had not been initially so preoccupied with the peace treaty when it was drawn up

at tJ1e end of the Great War, and I think it is fair to say that his interest

was prompted not so much by an analysis of the treaty, but by his friendship

with Herr Karl-Heinz Bremann.

 

Herr Bremann first visited Darlington Hall very shortly after the war while

still in his officer's uniform, and it was evident to any observer that he and

Lord Darlington had struck up a close friendship. This did not surprise me,

since one could see at a glance that Herr Bremann was a gentleman of great

decency. He returned again, having left the German army, at fairly regular

intervals during the following two years, and one could not help noticing with

some alarm the deterioration he underwent from one visit to the next. His

clothes became increasingly impoverished - his frame thinner; a hunted look

appeared in his eyes, and on his last visits, he would spend long periods

staring into space, oblivious of his lordship's presence or, sometimes, even of

having been addressed. I would have concluded Herr Bremann was suffering from

some serious illness, but for certain remarks his lordship made at that time

assuring me this was not so.

 

It must have been towards the end of 1920 that Lord Darlington made the first of

a number of trips to Berlin himself, and I can remember the profound effect it

had on him. A heavy air of preoccupation hung over him for days after his

return, and I recall once, in reply to my inquiring how he had enjoyed his trip,

his remarking: