She said that they were
frequently cut off from the mainland for three weeks on end,
without either letters, newspapers, or fresh meat, as the steamers
were unable to make the passage. There was nothing to do, nowhere
to go, and no one to speak to. It must have been a considerable
change for any one accustomed to the life of careless, easy-going,
glittering Vienna in the old days. Even Sir Fitzhardinge confessed
that during the winter gales he had frequently to make his way on
all fours from the stairs from the Underland to Government House,
to avoid being blown over the cliffs. Lady Maxse hung an extra
pair of pink muslin curtains over every window in Government
House, to shut out the sight of the wintry sea, but the angry,
grey and white rollers of the restless North Sea asserted
themselves even through the pink muslin.
I am glad that I saw this wind-swept little rock whilst it was
still a scrap of British territory. When my time came for leaving
Brunswick, I was genuinely sorry to go. I confess that I liked
Germany and the Germans; I had been extremely well treated, and
had got used to German ways.
Pages:
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273