February 20 Saturday – In Berlin at General Maximillian von Versen’s, Sam had dinner with Emperor William II. A few days before, Sam entered in his notebook:

In that day the Imperial lion & the democratic lamb shall sit down together & a little General shall feed them [NB 31 TS 27].

Dined at Gen. (lately Lt. Gen.) von Versen’s. Sat at the right hand of the Emperor. His brother, Prince Heinrich, sat opposite; Prince Radolin (Chamberlain) further along. 14 at table; mainly great military & naval people. Two of my friends besides the von Versens were there — Rottenburg and Rudolph Lindau, both of the foreign office. 

After dinner 6 or 8 officers came in, & all hands adjourned to the big room out of the smoking room & held a “smoking parliament” after the style of the ancient Potsdam one till midnight, when the Emperor shook hands and left [NB 31 TS 31].

Paine notes that Sam’s further description of the evening made fourteen years later may have included some “embroidery.” For that story see MTB p.941-3. See also Gribben p.727.

At the Hotel Royal, Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore in Hartford. This is an obvious response to a letter, but is not extant.

Oh yes, Br, pay the charities.

You say no more about the old secretary from the West. I suppose you have corresponded with my brother about it.

I was out of the house yesterday ½ an hour for the first time in 37 days.

Sam added that if Livy was well enough they’d leave for the Riviera for health reasons in about a week to stay “several months.” He asked if the American Publishing Co. had paid up royalties on his old books, and if so how much pay? He also asked for “a half dozen U.S. Bank checks” [MTP].

The Illustrated London News ran a first segment of “An Austrian Health-Factory.” Follow up segments ran on Mar. 5, and Mar. 12, 1892 [Willson list, Univ. of Texas at Austin]. Note: this was a reprint of the article, “Marienbad — A Health Factory,” which ran in the N.Y. Sun and other McClure Syndicate newspapers on Feb. 7.