CHAPTER XXVII

Franz d’Este and his morganatic wife at Sinaia--My recollection of him at Vienna--Society girls with cold feet--The German Crown Prince was popular at Bucarest--But he was only there a fortnight--The King and his “shadowers”--Predeal--The leap over the frontier--A little smuggling--A beautiful and historic road.

The Archduke Franz d’Este and his morganatic wife, the Fürstin Hohenberg, whose murder at Serajevo by a Servian student was the ostensible reason for the outbreak of the Great War, visited Sinaia in the lifetime of the late King Carol and Queen Elizabeth. They were received there in a very private circle, no public reception being accorded them, as of course the Fürstin, not being of the same exalted rank as her husband, could not have taken her place at his side. When the Archduke went to the Spanish wedding as representative of the Emperor of Austria his wife accompanied him only to San Sebastian, and there awaited his return.

Franz d’Este was not a pleasant person, and when I was a girl in Vienna I heard many stories of his escapades and of those of his equally wild brother the Archduke Otto. The Emperor was constantly obliged to call them to account. Many of the stories were no doubt exaggerated, but I understand that the often-told tale of how Franz d’Este stopped a funeral procession and leaped his horse over the bier was well authenticated.

I remember very well skating one afternoon at a place by the Stadt Park, near the Ring Strasse. Franz d’Este was amongst the skaters, and he was distributing his favours pretty impartially amongst the crowd of young society girls. They stood huddled in a crowd, and not one would move till Franz came to claim her. Poor things! They must have had cold feet, but I suppose they thought it worth while.

The German Crown Prince spent a fortnight in Bucarest some years ago, and I presume that he was also taken to Sinaia. Of that, however, I am not quite sure, as I was away at the time. Anyhow, I am certain of one thing, and that is, that he made himself most agreeable to the ladies of Bucarest, winning golden opinions on every side.

Germans are not liked by the Roumanians, but the Crown Prince was an exception. He admired the ladies of society very much, and was greatly taken by their toilet. I daresay he gave many a hint to his wife regarding her dress on his return from Roumania.

At the dances in the palace the Crown Prince never waited for a formal arrangement by the Master of Ceremonies. In the case of a young friend of mine, he simply took her by the hand when the music started and said, “Let us dance this together.”

On taking leave of the Roumanian officers who had been attached to his suite, he presented each of them with a photograph of the German Emperor, simply saying, “My father wished me to give you this.” All this absence of formality delighted the Roumanians, who like to dispense with ceremony themselves. But of course we must remember that the German Crown Prince only stayed in Roumania for a fortnight, and since then his character seems to have developed in an extraordinary way.

The late King and Queen of Roumania liked to stay at Sinaia as long as they possibly could. King Carol’s desire was to live as simply as possible and to stroll about the woods without any guard whatever. Of course, a guard could not be entirely dispensed with, but private detectives were employed to follow the King in his walks as unobtrusively as was possible. Poor men! I think they had a hard time of it trying to carry out their instructions. I met the King and Prince Ferdinand one day walking in the woods, and some distance behind followed two rather shabby-looking men. They behaved in such a suspicious way, taking cover behind every tree or bush if they thought the gentlemen were about to turn, that if I had not been aware of their identity I should have thought they had designs on the King. They were detectives who were really concerned for the King’s safety, but they were obliged to be careful, as his Majesty was always very angry if one of them crossed his path.

The road from Sinaia to Predeal in the Carpathians is beautiful and full of interest. There is a gentle incline for a considerable part of the way, till the road finally reaches its culminating point at Predeal, on the frontier between Roumania and Transylvania.

Predeal is a pretty little village with a great many villas scattered about, as it is a favourite summer resort for the inhabitants of Bucarest. It is surrounded by pine forests, and these, together with the health-giving air (Predeal is situated at the highest point of the Carpathians), attract a great many sufferers from chest complaints. I spent a summer once in Predeal, and enjoyed it very much. The village is of course Roumanian, but our villa happened to be built just a few yards over the boundary on Hungarian soil. The Hungarians were very anxious that people should settle on their side, therefore they gave special facilities for building purposes. To mark the boundary there was a deep ditch running from the forest high up behind our house right down to the road. This ditch was constantly patrolled by a Hungarian soldier, who sternly prohibited any crossing into Roumanian territory except by the legitimate means at the barrier on the road further down.

