GIFT OF 
 Irving Lindhabr 
 
 i'JiO 
 
THE REIGN OF 
 THE GREAT ELECTOR 
 
 ^n igist0rkal Uomatice 
 
 BY 
 
 L. MOHLBACH ^-^^^-// 
 
 AUTHOR OF JOSEPH II. A>ID HIS COURT, FREDERICK THE CKEAT AND HIS COURT, 
 LOUISA CP PRUSSIA AND HER TIMES, HENRY TIB. iMO OB COURT, ETC 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN 
 By MARY STUART SMITH 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 THE McCLURE CO. 
 
 MCMX 
 
COPTBIGHT, 1897, 
 
 By D. APPLETON AND COMPANT. 
 
 'Tr\/tv\Q Li vnd Victim iP 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 PAO« 
 
 I. A FAMILY PESTITAL ..••••••• 1 
 
 II. Doing penance • • . 8 
 
 III. Brothee and sister 20 
 
 IV. The offer of marriage 27 
 
 V. The French ambassador .,..••. 38 
 
 VI. The last farewell 52 
 
 VII. Elector and beggar 62 
 
 VIII. Love's courier returns 74 
 
 IX. Noth bricht Eisen, Noth lehrt Betsn • • • • 88 
 
 BOOK XL 
 
 I. The Hague 100 
 
 11. A PAIR OF WEDDED LOVERS Ill 
 
 III. The walk 123 
 
 IV. Friends meet again •••••••• 139 
 
 V. The challenge ••••••••• 147 
 
 VI. The elopement .••.••••• 160 
 
 VII. The Chinese Pavilion .••..•.. 171 
 
 VIII. The confession 180 
 
 IX. The wedding 194 
 
 BOOK in. 
 
 I. The return from Prague ..••••• 201 
 
 II. The confession • • . 214 
 
 III. Castle building • • • 224 
 
 IV. The first cauliflower ..,,,.,. 232 
 V. The lady from a foreign land 244 
 
 VI. The skeleton • • . 254 
 
 VII. The Elector and the burgomaster . • • . . 269 
 
 VIII. The tempter 276 
 
iv THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 IX. Meeting again ••....,,. 282 
 X. The trial ..••..••,, 290 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 I. Politics and intrigues 302 
 
 II. The visit 314 
 
 III. The execution 333 
 
 IV. The day op audiences , . 355 
 
 V. Preacher and tailor 367 
 
 VI. Music and art ...•.,,,, 385 
 
 VII. Jesus my confidence 399 
 
 VIII. Retribution • . 416 
 
THE REIGN OP THE GREAT ELECTOR. 
 
 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 BOOK I. I ' ' 
 
 I. — ^A Family Festival. ' ' • '■-' ' 
 
 The cathedral bells were ringing and cannon thundering 
 from the low ramparts of the fortress of Berlin. These festive 
 sounds announced to the gaping, listening crowd, who 
 thronged the space between the cathedral and castle, that 
 the solemn ceremony in the cathedral was over, that the Prin- 
 cess Charlotte Louise, eldest sister of Elector Frederick Wil- 
 liam, had just been married to Duke Jacob of Kurland, and 
 that the priest had pronounced a blessing upon the pair. 
 
 The people, however, did not add their benediction, they 
 had no loving congratulations for the' newly married couple. 
 The court had been too long absent from Berlin, and during 
 the five years of the present Elector's administration, he had 
 himself only once visited Berlin for a short time, and his family 
 not at all. Not until now, in the middle of the year 1645, had 
 the Electoral family returned to Berlin, and the Elector an- 
 nounced to the magistrates and citizens of his "loyal resi- 
 dent city" that he expected to take up his abode at Berlin 
 for a long time, perhaps for good. 
 
 With high-sounding words had the magistrates and citi- 
 zens replied to this Electoral message, but at the bottom of 
 their hearts they felt but little pleasure at the news. The 
 common people of Berlin had received the tidings with perfect 
 indifference. They had been so long oppressed by the perpetu- 
 ally recurring calamities of war that they were no longer capa* 
 
2 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ble of joyful emotions. So reduced were they by poverty 
 and distress, that they could think of nothing but their own 
 bitter sorrows, and not unless their Prince had brought them 
 relief from poverty and want would they have given him a 
 cordial reception. 
 
 But the Elector was poor — ^that they knew; the Elector 
 himself was straitened for want of money, and often had 
 difficulty in providing maintenance for his princely household. 
 The Mark had been utterly exhausted by war, and the States 
 of Prussia had refused their consent to the tax imposed by the 
 Elector. 
 
 • The 'Mectbr had no money! Why, then, should the people 
 of 3erlin rejoice in his presence? The Elector gave his sister 
 in marriage, and, conformably with a time-honored usage, 
 his subjects must endow the bride! Why, then, should this 
 marriage gladden the hearts of the poor Berlin folk, since it 
 threatened them with the imposition of new taxes, and was to 
 fetch from the carefully locked chest the hard-earned two- 
 groschen-piece assessed to each individual? 
 
 No, not out of love but curiosity had the people flocked 
 hither, thronging the cathedral square and castle grounds. 
 They wished to see the Electoral family move in state, they 
 wished to enjoy a spectacle that possessed one merit at least 
 — that of costing them no money. 
 
 The bells continued to ring merrily and cannon were still 
 thundering salutes from the walls, when the cathedral door 
 opened and the pastor Stoschius stepped forth upon the ca- 
 thedral square, in simple clerical attire, with the accompany- 
 ing tall black velvet cap upon his head. The incumbents of 
 all the other churches of Berlin followed; but their faces were 
 grave and sad, for only in deference to a stringent order of the 
 Elector had they consented to attend service in a Reformed 
 church, and witness a ceremony performed by a Calvinistic 
 minister. A peculiar movement was perceptible among the 
 closely packed multitude on the appearance of the preach- 
 ers. Here some were seen to bow profoundly, as the cathedral 
 pastor Stoschius passed, there others proudly kept their heads 
 erect and eyed the ministers of the Reformed Church with 
 threatening looks, while they reverentially lowered their eyes 
 
A FAMILY FESTIVAL. ^ 
 
 before the Lutheran ministers following them, who again, 
 in their turn, were greeted by the disrespectful mutterings of 
 those attached to the Eef ormed Church, whose faith the Elec- 
 toral family professed. But the procession following the 
 clergy was fortunately calculated to divert the attention of 
 the multitude, and to make them forget their mutual hatred 
 of creed in the common feelings of curiosity and love of sight- 
 seeing. 
 
 It was truly a very grand procession that filed along be- 
 hind the priests, the sacristans and the choristers of the gray 
 cloister. First the Elector's hundred life-guardsmen were 
 seen to march by, their uniforms glittering with gold lace, 
 and their weapons shouldered. Then came the High Cham- 
 berlain Conrad von Burgsdorf in a velvet suit embroidered 
 with gold, and on his head a gold-brimmed hat, surmounted 
 by nodding plumes attached by a large diamond clasp. He 
 was followed by the six members of the privy council in their 
 robes of office. Now came the Electoral pages in velvet clothes 
 trimmed with silver lace, then the court marshal and chamber- 
 lains in their dress uniforms, and behind them, a small space 
 intervening, appeared the Elector Frederick William in a 
 magnificent court dress buttoned across the breast with im- 
 mense diamond studs, and around his slender yet well-devel- 
 oped form a broad belt set with emeralds, pearls, and rubies. 
 He led by the hand his sister, the newly married Duchess of 
 Kurland, who in her exquisite bridal toilet was lovely to be- 
 hold. And yet the eyes of the multitude rested upon her only 
 for a short time, and but a cursory glance did they bestow 
 upon the succeeding couples, viz., the Dowager Electress, 
 who accompanied Duke Jacob of Kurland, and the Princess 
 Sophie Hedwig, who was escorted by the Duke's brother. 
 
 The eyes of the multitude saw all this, but they ever re- 
 turned to the Elector, to that noble and energetic countenance 
 full of youthful fire and manly seriousness, those finely curved 
 lips around which hovered a smile so sad and yet so sweet. 
 His dark-blue eyes were fixed with long, beaming glances upon 
 the multitude, who permitted him to pass in silence, without 
 sympathy as it seemed, and yet wholly lost in his contempla- 
 tion. This silence of the people seemed to vex him, for a cloud 
 
4 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 passed over his brow. But it vanished as quickly as it camOy 
 and was lost in the brightness of the smile that lighted hi» 
 countenance as he kindly bowed to the right and left, as if 
 in return for the greetings which should have come from the 
 people, who, however, let him pass by coldly and silently, 
 asking themselves in view of all this splendor of dress, these 
 diamonds, and these golden ornaments: " Why shall we stint 
 ourselves for this Princess, who is encircled with pomp and 
 glory while we suffer want and hunger! If the Elector has no 
 money, why does he not sell some of his large diamonds? We 
 have sold all that we possessed to buy ourselves bread, and 
 now shall we, out of our poverty and rags, pay a wedding tax 
 to this Princess, clad in silk and satin? " 
 
 And what they all thought, some at last began to speak 
 aloud: "Herr Elector, remit the taxes! We are too poor 
 to pay them! Herr Elector, excuse us from the wedding^ 
 tax!^^ 
 
 At first only individual voices were heard, but ever louder, 
 ever fuller swelled the chorus, until, like a gathering tempest,. 
 there swept across the broad cathedral square stentorian shouts> 
 of: "Herr Elector, spare us the tax! We are so poor — so 
 wretched! '' 
 
 The Elector seemed not to understand these loud, wild 
 cries, perhaps because the ringing of bells and discharge of 
 cannon actually rendered them unintelligible. Still he smiled 
 and bestowed kind greetings right and left, yet he slightly 
 quickened his pace, and began a lively conversation with the 
 young Duchess at his side. Now they had traversed the cathe- 
 dral square, passed the castle common, and reached the en- 
 trance of the pleasure garden, which must be crossed before- 
 gaining the castle on that side of the Spree. In Count 
 Schwarzenberg's time this so-called pleasure garden had at 
 least borne some remote resemblance to a princely park, for the 
 Stadtholder in the Mark had occasionally bestowed a few orna-^ 
 naental shrubs and flowers upon it, out of magnanimous friend- 
 ship for Elector George William, and had also had the com- 
 plaisance to depute his own skillful gardener to put it in order 
 a little every year. Then the trees had been artistically 
 trimmed, the turf cut, and the walks covered with graveL 
 
A FAMILY FESTIVAL. 5 
 
 But since Count Schwarzenberg's death, his palace had been 
 deserted, and, as the young Elector resided at Konigsberg, 
 no one had troubled himself about the condition of the pleas- 
 ure garden. The trees had shot up at random, the shrubbery 
 had died out, and the turf disappeared; the drains leading 
 to the Spree had become choked up, and pools of mud and 
 water had gradually changed the soil into a swamp, hardly 
 passable in damp, rainy weather. To-day, however, a path 
 had been carefully provided for the princely family, by laying 
 boards, and covering these with carpeting. But on both sides 
 of this artificial road the mire and mud again held sway, and 
 only a few foolhardy boys and ragged beggars had had the 
 temerity to wade through this marsh, in order to see the pro- 
 cession pass. 
 
 The Elector experienced a sensation of relief, as he now 
 walked through the quiet, deserted pleasure garden, and with 
 a rare smile he leaned over toward the young Duchess at his 
 side. 
 
 " Only see, sister,^' said he, " what a great lesson we have 
 received to-day! " 
 
 " What lesson, Frederick? " asked Charlotte Louise softly. 
 
 " The lesson that we should despise nothing, esteem noth- 
 ing small, not even the dirt in the road, because everything has 
 its use. The dirt in the road here serves us as a bulwark 
 against the rude, persistent mob, who have shamelessly mo- 
 lested us, and actually made me burn with anger. The dirt 
 in the road protects us against the insults of the populace, 
 and " 
 
 " Gracious sir, oh, gracious sir, have pity on me! Give 
 an alms to the poor wayside beggar, sir! " 
 
 The Elector broke off in the middle of his sentence, to 
 listen to the mournful, pleading voice that cried to him. 
 
 This voice sounded strangely familiar, and awoke within 
 him sad memories. He paused before the beggar, who had 
 fallen on his knees in the mud beside the carpet, and stretched 
 out both hands imploringly toward him. 
 
 " Pity, sir, pity! '^ cried the beggar a second time. " Give 
 me an alms, gracious sir! " 
 
 " It is he, yes, it is he," murmured the Elector, whose eyes 
 
1$ THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 rested piercingly upon the pale, begrimed features of the 
 beggar. 
 
 " Gabriel Nietzel! " said he then, in a loud voice — " Gabriel 
 Metzel!" 
 
 The beggar shuddered and a scream escaped his lips. Al- 
 most joyfully he looked up at the Elector, but speedily this 
 expression vanished and was succeeded by a dark cloud that 
 overshadowed his countenance. " Gabriel Nietzel is dead," 
 said he; " Gabriel Metzel died in his sins, and has gone to 
 hell! " 
 
 ^^ Then let us pray for him, that Almighty God may release 
 him! " cried the Elector. 
 
 " No, no, he will never be released! " shrieked the beggar 
 in the voice of despair. " He was a shameful criminal! " 
 
 " But he had repented of his crime and done severe 
 penance," said the Elector gently. " Come straight to the cas- 
 tle, and ask for my Chamberlain Kunkel. I have something 
 to say to you." 
 
 He nodded kindly to the beggar and passed on, while he 
 turned to his sister and begged her pardon for the delay. 
 
 " You knew that beggar then? " said the Duchess sym- 
 pathetically. 
 
 " Yes, I knew him," replied the Elector. " He reminds me 
 of a period of gloom, sorrow, and bitter humiliation, and — ^but 
 here we are at the castle. I will tell you some other time. Per- 
 mit me now to attend you to your apartments, and to bid you 
 farewell." 
 
 " Brother," whispered the Duchess, " I would like to take 
 leave of you without witnesses, for it seems to me I have 
 much to say to you, that none other than God and yourself 
 should hear." 
 
 The Elector nodded a kind assent and then turned to salute 
 the ministers, who were standing on both sides of the castle 
 door, the courtiers and pages having ranged themselves in 
 their rear. With a friendly greeting and a few condescending 
 words he dismissed his ministers and the nobles of his retinue. 
 He then again turned to his sister, and handed her up the 
 broad, carpeted staircase, leading to the upper corridor, where 
 were situated the Electoral apartments. 
 
A FAMILY FESTIVAL. 7 
 
 In the small vestibule before the grand audience hall, the 
 residents at court were assembled. The Elector stopped and 
 turned with amiable address to accost the couple following 
 him, viz., his mother and the Duke of Kurland. 
 
 " Here my office ceases and yours begins, dear brother-in- 
 law," said he. " Therefore take your bride^s hand and lead 
 her into the hall. The nobility of the Mark wish to take 
 leave of their beloved Princess, who, with cruel haste, must 
 bid farewell to Berlin, and follow her husband within an hour 
 after her nuptials." 
 
 ^^ You know, brother-in-law, necessity compels me to make 
 my departure so abrupt. Besides the courier of yesterday, 
 another arrived to-day bringing urgent appeals for my return 
 from my councilors and nobility. The Swedes threaten my 
 duchy, and it is all important that I should be there, in readi- 
 ness to protect my country and my people." 
 
 "You are right, Duke," exclaimed the Elector, with a 
 nod of approval. "When the interests of one^s land and 
 people are at stake, all family considerations and personal 
 desires should give way. Set out, therefore, and be assured 
 that my love and best wishes attend you. And you, dearest 
 mother, will grant my request, and honor the young ducal 
 pair by escorting them to Potsdam? " 
 
 "I do so the more willingly," replied the Electress, "as 
 my apartments in the castle are sadly out of repair and must 
 be refitted. Yesterday the heavy rain quite deluged my dress- 
 ing room. Pray, dear son, attend to having the needful re- 
 pairs made, and for that reason I shall prolong my stay at 
 Potsdam to two months." 
 
 " Do so, most gracious mother, and hear my promise! As 
 soon as our affairs are in a little more prosperous condition, 
 I shall have a stately palace built for you at any point within 
 the Mark which you may designate, and it shall be so strong 
 and solid that no rain or storm shall have power to molest 
 you there." 
 
 "My son," cried the Electress joyfully, "I accept your 
 generous offer, and have no hesitation in selecting a site, with- 
 out further deliberation! Both of my estates are near Grossen, 
 and in Grossen, therefore, I would like my palace to be." 
 
8 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " At Grossen be it then, dearest mother. And now, Duke, 
 be pleased to conduct your bride into the hall. I have a re- 
 quest, though, to make of you, sister! When all is ready for 
 the journey, be kind enough to come into my cabinet, that 
 brother and sister may take an informal leave of one another. 
 My brother-in-law I see makes no objection, and will not, I 
 know, be jealous of a brother. Au revoir then! '' 
 
 II. — ^DoiNG Penance. 
 
 With a kindly salutation the Elector left, to repair to his 
 own apartments, not, however, through the great antechamber 
 by means of which public access was had to the Elector, but 
 through the small side corridor leading into the room of 
 Chamberlain Kunkel, and thence into his own sleeping apart- 
 ment. 
 
 In approaching this small corridor he was greeted by the 
 voice of his chamberlain, speaking in loud, angry tones. 
 
 "It is madness,'' exclaimed this voice. "You can not 
 speak to the Elector to-day. You misunderstood him! The 
 Elector will not admit to audience such a shabby fellow as you 
 are! " 
 
 " He has done so," replied a soft, gentle voice. " Yes, the 
 Elector commanded me to come forthwith to the castle, and 
 to desire you to conduct me to him. Else surely I should not 
 have come here." 
 
 " You lie! The Elector would invite no beggar to a feast 
 on his sister's wedding day." 
 
 " And why not, Kunkel? " asked the Elector, opening the 
 door and coming in. " Are we not all beggars, who neverthe- 
 less hope to be invited to the great resurrection feast of the 
 Lord of Hosts?" 
 
 " Most gracious sir," muttered Kunkel, " I did not know, 
 I did not think that your grace " 
 
 "Would speak to this man," interrupted the Elector. 
 " Yes, I will speak to him, and that without delay! Come! " 
 
DOING PENANCE. 9 
 
 said he, turning to the beggar, who stood at the door, his head 
 meekly bowed upon his breast. " You, Kunkel, stay here and 
 wait until this man comes back. Have some breakfast brought, 
 that he may eat, drink, and grow strong. Come! " 
 
 He strode through the corridor and adjoining rooms until 
 he reached his own cabinet. The beggar followed him, with 
 bowed head and hands folded upon his breast. 
 
 At the cabinet door he stopped and awaited with humble, 
 modest air the address of the Elector, who threw his hat and 
 ermined mantle upon the table, and drew off his gold-em- 
 broidered gauntlets. 
 
 Then he drew near the beggar, and scrutinized him long, 
 with kindly, sympathizing looks. Not once, though, did the 
 Jbeggar raise his eyes, nor did a single feature of his pale, thin 
 face move. 
 
 " Gabriel Nietzel,'* asked the Elector after a long pause, 
 •''wherefore this disguise?" 
 
 "It is no disguise, sir," replied the beggar gently. "I 
 am what I seem — I am a beggar." 
 
 " Why did you not apply to me when you were in want? " 
 asked the Elector quickly. " Did I not expressly tell you at 
 Kbnigsberg that you would always find a protector in me? 
 Did I not enjoin it upon you as a duty to turn to me if you 
 were ever in distress, Gabriel Metzel? " 
 
 The beggar was long silent and a momentary blush tinged 
 his pale cheeks with red. "You call me by a name which 
 does not belong to me," he said, with low, trembling voice. 
 " My name is not Gabriel Metzel. I know nothing of such a 
 person." 
 
 " But I know of him," cried the Elector quickly. " I know 
 that seven years ago, here at Berlin, poor Gabriel Nietzel al- 
 lowed himself to fall into the snares of the tempter and was 
 led into crime. I know that Gabriel Metzel would have be- 
 come a murderer if God in his mercy had not prevented it. 
 But God sent me a messenger in the shape of a noble, high- 
 souled woman. She came to me at the risk of her life, brought 
 me deliverance from certain death, and gave her own life for 
 mine! This noble, high-souled woman was the wife of him 
 who meant to murder me, and to make atonement for liim 
 
10 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 whom she loved she went herself to meet death. Gabriel Niet- 
 zel, do you know of whom I speak? Need I tell you that this 
 devoted woman, my deliverer, was your wife — ^that her name 
 was Rebecca?'^ 
 
 " Rebecca! '' cried the beggar, with so piercing a shriek 
 that the Elector was moved to the very depths of his heart. 
 " Rebecca! " repeated the man once more, while he fell upon 
 his knees and sobbing and groaning covered his face with his 
 hands. 
 
 " Will you still deny that you are Gabriel Nietzel? " asked 
 the Elector. 
 
 " No," groaned the beggar — " no, I will not. I am Gabriel 
 Nietzel, the much-to-be-pitied monster, who once bore that 
 name. But I have cast it from me, I have scattered it to the 
 four winds of heaven, as they scatter the ashes of a criminal, 
 that they may find no sepulcher upon earth! Rebecca has 
 no grave either, although she was an angel! Gabriel Nietzel 
 is dead, and he will not rise from the dead until he has found 
 his dead Rebecca's remains, and laid them in a tomb.'' 
 
 " Stand up, Gabriel Nietzel," commanded the Elector — 
 " stand up and tell me where you have been and what you have 
 been doing since the day I last saw you, five years ago, at 
 Konigsberg." 
 
 " Let me kneel, sir," implored Gabriel. " I can not look 
 you in the face, for I read my crime upon your brow, and it 
 bows me to the earth." 
 
 " God has accepted the atonement for your crime, Gabriel^ 
 and I have forgiven you." 
 
 *^ But I, sir, I have not forgiven myself, and Rebecca has 
 not forgiven me either, else she would have let me find her 
 grave, and taken me home to her. I have sought death these 
 long years. I have sought it upon battle fields and upon the 
 raging sea, I have gone to meet it in hospitals and at the bed- 
 side of those smitten with pestilence, but all in vain. In the 
 depths of my despair I made a pilgrimage to Rome, barefooted 
 and clothed in sackcloth, to beseech the Holy Father of 
 Christendom to accept my penance and forgive me in the 
 name of God. Three days and nights I knelt within the 
 inner court of the Vatican, before the Pope's windows. On 
 
DOING PENANCIL 1% 
 
 the fourth day, in tender compassion, Innocent sent out hi& 
 chamberlain to the ragged beggar to ask him why he had 
 thus knelt and prayed for three whole days. And the beggar 
 answered: ' That I can only reveal to the Holy Father himself. 
 From a great distance have I journeyed hither barefooted, in 
 order to confess to him. He alone can receive my confession/ 
 The chamberlain left me, and a fourth day and night I re- 
 mained upon my knees. But on the morning of the fifth day 
 the Pope again sent his chamberlain to summon me to his 
 presence in the Vatican. I could not, however, rise from my 
 knees; my limbs refused to perform their office; four days of 
 fasting, hunger, and thirst had exhausted all my strength^ 
 and I hoped even now that God in his mercy was about to re- 
 lease me from all the pains of earth. When I attempted to- 
 rise I fell back senseless. When I came to myself I was in a 
 large room, encircled by strangers, who were regarding me 
 with sympathizing looks. A physician had bled me, and was 
 in the act of bandaging my arm; they had rubbed my forehead 
 with restoratives, and moistened my parched lips with wine. 
 A sweet fragrance filled the room. It was the odor of the 
 viands they were bringing for me. Involuntarily I stretched 
 out my hand for food, but drew it back, for I remembered 
 my oath, neither to eat or drink until I had made confession 
 to the Pope. When I told the chamberlain this he left the 
 apartment, and in a few minutes returned with joyful counte- 
 nance. The Pope summoned me to his presence. The Pope 
 was ready to receive the beggar^s confession!" 
 
 " Go on! Go on! " exclaimed the Elector, as Gabriel now 
 paused, drawing a deep breath and bowing his head yet more 
 deeply upon his breast. 
 
 " Do you wish it, sir? Have you patience enough to hear 
 more of the criminal's story?" 
 
 " It interests me greatly, for you know he whom you call 
 a criminal is the husband of the woman who saved my life. 
 Speak then, Gabriel. Tell me more. Did you see the Pope ? '^ 
 
 "Yes, I saw the Pope," replied Gabriel solemnly. "I 
 knelt before him on the high cushion, which was placed ready 
 for me near the Pope's armchair, and into his bowed and listen- 
 ing ear I whispered my confession. I veiled nothing, con- 
 2 
 
12 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 cealed nothing, laying bare to him all the thoughts and actions 
 of my life, making full confession of my sins and crimes, with- 
 out reservation or attempt at palliation! " 
 
 " And the Pope? He pardoned you, did he not? He pro- 
 nounced absolution upon you and gave you his blessing, since 
 it was only a heretic whom you had purposed to kill? You are 
 absolved from your sins, are you not, Gabriel? Speak; what 
 said the Pope ? " 
 
 " Sir, his were cruel words, which have haunted me ever 
 «ince. Like the thunder of doomsday they are ever resound- 
 ing in my ears, and I shall hear them at the hour of death! 
 When I had ended my confession, the holy father rose from 
 his seat and drew himself up erect, with angry face and flash- 
 ing eyes. 'You were near killing,' said he, 'an heretical 
 prince, a dangerous enemy of the Church and the holy faith. 
 God had probably selected you as the instrument by means 
 of which he would rid the world of this dangerous young 
 Prince, who has evidently been armed by the powers of hell 
 to do battle against religion and the Church. I pronounce 
 you pure of this deed, I exonerate you from murder. In the 
 name of God and the only true Church, I forgive you for all 
 your errors, crimes, and sins but one! One crime, however, 
 you have committed, for which there is no forgiveness either 
 in this world or the next; one crime for which you must do 
 penance both here and hereafter. The fires of purgatory await 
 you. From this hour they shall burn for you on every path, 
 filling your days and nights with anguish; they shall follow 
 jou to the grave and allow you there no rest; they shall rise 
 with you, and even before the throne of God overwhelm you 
 with dismay! For you have committed one crime, never for- 
 given by God or the Church. You have lived in criminal in- 
 tercourse with a daughter of that accursed race which nailed 
 our Saviour to the cross, you have taken a Jewess to your heart, 
 instead of spurning her with your foot. You have wished to 
 deceive God and man by passing off your Jewish mistress as 
 your wdfe; you have given your name to the child of your 
 shame, and have not yet had him admitted to the Christian 
 communion, nor poured the holy waters of baptism upon that 
 son of carnality and crime. Cursed be ye therefore all your 
 
DOING PENANCE. 13 
 
 life, and cursed be your child! Happiness shall ever elude 
 his grasp, and misfortune relentlessly pursue him. In shame 
 and sin was he born, in sin and shame shall he live and die. 
 You have confessed your fearful crime to me, the priest of the 
 Lord, and the secrets of the confessional are sacred. Take 
 heed, however, that in the priest of the Lord you do not arouse 
 the earthly judge, and that the priest inform not the Pope 
 of your wicked act, for the Pope dare show you no mercy; the 
 law of the Church sentences to death by fire the criminal who 
 has lived in carnal intercourse with a Jewess! Flee, therefore, 
 flee away, lest the Pope take knowledge of your crime — flee, 
 ere the secret of the confessional is made known to him I 
 Cursed be you and the son of shame! Cursed be all they who 
 show you pity, cursed be the compassionate souls, who extend 
 their hands to you, cursed ' " 
 
 He grew speechless, muttering a few unintelligible words, 
 then sank a lifeless, senseless mass upon the floor. 
 
 "Poor man," murmured the Elector compassionately — 
 *' poor victim of prejudice and hard-heartedness, I pity youl 
 It shall not be said that the Calvinistic Prince has had no 
 compassion upon the poor creature, condemned by the prince 
 and priest of the Catholic Church." 
 
 He rang and ordered the chamberlain, who came hurry- 
 ing in, to lift up the fainting beggar and to convey him into 
 the antechamber, there to rub his forehead with vinegar and 
 endeavor to restore him to consciousness. 
 
 But the Elector's sharp eye read in the chamberlain's 
 -countenance his inward reluctance to performing this ofiice 
 of love for a beggar. While Kunkel thus bent over the swoon- 
 ing man, wholly void of sympathy, and hesitating to touch 
 him, the Elector quickly approached. 
 
 " Stop! " said he, " I did wrong to order you to remove this 
 poor man to the antechamber. He is sick and suffering, and 
 the sick and suffering should ever find a brother in the healthy, 
 "We will put him to bed here in my easy chair! " 
 
 And the Elector stooped over the poor man and passed his 
 arm under his shoulder. 
 
 " Gracious sir! " cried Kunkel, greatly shocked, " you will 
 not lift the beggar with your own exalted hands! " 
 
14 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER 
 
 "And why not?" asked the Elector, smiling. "There 
 is no one else here to help you, and God only sees us. Before 
 God, though, we are all nothing but beggars, and He regards 
 neither the purple of the prince nor the rags of the beggar. 
 He only looks upon the heart." 
 
 And with strong arm Frederick William lifted up the 
 beggar and laid him carefully and gently in the easychair. ' 
 
 " Now," said he, " run for restoratives and chafe his tem- 
 ples." 
 
 " I will fetch the essence of balm which is upon your dress- 
 ing table! " cried Kunkel, whom the Elector's noble example 
 had seemed to warm into sympathy. 
 
 " Do so," said the Elector kindly; " bring also the Tokay 
 wine which stands beside it." On Kunkel's speedy re-appear- 
 ance with the two bottles the Elector with his own hands 
 sprinkled a few drops of the essence of balm upon the temples 
 of the swooning man, while Kunkel held a handkerchief 
 steeped in the same under his nose. 
 
 " Gracious sir, he is stirring," whispered Kunkel joyfully 
 — " he is coming back to life." 
 
 "Poor man!" sighed the Elector, "perhaps it would be 
 better for him not to come back to life! It is true, though, 
 that he is stirring and will soon be awake. Go out, Kunkel^ 
 I prefer being left alone with him." 
 
 Kunkel cast a last sympathizing look upon the beggar, 
 and, seeing that he opened his eyes, gave a nod of satisfaction 
 and left the room without delay. 
 
 "Where am I? What has happened to me?" murmured 
 Gabriel Nietzel, casting a long dreamy glance around him. 
 Then, when his eye met the sympathizing gaze of the Elector, 
 a shudder crept over the unhappy man's whole frame, and, 
 as if stung by horror, he sprang from the chair in which he 
 lay. 
 
 "My God! who put the beggar to bed in the Elector's 
 seat?" cried he as if shocked. "Who took pity upon the 
 murderer? " 
 
 " I," replied the Elector softly. " I am not his holiness 
 the Pope, who condemned and cursed you. I am only your 
 fellow, and therefore I can forgive where he condemned and 
 
DOING PENANCE. I5, 
 
 bless where he cursed. Yes, Gabriel Nietzel, I pronounce a 
 blessing upon you, a blessing in the name of that noble, de- 
 voted woman, who for your sake met her death. It is true that 
 she belonged to that unhappy people, who crucified our Lord; 
 she was a Jewess. Nevertheless, within her dwelt the love of 
 God, and she followed the Saviour's glorious example. In 
 giving herself for the sins of others she atoned for your crime, 
 and delivered me from death in order to win eternal life for 
 you and free you from the course of the evildoer. To save your 
 soul was the only reward which she coveted from God or man. 
 She was a Christian by deed if not by profession; she obeyed 
 the law of love and sealed it with her blood. And therefore, I,. 
 Elector Frederick William, say: She died as she lived, in love. 
 No stain was found upon her, no shame or dishonor was at- 
 tached to her. The confession of faith belongs to man, but 
 faith itself to God, who regards not the name of Catholic or 
 Calvinist, Jew or heathen, but only men who keep his com- 
 mandments, loving and exhorting one another to good and 
 pious works. Gabriel Nietzel, your Eebecca died the death 
 of a Christian, and you may claim her as your wife before God 
 and men, for God united you. God has taken to himself the 
 wife of your bosom. Blessings upon Eebecca's memory. Be 
 it held sacred, and revered by you and me, although the Pope' 
 at Rome has pronounced sentence against her." 
 
 " Oh, sir, sir! " cried Gabriel Nietzel, lifting up his clasped 
 hands to the Elector. " You esteem my Rebecca, then; you 
 do not call her an accursed Jewess? " 
 
 " She has gone home to God, for she was a child of God! " 
 said the Elector mildly. 
 
 The beggar uttered a cry of rapture, and rushed toward 
 the Elector. Falling upon his knees, he kissed his garments, 
 embraced his knees, and pressed his lips upon his feet. 
 
 "You are my priest! You are my pope! " he cried with 
 enthusiasm. " I believe you, sir, when you say that my Re- 
 becca is not doomed to everlasting misery, but has been saved 
 by her love." 
 
 " You, too, Gabriel Nietzel, you, too, she saved — ^you, too, 
 she purified from sin and crime. Awake then, Gabriel; lift 
 up your head and be a man! Cast aside these rags, be up and! 
 
16 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 doing! Work becomes a man, no idle, inaetiye penance 
 can procure him forgiveness. In the name of Grod, in the 
 name of love and Eebecca, I charge you to resuscitate the 
 painter Gabriel Nietzel, and restore him to his art and use- 
 fulness! " 
 
 " No, sir, no. I dare not," said the beggar, sorrowfully 
 shaking his head. " Gabriel Nietzel is dead, and nothing can 
 release him from the power of the grave. My lips are bound 
 by a solemn oath, which nought but death can loosen! " 
 
 " To whom have you given this oath? " 
 
 " To God, Rebecca, and myself, sir. When the Pope thrust 
 me from him, an unf orgiven criminal, and without absolution 
 drove me back to life, then in my utter despair I became for 
 the second time a murderer — the murderer of myself. From 
 the Vatican I rushed forth like a madman. Whither I knew 
 not. I fled before an unknown terror, before a specter that 
 pursued me with mockery and laughter, hunting me farther, 
 ever farther. Through streets and squares I ran; when I fell, 
 I got up and ran again; when men tried to lay hold of me, 
 I broke away from them and ran on and on. When the shades 
 of evening fell I sank down, senseless and exhausted. Near 
 me I heard the roaring of waters, before me I saw a black, 
 monstrous mass, a huge and yawning sepulcher. I saw before 
 me the Tiber, inviting me to its cruel, yet welcome embrace, 
 calling to me with its ceaseless murmurings. I cried aloud 
 for Joy. I stretched out my arms and sprang into the abyss. 
 The waves closed gurgling over me, forced me once more to 
 the surface to drag me into the depths again. There was a 
 ringing as of bells in my ears, my feet seemed weighted down 
 by iron fetters, and I was drawn down the stream as upon 
 the wings of the hurricane. My senses forsook me, I sank." 
 
 " Horrible! " murmured the Elector. ^^ And how did you 
 -escape the tomb?" 
 
 " I did not escape it, sir, but the tomb escaped me. It 
 would not accept me and permit me to taste of its repose. 
 Even death would have no fellowship with the criminal, and 
 pitilessly hunted him again into life. On the ruins of the old 
 Tiber bridge, where once the Horatii and Curiatii had fought 
 their deadly combat, on this heap of stones near the shore. 
 
DOING PENANCE. 17 
 
 I found myself on awakening from my deathlike slumber 
 in the middle of the night. I lay for a long while motion- 
 less, looking up at the starry sky, and listening to the voices- 
 of the night, the waves, and the wind. All shrieked in my 
 ear: * Live to do penance, faithless father, who forgot his 
 child, and would have left him a lonely orphan in the world? 
 Live to do penance and to make amends! ' I crept down 
 from the rubbish to the shore, and there fell upon my knees, 
 lifted up my arms to Heaven, and cried with loud, echoing 
 voice to God: * I will live to do penance. As a beggar plead- 
 ing for mercy will I stand before God and men. In sackcloth, 
 poor and naked, I will go through life. I will renounce my 
 art, ambition, and all the amenities of life. Gabriel Nietzel 
 is dead, and nothing remains of him but a beggar, groveling 
 in the dust and living upon the charities of mankind. For 
 the sake of money Gabriel Nietzel became a criminal, there- 
 fore in poverty, want, and penance shall he journey to the 
 grave! ' That I swore to the Great Spirit, who dwells en- 
 throned above the clouds; swore by the name of my son — 
 swore that this child should never learn who was his father, 
 that I would bring him up to regard me as his servant, stand- 
 ing apart from him, and never laying claim to his love. I 
 shall keep my oath, sir, till I breathe forth my last gasp." 
 
 '' Where is your son, Gabriel Nietzel? " asked the Elector. 
 
 " I had left him at Venice with Rebecca's father. From 
 Rome I traveled there, in order to reclaim him and take him 
 with me. I found him in the Ghetto, hungry, and lying half 
 naked in the street. His grandfather had died, and, as no 
 heirs made their appearance, the Government had assumed 
 the inheritance and confiscated the property. The poor boy 
 would have died if the poor Jews of the Ghetto had not had 
 compassion upon him. I took him with me, and together 
 we traversed the whole of Germany; I begged for him, I suf- 
 fered want for him; I shall beg for him while I live, and that 
 is and shall be the only aim of my existence." 
 
 " But you can not wish the boy to partake of your miser- 
 able existence," said the Elector. " Surely you would not 
 condemn the innocent child to your life of penance. Give him 
 to me! I will give to the son what I owe to the mother; I 
 
18 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 will pay to him my debt of gratitude! Give me Eebecca's 
 son! '' 
 
 " Sir, no, that I can not do! " cried Gabriel quickly. " Sir, 
 I will do penance; my whole life is one of repentance and 
 mortification. But this one thing is too hard, too intolerable! 
 Leave me my son, leave me Eebecca's child! " 
 
 "Abraham gave up his son when God required it, and 
 Abraham was no sinner," said the Elector severely. " No 
 crime burdened his soul, but he was humble and obedient, 
 and, to propitiate God, offered up the dearest thing he pos- 
 sessed upon earth. You, too, Gabriel Nietzel, should be hum- 
 ble and obedient, and offer in sacrifice to God and your duty 
 the dearest thing you have upon earth. I demand your son of 
 you, that he may be brought up a God-fearing, honest, and 
 virtuous man. If you refuse to give him to me, you are 
 no lowly, contrite servant of God, but a selfish man, who 
 prefers the gratification of his own wishes to the welfare of 
 his poor, unfortunate child, who for his sake must be a despised 
 pauper! " 
 
 " No, sir, no! " cried Gabriel, " my Eaphael shall not be 
 a pauper! No, you shall not say that I am selfish and hard- 
 hearted! I will conquer my heart, I will renounce the last 
 thing that is mine — the last joy of my existence! I will give 
 you my child, sir, that he may grow up to be a virtuous man, 
 I will '' 
 
 His voice was choked by tears, he heaved a convulsive 
 sob, and his whole frame shook as with ague. 
 
 "My child, my beloved child!" he whispered, while the 
 tears streamed down his sunken cheeks. "My Eaphael! I 
 shall tear thee from my heart; I shall see thee no more — no 
 more drink in consolation from thy dear face, and no more 
 see my Eebecca's eyes mirrored in yours. I shall shut out 
 the last star of my existence, and wander away in darkness 
 and in solitude." 
 
 " It must be so," said the Elector, with a voice full of emo- 
 tion, visibly touched by the grief and tears of the unhappy 
 man. " You must make this sacrifice to the welfare of your 
 eon, and save him from your misery. It is not right that he 
 should suffer with you, and be sentenced to your life of pen- 
 
DOING PENANCE. 10 
 
 ance. Give me Eebecca's child, and I swear that I will do all 
 I can to make him a happy man! " 
 
 " I give him to you, sir — I resign my son. Only be piti- 
 ful, and let me keep him a few days more." 
 
 "How long, Gabriel, would you have him? Appoint 
 your own time — say when you will bring him to me." 
 
 " Grant him to me eight days longer, sir, eight days! ^' 
 implored Gabriel, with trembling, choking voice. 
 
 "Well, be it so! Keep the child eight days longer, and 
 then bring him to me here in the castle! " 
 
 " I shall bring him, sir! In eight days, I shall bring you 
 my Eaphael, and transfer him to your care. But until then 
 he is mine, until then I may see and speak to him! Ah, sir, 
 dismiss me now, that I may go to my child — that I may not 
 lose a moment of the time I am still to have him with me! " 
 
 " Go, Gabriel, and, that you may have no need to beg for 
 these eight days, take this piece of gold." 
 
 He tried to lay it in Gabriel's hand, but the latter drew 
 back. " No, sir," he said gently, " I have not begged of you, 
 therefore I can not receive your gift. For these eight days 
 Raphael is still my child, and he must live as his father does, 
 although he knows not that I am his father. I beseech you, 
 sir, to dismiss me, and permit me to go to my son." 
 
 " Go, then! But I depend upon your word, Gabriel Met- 
 zel. In eight days you are to bring me your son. I shall ex- 
 pect you at nine o'clock in the morning." 
 
 " In eight days I shall bring him to you. But one request 
 more I have to make of you. Call me not Gabriel Nietzel 
 any longer, for, as I have already told you, Gabriel Nietzel 
 is dead." 
 
 " And who are you then, poor man? " 
 
 "I am the beggar Glaus — nothing more, sir " 
 
 "Brother, may I come in?" asked a voice outside the 
 grand antechamber, while the door was gently opened. 
 
 " You are welcome, Duchess," said the Elector, and as he 
 advanced to meet her, Gabriel Nietzel hurried out through, 
 the door of the small antechamber. 
 
20 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 III. — Brothek and Sister. 
 
 "Was not that the beggar we passed just now in the 
 pleasure garden?" asked Charlotte Louise. 
 
 " Yes, it was he/' replied the Elector, sighing. " A poor 
 unfortunate man, whom I used to know under different cir- 
 cumstances, and whom I called here that he might acquaint 
 me with the particulars of his life. Ah, sister, there is but 
 little joy and happiness upon earth, and much bitter grief 
 and suffering. Vain is our contest with life, and what do we 
 gain by it at last? Many disappointments and few gratifica- 
 tions, many humiliations and few triumphs! " 
 
 ^'But methinks, brother, one triumph outweighs a hun- 
 dred defeats, and one success obliterates the memory of a hun- 
 dred disappointments." 
 
 " I agree with you in that," cried the Elector, with beam- 
 ing eyes. "Although, alas! up to this time there has been 
 "but little in my experience to verify such an assertion. Dur- 
 ing the course of my five years' sovereignty I have only to 
 tell of disappointments and humiliations, but " 
 
 " But your triumphs and successes will come," interposed 
 the Duchess, with animation of manner. 
 
 " I hope and believe so," cried the Elector; " and had not 
 such hopes brightened the difficult path I have been called 
 upon to tread for the past five years, I should have sunk under 
 my burdens. But amid all my varied discouragements, I ever 
 consoled myself with the thought, my time will come! For 
 me, too, will dawn a day of retribution and triumph! This 
 I said to myself when I knelt before the King of Poland and 
 swore allegiance to him; this I repeated when I received the 
 tardy and unwilling homage of my obstinate States; this con- 
 soled me when I looked upon the small number of my 
 wretched, ill-clad soldiery, the towns and States refusing me 
 money to fill up my regiments; this I repeat to myself day and 
 night. Yes, my time will come, for me, too, shall dawn a day 
 of retribution and triumph! I tell you this, sister, in the hour 
 of our parting, that you may think of me hopefully and cheer- 
 fully; that you may know that your poor brother does not 
 
BROTHER AND SISTER. 21 
 
 always expect to go with bowed head and humble mien, seek- 
 ing to conceal his insignificance beneath the shadow of other 
 great contending parties. No, sister, I am quietly and little 
 by little preparing the great broad road upon which, God 
 willing, I shall one day march gloriously at the head of a brave 
 and victorious army. This is my goal — this is my hope! " 
 
 " And you will reach your goal; it is written upon your 
 brow! " cried Charlotte Louise enthusiastically. " You will 
 make yourself and your country great and glorious. So says 
 my heart, so says the glance of your eagle eye! I thank you, 
 Frederick, for this revelation of yourself and your designs, 
 on the eve of our separation." 
 
 " It is not often that I indulge in confidences,^' said the 
 Elector, smiling, "few can boast of knowing my thoughts 
 and plans. He who would attain to any eminence in this life 
 must carefully conceal his purpose from others, for the world 
 is wicked and envious, loving to obstruct the way of the small 
 who would become great, and seeking by all possible mean& 
 to prevent their growth." 
 
 " But you will grow, despite Emperor and empire, and all 
 your enemies and ill-wishers. Ah, brother, how enviable is 
 your lot compared with mine. You look forward confidently 
 to the future, and if at present your sky. is clouded, yet at the 
 edge of the distant horizon are discernible the crimson hues 
 which betoken a brilliant sunrise; while I see nothing before 
 and around me but pale and somber twilight, a starless sky,. 
 and an aimless path." 
 
 " Do you not love your husband? " asked the Elector. 
 
 "Brother," replied Charlotte Louise, with a melancholy 
 smile, " when you notified me of my engagement you did not 
 ask me that question, but simply informed me that I must con- 
 eider myself the Duke's betrothed." 
 
 " You did not know the Duke then, Louise, you had only 
 seen him once, and could not have been expected to love him." 
 
 " Very true," sighed Louise, " I had only seen hira once, 
 and did not know him; but for all that I was his betrothed."' 
 
 " But now, Louise, you have seen him daily for a fortnight, 
 and ought to be sufficiently well acquainted with him to know 
 whether you can love him and be happy with him." 
 
