Although Prussia had now formally returned Poznan, Gdańsk Port, and other places it had previously occupied to Poland, how could such enmity be so easily resolved?
The master of ceremonies onstage continued taking balls from Prince Charles and opening them to read aloud. "Group Two...
"Group Three...
"Northwestern Europe Division, Group One—Brunswick Team, Hesse Team, Bavaria Team, Thuringia Team!
"Group Two—Netherlands Team, Flanders Team, Oldenburg Team, Cologne Team..."
Yes, these supposedly random groupings had in fact received some "behind-the-scenes" intervention at Joseph's instruction. The aim was to ensure every group was packed with drama.
Either the two nations were hereditary foes, or it was a Catholicism team versus a Protestantism team, or the two sides had only recently fought one another to the death on the battlefield. By the time the drawing ceremony ended and Joseph's party returned to Versailles Palace, it was not yet six in the afternoon.
Joseph had just stepped down from his carriage when he saw one of his father's attendants hurrying over. The man bowed to him. "Your Highness, His Majesty the King is waiting for you."
"I'll go at once." Joseph nodded and started toward the main entrance of Versailles Palace.
The King's attendant hurriedly stopped him. "Your Highness, His Majesty is at the Engineering Design Institute."
"Oh, all right."
Joseph quickly turned around again, but he did not get back into the carriage—just over a hundred meters west of the Marble Courtyard lay a Wooden Railway, where carts pulled by a Steam Winch could take him directly to the institute. It had been built specifically for the King's use.
Well, placing the Engineering Design Institute only two kilometers from the royal palace was probably a uniquely French feature of this era.
Joseph guessed what this was about and asked expectantly, "Has the Steam