, J. and I being the only guests. After dinner the Queen talked a long time with me and handed me the letter she had written to the Queen of Sweden. "I told her," she said, "that I was very fond of you, and I knew that she would be equally so. And how the Duke of Nassau [her brother] admired you and your singing." "If your Majesty hadn't said it, I never would have believed that the Duke liked my singing. I was under the impression that he would have liked me better without the singing." "Yes," the Queen said, "I confess that he is not musical, and does not like _all_ music, but he really did like to hear you sing. He told me so." "Of course he knows," I answered, "but he is the last person from whom I expected to receive a compliment." As their Majesties retired, the Queen held out her hand, and when I stooped to kiss it she kissed me affectionately on both cheeks. The King, on shaking hands with me, said, "_God Reise_" which is Danish for _bon voyage_. The first days in a new post are always very busy ones. My first visit was to _the doyenne_ of the _Corps Diplomatique_, Baroness Ph. She gave me a list of visits to be made, and a quantity of her own cards with _pour présenter_ with mine. Yesterday J. was received by the King, and presented his _lettres de créance_.