22 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " And what good would result if I should answer no, 
 brother? It is true I have passed fourteen days in the society 
 of the Duke of Kurland, and therefore had an opportunity of 
 "becoming acquainted with him. But never once during this 
 time did my brother or mother ask me if I could love the man 
 whom they had selected for my husband. To-day, though, 
 the question comes too late, for my fate is irrevocably sealed. 
 I accept it as becomes a princess; I submit to it with patience, 
 and an honest purpose to bear it unmurmuringly. The Duke 
 is a good man, and that is always a firm foundation upon which 
 to base a calm and peaceful existence, provided that the wings 
 of inclination are cropped so short that they can not fly beyond 
 the narrow confines to which they are forcibly restricted." 
 
 " And do your thoughts and wishes never fly out, sister," 
 asked the Elector, fixing his eyes upon his sister with a look 
 of warmest sympathy. 
 
 She cast down her eyes and sighed. " Frederick," she said 
 timidly after a long pause — " Frederick, let me ask you one 
 C|uestion at this parting hour. To-day separates me forever 
 from my past, and I would not have a single dark spot left 
 about which my thoughts might revolve, fruitlessly striving 
 to brighten it." 
 
 " And therefore you would learn of me what has become 
 of Count John Adolphus von Schwarzenberg, and whether 
 I am still at feud with him. Is not that the question you 
 wished to address to me, Louise? " 
 
 " Yes, brother, that is the question. Throughout these 
 long years I have never pronounced his name, never spoken 
 of him to any one. But I know that he contends with you, and 
 wdll not bend to your will. Tell me all you know of him. Tell 
 me everything, and remember that in this hour I lay the last 
 blossoms of memory upon the coffin of my past before enter- 
 ing upon a new life." 
 
 " Do you know nothing at all about him? " asked the Elec- 
 tor, fixing his penetrating glance upon her. 
 
 Again the Princess cast down her eyes and was long silent. 
 ^' Three weeks ago," said she then, with short, quick breath — 
 "^Hhree weeks ago, on entering my dressing room, I found 
 lying upon the table a sealed paper, addressed to me. It con- 
 
BROTHER AND SISTER. 23 
 
 tained the information that Count John Adolphus von 
 Schwarzenberg had married a Countess Stahremberg." 
 
 " And you doubt the truth of this information? " 
 
 " I doubt it, because there is no one to confirm it, and be- 
 cause I thought that " 
 
 "Well, what did you think, Louise?'^ 
 
 " That perhaps some one might have an interest in per- 
 suading me that the count was married, because — ^because 
 
 " Because this some one might imagine, that if you be- 
 lieved the count to be married, you might yourself be inclined 
 to marry? You were quite right in your supposition, sister, 
 ior it was I who sent you that information." 
 
 " I thought I recognized your handwriting, brother." 
 
 " I did not disguise it, for I wanted you to know from 
 whom it came." 
 
 " I thought I divined your intention to be to arouse my 
 heart from its melancholy reveries, and warn it against occupy- 
 ing itself with a man on whom it would be a sin to think as 
 ;soon as he was married. I thought I divined, moreover, that 
 I was to be married myself, and that you meant to remind 
 me that the past was irretrievably gone." 
 
 " Sister, you are an acute and deep-seeing diplomatist," 
 said the Elector, smiling, "and therefore I venture not to 
 •contradict you. Yes, you understood rightly all that I wished 
 to say to you, and I thank you for shaping your course accord- 
 ingly. It was of the greatest consequence to me to have an 
 ally, who might serve me as a bulwark against both Sweden 
 and Poland, and unite his strength with mine, if I should 
 «ome day take the field against either of these two powers. 
 Therefore I gladly accepted the proposals of the Duke of Kur- 
 land, and therefore I thank you now for having comprehended 
 my desires and acted in accordance with them. Now I am cer- 
 tain that, if there should be war between the Poles or Swedes 
 and the Elector of Brandenburg, I shall at least have one firm 
 ally. My beloved sister, the Duchess of Kurland, will take 
 care that her husband be not on the side of my enemies." 
 
 " Yes, brother, be assured of that. I thank you for those 
 words, for you give me thereby some object in living. I shall 
 
24 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 now strive earnestly to deserve the Duke's love, and gain in- 
 fluence over him, that I may at some future time be useful 
 to my beloved brother. But, brother, you have not answered 
 
 my question " 
 
 " Have I not? " said the Elector, smiling. " It is true I 
 have some further tidings to impart to you concerning Count 
 Schwarzenberg, the Emperor Ferdinand's favorite. He is 
 in high favor yet, it seems, and is one of his Imperial Majesty's 
 most trusted ministers. And the Emperor shows his wisdom 
 in employing the count in his service, for he is a clever di- 
 plomatist, of clear head, sharp wit and cold heart, void of 
 principle, as most politicians are, perfectly unscrupulous, and 
 only pursuing his own interests, be they personal or political. 
 Count Schwarzenberg belongs to the number of my most bitter 
 opponents, although at present he draws in his claws, and has 
 flattered and caressed my ambassador at Frankfort in the most 
 friendly manner, in order to make him Imperialist in his views. 
 Meanwhile we are ourselves a little versed in the arts and wiles 
 of diplomacy, and will not allow ourselves to be hoodwinked 
 by such flatteries, or give up our litigation with the count. 
 He will by and by be forced to retreat from his position, and 
 must see that all things are not progressing as he could wish 
 and desire. His pretensions to the office of Grand Master of 
 the Knights of St. John he has already been obliged to give 
 up, and solemnly renounce all claim to it, because all the 
 members of the order declared that they would not have him 
 as their head.* But fortune, which seems particularly to 
 favor this aspiring and avaricious young man, forthwith in- 
 demnified him for his disappointment. In the first place he 
 married the wealthy Countess Stahremberg, and then his 
 cousin, George Louis Schwarzenberg, died without heirs, leav- 
 ing Count John Adolphus to inherit the rich manors of 
 Schwarzenberg and Hohen-Landsberg, and become at the 
 same time the head of the family. It is to be expected that 
 the Emperor's favor will grant to the son the darling wish 
 of the father, by changing Adolphus Schwarzenberg's title 
 from count to that of prince. This, sister, is all I have to com- 
 municate to you with regard to this man. But, no, I forgot 
 * Carl Renains Hauser's State Papers, vol. iii, p. 42. 
 
BROTHER AND SISTER. 25 
 
 to mention one thing: Despite the velvet paws which he dis- 
 plays to Wesenberg, he has urged a complaint against me be- 
 fore the Emperor, persisting that we owe him almost a million 
 dollars, because to that sum amounted the advances of money- 
 made at different times by Count Adam to our father. He 
 can hardly, however, prove the half of these claims, and we 
 are not disposed to pay unauthorized debts — in the first place, 
 because it is contrary to our sense of justice; and, secondly, 
 because our coffers are empty. I would indeed be glad if such 
 sums as the count demands were in my own treasury, for in 
 that case many things would be very different from what they 
 are now. For money is power, and a million of dollars would 
 be an all-conquering army." 
 
 "Happy those who can be content with the possession 
 of such ah army! " sighed the Duchess. " Happy those who 
 have dethroned the heart, and find the fullness of their wishes 
 in the gratification of their selfishness and ambition! In this 
 sense Count Adolphus will be happy, and I shall rejoice that 
 it is so, for personal satisfaction is the highest thing after 
 which men strive, and if he finds his in gold and titles, power 
 and influence, I shall not find fault with him on that score. 
 I have no longer any interest in him. Thank you, dearest 
 brother, for all that you have said to me; your words have 
 been the stones with which I have immured recollections of 
 the past in the vault of my heart. They can never revive and 
 come forth again; this thought even now consoles me. I 
 thank you for all the love which you have bestowed upon 
 me, and I beseech you to keep a small place in your heart for 
 your absent sister. I shall have time enough to think of you, 
 and I am sure that my dear brother will often give me occasion 
 to hear of him.'^ 
 
 " You think then, sister, my name will not be wholly ob- 
 scure, and melt away into nothingness? " 
 
 " I know that you will inscribe it in golden letters upon 
 the pages of history. I know that through you, Branden- 
 burg will become great and powerful, and that you will win 
 honor and fame from the whole world." 
 
 The Elector's countenance grew radiant and a wondrous 
 smile lit up his features. " I thank you^ sister/' said he sol- 
 
26 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 emnly; "may you be a true prophetess. The honor, fame, 
 and greatness of my country are the ends for which I strive, 
 which I shall pursue with unceasing ardor. Truly, these are 
 objects well worthy the devotion of a whole life." 
 
 ** And love, brother? Shall love have no share of your 
 life?" 
 
 " No, I have nothing to do with her," replied the Elector, 
 almost roughly. " All I ask of her is to keep at a distance 
 and not divert me from my high pursuits. I envy her not 
 her myrtle crown. May she not prevent me from earning 
 at least one laurel wreath for my grave. But hark! sister, the 
 posthorns blow, and your husband will be vexed with me for 
 detaining his Duchess so long from his side." 
 
 " The hour of departure has come," sighed the Duchess. 
 '^ I must bid you farewell, Frederick, must leave behind my 
 home and family! Oh, forget me not in your joy and pros- 
 perity; think of the solitary sister, who, afar off, desolate and 
 in retirement, will pine away longing for her home, brother, 
 sister, and mother. Brother, let me kiss you once more; who* 
 knows whether it will not be for the last time in this life? " 
 
 " Come, sister, come to your brother's heart, your truest, 
 best friend, who will never cease to love you! " 
 
 They held each other in a long, close embrace, and then 
 exchanged tender glances, the eyes of both being moistened 
 with tears. 
 
 " Farewell, Frederick! " 
 
 " Farewell, Louise! " 
 
 " Give me your hand and lead me out; I will not weep, 
 for the Duke shall not think that I follow him unwilling- 
 ly! " 
 
 "You have a noble, courageous heart! Come, beloved 
 sister! May God's blessing attend you, and love gladden your 
 days! Come, I will lead you to your husband." 
 
THE OFFER OP MARRIAGE. 27 
 
 IV. — The Offer of Maeriage. 
 
 The carriages rolled through the palace gate and across 
 the cathedral square, where the people were still collected 
 in scattered groups, greeting the young ducal pair with friend- 
 ly cheers as they passed. The Elector stood upon the small 
 landing place before the palace, and followed the retreating 
 equipages with mournful glances, until the last had disap- 
 peared around the corner of the square, when he turned and 
 slowly re-entered the palace. 
 
 How silent and desolate it seemed as he now mounted the 
 stairs and walked down the long corridor! How melancholy 
 he felt as he passed the doors leading to the apartments of his 
 mother and sisters! He was alone, quite alone! No one there 
 to look upon him with friendly, sympathizing eyes, no one 
 to greet him with kind words of affection. 
 
 It made him sad, but he would not acknowledge it to him- 
 self; the Elector Frederick William would not allow himself 
 to be a foolish, lovelorn man! 
 
 " He who would be great must be solitary," said he to him- 
 self, while involuntarily he shook his head. " He who dedi- 
 cates himself to ambition and renown dare not admit other 
 feelings into his heart, and weakly long for human love. Be 
 courageous and resigned then, Frederick William! You are 
 not alone, for the hopes of your future are with you. You are 
 not solitary, for you have a people to love and make happy. 
 Lift up your head and look aloft. We build for the future, 
 and a sorry edifice it will be if we do not with joyful zeal devote 
 to it every energy of our nature." 
 
 And as he thus spoke his countenance grew radiant, and 
 he threw his head proudly and boldly back. Thus he entered 
 his cabinet and began to sing in a rich, manly voice the melody 
 of his favorite song. Then, as if his heart felt strengthened 
 by the song, he began to add words to the melody: 
 
 "At Liitzen, that field crowned with glory and light — hurrah I 
 Gustavus Adolphus, the hero, gave fight— hurrah I 
 He died for the truth, which he lived to defend ; 
 How brave was his life and how noble his end I 
 
28 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 Now ' God's will be done ! ' was his watchword till death, 
 * The Lord Jesus Christ ' his sole refuge by faith — hurrah I 
 
 " Now Pappenheim and the fierce Wallenstein swore— hurrah I 
 At Liitzen that Sweden should conquer no more — hurrah I 
 Gustavus and Bernhard, though, suffered it not, 
 And drove their proud enemies quick from the spot. 
 The Emperor's troops broke, faltered, and fled ; 
 Lo ! Sweden has conquered — her King, though, is dead ! " 
 
 "Well, what will you have, Kunkel?" asked he, break- 
 ing off in his song, as the door of the antechamber opened hur- 
 liedly, and the chamberlain made his appearance. 
 
 " Gracious sir, the Lord High Chamberlain von Burgs- 
 dorf is without in the anteroom, accompanied by three strange 
 gentlemen, and requests an audience with your Electoral 
 Orace." 
 
 " Open the doors then, and admit the gentlemen," said the 
 Elector, as he arose from his seat and turned his flashing eyes 
 toward the door, in which appeared the Lord High Chamber- 
 lain von Burgsdorf , followed by three lords gorgeously ar- 
 rayed in gold-embroidered suits. Each of them held in his 
 right hand, set off by rich plaited lace cuffs, a letter bearing 
 a massive seal, and not upon the Elector but this letter did 
 they gaze with serious and solemn mien. 
 
 " Your Electoral Grace," said Conrad von Burgsdorf, en- 
 deavoring to make his red face assume an expression of gravity 
 — "your Electoral Grace, I entreat the privilege of present- 
 ing these lords. They are three ambassadors extraordinary 
 from Bavaria, Saxony, and the Electorate of Mentz. Here is 
 Baron von Straubing, ambassador from the Elector of Bavaria; 
 the second lord is Count Fleming, ambassador extraordinary 
 of the Elector of Saxony; and the third lord is Baron von 
 Thumen, ambassador from the Elector of Mentz." 
 
 " And what would these ambassadors extraordinary from 
 the three Electors have of me?" asked the Elector. 
 
 " We each beg to be permitted to hand to the Elector of 
 Brandenburg a missive sent by our several Sovereigns," re- 
 plied Baron von Straubing, with bold step approaching the 
 Elector and holding out to him the letter. 
 
 Already had Frederick William stretched out his hand to 
 
THE OFFER OF MARRIAGE. 29 
 
 take it, when Burgsdorf thrust himself between him and the 
 Bavarian envoy, whom he repulsed with a haughty gesture. 
 
 " You know very well what my office is," said he, with 
 loud, angry voice; " and you also know very well. Sir Ambas- 
 sador, that sovereigns are not accustomed to have letters stuck 
 into their hands in that unceremonious fashion, as if they were 
 love letters too precious to be seen by other eyes. His Elec- 
 toral Grace, however, has no such especial love and intimacy 
 with any Elector in the German empire as to warrant this 
 love letter style of correspondence. Therefore I must beg 
 of your lordships to place your letters in my hands for further 
 transference to his Electoral Grace." 
 
 "We beg pardon! " cried both the other envoys, immedi- 
 ately coming forward; "we were expressly directed by our 
 masters to transmit this writing to his Electoral Grace in 
 person." 
 
 " Then give them to me, sirs," said the Elector, again ex- 
 tending his hand. " I am ready to receive your writing." 
 
 " No, Sir Elector, no I can not suffer that! " cried Burgs- 
 dorf with scarlet face. " It is an infringement of my rights, 
 and I will not allow etiquette to be so totally laid aside. These 
 gentlemen say that their lords directed them to hand their 
 letters to your Electoral Grace in person, but they have for- 
 gotten most humbly, with the reverence due your grace, to 
 ask permission to execute their master's instructions. It is 
 by no means enough that the other Electors have a will; the 
 Elector of Brandenberg has also a will of his own, and since 
 he has been kind enough to constitute me lord high chamber- 
 lain, I must needs perform the duties of my office and repel 
 every transgression of the laws of etiquette. Most gracious 
 sir, I accordingly beg for these three gentlemen, envoys, who 
 have appeared here most humbly and reverentially, the high 
 privilege of being permitted to put their Sovereigns' letters 
 into your exalted hands. Will you condescend, sir, to tell me 
 whether you can grant them this favor? " 
 
 " Yes, lord high chancellor," replied the Elector, smiling, 
 ^'I will accord to these envoys permission to deliver to me 
 the communications they bring from their Electors." 
 
 Conrad von Burgsdorf turned with a solenm air of im- 
 
30 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 portance to the ambassadors: " Gentlemen, his Electoral 
 Grace most graciously condescends to receive yonr dispatches I 
 Draw nearer then; his highness permits you so to do! '' 
 
 The envoys advanced, although visibly disconcerted, while 
 Burgsdorf, with flushed, triumphant face, stepped aside, in full 
 consciousness of having maintained his dignity. 
 
 The Elector took the three letters and broke open the 
 first one. With composed and smiling features he read its 
 contents, and then laid it aside upon his writing table. 
 
 "Are the three communications alike?" asked he, open- 
 ing the second missive. 
 
 " Yes, your Electoral Highness, exactly alike.'' 
 
 "Then I can spare myself the trouble of reading them, 
 and it is enough that I have read the Elector of Bavaria's 
 letter. It is verily worded in a tolerably haughty and wrath- 
 ful tone, and accuses me of strange things." 
 
 " Strange things indeed. Your Electoral Highness, gave 
 occasion thereto," replied Count Fleming briskly. "Your 
 highness' envoy at Frankfort seems to desire to introduce some 
 startling novelties, and " 
 
 " Ah, Sir Count," interrupted the Elector, " you would 
 continue in the same tone adopted by the Electors in writing 
 to me; I therefore relieve you of the trouble of proceeding, 
 and, instead of contending with you, begin our controversy 
 by reference to your lords' letters — Chamberlain von Burgs- 
 dorf, read aloud to me this portion of the Electoral communi- 
 cation, for it contains the substance of the whole, the rest 
 being mere courtly formalities." 
 
 He handed Burgsdorf the paper, and pointed out with 
 his finger the place designated. 
 
 " ^ It has been almost with astonishment that we have 
 perceived, through the advices of our representatives, that 
 the Brandenburg deputy to the Diet, holding its sitting at 
 Frankfort, has almost universally refused his consent to meas- 
 ures unanimously adopted by all the other Electoral delegates, 
 giving as his excuse that he had not received instructions. We 
 hope that Brandenburg will not be disposed to introduce novel- 
 ties opposed to the declared sense of the whole body of Elec- 
 tors and established usage. Else we must esteem this a most 
 
THE OFFER OF MARRIAGE. 31 
 
 dangerous and hurtful innovation, and feel compelled to pro- 
 test against it, while we beseech Brandenburg to adhere to 
 time-honored customs and the union of Electors, and beg 
 the Elector to give his envoy instuctions to that effect.* For 
 
 the rest we remain ' " 
 
 "Enough! " interrupted the Elector. " The rest is mere 
 formality, and we have not time, like the delegates of the 
 German Empire at Frankfort, as also those at Miinster and 
 Osnabruck, to attend to the details of formality and etiquette. 
 Hear now, gentlemen, my reply to this threatening address 
 of the Electors, and have the goodness to pay good heed, for 
 I do not intend to send an answer in writing! You may re- 
 port to your several lords what I say to you. Above all things," 
 continued the Elector with elevated voice — " above all things 
 announce to the Electors that Brandenburg does not intend 
 to be intimidated and frightened by evil and menacing lan- 
 guage, and that it is not sufficient for the Electors to solicit 
 me to adhere to time-honored customs, to submit to the de- 
 cisions of the majority, and to introduce no innovations. Say 
 to the Electors that it is not at all in accordance with my views 
 and designs to submit patiently to what is decided by the ma- 
 jority of the Diet at Frankfort or any other place, and that I 
 am fully prepared to introduce novelties. If I should always 
 allow myself to be ruled by the majority, I would ever come 
 off worst in the contest, and be behind all the other Electors. 
 I would also be often compelled to vote against the peculiar 
 interests of my land and people, thus entailing misfortune 
 upon them; for well do I know that Brandenburg has few 
 friends in the German Empire and among the German Princes. 
 I know that the universal cry is, ' the Electorate of Branden- 
 burg shall be kept down,' and that the votes of the Princes and 
 their representatives will correspond to this cry. My watch- 
 word, though, is, ' Brandenburg shall rise.' That I may give 
 her consideration in the German Empire, it becomes me not 
 to succumb to any or be ruled by the majority, but I must needs 
 go boldly and independently forward in my own way, and 
 express and maintain my opinions in the face of the whole 
 world. But least of all, gentlemen, do I feel disposed to be 
   See Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, vol. iii, part 1, p. 281. 
 
32 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 governed by the majority of this Diet at Frankfort, which 
 meddles with many things by no means concerning it, while 
 it neglects matters coming properly within its province. We 
 summoned this Diet to determine questions relating to law 
 and justice, common to all Germany, and instead of that they 
 have busied themselves there with things altogether differ- 
 ent, viz., with matters of conscience and religion, which ought 
 to be decided at Miinster or Osnabriick. Therefore my envoy 
 at Frankfort does well in not consenting to what the other 
 delegates have done, in deciding matters that ought never 
 to have been discussed by that Diet. For the rest, I beg you, 
 gentlemen, to tell your lords from me that I shall ever hold 
 myself in cheerful readiness to unite with them in endeavor- 
 ing to promote the interests of the empire.* This is the an- 
 swer, which I have to impart to the written communications 
 of the Electors; and now, gentlemen, you are dismissed! '' 
 
 He greeted them with a short nod of his head, and stood 
 proudly erect, while the ambassadors bowed low, and with 
 measured tread and crestfallen countenances left the apart- 
 ment. The Lord High Chancellor von Burgsdorf followed 
 with triumphant mien, but only a few minutes had elapsed 
 ere he returned to the cabinet. 
 
 " Your highness," said he gayly, " this seems to be indeed 
 the day of grand audiences. Your delegate to Frankfort is 
 in the antechamber, besides two other gentlemen — an ambas- 
 sador from Emperor Ferdinand and one from the King of 
 France. Whom shall I admit to audience first? " 
 
 " Him who has undoubtedly the right of precedence," re- 
 plied the Elector. " Usher in the Emperor's envoy." 
 
 Burgsdorf hurried out and returned immediately, accom- 
 panied by a grave, proud-looking lord, in the full dress of a 
 Spanish courtier. 
 
 " Your Electoral Highness," announced Burgsdorf, step- 
 ping close up to Frederick William and making a profound 
 bow, " Count von Trautmannsdorf, the envoy of his Majesty 
 Emperor Ferdinand, on his way to Osnabriick, wishes to be 
 presented to your highness." 
 
 "It is you then, count, whom his German Majesty has 
 * The Elector's own words. See Droysen, p. 283. 
 
THE OFFER OF MARRIAGE. 33 
 
 deputed to attend the council at Osnabriick! " cried the Elec- 
 tor, with animation. " I congratulate the German Empire, 
 nay, all Europe, upon the circumstance, for it is known to 
 all the world that Count von Trautmannsdorf is not merely 
 a highly polished, noble, and incorruptible gentleman, but 
 of humane and impartial mind. Of such men we have especial 
 need now in the councils of Miinster and Osnabriick, where 
 questions are to be settled touching the welfare of Europe 
 as well as of the German Empire." 
 
 " Your Electoral Grace does me too much honor, indeed,'' 
 said the count, smihng; " but I shall at least use my utmost 
 endeavors, in passing to and fro from Osnabriick to Miinster, 
 to soothe and moderate party contentions." 
 
 " And you will be doing a noble deed, count," said the 
 Elector kindly. " Only impress it on the delegates first of 
 all to confine their attention to the principal subjects for 
 consideration, and not to waste so much time upon mere 
 preliminaries — ^not to wrangle and dispute about rank and 
 titles, but, laying aside all such trifling, give themselves to 
 their serious and important work. All Europe looks to these 
 assemblies at Miinster and Osnabriick; all people are hoping 
 for their different religious creeds to be guaranteed to them, 
 and hope for the setthng of all controversies relating to 
 Church and religion. What an impression will be made when 
 it is seen that these men, who ought to give peace to princes 
 and people, have commenced by quarreling with each other 
 over pitiful and wholly irrelevant questions of etiquette! Call 
 the attention of the counselors to this matter, count; tell the 
 representatives 6f the great powers not to arrogate too much 
 to themselves, and tell the representatives of small provinces 
 and princes not to be too aspiring and expect to be placed 
 upon a footing of equality with the great States." 
 
 " I shall attend with punctiliousness and devotion to exe- 
 cuting your commands, and act upon your wise advice," re- 
 plied Count Trautmannsdorf, bowing reverentially. " Your 
 Electoral Grace will, however, permit me, I hope, to address 
 my representations to his own deputy? " 
 
 " If his demeanor demands it, do so, count. Only I beg 
 of you to consider that his task is totally different from that 
 
34 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 of any other person there. The Electorate of Brandenburg 
 is the youngest of the Electoral houses, and has hitherto been 
 the smallest and most insignificant. I well know the general 
 desire to keep under its growth and prevent its advancement 
 in importance. I know, too, that I will just the opposite, and 
 desire to be as great and powerful as my fellow-sovereigns. 
 If Brandenburg is small, it only follows that she must increase 
 in size; if she is reproached with youth, every day will remedy 
 the fault, and her hereditary privileges should not surely be 
 curtailed on that account." 
 
 " And no one I hope entertains such a thought, your high- 
 ness," exclaimed Count Trautmannsdorf eagerly. " But least 
 of all suspect his Imperial Majesty of such intentions. It 
 lies near to his heart that your highness should everywhere 
 receive the honor and devotion due you, for his Majesty 
 cherishes a peculiar affection for your grace, and so ardently 
 wishes your success and prosperity that he would be happy 
 to contribute to .them in every possible way." 
 
 " If his Imperial Majesty is indeed so graciously disposed 
 toward me, I can not doubt but that I shall be ultimately 
 fortunate." 
 
 " Your grace, however, should on your side prove to the 
 Emperor that you are sincerely desirous to hold friendly 
 relations with him." 
 
 " I should esteem myself happy to be allowed the oppor- 
 tunity of proving this," interposed Frederick William hastily. 
 
 " Excuse my bluntness, sir, but the Emperor in the great- 
 ness of his condescension has himself devised a sure means 
 of restoring the most cordial relations between himself and 
 the most favored of German princes. You see, your highness, 
 that the Emperor loves you, for he has been pleased to offer 
 you the hand of his beloved daughter, the Archduchess 
 Anna Maria of Austria. He purposes to endow the arch- 
 duchess so richly that your wealth shall be greater than that 
 of any other sovereign in the empire. He desires to call you 
 his son-in-law, and to give you honor and distinctions in the 
 eyes of all Europe. Only say, most gracious sir, will you re- 
 ceive this confidential intimation favorably, and will you 
 pay your addresses to the daughter of the Emperor? " 
 
THE OFFER OF MARRIAGE. 35 
 
 *' Truly, count, you dazzle my eyes by giving me a glimpse 
 of a future brilliant as the sun itself. The little Elector of 
 Brandenburg become the son-in-law of the exalted, mighty 
 Emperor of Germany — be raised by his lord's condescension 
 to so prominent a position in the eyes of all Europe! I repeat 
 it, count, my eyes are quite dazzled by the glorious pros- 
 pect! " 
 
 " But does your grace accept my offer? " 
 
 " How can you ask such a question, count — as if any one 
 could see the gates of paradise opened and refuse to enter 
 in! Am I to be the Emperor's son-in-law, and husband to 
 the most charming and richest of princesses! And will this 
 Princess not merely make the sacrifice of deigning to bestow 
 her hand upon me, but for my sake give up her religion and 
 adopt that of my house? " 
 
 "What, your highness," asked the count, whose radiant 
 face suddenly assumed an expression of gravity and horror, 
 *^ can you suppose that the Archduchess Anna Maria could 
 give up her religion ? " 
 
 " Did you not say, count, that the Emperor would not 
 reject my proposals for the hand of the Archduchess Anna 
 Maria, but, on the other hand, would graciously accept me 
 as his son-in-law? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness, I did say so, but " 
 
 "Well, and was not that saying tacitly that the arch- 
 duchess was ready to renounce her faith and adopt the Cal- 
 vinist creed? " 
 
 "By no means," cried Count Trautmannsdorf, perfectly 
 shocked. " The archduchess renounce the Holy Catholic 
 religion and turn Calvinist! That is simply impossible! " 
 
 "Impossible, count?" asked the Elector, in unruffled 
 tones. " Surely, if his Majesty has seriously entertained 
 thoughts of forming such an alliance, small as the house of 
 Brandenburg is, he can not have overlooked the existence of a 
 family law, requiring the wife of the reigning head of the fami- 
 ly to profess the religion of her husband. I may add that 
 I am firmly convinced myself that there is no happy union 
 where man and wife do not profess the same faith, and I have 
 made up my mind never to wed a princess of a different creed 
 
,36 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 from my own. I hope, however, this will prove no obstacle 
 to my marriage with the archduchess, and that the Princess 
 will adopt the faith of my house and family." 
 
 " Indulge no such hopes, sir! " cried the count. " An 
 archduchess of Austria can never forsake the religion of her 
 fathers, and never would the Emperor give his consent to it. 
 But if your highness insists upon that point, there is yet an- 
 other means of bringing about a unity in religion. The arch- 
 duchess is a Catholic, it is true, and a pious Cathohc. How 
 infinitely happy would it make her, and what a high proof 
 of love would it be, if your highness should determine " 
 
 "I hope," interrupted the Elector severely — "I hope 
 you do not mean to propose that I should be the one to change 
 my religion! No, I am convinced that you would not ven- 
 ture to propose such a thing to me! I tell you, that nothing 
 in the world could induce me to change my religion." 
 
 " That is to say," sighed the count, " a union with the 
 archduchess is impossible." 
 
 " If that is the case, count, I beg you not to forget that it 
 is not I who makes it impossible," exclaimed the Elector, with 
 warmth. " I should be happy to receive a wife at the Em- 
 peror's hands, only I must not be expected, in order to attain 
 this happiness, to burden my conscience, and have cause to 
 blush before God and my people. Tell the Emperor this. 
 Tell his Majesty that I am deeply touched by the high honor 
 so graciously destined for me, and that it is not my fault in- 
 deed if I am compelled to decline it. May the Emperor in his 
 condescension make allowance for me, and not turn from 
 me his favor. To this end intercede for me with the Emperor; 
 and assure him, moreover, that I shall not take a wife from any 
 house whose interests oppose those of his Majesty, but that I 
 am most anxious to prove how dear to me are his approbation 
 and favor. Have you anything further to say in the name of 
 his Imperial Majesty? " * 
 
 "No, your highness; I have finished," said the count, 
 sighing. " I have the honor of bidding your grace farewell, 
 and requesting my dismissal." 
 
 " God be with you. Count Trautmannsdorf, and may your 
 
   The Elector's own words. See PSllnitz, Memoirs, vol. i, p. 44. 
 
THE OFFER OP MARRIAGE. 37 
 
 c difficult task at Osnabriick and Miinster not be dashed as sud- 
 jdenly as my prospects for the future, which in the beginning 
 -you painted so fair and left more dark than ever." 
 
 " Your highness, you blame me '^ 
 
 '* I blame nobody, and I hope that you do neither. Cir- 
 icumstances are stronger than the will of man. All this should 
 teach us to be humble and adapt ourselves to circumstances. 
 You are dismissed, count! " 
 
 He gave him a friendly nod, and looked after the silently 
 retreating nobleman with an expressive smile, while with 
 folded arms he stood thoughtfully in the center of the room. 
 
 " Rebuffed, completely rebuffed," said Burgsdorf, who had 
 opened the door for the ambassador, but remained in the cabi- 
   net. " Gracious sir, I have only one regret to express at this 
 moment." 
 
 " Well, and what is that, Burgsdorf? " 
 
 " Your highness, I regret that you are not my son, and that 
 I may not address your grace Just as a father might! " 
 
 " Truly you frighten me," exclaimed the Elector, laugh- 
 ing. *' Just say at once, old Burgsdorf, that you would like 
 to scold me now if I were your son. Methinks you are im- 
 perially minded, and think it abominable in me not to obey 
 the Emperor's behests with all humility. You would like 
 to scold me, would you not? " 
 
 " No, your highness, no indeed. I am not at all imperially 
 disposed, and would say nothing harsh, but only what is 
 'affectionate and kind." 
 
 "What, for example? I give you permission to treat me 
 as your son, and in some sense I am almost so. You used often 
 to carry me in your arms when I was a child; taught me to> 
 handle a sword, to hunt and shoot. In all knightly exercises 
 you were my instructor, generally a gentle and kind one, but 
 •at times strict and severe, as becomes a parent. Then for once 
 .let me consider myself as your son, and you, speak as if you 
 were indeed my father." 
 
 " You grant me leave to do so then, your highness? " 
 
 " I beg you to, old father Burgsdorf." 
 
 " Well," cried Burgsdorf, rushing up to the Elector with 
 outstretched arms, " let me embrace you, my son! I am proud 
 
38 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 of you, you make me happy, and I prophecy for you a glorious 
 future! For although you are young and passionate, yet you 
 curb your spirit with the wisdom and moderation of a gray- 
 beard. Although you thirst for glory and renown, yet your 
 honor and independence are dearer to you than aught else, 
 and you gave God the glory while you rejected the honor of 
 becoming the Emperor^s son-in-law." 
 
 " Thank you, father Burgsdorf, for it pleases me to call 
 you by that name, and I trust that you will ever love me as 
 your own son! " 
 
 " I have nothing in the world to love besides yourself, sir! '^ 
 cried Burgsdorf, the tears streaming down his red cheeks. 
 ^' I am separated from my shrewish wife and her daughter, 
 and so it has come to pass that on you are concentrated my in- 
 dividual affections. Do not trample them under your feet, 
 sir, despise not the offering of my heart." 
 
 " You see that I do not, old friend, for, what seldom hap- 
 pens, I have opened my heart to you and become tender. I 
 entreat you therefore to act honorably and openly toward 
 me, to stand bj me as a father, and never to conceal your 
 opinions from me." 
 
 " I promise you, sir, and now let me resume my role of 
 office and ceremony. Most gracious sir, will you condescend 
 to receive the French lord now? " 
 
 The Elector nodded a smiling assent, and Burgsdorf 
 hastened to open the antechamber door. 
 
 V. — The Feench Ambassadok. 
 
 " Let the Marquis d'Avaux, envoy of his Majesty the Kin^ 
 of France enter," cried Burgsdorf in a loud voice, " his high- 
 ness is ready to receive his excellency." 
 
 A gentleman of small, trim figure, in a sky-blue velvet 
 coat, trimmed richly with gold lace, and a dress sword dangling 
 at his side, entered the cabinet, pausing at the door to make 
 three profoundly ceremonious bows. Then he slowly ad- 
 
THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR. 39 
 
 wanced until within a few steps of the Elector, when he again 
 bowed so deeply that the long, fair ringlets encircling his 
 Jiead fell over and concealed his face. 
 
 " Marquis d^Avaux/' said the Elector, " I am glad to see 
 you once more, for you will know that the last time we met 
 you thought that death was at my heels, and that I could not 
 escape him." 
 
 "Yes indeed, your highness," replied the marquis. "I 
 Temember it very well. Our spies had informed me that your 
 <enemies in Poland had forged a plot against your grace, and 
 hired murderers to fall upon you as you passed through the 
 forest of Yablunka on your way to Warsaw. In my anxiety 
 rto protect your precious life, I traveled day and night, post- 
 baste from Hamburg to Konigsberg, to warn your highness 
 »of the evil impending, and to beg you to forego the perilous 
 journey." * 
 
 " And yet I did undertake it, trusting in God and my 
 •own good cause," said the Elector, with beaming coun- 
 t;enance, " and you see, marquis, this confidence was not mis- 
 placed. I am alive, and hope that a long life is still before 
 me." 
 
 '^ A long and glorious life, your highness — a life that shall 
 Tedound to the exaltation of your friends and the confusion 
 of your foes! When, in spite of my well-founded warnings, 
 I saw your grace, so firm and unmoved, setting out upon your 
 perilous journey with such cheerful courage, it seemed to me 
 as if for a moment the future were unveiled, and I could see 
 i;he Elector of Brandenberg in prospective as a laurel-crowned 
 bero, mighty and glorious. I then reported as the result of 
 my observations to the court of Versailles: The young Elec- 
 tor will not, like his predecessors, be Poland's humble vas- 
 sal and the devoted servant of the Emperor of Germany, but 
 he will carve out his own career, and free himself from all 
 l)ondage and subjection." 
 
 " I thank you for your good opinion," said the Elector, 
 •smiling. " But, alas! as yet your prophecies have not been 
 fulfilled. I am still the vassal of Poland, and should I ven- 
 i;ure to set myself in opposition to the Emperor of Germany, 
 
 * "See Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, vol. iii, part i, p. 245. 
 
40 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 I would only ruin myself, and become the laughingstock of 
 all Europe." 
 
 " No, gracious sir! " exclaimed the marquis eagerly — " no,, 
 it would make you the admiration of all Europe, and France 
 would joyfully protect the bold, valiant young Prince, who* 
 dared openly oppose the grasping and domineering German 
 Emperor/' 
 
 " I hope you have not come to make me such a proposi- 
 tion," asked the Elector quickly. " I hope you do not imagine 
 that I could be so forgetful of my station and my duty as not 
 to show to the Emperor of Germany and the Holy Eoman 
 Empire that reverence and devotion which, as a German 
 prince, I owe to the first of all the German princes? " 
 
 "Your highness, I would not venture to make such a 
 proposition," replied the marquis, shrugging his shoulders. 
 " I only cherish the conviction that, if the Elector of Bran- 
 denburg and Duke of Prussia would rise to distinction and 
 power, he can not attain them with the consent and approval 
 of the Emperor." 
 
 "And did you come from Hamburg merely to tell me 
 this?" 
 
 " No, your highness; I was sent from Hamburg to Mun- 
 ster, there to represent the crown of France in the congress 
 of warlike powers. Thence, however, I have betaken my- 
 self hither, to pay my respects to your highness, in the name 
 of his eminence. Cardinal Mazarin, and to convey to you assur- 
 ances of his eminence's highest sjrmpathy and admiration. 
 With the greatest satisfaction has his excellency read the com- 
 munication your grace addressed to the King of France upon 
 the announcement of his having attained the years of ma- 
 jority." 
 
 " Ah! " cried the Elector, smiling, " young King Louis 
 XIV then still allows Cardinal Mazarin to read letters ad- 
 dressed to himself." 
 
 '^ The King has such perfect confidence in the zeal and 
 capacity of the cardinal that he begins nothing without his 
 advice and assistance, and has made no alteration in the con- 
 duct of affairs." 
 
 " That is to say, Cardinal Mazarin remains Regent of 
 
THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR. 41 
 
 Prance! I thank you, marquis, for this notification. Will you 
 now tell me why his excellency was so well pleased with my 
 letter to the King of France? " 
 
 " Your highness, if such is your command I will tell you, 
 although I am convinced that you know very well already." 
 
 " Well, I rather think his eminence was pleased by my 
 applying to the King of France a title which the German 
 Electors are usually accustomed to bestow only upon the head 
 of the German Empire, the Emperor of Germany. I ad- 
 'dressed him as his Majesty! " 
 
 " Yes, your highness did grant the King of France this 
 'title of honor. Both the King and cardinal were highly grati- 
 fied by this, and made most anxious to testify their gratitude 
 ,to your highness, and prove the sympathy which they feel 
 for the house of Brandenburg." 
 
 " It is very pleasant to me to hear this, especially since 
 an opportunity presents itself at this very time for giving me 
 such a proof of sjrmpathy. My representative at Miinster 
 complains greatly of the haughtiness of the other delegates 
 both there and at Osnabriick, reporting that no one gives him 
 the honor and title which he dutifully bestows upon each 
 ^f them. The French ambassador. Baron Servien, has not 
 l)een more complaisant than the rest of the body." 
 
 " Your highness, I am empowered to instruct Baron Ser- 
 Tien as to his course, and to be his coadjutor, and I promise 
 "that your Electoral Highness's ambassador shall have no fur- 
 ther cause to complain of the affection and good will of France. 
 It very nearly concerns France that your grace should be 
 convinced of her friendship and desire to form a closer alli- 
 ance with Brandenburg. Nothing would be more pleasant 
 to his eminence than to have your highness give him the assur- 
 ance that the report of your intended union with the Queen 
 •oi Sweden is unfounded, because such an union would be in- 
 compatible with your peace and safety." 
 
 "In what respect, marquis?" 
 
 " Your highness, such an aggrandizement of the Elector 
 of Brandenburg would fill all the other German princes with 
 envy and suspicion, and would even affect the balance of power 
 in Europe." 
 
42 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWEIC 
 
 "And you think only the German princes would look 
 with unfavorable eyes upon my marriage with the Queen of 
 Sweden?^' asked the Elector with a significant smile. 
 
 " The maritime powers, too, would certainly look with sus- 
 picion and envy upon the young King of Sweden, who would 
 be as well Duke of Pomerania and Prussia and master of the 
 Baltic." 
 
 " And France, marquis? " 
 
 " France belongs not to the maritime powers^ your high- 
 ness; and if she cherishes the ardent wish that your grace 
 should not marry the Queen of Sweden, it results from the 
 admiration and friendship entertained for you by both the 
 King of France and Cardinal Marazin, an admiration whicb 
 urges them to use every exertion to bind your grace lastingly 
 to France. France also has the disposal of the hand of a young, 
 wealthy, and beautiful Princess, and would gladly bestow it 
 upon the Elector of Brandenburg. Duke Gaston of Orleans, 
 uncle to my Sovereign, has a daughter, and although she has- 
 been courted and sought after by many Spanish and Italian 
 princes, the cardinal would prefer you to any other suitor 
 whatever. This is what his eminence bade me say to you in 
 strictest confidence, hoping that you would see fit to comply 
 with his desires." 
 
 " You indeed surprise me," said the Elector. " Forgive 
 my candor in admitting that up to this time I have never 
 thought of this Princess, and barely heard her name men- 
 tioned." 
 
 " Your highness, what higher eulogium could you pass^ 
 upon the Princess of Orleans. She is young and beautiful, 
 of a royal house, cousin to the King of France, and richly 
 endowed with worldly goods. She lives at the most magnifi- 
 cent court of Europe, and no one has been able to say a word 
 against her. Busy fame has not dared to lift her eye to the 
 noble, princely maiden, who shrinks in modesty and bash- 
 fulness from the gaze of the multitude, and only displays her 
 charms in the narrow circle of her own family and court." 
 
 " Truly, marquis, you speak of a miracle of maidenly 
 beauty, and I regret that I can not have the happiness of be*- 
 holding the face of this most charming princess/' 
 
THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR. 45 
 
 "Permit me, your highness, to show you the portrait of 
 the Princess of Orleans/' said the marquis joyfully. He drew 
 from his vest pocket a red case, which he opened, drawing 
 out quite a large medallion. 
 
 " Your highness,'' said he, handing this to the Elector, 
 "hehold the well-executed miniature likeness of Princess 
 Louise of Orleans." 
 
 The Elector took it and examined it long and attentively. 
 " Truly," exclaimed he then, " this is a Princess of uncom- 
 mon beauty and attractions. Happy the man who can woo 
 and win this paragon of her sex." 
 
 " Your highness," whispered the marquis, " it depends- 
 only upon yourself whether or not you are the recipient of 
 this happiness. Cardinal Mazarin begs you, if the portrait 
 of the Princess pleases you, to accept it as a little present from 
 himself, and to make him one in return." 
 
 " What sort of one, marquis? " 
 
 *'His excellency hopes that you will send him a faithful 
 likeness of yourself, that he may show it to the Princess of 
 Orleans." * 
 
 " That the Princess may despise me, and laugh at the ugly 
 little Elector of Brandenburg? No, no. Sir Marquis, I shall 
 not expose myself to such a risk, and send my portrait to a 
 lady by whom I am convinced beforehand I should be scorned. 
 You exhibit to me the likeness of an angel, a lovely fairy, and 
 could I be so presumptuous as to esteem it possible that this 
 fairy could condescend to become the wife of a wretched little 
 mortal, who lives like a country squire in his sandy Mark, and 
 could offer this petted fairy Princess from the luxurious court 
 of France no home befitting her beauty or her station," 
 
 "Your grace then declines granting the cardinal's re- 
 quest, and will not send him your portrait? " 
 
 " To Cardinal Mazarin, with pleasure, as soon as I can find 
 an artist capable of executing it. Hitherto no artist has arisen 
 in my poor domains, and we have not even been able to retain 
 those who have visited us from foreign lands. I hope, though, 
 that it will be different hereafter, and I shall have my picture 
 painted by the first skillful artist who may appear, and send 
 
 * Historical. Vide Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, p» 265*. 
 4 
 
44 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 it to Cardinal Mazarin. But mind, it must not be transferred 
 to the fair Princess of Orleans, for, I repeat, I could never 
 venture to woo so incomparable a beauty! Say so to Cardinal 
 Mazarin. I am not so presumptuous as to lift my eyes to an 
 •object which I know to be wholly unattainable by me. How- 
 ever, I thank his eminence for having given me the privilege 
 of beholding such a miracle of beauty. It is at once the image 
 of a perfect fairy and a masterpiece of art." 
 
 "Ah! it is plain to see that your highness is a connois- 
 :seur. This picture was painted by the distinguished portrait 
 painter Mignard." 
 
 "It is wonderful, marquis! I dare not contemplate it 
 longer lest I should be perfectly intoxicated by its beauty. 
 Marquis, take the portrait and return it to his eminence.'^ 
 
 "Your highness, you reject the portrait? You send it 
 back? " 
 
 " Marquis, this likeness is too fascinating — its setting too 
 magnificent. For see, it is set in a double row of the richest 
 diamonds. It is a present fit only for a King, and too hand- 
 some for my acceptance." 
 
 "Your highness. Cardinal Mazarin will be sorely cha- 
 grined if you do not accept his portrait at least." 
 
