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i9i4] AUDIENCE OF KING GUSTAF
Government hoped to safeguard the principle of Swedish
neutrality.
The very day of our new military attache’s arrival,
that is to say on Friday, the 31st, I had taken the
necessary steps to obtain permission to present him
to His Majesty the King. I waited an answer on the
subject with an impatience that increased as events
developed. If the King received us, it would be a good
sign; if he refused the audience one would be
justified in deducing the worst auguries. Finally, on the
Monday, towards evening, I was informed that we
were both to be received the next day, Tuesday, at
eleven o’clock.
At the appointed hour we were shown into a
drawing-room adjoining the King’s study; our reception was
frigid, the King hardly spoke to Colonel Kandauroff
(the Assanovitch incident was of too recent date !). But
after this brief interview His Majesty begged me to
follow him alone into the next room, and there—just as
on the day of my solemn audience—the King’s manner
changed completely. Inviting me to sit down and
without hiding the deep emotion that the events which he
described as "terrible" were causing him, he said, laying
stress on each of his words: " I wished to see you,
Monsieur, to tell you that Sweden is not bound to any one"
The King then repeated what his Minister of Foreign
Affairs had said to me the day before, that is to say
that the Swedish Government wished to maintain
absolute neutrality; "provided," added His Majesty,
"that the belligerent countries enable us to carry out
this resolution." I hastened to reply that as to Russia
and her ally (Great Britain had not yet declared
herself), Sweden could be quite sure of our perfect
correctness with regard to her and of our desire to facilitate
her neutrality. On that I was very amiably dismissed.
The interview had only lasted a few minutes, but 1 left
the King’s study with one terrible worry the less.
Two days later England had joined the ranks of the
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