Queen of Sweden invited me to dine with her
to-morrow, and that he, the Duke, would introduce me,--I at once decided
to lay my embarrassment before the Queen herself.

"Next day, when I was presented to her Majesty, she took me by the hand,
and led me to a window [as was her custom with guests whom she judged to
be worth questioning and talking to], and so placed herself in a corner
there that I came to stand close before her; when she did me the
honor to ask a great many questions about Russia, the Imperial Court
especially, and most of all the Grand-Duke [Czar Paul that is to be,--a
kind of kinsman he, his poor Father was my late Husband's Cousin-german,
as perhaps you know]. A great deal of time was spent in this way; so
that the Princes and Princesses, punctual to invitation, had to wait
above half an hour long; and the Queen was more than once informed that
dinner was on the table and getting cold. I could get nothing of my own
mentioned here; all I could do was to draw back, in a polite way, so
soon as the Queen would permit: and afterwards, at table, to explain
with brevity my concern about what was printed in the MAGAZINE; and
request the Queen to permit me to send it her to read for herself. She
had it, accordingly, that same afternoon.

"A few days after, she invited me again; again spoke with me a long
while in the window embrasure, in a low tone of voice: confirmed to
me all that she had read,--and in particular, minutely explained that
LETTER OF THE KING [one of my Pieces] in which he relates what passed
between him and Count Tessin [Son's Tutor] in the Queen's Apartment. At
table, she very soon took occasion to say: 'I cannot imagine to myself
how the Herr Consistorialrath [Busching, to wit] has come upon that
Letter of my deceased Lord the King of Sweden's; which his Majesty did
write, and which is now printed in your MAGAZINE. For certain, the King
showed it to nobody.' Whereupon BUSCHING: 'Certainly; nor is that to
be imagined, your Majesty. But the person it was addressed to must
have shown it; and so a copy of it has come to my hands.' Queen still
expresses her wonder; whereupon again, Busching, with a courageous
candor: 'Your Majesty, most graciously permit me to say, that hitherto
all Swedish secrets of Court or State have been procurable for money and
good words!' The Queen, to whom I sat directly opposite, cast down her
eyes at these words and smiled;--and the Reichsrath Graf von Schwerin [a
Swe