 " What say you, his portrait? " 
 
 "Permit me to explain myself, most noble sir," replied 
 the marqids, taking up in his hand the miniature, which the 
 Elector had laid on the table at his side. He touched a little 
 spring on the upper side of the medallion. The Princess's por- 
 trait sprang back like the door of a clock, and now the marquis 
 •again presented the medallion to the Elector. 
 
 " Ha, just see! " exclaimed Frederick William, with ani- 
 mation. " The portrait of a man — a Prince of the Church! " 
 
 " The portrait of Caivdinal Mazarin! " 
 
 ""What a noble head!" said the Elector, examining the 
 picture. " How finely cut and marked these features, and 
 what an unfathomable depth in those large black eyes! Ah! 
 in looking upon this face it is not difficult to comprehend 
 how he has become not only the master and ruler of France, 
 but also of women's hearts." 
 
 " Your highness. Cardinal Mazarin is ambitious of holding 
 
THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR. 45 
 
 €ome small place in the heart of men as well, especially in your 
 heart, your highness. He trusts that you will at least occa- 
 sionally bestow a favorable glance upon his likeness, and re- 
 member that it portrays the features of one who cherishes 
 the warmest admiration for you, and has no more lively 
 desire than to prove his devotion to your excellency by 
 deeds." 
 
 "Tell the cardinal," replied Frederick WilHam, "that 
 I am happy to possess the faithful portrait of a statesman 
 whom I consider my preceptor in the difficult arts of poli- 
 tics and diplomacy, and from whom I have learned more than 
 from his renowned predecessor Cardinal Eichelieu. He gave 
 to France the glory as well as the evils of war, he gained bat- 
 tles and won laurels for himself; but Mazarin practiced the 
 more difficult art of self-control. He even submitted to 
 humiliations in order to secure to France the peace she so 
 much needed, he renounced his own glory for the sake of the 
 nation, and through policy has become the hero of peace. 
 Happy was it for me that not Eichelieu but Mazarin wielded 
 the helm of State when I entered upon my sovereignty. By 
 the one I should have been led away to grasp the sword, and 
 side with one of the contending parties, which surely would 
 have been to my destruction. By the other I have been taught 
 the wisdom of prudence and self-restraint, and I believe this 
 has been most beneficial for me. Tell the cardinal this, and 
 thank him for his welcome portrait. Say, moreover, that I 
 shall take good heed to keep the lid closed, and refrain from 
 gazing upon the lovely female face smiling upon me from 
 that side." 
 
 " And I can assure your highness, on the cardinal's behalf, 
 that he will await with impatience the fulfilment of your 
 promise to send him your likeness, which he ardently desires 
 to own." 
 
 " Present my most profound respects to his eminence. 
 And hark ye, marquis, when you reach Miinster be mindful of 
 your promise to me! Remind the members of the council that 
 they have been deputed by their sovereigns to bring about the 
 peace for which all Europe languishes, and that it behooves 
 them, above all things, to cultivate friendly dispositions 
 
46 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 among themselves, and do all to promote reconciliation in- 
 stead of interposing obstacles in its way! '^ 
 
 *^ Most gracious sir, I shall lay this wise admonition to my 
 own heart, as well as endeavor to impress it upon the other 
 gentlemen. It was your grace who in the Diet at Frankfort 
 made the proposition of calling a council of all the contending 
 powers at Miinster and Osnabriick, to pave the way for peace 
 and settle all matters of dispute. To you will belong the praise 
 and gratitude of all Europe if the difficult task succeeds. I 
 thank your highness for my courteous reception, and beg to 
 be dismissed." 
 
 " Go, marquis, and may God be with you in your difficult 
 undertaking. Tell Cardinal Mazarin that when you left 
 me I was again absorbed in the contemplation of his like- 
 ness! " 
 
 And the Elector smilingly lifted the medallion from the 
 table, and gazed fixedly upon it. As soon, however, as the 
 gentle closing of the door warned him that the ambassador 
 had departed, he closed the covering of that portrait, and 
 fixed his eyes upon the outside of the medallion, which con- 
 tained the likeness of the Princess Louise of Orleans set in 
 two rows of costly diamonds. 
 
 A gentle rustling behind him interrupted his observations, 
 and quickly lifting up his head and looking round, he saw 
 behind him the Lord High Chancellor von Burgsdorf, who 
 was standing on tiptoe, and with outstretched neck trying io 
 look over his lord's shoulder and catch a glimpse of the medal- 
 lion. 
 
 " Only see how curious the lord high chamberlain is! '^ 
 said the Elector, smiling. 
 
 " Most gracious sir, I beg pardon. I have never, though, 
 seen a fairy, and your rapturous enthusiasm fired the heart 
 of even such an old fellow as myself. Be pleased then to 
 vouchsafe me a sight of this enchanting woman, this angel, 
 this fairy! '' 
 
 "Well, look at it, old friend!'' cried the Elector, laugh- 
 ing, " but take care not to fall in love with it." 
 
 He handed Burgsdorf the medallion, who took it eagerly 
 to inspect with impatient curiosity. 
 
THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR. 47 
 
 " Zounds! '^ cried he, with an expression of dismay, almost 
 letting the medallion slip from his grasp. 
 
 " Well, what is the matter/^ asked Frederick William, 
 smiling, "and what means such roughness of speech in my 
 presence?" 
 
 " Forgive me, your highness; in my surprise I forgot my- 
 self; for, expecting to see an extraordinary heauty, I was per- 
 fectly shocked when, instead of that, I thought I saw the image 
 of a goose." 
 
 " Weigh well your words, chamberlain, and do not forget 
 that you are speaking of a royal Princess! But your com- 
 parison is not wholly misplaced. Those sleepy, little eyes, 
 that low forehead, that projecting mouth with those vermilion 
 lips — well, yes, your comparison is not bad." 
 
 " And that is what your highness styled an angel, a charm- 
 ing fairy! Truly, although young in years, you are already 
 a most wise and astute politician, and I, although old in 
 years, am nothing but a stupid, ignorant old fellow! Your 
 grace wished to decline the fine French alliance and there- 
 fore " 
 
 " Yes, and therefore I represented myself as so charmed 
 by it! But only confess, old man, the medallion has its great 
 charms and is enough to inflame a poor human heart." 
 
 " Yes, gracious sir," said Burgsdorf, smiling, " I admit 
 that! The diamonds are fine! " 
 
 " More than that, they are exquisite. Let us see. There 
 are twenty-four diamonds, all of equal size and purity. The 
 diamond ring which my mother gave me as a parting gift when 
 I went to The Hague contained only one diamond, and that 
 one not quite so large as this one. When I was in great 
 pecuniary embarrassment I sold it to a Jew at Amsterdam 
 for five hundred ducats. Oh, I remember yet very well, the 
 Jew's name was Abraham, and he lived on the Strand, No. 
 14." 
 
 " Five hundred ducats! " exclaimed Burgsdorf, quite as- 
 tonished. " This medallion, then, must be worth twenty- 
 four times five hundred ducats! " 
 
 " Yes, twelve thousand ducats! " smiled the Elector. " The 
 cardinal seems to wish to subsidize me without putting me 
 
48 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 under the necessity of making acknowledgments. Only see, 
 Burgsdorf, how these brilliants sparkle! " 
 
 " Wonderfully, sir; you see all colors reflected there! " 
 
 ^' Yes; now it emits red rays and now blue, and besides 
 them see the bright gold epaulets! " 
 
 " What, most gracious sir! You see gold epaulets in 
 precious ctones! " 
 
 " More than that, I see a whole company of splendidly 
 equipped troopers reflected there! " 
 
 " What can you mean, sir? I see nothing of that." 
 
 " Ah! Can I be gifted with double sight? Well, no mat- 
 ter; we can not occupy ourselves with such play, for we have 
 no time for it indeed. We shall deposit this glorious medal- 
 lion with its two portraits in the strong box of my writing 
 table, and there may it rest securely until the time comes 
 when I may need it. And now, let us talk of business again. 
 Did you not recently visit at Koslin my widowed aunt, the 
 Queen of Sweden? " 
 
 " Yes, gracious sir. You yourself bade me go and con- 
 gratulate the Queen on her fortunate arrival, after her stay 
 in Denmark, and promise her Majesty a speedy visit from 
 my gracious lord." 
 
 " And had you nothing more to say to the Queen, Burgs- 
 dorf ? " 
 
 " No, certainly not, your highness," said Burgsdorf with 
 an appearance of perfect innocence. "Your highness gave 
 me no further commands." 
 
 " But my mother? Now, just see, the old sinner has as 
 smooth a countenance as if he were not uttering a false- 
 hood." 
 
 " Gracious sir, I have uttered no falsehood; I have only 
 concealed something, and that merely because I had given 
 the Electress a solemn promise to that effect." 
 
 " Ah, you acknowledge then that there was something 
 to conceal, and that my mother intrusted you with some 
 errands for the Queen." 
 
 " Yes, gracious sir, I acknowledge it," muttered Burgsdorf, 
 quite confounded. "But I promised to betray nothing of 
 this to your grace." 
 
THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR. 49 
 
 "Never mind that, old man; you can betray nothing 
 which I do not know. Women are talkative even though 
 they be princesses, and you may learn from this not to have 
 secrets and intrigues with them! My mother told me every- 
 thing this morning before she set out. She commissioned 
 you to inform the Queen that she still cherished a lively 
 desire to consummate the union between their two children, 
 projected by the great King. The message ran so, did it 
 not?'^ 
 
 "Yes, gracious sir, it is your mother's earnest wish that 
 her noble son Frederick William should become the husband 
 of the Swedish Queen, and she believes you cherish the same 
 desire; only you are too proud to woo directly, unless you 
 were certain that your addresses would be favorably received. 
 Therefore she requested the widowed Queen to write to her 
 daughter, urging her to declare explicitly whether she were 
 willing to accept your grace's hand." 
 
 " And my royal aunt was so kind as to reciprocate my 
 mother's sentiments, was she not? And so eloquently did you 
 plead your cause that the Queen supposed your pen must be 
 as ready as your tongue. She therefore desired you to indite 
 a letter in her name in which her daughter, the reigning 
 Queen, was urgently solicited to relieve me from this state 
 of painful uncertainty, and to say so if she would accept my 
 proposals, and if not, by a decided no deprive me of all hope. 
 Was not this so, Burgsdorf ? " 
 
 " Yes, gracious sir, this was the tenor of the letter, which 
 I composed for the widowed Queen, and she afterward 
 copied." * 
 
 " And yon sent the letter direct to Queen Christina, did 
 you?" 
 
 " Yes, gracious sir; direct by the packet ship, which sails 
 every week from Stettin. The Queen herself wrote the ad- 
 dress, sealed it with her seal, and wrote upon the back, more- 
 over: ' From the widowed Queen of Sweden. To be handed 
 to Queen Christina herself.' " 
 
 " And you, simple-hearted man, actually believe that this 
 letter reached Queen Christina? " 
 
 * Historical. Vide Droysen, vol. iii, p. 265. 
 
50 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " The widowed Queen was convinced of this, your high- 
 ness." 
 
 " Well, I am convinced to the contrary, or, rather, I know 
 certainly that Chancellor Oxenstiern intercepted and sup- 
 pressed the entire communication. But hark, old friend, I 
 am in truth a little concerned to have this matter definitely 
 decided. Therefore, since the letter you wrote never reached 
 the Queen, I think it better to send her a living epistle, which 
 Oxenstiern can not so easily suppress.'' 
 
 "A living epistle, your highness? I do not catch your 
 meaning." 
 
 " And I aver that old Burgsdorf is a stupid old fellow! 
 When I say a living epistle, I mean that I purpose to send a 
 messenger to Queen Christina to repeat to her the contents 
 of the lost letter." 
 
 "Ah! I begin to understand now! " cried Burgsdorf, 
 striking his fat red hand against his forehead. 
 
 " A happy circumstance," said the Elector, smiling; " for 
 you are the very person I mean to send to Stockholm! Unr 
 doubtedly you remember the contents of that letter? " 
 
 "Ah, your grace, I should suppose so, when I spent two 
 days and nights in its composition, and turned over every 
 clause of the letter so many times in my head that each word 
 is indelibly imprinted upon my memory, and I could declaim 
 it in the night as a comedian his role." 
 
 " Well, go, old man, and declaim your letter before the 
 young Queen. But not like a parrot blurting out his whole 
 part at once, but like an artist, rightly intoning every word, 
 making the proper pauses, and making his discourse impres- 
 sive by the graces of sentiment and elocution. Yes, I shall] 
 send you to Queen Christina at Stockholm, but you must go 
 as the widowed Queen's messenger, and repeat to the daughter 
 what you previously wrote to her in the mother's name. Act 
 as her mother's agent, but keep your eyes and ears open to hear 
 and see all that might be of interest and importance to your 
 Elector. But make it your first business to observe Queen 
 Christina herself narrowly, and as far as you can, bring me 
 a faithful portraiture of her character and disposition." 
 
 " Shall I speak to her in your name, gracious sir? 
 
THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR. 51 
 
 Shall I tell the young Queen how devoutedly you love her, 
 how you are consumed by love for her, and can no longer find 
 rest day or night? " 
 
 " I positively forbid you to speak such follies. You are 
 only to speak in the Queen mother's name, never directly in 
 mine; but the mother may properly tell her daughter of my 
 love. I have nothing to say against it, only, all must be within 
 the bounds of moderation and reason. I charge you to say 
 nothing derogatory to my dignity, always remembering that 
 I am the man, and consequently the head, even though my 
 wife should be an empress or queen. Thus you are to repre- 
 sent the Elector Frederick William to Queen Christina! Not 
 as an inferior, who will be perfectly overwhelmed by the honor 
 of obtaining her hand, but as an equal, who with the consent 
 of his own free will woos the Queen, with the hope of making 
 her happy, while expecting to receive the same blessing at 
 iier hands.'' 
 
 " Alas! most gracious sir," sighed Burgsdorf, " they say 
 that Queen Christina is very proud and domineering." 
 
 " Ascertain for yourself if this is so, Burgsdorf, and give 
 me the result of your observations with perfect sincerity; for 
 I would not have a domineering wife, who would expect me 
 to be obedient and submissive to her — no, not if she brought 
 with her as her dowry the greatest kingdom upon earth! 
 Learn, further, that I am not disposed to be known as the 
 husband of the Queen of Sweden, but wish to make the Queen 
 of Sweden the wife of the Elector of Brandenburg. Will you 
 take note of this, Burgsdorf? " 
 
 " I will take note of it and act accordingly, most gracious 
 sir." 
 
 " Well, then, make all needful preparations for your jour- 
 ney. You must set out to-morrow at the earliest dawn, and 
 come to me this evening to receive my last instructions. You 
 will, of course, travel under an assumed name, for it is every- 
 where known that old Conrad von Burgsdorf is my lord high 
 chancellor, and Queen Christina would know directly that I 
 had sent you. I shall expect you this evening, Burgsdorf." 
 
52 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 VI. — The Last Faeewell. 
 
 The eight days' respite demanded by Gabriel Nietzel had 
 expired. The shades of night were falling, the last night 
 which the father and son were to pass together. Gabriel had 
 spent the whole day in lonely solitude in the gloomy, unfur- 
 nished room which he had rented for himself and his son in 
 a wretched hut of the suburbs. In vain had the child run in 
 from the street at intervals to beg " uncle " to let him stay 
 with him; this uncle had invariably bidden him go back and 
 play with the other boys, and not trouble himself about hi& 
 silence and dejection. But now that evening had come, the 
 boy, with determined looks and almost defiant air, re-entered 
 the chamber, where Gabriel had been sitting at the window^ 
 with folded hands and tearful eyes, watching his son plajdng 
 in the street, and listening to the lively tones of his voice which 
 sounded with angelic sweetness in his ears. 
 
 " I am going to stay here now, Claus," said the boy posi- 
 tively. " I am not going with those wild boys any more, but 
 mean to stay with you, uncle! You shall not drive me away^ 
 as if I were a dog! " 
 
 " I have no wish to do so, Raphael," replied Gabriel, with 
 a melancholy smile. "If you had not come I should have 
 called you, for we are to take a walk together." 
 
 " Oh, that is fine — that is splendid! " cried the boy. " I 
 am so glad. Uncle Glaus. You always tell me such pretty 
 stories in our walks, and show me so many pretty things. 
 Let us take a long, long walk as we did when we came 
 here." 
 
 "Where would you like to go, Raphael?" asked Gabriel, 
 rising from his seat, and drawing the hood of his gown over 
 his head. 
 
 " I would like to go to the same place I came from," said 
 the boy warmly. 
 
 "To Venice?" 
 
 "Yes, yes, to Venice," cried the boy, with vehemence. 
 ** Why did you take me away, Glaus? It was so pleasant there 
 —-so warm and lively in the streets, so much beautiful green 
 
THE LAST FAREWELL. 53 
 
 water everywhere, so many handsome houses, and such a 
 bright blue sky above. Why did you not leave me there with 
 my grandfather? ^' 
 
 "You have forgotten, Eaphael, your grandfather was 
 dead; you were there alone! " 
 
 " Dead! ^^ cried the boy, with tremulous, tearful voice. 
 " You always say that when people go away and leave their 
 children alone. My father and mother are dead, too, but I 
 do not believe it, old Glaus. You only say so because you do 
 not like me to know that my parents were bad, and went away 
 from their poor little one and would have nothing to do with 
 him. The boys in the street say this is the way of it, and they 
 laugh and jeer at me because I have no parents, and do not 
 even know who they were." 
 
 "The boys shall not tease you or laugh at you again,. 
 Eaphael," said Gabriel quickly. " You shall learn this even- 
 ing who your parents were. Come, give me your hand; let 
 us be going." 
 
 " Where are we going, Glaus? " 
 
 " To a place where I will tell you about your mother. 
 Look once more around the room, Eaphael, right slowly, that 
 a little of your looks may be left behind." 
 
 The boy laughed, and the silvery ring of this childish 
 laugh sounded strange in that bare and sordid room. 
 
 " How foolish you are to-day, Glaus! " said the boy. " My 
 eyes are not like those of the prince in the fairy tale, that 
 turned everything to gold upon which they rested." 
 
 "Never mind, Eaphael. They are like stars to me, and 
 whatever they have shone upon will look brighter forever 
 in my eyes! One thing more I have to ask of you. Gome here 
 to my bed." 
 
 He led him into the darker corner of the chamber, where 
 in a wretched press bed lay some straw, covered with a black 
 woolen spread. 
 
 "Kneel down, Eaphael," said Glaus, with gentle voice 
 — "kneel down and lay your hand upon this couch, where 
 you have so often heard me sigh and moan during these last 
 nights." 
 
 The boy did as he was bid. He knelt down by the bed- 
 
54 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 side and laid both hands upon the coarse canvas pillow stuffed 
 with straw. 
 
 " Now say ' Good by, poor old Claus! May God bless you 
 and forgive your sins! ' " 
 
 The boy repeated the words in his silvery clear voice; as 
 if impelled by an instinct of love he leaned forward and pressed 
 a kiss upon this pillow, which had been wet with so many 
 tears and warmed by so many sighs. 
 
 " Love me, good Claus! " cried the child, " and every 
 evening when you go to bed feel the kiss I have given your 
 pillow.'^ 
 
 Gabriel sank down beside him, and with a loud sob joined 
 his hands above his head. " Oh, it is her spirit that lives in 
 him, her heart that speaks through him," he murmured, while 
 the tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he started up, and 
 gently drew the boy toward him. 
 
 " Let us go now," he said, forcing his voice to be firm and 
 composed. ^^ You have now taken your last farewell of this 
 chamber, and never shall return here again." 
 
 He flung his arm around the boy's neck, and drew him to 
 the street door, which he opened. 
 
 " Eaphael," he said solemnly, " with the first step you take 
 across this threshold, you enter upon a new life. May God 
 bless you and the holy spirit of your mother attend you! Give 
 me your hand now and let us go! " 
 
 " Where are we going? " asked the boy again, as, holding 
 Gabriel's hand, he stepped out upon the street. 
 
 " I will tell you when we get there, meanwhile let us go 
 along in silence." 
 
 The child obeyed, clinging more closely to Gabriel, while 
 he gave himself up to his guidance. Thus they passed rapidly 
 and noiselessly through the deserted streets, until beyond the 
 castle moat they reached the Willow-bank suburb, which was 
 a mere marshy waste. 
 
 " Where are we going? " asked the boy for the third time. 
 
 " Raphael, we are going where I saw your mother for the 
 last time," replied Gabriel, with solemn voice, continuing 
 to move forwe^rd. 
 
 They had now passed through the suburb, crossed the 
 
THE LAST FAREWELL. 55 
 
 Spree bridge, and through the solitary Willow-bank Gate 
 came out into the open country. 
 
 The moon, shining with golden splendor, seemed to irradi- 
 ate with almost daylight brightness the broad expanse of sandy 
 plain stretching out before them; winding along in the midst 
 of it an avenue of weeping willows marked the road leading 
 to the fortress of Spandow. The deep-blue heavens were 
 eprinkled with stars, which with their glory made the whole 
 horizon seem like a canopy studded with sparkling gems, 
 stretched by the hand of God above the earth, man's throne. 
 
 But upon this throne and beneath this heavenly canopy 
 knelt in the silence of night a poor, heart-broken man, wring- 
 ing his hands, and lifting his tear-dimmed eyes to heaven 
 with a look of intense longing, as if among these myriads 
 of stars and roving planets he sought for th^ one only star 
 that could brighten his night and bring peace to his troubled 
 spirit. Beside him stood the boy, sometimes looking with 
 bewilderment upon the kneeling figure at his side and some- 
 times up to the glorious sky, and a blissful smile lighted up 
 his lovely childish countenance, for it seemed to him as if 
 the man in the moon were looking kindly down upon him, 
 and smiling upon him with his broad, golden face. 
 
 But the sobs and groans of his friend recalled the boy's 
 thoughts to earth. He bent over him and tenderly threw 
 iiis arms around Gabriel's neck. 
 
 " Dear, good Glaus," he whispered coaxingly, " do tell 
 me why you cry so much? " 
 
 " I will tell you, Eaphael! " cried Glaus, with a loud and 
 solemn voice. " Cast yourself upon your knees and kiss 
 the ground on which you stand. This is the spot where your 
 mother blessed you for the last time. Here she stood when 
 for the last time she pressed a kiss upon your lips, and then 
 laid you in my arms. Here I was forced to swear a solenm 
 oath to her, that I would go away with you, while she returned 
 to that dreadful city, which she well knew would prove to be 
 her tomb." 
 
 "And why did you let her go back to the city?" asked 
 the boy impatiently. " Why did you not take my dear mother 
 away with you? " 
 
56 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " She would not come with us," sighed Gabriel. " She was 
 a heroine, or, if you will, a saint; danger affrighted not the 
 heroine, because the saint must atone for a crime — ^blot out 
 an evil deed by an act of love. Oh, my child, my beloved 
 child — ^for in this hour I may call you so, although I am not 
 your father — my beloved child, while you live, never forget 
 your noble, virtuous, and beautiful mother. Swear to me 
 that you will cherish her memory; that you will call upon 
 her when you are in want and danger; that you will pray to 
 her when sin entices you and crime would draw you into her 
 nets. Swear to me that in all the great moments of your 
 life you will look up to heaven, and call upon your mother 
 to be near and help you! " 
 
 " I swear to do so, father Glaus," said the boy with low, 
 clear voice. "But will my mother hear me? — will she take 
 notice of the poor little boy whom she forsook? Ah, Glaus, 
 you say my mother loved me a great deal. But how could a 
 mother forsake her child if she loved him? " 
 
 " Because she loved you, Eaphael, she left you. It is writ- 
 ten, 'the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the chil- 
 dren,^ and that this curse might not fall upon your head, as 
 well as to atone for the crime of the unworthy being whom 
 she loved, she turned from you and offered herself a cheerful 
 sacrifice to death. Oh, it is a long, sad story, and you would 
 not understand it if I were to tell it to you — a story of blood 
 and tears, a story full of rapture and despair, full of hatred 
 and of love. If you were a man I would tell it to you, and 
 you would tear your hair and beat upon your breast for an- 
 guish and despair. But you are still a child, barely ten years 
 old, and you would not understand the fearful circumstances 
 which induced your noble mother, here upon this very spot, 
 to part with you and bid an eternal farewell to her darling 
 child. Seven years have gone by since then, seven long, 
 dreadful years, which sometimes seem to me like an eternity 
 and sometimes only a minute; like a dream they have flitted 
 by, and through the mist, I discern your mother's lofty, strik- 
 ing form. There she stands, proud and dignified as a queen, 
 yet modest and gentle as a maid. There she stands, wholly 
 enveloped in a mantle of light, her eyes sparkling like 
 
THE LAST FAREWELL. 57 
 
 heavenly stars, her smile radiant as moonlight, and all about 
 her is sunshine, peace, and a heavenly transfiguration. I see 
 you, Eebecca. You hover near me in the night wind — ^you 
 stretch out your arms to me and your child! Oh, take us 
 with you, draw us up to yourself in your land of immortal 
 joy and peace! " 
 
 Carried away by inspiration he spread out his arms in the 
 direction of the wind, which, sighing and moaning, swept 
 across the plain, and made the boy shudder with fright. 
 
 " Claus, let us go away," he murmured, nestling closer 
 to his side; " it is so sad here. Surely spirits must be abroad, 
 and are holding their revels here in the moonshine." 
 
 " Do not be afraid, Eaphael," sighed Gabriel, relapsing 
 from his state of rhapsody. " Do not be afraid; it is noth- 
 ing but the ghosts of memory which haunt the spot, and fill 
 my heart with awe as I listen to their mournful dirges. 
 Raphael, I see your mother, standing before me as of yore. 
 She fixes her large eyes upon me, speaks to me with her im- 
 pressive voice, and commands me to introduce the child of 
 her grief and love to the world and life, and not to shut him 
 up to poverty and degradation; she commands me to per- 
 form my last act of penance, to renounce you. And I obey 
 her orders. I tear myself away from you. Raphael, to-night 
 I speak with you for the last time — to-night I take a lifelong 
 farewell of you! " 
 
 " Oh, uncle, dear uncle, why so? " asked the boy, breaking 
 out into loud weeping. " Why do you not keep me with you? 
 I will beg with you, weep with you, suffer hunger and thirst 
 with you. I love you so much, Glaus, so very much. Do not 
 drive me away from you, keep me with you! " 
 
 "You love me, my child?" exclaimed Gabriel joyfully. 
 " Oh, say it once again. Is it actually true that you love 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes, I love you, and I want to stay with you." 
 
 " Bless you for those words, son of your mother! " cried 
 Gabriel, clasping the boy firmly in his arms. " Those words 
 were your parting gift, my son, and I shall treasure them in 
 my heart and soul as long as I live, as long as I continue to 
 drag out the weary chain of existence. But this night rends 
 
58 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 the cords of love which bound you to me, and closes all con- 
 nection between you and me. If you meet me to-morrow 
 you must not greet the beggar who humbly creeps along at 
 your side, but turn another way, and proudly pass him by." 
 
 "No, uncle, I can not and will not do that!" cried the 
 boy. " What a bad boy I would be if I pretended not to know 
 you, who have been so good and kind to me; the only person 
 who received and cared for the solitary neglected boy! Oh, 
 you think I have forgotten that time when you came to me 
 in Venice. I was quite alone in the world, and there was no 
 one to pity the poor little beggar, who had to beg his bread 
 from door to door, thankful for a morsel bestowed upon him 
 in charity. But you took me, poor child that I was, in your 
 arms, fondled and wept over me. Your tears fell hot upon my 
 forehead, and did me good. Your arms held me so tenderly 
 and I felt so warm and happy, I shall never forget it! I re- 
 member very well, Glaus, that for many weeks before I had 
 had no sleeping place but a dark corner of the street, no pillow 
 but the stone steps of a house; and when you took me in your 
 arms I felt that I had now found a warm and soft place to 
 rest my head, and I was happy, so happy, that to try my new 
 resting place, I fell asleep. And now, you dear, bad Glaus, 
 you would have me be an ungrateful fellow, although you 
 have always taught me that ingratitude was base! Now you 
 would have me pass you as if I did not know you, when you 
 have always told me we ought to be true to our friends, and 
 never forget those who have done us a kindness. You have 
 done so much for me Glaus, and been just like a father to me! 
 And I tell you, if you will send me away and have nothing 
 to do with me, send me so far away that I will never meet 
 you, for if I should see you I could not help falling on your 
 neck, and rejoicing that I had once more found my dear 
 Uncle Glaus! " 
 
 " I charge you to do no such thing, Eaphael," said Gabriel, 
 and in spite of himself his voice was soft and tender. "It 
 is the last command I shall give you: never try to speak to 
 or accost me. To-night we part forever. Be happy, my child; 
 your mother's blessing rest upon you, and make you a good 
 and virtuous man! Once more I repeat it: Think always of 
 
THE LAST FAREWELL. 59 
 
 your mother! Honor her in every woman you come in con- 
 tact with in after years; you do not understand my meaning 
 now, but charge your memory with the words, and by and by 
 you will understand them." 
 
 " I will do so, Glaus," sighed the child, wiping the tears 
 from his eyes with the back of his hand. " But you are al- 
 ways talking about my mother. You always say I must love 
 and honor her, and say nothing about my father. Must I 
 not love and honor him, too? " 
 
 Gabriel shrank back, and a shudder passed over his frame. 
 "No," he murmured — "no, you must neither think of him 
 nor love him." 
 
 " I shall, though! " cried the boy. " I shall love my father 
 just as much as my mother! Tell me now, Glaus, what my 
 father's name was, and what he did that you always speak 
 so bitterly of him? " 
 
 " Do not ask, child, do not ask! " groaned Gabriel. " I 
 can not tell you your father's name, for he abjured it. T 
 can not tell you what he did. He was a great criminal, and 
 if he were yet alive his life could be only one prolonged act 
 of penance." 
 
 " Poor father! I love him, nevertheless, and shall always 
 pray for him," whispered the boy, sleepily and wearily nest- 
 ling close up to Gabriel. 
 
 " Pray for him, yes, pray for him," said Gabriel, his voice 
 choked with tears, and pressing the boy nearer to his heart. 
 
 " Let us go home," begged Eaphael. " I am so tired, I 
 want to go to bed." 
 
 "My child, to-night you have no bed or home," said 
 Gabriel softly. "I will be your home and my heart your 
 bed this last night that we are to spend together. To-morrow 
 I shall conduct you to a noble prince, dwelling in a stately 
 palace; but I would have you ever remember that before you 
 went there you had been in a grander palace, and under the 
 protection of the mightiest of princes. Look around you^ 
 Raphael; no princely palace is so spacious as these plains, 
 no vaulted ceiling ever equaled in grandeur the moonlit 
 splendor of this starry sky. Here we are in the house of the 
 
 mightiest of princes, for we are in the house of God! He 
 5 
 
60 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 is with us at this moment, he spreads his canopy above us, 
 and looks down upon us in his stars. Feel his breath in the 
 rustling night wind, behold the reflection of his face in the 
 arched firmament above us! " 
 
 The boy made no answer. He only clung closer to Gabriel, 
 who had allowed him gently to sink upon the earth, on the 
 very spot where he had taken his last farewell of Eebecca. 
 
 The boy's head rested upon GabrieFs left arm, his counte- 
 nance was turned toward heaven, and his grave expressive 
 eyes — Eebecca's eyes — looked with dreamy blissful glances 
 up at the glittering stars, which in solemn repose looked down 
 from above. 
 
 But Gabriel lifted not his glance on high; he only gazed 
 upon his child, whom he now for the last time held in his 
 arms, and from whom, this hallowed night, he was to take 
 a lifelong farewell. Now the child's dreamy glances dropped 
 from heaven to the contemplation of Gabriel's face. The 
 eyes of father and son met in a long look of fond affection. 
 The moon looked down upon both, and alone saw the tears 
 which stood in Gabriel's eye and the smile playing about 
 the lips of his child. 
 
 Gradually the lids closed over the boy's eyes, once more 
 with a last effort he opened them, looked up into Gabriel's 
 face, and higher up at the glorious stars, then they shut 
 wearily, and with an infinite feeling of contentment the boy 
 stretched himself out upon the bed that he had found in his 
 father's arms. 
 
 Quiet was round about, all nature slumbered in repose. 
 Only occasionally was heard afar off the barking of a dog, 
 to which a faint echo gave response. Once a night bird flew 
 past, with hoarse croaking, making a dark streak across the 
 sky, which Gabriel seemed to see long after the dismal bird 
 had disappeared. Then again all was still, and the twinkling 
 stars and silver moonlight illuminated the broad white sandy 
 plain and the dark group in its center — the father holding 
 his child in his arms! 
 
 The boy slept, but still occasionally raised his eyelids, as 
 if to see whether his father's loving, affectionate face, and 
 the blue, shining heavens were still there, and then he closed 
 
THE LAST FAREWELL. 61 
 
 them again and smiled, as children smile when .they see 
 angels in their dreams. It was a heautiful, holy night, and a 
 breath of its eternal peace sank into the soul of the poor, 
 afflicted father, and a glimpse of its infinite glory penetrated 
 deeply the heart and memory of the boy! Often hereafter will 
 thoughts of this night visit both; often in hours of grief will 
 the man^s soul be strengthened by this sacred remembrance; 
 often will to-night^s stars shine in the boy's heart, smiling 
 upon him with his mother's eyes! 
 
 And the boy will become a youth, and the memory of 
 his sorrowful childhood and the poor, broken-hearted man 
 who now holds him in his arms be obliterated before brighter 
 images of the present; but the memory of this starry night 
 will live fresh and radiant in his heart, and never will his 
 <jye be uplifted to heaven at night that the stars of this night 
 and his mother's love will not spring up anew within him. 
 
 The sun was quite high in the heavens when Gabriel bent 
 down over the boy and awoke him with a kiss. It was the 
 first time since they had lived together that Glaus had per- 
 mitted himself to indulge in this demonstration of tender- 
 ness, so that in spite of his sleepiness Eaphael looked at him 
 in amazement. 
 
 " Gome now, my child,^' said Gabriel softly; " the first 
 morning of your new life has dawned, and you must begin 
 it with love and Joy. I have waked you to this new life with 
 a kiss, and when death shall one day call you to a yet higher 
 sphere, may lips as tender as mine bestow upon you a parting 
 benediction! And now let us go, Raphael. We are ex- 
 pected." 
 
 " We expected, Glaus? " 
 
 " Hush! ask no questions — ^you will know all soon enough. 
 Gome! " 
 
 " But I am hungry, Glaus. "Why do you give me no warm 
 milk and bread this morning? Glaus, I am hungry." 
 
 " You will have plenty to eat at the place we are going 
 to. You will never be hungry again — you will never know 
 want again, Raphael. And now, speak not another word! 
 Let us go along in silence, and if you choose pray in your 
 heart." 
 
62 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Give me your hand, Claus, and let ns go." 
 " No; walk by yourself, only at my side. Do not catch 
 hold of my hand — do not touch me! It hurts me. Hence- 
 forth each of us must go alone, and if we meet to-morrow 
 we meet as strangers." 
 
 He struck into the path leading to the city, and the hoy 
 trotted along at his side, with serious, almost melancholy 
 lookfi. 
 
 VII. — Electoe and Beggak. 
 
 The Elector was in his sitting room. It was still early 
 in the morning, and Frederick William gave himself up to 
 the quiet enjoyment of his breakfast, which consisted of a 
 bowl of highly seasoned soup, such as long years ago consti- 
 tuted the ordinary morning meal at the Electoral court. 
 Frederick William, however, was thoughtful and absent- 
 minded, for often, as he carried to his mouth the silver 
 spoon, filled with steaming soup, his glance flew across to 
 the great wall clock hanging beside the door, which, in its 
 long, narrow ebony case, was not exactly fitted to enliven 
 the low, gloomy room with its faded furniture. Just now a 
 small door above the dial plate opened with a whirring sound. 
 A cock of tolerably artistic workmanship, with colored plu- 
 mage, stepped briskly out, opened his beak to crow at little 
 intervals with loud, shrill voice, and then swiftly vanished, 
 as he came, through the trap door. 
 
 ^' Eight o'clock! " said the Elector, who had now finished 
 his breakfast and stood up. " Eight o'clock! I am curious 
 to know if Gabriel Nietzel will keep " 
 
 " Gracious sir," broke in Chamberlain Kunkel, who now 
 approached from the lesser antechamber, "the beggar who 
 was here some weeks since has come again; he says your high- 
 ness gave him an appointment at this time! " 
 
 " He speaks the truth. Admit him. He has a boy with 
 him, has he not? " 
 
 "Yes, gracious sir, a boy of about ten years of age, an 
 
ELECTOR AND BEGGAR. 03 
 
 angel of beauty! Pardon me, your highness, for saying so> 
 but I have never in my life seen so beautiful a child." 
 
 *^ He must indeed be truly beautiful, since he has attracted 
 the attention of so devoted an alchemist as yourself, Kunkel, 
 who have no eyes for anything but crucibles and phials. But 
 time presses — bring in the beggar, Kunkel." 
 
 " With the boy, your highness? " 
 
 " As the man himself may choose." 
 
 Kunkel went out, much astonished that his Electoral 
 Grace should permit the beggar to exercise his own discretion 
 with regard to any matter. 
 
 A moment later the door opened softly, and Gabriel Niet- 
 zel entered. He remained standing humbly near the door, 
 and leant his hand upon a chair beside him, as if he feared 
 that he would fall if this support should fail him. The 
 Elector looked into Gabriel's pale and sunken face, upon 
 which the pain and agitation of these past eight days had 
 wrought frightful ravages, and his soul was touched with 
 sympathy. 
 
 " Gabriel Nietzel," he said, advancing toward the beggar, 
 and there was a something of entreaty in his voice — " Gabriel 
 Metzel, I hope you have come to tell me that you can not 
 persist in the frightful penance which you have imposed 
 upon yourself, and I tell you you will be right in so doing. 
 Our God is a. God of love, and he will not refuse to pardon 
 you, if penitent. Besides, an angel stands before his throne, 
 and pleads for you. Eebecca saved my life, and I would 
 recompense you for the good done me by lier. Hear me once 
 more. I shall not persuade you to emerge from obscurity 
 and concealment, but I would at least procure you a comfort- 
 able means of subsistence. I will make you steward of my 
 Boetzon estate, not far from here. In the village are a good 
 schoolmaster and learned priest; both together could in- 
 struct the boy in scientific matters as well as farming, and 
 if he is industrious, and becomes a worthy, honest man, we 
 will constitute him inspector of one of our domains, and in 
 your old age you could receive from him the bread of charity, 
 which you will not take from me. Now say that you will 
 accept my offer, Gabriel Nietzel." 
 
^4 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 A pause ensued. Nothing was heard but the loud ticking 
 of the clock, and Gabriel's quick-coming breath. He had 
 folded his hands convulsively together, his body shaking as 
 if rocked by the fierceness of a tempestuous wind. The 
 J^lector fixed his large, beaming eyes upon him, and awaited 
 his decision with features full of expectancy. 
 
 " Well," exclaimed Frederick William, impatiently at last, 
 ^^ will you accept my offer, Gabriel Metzel? " 
 
 The beggar slowly raised his head, and his large, deep- 
 sunken eyes met the Elector's gaze with firmness. 
 
 " Gracious sir," he said, with loud and solemn voice, 
 ^^you mistake me. I am not Gabriel Metzel, and know no 
 such person. I am the beggar Claus, and in obedience to 
 your highness's instructions I have brought the orphan boy 
 whose rearing you expressed a desire to superintend." 
 
 The Elector stamped his foot impatiently, and turned 
 away, as if in indignation — perhaps to conceal the tears which 
 had moistened his eyes. 
 
 " Well then, let me see the boy." 
 
 " Gracious sir, you promised me to tell no one, not even 
 him, who his parents were." 
 
 " I promised and shall keep my word. Open the door 
 and admit the boy." 
 
 Gabriel Metzel obeyed; he opened the door and beckoned 
 with his hand. Immediately within the open doorway ap- 
 peared the boy's pretty, slender form. His cheeks glowed 
 with excitement and impatience, and his large black eyes 
 were fixed boldly and inquiringly upon the strange gentle- 
 man in the gold-embroidered coat, while his crimson lips 
 slightly trembled as if from inward emotion. But he reso- 
 lutely compressed them and involuntarily shook his head, 
 so that his long fair curls fell in a golden shower over his 
 rosy face. 
 
 "Kunkel is, right indeed," murmured the Elector; "this 
 is a beautiful child. What is the boy's name? " he asked then, 
 turning to Gabriel. 
 
 "He has no name, sir; he is waiting to receive a name 
 from you." 
 
 The boy quickly raised his head and shook back the curls 
 
ELECTOR AND BEGGAR. 65 
 
 from his brow. " What are you saying there, Glaus? " he 
 asked defiantly. " I have a name. My name is Eaphael." 
 
 " His father once gave him that name out of pride and 
 presumption/' said Gabriel softly. "But he has repented 
 of it, and, through me, begs you, sir, to change it! '' 
 
 " I shall do so, Ga " The Elector paused, warned 
 
 by a pleading glance from Gabriel. "I shall do so, Glaus. 
 Has the boy been baptized yet? " 
 
 " No, sir, he has not been baptized.'' 
 
 *'Then we will have him baptized. Has his father de- 
 termined in what Ghurch he shall be reared?" 
 
 "No, your highness. It depends entirely upon your 
 will." 
 
 " Then he shall be received into the Reformed Ghurch,. 
 of which I am myself a member, for I like those in whom 
 I have an interest to be of the same faith as myself. I will 
 therefore have the boy baptized, and then send him to a 
 school where he shall be well instructed. Has he a prefer- 
 ence for any profession, or has his father determined what 
 he shall become?" 
 
 " I know myself what I want to be," cried the boy eagerly. 
 " I want to be a soldier, a brave soldier, in splendid uniform 
 and with saber rattling at my side, who will be dreaded and 
 looked up to by everybody." 
 
 " Truly you are a fine little fellow ! " cried the Elector,, 
 with a well-pleased smile, contemplating the boy's animated 
 countenance and sparkling eyes. " I think it stands plainly 
 written upon your face that you would make a valiant sol- 
 dier. Tell me," he continued, turning to the beggar, " has the 
 father expressed any wish with regard to his son's future ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness," replied Gabriel, after short reflec- 
 tion. " He did have such a wish, and were he yet alive he 
 would implore your grace upon his knees to grant it." 
 
 " I promise you to fulfill it. Tell me what it is ? " 
 
 "Your highness, the father of this boy would beseech 
 you to bring up the son to walk in his mother's footsteps, 
 and make restitution for the evil deed which his father " 
 
 " Hark ! " interposed the Elector, with frowning brow 
 and angry voice ; " it is not right for you to speak ill of the 
 
ee THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 father in presence of the son, and accuse him of sin and 
 crime. It is written, ' Thou shalt honor thy father and thy 
 mother, that thy days may be long upon the earth.' Instead 
 of this, you have taught this poor child to despise and hate 
 his father. You must do so no more. And listen, little fel- 
 low, do not believe that your father was such a bad man as 
 Claus there says. On the contrary, your father was quite a 
 good man, and you must reverence him in thought, for he 
 loved you very much." 
 
 " Sir, you knew my father, then! '' exclaimed the boy, 
 running up to the Elector and laying both hands upon his 
 arm, while he lifted his dark eyes to Frederick William's 
 face with an expression of glowing impatience. 
 
 "Yes," replied the Elector, "I knew your father, and 
 repeat that he was not so bad as Claus would have you be- 
 lieve." 
 
 " Oh, sir! " cried the boy, smiling, " I never did believe 
 it. And the more Claus abused him the more I loved my 
 father, and prayed to God for him." 
 
 " And you do right in this, my child," said the Elector, 
 approvingly. " Pray for your father, and think of him as pure 
 from sin. He was a man, and sin upon her approach found 
 him weak, and enticed him into evil paths. But his heart 
 was good, and therefore God pitied him, and sent him a mes- 
 senger of eternal life, who made full restitution for the evil 
 he had wrought. Let this love embalm his memory, and, 
 if your poor father is actually dead, let us hope that he is 
 safely housed in the mansions of eternal bliss. He has re- 
 pented fully, then let us with our whole hearts forgive him 
 as we hope ourselves to be forgiven." 
 
 " Sir, my beloved sir! " cried the beggar, weeping aloud 
 and falling upon his knees — " I thank you for these words? 
 They shall be my support and consolation, and, when God 
 in his mercy releases me from life, I shall think of you while 
 breathing my last prayer." 
 
 " Stand up, poor man," said the Elector kindly. " My 
 child, help your father to rise from his knees." 
 
 " Help him I will! " cried the boy; " but Claus is not my 
 father, sir. My father was no beggar, but a grand gentleman, 
 
ELECTOR AND BEGGAR. 67 
 
 an artist. Claus denies this, it is true; but I am not so stupid 
 — I know that it is true." 
 
 " And how do you know it? " 
 
 " My grandfather often told me so, when I lived with 
 him in Venice, and I noted well his words. ' Your father is 
 a great painter,' he would often say, ' and produces such 
 beautiful forms upon canvas that they seem to live and 
 breathe.' Then he would point to a lovely portrait hanging 
 upon the wall in his chamber, and say: ' That is your mother. 
 Only see, how pleasantly she smiles, and how good and happy 
 «he looks! This is your father's work, and is living, although 
 the original has been long since dead and buried.' " 
 
 " Dead she is, but not buried! " groaned the beggar, clasp- 
 ing his hands over his face. " I can not conduct her son to 
 her grave, for she has none. She was murdered! Mur- 
 dered! " 
 
 *^Hush, Claus, hush!" said the Elector imperiously. 
 " God has taken her to himself, and also summoned to his 
 bar him who probably was guilty of her death. He has judged 
 and sentenced, and silence becomes man. But you have still 
 to answer my question, Claus. You were to tell me if this 
 boy's father would have selected any especial calling for 
 him." 
 
