Agent of Peace by Jennifer Hobhouse Balme Read Free Book Online Page B

struck all of a heap that I claimed such Imperial descent – and immediately began to tell me that his family was descended from Hohenzollerns though it turned out to be a side branch and by a morganatic marriage …
    He often chatted of his family and his visits to England, his friend there, Lord Wodehouse, and the Quickes in particular and the cruel blow of the war which had destroyed all his ideals. As we sped on, he pointed out the crops, green and flourishing – and at last about 10.30 p.m. as dark was falling, we rushed into the vast crowd of soldiers that filled Cologne station. It was packed. The Baron wanted to divert my attention from this sight (I had already seen it twice) and tried to drop hints about it and that Cologne always was full of men in this way. I said nothing, but of course I knew well enough the troops were massing for the Western Front and already twice before I had seen Cologne station thus packed with soldiers. Night fell as we left the station and hearing we were to have coffee at Magdeburg settled in for the night – a short night. The grey dawn saw me sitting up to watch the great northern plains of Prussia and to look at her silent factories and her well-cultivated fields. They were waving with the green corn looking on the whole in very fair condition. Then came Magdeburg and some very fair coffee and not dear. Everywhere cleanliness and order and every individual busy. Cheerful faces and many smiles, but no noise or laughter – a certain calm confidence. Then we flew past Potsdam – all so well arranged and ordered and uninteresting and then in no time we were in Berlin.
    My Baron was all on the qui vive . He stretched his head out of the window very far, and I looked the other way. He cried: ‘There she is’ and rushed out of the carriage where I discreetly remained. However, they weren’t a bit shy and soon began it again, quite like a couple of English or any other nationality. He introduced me and I found a very sweet girl with lovely eyes and a soft voice and quite delicious English. I felt friends with her at once.
    He had decided to put me into the Fürstenhof but he and his wife were going to another Hotel which they always patronized and apparently he did not think it necessary to be always with me. I was thankful. It was only about 8 a.m. and I was glad to get a comfortable room and a good supplementary breakfast.
    The Hotel was very comfortable and rather smart. My room was 10 marks a day (ruinous for me) but it had a private telephone to all Berlin and the book and hot water tap and self-emptying basin, and every convenience – and a balcony. My breakfast was excellent coffee, sufficient hot milk, two small pieces of war bread, one small roll, one pat of butter like a fat half crown and a good portion of excellent jam, and a little sugar. Brought to the room, this only cost M.1.50. The bread I never could finish and kept half for tea; the sugar I never take so the waiter asked leave not to bring it next morning. It was exquisitely served. (At the Westminster Palace Hotel for the same breakfast, but not served in my room and the items of poor quality instead of first class, and roughly served instead of delicately, I pay 2 s .) The Hotel staff was almost entirely young men of military age – one could have raised a small company in that house alone.
    We separated for rest and refreshment and at 10 a.m. back came my Baron to take me to the Kommandatur and I had my first drive through Berlin. I saw the Reichstag and turned under the archway into Unter der [den] Linden – a street of great disappointment to me for I had dreamed of an avenue of old and beautiful limes – with gnarled massy trunks such as used to form the avenue in front of St James Palace leading to Buckingham Palace and lo! there were only small inferior young trees mostly in cages still, like the newest street of a newly built suburb! It’s a short street