And Holland will fall to
me through the little Duchy of Luxembourg, which will come to me by the
marriage of one of my sisters with the heir of Nassau.
"My last master stroke was the way of my coming into Belgium. Therein
I was artful. The Belgians affected to believe in the neutrality of
their microscopic kingdom. I played up to the joke and entered their
country by way of the sea.
"In all the splendour of my power, I came to Ostend on the
_Hohenzollern_, and I made it my business to invest my appearance with
every feature calculated to impress the mob, in these days when outward
show appeals most powerfully to the popular imagination. And I was,
moreover, determined that nothing should be lacking to the full
effectiveness of this demonstration.
"Belgium had intimated by a revolution her objections to becoming
German. Well and good: I imposed myself upon her as German Emperor.
With wearisome reiteration she had manifested her sympathy for France.
In order to challenge these sentiments the more effectively, I
compelled King Leopold to take his seat beside me as the Colonel of one
of my Alsatian regiments!
"And do you suppose that the Belgians protested? Not a bit of it! No,
the trick is played. No longer in secret, but openly, Belgium will
play my waiting game, in the Congo and at the gates of France.
"My visit to Belgium is destined to produce such important results in
days to come, that I have neglected not the smallest detail in order to
produce a legendary impression upon Europe.
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