Berlin. Feb 5 Dearest Mother. I was so glad to have your last little letter from Paris - today I suppose will find you again in your poky little home. I wonder if it is very cold at Redcar. This morning there were 10° Réaumur here, but it was deliciously sunny so that we did not feel it much. The court ball on Wednesday was a fine show, but a tiring one. We were asked for 8 o'clock, about a quarter past we formed up and began waiting for the royalties. The ambassadresses sat on a line of chairs to the left of the throne in the Weiser Saal, and we stood meekly behind them. After about half an hour someone tapped on the floor with a wand and in came a long procession of pages followed by the Kaiserpaar and all the Fürstliche personen. The whole room bobbed down in deep curtseys as they came in - it would have looked nicer if the German women had worn dresses of prettier colours; the corner where the girls stood was charming for they were mostly in white or pink. Then there was a very long circle - 3/4 of an hour I should think. The Emperor had so much to say to everyone that it was all the Empress could do not to catch him up and we were beginning to telescope from the knees upwards with standing so long. At last it was over and we began to dance. It was too crowded to be really pleasant, one had to stop and shoulder one's way between the people as one waltzed. I sat out a square with Mr Budworth who looked very splendid in his horse artillery uniform, and another with Mr Whitehead - we meant to dance but I was called off to be introduced to Princess Frederich Leopold and she talked so long that when I came back I found our place had been filled up. Billy took me in to supper - there was a tremendous crowd - we walked through endless rooms and finally contented ourselves with a glass of soda water and a sandwich and came back to the ball room. We found however that we had done the wise thing, for the room was almost empty and the few people that were there were dancing the trois temps - one is only allowed to dance the deux temps when the Empress is there. It was a very delicious half hour for the floor is peerless and all these little officers dance so well. Then followed the gavotte which Florence danced very prettily. It was a charming sight and the end, when all the dancers give a long sliding step to one side and finish with deep bows and curtseys was extremely nice. A very short cotillon, only of figures no flowers or bows or anything, followed: I did not dance it but stood and talked to people and looked on. We were in before one, but were far more tired than if we had danced hard for 6 hours. There is nothing so exhausting as standing. Yesterday afternoon we skated, a great party of us. There is a neu Austrian who skates very well and taught us several things. Count Harrach, the father of my little friend, was also there. He is an old dear, interesting and charming. He paints - very well I'm told - in fact he is a sort of German Lord Carlisle. In the evening we had a dinner party here - Lady White (awful woman!) and her married daughter (who is still worse); Frau von der Gröben and her husband, very nice Germans, Captain Winter, the mesenger[?] (very nice too, he took me in) Noailles - how on earth is he spelt, the French ambassador and Lanza, the[?] Italian, Lord Langton and Mr Seymour our new attaché. It was not very amusing; we were very glad when our little friends went away. We have been skating all the morning with the Harrachs and all that lot - most delicious it was. Ask Maurice if he remembers at Weimar a Fräulein von Wurne, rather pretty. She is in waiting on Princess F.L. and claimed acquaintance with me saying she had met me at Weimar. I think I remember her at a tea party. She is very nice. Ever your affectionate daughter Gertrude