 " He entertained the wish, sir, that he might become your 
 servant, living near you, to protect you from danger and 
 watch by you in sickness. Sir, if his father had lived he would 
 have fallen on his knees, and with uplifted hands said: ^ Do 
 not make Eebecca's son a distinguished man; let him remain 
 in obscurity, but give him a noble calling; let him be a sol- 
 dier. When the boy becomes a youth take him into your 
 bodyguard, and when a full-grown man, into your own regi- 
 ment.' " 
 
 " It shall be as you say," exclaimed the Elector cheer- 
 fully. " But he must learn something first, for I do not in- 
 tend that in the future my soldiers shall be such ignorant, 
 Tude fellows as they are now. And, that you may feel no un- 
 easiness about the boy, Claus, I will show you directly that 
 I have already made provision for his future." 
 
 The Elector rang, and ordered Chancellor Kunkel, who 
 
68 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 obeyed the summons, to introduce Inspector Ulile of Joa- 
 chim's vale. A few moments later there appeared in the 
 antechamber door, the portly figure of a man about fifty 
 years old, of grave, dignified aspect. 
 
 " Now Uhle,'' called out the Elector, " you shall see that 
 I keep my word. Day before yesterday, when I was at 
 Joachim's vale, inspecting the Prince's school of the Convent 
 of Dambeck, and you met me with such a sad countenance, 
 complaining of the decline of the school, and that scholars 
 came no longer to enter themselves, I promised to procure 
 you one boarder myself, and bade you come here at the pres- 
 ent time. Well, here is the boarder I promised you, and he 
 is to accompany you forthwith to Dambeck. Have you a 
 conveyance ready, that you may set out immediately? " 
 
 " A carriage stands ready awaiting your highness's com- 
 mands," replied the man, reverentially, " and my wife has a 
 chamber already prepared for the boarder's reception. We 
 both return you our most humble acknowledgments for your 
 gracious assistance. War has utterly ruined our property; 
 the Swedes and Imperialists have robbed us and left us noth- 
 ing but our wretched lives." 
 
 " Yet you always had the place of inspector of the Elec- 
 toral school," said the Elector soothingly. 
 
 ''Yes, sir, but it brings us nothing but a shelter in the 
 convent free of rent, some firewood, and a bit of land for rais- 
 ing corn and vegetables. We had planted our field, the corn 
 was in full ear, when last year the Swedes came, pitilessly 
 trampled down the whole, and rendered all our toil and labor 
 vain. So we passed a wretched winter and often had but 
 slender fare, for the school had gone down completely, and 
 was closed the whole winter, because there were no scholars. 
 Now there is no fixed salary attached to the discharge of my 
 office as inspector, but my pay is entirely proportionate to the 
 number of pupils in the school." 
 
 " Then it was indeed bad for you to have the school closed 
 during the whole winter," said the Elector. " Be of good 
 courage, all will be better now, and I hope that ere long, all 
 the wounds war has inflicted upon my poor people will be 
 healed. The Joachim valley school shall be re-established. 
 
ELECTOR AND BEGGAR, 69 
 
 and all the pastors and magistrates within the confines of 
 the Mark must exert themselves to procure studious pupils 
 for the Prince's school. I will give them a good example, 
 and send twelve hoarders, for whose maintenance I will my- 
 self provide. Behold your first boarder, old Uhle, and you 
 must promise me to receive him kindly and treat him as if 
 he were your own child.'' 
 
 " Your highness, I promise from the bottom of my soul, 
 and I feel that I can keep my word, for the boy seems to be a 
 fine one, and has already won my heart. Besides, last year 
 God took from us our only child, and so we will love the 
 child as if he were our own. Will you go with me, little man? 
 Will you stay with me, and be my son? " 
 
 The boy fixed his large, black eyes with a long and try- 
 ing look upon the inspector's friendly, smiling face. 
 
 " Yes, I will go with you," he said after a pause, " and I 
 will love you, too. But I can not be your son, and you are not 
 my father, else my Uncle Claus would long since have fallen 
 to scolding you, for he hates my father, and is always abusing 
 him. Say, uncle, is this my father, and can I be his son? " 
 
 "No," replied Claus softly and with downcast eyes — 
 *' no, that is not your father. But you must love this gentle- 
 man as a father, and obey him as if you were his son." 
 
 " And you are to be his son and he your father," said the 
 Elector earnestly. " Hark, Uhle! this boy is an orphan. I 
 knew his parents, and his mother especially once did me a 
 great service. His father also was well known to me, and 
 I promised him to care for his only child. The boy is name- 
 less, for he can not bear his father's name. Now I require 
 of you, Jacob Uhle, to give your name to this child and adopt 
 him. He must call you father, and your wife mother, and 
 find in your house a home. Will you promise me that it shall 
 be so, Jacob Uhle? " 
 
 " I promise you, gracious sir! " cried Uhle solemnly, draw- 
 ing near to the boy and laying both hands upon his fair, curly 
 head. " I swear to your highness to love and cherish this 
 child as if he were my own, and promise that in my housp 
 he shall find a home. I shall from this hour give him my 
 name and treat him as my child." 
 
*rO THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER 
 
 " God bless you for those words! " cried Gabriel, down 
 whose pale cheeks the tears were streaming in torrents. 
 
 " Well then/' said the Elector, gently nodding his head, 
 ^^we have found a father for the orphan, a name for the 
 nameless, and I think his mother in heaven will rejoice over 
 it. I shall provide for the boy's maintenance, and your wife, 
 I am sure, will attend to keeping his wearing apparel in 
 order. You must send me your account, which shall be paid, 
 including a stated sum for his clothing. All else that may 
 be needful shall be communicated to you by my secretary, 
 as also regarding the boy's baptism, which I wish to take 
 place promptly. I myself will stand sponsor for him. You 
 gave the boy his surname, and I will choose him his baptismal 
 one. Let his name be Frederich William Uhle." 
 
 ^'^ Frederick William Uhle!" murmured Gabriel, looking 
 through his tears upon the boy, who seemed to have totally 
 forgotten him, and fixed his smiling, inquisitive looks some- 
 times upon the Elector, sometimes upon Jacob Uhle. 
 
 " Go now, Jacob Uhle, and see that all is in readiness 
 for your journey," ordered the Elector. " The boy shall 
 speedily follow you, and be your traveling companion. Go! " 
 
 He responded to Jacob Uhle's reverential bow by a friend- 
 ly nod, and as soon as that person had gone out turned to 
 Oabriei Nietzel. 
 
 " I wanted to procure you a little respite, that you might 
 take a last farewell of the boy. I can well imagine that your 
 heart feels such a longing, and therefore I sent Jacob Uhle 
 on before." 
 
 " Your highness is noble and magnanimous to the last," 
 replied Gabriel softly. "I thank you. But I have no fur- 
 ther farewell to take, nor anything more to say to Frederick 
 William Uhle. All is over! " 
 
 " But I, bad, old uncle, I have something more to say to 
 you! " cried the boy, running up to Gabriel and flinging both 
 arms around his body. " I have to say to you, that I shall 
 always love you, and that you will never, never be anything 
 to me but my dear, good uncle! And now, give me one more 
 kiss for good-by." 
 
 A d-eadly pallor overspread Gabriel's countenance, and his 
 
ELECTOR AND BEGGAR. 7X 
 
 whole person shook. He convulsively pushed off the boy 
 and freed himself from his embrace. 
 
 "Go!" he cried passionately — "go, and do not touch 
 me! I can not bear it! Go! Have pity, sir, you see I am 
 only a weak man, and it is too much for me. Permit me to 
 withdraw." 
 
 " No, not you, but the boy must go," replied the Elector, 
 ringing. " I have still a couple of words to say to you! " He 
 directed Chamberlain Kunkel, who entered, to conduct the 
 boy to Jacob Uhle, who was awaiting him with his carriage 
 below. " Go, Frederick William Uhle, go and grow up to 
 be a good and virtuous man." 
 
 The boy made no reply. His eyes were ever fixed upon his 
 uncle's pale, quivering features, and gushing tears deprived 
 him of the power of speech. Passively, offering no resistance, 
 he suffered Chamberlain Kunkel to take his hand and lead 
 him to the door. All was dark before his eyes, and he knew 
 not himself the source or meaning of the pain which filled 
 liis little breast. It was not such pain as he used to feel when 
 he had gone hungry and chilly through the streets of Venice, 
 or when, holding by his Uncle Claus's hand, he had followed 
 him wearily in his long and tiresome pilgrimages — he was 
 not hungry, he was not thirsty, his feet were not painful, nor 
 his head aching. But something within pained so sorely, 
 weighed upon him so heavily, that it almost crushed him to 
 the earth. The child let his curly head sink upon his breast, 
 and went slowly out, not knowing that he bore with him his 
 first grief, and that it was his heart which oppressed him so 
 sorely. 
 
 " Gabriel Nietzel," said the Elector, as soon as the door 
 had closed behind the boy, " one word with you now, poor, 
 unhappy man! You have to-day oft'ered the greatest sacri- 
 fice man can bring. You have parted with your child, and 
 renounced him for life. You have done what is most difficult, 
 you have conquered and renounced love. Believe me, poor 
 man, that you have now made full atonement for your sin, 
 and purified yourself from all guilt. The fires of penitence 
 have cleansed your soul from all contamination of crime; 
 they have made you a new man, let your soul rise to a new life. 
 
72 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 Lift up your head, be strong and firm; conquer remorse as 
 you have conquered sin. I, your Elector, to my people and 
 servants, the representative of God upon earth, pronounce 
 you free of all guilt — I absolve you! " 
 
 Gabriel slowly shook his head. " I will do penance to the 
 end,^' he said in a low, spiritless voice. " I vowed so to do 
 when God in his justice permitted me not to perish in the 
 waters of the Tiber, and from the arms of death, again thrust 
 the suicide out into the world. Only God himself can absolve 
 me from doing penance, when he calls me to himself in eter- 
 nal peace, after I shall have suffered all these tortures. He 
 will know when I have endured enough, to be permitted once 
 more to behold my Eebecca's face and be reunited to her." 
 
 "But what will you do?" asked the Elector. "How 
 will you live?" 
 
 " By death, sir! My life will be a prolonged death, my 
 existence a perpetual pang. I will eat the bread of humilia^ 
 tion, begging a bit of bread or a penny from the charity of 
 men, which I shall accept, well knowing that I have not de- 
 served it. Before your castle, sir, will I pass my life as a beg- 
 gar, ever looking up at it and thinking that there you once 
 lay in agony, suffering from poison administered by the hand 
 of an accursed murderer; ever remembering that a blessed 
 angel rescued you from the jaws of death, that my Eebecca 
 saved you; that for me she went to death; and that I can not 
 find her grave, to lie there and die." 
 
 " It is, then, your irrevocable decision to live as a beggar,"" 
 said the Elector. 
 
 " My irrevocable decision, sir." 
 
 " At least tell me something I can do for you," exclaimed 
 the Elector, almost entreatingly. 
 
 " Sir, I beg of you to order the sheriff not to drive me 
 from your castle gate, but permit me to spend my life begging 
 on the castle square." 
 
 Involuntarily the Elector stamped his foot upon the 
 ground. " Well then," he said quickly, " one thing you must 
 at least promise me! The chief cook shall send you a warm 
 bowl of soup every day from my kitchen. You must promise 
 me to eat it." 
 
ELECTOR AND BEGGAR. 73 
 
 " Sir, I can make no such promise! " cried Gabriel, with 
 an expression of horror. " I can not accept food and drink 
 irom one whom I have attempted to poison. Grant me the 
 favor I asked, I have nothing further to desire." 
 
 "Well, be it so! As long as you choose you shall keep 
 your station before the castle, on the castle square and in the 
 pleasure garden, and no man shall dare to interfere with you. 
 But you must daily accept the gift which I shall offer you; 
 and if I can not come myself, take it from him who will bring 
 it to you from me." 
 
 " I am a beggar, sir, and thankfully accept the alms it 
 becomes a beggar to receive. But this alms must not exceed 
 a penny, the amount commonly cast in the beggar's hat. Will 
 your grace " 
 
 The loud rumbling of a wheeled vehicle was heard in the 
 castle yard, silencing Gabriel, and the groan which forced 
 itself from his breast sounded almost like a shriek. 
 
 "It is Jacob Uhle's carriage," said the Elector softly. 
 *' The boy has gone." 
 
 " Yes, and I have lost my son for ever! " cried Gabriel with 
 a heartrending cry of woe. "Dismiss me, sir, dismiss me, 
 let me go." 
 
 " Well, go then, poor man! " said the Elector softly. " May 
 God be gracious to you and speak peace to your soul! " 
 
 Gabriel Nietzel muttered a few unintelligible words and 
 tottered toward the door. 
 
 The Elector looked after him with an expression of pro- 
 found sympathy, and just as he had laid his hand upon the 
 latch and opened it, with sudden haste he called him back: 
 *' Gabriel ISTietzel! " 
 
 The beggar moved on as if it were not he who was called. 
 
 " Glaus! " cried the Elector, " hear one word more! " 
 
 The beggar stood still in the open door, but did not turn 
 round, and his body swayed to and fro. 
 
 " Glaus, if you should feel some day that you have under- 
 gone penance enough — that you can forgive yourself, as God, 
 Rebecca, and I have forgiven you — if you long for rest and a 
 quiet spot to lay your weary head, then come to me and you 
 «hallhaveit!" 
 
74 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 Only an incomprehensible murmur was his reply, and then 
 the bowed form tottered on, and the door closed behind it. 
 
 The Elector stood immovable in his place; it seemed to 
 him as if with the grating, creaking sound of these retreating 
 footsteps his own past, his own youth, were passing away, 
 and an inexpressible feeling of melancholy took possession of 
 his whole soul. A loud noise, as of something heavy falling, 
 aroused him from his reverie. He hastened to the door and 
 opened it. 
 
 " What is the matter, Kunkel? What noise was that? '^ 
 
 "Nothing at all, most gracious sir. The beggar fainted 
 and fell, that was all." 
 
 The Elector closed the door and returned to his own 
 apartment. His large, flaming eyes were slowly raised to 
 heaven, and his thoughts were uplifted to God. 
 
 " Before thee, Lord! " he whispered, "we are all noth- 
 ing but weak, sinful creatures, and all greatness sinks into* 
 nothingness! I thought myself a prince, and wanted to con-^ 
 trol. A beggar comes along and resists me with the might 
 of his will, making me feel that I have no power over him, 
 can control him in nothing, and benefit him in nothing! The 
 beggar is a man like myself, and beggars are we all in thy sight, 
 Lord God Almighty! " 
 
 YIII. — Love's Coubieb Retubns. 
 
 " Well, truly, you have made good speed," was the Elec- 
 tor's greeting to Burgsdorf, as the latter entered his cabinet. 
 "Hardly six weeks have elapsed since you set out on your 
 journey to Sweden, and here you are at home again." 
 
 " Yes, most gracious sir," said Burgsdorf, whose red face 
 shone with rapture — "yes, God be praised, I am at home 
 again. I can not express to your highness how happy I am to 
 find myself once more in dear old Berlin. This morning as 
 I rode into the city, and saw the women milking their cow& 
 in the streets and the hogs wallowing in the mire, I can not 
 
LOVE'S COURIER RETURNS. 75 
 
 paint the sensation of comfort I experienced. Akl home i& 
 a wonderful place, and nowhere is life so pleasant as at Ber- 
 lin! " 
 
 "Where the cows are milked before the doors and the 
 hogs wallow about in the streets — those are indeed advan- 
 tages, which few capitals share with Berlin, and the posses- 
 sion of which few envy us. In Stockholm you were doubt- 
 less deprived of these sweets, old Burgsdorf ? " 
 
 " Entirely deprived of them," asseverated Burgsdorf, with 
 a deep sigh. "" It was dreadful, sir — everything so fine, so 
 prim, so precise. The whole city was clean to a fault, and so 
 quiet and proper in all its parts that it kept one in a constant 
 state of anxiety. God knows I hardly dared to utter one oath 
 all the time I was there, because I thought the men would 
 die of fright at the sound, even though they understood 
 not a word I said. For, would your highness believe it, men 
 are so stupid in Sweden that they do not understand German 
 at all." 
 
 '^ And you are so wise that you understand no Swedish,'* 
 remarked the Elector, laughing. 
 
 " Naturally, sir, not a single word," said Burgsdorf. " I 
 never heard such abominable gibberish in my life as those 
 Swedes talk, and good luck it was for me that at court they 
 spoke nothing but French." 
 
 "I can imagine, old man, what elegant French you 
 spouted!" cried the Elector. "No doubt one word chased 
 another, as a pack of hounds the hunted stag of conversation, 
 and if a couple were swamped by the wayside the others 
 rushed forward only the more courageously." 
 
 " Your highness does me injustice," said Burgsdorf seri- 
 ously. " I do indeed speak very elegant French because my 
 mother was a Frenchwoman, and I was consequently accus- 
 tomed to that tongue, even while in the cradle." 
 
 " Old man, old man, methinks it has been many years 
 since you were the inmate of a nursery." 
 
 " Sixty-two years, your highness, and my mother has been 
 dead full twenty years. Yet I can still speak French as glibly 
 as a dancing master and I assure you that I not only under- 
 stood every word I heard, but spoke so fluently myself that 
 
76 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 her Majesty complimented me upon the style of my conversa- 
 tion." 
 
 "But, Burgsdorf/' said the Elector, "I had hoped that 
 the Queen would be content to speak German with you, for 
 she, too, has a right on the mother's side to claim that as her 
 native tongue." 
 
 "Most gracious sir, the Queen did commence by speak- 
 ing German with me, and I must say she speaks it very well. 
 But it pleased her better to talk French with me, and she was 
 always in a fine humor when we spoke that language." 
 
 " No doubt, it must have been right comical. But enough 
 of this. You must now tell me all that you have seen and 
 heard, besides all that you have done. Come, sit down in that 
 armchair, old friend; you know you used often to sit there 
 when you were telling my father of all your campaigns and 
 adventures. Sit down, old friend." 
 
 And the Elector pointed to the high-backed leather arm- 
 chair, while he himself took a seat upon the small divan. Con- 
 rad von Burgsdorf slowly deposited his unwieldly figure in the 
 armchair, and assumed a thoughtful air. 
 
 " Most gracious sir," he said, " it is true I have often sat 
 opposite your blessed father in this armchair, and told him 
 many a merry tale, but he was always pleased to inspirit me 
 for the task." 
 
 "What are you hinting at now, Burgsdorf?" asked the 
 Elector, smiling. 
 
 " Gracious sir, what do they do when they want violin 
 music? Do they not tune the fiddle and rosin the bow? It 
 is just so with men. They, too, need to be tuned and rosined, 
 when they would make an oration, and that in their best style." 
 
 " It seems to me you have learned at Stockholm to make 
 a most apt use of metaphors," said the Elector, taking up a 
 bell and ringing. 
 
 " Two bottles of Ehenish wine," was his order to the 
 chamberlain, who obeyed his called. " Quick! " 
 
 "Your highness overwhelms me with kindness," cried 
 Burgsdorf, with joyful countenance. " I have not seen a 
 l)ottle of Ehenish wine for six weeks, much less tasted any. 
 Those Polar bears in Sweden heat their cold blood with strong 
 
LOVE'S COxfRIER RETURNS. 77 
 
 Spanish wine when they want to thaw. For my part, I can 
 not bear their Xeres and Madeira; they make me as melan- 
 choly as a screech owl." 
 
 " Then drown your melancholy in German Ehenish wine/' 
 said the Elector, as just at this moment the chamberlain en- 
 tered and placed upon the small table near the divan two 
 bottles of wine, with large green goblets. " Pour out for your- 
 self, lord chamberlain, and drink." 
 
 " Without your highness condescending to pledge me by 
 drinking first? " 
 
 " Well, pour out the fourth of a glass for me, but fill your 
 •own goblet to the brim. I congratulate you upon your happy 
 return home." 
 
 He let his glass touch that of the lord high chamberlain 
 and drank a few drops, while Burgsdorf drained the contents 
 of his large goblet at a draught. 
 
 '^Is the violin tuned now?" asked the Elector, smiling. 
 *^ Has the bow been sufficiently plied with rosin? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness," replied Burgsdorf, drawing a deep 
 breath. " The concert can begin, but it must be allowed me, 
 during little pauses, to tune the violin again, for it is very 
 easily put out of tune." 
 
 " Do so, but mind that the pauses be not too many. And 
 now let the concert open. Tell me, how did the Queen re- 
 ceive you? What said she to her mother's letter, and to you, 
 the living epistle? " 
 
 " Most gracious sir. Queen Christina carelessly threw her 
 mother's letter on the table without reading it, in order to 
 devote herself to me, the living epistle, as your grace says." 
 
 "And she knew how to read you? She penetrated your 
 designs? " 
 
 " Your highness, she only read what I chose to let her read, 
 ■and saw as much of my designs as I meant that she should. 
 The Queen is an uncommonly wise and sharp-witted woman, 
 l)ut I am no dolt, either, so we two resembled a couple of flies 
 Tiovering about a hot loaf, each dreading to be burned, yet 
 grudging it to the other. When she asked me, ^ What of Lord 
 High Chancellor Burgsdorf? Is he still the Elector's con- 
 fidant?' I replied, * Your Majesty, von Burgsdorf is an old 
 
78 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 soldier, whose only pleasure is in fighting and drinking; such 
 an elegant, scholarly gentleman as my Elector, chooses very 
 different confidants from that old fighter/ When I ventured 
 to ask, ' Has your Majesty read your most nohle mother's 
 letter? Will your royal grace not concede a little to your 
 toother's wishes, and fix your heavenly eyes upon Germany, 
 where a handsome young prince has turned his thoughts 
 with ardent love toward the fairest, most distinguished prin- 
 cess in all Europe, namely, your Majesty? ' The young Queen 
 replied with a charming smile: ' I know not of what prince 
 you speak. There are many princes in Germany, and doubt- 
 less all would find it right pleasant to wed me, since I have 
 a kingdom for a dowry. Of what prince do you speak, then? ^ 
 *Your Majesty,' answered I, *I speak of the handsomest, 
 
 youngest, most amiable prince in Germany — of ' ' Of 
 
 young Archduke Leopold of Austria, his father's heir appar- 
 ent?' interrupted she. 'Well, that certainly would be an 
 acceptable match for a queen, for when the archduke becomes 
 Emperor he will at least be the most distinguished prince 
 in Europe.' ' Madam,' replied I gravely, and I believe with 
 becoming dignity, ' I am not speaking of the Archduke Leo- 
 pold of Austria, and I esteem it very questionable if he will 
 ever become Emperor of Germany. I speak of the young 
 Elector Frederick Wilham of Brandenburg, your cousin, and 
 not only the favorite of your mother but of all the ladies.' 
 * Oh, of Jiimj replied her young Majesty snappishly. ' You 
 are right, he does indeed seem the favorite of the ladies, and 
 doubtless many Ariadne-like tears will be shed upon the occa- 
 sion of his approaching marriage. They say he is engaged to 
 Mademoiselle d'Orleans, and that it was Cardinal Mazarin who 
 brought about the match.' ' Your Majesty,' cried I, ' that is 
 a mistake. The Elector is not engaged to Mademoiselle d'Or- 
 leans.' * Well then, it is the little Princess of Orange,' said 
 her Majesty, proudly throwing back her head. * The States 
 and the Prince of Orange will no doubt be very eager to accept 
 the Elector's urgent suit.' ' Your Majesty,' protested I, ' in- 
 deed the Elector has never wooed the Princess of Orange, and 
 it has never entered his mind to marry that young lady.' ' Well 
 then, it is the Archduchess of Austria or a princess of Poland/ 
 
LOVE'S COURIER RETURNS. 79 
 
 cried the Queen, with a laugh which seemed much more the 
 result of pique than of merriment. * The Elector seems to 
 be so much courted, and so many marriageable princesses 
 are offered to him, that he will be puzzled to make a choice/ 
 ' Your Majesty! ' cried I, with commendable ardor, ^ the Elec- 
 tor finds no difiiculty whatever in the matter. He will only 
 follow the dictates of his heart, and his heart has long since 
 made its choice. His heart is fixed with longing upon the 
 young, lovely, fascinating Queen of the North, the inspiring 
 Muse, the heavenly goddess, who has descended from Olym- 
 pus to bless mankind.^ Your highness must understand,'^ 
 explained Burgsdorf, " that this is the style in which Queen 
 Christina's court speak of and to her. There is a perpetual 
 scattering of incense and sounding of praises, and the Queen 
 is so used to it that it seems quite natural to her to be called 
 a goddess or fairy. She instantly understood whom I meant 
 when I spoke of the Muse and goddess. ' Sir! ' cried she, and 
 your grace should have seen how her eyes flashed and how 
 proud she looked — ' sir, I am not of the number of princesses 
 who may be chosen; it is for me to choose the man whom I 
 shall honor with my hand! But I must acknowledge that I 
 have as yet no desire whatever to marry, and when I do, it 
 must be first strictly stipulated that my husband shall not 
 pretend to be my lord, and arrogate to himself authority over 
 me; but be subject to me, and always recognize me as the 
 Sovereign Queen of Sweden, who submits to no guidance, but 
 that of her own head! ' " 
 
 " Ah! she said that, did she? " asked the Elector, smiling. 
 
 " Your highness, those are her own words," affirmed Burgs- 
 dorf, reaching out for the bottle and filling his glass. " I beg 
 permission to apply a little Inore rosin." 
 
 " Those are my little cousin's views, then? " said the Elec- 
 tor. " She will only accept a husband who will at once be- 
 come her slave, and receive all honors and dignities through 
 her." 
 
 " Yes, your highness," replied Burgsdorf, " only a hus- 
 band who will obey orders. Her Majesty afterward expressed 
 herself yet more fully and decidedly upon the subject, and, 
 moreover, in the presence and with the approbation of Chan- 
 
:80 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 cellor Oxenstiern, who is a very proud and cunning man, 
 and so intends to guard by clauses all the freedoms, privi- 
 leges, and honors of the Queen, that her husband will be a 
 mere cipher, not being allowed to meddle in affairs of state 
 • or even occupy a prominent position. The very first condi- 
 tion of this union is to be that her husband shall not at all 
 share her rank, or occupy a place on the throne beside her. 
 The Queen's husband only retains the rank and title he pos» 
 sessed before his marriage; on all state occasions his station 
 is at the side of the throne, on which the Queen sits alone; 
 he always yields her Majesty the precedence, and walks im^ 
 mediately behind her. He has neither seat nor voice in the 
 'Council of state, and expressly promises never to interfere in 
 K^overnment affairs. The honors and dignities granted him 
 by the Queen he is to consider not as his right, but as mere 
 acts of grace. All these conditions the Queen's husband 
 must solemnly pledge himself to fulfill." 
 
 "And what think you, old friend?" asked the Elector, 
 with a sly smile. " Is the young Queen worth so much, as to 
 justify a man in bowing to the earth before her and becoming 
 a simple possession of hers? Is the Queen beautiful, amiable, 
 .and sweet-tempered? Has she a kind heart? Does she possess 
 the qualities needful for a husband's happiness? Is she gentle, 
 patient, intelligent, and unselfish?" 
 
 Burgsdorf cast down his eyes thoughtfully, and his counte- 
 nance was expressive of confusion and embarrassment. "Is 
 your highness asking me in sober earnest, and do you desire 
 me to give an honest, candid answer? " 
 
 "An honest and candid answer, Burgsdorf! For what 
 reason did I send you to Stockholm but that you might see 
 and hear, faithfully reporting to me the result of your observa- 
 tions? Have no concealments with me, lord high chamberlain, 
 but tell me all you know without reserve; for I know you. I 
 know that behind your broad, good-natured face lies hidden 
 a crafty mind, and that you are a wolf who knows how to as- 
 sume sheep's clothing. Speak then, Burgsdorf, honestly and 
 ^openly! " 
 
 " Yes, your highness, I will. So help me God, I shall give 
 .you my honest, true sentiments." 
 
LOVE'S COURIER RETURNS. 8J. 
 
 "If, for example, you were a prince like myself, would 
 you like to have the Queen of Sweden for a wife ? " 
 
 " Heaven forfend! " cried Burgsdorf, with an expression 
 of genuine horror. " That is to say," he continued, soften- 
 ing down, "it would be a very different case for me. Were- 
 I called Elector of Brandenburg ten times over, I should be 
 nothing but the rough, ignorant old fellow I am at present,, 
 and such a man the Queen would not suit. But with your- 
 self, gracious sir, all is so different! You are learned, polished,, 
 handsome, and young — you are in all respects the Queen's 
 equal." 
 
 " Queen Christina, then, is very learned and cultivated? " " 
 
 "Fearfully learned and excessively cultivated," sighed 
 Burgsdorf, casting up to heaven his little watery blue eyes. 
 " I never could have believed that a woman could be so learned 
 and wise, and find so much pleasure in sheep's-leather 
 men and books." 
 
 "What do you mean by sheep's-leather men, old Burgs- 
 dorf?" 
 
 " I understand by that learned gentlemen, who look and 
 act as if they were living in leather-bound folios. I assure 
 your grace these savants are like walking encyclopaedias: if 
 they talk it is always as if they were reading aloud, and their 
 intrusive wisdom has the same effect upon a man as a great 
 bluebottle fly buzzing around his head and bewildering his. 
 senses. But the Queen is charmed with all this, and the more 
 sublimated the nonsense they talk, the better pleased is she 
 and the more radiant becomes her countenance. She enter- 
 tains no one at her court but learned men, artists, and poets, 
 and however ugly and revolting the appearance of these men, . 
 the Queen thinks them handsome, and talks for hours at a 
 time with some old owl of a scholar, while she takes no notice 
 of the young noblemen of her court, unless they are distin- 
 guished for some accomplishment or other." 
 
 " I am pleased to hear this of my dear cousin," exclaimed 
 the Elector, with animation. " It proves that she possesses a 
 noble, high-strung soul, and has nothing of the levity of her 
 sex about her. Oh, how I envy her the happiness "of being- 
 able to assemble around her a court of scholars, artists, and' 
 
S2 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 poets, by their companionship refreshing and ennobling her 
 own spirit/' 
 
 "For my part," said Burgsdorf, "I could many a time 
 see nothing either refreshing or ennobling in what was going 
 on, and in spite of all their learning, poetry, and art, they 
 have occasionally quite a respectable quarrel. I can tell your 
 highness a charming anecdote in point, the circumstances of 
 which I was eyewitness to myself/' 
 
 " Tell it! tell it! '' cried the Elector eagerly, himself con- 
 descending to open the second bottle and fill his high cham- 
 berlain's goblet to the brim. "What sort of an anecdote? 
 Where did it occur? " 
 
 "At court, and in the immediate neighborhood of the 
 'Queen herself, most gracious sir. A short time ago a whole 
 shipload of learned men arrived there, and during my first 
 Audience the Queen remarked to me that I had come to her 
 court at a very fortunate time, for there was no court in all 
 Europe where were assembled so many distinguished and re- 
 nowned men as at hers. I was to observe everything closely, 
 that I might give an account of what I saw to the Elector of 
 Brandenburg. The Queen even had the kindness to introduce 
 me to one of these learned monsters. She said to me: ' Sir, 
 since you appear as my mother's ambassador, and have been 
 the bearer of a letter from her grace, I will reward you by 
 admitting you to participation in a rare piece of good fortune. 
 Behold the greatest and most world-renowned of philosophers! 
 The French boasts that he was born in France, and call him 
 Descartes, but all Europe claims and is proud of him, and he 
 has ceased to be a Frenchman, for he is a sage and is known 
 to the whole world as Cartesius — Eobertus Cartesius.' " 
 
 "Was Cartesius there?" exclaimed the Elector warmly. 
 ^*Did you have the happiness of seeing Cartesius, the great 
 philosopher and mathematician? " 
 
 "Now your highness begins in the same strain," sighed 
 Burgsdorf. " Now you speak of the happiness which I have 
 enjoyed. Well, I did see Cartesius, but what saw I? A little 
 fellow, who is certainly the very ugliest man ever created, 
 and an ape would not herself discover the deception if Car- 
 tesius should palm himself off as her son. The very children 
 
LOVE'S COURIER RETURNS. gS 
 
 in the street begin to cry and scream when they meet him. 
 But Queen Christina finds him not only handsome but kiss- 
 able, at least according to a little story told me by Count Oxen- 
 stiern. Cartesius was taking a walk in the palace garden, and, 
 wholly absorbed in his mathematical problems, had seated 
 himself under a laurel tree and fallen asleep. Now the Queea 
 came along with her ladies, who saw the sleeping philosopher, 
 laughed at him, and disputed whether he looked like an ape 
 or a tiger-cat. The Queen, however, reproved them severely, 
 softly approached, broke off two large branches of the laurel 
 tree, and wove them into a wreath on which she fastened her 
 own breastpin, consisting of two magnificent diamonds. This 
 wreath she gently placed on Cartesius's bald head, then stooped 
 down over him, kissed his lips and called out: ^ Wake up, my 
 master! Wisdom may not sleep, else folly will gain still more 
 power upon earth. Wake up, my teacher, for your pupil is 
 beside you and would learn of you! ' " * 
 
 " Burgsdorf, that is charming! " cried the Elector; " and 
 upon the strength of this one story I could almost fall des- 
 perately in love with this intellectual young Queen." 
 
 " God forbid! " muttered Burgsdorf, as, quite shocked, he 
 drew back the hand which he had stretched out for his glass 
 of wine. 
 
 "But in this charming little anecdote I see nothing of 
 quarreling and contention," said the Elector. "I thought 
 you were to tell of such things." 
 
 '^ Gracious sir, the real story is yet to come, and this was 
 only the introduction. I was obliged to begin by telling you. 
 how many scholars and artists were to be found at the Queen's 
 court at that time. There was also the learned Abbot Bour- 
 ■delot, who had translated into French the poems of a certain 
 Latin or Greek poet named Homer; moreover there was an 
 Italian, a Marquis Monaldeschi, by whom the Queen is in- 
 «tructed in the Italian language, and who is an improvisator, 
 as she calls it, and makes impromptu the finest verses. The 
 Queen was often so carried away that she would burst into 
 tears and offer him both her hands. Then the marquis would 
 fall upon his knees before her, kiss the tips of her fingers, and 
 * Historical. See Curiosities, vol. ix. 
 
84 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 press the hem of her garment to his lips. Thereupon he would 
 again begin to declaim, and the scene always closed by the 
 Queen bestowing upon him a jewel, a ring, a diamond pin, or 
 some such present." 
 
 " Is the marquis also as ugly a man as Cartesius? " asked 
 the Elector. 
 
 " By no means, your highness; he is quite a young and an 
 
 uncommonly handsome man, and it is whispered But I 
 
 am again turning aside from my story. One more savant was 
 there, of whom the Queen made a great deal; Meibom was 
 his name." 
 
 " Meibom! " exclaimed the Elector, starting up. " Marcus 
 Meibom, formerly of Amsterdam, who published there so 
 famous a treatise on the music of the ancient Greeks and 
 Homans?" 
 
 " It may well be, your highness, for his name is Marcus, 
 too, and the ancients are ever upon his tongue, and what is 
 not Greek or Latin he despises and abuses roundly. Accord- 
 ingly he had told Queen Christina that the musical instru- 
 ments now in use were quite pitiful, and that none of the 
 modem music heard in royal chapels was to be compared with 
 the music of the old Greeks and Romans. The Queen was 
 naturally very curious to become acquainted with this ex- 
 quisitely delightful music of the Greeks, and she begged Mar- 
 cus Meibom to have such instruments prepared under his own 
 direction. He did so, and when they were finished, a Greek 
 concert was to be given in the Queen's apartments. The 
 whole court was invited, and the Queen deigned to appoint 
 me a place quite near her, that I might have the very best op- 
 portunity of seeing and hearing. Now the concert was to 
 begin, and the Greek musicians marched in with their curious 
 instruments. Marcus Meibom himself preceded them. He 
 had assumed the Greek costume, and looked ridiculous an^ 
 mean enough with his bare legs blue with cold, and a piece of 
 red stuff thrown around him as a mantle. On his head he wore 
 a laurel wreath, and in his arms he held a queer-looking in- 
 strument that he had constructed himself. He called it a 
 harhiton, and was to accompany himself on it, while he sang 
 a song, which a certain Pindar had composed and Maoneus 
 
LOVE'S COURIER RETURNS. 85 
 
 Meibom had set to music. I assure your grace, as the fellow 
 came marching in with outstretched legs and head thrown 
 back, with his larhiton on his arm and his eyes turned up in 
 rapture toward heaven, I could not help smiling, and, look- 
 ing around, I saw that all the courtiers seemed to be amused. 
 But just at this moment the Queen said, ' Viola Apollon, le 
 roi des Muses en personne,' and all faces quickly became seri- 
 ous again, and I used my utmost exertions to recover my 
 gravity. And now Marcus Meibom planted himself close be- 
 fore the Queen. A long pause ensued, and nothing was heard 
 but the softly whispering voice of the Marquis Monaldeschi,. 
 who was standing behind her Majesty's chair, and stooped so 
 low down to her that his handsome head almost touched her 
 fair and naked shoulders. He whispered a few words in her 
 ear, and she smiled a little, but quickly grew serious again 
 and fixed her large, blue eyes upon Marcus Meibom. He now 
 seized the larbiton with both hands, held it before him with 
 the left, and with the right attacked the strings, which growled 
 like an old bass viol. Then followed another pause, and now 
 Meibom began to sing. That is to say, gracious sir, he 
 stretched open his mouth and there came forth a couple of 
 loud, shrill notes, that sounded just as if an ass were braying 
 after thistles. I could not help it, sir; I exploded with 
 laughter, and my laugh proved contagious, infecting the whole 
 court. Meibom did as if he saw nothing, and treated us 
 to another strain of falsetto, casting, however, a withering 
 glance upon Abbot Bourdelot, whom the Queen had beckoned 
 to her side, and whose fine full-moon face shone with pleas- 
 ure and delight. Now came another loud ass's bray from 
 Meibom, and Abbot Bourdelot laughed aloud, the Queen 
 heartily joining in. Then Marcus Meibom leaped up high, 
 as if an adder had stung him, threw his larbiton so violently 
 upon the ground that it was dashed to pieces, rushed upon 
 the abbot hke a wounded boar, and gave him a box on the 
 ear — such a rousing one, sir, as I might administer to my 
 servant." 
 
 " And the Abbot Bourdelot? " asked the Elector, much 
 amused. 
 
 " Well, Abbot Bourdelot did the best thing that could be 
 
86 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 done: he laughed yet louder, the Queen and the whole court 
 laughing with him, so that Marcus Meibom become raving 
 mad and rushed out of the hall like one possessed.* 
 
 " Truly that is a most entertaining story, and I envy you 
 for having been present at the scene. Did the Queen do noth- 
 ing afterward to soothe the antiquarian's feelings? '' 
 
 " She tried, but could not succeed, for Meibom was perfect- 
 ly desperate, and would not remain another day. He furi- 
 ously demanded his dismissal, that he might take passage on 
 a vessel about to set sail for Amsterdam. So the Queen was 
 forced to dismiss him, although loth to do so, and to com- 
 pensate him in some degree for his mortification, she gave 
 him a valuable diamond ring and her own portrait encircled 
 with diamonds." 
 
 "It seems that the Queen possesses a great many dia- 
 monds," said the Elector thoughtfully; " and she is very gen- 
 erous, is she not?" 
 
 " Most gracious sir, do you call that generosity? People 
 in Sweden whisper under their breath that their young 
 ■Queen is recklessly extravagant, changing all the crown prop- 
 erty into diamonds and trinkets, to be thrown away upon 
 strangers and foreigners." 
 
 "Do you belong to the number of foreigners who reap 
 the benefit of this prodigality? " 
 
 "I? God forbid!" exclaimed Burgsdorf with an expres- 
 sion of the deepest indignation. " I am no scholar, or artist, 
 or Italian improvisator, but merely a plain German noble- 
 man, too clumsy to dance to the merry piping of the Queen. 
 I got nothing, not even one little diamond." 
 
 " That is perceptible by the chagrin you manifest," slyly 
 interposed the Elector. 
 
 "I got nothing," continued Burgsdorf, "but sarcastic 
 speeches at my departure. Sarcastic compliments for the 
 widowed Queen, who had committed the great offense of drop- 
 ping the title of Majesty in addressing her daughter, besides 
 using such affectionate and tender language as is customary 
 among common people, but not seemly when used by a mother, 
 
 * Historical scenes. See Samuel Buchholtz, History of the Electorate 
 of Brandenburg, vol. vi, p. 53. 
 
LOVE'S COURIER RETURNS. gf 
 
 who is the subject of her daughter, a reigning Queen. These 
 were her Majesty's own words. ' And as regards the Elector 
 and his wishes/ said the Queen, * let him prove his love by 
 deeds, if he would convince me of it. If he submits himself 
 wholly to my will, then I shall see whether I will accept his 
 offer and choose him for my husband. All the unmarried 
 princes of Europe are my suitors. Only to the most ardent 
 lover shall I sacrifice my freedom. Let the Elector endeavor 
 to conquer my royal heart by an urgent suit.' " 
 
 " And after conquering it become the slave of her caprices, 
 the subject of her whims! " cried the Elector quickly. " How 
 ran the conditions of arriving at this state of happiness? The 
 husband of the Queen is to claim neither the title nor rank 
 of King; he is not to sit beside her on her throne, but stand 
 humbly aside; always yield his wife precedence, and walk 
 behind her; have neither seat nor voice in the council of state, 
 and pledge himself never by word or deed to meddle in Govern- 
 ment affairs." 
 
 " Yes, that is the purport of the bond which you are to 
 sign; and if you do so, gracious sir, you have the hope of be- 
 coming the Queen's husband. This is the result of my Swedish 
 journey, gracious sir! Affix your signature, and the Elector 
 of Brandenburg has the honor of being a queen's husband! " 
 
 "The Elector of Brandenburg declines the honor," ex- 
 claimed Frederick William proudly. " It is unworthy of him 
 to be only the husband of a queen, and he covets not a crown, 
 that brings no power with it." * 
 
 " You will not marry the Queen of Sweden, then? " asked 
 Burgsdorf , with brightening countenance. 
 
 " No! " exclaimed the Elector, with powerful voice — "no, 
 I will not marry Queen Christina of Sweden! It is over with 
 that plan forever, and I must say it was almost a thing deter- 
 mined before you came. Your information, however, has 
 turned the scale, and the matter is settled for all time! " 
 
 " And I thank God for it! " cried Burgsdorf, clasping his 
 hands rapturously together. " If I thought that my glorious 
 young Elector were to marry that learned and haughty Queen, 
 
 * The Elector's own words. Vide Droysen, History of Prussian Poli- 
 tics. 
 
88 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 I would be ready to cry just like any old woman. For it is 
 obvious, your highness, it may be very pleasant to converse 
 with so intelligent a lady, but to marry her — pshaw! chills 
 run over me whenever I think of it! And what would become 
 of us poor Markers, with a mistress prizing nothing but what 
 is foreign, and perpetually surrounded by a swarm of French- 
 men and Italians? Ah, your highness, I thank you in the 
 name of all your subjects, for not becoming the Queen of 
 Sweden's husband. You might have been a powerful sover- 
 eign, but assuredly an unhappy man; and we all love you so 
 much that our first desire is to see you happy. There must 
 be some other young lady in the world whom your highness can 
 marry, besides Queen Christina? " 
 
 " Must I be married then, nolens volens? " asked the Elec- 
 tor. 
 
 " Yes, your highness, and that as soon as possible! " 
 
 " Well then, if it is so decidedly necessary,'' said the Elec- 
 tor, smiling, " read this paper." 
 
 He took from his writing table a letter, and handed it to 
 the lord high chamberlain. 
 
 IX. — ^NOTH BRIGHT ElSEN, NOTH LEHRT BeTEN.* 
 
 BuRGSDORF took the letter and had hardly read two lines 
 before his broad face flushed, and a joyful smile lighted up 
 his features. 
 
 "Is it possible?" exclaimed he with delight. "Is your 
 grace actually contemplating an alliance with the house of 
 Orange?" 
 
 " Yes, I am thinking of it, and the Sovereign States like- 
 wise think of forming an alliance with the house of Branden-^ 
 burg. We need each other, and would conclude a league offen- 
 
 * As there is no equivalent proverb in the English, the translator 
 judged it best to leave this adage in the original at the head of the chap- 
 ter, the literal translation being, "Necessity breaks iron, necessity 
 teaches to pray." 
 
NOTH BRIGHT EISEN, NOTH LEHRT BETEN. 89 
 
 fiive and defensive, whose token is to be the little Princess of 
 Orange. Her father, Prince Frederick Henry, is old and in- 
 firm. Holland dreads the power and ambition of his son, and 
 would secure herself against them. Therefore she wants 
 peace with Spain, that she may have rest without, and check 
 the encroachments of the young Stadtholder within. I need 
 Holland's assistance at the congress of Miinster to prevent 
 iSweden from wresting Pomerania from me, and Holland 
 promises me the whole weight of her influence as soon as I 
 have pledged my good faith to her, by forming an engagement 
 with the Princess of Orange.*' 
 
 "And your grace has made a most judicious choice, I 
 believe,*' cried Burgsdorf joyfully. "All the world praises 
 the Princess of Orange as a model of grace and loveliness! 
 Oh, and how it will vex the learned Queen of Sweden to see 
 the Princess preferred to herself! " 
 
 " She is, indeed, quite the opposite of my royal cousin 
 Christina. I sent Ewald von Kleist on a secret mission to 
 Holland, similar to your own at the court of Sweden. He 
 was to see how the land lay, and he has been at home now for 
 three days." 
 
 " Your highness then courted two princesses at once! " 
 exclaimed Burgsdorf in amazement. 
 
 " Not exactly courted; but it is always well to have two 
 paths to select from, that if one should be obstructed you may 
 turn to the other. This seems to me a most important prin- 
 ciple in Kf e as in politics, and one that I shall act upon all my 
 life." 
 
 " Yes, but suppose I had obtained the consent of the Queen 
 of Sweden also. What could your highness have done with 
 two brides?" 
 
 " I would have weighed them both in the scales of policy, 
 and chosen her whose side preponderated; for the head alone 
 is my matrimonial agent, the heart has nothing to do in the 
 matter. A prince must marry from motives of prudence, not 
 from personal considerations. I would form an alliance with 
 Holland, because she is a useful ally. It is a fortunate coin- 
 cidence for me that the Princess of Orange is very amiable, 
 lovely, and attractive. Ewald von Kleist is never tired of 
 
90 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 descanting upon her astonishing amiability, and assures me 
 that all Holland is in love with the young Princess. She, too, 
 has a suitor whose highest ambition it is to become her hus- 
 band. The Prince of Wales is at present residing at The 
 Hague, on account of the dreadfully unsettled state of affairs 
 in England, and is desperately in love with the Princess of 
 Orange. From this I conclude that she is charming and 
 lovely, for the Stuarts have a keen eye for beauty of the body 
 as of the mind. They inherit this from their ancestress Mary 
 Stuart." 
 
 " But the Princess frowns upon the Prince of Wales. She 
 rejects the Stuart in favor of the young Elector of Branden- 
 burg, who can cope with all the Stuarts in the world." 
 
 " She does neither the one thing nor the other, for she 
 knows nothing of my suit. I merely sent Ewald von Kleist 
 to pioneer my way, and find out the dispositions of the Prince 
 of Orange, with the express stipulation that these prelimi- 
 naries should for the present be concealed from the Princess. 
 Now, as the Stadtholder has granted me his consent, and I 
 have acquitted myself of my princely obligations, I should 
 like for once to indulge myself by acting as a young man and 
 engage in a romantic little adventure. I should like to find 
 out whether the Princess of Orange would accept my hand 
 merely in obedience to the behest of her father. Prince Henry,, 
 and whether, if she had her choice, she would prefer the 
 Prince of Wales." 
 
 " And if such were the case, which I never, never can be- 
 lieve, would your highness give way to the Prince of Wales? " 
 
 The Elector made no immediate reply, but looked thought- 
 fully before him. " Burgsdorf," said he, " it is a bitter thing 
 to be obliged to give up a first love, and I am indeed unwill- 
 ing that for my sake the Princess should be called to suffer 
 such a grief. A man must be strong enough to bend to neces- 
 sity, and rank duty higher than love. He must renounce his 
 own inclinations, conquer pain, and yet remain himself. But 
 with a woman the case is different, and if her heart is crushed 
 by the pressure of duty and necessity, all is lost with it, and she 
 makes shipwreck of her whole being. I have had such an ex- 
 perience in my own life, and would spare my little cousin sucb 
 
NOTH BRIGHT EISEN, NOTH LEHRT BETEN. 91 
 
 ehipwreck, for she lives in my memory as a pretty, tender 
 child, from whom I would be loth to draw one sigh. There- 
 fore would I go to The Hague, to see and hear for myself; and 
 if I am forced to admit that the Princess loves Charles Stuart,, 
 and would be unhappy if called upon to renounce him, I will 
 use all my influence with her father to induce him to make 
 the young couple happy by sanctioning their union! " 
 
 " And yet your highness accused yourself just now of only 
 employing the head as a matrimonial agent, and of marrying 
 only out of prudence! ^' 
 
 " But I can not require of a young girl what I require of 
 myself," said the Elector. " Besides, to acknowledge the 
 whole truth, I must confess that it is galling to me to become 
 the husband of a woman who offers herself to me only as a 
 sacrifice and follows me to the altar with secret tears. In one 
 email corner of his heart the Prince is still the man, and al- 
 though he may feel no love himself, yet he would like to in- 
 spire love, or at least not be regarded with abhorrence. There- 
 fore I would now go to The Hague, privately and incognito^ 
 to see and hear for myself how matters stand, and whether 
 Charles Stuart is a successful rival." 
 
 "I fear your highness will not be able to preserve your 
 incognito,^' remarked Conrad von Burgsdorf, shaking his head. 
 " Your grace can not so quietly change your scene of action. 
 You must be somewhere, and however remote the place of 
 your retreat, it will soon become known." 
 
 " Then I will set out on my journey publicly and with all 
 pomp; let it be known, too, that I am going to Holland to be 
 married, else the States would grant me no money for this 
 journey. Alas! that I should be compelled to have recourse 
 to the States for money! I have already written to the Stadt- 
 holder in Prussia, as well as the deliberative assembly there,, 
 that a tax should be imposed for the defrayal of expenses at- 
 tending my marriage, and for the ordering of my new house- 
 hold." 
 
 "Your highness will not wait until this tax is granted,, 
 will you? " asked Burgsdorf, quite shocked. 
 
 " No, old man, that would involve too great a delay," re- 
 plied the Elector. " The States are not very prompt in mak- 
 7 
 
.92 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ing grants of money, quarreling, wrangling, and disputing 
 over each head in a manner altogether shameful, and with 
 the greatest difficulty providing the barely necessary. No, I 
 would have long to wait, were I to defer my marriage until 
 I received a grant of money from the States, and it might easily 
 happen that meanwhile Sweden and France would succeed in 
 rendering abortive a journey so exceedingly distasteful to them. 
 Upon my urgent solicitation my mother had the goodness 
 to lend me three thousand dollars, and this sum may 
 serve to meet expenses, until the States have granted what 
 I need." 
 
 " We must allow them no rest! '^ cried Burgsdorf passion- 
 ately. " They must be perpetually reminded of their duty." 
 
 " I empower you to do this in my name," said the Elector, 
 "^^ for we are indeed in pressing need of this money. The three 
 thousand dollars will hardly complete the needful prepara- 
 tions for our journey, for it is not our intention to appear 
 there as a poor, beggarly Prince, but, as becomes us, in prince- 
 ly style, with a rich attendance of equipages and servants, and 
 a bodyguard in new and splendid uniforms." 
 
 " And then there is your grace's wedding outfit to be 
 thought of," said Burgsdorf thoughtfully. " For you must 
 appear before those rich mynheers and merchants in a man- 
 ner calculated to inspire them with sentiments of respect and 
 astonishment." 
 
 " That is very true," sighed the Elector. " It would cer- 
 tainly be advisable to make an impression by the princely 
 splendor of my own wardrobe; but how are such elegancies to 
 be procured, seeing that we have no means of paying for 
 them?" 
 
 " Most gracious sir," cried Burgsdorf joyfully, after a little 
 thought, "if we can not pay for such magnificent wedding 
 clothes, then let us borrow." 
 
 "Yes, but where are those who will lend to us?" asked 
 the Elector, sighing. " Here, in our own territories, we have 
 no silk and velvet factories, no jewelers and embroiderers in 
 gold. We must procure everything from abroad, and there 
 is not a tailor in Berlin capable of making up such handsome 
 clothes, even if we were to provide him with the richest stuffs. 
 
NOTH BRIGHT EISEN, NOTH LEHRT BETEN. 93 
 
 Such things, however, can only be obtained abroad for cash, 
 and I have no money. All my coffers are empty." 
 
 " Gracious sir, your clothes must be made at the place 
 where you are to be married," cried Burgsdorf merrily. " In 
 Holland are to be found manufactories of silk and velvet, 
 jewelers and embroiderers in gold. In Holland also are 
 clever tailors, who understand the finest intricacies of their 
 art. Now, all these men will be proud to credit the exalted 
 Prince who is to wed the Princess of Orange, and thus become 
 in some sort their fellow-country man. Gracious sir, let us 
 hasten to Holland, there to order your bridal outfit." 
 
 " The thought is good, and we will act upon it," nodded 
 the Elector gayly. " Yes, our wedding clothes shall be or- 
 dered in Amsterdam, and doubtless the good mynheers will 
 credit us until the Prussian States shall condescend to gratify 
 our wishes and send us the required sums. Ah! it is indeed 
 unfortunate that princes can not in such matters do as they 
 would, but are dependent upon the inclinations of their States. 
 They presume to be my treasurers and dictate to me what I 
 shall receive and spend. And I can do nothing but submit. 
 I must smiUngly conceal my chagrin, and, like puss, stroke 
 where I can not scratch. Well then, stroke I shall, hoping 
 thereby to gain my end. But meanwhile it will be a difficult 
 task to procure the money for the needed outlays, for I am 
 bent upon appearing in Amsterdam at the head of a glitter- 
 ing retinue. I know those merchants and shopkeepers! If 
 I were to appear before them in modest, simple garb, they 
 would not only diminish the dowry of my bride, but also im- 
 pose upon me harder conditions than if I were to dazzle them 
 by assuming all the pomp and splendor befitting my rank and 
 station. Make your arrangements accordingly. Lord Cham- 
 berlain von Burgsdorf. We are to be escorted by a retinue 
 of thirty coaches drawn by handsome horses, and move to the 
 sound of martial music, and we are to be preceded by a com- 
 pany of guardsmen in new and tasteful uniforms. As to the 
 present plight of my bodyguard, it is wretched in the extreme. 
 Not one has a coat like his fellow. One wears a green jacket, 
 another a red, the third a yellow — in short, it is insufferable. 
 I shall have no such followers. See to it, old friend! " 
 
94: THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " The soldiers' equipments will be the hardest things of 
 all to procure/' sighed Burgsdorf . " Coaches, horses, every- 
 thing else we can get with some trouble. But uniforms for 
 the bodyguard! Could your highness possibly spare the three 
 thousand dollars lent you by your mother? " 
 
 " Certainly not, Burgsdorf. That is to defray our travel- 
 ing expenses." 
 
 " It is a bad case then, and I know not Your high- 
 ness," he burst forth suddenly — "your highness, I have a 
 thought." 
 
 " Well, give it to us, lord high chamberlain." 
 
 " Your grace must pardon me for having such an audacious 
 thought; but necessity knows no law, and sharpens the dull- 
 est wits. Gracious sir, that was a rich medallion sent you by 
 Cardinal Mazarin. How many diamonds did it contain, and 
 how highly did your grace value them? " 
 
 "I think there were four-and-twenty diamonds, and I 
 valued them at at least twelve thousand ducats." 
 
 "And your grace also knew a Jew of Amsterdam with 
 whom you had formerly transacted similar business, and who 
 would assuredly be ready to pay that amount for the dia- 
 monds?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed, the Jew Abraham on the Strand, No. 14! " 
 
 " Most gracious sir, let me hurry forward in advance; be 
 pleased to intrust the medallion to me, and you shall see how 
 excellent a bargain I can drive! " 
 
 " Well, if such is your desire, take Cardinal Mazarin's me- 
 dallion, and see what you can do with it. You know where 
 I put it. The key is in the drawer, so that you have nothing 
 to do but to open it and take the medallion." 
 
 Without speaking a word, Burgsdorf hurried across to the 
 writing table, opened the drawer and took out the red mo- 
 rocco case, on which were stamped in gold the crown and 
 armorial bearings of France. 
 
 " I have it," he cried triumphantly. " I hold your com- 
 pany of guardsmen in my own hands now, and they shall 
 parade before you, gracious sir, in costly uniforms! Only per- 
 mit me to set out to-morrow for Amsterdam, and pay Abraham, 
 the Jew, a little visit." 
 
NOTH BRIGHT EISEN, NOTH LEHRT BETEN. 95 
 
 " Why so? Can you suppose that Abraham, the Jew, is a 
 collector of curiosities, who will pay you a high price for 
 Cardinal Mazarines miniature? " 
 
 " For the miniature ? Pshaw! No Jew would pay me even 
 one ducat for that. But the diamonds, your highness — the 
 four-and-twenty exquisite diamonds which accompanied the 
 portrait! " 
 
 And with hands trembling for eagerness Burgsdorf pressed 
 the little clasp that closed the case, and lifted up the lid. But, 
 upon looking into the opened case, an exclamation of horror, 
 almost resembling a bitter oath, escaped his lips, and his 
 eyes were raised with an expression of stupid amazement 
 from the case to the face of the Elector, who regarded him 
 smilingly. 
 
 " Well," asked the Elector, ^' what silences you all at once? 
 Do you no longer like the medallion? Have you counted the 
 jewels and found them in place? " 
 
 " Gracious sir! " cried Burgsdorf, drawing a breath of re- 
 lief, " I see plainly that I am and ever will be a stupid old 
 ass, and you are quicker in everything. Quicker in thought, 
 quicker in action. The idea of my presuming to give you 
 advice, and thinking to parade as a discovery what you have 
 long since known! '^ 
 
 " Yes, the afflictions and privations of my childhood and 
 youth early gave me wisdom in such matters. Necessity is 
 mighty for the pulling down of the strongholds of pride! 
 What can be more humbhng at first to a high-minded man 
 than the idea of gaining money by chaiferings with a Jew? 
 But necessity is more imperious than pride, soon teaching us 
 to make of her a virtue. For the rest, I had no sooner laid 
 eyes upon these jewels, than visions arose before me of the 
 transformations which might be effected by a proper use of 
 them. I pointed them out to you, too, but you could discover 
 nothing in the faces of the sparkling stones." 
 
 " Because I am stupid and short-sighted, your highness. 
 You saw at once the reflection of a whole troop of splendidly 
 caparisoned soldiers in the brilliant stones. Will your grace 
 only do me the favor to let me know if you saw aright, and 
 if the diamonds have actually changed into life-guardsmen? " 
 
96 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Yes, my trusty old friend, they have done so, and there 
 is no necessity for your preceding me in order to pay Abraham, 
 the Jew, a visit. Ewald von Kleist has long since forestalled 
 you, and acquainted me by a private courier with the result 
 of his visit. Tailors, shoemakers, and clothiers have done 
 their duty, and the little company of life-guardsmen is ready. 
 We can therefore soon set out upon our journey, and the sooner 
 the better, for I long to have an end put to this state of sus- 
 pense, and to know with whom I have to side, with Holland 
 and England, with Sweden and France, with the Emperor 
 of Germany or with Poland." 
 
 " Be that as it will! " cried Burgsdorf. " You will ever 
 be true to yourself, your people, and your States, and that is 
 the principal thing! " 
 
 '^ You are right, old friend; such is my purpose, and I 
 hope by and by to become a considerable and mighty Prince, 
 who shall not have to labor to form alliances, but whose alli- 
 ance will be sought. A brilliant future can not be purchased 
 with a breath, but we must carefully and skillfully dig deep 
 the foundations whereon to erect the lofty edifice. There- 
 fore we go to Holland to woo our bride. Up the Ehine to Duis- 
 burg we shall go with glittering train and noisy splendor. 
 But there you shall go forward in advance and once more 
 sound the Princess, and more especially her mother, who as 
 yet knows nothing of the affair. If you bring me a favorable 
 report, I shall proceed myself to The Hague. The rest de- 
 pends upon my little cousin Louisa Henrietta. I will not 
 have her receive from me her first lesson in the pains of dis- 
 appointed love, and if she loves the Prince of Wales she shall 
 have him. Now, old man, make haste, and discharge your 
 office of lord high chamberlain and master of ceremonies. Pre- 
 pare all things for the bridal trip, and God grant it be a happy 
 one! " 
 
 " Yes, God grant it! " exclaimed Burgsdorf. " For my 
 part, I am convinced of it, and deem it impossible that a pru- 
 dent and pretty Princess should prefer Prince Charles Stuart 
 to the young Elector of Brandenburg." 
 
 " Incalculable is the heart of woman," said the Elector. 
 "In the eyes of a compassionate young girl. Prince Charles 
 
NOTH BRIGHT EISEN, J^OTH LEHRT BETEN. 97 
 
 Stuart is invested with peculiar charms, for he is unfortunate. 
 I have just received secret tidings from England, and truly 
 shocking they were. King Charles I, who was last year de- 
 feated by Cromwell and Fairfax in a final and decisive battle, 
 has at last, in the extremity of his distress, fled to Newark, 
 to the camp of the Scots. They have not, however, received 
 him as their King, but made him prisoner and are now in treaty 
 with General Cromwell and the English Parliament for his 
 delivery." 
 
 " That is dreadful, that is perfectly abominable! " ex- 
 claimed Burgsdorf, with horror. " A nation take its own King 
 prisoner, and revolt against him! And God does not send down 
 fire and brimstone to consume it! " 
 
 " God^s ways are not as man^s ways. It is his will some-^ 
 times that the mighty be humbled, and the proud trodden 
 in the dust. King Charles was very mighty and perhaps, too,, 
 very proud. Now he is a poor prisoner, and a peasant's son 
 is a powerful general, while the King^s son has taken refuge- 
 at The Hague as a fugitive and outlaw! This misfortune it 
 is which weaves a crown of glory for his head, and renders; 
 him lovable in the eyes of the Princess of Orange." 
 
 " But, most gracious sir, it is impossible that the Princess 
 loves him. She is, moreover, older than the Prince, for she 
 is now twenty, while Charles Stuart is barely sixteen — a mere 
 boy." 
 
 " He has been matured in the school of adversity, and, be- 
 sides, commenced life early, for they say he has already had 
 many experiences in Paris. Well, we shall see. Only set about 
 your preparations for our journey in the heartiest manner pos- 
 sible, and let us make haste to reach The Hague." 
 
 " Most gracious sir, in eight days all shall be ready for our 
 departure," cried Burgsdorf, **^and, if agreeable to you, in 
 from three to four weeks we can be at The Hague, and you 
 can receive a favorable answer from the Princess herself." 
 
 " May it be so," said the Elector gravely. " Go now, old 
 man, begin your preparations, and report to me every morn- 
 ing the progress you have made." 
 
 Burgsdorf pressed to his lips the Elector's proffered hand, 
 and forsook the cabinet to enter upon his work with stormy 
 
98 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 zeal, and set in motion tailors and shoemakers, saddlers and 
 workmen of every craft. 
 
 The Elector remained alone in his cabinet, absorbed in 
 deepest thought, and ever darker grew his countenance and 
 sadder the glance of his eye. 
 
 " It is decided," he murmured softly to himself. " I must 
 subdue my heart, I must chain it forever. The dreams of my 
 youth are over, and its oaths have melted away like the breath 
 of the wind." 
 
 Light] y and with bowed head he stepped across to a secret 
 press concealed in the wooden wainscoting of the wall. His 
 father had had this press constructed by foreign workmen, 
 when Berlin was besieged for the first time by the Swedes, 
 for the purpose of affording a place of concealment for his 
 valuables and important papers. On his deathbed he had con- 
 fided to his son the secret of this press. The young Elector 
 had found in this receptacle nothing but letters and family 
 papers, no treasures or jewels remaining. Yet he himself 
 had one jewel concealed in this sanctum — a jewel that he often 
 looked at, and upon which he now again fixed his sad and 
 mournful gaze when he had opened the press. And yet this 
 jewel was nothing but a pretty little lady's slipper, of blue 
 satin trimmed with silver lace. But it was more to him. To 
 him it was a memento of the sweet and bitter past, a memento 
 of the greatest pain of his life, whose wounds yet bled and 
 never would be healed. Again she stood before him in her 
 radiant charms, her ravishing beauty. He saw her look upon 
 him with beaming eyes, heard her sweet voice whispering to 
 him vows of ardent love. And then he saw himself at her feet 
 as he plucked this little shoe from her foot as a pledge of love, 
 hid it upon his heart, and swore that it should ever rest there — 
 that he would not exchange this precious jewel for all the 
 treasures of earth, that it should be laid with him in his coffin. 
 " Ludovicka, Ludovicka! what has become of these youth- 
 ful vows? Whither wanders the light and fugitive foot which 
 once wore this shoe? Ludovicka Hollandine! why did you 
 break your oath and trample upon love with the little foot 
 to which this shoe belonged ? " 
 
 With quivering lips and sorrowing heart he thus quesi- 
 
NOTH BRICHT EISEN, NOTE LEHRT BBTBN. 99 
 
 tioned the little blue shoe, the jewel of memory, of buried 
 love! And the old pain revived within him, and love again 
 stepped forth from her grave. But he will not! No, he will 
 not let her live again! He has no right to play the love-sick 
 swain, and to pine longingly after a woman who has betrayed 
 and forsaken him! He is a Prince, he has a whole nation to 
 love, and he owes it to his people to give himself a wife, the 
 throne a successor, the princely house a family. It is indeed 
 decided that he shall be married. All hesitation as to choice 
 is over, and if Princess Louisa Henrietta of Orange will accept 
 his hand, he is ready and willing to form with her an indis- 
 soluble bond. 
 
 Yet onc€ more with trembling, timid hand he draws forth 
 the little blue satin slipper and presses it to his lips, holding 
 it so for a long time, and as he slowly draws it away, restoring 
 it to its place in the press, are those diamonds or dewdrops 
 sparkling upon it? But the Elector will conquer his heart 
 — he will be a strong man, a valient Prince. With a quick, 
 vigorous jerk he closes the panels of the wainscoting, and inr 
 dignantly shakes his head, as if angry with himself. 
 
 " It is all over," he says aloud to himself; " the past has 
 departed, its memories are withered. Farewell, Ludovicka 
 HoUandine! Welcome, Louisa Henrietta! I can not give you 
 a sound, whole heart, but I shall offer you the reverence, de- 
 votion, and love of an honest man. Marriages, they say, are 
 made in heaven. But the marriages of princes from an excep- 
 tion, for they are concluded in the cabinet of policy and at the 
 green table of diplomacy. Hail, Princess of Orange! hail, my 
 future wife! I go to you, and in your hands lies my future! 
 No," he continued after a long pause, and his large, blue eyes 
 were slowly raised to heaven — " no, not in a woman's handf 
 In thy hand, Lord my God, lies my future. Decide for me 
 and for her, and give me whatever is best for me. I am going 
 to The Hague to seek a wife for the Elector, a partner for his 
 throne. Necessity breaks the strongest will, but necessity also 
 teaches us to pray. And thus in my heart's hour of greatest 
 need I pray to thee, God: give me what is for my good. I 
 seek a heart. Let me find it, if such is thy good pleasure." 
 
BOOK in 
 
 I. — The Hague. 
 
 It was morning. A fresh, beautiful, and yet warm Octobei 
 morning, with clear, blue sky, and that air of soothing, calm 
 repose which rests like the eternal peace of God upon the 
 autumn landscape. With involuntary satisfaction we feel 
 that we may trust the promise of such a morning, and be cer- 
 tain that a bright, fair day will follow, to end in a gorgeous, 
 golden sunset and crimson evening sky. No more are to be 
 dreaded the sudden, unexpected storms of summer — ^those 
 tempests which all at once obscure the brightest sky, extin- 
 guishing sunlight and veiling in blackest night the fairest day, 
 and as suddenly darkening the smiling face of prosperity by 
 the lowering clouds of passion. All is rest. No more glow- 
 ing heat, no more crash of storm, but still all that vigor and 
 bouyancy of life, so instinct with enjoyment, that warmth 
 of existence so pleasurable in itself, and which as yet breathes 
 naught of the chilling frost of winter nor the numbness in- 
 cident to snow and ice. 
 
 Warmth, sunshine, and life pervaded that cheerful morning 
 landscape. The mist, which in the morning twilight had lain 
 like a mantle over the broad expanse of meadow flat, had scat- 
 tered before the splendor of the sun, and now in white, trans- 
 parent garb floated spiritlike above the plain, then mounted 
 higher, and was lost at the horizon. The forest, which bounded 
 the horizon beyond the broad, green, flower-besprinkled plain, 
 was glorious in the many-tinted hues of her autumn dress, 
 which, preparatory to approaching decay, assumed all the pomp 
 and glow of the fullest, most succulent life. Beyond, opposite 
 the forest, on the other side of this extensive plain, which,, 
 
 100 
 
THE HAGUE. 101 
 
 ilowery and green, stretched far away, and was only diversi- 
 fied here and there by an aspiring windmill, with its four 
 wings, fabulous and far outspread — beyond waa visible ^ huge 
 and stately pile of buildings, situated near a park. » 'This 'park 
 was the great park of the Prince of Orange, and •i;hi^' edifice,' 
 the so-called court of the Stadtholder, in which resided t4ie' 
 Prince of Orange with his family, and where had always re- 
 sided the Stadtholder of Holland. This mansion could not 
 properly be called a palace, for it was the result of no unity 
 of design, no singleness of plan, but a gradually increased 
 assemblage of individual houses, an odd conglomeration of 
 mean and lofty buildings, of pavilions with bow windows and 
 niches, of small, tasteless houses and high, towering pinnacles^ 
 in close proximity to which was again met a building in the 
 modern style — a modest private dwelling. This whole jumble 
 of architecture, which was called " The Stadtholder's Court,^^ 
 had grown on in the course of the century, proportionately 
 with the increasing and ascendant power of rich, mighty Hol- 
 land and her princely Stadtholder, and in these spires and 
 niches, these towers and dwelling houses, which now formed 
 a whole, might be read the history of the rising power and 
 greatness of Holland and the house of Orange. These build- 
 ings formed in themselves, as it were, a little town and had 
 been divided into two halves — ^the outer and the inner court, 
 or, if you will, into the elegant suburb and the busy little city. 
 
 In the outer court, with its taller, statelier, and more 
 modern edifices, were the private apartments of the audience 
 hall, and chambers of State, the reception rooms, the ball- 
 rooms, and guest chambers of the Stadtholder and his wife, 
 the apartments of the princes and princesses. In the inner 
 court were the halls of justice, the officers of the lesser cour- 
 tiers, down to the lackeys, the grooms, and milkmaids. Beside 
 the inner court, but removed from it a few hundred paces, 
 were to be also found the farm buildings, the stables for horses 
 and cows, and the barns in which was stored a stock of winter 
 fodder. A whole world in miniature was reflected in this court 
 of the Stadtholder. Here could be observed at once the 
 household arrangements of a rich, mighty Prince, and the 
 quiet everyday life of the farm and country house. 
 
102 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER, 
 
 This morning perfect silence reigned throughout the outer 
 court. Everywhere as yet the curtains hung drawn before 
 the windows. The spacious gates were yet unopened, the 
 lackeys in their gold-laced liveries had not yet appeared be- 
 neath the portals, and only in yon tiny cottage standing close 
 beside the castic was to be descried the gigantic form of the 
 porter, with a broad shoulder belt drawn diagonally across 
 his massive frame, and a jaunty three-cornered hat crowning 
 a head well graced by short and waving curls. But his counte- 
 nance was impassive and void of all expression, and the great 
 golden staff which he always bore in his hand by day still stood 
 idle in a corner of the lodge; as yet there was nothing to regu- 
 late or present, for at this hour no high-born visitor drew near 
 the grand pavilion in which dwelt the Stadtholder. In the 
 inner court, on the contrary, reigned the most bustling and 
 most active life. The doors of the stables were wide open, 
 and the maids in their pretty, ample skirts of bright-red woolen 
 stuff, and white hoods with golden ornaments over hair hang- 
 ing down in long plaited braids, moved busily to and fro in the 
 inner compartments of the stables, then took down the low, 
 white wooden stools, and the white buckets bound with hoops 
 of brass, in order to begin milking the cows, the most impor- 
 tant business of the morning. 
 
 Separate from the other stables lay a larger building, that, 
 as might meanwhile be seen, was distined for the same use 
 as the rest of the stables. The great double wings of the mid- 
 dle door were wide open, and through these the interior might 
 be seen. On both sides of the room, before pretty and highly- 
 polished cribs, stood six cows of the high-blooded Swiss breed. 
 Their reddish-brown hides were so glossy and sleek that it 
 was plain to be seen what great attention was lavished upon, 
 the proud creatures. The floor was laid out in great red flag- 
 stones, and, moreover, in the stall of each of the twelve was 
 strewn fresh straw. The scent of hay heaped high within 
 the mangers perfumed the place, and the cows ate of it with 
 loud, rustling noise, while the maids sat at their sides and 
 milked them. This noise, occasioned by the chewing of the 
 animals ruminating, and the milk spurting into the buckets, 
 alone interrupted for a long while the peaceful silence pre- 
 
THE HAGUE. 103 
 
 vaiHng hem. All at once it was interrupted by the rustling 
 of approaching footsteps. A slender female form, clad in the 
 simple costume of women of the middle class in Holland, en- 
 tered the stable, and went with light, rapid step through the 
 middle room. A closely plaited blue skirt of fine woolen stuif, 
 reaching down to the ankles, inclosed a figure at once elegant 
 and vigorous. Below peeped out the little feet, clad in high 
 black boots with shining buckles, and cotton stockings daz- 
 ^lingly white. A bodice of black velvet with wide white 
 mousselaine sleeves enveloped the full and noble bust. Above 
 the white and slender throat beamed a countenance full of 
 the sweetest, loveliest maiden charms, and a head encircled 
 by a profusion of fair ringlets, with rosy cheeks and brown 
 eyes of wonderful fire and brilliancy; while around the 
 slightly pouting lips played an expression of girlish tender- 
 ness. 
 
 As she stepped forward with gently oscillating gait, the 
 oows stopped eating, turned their heads, and looked after her, 
 as if they wondered that she had not ^o-day bestowed upon 
 them her accustomed morning greeting, and stroked their 
 glossy hides with her soft, white hand. 
 
 But the fair young girl was not thinking of her favorite 
 to-day, although she paused before the stall of each individual 
 cow. She was only observing, however, the small black tablets 
 which were stuck up over the crib in every partition, and on 
 which were inscribed different numbers in white chalk. These 
 numbers the young girl wrote in the blue noteJ)ook which she 
 held in her hand, carefully comparing them with the numbers 
 which she had yesterday entered in the same book. These 
 numbers told her what quantity of milk each cow had given 
 on the preceding day, and thus, by comparing the entries to- 
 gether, the condition and well-being of each cow could be 
 -easily ascertained. 
 
 " Trude," said the youthful maiden, with sweet sonorous 
 voice, while she remained standing before the stall of the 
 finest cow — ^' Trude, something must be the matter with the 
 cow. Yesterday she gave less milk than usual by three 
 <lTaarts." 
 
 The maid did not reply immediately, but bent her head 
 
104 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 lower over the milkpail, and in milking moved her diligent 
 fingers yet more quickly than before. 
 
 " Did you not hear, Trude? " asked the young lady gently* 
 *' I am surprised that big Betty gave less milk yesterday than 
 on the days before." 
 
 Still the maid did not look up from her work, but a deep 
 flush flitted across her face. " I know not why, your grace," 
 she said in her Dutch dialect. " I have tended and fed her, 
 and it is certainly not my fault if Betty gives less milk." 
 
 " I hope that it is not your fault," returned the young 
 lady softly. " But I wonder why just your cows give less milk 
 than usual. The other cows which you have to attend gave 
 less milk yesterday." 
 
 " Some evil eye must have been cast upon me," cried the 
 maid, in confusion. "Witchcraft surely is at work against 
 me, some one has bewitched my cows, and therefore they fall 
 off in their milk." 
 
 " Maybe," said the lady. " But do you know, Trude, the 
 safeguard against such enchantments? Prayer and a good, 
 pious disposition. You were not at morning service last Sun- 
 day. I remarked it and felt grieved. As we commence a new 
 week on Sunday, so we should begin it with God, and entreat 
 him to strengthen us to think good thoughts and to over- 
 come evil ones. Forget not, Trude, to pray to God every morn- 
 ing and every evening, and come to church regularly. You 
 shall see that then no wicked magic can work its spell upon 
 you, and that your cows will again give as much milk as ever.'^ 
 
 She nodded to the maid and went farther, not seeing how 
 Trude looked after her with tears in her eyes, and softly mur- 
 mured to herself: " Yes, I will pray. I will be good again. O 
 Lord! forgive my sins! I am bad, but I will be better, that I 
 may look up at her again, for to-day I could not. I felt as if 
 my heart would burst. I will tell her — will confess every- 
 thing to her! " 
 
 She arose swiftly from her stool and set down her pail, in 
 order to overtake the lady. She saw, however, that she was 
 already just at the other end of the passage, on the point of 
 stepping out into the yard again, and was turning aside. 
 
 "It is too late!" sighed Trude, again sinking upon her 
 
THE HAGUE. 105 
 
 .stool — " she is already outside, and the stewardess is with 
 her." 
 
 The stewardess, principal inspector of the cow stable and 
 the butter establishment, was indeed with the young lady, 
 who had just entered the yard. 
 
 " I hope your grace is satisfied," she asked, " and finds 
 nothing amiss? That the cow stable is in order, and that 
 our gracious Princess has found the weekly account cor- 
 rect?" 
 
 The Princess gave her a long, sad glance, and when the 
 stewardess met this inspection with bold, laughing eyes, the 
 Princess sighed. 
 
 " Stewardess," she said, " come with me into the milk- 
 house. I must speak with you." 
 
 She turned around and entered the small house next to the 
 stable. The stewardess followed her with a somewhat dis- 
 turbed, embarrassed air, and remained standing near the door 
 in humble silence. But the Princess crossed the little apart- 
 ment, and looked through the door leading to the great milk 
 chamber within. Then, when she saw that already a few milk- 
 maids had come in to pour the fresh milk into the great stone 
 pans, she drew the door to, herself, and gently slipped the 
 bolt. She crossed directly to where the stewardess stood, and 
 again fixed her large brown eyes upon her with a long, sad 
 glance. 
 
 " Stewardess," she said, " it pains me to be obliged to tell 
 you that I this day dismiss you from my service, and that 
 you must go away from here." 
 
 " Dismiss me? " cried the stewardess. " What have I done 
 to excite your grace to anger? " 
 
 " I am not angry, I am sorry," said the Princess softly. 
 '^ Sorry, because it grieves me to be hard upon your two little 
 children, who will now be shelterless." 
 
 " My God! what have I done then? " wailed the stewardess, 
 yet louder than before. " Some one has surely slandered me 
 to your grace, and accused me unjustly." 
 
 " Stewardess, no one has accused you, and I never listen 
 to slander, but prove and observe myself. You are a deceiver, 
 it grieves me to have to say so, but it is the truth." 
 
106 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Your grace is very hard! " shrieked the womaii. " Yonr 
 grace has- " 
 
 " Silence, speak not so loud! " commanded the Princess^ 
 " or will yon have the maids to be witnesses of your disgrace, 
 and all the world to know why I have dismissed you? '^ 
 
 " Your grace dismisses me," said the stewardess, with stifled 
 voice. " Your grace calls me a deceiver, and yet I know not 
 wherefore." 
 
 "You shall learn why," said the Princess, approaching 
 the little table which stood at the window. On this lay 
 open a great account book, with pen and inkstand close at 
 hand. 
 
 " You have been in my service as stewardess for seven 
 months," continued the Princess. " The first three months 
 you conducted yourself well, and all your accounts agreed. 
 Afterward you believed that you had inspired me with con- 
 fidence, and began each week to lessen somewhat the amount 
 of milk in your statement of receipts. The first weeks the 
 discrepancy was slight, only amounting to a few quarts; but 
 then, as I said nothing, believing that I did not supervise 
 your reckonings, you grew bolder. During the last month 
 you have, according to calculation, purloined almost a third 
 part of the milk. If your purpose is to dispute it, then I shall 
 immediately summon my majordomo, and he must revise the 
 accounts, but then I can no longer shield you from judicial 
 punishment." 
 
 " It is terrible, on account of such a trifle, to turn off a 
 poor widow who has two children to support! " shrieked the 
 stewardess. " A rich, exalted Princess can not think hard 
 of it if her poor stewardess has kept back weekly a couple of 
 quarts of milk for her little children. Your grace will not 
 for such cause dismiss me from your service." 
 
 "You have not kept back a couple of quarts, but every 
 week more than fifty quarts. However, were it still less, the 
 justice of the matter would remain quite the same. You 
 have cheated, you have falsified the accounts and books, and 
 that is a crime. But a worse crime than that have you com- 
 mitted. You have led astray a good, innocent girl, and brought 
 her to cheating. You thought that some day the false ac- 
 
THE HAGUE. 107 
 
 counts might betray you, and therefore it would be better 
 if you could induce the maids to diminish on the tablets the 
 amount of milk, for then it would be no longer necessary to 
 falsify the calculations. With Trude, alas! you succeeded, 
 and you have corrupted the poor girl. Yesterday Trude made 
 her entry of milk too small." 
 
 " It is frightful, your grace," whimpered thfe stewardess. 
 
 " Yes, it is frightful," repeated the Princess; " for until 
 now Trude was such a modest, good girl. You have led her 
 astray, but I hope Trude may yet be saved, and if she repents 
 of her fault, will then improve. But you must be gone, else 
 you might succeed in contaminating the other maids, and 
 inducing them to cheat." 
 
 "Your grace will uot be so hard-hearted," implored the 
 stewardess. " Your grace will have compassion upon me and 
 my children. I, too, promise to alter and amend. Only, 
 your grace, do not turn me away, and I will surely, surely im- 
 prove." 
 
 "No, you will not improve," said the Princess, slowly 
 shaking her head. " You are already, as I must sorrowfully 
 acknowledge, too deeply dyed in sin, and even now there is 
 no repentance in you, but only vexation that I have discovered 
 your fraud. If you had been in need, if your children had 
 "been suffering from hunger, then perhaps we might have found 
 an excuse for your dishonesty. But with me you had a suffi- 
 cient competency, and ample provision for your children. 
 You have therefore cheated from avarice and a wicked love 
 of cheating. You have become the corrupter of my servants, 
 and that is a crime for which no indulgence is to be found. 
 It only remains, therefore, that this very day you leave my 
 service and this place." 
 
 " I can not survive the disgrace," lamented the stewardess. 
 *' If your grace drives me away, I shall drown myself! " 
 
 " No, you will not, for you will fear the punishment of 
 God," said the Princess, solemnly. "I, too, on account of 
 your children, would not have your shame made public. You 
 may say that you have received intelligence that your old 
 mother in Dortrecht has fallen ill, and that you must immedi- 
 ately go to her. Then you can go away and look for service 
 
108 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 •elsewhere. Meanwhile your two little girls may remain here 
 under the care of my majordomo. I myself will see that they 
 want for nothing, and, to relieve you entirely of anxiety for 
 the present, I will advance you wages for the next three 
 months. Come here. Here, stewardess, is the last money you 
 shall receive from me, and may God be merciful to you and 
 incline your heart to what is good." 
 
 " Most gracious Princess,'^ entreated the stewardess, " at 
 least permit me to kiss your hand for the last time; tell me 
 that you forgive me." 
 
 And she threw herself upon her knees, and sought, sobbing 
 and moaning, to seize the Princess's hand, who, however, 
 avoided her. For the first time her countenance assumed a 
 stern, indignant expression. 
 
 " Stand up! " she said, in a tone of command, " act not 
 humility thus, for it is but acting. Your spirit is obdurate 
 and hardened, for you have not even compassion upon your 
 own children. Not one tear has moistened your eyes. Fare- 
 well, and may God have pity upon you. Not another word. 
 Go, leave me. Tell them without that I have permitted you 
 to go to your sick mother." 
 
 The stewardess felt, indeed, that all further entreaties 
 would be vain, for she spoke not a word more, but, groaning 
 and with head sunk upon her breast, she stole through the 
 chamber to the milk room. But when once outside she was 
 heard to give vent to shrieks and lamentations, and to tell 
 the maids of her dying mother, and the good Princess Louisa, 
 who had given her permission to journey forthwith to her 
 mother, and to leave her children in charge of the majordomo 
 nntil her return home. The Princess listened to the woman's 
 loud shrieks and the sympathizing words of the maids. Then 
 she raised her countenance to heaven and a tear glittered in 
 her beautiful eyes. " If I have been hard, God! " she mur- 
 mured, " then in thy mercy forgive. My intention was good, 
 for I thought that I could not do otherwise, on acount of the 
 bad example. Lead back the sinner to the right path, and 
 liave compassion on us all! " 
 
 Without the loud screaming of the stewardess was hushed, 
 and now nothing was to be heard but the brisk chit-chat of 
 
THE HAGUE. 109 
 
 the maids, who were expressing their compassion for the 
 stewardess. 
 
 The Princess again approached the tahle, took up the 
 great book, thrust it into the strong box attached to the table, 
 and locked it. The tray, however, containing the money she 
 kept, carrying it on her left arm, but at the same time cover- 
 ing it with a handkerchief, to conceal its glittering contents. 
 Just as she drew near the outer door to go out she heard a 
 mournful voice crying: "Where is the Princess? I must 
 and shall speak with the Princess! " 
 
 " It is Trude," said the Princess. " I meant to have sum- 
 moned her to me, but it is better to have the affair settled 
 directly." 
 
 She crossed the chamber with hasty steps, and opened 
 the door communicating with the milk chamber. " Trude," 
 she called out, "come in here, I have something to say to 
 you." 
 
 The poor girl rushed in. Her face was pale, her whole 
 frame shook, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Close to 
 the door she fell upon her knees, and extended her outstretched 
 arms toward the Princess. 
 
 "Most gracious Princess," she sobbed, "I am a sinner, 
 a great sinner. I must acknowledge it, for my heart is break- 
 ing with shame and repentance. I ^^ 
 
 " Silence! " interrupted the Princess. " "Weep not so loud, 
 Trude, or the maids will hear you. You need acknowledge 
 nothing, for I know everything already. You were quite right 
 just now. Your cows were under the influence of an evil eye. 
 But I hope that I have broken the spell of the enchantment, 
 and that to-day your cows will again give as much milk as 
 ever before. Now only pray devoutly, and be good and true, 
 and then will no evil eye have any more power over you and 
 your cattle, and your cows will once more be the stateliest 
 in the whole stable, and give, besides, the best and richest 
 milk, and the entries upon your tablet note the greatest num- 
 ber of quarts." 
 
 "Most gracious Princess, I must own my fault, I must 
 confess," sobbed the maid. 
 
 " Confess to God and your own conscience," said the Prin- 
 
110 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 cess softly. " But to me you shall not confess, for I wish to 
 know nothing, but that you are a good girl, and that you will 
 never again allow yourself to be misled by wicked advisers 
 into an evil course. Be good and honest, Trude, that your 
 parents in heaven may rejoice over you. Always think of that, 
 yet weep not and be cheerful, for your sin is pardoned." 
 
 She nodded kindly to the still kneeling girl, took up again 
 the money tray which she had placed upon the table, and left 
 the apartment. 
 
 With quick, hurried step she crossed the dairy farmyard 
 and entered the little building adjoining. She hastened up 
 the wooden steps leading into the interior, down a long pas- 
 sage, again over steps and through passages, until she reached 
 the great corridor conducting to her own apartment. 
 
 Just as she was upon the point of opening the door to the 
 antechamber, another door on the opposite side of the cor- 
 ridor suddenly opened, whence issued a slender young man, 
 with laughing countenance. 
 
 " Good-morning, Cousin Louisa! '^ he cried. ^' You see 
 how well I have kept my word! I have been favored with a 
 glimpse of the most beautiful of princesses and the fairest of 
 milkmaids, despite your prohibition." 
 
 The Princess only replied with a stem, angry glance, 
 then hastily opened the door of the antechamber. When she 
 had entered, it was to draw the bolt across the door from 
 the inside. 
 
 "She is willful and capricious, indeed," muttered the young 
 man. " She is offended at my having surprised her. Well, 
 I shall make most humble apologies and besiege her until she 
 again forgives me, and bestows upon me one of her sweet 
 smiles. She is an angel, and I adore her, and she musi love 
 me, and — and she will love me, or I hope she loves me already. 
 If Mary would but come, I might attend her in calling upon 
 the Princess. Hark! I hear the sound of carriage wheels in 
 the court. That is she." 
 
A PAIR OF WEDDED LOVERS. m 
 
 11. — A Pair of Wedded Lovers. 
 
 Without delay the Princess proceeded to her own private 
 apartment, and had carried the tray of money to her cabinet 
 escritoire, whose middle door she opened with one of the keys 
 on her bunch. Then she hastily drew from its inner recesses 
 a capacious casket, and shook into it the contents of the tray. 
 
 " The last week's receipts for this month,'' she said thought- 
 fully. " I shall at once calculate the amount." She took 
 from the casket a small portfolio, and with the pencil attached 
 to it by a golden chain, marked down in it a few figures. 
 
 Then she allowed herself slowly to sink into a seat, and 
 began in a half audible voice to add together the separate sums. 
 In doing so, her lovely face had assumed a serious, thoughtful 
 expression, and if an observer had thus seen the young Prin- 
 cess, account book in hand, beside the open casket heaped 
 with money, quite absorbed in ciphering, he would have sup- 
 posed that in this lovely maiden's form dwelt the spirit of 
 a merchant and miser, whose sole aim in life was the accumula- 
 tion of treasure. 
 
 " The sum total, twenty thousand florins," murmured the 
 Princess, as she closed the book. " To that add seven thou- 
 sand florins — the savings of two years' economy in the matter 
 of toilet expenses. Altogether, therefore, I have a fund of 
 twenty-seven thousand florins. I can go to work now. I 
 shall now purchase a little piece of land, and found there an 
 establishment for the education of young housekeepers. I 
 shall have a sphere for activity, I shall have work, and for me 
 that is the best medicine." 
 
 "Medicine! Can you need medicine?" asked a voice be- 
 hind her; and as the Princess turned around startled she saw 
 standing in the doorway at her back a youthful lady, who was 
 regarding her with pleasant, smiling countenance. 
 
 " Mary! " said the Princess, drawing a deep breath, " oh, 
 how you frightened me! How came you in so unexpectedly? " 
 
 "Unexpectedly? You have forgotten, then, that I an- 
 nounced to you yesterday my intention of paying you a morn- 
 ing visit? You have so far forgotten it, my fair sister-in-law. 
 
