“It will end by the Social Democrats getting the upper hand.  Then they will plunder the people.  Not that I care.  I will have the palace loop-holed and look on at the plundering.  The burghers will soon call on me for help;”

and on another occasion, in 1889, Hohenlohe tells of a dinner at the palace, and how after dinner, when the Empress and her ladies had gone into another salon, the Emperor, Hohenlohe, and Dr. Hinzpeter (the Emperor’s old tutor) conversed together for an hour, all standing.  “The first subject touched on,” relates the Prince, was the gymnasia (high schools), the Emperor holding that they made too exacting claims on the scholars, while Hohenlohe and Hinzpeter pointed out that otherwise the run on the schools would be too great and cause danger of a “learned proletariat.”  Prince Hohenlohe concludes: 

“In the whole conversation, which never once came to a standstill, I was pleased by the fresh, lively manner of the Emperor, and was in all ways reminded of his grandfather, Prince Albert.”

Next year the Prince was present at an official dinner in the Berlin palace.  He writes:—­

     “BERLIN, 22 March, 1890.

“At seven, dinner in the White Salon (at the palace).  I sat opposite the Empress and between Moltke and Kameke.  The former was very communicative, but was greatly interfered with by the continuous music, and was very angry at it.  Two bands were placed facing each other, and when one ceased the other began to play its trumpets.  It was hardly endurable.  The Emperor made a speech in honour of the Queen of England and the Prince of Wales (afterwards King Edward, present on the occasion of the investiture of his son Prince George, now King George V, with the Order of the Black Eagle), and mentioned his nomination as English admiral (whose uniform he was wearing) and the comradeship-in-arms at the battle of Waterloo; he also hoped that the English fleet and the German army would together maintain peace.  Moltke then said to me:  ‘Goethe says, “a political song, a discordant song."’

     “He also said he hoped the speech wouldn’t get into the
     papers.”

(It did, however.)

The next extract describes a conversation Prince Hohenlohe had with the Emperor at Potsdam the following year.  It gives an idea of the ordinary nature of conversations between the Emperor and his high officials on such occasions.

     “BERLIN, 13 December, 1891.

“Yesterday forenoon was invited to the New Palace at Potsdam.  Besides myself were the Prince and Princess von Wied, with the Mistress of the Robes and the Court marshal.  Emperor and Empress very amiable.  The Emperor spoke of his hunting in Alsace, and supposed it would be some years before the game there would be abundant.  Then he expressed his satisfaction at my acquisition of Gensburg, and when I told him there was not much room in the castle