During dinner that same day, I saw by the expression of Sergy's face that he was preparing a surprise for me. And, in fact, he made me awfully happy by announcing that instead of establishing me at Frau Weidemann's boarding-house, he would take me with him to Piacenza, a small town in the neighbourhood of which the manoeuvres would take place. And thus it was settled that we should start on the follow- ing day for the Boromees Islands on Lake Maggiore, and go straight from there to Piacenza. ... On our return to Isola Bella, we took the train to Milan, where we arrived at sunset. Before we went to bed, it was settled that we should go next morning to Piacenza. When I awoke, Sergy made me understand that it would be far more convenient for him to go first by himself to Piacenza, in order to look out for a lodging for me. I was foolish enough to feel horribly hurt, and to take it into my head that my husband wanted to get rid of me. " Oh ! very well, be it so ! " I said to myself, and made the vow to await the end of the manoeuvres at Cernobbio at Frau Weidemann's boarding- house ; and, acting on blind impulse, with quick tears rising to my eyes, I told Sergy I did not want him to be bothered with me and intended to start with the first train to Como. ... One morning I was sitting at my solitary breakfast, when at last a long letter from Sergy was brought to me. I devoured its contents. He wrote in high spirits and gave me all the details of his life at Piacenza, and glowing accounts of the manoeuvres and all he was seeing. Two big rooms were reserved to him at the Hotel San Marco. After lunch, on the day of his arrival, he put on his uniform and went to present himself to the Commandant of Piacenza, in whose drawing-room a group of foreign officers, in the most varied uniforms, were gathered. Such a lot of strangers was quite an event for the little town of Piacenza, which was dressed all over with flags ; a band played in the Square. When Sergy returned to the hotel he found on his table an envelope containing different instructions concerning the manoeuvres, with maps and programmes for every day. The military representatives received a compliment in verse with the following inscription : Dedica agli eccellentissimi signori, che rappresentarono le nazioni in occasione ddla lora venuta a Piacenza. The representatives were entertained with much festivity ; rich banquets were given in their honour. Twenty officers of different armies sat down to table every day : four Austrians, one Bavarian, three Germans, two Belgians, two Swedes, two Englishmen and three Russians. Sergy 's neighbour was a Swedish general, an old trooper belonging to the school of " Gustav Vasa," who probably would never have stirred the world with any striking discovery, being rather narrow-minded. He said to Sergy that whilst travelling in Italy he was very much astonished that all the railway stations were named " Uscita " (which means exit), and was quite bewildered that in this country even children were able to surmount the difficulties of the language, and chatted Italian quite as a matter of course to each other ! The manoeuvres of one division against the other began on the 1 8th August. My husband with his brother-officers got up at daybreak and started by a special train to " Castello Giovanni," where a hillock, surrounded by vineyards, was chosen as point of observation.
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