THE VANISHED POMPS OF YESTERDAY _By Lord Frederic Hamilton_ THE VANISHED POMPS OF YESTERDAY THE DAYS BEFORE YESTERDAY HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE _George H. Doran Company New York_ THE VANISHED POMPS OF YESTERDAY BEING _Some Random Reminiscences of a British Diplomat_ BY LORD FREDERIC HAMILTON Author of "Here, There and Everywhere," "The Days Before Yesterday," etc., etc. A New and Revised Edition NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1921 BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO EMILY LADY AMPTHILL MY FIRST CHEFESSE WITH EVER-GRATEFUL RECOLLECTIONS OF HER KINDNESS FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION The account of the boating accident at Potsdam on page 75, differs in several particulars from the story as given in the original edition. These alterations have been made at the special request of the lady concerned, who tells me that my recollections of her story were at fault as regards several important details. There are also a few verbal alterations in the present edition. CONTENTS CHAPTER I Special Mission to Rome--Berlin in process of transformation--Causes of Prussian militarism--Lord and Lady Ampthill--Berlin Society--Music-lovers--Evenings with Wagner--Aristocratic Waitresses--Rubinstein's rag-time--Liszt's opinions--Bismarck--Bismarck's classification of nationalities--Bismarck's sons--Gustav Richter--The Austrian diplomat--The old Emperor--His defective articulation--Other Royalties--Beauty of Berlin Palace--Description of interior--The Luxembourg--"Napoleon III"--Three Court beauties--The pugnacious Pages--"Making the Circle"--Conversational difficulties--An ecclesiastical gourmet--The Maharajah's mother CHAPTER II Easy-going Austria--Vienna--Charm of town--A little piece of history--International families--Family pride--"Schlüssel-Geld"--Excellence of Vienna restaurants--The origin of "_Croissants_"--Good looks of Viennese women--Strauss's operettas--A ball in an old Vienna house--Court entertainments--The Empress Elisabeth--Delightful environs of Vienna--The Berlin Congress of 1878--Lord Beaconsfield--M. de Blowitz--Treaty telegraphed to London--Environs of Berlin--Potsdam and its lakes--The bow-oar of the Embassy "four"--Narrow escape of ex-Kaiser--The Potsdam palaces--Transfer to Petrograd--Glamour of Russia--An evening with the Crown Prince at Potsdam CHAPTER III