112 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 that even the door of your antechamber was locked. Fortu- 
 nately I was acquainted with the other way of access — through 
 the chamber of your waiting woman, and across the little cor- 
 ridor. Through this way have I come. To be true, old 
 Ursula, your stern doorkeeper and Cerberus, endeavored to 
 detain me, and insisted upon announcing me. But I told her 
 that you were expecting me, and had yourself pointed out to 
 me this mode of entrance, and so the Cerberus had to yield 
 and let me pass. Only think, though, fair cousin, she would 
 by no means accord the same privilege to my brother Charles, 
 and all entreaties, flattery, scolding, and even threats, were 
 in vain. She maintained throughout that no man, whoever 
 he might be, should enter her Princess's apartments by any 
 indirect way; but that only through the principal door and 
 great antechamber were gentlemen permitted to approach. 
 I beg of you, Louisa, to administer a reproof to that same 
 whimsical old person on this occasion, and to tell her that she 
 must make some exceptions, and that the Prince of Wales is 
 worthy of her respect and obedience." 
 
 " Respect, certainly," returned the Princess Louisa gen- 
 tly, " but obedience, no, dear Mary. Obedience she owes only 
 to me and to no one else. If she had this time obeyed your 
 brother and admitted him, I should have felt compelled to 
 dismiss her from my service on the spot, painful as it would 
 have been to me, for she would have done something unseem- 
 ly. If I generally receive the visits of gentlemen in my own 
 apartments, they can only find admittance through the great 
 antechamber." 
 
 " Truly, Louisa, you are as strict as if you were the abbess 
 of a convent," pouted the young lady. " You should at least 
 make an exception in favor of my brother Charles." 
 
 " Wherefore, Mary? " inquired the Princess, smiling. 
 " Why should I make an exception in behalf of the Prince of 
 Wales?" 
 
 " In the first place, because he is your near relation, 
 Louisa, and then " 
 
 "Well, and then?" asked the Princess Louisa, as her 
 young sister-in-law hesitated. 
 
 " Then, because he loves you so much," whispered the 
 
A PAIR OF WEDDED LOVERS. 113 
 
 Princess, while she threw her arm around Louisa's neck and 
 imprinted a kiss upon her cheek. 
 
 Louisa laughed. " My dear/' she said, " the Prince of 
 Wales loves nothing hut himself, and if he pays court to me, 
 it is only because he has nothing better to do, and suffers fear- 
 fully from ennui" 
 
 " Oh, ungrateful one! " cried Mary; " how can you be so 
 
 cruel, and Louisa! how much money you have! — 
 
 how rich you are! " 
 
 She sprang toward the still open casket, and with curious, 
 questioning glance, peered within. 
 
 "Ah, these rolls of ducats," she cried, taking out a roll 
 and balancing it on the tips of her fingers, " and these precious 
 bits of paper inscribed with large numbers! What do they 
 signify? " 
 
 " Those are receipts for certain sums of money which I 
 have intrusted to the banker von Brinken," said Princess 
 Louisa, while she slowly shut to the casket and locked the lid 
 of the escritoire. 
 
 " How rich you are, Louisa! " sighed her young sister-in- 
 law. "You have a regular treasury of state, while I have 
 'hardly anything, hardly anything, I tell you, although I am 
 a King's daughter and the spouse of the hereditary Prince of 
 Orange. I tell you, Louisa, my purse is again perfectly empty, 
 and my poor brother is quite in despair, for his purse is in the 
 same condition as my own. But, Louisa! it is right hard 
 to be a princess and yet not to have as much money as you 
 want. Just tell me what good it does to be a princess, if you 
 have no money? " 
 
 "It does this good, Mary, it teaches us that even prin- 
 cesses should learn the value of money," said Louisa, with a 
 smile. 
 
 " You understand that," cried Mary; " you are wise and 
 know how to economize. Oh, I remember when the Paris 
 jeweler was here not long since, and spread out before us 
 such wonders of art, such beautiful bracelets, and such ex- 
 quisite earrings and bandeaux, that we were all perfectly en- 
 chanted — you alone remained quite cold and indifferent, hard- 
 ly even bestowing a glance upon the glorious things. My 
 
114 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 brother and I bought and bought, until to our horror we 
 found that we had bought more than we had money to pay 
 for, and were obliged to go in debt. But you, I do believe 
 you did not buy a single ornament." 
 
 "No, I actually did not," said the Princess. "I do not 
 like to array myself in gold and precious stones, and a flower 
 in the hair seems to me prettier than the prettiest set of 
 diamonds." 
 
 Princess Mary slowly shook her head. " I do not com- 
 prehend you," she said. " You do not think like a Princess. 
 Your mother, though, is of quite a different way of think- 
 ing. She loves show and parade, and I can assure you that 
 my mamma's apartments in Whitehall are not half so richly 
 and magnificently furnished as the rooms of the Princess of 
 Orange here in the Stadtholder's court. My mamma, too, is 
 a Queen and a King's daughter born, while your mamma is 
 nothing but a little Princess of Solms-Braunfeld." 
 
 " But a great Princess through her virtues, her merits, 
 her wisdom, and her wit! " cried Princess Louisa proudly. 
 
 " To be sure she is," continued Mary warmly, " and no one 
 respects my dear mother-in-law more than I do. But I only 
 speak against you when I say that your mother, who is such 
 a wise, prudent Princess, does not despise pomp, and thinks 
 it unbecoming a Princess to be simple and unassuming. An 
 empress could not surround herself with more splendor than 
 your mamma. Her food is only served in golden dishes, all 
 the appointments of her toilet table are of gold, yea, she has 
 even had the keys to her wardrobes and tables made of pure 
 gold.* And you are her daughter, and yet are not at all regu- 
 lated by your exalted mother's example. You dress yourself 
 as simply as if you were an unpretending burgher's daughter, 
 and actually maintain that a flower in the hair is better than 
 the finest diamond coiffure. Ah! if I only could have bought 
 that splendid set of diamonds the French jeweler displayed 
 before us! But I had no money, and when I begged mamma 
 to buy them for me she said that in these dreadful times she 
 had no money to spend on such things. Then I plucked up 
 courage, and wrote a little note to my dear husband, and 
 * Historical. Von Orlich, History of Prussia, vol. 11, p. 64. 
 
A PAIR OF WEDDED LOVERS. 115 
 
 asked him just to buy the diamond coronet for his little wife, 
 ■and brother Charles had the letter secretly conveyed to him. 
 But William has made me no answer, and that is as much as to 
 say that he, too, has no money, and can not gratify my wish. 
 But I dream every night of those glorious diamonds, and, do 
 you know, Louisa, I think if you only had the least bit of love 
 for your little sister-in-law you would help her to get what 
 she longs for so much." 
 
 " How can I help you? " asked Princess Louisa, perfectly 
 amazed. 
 
 Princess Mary put one arm around Louisa's waist and 
 tenderly laid her little head on her shoulder. " You can help 
 me by lending me two thousand ducats," she whispered softly. 
 ■^' Dear Louisa, please do. Lend me two thousand ducats, that 
 I may buy the diamond coronet, and I swear that I shall pay 
 you back just as soon as I am in funds." 
 
 " My dear Mary," said Louisa, shaking her head, " you will 
 never be in funds, for you are a child, and do not know how to 
 manage money." 
 
 " Oh, when I am reigning Princess of Orange," exclaimed 
 Mary with beaming eyes, " I shall have so much money that 
 I can buy everything I want, and I promise you I will be more 
 economical than your mamma, for I shall manage to do with- 
 out golden keys, and instead wear beautiful diamonds." 
 
 " You are very cruel, Mary," sighed the Princess, " for 
 when you speak of the time when you will be reigning Prin- 
 cess of Orange you forget that my dear, dear father will be 
 dead." 
 
 " It was very thoughtless, Louisa, and I beg your pardon. 
 But you have not answered me yet, Louisa. Will you gratify 
 my wish, chere cousine et sceur — will you lend me two thou- 
 sand ducats? " 
 
 "I can not, dear Mary, for, unfortunately, I have no 
 money." 
 
 " How? Did my eyes deceive me? " asked Mary, in a 
 quick, excited tone. " Are there no rolls of ducats in yonder 
 casket, no monied bonds? " 
 
 " No, Mary, your eyes did not deceive you — ^all that is ia 
 the casket. Only the money does not belong to me.'^ 
 
116 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Not to you ? To whom, then, does it belong? " 
 " It belongs to the poor, to the daughters of the common- 
 wealth,^' replied Louisa. " You force me to tell you a secret 
 which nobody knows, and to speak of things which other- 
 wise I should have kept concealed. You have twitted me 
 with my plain and simple dress, and mamma herself has some- 
 times found fault with me for being so sparing in my personal 
 expenditures. Two years ago, when I obtained my father's 
 gracious permission to establish a dairy at the farm, of which 
 I was to have the control, it being also settled that the needed 
 butter and milk for the whole household of the court should 
 be suppUed from my dairy, and paid for at current rates, my 
 mother was at first very indignaiit, and nothing short of my 
 father's gracious intercession could have procured me her con- 
 sent. Since then you have all often teased and ridiculed me 
 about my dairy, and suspected me of being avaricious, and 
 wanting to heap up gold and treasures. But I will now con- 
 fide to you my inmost thoughts, although perhaps you may 
 not quite understand me, and only laugh at me. I felt a strong 
 desire to do good in the world; it vexed me to be nothing but 
 a Princess, drawing her appanage and supported by her people 
 merely on the ground that she was her father's child. I felt 
 a strong desire to prove my gratitude, and make myself useful 
 to the nation that had made the house of Orange what it is, 
 the nation that pays an appanage to me, a poor Princess. Be- 
 sides, I am a daughter of this people, and share their joys and 
 sorrows. I have seen and observed how many poor, unhappy 
 girls there are, who are a burden upon their parents and fami- 
 lies, who would gladly earn their own bread by the work of 
 their hands, but are unable to do so because they have learned 
 nothing, and can only do the rough work about a house or 
 farm. There has been but little attention paid to founding 
 good schools for girls, for the States have too important mat- 
 ters to attend to to trouble themselves about the fate of the 
 poor daughters of the common people. But I have nothing 
 else of importance to do, so I thought I would establish a 
 good school, where the daughters of poor people might 
 learn needlework, reading, writing, and arithmetic, besides 
 rural economy, especially dairy work; that, when they go out 
 
A PAIR OP WEDDED LOVERS. II7 
 
 into the world, they can make themselves useful and earn a 
 livelihood. I intend to found a school and public dairy which 
 has been my plan for years. And already for years have 1 
 been collecting, saving, and working to this end. In the 
 casket are the savings which I have laid by, and I have at last 
 enough to effect the purchase of a piece of land in the neigh- 
 borhood on which to build a house. You see now, dear sister, 
 that I spoke the truth when I said, ' this money does not be- 
 long to me.' It belongs to the poor, to the daughters of dear 
 Holland, and in this way I would make a slight return to her 
 for what she has done for my family. Forgive me, then, Mary, 
 if I can not gratify your wishes and lend you money, for you 
 see plainly that I ought not." 
 
 " I see that you are an angel," cried Mary, with tears in 
 her eyes. " When I see you in your simple, unadorned attire, 
 and think why you dress so modestly, and how much money 
 I have wasted on useless things, you seem to me to be like an 
 angel, and I could fall down before you for very shame and 
 contrition. Ah, Louisa, how noble are you, and what a poor, 
 foolish child am I! But I will be different. I will learn from 
 you, and pattern by your example. I no longer want any dia- 
 monds, and if I were to tell my brother Charles what you 
 have done, and " 
 
 " Mary," interposed Louisa earnestly, " I told you, that I 
 had a secret to tell you, which nobody knew, and I demand of 
 you to give me your hand, with a solemn promise never to 
 reveal to anybody in the world even one word of what I have 
 said to you. If you want me to love you, give me your hand 
 upon it, that you will not betray my secret to anybody." 
 
 '^ Here is my hand then, you bad thing! " cried Mary, lay- 
 ing her little jeweled fingers in the outstretched right hand 
 which Louisa extended. " If you threaten to love me no more, 
 then I must do whatever you will, and tell nobody in the 
 world a word of your noble secret, although my brother would 
 idolize you if he knew it." 
 
 " My dear Mary," said Louisa, smiling, " I have no am- 
 bition to be idolized. ' Love me little, love me long,' for in my 
 eyes that is far preferable to being the object of a temporary 
 idolatry, however passionate." 
 
118 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Ah, Louisa, but it is so delightful to be loved right pas- 
 sionately! " 
 
 " As, for example, my brother William loves you, you 
 would say, eh?" 
 
 The Princess nodded. " He loves me, he loves me a great 
 deal, and knows so well how to find expression for his love. 
 His letters are so beautiful, so passionate and glowing, that 
 as I read them the blood rushes to my cheeks and my heart 
 stands still for joy and excitement, and I kiss the paper on 
 which he wrote such heavenly words. But, Louisa! is it not 
 cruel in them to force William to say on paper all that he could 
 say so much more easily and pleasantly in person. Yet I am 
 his wedded wife, and he is my rightful lord and husband, and 
 I can not understand by what right they prevent us from 
 being together, never to be parted more." 
 
 " By the right of reason they restrain you, Mary, for you 
 are both so very young, and they say no marriages over-hastily 
 concluded are happy. Besides, it was so arranged in the mar- 
 riage contract, that you should not live together as man and 
 wife until my brother had completed his twentieth and you 
 your sixteenth year. Your parents on both sides made that 
 express stipulation, and you, loving children, must conform 
 to the will of your parents." 
 
 " But things have altered so much since then," pouted 
 Mary. " Those arrangements were entered into just because 
 I was in England, and meant that I should not leave home 
 and come here before my sixteenth year. But now the fierce, 
 rebellious people of England have forced my mamma to take 
 refuge here because there our lives were no longer safe. Is it 
 not cruel and unnatural to separate my husband and myself 
 any longer, since fate itself has united us? " 
 
 " But, Mary, you are not separated," said Louisa, con- 
 solingly. " You live quite near one another; you can see and 
 speak to each other every day, and " 
 
 " Fine seeing, fine speaking, fine being together," inter- 
 rupted Mary. " They never permit us to be alone together, 
 or to speak to one another save in the presence of witnesses. 
 And as to being together, it is almost a worse separation than 
 if we were separated by water and land. My husband lives 
 
A PAIR OP WEDDED LOVERS. 119 
 
 here at The Hague, while I live at Bosch with mamma, only 
 separated by a half hour's ride, and yet farther parted than 
 if an ocean rolled between us, for oceans can be crossed, but 
 between us is interposed the will of my severe mother-in-law, 
 and against that no force can prevail." 
 
 " Do not forget, Mary, that your mother is of the same 
 mind as my own. And you, foolish child, be glad that you can 
 enjoy so long the springtime of your happiness and love, and 
 content yourself with being my brother's worshiped and 
 idolized bride." 
 
 " Oh, William swears in all his letters that he will 
 worship and idolize me all his life, and that it will make no 
 difference at all, when I am his wife and with him all the 
 time." 
 
 " I believe all men swear the same so long as they are un- 
 married," said Louisa, smiling; " but no one has ever heard 
 of their keeping the vows which they bestow so lavishly upon 
 their lady-loves." 
 
 " William will make an exception," insisted Mary, " and 
 I know one other person who will make an exception, too, 
 and love his wife just as ardently as he now does the mistress 
 of his heart." 
 
 " And who, if I may ask, is this person? " 
 
 " My brother Charles, dear Louisa, and you are the mis- 
 tress of his heart. You smile, and shake your head incredu- 
 lously. Just tell me, Louisa, how can you be so hard- 
 hearted?" 
 
 " I am not hard-hearted," said Louisa softly, and a light 
 cloud of melancholy flitted across her brow. " On the con- 
 trary, I believe I am right tender-hearted." 
 
 " You are not so toward my brother Charles, at any rate," 
 said Mary warmly. " He loves you, and instead of returning 
 his love you do not even believe in it." 
 
 "Faith can not be forced," replied Louisa, shrugging 
 her shoulders. " But let us speak no more of this, Mary. Why 
 should my dear little sister-in-law trouble herself about other 
 people's love affairs. Let us speak of yourself. You came 
 to get me to walk with you, and of course my brother William 
 is to be of the party." 
 
120 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 "Of course, William and brother Charles, too, for you 
 can not accompany us without an escort/' 
 
 " For to go beside you is not admissible, is it? '' 
 
 " It is bad enough," complained Mary, " that we must have 
 companions at all. But if you and my brother Charles are 
 talking, you can not at least overhear our conversation." 
 
 " Well, I accept your brother as my escort for the whole 
 walk. But, in return, you must promise me something." 
 
 "What would you have of me, dear, good Louisa?" said 
 Mary coaxingly, as she threw her arms around her sister-in- 
 law. 
 
 " You must let us go behind, not before you, that we may 
 see where you go and follow you." 
 
 " Do you insist upon this, Louisa? " 
 
 "I insist upon it, Mary, not voluntarily, but because I 
 must acknowledge that this is the only condition on which 
 mamma permits my brother William to go out walking with 
 you and your brother Charles without other attendance, and 
 I have given my word that this condition shall be faithfully 
 observed." 
 
 " Well, if you have given your word," sighed Mary, " of 
 course it must not be broken. But please, sister, let us delay 
 no longer, and let the gentlemen come in." 
 
 " Just grant me a few minutes more, that I may change 
 my dress. You see I am still in my dairy costume." 
 
 "And my brother tells me that he has won his wager, 
 and seen you in your housekeeping dress," cried Mary laugh- 
 ing. 
 
 " True, he did surprise me; but as to winning his wager, 
 that is doubtful, for I did not let him see me of my own free 
 will, he only succeeded in surprising me. But now let me 
 go and dress. I shall not keep you waiting long." 
 
 " Do so, Louisa, but — ^I must tell you one piece of news, 
 a great piece of news." 
 ' " Well, what is it? " 
 
 "We are to have a visitor, a handsome, young visitor. 
 Why, you seem perfectly cool and indifferent! Guess who 
 it is." 
 
 "No, indeed, sister. I would rather not guess," replied 
 
A PAIR OF WEDDED LOVERS. 121 
 
 the Princess, who had already reached her dressing-room door, 
 and laid her hand upon the handle of the latch. " What sort 
 of a visitor is it?" 
 
 *^ The Elector of Brandenburg is coming, Louisa; he will 
 be here this very day." 
 
 " Ah, I forgot," replied Louisa, with indifference. " They 
 were talking about it yesterday at dinner. My father men- 
 tioned it to Minister von Dambohke." 
 
 " You heard that, Louisa, and still pretended not to know 
 of what visitor I was speaking. Ah, cousin, you are sly, and 
 know very well how to dissemble." 
 
 " I am sure I can not see in this any cause for dissimula- 
 tion on my part," replied Louisa coldly. 
 
 " Why, you do not wish any one to observe how delighted 
 you are to see your cousin again," said Mary, smiling, " but 
 everybody knows how much interest you take in him. You 
 never speak of him but in terms of praise, and if any one ven- 
 tures to find fault with him, it is always you who undertake 
 his defense." 
 
 " I defend him because he is not here to defend himself, 
 and because I can not bear to hear the absent censured. You 
 are right, too, in saying that I take great interest in him, for 
 he is my near relation, and was always so good and kind to 
 me when he stayed at The Hague nine years ago. I was then 
 a little girl of ten, and no one troubled himself about such a 
 mere child. The Electoral Prince, however, had a kind word 
 for me, and sometimes even played in the park with me, and 
 listened patiently to stories about my cows and little garden." 
 
 "The only question is," said Mary, a little sharply, 
 ^^ whether the Princess Ludovicka Hollandine was not in your 
 neighborhood while he was listening to such rural tales." 
 
 The countenance of Princess Louisa, which had glowed 
 with gentle radiance as she recalled these reminiscences of 
 her childhood, was now overshadowed, and her cheeks grew 
 pale. 
 
 " What do you know about the Princess Ludovicka Hol- 
 landine? " she asked. 
 
 "I know all about her," replied Mary with important 
 air. " Prince William has told me all, for, you know, there 
 
122 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 are no secrets among married people, and in our yesterday's 
 walk, when the conversation turned upon the Elector's ap- 
 proaching visit, he told me the whole story. I must tell you 
 I was very indignant at the Elector's conduct, and think he 
 treated the Princess of the Palatinate very shamefully and 
 cruelly. In the first place, he vowed eternal love to her and 
 formed an engagement with her, and afterward heartlessly 
 forsook her, although he knew that the Princess loved him 
 passionately, and although he himself had sought first to 
 awaken this love in her heart. Oh, it was unpardonable in 
 him, and will be an abiding reproach to him, for his faithless- 
 ness drove the poor Princess to such despair that she fled to 
 Prance, there to become a Catholic and immure herself in a 
 nunnery. You see, I know the whole story, and this time 
 you will not attempt to defend or excuse the Electoral Prince.'' 
 
 " No, I shall not attempt it," said Louisa softly, " for to 
 defend the Elector is to accuse Princess Hollandine, and to 
 excuse him is to inculpate her. I was a mere child at the 
 time, and of course no one spoke on the subject to me; only 
 accidentally have I heard this melancholy story occasionally 
 alluded to. No one thinks of it any longer, it has been for- 
 gotten." 
 
 " The Princess will not be apt to forget it in her cloister," 
 said Mary, with asperity; "and when she hears that the 
 Elector is here, and for what purpose he comes, she will 
 doubtless again shed bitter and scalding tears." 
 
 " For what purpose, then, do you think that the Elector 
 comes? " asked Louisa. 
 
 " Ah, little coquette, as if you did not know! Well, I will 
 tell you. The Elector comes to espouse you, to ask the hand 
 of his cousin, the Princess Louisa Henrietta of Orange." 
 
 " My dear Mary," said Princess Louisa, with a gentle smile, 
 "you have been totally misinformed, and I am astonished 
 that you could believe such a tale for a single moment. Do 
 you not know that the Elector has been courting the Queen of 
 Sweden for two years? " 
 
 " Yes, but that match is now entirely broken off. Queen 
 Christina has scorned to accept the little Elector, and there- 
 fore " 
 
THE WALK. 12a 
 
 " And therefore," interrupted Louisa proudly, " therefore 
 you think the Elector will do me the honor to propose for my 
 hand? Happily, however, you are mistaken. The marriage 
 of the Elector with the Queen of Sweden is now a settled mat- 
 ter. The Elector, I believe, has only political views in com- 
 ing here, wishing to ally himself with Holland, and he goes 
 from here to Sweden to consummate his marriage with the 
 Queen." 
 
 " How do you know all this, Louisa? " 
 
 " I heard my father tell Minister Dambohke so yesterday. 
 You see, therefore, dear Mary, that you were mistaken. But 
 now I will go and make a hasty toilet, for I know my brother 
 William is already awaiting you with impatience." 
 
 III.— The Walk. 
 
 A Quarter of an hour later Princess Louisa returned to 
 the sitting room, where her young sister-in-law still awaited 
 her. She had exchanged her morning costume for a dress at 
 once rich and elegant. But she did not appear in the fashion- 
 able French robes, such as had been for some time worn by 
 all distinguished ladies and adopted at almost all the European 
 courts, but adhered to her national costume, only that it wa& 
 made of costly materials, and a little accommodated to the pre- 
 vailing mode, for the full silk skirt fell down to the feet, and 
 instead of the Dutch boot with buckles she wore the French 
 satin slipper with its high red heels. The Dutch cap, too, 
 with its golden clasps had disappeared from her head, and no 
 ornament supplied its place save the redundancy of blonde 
 hair which encircled her brow with pretty little ringlets, fell 
 in longer curls on both sides of her face, and was caught up 
 behind in braids confined by a simple knot of blue ribbon. 
 
 " You look wonderfully pretty, Louisa," cried Princess 
 Mary, coming forward to meet her. " Brother Charles will 
 be charmed with you." 
 
 " As if I had made my toilet for him," said Louisa, shrug- 
 9 
 
124 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ging her shoulders. " But come, Mary, we must go. The 
 two gentlemen, I suppose, are waiting for us in the hall be- 
 low." 
 
 ''Yes, and I expect they are impatient enough at our 
 long delay." 
 
 Princess Louisa threw a mantle around her shoulders, cov- 
 •cred her head with a black lace veil, worn at that time instead 
 of a hat, and gave her arm to her young sister-in-law to con- 
 duct her into the hall below. Two young men in French 
 <jourt dresses of satin, richly embroidered with gold, advanced 
 to meet them, saluting the Princesses with profound bows. 
 One of them was the same young man who had so startled 
 the Princess on her return from her inspection of the farm 
 buildings; it was the Prince of Wales, Charles Stuart, son. 
 of King Charles I, who was at that time fighting with his 
 people the desperate battle of monarchy against the sover- 
 eignty of the people. The other young man, a few years older, 
 was the Prince of Orange, the Stadtholder's only son and 
 lawful successor. His grave, handsome face was lighted up- 
 with joy as he saw his young wife advancing to meet him, 
 radiant in youth, beauty, and love, and after his first formal 
 salutation, he hastened up to her, seized both her hands and 
 fervently pressed them to his lips. She looked at him, and 
 their eyes met in a glance that needed not the interposition 
 of words to make it understood. 
 
 " Cousin Louisa, have you not a word or a look for me? " 
 whispered the Prince of Wales, approaching the Princess 
 Louisa. 
 
 " Yes, I have one word for you," said she, smiling. '' This 
 is it: let us begin our walk, for the sun shines so beautifully 
 and there is such a delicious breeze." 
 
 She turned to the young pair, who still stood hand in hand, 
 looking at each other and speaking in soft whispers. 
 
 " Come, brother, come, sister," she said, " let us go. The 
 tsun is waiting upon us." 
 
 " No," cried Prince William, pointing to his young partner, 
 •*' my sun is here beside me! " 
 
 "But she will cease to shine upon you, brother, if you 
 do not submit to the will and direction of our mother. Be 
 
THE WALK 125 
 
 wise, brother; we have permission to take a walk together. 
 Let us go, then, quietly and with all due decorum." 
 
 " I may at least offer the Princess my arm, may I not? '^ 
 ^sked Prince William, sighing. 
 
 '^ Yes, brother, but in sober fashion, as becomes a husband 
 who has been married five years already." 
 
 " You do but laugh at me and my misfortune," sighed' 
 ihe Prince, as he offered Mary his arm and led her to the outer 
 -door. 
 
 "And you, cousin?" asked the Prince of Wales. "Will 
 you not do me the favor to accept my arm? " 
 
 "Why so, cousin?" quietly answered she. "Let us go 
 ^long side by side, freely and independently — that is best." 
 
 The Prince probably caught the secret meaning of her 
 words, for suddenly a dark cloud overshadowed his face, and 
 in passionate impatience he stamped upon the ground. 
 
 " Cousin," he said quickly, and with quivering lips, " you 
 must acknowledge that I won my wager this morning? " 
 
 "Yes, cousin, you won it, although not quite fairly, I 
 think." 
 
 " I won it, and you must pay me a forfeit. I shall esteem 
 myself richly paid if you will give me your arm for the whole 
 walk." 
 
 " My dear cousin," said the Princess, with friendly com- 
 posure, " I accept your terms, and pay the forfeit." 
 
 So saying she took the Prince's proffered arm, and drew 
 Mm forward after the young lovers, who had already left the 
 hall and stood upon the staircase leading down into the park. 
 
 "Louisa," pleaded the Prince, pressing her arm close to 
 his heart, " you have given me your arm for the whole walk, 
 you recollect — ^for the whole walk, and you can not withdraw 
 it for a single instant. Give me your word that you will not 
 forget, and that you will not tell anybody, not even our 
 brother and sister, that you only grant me this favor in conse- 
 quence of a wager." 
 
 " I give you my word, cousin! " 
 
 Arm in arm the Prince of Wales and Princess Louisa 
 followed the other two. With light, fleet step the two bloom- 
 ing young couples descended the stairs leading into the garden. 
 
126 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 and followed the broad avenue until they reached the little 
 side path leading deeper into the wooded part of the park. 
 
 Above, at her chamber window, the Princess Amelia stood 
 cautiously looking out from behind the curtains, and with 
 sharp eyes observed the movements of the young people. 
 
 ^* Ever the same infatuation, the same ardor," she said, 
 shaking her head disapprovingly. " She will be a dangerous 
 rival, for she will govern his heart and senses, while I shall 
 only have his head on my side. And she is not the woman, 
 alas! who ought to rule her husband, and Holland will not 
 submit patiently to the experiments of a young, frivolous 
 Princess. God! " she exclaimed, with a bitter sigh, "it is 
 hard that I must think of all these things, even while my 
 husband is alive — my husband, who, as the physicians assure 
 me, can live but a few months longer. The welfare of our 
 house and country is at stake, however, and the afflicted wife 
 must retreat behind the loving mother and solicitous ruler. 
 If my son William allows himself to be ruled by this thought- 
 less, coquettish little Princess, he runs the risk of sharing 
 the fate of his father-in-law, the King of England. Queen 
 Henrietta is to blame for all her husband's misfortunes. I 
 would not have my son experience a like fate. No, it shall 
 not be; I will leave no stone unturned whereby he may be 
 saved from such a disaster. The Princess can not remain here. 
 I shall urge my husband to insist upon the terms of the mar- 
 riage contract being strictly kept." 
 
 She withdrew from the window, and paced with bowed 
 head and quick step the length of her apartment. Without 
 was heard the sound oi approaching carriage wheels. The 
 Princess, however, gave no heed. She was wholly absorbed 
 in thought, and her plans for the future had entirely banished 
 the present from her mind. 
 
 " Yes," she said, pausing in the middle of the room, and 
 proudly drawing lierself up, like a queen who has just issued 
 her last mandates t(> subjects cringing in the dust — " yes, it 
 shall be so! The Princess Mary and her giddy mother must 
 begone from here. They furnish no good example to my 
 daughter, and my son shall not be snared in the nets of this 
 young Circe. She must begone — that is a settled thing! This 
 
THE WALK. 127 
 
 yery day my husband must make known to our Prince his 
 discontent at seeing him thus engrossed with his future wife, 
 to the neglect of his studies and other duties. He must insist 
 upon his sacredly complying with the articles of the marriage 
 contract, and not thinking of being united to the Princess 
 Mary before she has completed her sixteenth year. William 
 must give his solemn promise to this effect, and I shall then 
 see myself to the removal of this whole court (so snugly en- 
 sconced here) to one of our border castles. I shall see, more- 
 over, that they return not before the proper time. If, to my 
 deepest regret, I lose my husband in a few months, and my son 
 succeeds to the Stadtholdership, I will be alone at his side, 
 and it shall be my task so to influence my son that he yield 
 to me the sole guidance of affairs. Directed by my counsels 
 and experience, he will never again think of playing the 
 part of a loving shepherd to his wife. When the year is 
 out, and the marriage may be legally consummated, then 
 let the Princess Mary come. I shall no longer have any- 
 thing to fear, and I shall remain undisputed mistress of the 
 field." 
 
 The door was opened and the chamberlain entered. " His 
 highness the Elector of Brandenburg! " was his announce- 
 ment, and in the open doorway appeared the tall and stately 
 form of Frederick William. 
 
 Princess Amelia rushed forward to meet him with out- 
 stretched arms. ' "Welcome, dear nephew!" she cried cor- 
 dially. " With my whole soul I bid you welcome! " 
 
 " Thank you, aunt, for this cordial greeting," said the 
 Elector, imprinting a warm kiss upon the Princess's lips. " It 
 really seems to me as if I were coming home after a long ab- 
 sence, and I assure your grace that as I passed through each 
 well-known spot on my way to your apartments my heart beat, 
 as if I were the lost son returning to his father's house after 
 years of wandering." 
 
 " So be it, dear nephew! Let us abide by your comparison, 
 and may you find this to be a father's house. A lost son, in- 
 deed, you never were, and yet I greet you as one found again, 
 for your absence has been of long duration." 
 
 " But I come with a heart so much the more tender and 
 
128 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 devoted," said the Elector feelingly, " and right candidly I 
 beseech you to receive me again into favor." 
 
 " I must needs yield to the pleading of those blue eyes," 
 said the Princess, smilingly surveying the noble form of her 
 youthful kinsman. " It seems to me," she continued, " that 
 you have grown." 
 
 " When you saw me last, dearest aunt, I was but an in- 
 significant, little Electoral Prince, and perhaps I have grown 
 ^ little since as Elector; but I am yet of fearfully diminutive 
 proportions." 
 
 " All will come with time, nephew, for you are of healthy, 
 robust nature, and have a stout will of your own. But tell 
 me, have you paid your respects to my husband, your dear 
 uncle?" 
 
 " No, most gracious aunt, I was not allowed access to him, 
 for they told me the physicians had strictly forbidden the 
 slumber of the sick Prince to be disturbed. Therefore I have 
 ventured to intrude upon your privacy." 
 
 "Ah, my dear nephew, your uncle is indeed very sick," 
 sighed the Princess, " and had your visit been delayed only a 
 few months longer I fear he would not have been here to bid 
 you welcome." 
 
 " So they told me, and thereby hastened my movements. 
 But tell me, aunt, can you encourage me to hope for success 
 in the most important object of my journey? Shall I be 
 welcome to Fraulein Louisa? " 
 
 The Princess shrugged her shoulders and sighed. " That, 
 -dear nephew, is a question which unfortunately I can not 
 answer. My daughter is of a reserved nature, and does not 
 willingly betray her feelings. She lives in a world of her own, 
 and, although kind to every one, opens her heart to none. 
 Just as you entered, my thoughts were engaged with her, for 
 I had been looking after her as she passed down the park 
 avenue." 
 
 "Was she alone?" asked the Elector, with animation. 
 *' Permit me to follow and speak to her! " 
 
 " Do so if you wish it, dear nephew. But you will not find 
 lier alone, but in company, and it was that very thing which 
 occupied my thoughts. My son William with his young 
 
THE WALK. 129 
 
 Princess and the Prince of Wales went with her. For the 
 rest, I am very glad to have an opportunity of speaking to 
 you before you see my daughter, for I have an important com- 
 munication to make to you, which I purposely reserved for 
 a personal interview. You begged that we should say nothing 
 of your addresses to our daughter, and this has surprised me,, 
 for it shows that a remarkable sympathy exists between you. 
 You would not have a wife who only gives you her hand under 
 the force of restraint, and just so, Louisa will only marry for 
 love, and you shall now learn from me how it happened that 
 we have indulged the Princess in this fantastical wish. The 
 Elector of Hesse was here last year on a visit, and sued for 
 our Louisa^s hand. We gave him our consent, for she was 
 at the age when it is customary to give princesses in marriage. 
 But when we presented to Louisa her bridegroom elect, she 
 was so overcome by her emotion that she fell in a fainting 
 fit, which was followed by a burning fever. Our doctors 
 thought that this sickness was the result of violent nervous 
 excitement, and that it might easily prove dangerous unless- 
 they could remove from the Princess all subjects of distress. 
 In her delirium, however, she was ever lamenting her engage- 
 ment to the Elector of Hesse, and called herself a poor victim,, 
 so I took occasion, at a time when she was free from fever,, 
 to tell her that her father and I would not insist upon this 
 marriage, but that she was free to reject the Elector if she 
 chose. She screamed aloud with delight, seized both my 
 hands, and amid many tears besought me to make her a solemn 
 promise never to force her to marry. She has ever since 
 evinced a great repugnance to matrimony, and it would be 
 her death if I were to send her from me, and command her to- 
 become the wife of some strange prince whom she did not 
 love. She pleaded with such touching words and in so moving^ 
 a manner that it was hard to resist her, especially as the physi- 
 cians had declared it so important to avoid giving her any 
 cause of distress. I had therefore to make the best of a bad 
 matter, and gave my princely word of honor to our daughter 
 that we, her parents, would never force her to marry, but 
 allow her to choose a husband for herself, or remain at home 
 if she never felt inclined to marry. I promised Louisa this^ 
 
130 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 laying my right hand on her brow, and, like a meek, tender- 
 hearted mother, I confess that I felt recompensed by the 
 happy smile that lighted up my sick child's face, and that 
 in the rosy light of dawn she looked more like an angel than a 
 creature of mortal mold. She threw her arms around my 
 neck, kissed me fervently, then sank back upon her pillow 
 and fell asleep. She lay for thirty hours wrapped in unbroken 
 slumber, and when she awoke there was no trace of fever, 
 and the doctors said that the Princess was in a fair way to re- 
 cover. And so it seemed, for in two days Louisa was perfectly 
 well and merry as a lark. I had saved her life by my promise, 
 but can not deny that I have often repented it since, for many 
 eligible offers have been made her, which she has invariably 
 declined, affirming that she has no idea of marrying, and 
 prefers living at The Hague with her dear parents. There- 
 fore, my dear, I can say nothing but ' Try your luck,' and if 
 the Princess accepts your offer you will be most welcome to 
 me as a son-in-law. But I promise to keep my word and not 
 to breathe a word of the matter to the young lady herself. 
 I shall leave you young people to settle your own affairs. I 
 once committed the error of giving my daughter a foolish 
 promise, which I can not retract, for I regard a promise as a 
 sacred obligation. See, nephew, if you can not soften the 
 Princess's obdurate heart. But I must forewarn you that an- 
 other is making the same effort." 
 
 " The Prince of Wales! He loves her, then? " 
 
 "Yes, he loves her, and with all the impetuosity of a 
 spoiled young man." 
 
 " And she'^ Does she love liim9 Most earnestly I beseech 
 your grace to tell me candidly, that in case of the worst 1 
 may avoid the pain and mortification of being rejected! " 
 
 " If I had known that, dear nephew, with any certainty, 
 I should have written to you, and begged you not to come. 
 But I will tell you my candid opinion, and the result of my 
 observations. It is true that Louisa is very cordial in her 
 manners to the Prince of Wales, and more confidential with 
 him than any other person. You might have seen that for 
 yourself, if you had been here a few moments since. Prince 
 William walked in front with Princess Mary, and arm in arm 
 
THE WALK. 131 
 
 followed the Prince of Wales and Princess Louisa in lively 
 conversation." 
 
 " She loves him," murmured the Elector, " it is clear, she 
 loves him." 
 
 " Not quite so clear, nephew mine. It rather seems to me 
 at times as if Louisa regarded the Prince of Wales as a mere 
 boy, and never dreamed that her kindness toward him could 
 be attributed to any tenderer feeling than that of friendship. 
 Only consider, he is three years younger than my daughter, 
 and a maiden of nineteen years seems to herself sedate and 
 mature beside a youth of sixteen. Louisa sometimes plays 
 the part of governess to the Prince of Wales, and when we 
 are displeased with him, and indignant at his reckless, forward 
 behavior, she always is ready with this excuse: ' He is such a 
 child, and so unhappy. Surely, you will be indulgent to a 
 poor boy, who is violent and passionate, because he takes so 
 much to heart the misfortunes of his father.' She is also of 
 a mild and sweet disposition, and the sorrows of others find 
 an ever-ready response in her sympathizing breast. It may, 
 therefore, be nothing but compassion which makes her seem 
 so kindly disposed toward the Prince of Wales." 
 
 " But if it should proceed from a different feeling, and 
 if the Princess should return the love of the Prince of Wales, 
 would your grace with good will consent to their union? " 
 
 ^' With good will, no, nephew; but you know what promise 
 I have given my daughter. I can only tell you that I sincerely 
 hope your suit may be crowned with success." 
 
 " You empower me, then, dearest aunt, to enter the lists 
 with the Prince of Wales? " 
 
 "I not merely empower you. Elector, but wish it, and 
 say with all my heart, God grant you the victory! " 
 
 She offered him her hand, which he kissed. 
 
 " Permit me to follow and speak to the Princess," he said. 
 
 " Do so, my dear. You can then see how my daughter is 
 affected by your unexpected appearance." 
 
 " Does your grace know where the young people went? " 
 
 '' No; but you may easily find out from the laborers who 
 are at work in the park. I myself will go with you to the side 
 path into which they turned." 
 
132 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 The Princess took the Elector's arm and descended with 
 him into the park. The two youthful pairs had meanwhile 
 gone on their way. Lightly and airily, as though on wings, 
 they fluttered through the park, ever onward, not caring: 
 whither they went, only selecting the narrowest paths and the 
 thickest shrubbery. Occasionally, quite forgotting that a 
 second couple followed him. Prince William paused to gaze 
 with rapture upon Mary's blushing, smiling face, and tO' 
 listen to the fond words which modestly trembled on her lips. 
 Put then his sister's gentle entreaty warned him to go on,, 
 otherwise she smilingly threatened she would take the Prin- 
 cess's arm herself, and finish the walk at her side. Prince 
 William with a sigh gave heed to her gentle admonition, but 
 a cloud of displeasure settled upon his brow. 
 
 " I can not bear it," he muttered. " This restraint is in- 
 supportable. Mary! " he continued, with vehemence,. 
 " sometimes it seems to me as if I must burst by force the 
 "bonds with which they would unjustly fetter me." 
 
 " And I? Am I not fettered too? " whispered Mary, with 
 tenderly coaxing glances. " Do you believe, then, that I do* 
 not feel the chains to be heavy and galling with which a cruel 
 fate has bound me ? " 
 
 " Ah, if it were fate which chained us, then I should sub- 
 mit without murmuring to the inevitable, and full of con- 
 fidence and patience look forward to the future. But it is 
 only the will of our parents which separates us; it is only my 
 mother's love of dominion, who thinks that the worshiped, 
 bewitching daughter-in-law would become a dangerous rival, 
 that " 
 
 '^ Hush, for God's sake, hush! " interposed Mary quickly; 
 " if Louisa hears us, we are lost." 
 
 And she hastily drew her enamored young husband 
 away. 
 
 " There they go," sighed the Prince of Wales, " a blessed 
 and enviable pair of lovers! Oh, cousin, will you never suffer 
 your cruel heart to be softened? " 
 
 " Cousin, my heart is not cruel, and therefore does not 
 need to be softened." 
 
 " May I put my interpretation upon those words? " asked 
 
THE WALK. 135 
 
 the Prince, a flash of joy perceptible in his voice. " Do you 
 at least mean to give me one ray of hope? " 
 
 " Hope! What do you mean, cousin? " 
 
 She looked at him so calmly with her large, truthful blue 
 eyes, that her composure only aroused the Prince to still 
 greater passion. 
 
 " You will not understand me! '^ he cried angrily. ^^ You? 
 pretend not to know that I love you, ardently, passionately 
 love you; that the height of my desire is to call you mine; 
 that the thought of you is the only star of hope, which 
 illumines the night of my soul; that I would die of despair 
 if it were not for you — you, with that magical face, whose- 
 smile hfts me to Heaven, whose anger hurls me into the 
 depths of woe! Louisa, I tell you — and would that I 
 could shout it out so loud that the whole earth should 
 tremble with the shock! — I love you! Do you hear? — I love 
 you!" 
 
 " If you shout so once more, cousin," she replied quietly,. 
 ** I shall drop your arm and join the others." 
 
 "Ah! you durst not, Louisa; to-day you can not escape 
 me, for I have your word that you will not let go my arm dur- 
 ing the whole walk. It is the wager I won! " 
 
 " Very true, I did give you my word to that effect," said 
 the Princess quietly. " But, cousin, you should refrain from 
 taking unfair advantage of me, and forcing me to hear what 
 were better left unsaid." 
 
 " Yes, I will force you to listen! I will repeat it until its 
 fiery glow shall melt the icy crust of your heart! I love you, 
 Louisa, I love you! Oh, do not look at me so tranquilly and! 
 coldly, for it is this composure which drives me to despair. 
 Have pity, cruel one! Think what a weight of grief is press- 
 ing upon me! I am a King's son, and yet have been compelled 
 to leave the proud and mighty kingdom, to flee to a foreign 
 land and seek an asylum at the hands of more fortunate 
 friends. I have left my dear, unhappy father in the midst of a 
 struggle with contending parties, who are only united in 
 hatred of their King. My place should be at his side. Am- 
 bition and love both prompt me to battle, and if needs be 
 die, in defense of my King and father. But the few friends 
 
134 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 left us in England besought me on their knees to flee and 
 rescue the future King from the fierceness of the raging 
 multitude athirst for royal blood. My father himself urged 
 me to effect my escape, saying that I owed it as a sacred duty 
 to my kingdom and my family, as it was his duty to yield his 
 crowned and anointed head to the men who threatened the 
 monarchy. I submitted, I went. I came here with my family, 
 desperate and full of grief. Then I saw you, Louisa, and it 
 seemed to me as if an angel had descended from heaven to 
 comfort me. My soul, my heart bowed down in adoration 
 and rapture, and I felt lifted up above all the sorrows and 
 trials of life! And this hallowed impression of the first mo- 
 ment has remained with me through all these weeks and 
 months. The fugitive, banished King's son kneels at your 
 feet, and no longer bewails the loss of country, throne, and 
 father — the father who perhaps ere now has been butchered 
 by his own subjects." 
 
 "You look too gloomily upon the future, cousin," said 
 Louisa gently. " Surely the dissensions of the King and his 
 people will be healed, and who knows how soon you will re- 
 turn in triumph to England, to stand once more beside your 
 father's throne, and receive the congratulations of his sub- 
 jects! " 
 
 " No, Louisa, that will not be," said Charles, in a hollow 
 voice. " I got bad news this morning. A trusty old servant 
 ■arrived with important dispatches for my mother from the 
 King. Louisa, I will tell you what nobody here knows yet, 
 and what I trust to heaven will long remain a secret: Louisa, 
 a new and dreadful misfortune has overtaken us. After the 
 last decisive battle at Naseby, my father, as you know, took 
 refuge in the Scottish camp at Newark. He believed him- 
 self safe there, for the Scots were the only ones who had re- 
 mained true to him, and fought for him against the Parlia- 
 ment generals Fairfax and Cromwell." 
 