Now, as most of our friends lived on the Roumanian side, the fancy often seized us to pay them an evening visit. But to travel all the way down to the road was not to be thought of when the crossing of the ditch was so easy. Therefore we used to watch for the favourable moment when the soldier was up near the forest, take a flying leap across the ditch, and land safely on Roumanian territory before the sentinel could return. When he did arrive he could do no more than hurl threats after us, as he could not leave his post.

Crossing the boundary with forbidden commodities was always attended with a certain amount of risk. What an anxious moment when one was requested to come into the office, and how great was the pleasure afterwards when one was successful in smuggling through certain articles! Lengths of muslin pinned in front under one’s skirt, cakes of soap hidden in the hat, chocolate in the bag or under the saddle of one’s bicycle, what a pleasure it was to get them through! The Customs officials may strongly suspect that something is hidden, but they must not touch or search the _person_ unless they are certain. Should they do so and find nothing, it is then a punishable offence. We had a number of fowls which we had brought with us from Bucarest, but the grain to feed them had to be kept on the Roumanian side, as the duty on it was very high. Every time that the supply ran short we had to cross the boundary wearing cloaks or loose jackets. On returning, each person had a small parcel concealed under these garments, so the fowls had what they required and the Hungarians were none the wiser.

The road from Predeal down into the Hungarian plain is one of the most lovely I have ever seen. It begins at the summit of the mountain, gradually descending in lovely curves, with beautiful glimpses of the valley beneath. When one finally reaches the plain it is charming to look back at the heights from which one has come.

How often have I cycled down from Predeal to Kronstadt, enjoying to the full all the lovely scenery _en route_! I have made many enjoyable excursions in the surrounding mountains, and one of these particularly is in my memory as I write.

We started from Predeal one fine summer morning on foot, preceded by two lads carrying our basket of provisions. As we walked at a brisk pace down the road, we had still time to admire the dancing shadows caused by the sun shining through the trees that thickly bounded the road on each side. After a walk of half an hour we struck off to the right, and, after crossing some upland meadows and ascending the steep mountain-side for some time, found ourselves at the opening of a rocky gorge. The gorge was so narrow that there was just enough space for one person at a time to pass along the footpath, made of rough boards. By many turns and twists and sudden little jumps from one platform to the next lower down, we managed, with a good deal of difficulty, to arrive in the valley beneath. The slight bruises that we had sustained in the descent were now speedily forgotten, and we greatly enjoyed our lunch, supplemented as it was by the wild raspberries and strawberries which were growing there in abundance. As our party was mostly composed of Britishers, the inevitable cup of tea had to be provided. A little spirit-lamp was placed in the most sheltered corner we could find, and set alight. Just as we were in hopes that all was going on well and that the water was near boiling-point, a sudden puff of wind came along and blew out the flame. Time after time this tantalising experience was repeated. At length one of the party, a clergyman, undertook the difficult task of getting the water boiled. To see him on his knees, anxiously shading the flame with his hat, his hands, his whole body, and softly ejaculating sundry remarks when the spiteful little puff of wind succeeded in getting in between and undoing all his work, offered a spectacle which helped to solace the others. I am sure if he had not been a clergyman he would have said something wicked. However, in the event, we had to content ourselves with tea made of lukewarm water; and although the Roumanians of the party did not seem to mind, we Britishers decidedly disliked it.

When one returns in memory to the scene of so much pleasure and enjoyment, it becomes impossible to imagine the bloody struggle that recently was enacted there. That beautiful road leading up to Predeal was probably cut up by the German heavy guns, the splendid forest trees torn to splinters, and all the merry animal life scared away. It is sad to think of the beautiful village of Predeal being even temporarily in the hands of the enemy, and of the number of valiant Roumanians who there made the supreme sacrifice.