to marry either
royalties or commoners; so that the marriage of a Prince of
Prussia with a daughter of one of these mediatised houses would
not be morganatic. The girl would take the full rank of her
husband and the children would inherit any rights, including the
rights to the throne possessed by him.

Thus the beautiful young Countess Platen, shortly before we left
Berlin, was married to von Stumm, the very able Under Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs. While she became on her marriage
Baroness von Stumm, nevertheless, if she had married the son of
the Kaiser, she would have taken his rank and her children would
have inherited all rights and titles possessed by their father.
This is because the Platens, although bearing only the title of
Counts, are a mediatised family.

It is noteworthy that in Berlin women of that blonde type with
regular features, which we believe is the German type, are very
rare. This type is to be found perfected in Scandinavia,
although a few specimens exist in Germany. Looking over a Berlin
theatre I have often noticed the predominance of brown and black
hair.

There is always some one higher up to whom German women must
curtsy. All women, whatever their husband's rank, must curtsy to
a Royal Prince. Unmarried girls curtsy to married women and kiss
their hands. Men, on meeting women, always kiss their hands.

Berlin is certainly the gossip headquarters of the world. Some
years ago the whole town was invaded by a mania for anonymous
letter writing, and when the smoke had cleared away few were left
with unriddled reputations.

It is the fashion of the present court, however, to be very
puritanical. No such little affairs are going on publicly, as
have occurred in the annals of the Hohenzollern family. For even
the old Emperor William, grandfather of the present Kaiser, had
numerous love affairs. The tree is still pointed out near the
Tiergarten where he met Princess Radziwill every day.

And the Chancellor's palace was once the home of another royal
"friend."

The Foreign Office was at one time the home of the Italian
dancer, La Barberini, the only woman who ever for a time enslaved
Frederick the Great. I discussed affairs of state with von Jagow
and Zimmermann in the very room where she gave her supper
parties.

CHAPTER XIII

HOME LIFE AND "BRUTALITY" OF THE PEOPLE

The apartments of Berlin are designed for outward show for which
the Berliners have a weakness. They