 " I know, I know," said Louisa anxiously. " And they 
 remained true, the brave Scots, did they not, cousin? " 
 
 " No, Louisa ; the Scots betrayed my father, as Judas did 
 ihe Saviour. The Scots sold their King to the hostile Parlia- 
 anent — that is to say, to Cromwell." 
 
THE WALK. 135 
 
 ** Poor Charles! how I pity you! " murmured the Princess, 
 laying her hand upon the Prince's arm. 
 
 '' Yes, I am to be pitied, for this dreadful news tells me that 
 I have lost my father, my royal inheritance, and my home! 
 At the moment when they led my father away to the county 
 of Northampton, where he was incarcerated in Castle Holder- 
 by, fate allowed him the opportunity of intrusting to his 
 faithful servant Stephen a few letters and dispatches for my 
 mother. In spite of all perils, he succeeded in making good 
 his escape from England and arrived here in safety. Louisa, 
 my father bids my mother and her daughters set out forth- 
 with for France, in order to implore aid and succor for the 
 King of England. France ought indeed to do this unso- 
 licited for the son-in-law of her greatest King. Mary Stuart's 
 grandson and Henry IV's daughter are reduced to beggary, 
 and sue for the help of other sovereigns! Louisa! Con- 
 ceive the horrors of our situation, and sympathize with us 
 in our misery! " 
 
 " Believe me, Charles," whispered Louisa, with tears in 
 her eyes, " that no one feels more deeply with you and yours 
 in your misfortunes than I." 
 
 " Louisa, it rests with you to transform the most wretched 
 of mortals into the happiest. See, Louisa, my fate is in your 
 hand. I will receive from you not merely happiness, but a 
 home, a new fatherland. Say that you accept my love, that 
 you return it, and I shall feel myself indemnified for all that 
 I have lost in England. I will stay here and devote my whole 
 life to you, in return for the blessedness which you have be- 
 stowed upon me. Say that you scorn me, and I depart with 
 my mother. You thrust me out into the wilderness of despair, 
 and if I perish, you may know that it i-s you who have been my 
 ruin. Your love might have saved me, your indifference 
 will have killed me! Speak now, Louisa, and decide my fate! " 
 
 His large, flaming eyes were fixed with consuming glances 
 upon the face of the Princess, who, however, kept perfectly 
 quiet and looked at him with a smile. 
 
 " My dear cousin," she said, " you take too serioup a view 
 of the matter, and erroneously attribute to me a greater influ- 
 ence upon your life than I possess. The misfortunes of your 
 
136 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 house touch me deeply, for you well know my warm affection 
 for my little sister-in-law and myself; and therefore I fer- 
 vently wish that you may struggle with adversity, and restore 
 to your father his throne and freedom. It seems to me your 
 every thought should he concentrated upon that object, that 
 nothing should engage you but the attainment of that end. 
 You should banish from your heart every opposing desire,, 
 you should wish for nothing but your father^s release and 
 restoration to his kingly domains. Such were a holy aim,, 
 and no unholy or earthly desire should be allowed to divert 
 you from it." 
 
 " You would evade me, cousin! " exclaimed the Prince,, 
 with stormy impatience. "My heavens! be merciful thenl 
 Give me at least one gleam of hope! Say with that cold, calm 
 smile of yours: Go, cousin, fight for your throne, and free 
 your father, and when you have succeeded in recovering your 
 power, and are again undisputed heir to the most glorious 
 throne in the universe, then I shall see whether I can love you 
 or at least become your wife, for it is something to be a 
 queen, especially when I know the king will be my most 
 obedient and submissive subject. Say even thus much, 
 and I shall thank you and say that you have left me one ray 
 of hope." 
 
 " You are very cruel and unjust, Charles," said the Prin- 
 cess mournfully. 
 
 "Cruel, unjust?" repeated Charles. "My heavens! da 
 you not see that I am in despair — ^that I stand before you 
 like a wretched pauper pleading for a crumb of bread to en- 
 able me to support existence, and hope for better times? O 
 Louisa! just look at me — see the tears in my eyes, witnesses 
 of my grief! " 
 
 Princess Louisa turned her glance upon the Prince's pale, 
 excited countenance with an expression of deep sympathy. 
 Yes, he wept; unaffected tears stood in his eyes, and his lips 
 quivered with excess of emotion. 
 
 " Poor child! " sighed Louisa. " You actually fancy that 
 you love me, I do believe." 
 
 " You call me a child, you treat me as if I were a beardless 
 boy, weeping for a plaything! " 
 
THE WALK. 137 
 
 "Prince Charles, you are a child yet, and still yon talk 
 •of love — you! with yonr sixteen years! " 
 
 " And what do you know of it, if you are three years my 
 senior?" cried Charles, with flashing eyes. "Know, made- 
 moiselle; that you are much younger than I am, for you have 
 seen nothing, felt nothing. You know neither the world, nor 
 life, nor love. But I, mademoiselle, despite the youth with 
 which you reproach me, am a man in feeling, for misfortune 
 has tempered me, and years of adventure count double in 
 the life of a man! I am older, much older, than you, made- 
 moiselle, and when I say that I love you boundlessly, I do 
 not say that you are my first love; your sweet face healed 
 wounds which pitiless fate had inflicted earlier, when death 
 snatched from me my first love. No, Louisa, you are not my 
 first love, but you shall be my last; for I will die if you thrust 
 me from you bereft of hope." 
 
 " You will not die. Prince, for you will find a balm for 
 this wound as readily as for the first," said Louisa, with a 
 :gentle smile. 
 
 " You do not believe in my love, then, my despair, my 
 -devouring grief? " 
 
 " No, I do not believe in them. Prince." 
 
 The Prince uttered a cry of rage, and stood still, trembling 
 with passionate excitement. " I will tell you why you do not 
 believe in it," he said, with hollow voice and teeth firmly set. 
 *' You do not believe in my love because you do not under- 
 stand it, because your own heart is incapable of a warm and 
 glowing sentiment, because you are of a nature to vegetate 
 only in dampness and mist, having no conception of heat 
 and sunshine. Ah, mademoiselle, despite your beauty and 
 grace, you are a poor, pitiable creature. You might be divine 
 and you are but a thing of ice in woman's form, for you know 
 not love." 
 
 The Princess shuddered slightly, and an expression of 
 mingled pain and ecstacy flitted across her glowing counte- 
 nance. "'You are mistaken," she said; "indeed, you mis- 
 understand me. I do know love. But what you in the 
 folly of your passionate, childish heart call love is not true 
 love." 
 
138 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 "And what is true love? " asked the Prince despairingly. 
 ^' Explain it to me, if you know it so well! " 
 
 "True love is never unhappy and never complains/^ said 
 Louisa softly, but as she spoke her countenance gradually 
 brightened, and at last grew radiant with the rapture of in- 
 spiration. " True love is unselfish and self-sacrificing, ask- 
 ing nothing but giving everything, lavishing upon her 
 beloved all the treasures of her thought and sensibility. To 
 serve him, joyfully would she go to death, and yet not die, 
 for she bears within her the principle of endless life. She 
 hourly denies herself, is chaste and pure, hiding in shade,, 
 and yet basking in perpetual sunshine. Nothing can shake,, 
 nothing move her; she suffers, it is true, in endeavoring to 
 guard her own fire in solitude and concealment, yet the divine 
 flames mount upward, seeking their native element, for God 
 is love! True love asks for no earthly possession, yet possesses 
 what is inalienable, herself, and in herself the purest enjoy- 
 ment. Every desire of her nature is concentrated in the one 
 wish, to know the object of her devotion blessed, and for this 
 she lives, for this she would gladly die! " 
 
 " Louisa! " exclaimed the Prince, looking up at her with 
 astonished, awe-struck glances, as she stood motionless, with 
 folded hands and eyes upturned to heaven — " Louisa, how 
 changed you are! So glorious to behold, so celestial in your 
 beauty! Louisa! " 
 
 She shrank like a somnambulist, suddenly awakened and 
 recalled from her heavenly dreams and converse with the stars 
 to earth and reality. 
 
 "Come," she said, with a shiver — "come, let us hasten 
 on, for you see our brother and sister are already far in ad- 
 vance, and we shall have difficulty in overtaking them." 
 
 She hurriedly drew the Prince of Wales forward, and he 
 followed her, absorbed in silent thought. 
 
FRIENDS MEET AGAIN. 139 
 
 .IV. — Fbiends meet again. 
 
 The Prince of Orange and his fair bride were meanwhile 
 well aware that the two lingered behind, and consequently 
 quickened their own pace to make the distance yet greater. 
 Now a curve in the path entirely concealed them from their 
 followers, and two old oaks, standing close together and of 
 gigantic proportions, offered them a grateful shelter, where 
 they were secure from the prying gaze of all intruders. The 
 Prince drew his beloved behind this shelter, took her in his 
 arms, and covered her mouth with glowing kisses. 
 
 " Mary, my dear, beloved Mary! " he whispered, " know 
 how inexpressibly I love you, how inexpressibly wretched I 
 am, and then say that you will hearken to my entreaties — 
 that, like myself, you are determined no longer to submit 
 to this unnatural restraint, no longer to suffer them to keep 
 as apart, since we belong to each other, and have plighted 
 our sacred troth! Speak, Mary, say that you will be mine, 
 forever mine! ^' 
 
 " I will be yours, forever yours! " whispered the Prin- 
 cess. 
 
 He thanked her, pressing her more closely in his arms, 
 and kissing her again and again. " And will you have courage 
 and determination to contend against all difi&culties, and to 
 do what is needful for the execution of our project? '^ 
 
 "I shall have courage and determination. But tell me 
 what we shall have to do." 
 
 He bent closer over her ear and kissed its rosy tip before 
 he answered. " We must make our escape," he whispered — 
 " flee before the tyranny of our parents, and force them into 
 measures." 
 
 **^Flee!" she repeated, blushing for joy and clapping her 
 hands like a little child. " Flee! Oh, what a charming adven- 
 ture that will be! But how can we succeed in evading our 
 mother's spies, and " 
 
 " Mary, Mary! " called the Princess Louisa's voice quite 
 
 in their neighborhood. " Mary, where are you, where 
 
 Ah! there they are behind the two oaks! Come, Prince, 
 10 
 
140 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 come quick! They would play at hide-and-go-seek with 
 us!" 
 
 " Mary," whispered Prince "William hurriedly, imprint- 
 ing a last kiss upon her lips — " Mary, I will make all arrange- 
 ments with your brother, and through him acquaint you 
 with all the details of our plan. Only be on your guard, and 
 be ready to come at any hour that I may call and ^' 
 
 He saw the fluttering of his sister's blue skirt behind the 
 oak, and, offering the Princess his arm, emerged from behind 
 the tree. 
 
 " Here we are," he said, smiling. " We have been resting 
 a little, and waiting for you, and I must say that you have 
 kept us waiting a good long while." 
 
 " True, we have loitered a little," replied Louisa, " but 
 now we will go on with renewed spirit." 
 
 "I am tired and thirsty," said Princess Mary languidly. 
 ^^ Let us at least find a bench where we may sit down and rest 
 awhile." 
 
 "We are quite close to the Chinese Pavilion now," said 
 Louisa, "and at the porter's lodge there we can procure a 
 glass of milk for my tender little sister. Come, let us ascend 
 this path, and in five minutes we shall be in sight of the 
 pavilion." 
 
 Silently, thoughtfully they moved forward, until, as Prin- 
 cess Louisa had predicted, in a few moments they caught sight 
 of the great Chinese Pavilion, which in the happy days of 
 early wedlock Prince Frederick Henry had caused to be 
 erected for the gratification of his young bride. A natural 
 opening in the midst of the wooded park had been laid out 
 as a Chinese garden, with miniature shrubbery, statues, pa- 
 godas, and all the odd little ornaments with which those 
 wonderful people are accustomed to adorn their pleasure 
 grounds. At the end of this garden, which was encircled by 
 trees, lay the pavilion, curtained by a background of lofty 
 yew trees. The two young couples quickened their pace, and 
 walked briskly through the intricate paths winding toward 
 the pavilion between flower beds edged with bits of porcelain. 
 The porter, who had seen them coming, made haste to open 
 the grand door of entrance, to spread Chinese carpets over the 
 
FKIENDS MEET AGAIN. 14X 
 
 marble benches in front of the pavilion, and above these ta 
 stretch gigantic, umbrella-shaped awnings, which, supported 
 on tall poles, arose like monstrous mushrooms. Our pedes- 
 trians sank upon the benches thus pleasantly shaded, and 
 after their long walk gave themselves up with a feeling of 
 infinite delight to the enjoyment of the scene around. The 
 porter without delay handed them upon a silver waiter tall 
 glasses of milk, with fruit and fresh pastry; but only Prin- 
 cess Mary and her husband partook of the frugal re- 
 past. The other young couple sat there mute, and not even, 
 the jests and bantering of his sister could arouse the Prince 
 of Wales from his gloomy, thoughtful silence. Only occasion- 
 ally his large, flaming eyes looked up from beneath the knit 
 eyebrows and were fixed with glances at once questioning 
 and wrathful upon Princess Louisa, who meanwhile heeded 
 him not at all, but with a gentle smile allowed her friendly, 
 clear blue eyes to revel in the beauties of the scene spread 
 out before her. The flowers and shrubs, the butterflies sport- 
 ing from flower to flower, the songs of birds, and the soft 
 rustling of the trees as they were agitated by the breeze, filled 
 her senses with pleasing emotions. Suddenly she started, a 
 deep blush suffused her cheeks, and motionless, with wide- 
 open eyes and hands convulsively grasping the edge of the 
 black marble table before her, she gazed across the garden 
 in the direction of the little alley through which they had 
 just issued from the park. 
 
 She had espied the form of a young man, a young man, 
 whom, it is true, she had not seen for a long while, but whom 
 •she nevertheless recognized with the eyes of her heart, with 
 the pious instinct of memory. Was it indeed he, or was it 
 only a dream? She continued to gaze beyond the garden, 
 and her whole life, her whole soul lay in that gaze. She saw 
 liim — it was no illusion, no dream! She knew that handsome 
 figure, displayed to such advantage in a closely-fitting suit 
 of green velvet, with golden Brandenburgs upon the breast. 
 She knew that noble, blooming, yet manly face, shaded though 
 it was by a plumed hat trimmed with gold lace; well she 
 faew who it was, who with light, elastic step and lofty bear- 
 ing advanced through the Chinese garden straight to the 
 
142 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 pavilion. Forgetting everything, only remembering that it 
 was the friend, the playmate of her childhood whom she saw 
 again after a long separation, Louisa sprang from her seat, 
 and with the fleetness of a gazelle hastened to meet him. 
 
 The Prince of Wales was startled out of his gloomy rever- 
 ies, the tender married pair ceased their whispers, and all three 
 followed the rapid movements of the Princess with glances 
 of astonishment. They now saw the young man, who with 
 a radiant face hurried forward to meet the young lady. Now 
 they were close together, the young man doffed his hat and 
 bowed lowly and reverentially before the Princess. But she 
 held out to him both her hands, and he dropped his hat, took 
 l)oth hands within his own, fell on one knee before the Prin- 
 cess, and pressed both her hands to his lips. They formed a 
 striking group, that kneeling young man, looking up with 
 beaming, grateful countenance, that slender maidenly form 
 gently inclining forward and looking down upon him who 
 knelt before her. An interesting group! More interesting 
 than all the groups of Chinese gods and angels and genii in- 
 terspersed among the flower beds! But upon the Prince of 
 Wales it produced a very disagreeable impression, and with a 
 face flushed with anger he turned to the Prince of Orange, who 
 was examining the young stranger with searching glances. 
 
 "Who is this third man,'' he asked, "who dares to in- 
 trude here unannounced, and greets your sister with such 
 peculiar complaisance? " 
 
 "It is Yes indeed, I am not mistaken, it is our 
 
 cousin, the Elector of Brandenburg! " cried Prince William, 
 with animation, and he too sprang forward to greet his rela- 
 tive. 
 
 The Prince of Wales likewise made a few steps forward, 
 possibly not to salute the stranger, but to interrupt his in- 
 terview with the Princess Louisa; but then he paused and 
 slowly returned to his seat. 
 
 " 'No/' he said proudly, " I shall not go to meet this little 
 Elector! This petty German Prince is not equal in rank to 
 the Prince of Wales, and therefore I shall not make advances 
 to him and seem to yield him the precedence. I shall await 
 him here.'' 
 
FRIENDS MEET AGAIN. I45. 
 
 "And I too, of course," whispered Princess Mary, lean- 
 ing back with an air of distinguished nonchalance. " I think 
 it very strange that my husband should desert me to meet 
 the little Elector of Brandenburg, and, as it seems, totally 
 forget me." 
 
 But her husband had not forgotten her, and quickly re- 
 turned to her side, and behind him, engaged in friendly, en- 
 grossing conversation, came the Princess Louisa and the Elec- 
 tor Frederick William. 
 
 " Permit me, cousin," said the Prince of Orange cheer- 
 fully — " permit me to present to you my wife. Princess Mary 
 of England. And here is my brother-in-law, the Prince of 
 Wales." 
 
 After a slight obeisance both young men lifted their 
 heads and looked at each other with glances singularly de- 
 fiant in their expression. 
 
 " Why, Cousin Charles! " exclaimed Louisa cheerfully,. 
 " you do not speak a word! You are not surprised to see 
 my dear cousin, of whom I have spoken to you so often, al- 
 though his apparition was a little sudden? " 
 
 " I bid your highness heartily welcome," said the Prince 
 of Wales, in a low tone, bowing his head. • 
 
 " And I likewise bid your highness heartily welcome," 
 responded the Elector, with his rich, full voice. "We are 
 both guests on fair Holland's soil, and guests may welcome 
 one another after their noble hosts have graciously received 
 and entertained both." 
 
 "He is proud," said Charles to himself; " he would not 
 have it seem as if I could bid him welcome here. Oh, he is 
 proud, but I shall humble his pride! " 
 
 " Permit me also to bid your highness welcome," said 
 Princess Mary, rising and offering the Elector her little hand. 
 " Yes, I bid you welcome, and you must account me among 
 the number of your hosts while you are in Holland, for I 
 belong to them." 
 
 " True," cried the Elector, " and I esteem Holland happy, 
 for not only does she enjoy the glorious, beautiful present, 
 but beholds in you her bright and sunny future." 
 
 As the Elector thus spoke with a pleasant smile and a 
 
144 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 glance full of undisguised admiration, he seized the Prin- 
 cess's hand, and, bowing reverentially, breathed a kiss upon 
 the tips of her fingers. 
 
 " And now, cousin,'' said Prince William — " now since 
 the ceremony of introduction is over, and we have convinced 
 each other that we are all near relations and good friends, 
 let us know how the world goes with you, and first of all 
 whether we may offer you our congratulations." 
 
 "Congratulations upon what, dear cousin?" 
 
 " Why, I rather think upon your approaching nuptials." 
 
 " Yes indeed, upon your marriage," chimed in Princess 
 Mary. " Oh, you see. Sir Elector, we are well informed as to 
 your movements, and know that you are on your way to be 
 married." 
 
 " I wish to heaven it may be so," replied the Elector, 
 and his eye wandered to Louisa's face, but she was not looking 
 at him. "Yes, your grace is right; I trust that my mar- 
 riage will be the result of this trip, but unhappily I am yet 
 ignorant of the name of my bride." 
 
 Princess Louisa quickly raised her eyes, and looked in- 
 quiringly into the smiling countenance of the Elector, whose 
 glance turned invariably upon her. 
 
 " What do you mean, cousin, by saying that you do not 
 know the name of your bride? " exclaimed Prince William. 
 
 " Indeed, I do not know whether the lady I am to marry 
 is called Politica or Bellona " 
 
 " Sir Elector! " cried Princess Mary, " then we know 
 better than you yourself. Your bride's name is Christina, 
 and they say that not stern Dame Politica but the god of love 
 has managed the affair for you." 
 
 " Who is your grace's informant? " 
 
 "Why, my sweet sister-in-law, the Princess Louisa, who 
 stands there so demurely, and has not spoken a word since 
 the Elector came." 
 
 "Did you say so, cousin?" asked the Elector, turning 
 to the Princess. " Did you say that I was to marry Queen 
 Christina of Sweden? " 
 
 " Yes, cousin," she quietly answered, with simple candor. 
 '*I repeated what I heard my father say at table yesterday 
 
FRIENDS MEET AGAIN. 145 
 
 to his minister — that you would call here on your way to 
 Sweden, where your marriage was to take place. This piece 
 of news struck me as perfectly natural, and I was glad to hear 
 it, for I know that you have been courting the young Queen 
 for the last two years." 
 
 " And you were glad to hear this piece of news? Well, 
 cousin, I am sorry to have to deny you this pleasure for I 
 have no intention whatever of proceeding to Sweden, and 
 there is no longer any talk of a union between Queen Christina 
 and myself." 
 
 A flash of light for an instant brightened Louisa's face; 
 but it was only for an instant, and nobody perceived it, no- 
 body — except the Elector. 
 
 " Poor cousin! " said the Prince of Wales, in compassion- 
 ate tone, "I pity your grace. It would have been such an 
 advantageous match for the Elector of Brandenburg to marry 
 a Queen of Sweden." 
 
 The Elector bit his lip, and indignation gleamed in his 
 eye, but he speedily recovered his self-control and forced 
 himself to smile. 
 
 "If I had esteemed it as such, your highness, I should 
 not have declined its advantages." 
 
 "Your grace declined, then?" said the Princess Mary. 
 " It was your grace who rejected the Queen and " 
 
 "Mary," interposed Louisa quickly, "how can you talk 
 so, child that you are? Why disturb ourselves about political 
 marriages, and what is it to us whither our dear cousin goes 
 when he leaves Holland? Let us be glad that he is here now, 
 and I hope. Cousin Frederick, that your visit will be a long 
 one." 
 
 "I shall stay, if you wish it. Cousin Louisa," said the 
 Elector courteously. 
 
 "Ah! there the Elector says more out of gallantry than 
 is justifiable," exclaimed the Prince of Wales passionately. 
 " Your grace just said that you were to be married, if not to 
 the Queen of Sweden, to some other lady. Permit me to guess 
 the name of your ladylove! " 
 
 " No, I shall be the one to guess," exclaimed Mary eagerly. 
 " I know the name of your ladylove." 
 
146 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 "Most gracious lady," smiled the Elector, "I beg you 
 ihen to let me hear it." 
 
 "Her name," said the Princess slowly, while her laugh- 
 ing eyes glanced roguishly at the faces of all present — " her 
 name is — Princess Ludovicka Hollandine." 
 
 This name, pronounced so suddenly, so unexpectedly, pro- 
 duced a different impression upon each. The Prince of Wales 
 broke out into a loud, merry laugh; Prince William started 
 and drew nearer his wife, softly whispering a few words in 
 her ear; Princess Louisa's cheeks became deadly pale, and, 
 as if seized with a sudden faintness, she sank upon the marble 
 bench. The Elector himself grew pale for a moment, and 
 pressed his lips firmly together. 
 
 " Good heavens! " said Mary, with a show of astonishment. 
 " I must have said something very bad to throw you all into 
 such confusion! " 
 
 " No, your highness," replied the Elector, breathing more 
 freely, "you said nothing bad, but something very sad, for 
 you recalled the name of a lady once dear to my heart, and 
 for whose sake I have suffered much. It were cowardly in 
 me to deny the memories of my past, and I have the courage 
 -candidly to confess them. Yes, your highness. Princess Ludo- 
 vicka was the mistress of my affections; yet, if I say was, I 
 may add it is not my fault that she is no longer so, and this 
 consciousness has served to console me during days when I 
 suffered for and — through her." 
 
 A pause ensued. Suddenly Princess Louisa arose, and her 
 countenance was lighted up with enthusiasm and joy. She 
 /approached the Elector and offered him her hand. 
 
 " Cousin," she said, " I thank you, for that was a good 
 and worthy answer, and proves that you have a strong, brave 
 heart that mocks not at past sufferings and hides not its 
 wounds. I think, though, that wounds borne on the heart 
 are just as honorable as those gained by warriors on the 
 battle field. Both prove that one has fought and received 
 his wounds bravely. But now," she continued, in lighter, 
 more cheerful tones, " let me propose that we return home." 
 
 " Agreed! " exclaimed all, visibly glad to be freed from an 
 embarrassing situation. Prince William offered his arm to 
 
THE CHALLENGE. 147 
 
 his young wife and threaded with her the labyrinthine paths 
 of the Chinese garden. The Elector approached the Prin- 
 cess Louisa. " Be pleased to accept my arm, cousin, and " 
 
 " I beg pardon, Sir Elector," said the sharp, cutting 
 voice of the Prince of Wales, close to his ear — " I beg pardon." 
 He stepped in front of the Elector, and offered the Princess 
 his arm. " Eemember our wager," he whispered softly. The 
 Princess reluctantly laid her hand on the Prince's arm, but 
 at the same time turned her face toward the Elector, who 
 had stepped back, pale and in evident indignation. 
 
 " I beg you," she said softly, " to walk on my right side, 
 that we may all three go together." 
 
 The Elector declined with a bow. " I would only disturb 
 your graces," he said proudly. " A third is always an intruder. 
 Permit me to follow you." 
 
 The Princess's hand trembled on the arm of the Prince 
 of Wales, but he held her fast, and once more whispered, " Re- 
 member our wager and your pledged word." 
 
 Princess Louisa said no more, and proceeded, still holding 
 the Prince's arm. The Elector followed in moody silence. 
 
 V. — The Challenge. 
 
 " Well, dear nephew," said the Princess Amelia the next 
 morning, as the Elector entered her apartment, "be kind 
 enough to acquaint me with the events of yesterday. In the 
 first place, how did Louisa receive you? " 
 
 " With gracious affability, aunt," replied the Elector. " I 
 derived the happiest auguries from \he warmth of her first 
 greeting, but alas! I was soon made to feel that I was labor- 
 ing under a delusion." 
 
 " How so ? What can have happened ? " 
 
 "When they prepared to return to the palace, I offered 
 my arm to the Princess, but, the Prince of Wales stepping 
 up at this moment and offering his arm, she left me standing 
 and accepted him as her escort." 
 
14:8 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " No good sign, indeed/' sighed Princess Amelia. " And 
 how was it during the walk. You at least talked a great deal 
 to her, did you not? " 
 
 " Very little, gracious lady. The Prince of Wales occu- 
 pied the field, and wholly engrossed the conversation. It 
 must be acknowledged, too, that he has a right voluble tongue 
 and a full flow of breath. I could not compete with him, 
 and therefore kept silence." 
 
 "And were sullen and peevish of course! And that i& 
 what you call seeking a woman's love! Do you not see that 
 Louisa could not act differently? You have been absent so 
 many years, and paid your addresses to so many other ladies, 
 that you could not expect her to greet your tardy arrival by 
 open demonstrations of favor. You must make up your mind 
 to submit to a little teasing, for even if she prefers you to the 
 Prince of Wales, she would not willingly betray her feelings 
 so prematurely." 
 
 " I could not have believed that the Princess Louisa Hen- 
 rietta would play the coquette," said the Elector thoughtfully,. 
 in an undertone. 
 
 " All we women are a little coquettish, and must be so,"* 
 replied the Princess, smiling. " But hark, nephew! I have 
 some good news for you. Queen Henrietta of England was- 
 here yesterday evening, and we held a long conference with 
 her. She has received a most melancholy message from her 
 husband in England. The Scots have betrayed the unhappy 
 King into the hands of Parliament, and he is now a prisoner 
 in some isolated castle. The Queen is to proceed to France 
 without delay, in order to solicit there subsidies of money 
 and troops. We can not think of objecting to her depart- 
 ure, and it is therefore determined that day after to-mor- 
 row she with her whole family will leave The Hague on their 
 way to France. Now, nephew, what say you to this good 
 news?" 
 
 " I know not in what respect you esteem this good news, 
 gracious lady. I see plainly that the Stadtholder could not 
 detain the Queen, and that the States-General could not under 
 present circumstances incur the risk of war with England; 
 but from the bottom of my heart I pity the poor Queen 
 
THE CHALLENGE. I49, 
 
 and her husband, for I do not believe that she will obtain 
 the desired aid from France/' 
 
 " Good heavens! dear nephew, just for once lose sight of 
 politics, and consider this affair from a personal point of 
 view. I tell you, the Queen with her family leaves The Hague 
 for France. That is to say, the Prince of Wales accompanies 
 his mother, and therefore day after to-morrow you will be 
 rid of a troublesome rival." 
 
 "And your grace actually supposes that I would have 
 greater hope of winning the Princess's favor if the Prince of 
 "Wales were no longer present? But I confess that it would 
 be rather a humihating thought to me to feel that I was mere-^ 
 ly preferred because my rival had been forced by fate to vacate 
 the field. I would owe such preference only to the free, un- 
 biassed will of the Princess; and if she laments the departure- 
 of the Prince of Wales, I must say that I sincerely lament it 
 with her." 
 
 "I have not heard that my daughter does lament it,'^ 
 said Princess Amelia, shrugging her shoulders. 
 
 " She knows, then, of the Prince's projected journey? " 
 
 " Yes, for she was present yesterday evening at the family 
 conference, and has already been into my cabinet this morn- 
 ing to beg me to gratify her brother's wishes and urge Queen 
 Henrietta not to take her daughter Mary to France with her,, 
 but to leave her behind with us." 
 
 "What, did she think of taking the Princess Mary,, 
 Prince William's wife, to France?" asked the Elector, much 
 astonished. 
 
 " She goes to France," rejoined the Princess in a severe- 
 tone. " Her place is at her mother's side, and not until she- 
 has completed her sixteenth year shall she return here as the 
 wife of the Prince of Orange. So ran the marriage contract, 
 and we are firmly determined to abide by it. You are a far- 
 sighted politician, nephew, and if you could have observed 
 the Princess and her young husband a little longer, you 
 would have seen that the welfare of the Prince and our coun- 
 try necessitated this measure." 
 
 "I believe that I already know the state of the case,"" 
 said the Elector, smiling. " Your grace with reason dreads 
 
150 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 to see reacted the old fable of Hercules and the fair Om- 
 phale/' 
 
 " I am not surprised at this evidence of your quick dis- 
 cernment/' smiled the Princess. "But the young people, 
 alas! consider this measure as unreasonable and tyrannical, 
 and consequently, since yesterday evening, the younger mem- 
 bers of our family have been totally out of tune. Therefore 
 we had to excuse ourselves last evening, for nothing was to 
 be seen but weeping eyes and mournful countenances. But 
 I beg you to counsel the young people to listen to reason, and 
 especially to try and convince my son that this short sepa- 
 ration is for his good." 
 
 " But, most gracious aunt, he loves his young wife, and 
 love seldom listens to reason. Meanwhile, since such are your 
 grace's commands, I will endeavor to call the Prince's atten- 
 tion to some grounds for consolation, although I am con- 
 vinced that these grounds will be equally unwelcome with 
 the consoler." 
 
 The Elector took his leave of Princess Amelia and re- 
 paired to Prince William's apartments. The valet de chambre 
 stood in the antechamber, and with an expression of painful 
 regret announced that his highness was suffering dreadfully 
 from toothache, and had given strict orders to admit no one, 
 as he preferred to suffer in solitude. Just as he made this 
 assertion, the sound of loud and violent talking was heard 
 within the Prince's chamber. 
 
 " The Prince is not alone," said the Elector, smiling, " for 
 methinks I hear talking in his room." 
 
 " Most gracious highness, it is the Prince talking to him- 
 self," said the valet with respectful earnestness. " His grace 
 always does so when he has the toothache." 
 
 The Elector left the antechamber and descended into 
 the park. The lovely repose and sweet tranquillity of nature 
 here surrounding him did him good by refreshing his spirit, 
 and he gave himself up to them with a feeling of infinite de- 
 light. Slowly he went down the broad avenue, and now turned 
 off into the shady side path, which he traversed, absorbed 
 in thought. All at once he paused and looked around. It 
 seemed to him that quite close to him he heard the Princess 
 
THE CHALLENGE. 151 
 
 Louisa's soft and melodious voice. And he was not mistaken! 
 There she came, emerging from the shrubbery arm in arm 
 with her young sister-in-law Mary, and both so absorbed in 
 their whispered conversation that they did not perceive the 
 Elector, who had stepped aside, although they were coming 
 up the very path in which he stood. This was the first time 
 that he had been able quietly to observe the Princess, and with 
 a painfully sweet feeling he gazed upon her noble, slender 
 form and lovely, interesting face. He inwardly exclaimed: 
 " There I might have found a mother for my people, a wife 
 for my heart! Why have I come so late? Why did I wait 
 until another came and won the love which might yet make 
 me so happy? How sad she looks! She is naturally grieving, 
 because Prince Charles must leave her. Why should I care 
 whether she is sad or not? " And with defiant though melan- 
 choly air, the Elector advanced and saluted the ladies, who 
 were now quite near him. A beautiful blush mantled 
 Louisa's cheeks, and involuntarily she offered the Elector her 
 hand. 
 
 " Good-morning, Cousin Frederick," she said. " It is 
 handsome of you to come to meet us." 
 
 " What makes you think that the Elector has come to meet 
 us? " asked Mary pettishly. '' His highness could not possibly 
 have known that we came this way." 
 
 " True," replied Louisa, blushing, " to be sure, you could 
 not have known it, cousin." 
 
 '* Yet I intended to visit the ladies, for I wished to do my- 
 self the pleasure of paying my respects to them at Bosch." 
 
 " Go then. Sir Elector," said Princess Mary hastily. " My 
 mother is at home, and will be rejoiced to receive a visit from 
 your highness. Farewell then. Sir Elector, we must hurry; 
 they are waiting for us. Come now, Louisa. You well know 
 that we have no time to lose." 
 
 She drew the Princess forward, and Louisa followed her 
 without resistance, silent and perplexed. But before they 
 had gone more than a little way she stood still. 
 
 " Just wait one moment, Mary," she said hurriedly. " I 
 want to say one word to the Elector, and will rejoin you 
 directly." And ere Princess Mary had time to offer any opposi- 
 
152 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 tion, Louisa had dropped her arm and turned swiftly around, 
 crying, " Elector, allow me one word more! '' 
 
 But she need not have raised her voice to call, for the 
 Elector had stood still, looking after them. When he saw 
 Louisa turn around he hastened to meet her, and now stood 
 close in front of her. 
 
 "Did you call me, cousin?" he asked, and his looks ex- 
 pressed so much ardor of feeling that Louisa, quite abashed, 
 cast down her eyes. 
 
 " Yes, cousin," she softly answered, " I called you, for 
 I thought " 
 
 " Well? " asked the Elector, smiling as she still hesitated, 
 " what did your highness think, or, rather, what will you have 
 the goodness to let me know of your thoughts? " 
 
 "I thought that you were a little displeased with me 
 yesterday." 
 
 "Did you indeed think that, Fraulein? Then I suppose 
 I was in your opinion justified in being displeased? " 
 
 " Yes, cousin," she said bravely, " you have a cause for dis- 
 pleasure, and I beg your pardon for it. You offered me your 
 arm, which I declined, at the same time accepting the arm 
 of the Prince of Wales. But I was only paying a wager won 
 from me by Prince Charles. I had bound myself by promise 
 to give him my arm during the whole walk, and not to tell 
 any one that I granted him this favor merely in payment of 
 a lost wager. That was the reason, cousin, why I had to de- 
 cline your arm yesterday." 
 
 "Louisa, Louisa! "impatiently exclaimed Princess Mary, 
 *' do you not know that we must make haste? " 
 
 " I am coming! I am coming! Farewell, Elector, please 
 do not be angry with me again to-day! " 
 
 She softly whispered these words, nodded to him, turned 
 round, and with the fleet-footedness of a young antelope flew 
 along the walk. And again the Elector stood a long time 
 looking after her; and, as a bend of the path concealed her 
 slender form from view, he sighed deeply. 
 
 " Fool that I was to come so late; she might have loved 
 me, if another had not preceded me. Her eyes have the same 
 childlike innocence of expression as when I parted from her 
 
THE CHALLENGE. 153 
 
 years ago. Why does the rememhrance of that hour now re- 
 vive in me for the first time, after so long slumbering in the 
 recesses of my heart — why does it awake now and with sweet 
 voice sing a pious song of the past? Just as the maiden of 
 to-day, so the child once looked upon me as she gave me her 
 hand when I bade her good-by, and said, ^ Be a good man! ' 
 Oh, you sweet, innocent child, it is so hard to be a good man 
 in this world. You should stand at my side, with your large, 
 childlike eyes and sweet smile, and help me to become so! If 
 I saw the world mirrored in your eyes, I might fancy it pure 
 and spotless as yourself, and cherish an ardent desire to be 
 led back by you to the paradise of innocence, your native 
 home! Then she crowned me with a wreath of sweet-scented 
 flowers, which she had destined for her favorite cow, and she 
 did so with such angelic grace that I actually felt proud of the 
 preference shown me, a poor child of man, over her beautiful 
 brown cow! I should like to know if the pretty creature is 
 still alive, and whether Louisa sometimes looks at her, and 
 especially if she retains her taste for household affairs and 
 fondness for country life, or if, like all the rest, she feels her- 
 self exalted above domestic duties, because she is a Princess! 
 I should also like to know whether she prays as innocently 
 and piously as when, haunted by evil spirits, she fled for refuge 
 to her Cousin Ludovicka. Poor child! how you trembled, 
 and how your little heart throbbed for anguish, and she drove 
 you away — cruel Ludovicka drove you away, because her lover 
 stood behind the curtain. And I was the lover, and, cruel as 
 she, I allowed her to drive you back to your lonely chamber. 
 You went and prayed; the evil spirits stood aloof from you, 
 
 but they had power over me and Oh, ye sad, bitter 
 
 memories! why will ye revive within, making me so sad and 
 melancholy, and causing the old wounds of my heart to bleed 
 afresh?" 
 
 How long he continued to move through the shady paths 
 of the park, wrapt in his own thoughts and visions of the past, 
 he knew not himself; he only knew that solitude and quiet 
 did him good, that it refreshed him to listen to the whisper- 
 ings of his own soul, and once more to feel something of the 
 enthusiasm, the painful longing and the joyous disquiet of an 
 
154 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 enamored young man. Yes, he could no longer deny it to 
 himself, he was in love with the Princess Louisa. She had 
 fascinated him with her amiability and grace, with her lovely 
 composed and gentle countenance, with her noble, maidenly 
 appearance, and her large blue eyes, at once so innocent and 
 so intelligent. Yes, he was in love! For the first time, after 
 long, long years, his heart was again awake, and the Elector, 
 usually so given up to politics and Government affairs, was 
 suddenly changed into a young man, whose every thought 
 centered upon the woman of his choice, who was ever present 
 to his imagination in all the charms of her loveliness. And 
 was it actually impossible to win her? Had he really come too 
 late? — had another won her heart? With what a radiant 
 countenance had she hastened to meet him on his first appear- 
 ance — how cordially had she welcomed him! Then why had 
 she said to-day that she only gave her arm to the Prince of 
 Wales yesterday in consequence of a wager — why should she 
 care for him to know that if not 
 
 " Well, I have found your grace at last,^' exclaimed a loud 
 laughing voice behind him. " Here, then, the Elector of 
 Brandenburg must be sought, in the deepest recesses of the 
 park.^' 
 
 " And why does the Prince of Wales condescend to look 
 for me? '' asked the Elector, turning quickly around and look- 
 ing into the Prince's laughing face with an air of considerable 
 annoyance. 
 
 " Princess Amelia commissioned Prince William and my- 
 self to look for your grace and request you to join her hus- 
 band while he takes his airing, for to-day Prince Frederick 
 Henry feels quite well, and cherishes a lively desire to be 
 with your grace. I esteem myself fortunate in being made 
 the bearer of this message." 
 
 " I return to your highness my most humble acknowledg- 
 ments, and hasten to repair to the palace." 
 
 '* I beg your highness not to make such haste," said the 
 Prince of Wales, laying his hand on the Elector's arm and 
 detaining him. " Since fortune has favored me I would profit 
 by this opportunity to ask the Elector of Brandenburg a ques- 
 tion. Elector, will you permit me to put a question to you? '* 
 
THE CHALLENGE. I55 
 
 " Prince of Wales, I shall be glad if I can answer it to your 
 Batisfaction." 
 
 " I thank your highness. Allow me to ask then: Have 
 you come, as they say, simply for a political conference or to 
 ask the hand of Princess Louisa Henrietta? " 
 
 " How can this interest your grace ? What is it to you 
 whether I came here for the furtherance of political ends or 
 to he married?" 
 
 " Sir Elector, you reply by questioning me! But you 
 promised to answer me, and I beg you so to do." 
 
 " Well then, your highness," said the Elector, after short 
 reflection, fixing his eyes upon the Prince's face with an ex- 
 pression of defiance, "I will answer you, and acknowledge 
 the whole truth to you. Yes, I have come to ask the hand of 
 Princess Louisa Henrietta." 
 
 " I fancy that you have met with but little encourage- 
 ment! " cried the Prince scornfully. 
 
 *^ Why should your highness fancy any such thing? " asked 
 the Elector proudly; " and if I may be permitted to ask, how 
 can my purpose of marrying my cousin, the Princess of 
 Orange, concern the Prince of Wales? " 
 
 " Sir Elector, the Princess is my cousin as well." 
 
 " No excuse, your highness, for meddling in our personal 
 affairs." 
 
 " Our! " cried the Prince passionately. " Do you already 
 confound your affairs with those of the Princess? I claim the 
 right of protesting against it. Sir Elector, for I love Princess 
 Louisa Henrietta! " 
 
 As he thus spoke he proudly threw back his head, and a 
 ray of deep feeling and noble fire flashed forth upon his fea- 
 tures, enhancing the beauty of his handsome, spirited face. 
 The Elector saw it, and it provoked him, for he felt that this 
 face was capable of exerting a magical influence over a 
 woman's heart. 
 
 "Ah! your highness loves Princess Louisa, but what of 
 that? " 
 
 " What of that, sir? I should think, sir, the circumstance 
 ©f my owning it to you would force you to draw an infer- 
 ence." 
 
156 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Pardon me, sir, I draw no necessary inference." 
 
 " Sir, the princes of my house ^re not accustomed to love, 
 without the certainty of a return of affection. When I owned 
 to you that I loved the Princess, you should have understood, 
 as a matter of course, that the Princess reciprocated my love, 
 and then, I think, your knightly honor would have pledged 
 you to forbear a further prosecution of your suit." 
 
 " Excuse me, your highness. Perhaps the house of Stuart 
 entertains different ideas of knightly honor than are preva- 
 lent among us in Germany. So long as a lady is free and un- 
 ^engaged, any gentleman feels privileged to woo her." 
 
 " But, Sir Elector, I told you, that I had the good fortune 
 to be loved by the Princess. How can you think of seeking 
 iher love when I tell you that it belongs to me! " 
 
 "I beg your highness's pardon, I can not admit such a 
 olaim." 
 
 " That is to say your highness does not believe that the 
 Princess loves me? " asked the Prince, in angry, threatening 
 tones. 
 
 The Elector smiled and looked with perfect composure 
 into his flushed, excited countenance. 
 
 " Well, if your highness insists upon knowing my inmost 
 thoughts, I will not withhold them. No, I do not believe that 
 the Princess Louisa loves you — ^loves you so as to accept you 
 for her husband." 
 
 " You do not believe it! I should like to know by what 
 Tight you dare to doubt what I affirm? " 
 
 " By the right of reason, your highness. It would, par- 
 don me — it would not be reasonable if the Princess, who has 
 ;already completed her nineteenth year, should think of marry- 
 ing a Prince who is in years still a boy." 
 
 The Prince of Wales uttered a shriek, and a deadly pal- 
 lor overspread his cheeks. " Sir Elector! " he cried, in a 
 voice trembling with rage — " Sir Elector, would you insult 
 me?" 
 
 " By no means! I only express my opinion, and must ad- 
 Tiere to it: a Princess of nineteen will hardly think of marry- 
 ing a lad of sixteen, even though he be well grown and of pre- 
 cocious intellect. But now, allow me to repair to the palace. 
 
THE CHALLENGE. 157 
 
 for you yourself were pleased to tell me that I was expected 
 there." 
 
 The Elector bowed with a cold smile, and, turning around, 
 hurried up the avenue. For one moment the Prince stood 
 irresolute, as if stunned by this dreadful blow hurled at once 
 against his vanity and his heart. Then he bounded forward 
 in wild pursuit. 
 
 " Sir Elector! " he cried, when he had overtaken him — 
 ^^ Sir Elector, one word more! " 
 
 " What is the pleasure of the Prince of Wales? " asked the 
 Elector, standing still and turning his noble countenance 
 upon the Prince. 
 
 For the second time since they had known each other their 
 eyes met, and exchanged fierce, menacing glances. 
 
 " Did you not dare to doubt that the Princess Louisa loves 
 me?" asked the Prince, in a voice hollow and choked by 
 passion. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I doubt it, and have explained to you my grounds 
 for so doing." 
 
 " Will you believe me if I give you proofs that the Prin- 
 cess loves me?" 
 
 "Proofs?" asked the Elector, a little surprised and hesi- 
 tating. 
 
 " Yes, proofs," repeated the Prince. *^ For example, would 
 you esteem it satisfactory proof if you should see the Prin- 
 cess Louisa come to a rendezvous of my appointment? " 
 
 " Sir, if the Princess were to do such a thing as that I 
 should leave The Hague early to-morrow morning and 
 abandon my suit for ever." 
 
 An expression of triumph flitted across the Prince's coun- 
 tenance. "You have forced me to make you the confidant 
 of my sweetest secret," he said. " Give me your princely word 
 that you will betray it to no one, and you will see that the 
 Princess will accept my invitation." 
 
 " I give you my princely word," replied the Elector sol- 
 emnly. 
 
