the King is lost. Impossible to keep him alive any
longer."

He rushed out.

I am Queen.

* * * * *

_After Lunch._

Just back from Richard's studio. We had lunch together. We laughed, we
danced, we sang. We bombarded one another with pillows.

We acted the jubilant heirs. I recalled Sybillenort at the time King
Albert died. In Saxony, when man or woman shuffles off this mortal coil,
there's always a good "feed" at the corpse's expense. At the late King's
castle a "mourning breakfast" was served upon the royal family's arrival
from Dresden--a most magnificent repast in the matter of plate and
victuals offered, but each had to serve himself or herself, as servants
were dispensed with.

This by the new King's special orders--that he might hear himself
addressed "Your Majesty" by his kith and kin, a formality usually
neglected in the family circle except when two or more of the big-wigs
are warring against each other.

"Will Your Majesty have one or two lumps of sugar?"

"May it please Your Majesty--some steak?"

"I hope Your Majesty will allow me to peel an orange for Your Majesty."

Thus at Sybillenort. And at Richard's:

"Will Your Greatness (Majesty) deign to take Your Greatness's feather
out of my eye?"

Or: "May it never please Your Transparency (_Durchlaucht_, German for
Highness) to let _His_ Greatness see through you."

I am several times a Countess besides a Princess, Duchess, etc., and
Richard continued with his paraphrasing of titles:

"Your Illuminatedness[8] makes lights quite unnecessary," and he
switched them off in a room already darkened by blinds and shades and
curtains.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 8: "Illuminated" is the proper title for German counts of the
higher class.]

CHAPTER LXIII

WHAT I WILL DO WHEN I AM QUEEN

A foretaste: titled servants put me _en route_ for lover--The
bargain I will propose to Frederick Augustus--Frederick Augustus
will be a complaisant King--To revive _Petit Trianon_--I am
addressed as Queen.

DRESDEN, _November 3, 1902_.

Though still styled Crown Princess, I am already revelling in the
delights and perquisites of queenship: I do as I please, go where I
please, I would think aloud, as I please, if anyone dared me.

For all my enemies of a week ago turned flatterers and flunkeys, bowing,
grovelling, fawning, contemptible in their self-abasement, but quite
useful to my purposes.

L