Wo Ist Denn Mein Vater?[124] This Was Told To His Grandfather The Emperor; And He Gave Directions That The Child Should Be Brought To Him, The Very Next Time He Should Put The Question.

He then said to him:

Du moechtestwissen wo dein Vater ist? Er ist in Verhaft. Man hat es mit ihm gut gemeint; weil er aber unruhig war, so hat man ihn in Verhaft gestellt, und Dich wird man auch verhaften, wenn Du unruhig bist.[125]

So much for this anecdote; but I did not hear what was the answer of the young prince. The young Napoleon is, it appears, a great favorite of the soldiers, who quite adore him, and he will sometimes go into the kitchen to get bread and meat to give to the soldiers on Guard at the Palace. A singular event happened lately to Maria Louisa. During her stay at Schonbrunn, her chatouille, with several things of value in it, bijouterie, etc., was stolen from her. She caused enquiries to be made, and researches to be set on foot. Nobody has been able to find out who took it; but it was put back in the precise place from whence it was taken, and not a single article of the bijouterie or things of value was missing. It is supposed this theft was made for political purposes, in order to discover the nature of her epistolary correspondence, if any existed. Had it been taken by a vulgar thief, it is not probable that the articles of value would have been restored. Such is the unhappy condition of that Princess to be always an object of suspicion and espionnage.

Journey to Prague.

I left Vienna on the 28th August in a Landkutsche and arrived at Prague on the first of September.

These Landkutsche are on the same plan and footing with the vetture in Italy, and travel in the same manner, with this difference, however; that the Landkutscher do not usually, as the vetturini do, undertake to provide for the supper and bed of their passengers. In a word, you are not spesato; and in Germany there is not the least necessity for it, for there is no such thing as extortion on the part of the German innkeepers, who are by far the most respectable of that profession. Besides, in most places, everything is tariffed, and where it is not, the landlord never makes an unreasonable demand, or attempts to make foreigners pay more than natives; whereas in Italy if you are not spesato there are no bounds to the rapacity of the innkeepers, witness mine host of Terracina. Both Italy and Germany present the greatest convenience for travellers, as the Landkutsche or vetture are continually passing from town to town. There is however this difference between them, that the Italian vetturini will abate their price, if their carriage is full excepting one place, and that they must start, whereas the German Landkutscher never abate their price.

I paid for my journey from Vienna to Prague thirty-five florins Wiener Waehrung, and we made the journey in five days.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 260 of 291
Words from 135631 to 136148 of 151859