 " Very well, sir, I trust to your word, and the secret of our 
 love rests securely in your breast. Be pleased now to fix the 
 place of meeting, and I shall notify the Princess." 
 
158 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Then let it be here, in the park. At the Chinese Pavilion, 
 where I first saw her." 
 
 "At what hour? Will not your highness have the good- 
 ness to name the hour? " 
 
 " Five o'clock, then, if you have no objection." 
 
 " Five o'clock! Allow me to remark that that is rather 
 early, and that daylight is not favorable to an interview be- 
 tween lovers, because it makes it too public." 
 
 " Well, let us take a later hour! " cried the Elector. 
 " Seven o'clock in the evening then? " 
 
 " Seven o'clock will do. You will not object, though, to 
 my escorting the Princess there. The pavilion is quite a long 
 way off, and the Princess does not like to walk through the 
 park alone at so late an hour. I know that from experience. 
 Therefore, at seven o'clock Princess Louisa and I will come 
 to the Chinese Pavilion, and if you will take the trouble to 
 station yourself somewhere in the neighborhood you shall see 
 us enter the pavilion together." 
 
 "I shall be punctually on the spot!" cried the Elector. 
 " But one stipulation I must make. I said that if I saw the 
 Princess repair to a rendezvous of your appointment, I would 
 leave The Hague early the next morning." 
 
 " Yes your highness said so." 
 
 "And I now retract my word, in so far as that I insist 
 upon first having an interview with you, Sir Prince of Wales. 
 In the boldness and presumption of your spirit you insulted 
 me the other day by speaking words of unwarrantable in- 
 solence. You think, then, Sir Prince, that it would be a most 
 advantageous match on my side to marry a Queen of Sweden. 
 I shall not leave The Hague until you have proved to me, 
 sword in hand, that you are qualified to give an opinion upon 
 the interests of the Elector of Brandenburg." 
 
 " I actually believe you do me the honor to challenge me 
 to fight a duel! " said the Prince of Wales. " Lo! the Elec- 
 tor of Brandenburg has now the goodness to treat me as a man 
 of whom satisfaction may be demanded sword in hand. Your 
 views have changed suddenly, and I have grown rapidly old 
 in your eyes. Have I rightly understood you, sir, is this a 
 challenge?" 
 
THE CHALLENGE. ^5^ 
 
 " Yes, it is a challenge/' cried the Elector, his voice tremu- 
 lous with passion. "At seven o'clock this evening I shall 
 await you and the Princess at the Chinese Pavilion. But 
 early to-morrow morning, at the same place and the same 
 hour, I shall expect you alone and armed, to make good your 
 assertion that it would be so much to my advantage to marry 
 the Queen of Sweden." 
 
 "I accept, but beseech you not to forget that you have 
 given me your word to keep our secret, and betray it to no one, 
 not even the Princess herself. You will therefore keep per- 
 fectly quiet, when you have seen us enter the pavilion? " 
 
 " Be without uneasiness, sir; I shall keep my word. To- 
 morrow morning, then, early, at seven o'clock." 
 
 "At seven o'clock. What weapon does your highness 
 select?" 
 
 " "Whichever you prefer and use most skillfully." 
 
 " It is a matter of indifference to me, for I am practiced 
 in all. But in this case I prefer the dagger, for it makes least 
 noise; and for the Princess's sake, I would naturally like to 
 keep our duel as secret as the rendezvous." 
 
 " Let us use daggers, then. Early to-morrow morning, 
 without seconds, at the Chinese Pavilion, provided that '^ 
 
 " That Princess Louisa comes this evening at seven o'clock^ 
 would you say? Let your mind be relieved of all uneasiness, 
 your highness; both rendezvous shall take place." 
 
 " Good, and now, as we have nothing more to say to each 
 other, I take my leave." 
 
 The Elector turned his back upon the Prince without 
 deigning to bestow upon him a parting salutation, and, with 
 head haughtily erect, strode swiftly up the avenue. 
 
 Prince Charles looked after him with smiling countenance 
 and beaming eyes. " Which of us is the greater child now? " 
 he asked scornfully of himself. "Is it not childish to call 
 me out to fight a duel on account of a rendezvous? Oh, that 
 rendezvous! First of all, I must contrive some way of bring- 
 ing it about, and that, I fear, will cost some trouble and per- 
 plexity. Yet already I have a glimmering idea of a way by 
 which I can contrive to effect my scheme. I have in contem- 
 plation a little comedy of errors, whose conception Shakes- 
 
160 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 peare himself might envy me. What saidst thou Shakespeare? 
 Yes, thou art right. I will venture all, for I love thee, Louisa, 
 and — I hate that proud, supercilious Elector, coming here 
 with Caesar's assumption: Veni, vidi, vici! " 
 
 VI. — The Elopement. 
 
 " You have come at last, Charles. My heavens! how long 
 you have kept me waiting!" exclaimed Prince William of 
 Orange to his young hrother-in-law, as toward noon of the 
 same day that young gentleman entered his chamber. "I 
 thought you had totally forgotten me and left me in the lurch. 
 Good heavens, Charles! how can anybody be so slow and hard- 
 hearted! " 
 
 " Say rather, dear brother, how can anybody be so much 
 in love and so impatient. As if the whole world turned upon 
 your love, and as if we other poor mortals had nothing else 
 to do but to fly upon your errands." 
 
 "Just tell me this; have you seen Mary? Did you give 
 her my letter? Does she consent? " 
 
 "I saw her. I gave her your letter. But before I an- 
 swer your third question I must learn what you have been 
 doing meanwhile. Have you been with your father? Did 
 you openly avow to him your ardent desire to live with your 
 young wife?" 
 
 " I have been with my father, but I found my mother 
 there, and the very instant I broached this subject she com- 
 manded silence, for the physicians had strictly forbidden the 
 introduction of exciting topics." 
 
 " She is naturally a most tender and conscientious nurse," 
 said Prince Charles, shrugging his shoulders, " for every day 
 of your father's life prolongs by so much her term of su- 
 premacy and influence. But did you not attempt to melt your 
 mother's stony heart? " 
 
 " I did. I besought her to grant me an audience. I con- 
 fessed to her my boundless love for Mary, telling her that 
 
THE ELOPEMENT. 101 
 
 I could not survive separation from her, that I would be lost, 
 miserable, comfortless, if she did not revoke her cruel de- 
 cision. All was in vain. * Men do not die of broken hearts,' 
 said my mother, and when I swore in desperation to go with 
 Mary to France, she smiled and said she would take care to 
 prevent that. If I did not behave myself in a rational man- 
 ner, she would deal with me as I deserved: confine me to my 
 room, and place two sentinels before the door until the Prin- 
 cess had fairly set off." 
 
 " And she is the woman to execute such a threat! " said 
 Prince Charles, laughing. 
 
 " To be sure she is, my friend. I needed only to look in 
 her flashing eyes and her energetic face to feel convinced of 
 that. Yes, she would have locked me up like a disobedient- 
 boy, and our whole plan would have come to nought. I re- 
 flected upon this, and therefore seemed finally to acquiesce 
 in the cogency of my mother's reasoning, and consented that 
 the Princess Mary should accompany her mother to France, 
 there to remain until the term shall have fully expired, when 
 our marriage will be consummated according to the marriage 
 compact. Now you know all: answer my question: does Mary 
 consent to elope with me? " 
 
 " Yes, she consents." 
 
 Prince William cried aloud for joy, with passionate ten- 
 derness flung both arms around his brother-in-law's neck, and 
 stormily pressed him to his heart. 
 
 "For heaven's sake! I am not the Princess Mary," said 
 Charles, laughing. " Keep your tenderness for a more aus- 
 picious occasion, and hear what I have to say to you." 
 
 *' I am listening, dear brother-in-law, I am all ear." 
 
 ** This evening at six o'clock my sister will expect you to 
 be under her window, and like an angel will descend from 
 above to you, or, to express myself prosaically, will come 
 down to you by means of a rope ladder." 
 
 " At six o'clock? Is not that very early? Should we not 
 rather await the darkness of night?" 
 
 " My dear brother-in-law, it is dark at six o'clock in Octo- 
 ber, as you seem not to have observed, especially now when 
 there is no moonshine. You will be no more visible at six 
 
162 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 than at seven o'clock. But you must be off as early as possible, 
 that by eleven you may be beyond the reach of pursuit and 
 discovery." 
 
 " Why so, my sage Mentor? " 
 
 " Because, my beloved pupil, my mother. Queen Hen- 
 rietta, occupies the same bedroom as my two sisters, and it 
 is her rule never to let the young ladies sleep alone. This 
 sleeping room is quite near the Queen's drawing room, being 
 only separated from it by a small passage upon which open 
 two doors, one leading to the Queen's drawdng room, the other 
 to the chamber of her lady's maid. My mother has now fixed 
 habits, from which she never deviates. She remains in her 
 sitting room, either reading or writing to my father, until 
 eleven o'clock. The princesses, however, are allowed to retire 
 earlier, if they wish it. But the Queen never enters her sleep- 
 ing room until eleven, even if indisposed; and before going 
 to rest, with motherly solicitude, always draws aside the bed 
 curtains to assure herself that her daughters are enjoying 
 tranquil slumbers. Do you now, dear brother-in-law, com- 
 prehend the necessity of escaping as early as possible? " 
 
 " Of course, because at eleven our flight must be discov- 
 ered." 
 
 " Yes, because at eleven begins the fifth act of this comedy, 
 the act of developments and explanations. I assure you, my 
 friend, it will open in a painfully stormy manner, for my 
 mother will probably take it no less to heart than yours. I 
 believe it is the only point on which our gracious mammas 
 cordially sympathize. From the bottom of their hearts both 
 would gladly see this marriage dissolved." 
 
 "What? Your mother too?" said Prince William bit- 
 terly. 
 
 " Certainly. This alliance never met her approval, and she 
 only acquiesced in deference to her husband's views. But 
 now it would please her extremely to have my sister unmar- 
 ried. Mary is young, beautiful, and fascinating in her man- 
 ners. At Paris she will find a King, a few years younger than 
 herself, indeed, but with whom she might conclude just such 
 a marriage as she had previously done with you. It would 
 be a brilliant match, and who knows what will happen if she 
 
THE ELOPEMENT. 163 
 
 pleases King Louis XIV and the regent, his mother? Your 
 union has hitherto heen merely one of form, and consequently 
 is not indissoluble. Princess Mary will then return to the 
 bosom of the only true Church, and the Pope will assuredly 
 have the complaisance to pronounce her earlier marriage in- 
 valid, as also to bless the new matrimonial engagement." 
 
 " For God's sake forbear, else you will drive me to mad- 
 ness! " murmured William breathlessly, with pale, trembling 
 lips. " God be thanked, Mary is not going to France; she 
 will stay here in spite of both our ambitious, domineering 
 mothers. Tell me, dear Charles, what I have to do. You 
 must act for me, and make all the needful preparations.'* 
 
 " Yes, if you were to act in person all would be in vain! 
 Your shrewd mother is, of course, keeping a vigilant watch 
 upon you, and at the very first sign of peculiarity in your 
 movements she would carry her threat into execution, and 
 keep you imprisoned until Mary has left. I have, therefore, 
 acted for you, and I think you will be satisfied with my ar- 
 rangements. Little remains to be done. All depends upon 
 your preventing this journey of your little wife's to France, 
 and insisting upon your right to keep her with you. My 
 mother can not well defer her journey, for the packet boat 
 which is to take her to Havre is ready to sail, and, moreover, 
 she has paid her passage, and our funds are not in a condi- 
 tion to admit of losing so much money. My mother will be 
 obliged, therefore, to set sail with her younger daughter and 
 retinue, and I only will be left to search for my sister and 
 then follow my family to France. You need only conceal 
 yourselves for a few days somewhere in the neighborhood, and 
 take care that your being found again be attended with such 
 eclat that your mother will be forced to admit that you are 
 actually married, and can no longer be separated. It is there- 
 fore best to go no farther than Amsterdam, and take up your 
 quarters in the castle there. You will arrive there before 
 daybreak; the steward will open the doors for you, and you 
 can tell him that you have come to spend a few days in your 
 good town of Amsterdam, and that your attendants will arrive 
 early the next morning. In the morning the glad tidings 
 will have spread over the whole city. You will have to ride 
 
164 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 through the streets in an open carriage, to receive the con- 
 gratulations of the populace, and all will be done. Your mar- 
 riage will be a fait accompli which your mother can no longer 
 deny. She will put a good face on the matter, and probably 
 pay you a little visit at Amsterdam and fetch you back to 
 The Hague.'' 
 
 " Would that my mother's little visit were over! " sighed 
 Prince William, with an air that made the Prince of Wales 
 laugh. 
 
 " Do not think of that now, but of your departure hence," 
 he said. " First of all, write a touching and respectful letter 
 to your parents, entreating their forgiveness. Leave this 
 letter, addressed to your mother, on your writing desk. Then 
 |)rovide yourself with money and such like indispensables, 
 and, above all things, repair punctually to my rooms at 
 Bosch at six o'clock. For the rest, the rope ladder and 
 equipage I shall provide, which will give me enough to do 
 until the appointed hour arrives. Farewell then, brother- 
 in-law, until we meet again at six o'clock precisely." 
 
 And the Prince of Wales left his brother-in-law, that he 
 might do all that he had promised for the execution of his 
 cunningly devised scheme; but while he made arrangements 
 for the flight of the lovers, he never for an instant lost sight 
 of his own affairs, and the rendezvous in the Chinese Pavilion 
 occupied just as much of his thoughts as the elopement to 
 Amsterdam. He observed everything closely, and when, 
 after long rambling and taking many needful precautions, 
 he at last returned to Bosch, his mother's temporary resi- 
 dence, he made his faithful valet give him an account of all 
 that had happened there during the day. The youngest 
 Princess had been with her Majesty, who had packed up all 
 her valuables and completed her preparations for her jour- 
 ney. Princess Mary, however, had kept her own room, Prin- 
 cess Louisa of Orange having spent the whole day with her, 
 and only set out for The Hague an hour ago. Princess Mary 
 had accompanied the Princess Louisa to her carriage, her 
 eyes were red with weeping, and when she embraced the 
 Princess for the last time she had sobbed aloud, and the Prin- 
 cess Louisa had wept too. Then the Princess Mary had again 
 
THE ELOPEMENT. 165 
 
 .Tetired to her room, and had excused herself to her Majesty 
 for not appearing at table, on the plea of suffering from an 
 excruciating headache. 
 
 The Prince of Wales heard this news with much satis- 
 faction, and forthwith repaired to his sister Mary's chamber. 
 She lay upon the divan, her head buried in its silken cushions, 
 weeping and lamenting aloud, without paying any heed to 
 approaching footsteps. Prince Charles made a rapid circuit 
 of the apartment, looked behind every curtain, under every 
 piece of furniture, and then stepped close up to the divan 
 on which his sister lay. 
 
 " Mary, we are alone, no spies are watching us! " 
 
 Immediately her laments ceased and she sprang quickly 
 up. " Thank God, brother, that you have come at last," she 
 whispered. " I was so uneasy." 
 
 " And time was so long, was it not, and I am such a slow, 
 cruel creature? Oh, yes, I have had full experience of such 
 forms of speech during my recent interview with your hus- 
 band, and therefore will excuse you a repetition. Oh, you 
 poor lovers! groping about in the night of illusion, how bit- 
 terly will you be disappointed when the sun of knowledge 
 rises and the mists of enthusiasm vanish! " 
 
 " That will never be! " cried Mary with warmth. " We 
 shall always love each other just as ardently as we do now. 
 We will never be undeceived, and ever cherish our illu- 
 sions." 
 
 " Oh, yes, of course, so they talk at your age." 
 
 "At my age! And how much older are you then, my 
 Prince of Wales? " 
 
 *' Almost two years, my Princess of Orange, and two years 
 of bitter experiences have they been, believe me. But let us 
 now talk of more pressing matters, for the hour of separation 
 is at hand, and we have still much to do." 
 
 " Oh dear, oh dear! I am frightened already! If our 
 plans should miscarry and we be discovered! If my strict 
 mother-in-law should catch us, I believe I should melt like 
 wax beneath her burning eyes! " 
 
 " Compose yourself, Mary; she will not catch you, for I 
 have guarded against all contingencies. But attend to me 
 
166 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 for a little while, and be pleased to answer my questions. 
 Have you taken your final leave of the Princess Louisa? '^ 
 
 " Yes, brother Charles. Poor good Louisa! She melted 
 into tears, and I, too, wept bitterly, I knew not wherefore." 
 
 " You did not betray anything of your plan, and she has 
 no suspicion of your approaching flight? " 
 
 '' God forbid! Betray anything to her! She would hare 
 forthwith done everything in the world to thwart us in our 
 adventure! What a pious, obedient, and humble little per- 
 son she is! She exhorted me with tears in her eyes to be sub- 
 missive to our parent's will, and to commit all to our dear 
 Heavenly Father! Ah! if Louisa had a suspicion of what 
 is going on, she would report to her mother on the spot. I 
 am convinced of that, and therefore kept my counsel." 
 
 "Well done, little sister. Now be kind enough to allow 
 me to dictate a note to you. Have the goodness to take this 
 seat." 
 
 He led his sister to her escritoire and placed pen and 
 paper before her. 
 
 " What am I to write then ? " asked Mary, smiling. " May- 
 hap a letter to my sweet mother-in-law? " 
 
 " Ask no questions, sister, only write; we have no time 
 to lose, and this affair signifies little to you. Are you ready, 
 dear sister? May I begin? " 
 
 " Commence, I am on the qui vive to hear." 
 
 " Only, be not so intent upon hearing as to forget to write. 
 "So, heading, ' My dear Louisa! ' " 
 
 " Oh, I am to write to Louisa? Good heavens, what can 
 I have to write to her about? " 
 
 " You shall soon hear. Only write: 
 
 "My dear Louisa: I write you these lines, just as I am 
 in the act of taking a very rash step. Louisa, it almost broke 
 my heart that I could not tell you everything, and I have 
 begged my dear husband until he has allowed me to write you 
 at least this last farewell, and make this request of you: if 
 you would see us once more before our departure, if you 
 would give your brother one last farewell, then come to the 
 Chinese Pavilion at seven o'clock exactly. There you will 
 
THE ELOPEMENT. 1(J7 
 
 receive the last greetings of your brother William and your 
 unhappy sister Mary. I long to see you once again, for I 
 repent so much of having deceived you to-day. We part with 
 light hearts from all but you and brother Charles; we grieve 
 to bid you farewell, for you two are the only ones who truly 
 love us. Come, sister, come punctually to the Chinese Pavilion 
 at seven o'clock. But be silent as the grave, if you would 
 not be responsible for the death of Youk Mary.'' 
 
 "I do not understand a word of all this," sighed Mary, 
 when she had written to the end. 
 
 " That is not at all necessary. You will understand all in 
 good time. But do not lay your pen aside yet, chere smur, 
 for here is a second sheet of paper. Be so good as to copy the 
 note I dictated to you, only direct it to the Prince of Wales 
 instead of to the Princess." 
 
 " So be it, but you will explain to me when I have finished 
 what " 
 
 " Not then, but hereafter. Only see, the clock now points 
 to half-past five. We must hurry sister, or all is lost. Please 
 write." 
 
 The Princess made no response, but began to write rapidly, 
 then, at an intimation from her brother, folded up both let- 
 ters, wrote the addresses, and sealed them. 
 
 Prince Charles took both letters, broke the seal of the one 
 directed to himself, and then thrust it into the breast pocket 
 of his velvet coat. 
 
 " The other letter, Charles? What is to be done with 
 that? " asked the Princess inquisitively. 
 
 *' You shall learn directly. Just wait one minute." He 
 opened the door leading into the antechamber, and finding 
 his valet standing without, bade him enter. 
 
 " Go immediately, James," he said, " and carry this letter 
 from the Princess of Orange to Princess Louisa Henrietta at 
 The Hague. But take good care to give it into the hands of 
 none but the Princess herself." 
 
 " Your highness, your order shall be obeyed." 
 
 " The greatest dispatch is required. How soon can you 
 get there, James? " 
 
168 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 The valet looked at the clock. " It now wants a quarter of 
 six. I shall be there a quarter past six, your highness." 
 
 " That is to say, you will run the whole way like a hunted 
 stag?'' 
 
 " I shall run, most gracious sir." 
 
 And the valet swiftly vanished through the antechamber 
 door. 
 
 "Now, sister," said the Prince of Wales gravely, "the 
 parting hour has come, and we must take leave of one another. 
 I have only to attach this rope ladder to your window." 
 
 He drew a package from his pocket and unwrapped it. 
 
 " Ah, let me see! " cried Mary. " I have never seen a rope 
 ladder. Ah, how ingeniously these silken cords are inter- 
 linked, and how securely all is joined together. Oh, I ought 
 not to be afraid, for these steps will not give way. And yet, 
 brother, my heart beats as though it would burst." 
 
 "Fear nothing, sister, you are quite safe. This ladder 
 is perfectly true. I have myself tried each step, and proved 
 them all to be strong and firm." 
 
 The Prince of Wales now made fast the ladder to a pro- 
 jection below the window, and in the midst of some parting 
 injunctions to Princess Mary, suddenly paused. " Hark! " 
 he said, " the clock is striking six. The decisive moment has 
 arrived — the moment for action." 
 
 " Alas! I am filled with anguish! " sighed the Princess. 
 "I feel dreadfully alarmed, and all at once this adventure, 
 which has hitherto amused me, strikes me now as quite a seri- 
 ous affair, and I know not why, but I begin to be ashamed 
 of having undertaken it." 
 
 " That is to say^ sister, you are afraid of venturing upon 
 the rope ladder — nothing more. You can still draw back 
 if you choose. If you repent, and find it more to your taste 
 to go with our mother to France, there to eat the bread of 
 charity, say so, and I will loosen the ladder, go down into the 
 park to your husband, who is waiting for you under your 
 window, and tell him that you prefer following your mother 
 to staying here with him." 
 
 " No, I do not prefer it! " exclaimed the Princess warmly. 
 " No, I will not go with my mother to France, to beg for help 
 
THE ELOPEMENT. 169 
 
 and protection there, when I can be a free, honored, and happy 
 Princess here at my husband^s side." 
 
 " You have made up your mind, then, Mary? " 
 
 " Yes, I have made up my mind decidedly. You say, 
 brother, my husband is waiting for me below? Well, he shall 
 not wait in vain; I will go to him." 
 
 And with flushed cheeks and resolute carriage the Prin- 
 cess approached the window. 
 
 "Not so fast, chere soeur, not so fast," whispered the 
 Prince. '^ I am to go before, to show you, in the first place, 
 that the ladder is trustworthy, and, in the second, to help 
 your husband to hold it firmly for your descent. Au revoir, 
 then, fair Princess; we shall meet below. As soon as I have 
 gained the ground I shall clap my hands three times as a 
 signal for you to commence your journey." 
 
 He swung himself up into the window seat, once more 
 nodded encouragingly to his sister, and then vanished into 
 the darkness. Princess Mary leaned far out, saw the shadow 
 slowly glide down, heard the creaking and groaning of the 
 silken cords, and in breathless suspense expected every minute 
 to hear the cry of the falling and the rending of the ladder. 
 But no. The ladder stopped moving, and from below she 
 heard the appointed signal. 
 
 " Now! " she murmured, with trembling lips and blanched 
 cheeks — "now! " 
 
 One moment more she stood still hesitating, and her large 
 hazel eyes turned toward the door leading to her mother's 
 apartments. 
 
 " Oh, my mother! " she whispered, " who knows whether 
 we shall ever meet again, and I have not bid you good-by; I 
 have not received your parting blessing, have " 
 
 Again the clapping of hands was heard from the garden. 
 ^'I am coming, yes, I am coming," whispered Mary. "Ah, 
 I will think of nothing but that my husband is there waiting 
 for me." 
 
 She sprang courageously upon the chair which stood be- 
 side the window, thence swung herself up to the window sill, 
 with both hands held to the cross piece, and cautiously and 
 lightly began the descent. The ladder oscillated, and her 
 
170 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 heart beat so as to take away her breath; but she heard her 
 husband's voice speaking words of cheer and encouragement, 
 and that strengthened her to descend more quickly. Now two 
 arms encircled her and lifted her down from the ladder, press- 
 ing her fondly to a loudly beating heart, and a beloved voice 
 whispered words of ardent gratitude and warm devotion in 
 her ear. 
 
 " Away now, away! " urged Prince Charles, at their side. 
 " Good heavens! just be rational for one quarter of an hour 
 longer, and you will have a whole lifetime left for the indul- 
 gence of your folly. Come, come! " 
 
 " Whither, brother? '' whispered Mary. 
 
 " To the carriage, my romantic sister. It is hardly two 
 hundred paces distant, at the entrance to the park." 
 
 " Two hundred paces! But my feet burn as if they were 
 on fire, and pain me very much. I can not move a step." 
 
 " I will carry you, darling! Come to my arms! I shall 
 bear you in my arms through life, and never let your beloved 
 feet touch the rough ground." 
 
 The Prince of Orange lifted the delicate, sylphlike form 
 of his girlish young wife in his strong arms, and bore her with 
 vigorous step down the avenue. Prince Charles walked silent- 
 ly beside them until they had gained the outer gate of the 
 park. This he opened and gave a thrice-repeated whistle. 
 Forthwith was heard the muffled sound of carriage wheels, 
 moving slowly over the graveled walk. " Stop!" was Prince 
 Charles's order, and he opened the coach door himself, al- 
 though the lackey had sprung obsequiously down from his 
 seat beside the driver. 
 
 " Get in, sister," said the Prince, *^ and may the God of 
 love protect you." 
 
 " Farewell, brother; one parting kiss! " 
 
 "And accept the assurance of my undying gratitude, 
 dear brother-in-law. You I have to thank for the happiness 
 of my whole life; you enabled me to find the requisite courage 
 to break loose from the despotic will which threatened to 
 enthral me. You freed me from the chains of moral slavery, 
 and if ever I become a strong and independent sovereign, you 
 it will be who has made me so! Take my hand, and my word 
 
THE CHINESE PAVILION. 17J 
 
 for it that I will recompense you to the utmost of my 
 ability." 
 
 " It may be, brother, that I shall soon have to claim this 
 promise/' said the Prince of Wales, sighing. "My future 
 does not lie clear and bright before me like yours. But who 
 knows, perhaps But enough of words. Be off aow. Gal- 
 lop off, coachman, to Amsterdam! " 
 
 The coachman applied his whip to the horses and the car- 
 riage rolled rapidly down the road. The Prince looked after 
 it until it disappeared in the surrounding darkness, and the 
 rolling of the wheels was no longer heard. 
 
 "And now," he said, in loud, determined tone — "now 
 the hour has come which is to settle my fate as well. God 
 of love, stand by me, and let not my trust in thee be brought 
 to shame! Hark! already the castle clock is striking the 
 half hour after six. I shall not have time to go down to The 
 Hague. The Chinese Pavilion is nearer, and I shall station 
 myself somewhere in its neighborhood. Will she come? — 
 will she have the courage to go through the park alone by 
 night? Yes, she will, for she has a brave heart, and will not 
 shrink from performing a deed of love. Yes, she will come, 
 and my sly James will see her, and a half hour later hand 
 the note in question to Princess Amelia. Verily, I play a 
 rash game, and if I lose, nothing is left to me but either to 
 cast myself into the sea or to accompany my mother across 
 the sea to France. Which course shall I take? I dread — the 
 latter! " 
 
 VII. — The Chinese Paviliow. 
 
 Princess Louisa had just received Mary's enigmatical 
 aote, and in helpless terror pondered upon its contents. The 
 mysterious language in which it was couched and its dark hints 
 filled her affectionate heart with infinite anxiety, and she knew 
 not what these farewell words of Mary's could signify. 
 
 After a long soliloquy she thought that she had unraveled 
 the mystery. Her brother must have made up his mind to 
 12 
 
172 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 follow his wife to France. They wished to give her a last fare- 
 well, and she could not turn a deaf ear to their request. No, 
 she must hasten to them, and strive by the tenderest appeals 
 to turn them aside from a project which she felt sure would 
 cause her beloved father's death. She slipped the ominous 
 billet into her pocket and prepared to set forth. " No one 
 will think it singular that I should go down into the park,'' 
 she said, as she hastily threw a scarf around her shoulders 
 and covered her head with a veil, " for I sometimes go to the 
 dairy in the evening, to see whether they have made things 
 secure for the night, and yet — ^I would rather go down the 
 private staircase, and enter the park through the little gate 
 where no sentinel is stationed. Ah! if I were not obliged to 
 go alone! If only " 
 
 For one minute she paused and a vivid blush suffused 
 her cheeks. "It is true," she whispered, "lie would pro- 
 tect me, and at liis side how securely I might walk along! 
 He would not betray me if I were to confide this secret to him, 
 but second me in my efforts to deter my brother and sister 
 from taking this violent measure. Oh, he is so wise, so elo- 
 quent, nobody can resist him! I will have him called. I 
 will place myself and my secret under his protection, and 
 implore his assistance." 
 
 She made a few steps forward, but faltered and stood still. 
 " No," said she, slowly shaking her brown curls — " no, I will 
 not call him. He does not care for me — he takes no interest 
 in me. Not once has he asked for me to-day, although I 
 foolishly volunteered to apologize to him this morning. Even 
 at table he did not address a single observation to me, and if 
 our eyes accidentally met, he looked at me so angrily that 
 his glance seemed to pierce me to the soul, and I could have 
 cried aloud for very agony! No, I shall not call him — him 
 least of all! I shall go alone! " 
 
 She no longer hesitated, a cheerful determination took pos- 
 session of her whole being and filled her with strength and 
 spirit. Hurriedly she left her apartment, saying to her maid, 
 whom she met in the antechamber, that she would be absent 
 but for a little while. She speedily made her way into the park. 
 It was a gloomy evening, not a moonbeam illumined the dark- 
 
THE CHINESE PAVILION. 173 
 
 ness, and only the stars shone clearly in the evening sky. 
 To them Princess Louisa lifted her eyes as she traversed the 
 broad space leading into the dark avenue. 
 
 " Attend me, ye stars, and watch over me! Bright wit- 
 nesses of God's unceasing care for his creatures, smile down 
 upon me, and inspire my poor timid heart with courage! " 
 
 And it seemed to her as if the stars sparkled more bril- 
 liantly, and the breeze sighing among the foliage seemed to 
 whisper to her that God was near to sustain and protect her 
 by his presence. 
 
 Courageously she moved forward, borne onward by the 
 strength of her inward emotion, by the burning love of her 
 stout, true heart. She had a duty to fulfill — a sacred duty! 
 She would restrain her brother and sister from entering upon 
 a course fraught with danger; she would guard her beloved 
 father from grief and peril of death! There was no longer 
 in her any timidity or maidenly shrinking. God watched 
 over her. Had the Elector Frederick William thus seen her, 
 could he have looked into her clear eye and noble, open coun- 
 tenance, he must have read her pure soul as depicted upon 
 every feature, and his heart must have been filled with faith 
 and confidence. But he did not see her. He had long wan- 
 dered among the solitary walks of the park, bewailing the 
 fate which seemed to be about to doom him to a second dis- 
 appointment. " Louisa, Louisa! has your face, too, de- 
 ceived me? — was that appearance of maidenly innocence only 
 a mask assumed to hide the wonted levity of your sex? I 
 could weep to think that you are but a poor deluded woman 
 — you whom your Maker had destined for a model of femi- 
 nine truth and purity! " Thus absorbed in melancholy re- 
 flections, gathering gloom warned him that the hour 
 for the hated rendezvous was at hand, and he bent his 
 «teps toward the pavilion, which was even now visible on the 
 other side of the Chinese garden, with its white walls and two 
 lighted windows. He seated himself on the marble bench, 
 in the arbor close beside the entrance. The projecting pillars 
 of the little portal cast their dark shadows over his form, and 
 no careless passer-by would have observed him. There he 
 sat, enveloped in his mantle, looking out into the night, and 
 
174 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 listening to every sound that broke the stillness of the 
 evening hour, and amid the pains and conflicts of which 
 his soul was now called to undergo, unknown and unsus- 
 pected by himself, there sprang up within him the genial 
 blossoms of a new sensation, and a new era of thought and 
 being. 
 
 "When Mahadoh loves," say the Hindoo Brahmins — 
 " when Mahadoh loves, tears fill the eye of the god. These 
 tears the lotus flower receives and bears down to earth, and 
 each of these tears, so soon as it touches the earth, becomes 
 a human heart, instinct with the divine essence. And there- 
 fore the human heart is full of love and woe, for man's love 
 springs from the tears of a god! " The Elector thought not 
 of these words of the Brahmins, but he experienced their im- 
 port as he sat, with clinched hands and palpitating heart, 
 looking out through the darkness for her whom his heart 
 had so long deferred looking for and yet found so soon. 
 Man's love is indeed an emanation from deity. It burned 
 not then in the heart of that frivolous young Prince, who, 
 with head thrown back and little step, came gliding through 
 the park. He had taken a short cut, in order to be at the 
 place of appointment in good time. Like a serpent he had 
 crept along swiftly and noiselessly through narrow paths and 
 densest shrubbery. Now he stood at the entrance to the 
 avenue which led directly from the palace, and waited for 
 Louisa. Oh, he knew her well; he knew that she would 
 take no bypaths and secret ways, but come fearlessly by the 
 broadest and most direct road! Then he turned and looked 
 toward the pavilion. " Is that haughty Elector already there? 
 You would mortify me, you petty little German Prince! I 
 shall have my revenge, and aim my blow straight at your 
 heart; then I shall carry off in triumph the bride you had 
 thought to win! " 
 
 And now he gazed down the avenue. "Will she come? 
 —can I have miscalculated? " 
 
 It seemed to him as if he heard approaching steps, as if he 
 saw a form advancing along the avenue. Yes, he had not been 
 deceived — yes, it was Princess Louisa! 
 
 He hastened to meet her, joyfully, gratefully. 
 
THE CHINESE PAVILION. 175 
 
 " Who is that? " asked Louisa, in a distinct, courageous 
 tone of voice. 
 
 '' It is I, cousin/' whispered the Prince of Wales. " Ah! 
 I thought I should meet with you upon this sorrowful pil- 
 grimage. I suspected that they had called you as well as 
 myself.'' 
 
 " Did you, too, receive a letter, inviting you to come to 
 the Chinese Pavilion? " 
 
 " Yes, a letter from my sister Mary. She writes that she 
 and her hushand are about to set out on a long journey, and 
 that she longed to embrace me once more before her depart- 
 ure." V 
 
 " The very same thing that she wrote to me. Oh, let us 
 make haste, cousin! Oh dear, why did I not meet you earlier? 
 Why did you not come for me? I felt so much afraid coming 
 through that dreary, lonely avenue." 
 
 " Cousin, I did not know that they had asked you to come 
 here, and the letter enjoined the strictest secrecy upon me." 
 
 "Upon me too! Oh, the poor, foolish children! Oh, 
 cousin, you will join your entreaties to mine, and urge them to 
 give up this fearful project. It would be the death of my 
 poor, sick father, if they were to run away! Oh, cousin, you 
 will help me to prevent it, will you not? " 
 
 " I will do anything that you desire of me. Cousin Louisa, 
 for you well know you are mistress of my head, my heart, 
 and my will. Take my arm and let us hasten to seek them." 
 
 Without resistance the Princess took his arm and moved 
 rapidly forward through the Chinese garden to the pavilion. 
 
 " Only see, there is a light in the little parlor," said Louisa 
 anxiously; " they are there already waiting for us! " 
 
 " Yes, they are there already, as it seems. Come, my noble, 
 Hn<? cousin!" 
 
 He spoke the last words in a loud, tender voice, for his 
 sharp, peering eyes had detected the dark shadow near the 
 portal, and he knew that the Elector was there lurking in the 
 corner. A wild, triumphant joy took possession of his heart; 
 he had succeeded in taking his revenge upon the proud man 
 who had humbled him. He would now make this revenge 
 more keenly felt, and the spying Elector should not merely 
 
176 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 see, but hear. They were now quite near enough for him to 
 hear their voices and distinguish their words. 
 
 " Cousin/' said the Prince, in a tone of passionate tender- 
 ness, " what an angel you are, to come here in spite of the 
 lateness of the hour! Love, tender desire pleaded with you 
 to make this sacrifice, and you were forthwith ready to offer 
 it." 
 
 " Who could have resisted such an appeal? " was her soft 
 rejoinder. " Who could have turned a deaf ear to the call 
 of such love? I obeyed it, as was my duty, and " 
 
 " Come, Louisa,'' quickly interposed the Prince, " the door 
 is open; let us enter the temple of love! " 
 
 They glided into the pavilion, and all was over! 
 
 Yes, all was over! The Elector issued from his place of 
 concealment, his heart swelhng with indignation and grief. 
 He had heard all. All was over! She herself had said that 
 she could not resist the call of his love — that it was her 
 duty to follow it! All was over now — all! He hated, he 
 despised the Princess! If she could love that frivolous Prince 
 of Wales, she was not worthy of his love or his regret! 
 Away with every remembrance of her! Every sigh for her 
 would be a sin! She had made her choice! Well! might 
 she be happy! 
 
 Furiously he thus spoke to himself, not believing that he 
 felt pain — nothing but indignation and wrath! It was so 
 ridiculous, so humiliating, to be supplanted by a boy! And 
 this was the maiden who had been held up as a model of vir- 
 tue — this foolish, loving girl, who even granted her lover a 
 secret rendezvous! 
 
 " I should like to know how long they will stay here," he 
 said, gnashing his teeth. '^I am curious to know when the 
 fair maid of Orange will return home, and whether it is pos- 
 sible in this well-ordered household to come in and out with- 
 out attracting attention. Yes, I shall learn, I will wait here 
 until they come out of that cursed house, and I shall follow 
 them to the palace, for I am curious to see when she will 
 return." And the Elector, who had in fact persuaded him- 
 self that it was curiosity, not love or passion, that prompted 
 him to tarry longer, resumed his seat upon the marble bench. 
 
THE CHINESE PAVILION. 177 
 
 Princess Louisa, meanwhile, had followed the Prince of 
 Wales into the little lighted parlor. No one came to meet 
 them, no one was visible. 
 
 " They have not come yet," said Louisa artlessly; " we 
 shall have to wait." 
 
 " In the transports of their love they give no heed to 
 time," returned the Prince of Wales, looking at the clock. 
 " It is past seven o^clock already; they should certainly have 
 been here by this time." 
 
 Secretly he said to himself: " It is past seven, and conse- 
 quently James has handed my note to Princess Amelia and 
 ere this she is on her way here. Let us use our time well then, 
 and prepare for the denouement. '^ 
 
 He approached the Princess, who had sunk upon the divan, 
 and was looking down silently and sadly. 
 
 " Louisa," he whispered, " it grieves me to see you so grave 
 and quiet." 
 
 " Can I be otherwise? " she asked, sighing. " If we do not 
 succeed in dissuading our brother and sister from taking this 
 rash step, what will become of us? What will my mother 
 say? How will my poor, feeble father bear it? heavens! 
 if they would only come! This solitude is frightful! " 
 
 " Solitude! " he repeated despairingly. " Am I so utterly 
 insignificant that you call yourself alone when I am at your 
 side?" 
 
 "A truce to such talk, cousin," she cried impatiently. 
 "You see I am in deadly anxiety. If they would only 
 come! " 
 
 " They will come, cousin. Are you so afraid to stay alone 
 with me?" 
 
 "Afraid of what?" she asked, astonished. "Oh no, 
 cousin, I am not afraid to be alone with you; it only fills me 
 with anxiety not to find them here. Suppose they have 
 changed their minds and thought it too dangerous to ven- 
 ture here? Cousin, suppose they have gone without bidding 
 us farewell?" 
 
 " Be comforted," he implored. " They will not do that. 
 Why should they have urged both you and me so pressingly 
 to meet them if they intended to go without seeing us? " 
 
178 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Your are right, Prince," she sighed. " But it is so pain- 
 ful to have to wait here! " 
 
 " Indeed, if any one were to see us here/' said he, smiling 
 — " if it were found out that you had been alone with me in 
 the Chinese Pavilion at so late an hour of the evening, it would 
 furnish scandalmongers with fine material for gossip." 
 
 " Oh, I did not think of that, and it is not that which 
 occasions me uneasiness," said she. " Who could think any 
 harm of my being here alone with you? You are almost like 
 my younger brother." 
 
 " Almost, but not quite, Louisa. Look in my eyes. Do 
 you not read there other than a brother's love? Ah, Louisa, 
 believe that I love you boundlessly." 
 
 And he fell on one knee, seized her hand, and looked at 
 her with flaming, consuming glances. Louisa shuddered, 
 and all at once came over her the consciousness of the dan- 
 gerous, ambiguous position in which she had been placed 
 through her sister's delay. 
 
 " Stand up, cousin," she said sternly. " Leave off this 
 child's play; it is sadly unsuited to the occasion. I came here 
 to bid my brother and sister farewell, and am not in a state 
 of mind to listen to your follies. Eise then. Prince, and let 
 us seriously and rationally consider what we have to do." 
 
 " No, I will not rise," he cried passionately; " I will re- 
 main before you on my knees, and never rise until you give 
 me one word of encouragement! Louisa! be moved by my 
 love, my grief! Consider that you are the only hope of my life! 
 Give me your dear hand, and I shall esteem myself amply 
 recompensed for all that I have lost, for your heart is the only 
 kingdom over which I care to reign! " 
 
 "You will not rise, then?" asked Louisa indignantly. 
 " You are cruel and selfish enough to torture and torment 
 me, although you see my heart is wrung with anguish! Hear 
 what I have to say to you now, Prince of Wales! If you do not 
 instantly get up and keep silence with regard to your own feel- 
 ings, which have nothing to do with my presence here, I shall 
 leave the room directly, and await outside the door the arrival 
 of our friends." 
 
 She approached the door with such a firm step and 
 
THE CHINESE PAVILION. 179 
 
 haughty, energetic mien that the Prince felt that she would 
 execute her threat. He therefore arose from his knees and 
 stepped quickly up to her. 
 
 " Stay, Princess," he said; " I will be silent, for it is not 
 worth while to repeat to you what you have already known 
 so long." 
 
 He held out his hand, and the Princess allowed him to 
 lead her back into the middle of the room. 
 
 " But do you understand the meaning of this long delay? " 
 she asked, full of distress. " Could they have gone without 
 coming here? Can it be possible that they have given up 
 
 their design, and Oh, what is that?" she exclaimed, 
 
 breaking off in the midst of her sentence as her eye acci- 
 dentally fell upon the window opening on the garden. " What 
 means that light? " 
 
 She hurried to the window, followed by the Prince of 
 Wales. 
 
 "I see four torchbearers coming in this direction," said 
 he. " The long-expected are come at last! But how singular, 
 that they should have themselves lighted here! An original 
 mode of flying, truly! " 
 
 Louisa paid no attention to him. Of all his words she 
 heard only these, " The long-expected are come at last." She 
 felt comforted and strengthened, and smilingly looked out 
 upon the approaching party. Now the torchbearers stood 
 before the pavilion, fronting both sides of the little portal. 
 She saw two figures advance and near the door. 
 
 " They come, they are here! " she joyfully exclaimed, with- 
 drawing from the window. The Prince of Wales hurried up 
 to her, seized her hand, holding it fast within his own. 
 
 " Come, Louisa, let us go to meet our brother and sister." 
 
 She did. not know that the Prince of Wales had taken her 
 hand; she thought only of those whom she was waiting for, 
 and only looked toward the door with loudly beating heart. 
 
180 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 VIII. — The Confession. 
 
 And now the door opened and a tall lady entered, fol- 
 lowed by a gentleman. 
 
 Lonisa uttered a scream of terror, and tottered back as if 
 she had seen an apparition. Those who had just entered 
 were not Prince William and his young bride, but the Princes& 
 Amelia and her brother, the Prince of Solms. 
 
 A pause ensued, a long, breathless pause. Princess 
 Amelia seemed not less surprised to find her daughter 
 here than Princess Louisa was to see her mother step in, 
 in Princess Mary's stead. The Prince of Wales drew him- 
 self up to his full height and looked upon the Princess 
 with calm, proud dignity. The Prince ,of Solms alone 
 with cool equanimity surveyed the apartment and all those 
 present. 
 
 " Do I find you here, Louisa? " at last exclaimed Princess 
 Amelia, in a tone of painful astonishment. " Are you, too, 
 in league with them, and have you lent them your aid in their 
 adventurous undertaking? " 
 
 " No, your grace, no! " cried Louisa, '' I know nothing 
 of it, I " 
 
 " For God's sake! " whispered Prince Charles anxiously, 
 " would you betray our brother and sister? Would you cause 
 their deaths? " 
 
 "Well, Louisa," asked her mother sternly, "where are 
 they? Are they concealed in this house? " 
 
 "I do not know, most gracious mother," stammered 
 Louisa, " I " 
 
 " Louisa," whispered the Prince, " now is the time to prove 
 your sisterly aifection. You must save them by sacrificing 
 yourself! " 
 
 He had all this while held the Princess's hand clasped 
 within his own, now he tightened his grasp and drew her for- 
 ward, straight up to her mother. 
 
 " There is no longer any use in dissembling," said he; 
 " we must make up our minds to acknowledge the truth, my 
 dear Louisa." 
 
THE CONFESSION. 181 
 
 "What, would you betray them?" murmured she, turn- 
 ing pale. 
 
 " I would betray our secret, and avow the immeasurable 
 love which has led to all these errors," cried the Prince aloud, 
 and as he turned with a soft smile to Princess Amelia he 
 asked, " Most noble aunt, whom did you expect to find here ? " 
 
 " Whom but Prince William and Princess Mary? " asked 
 the Princess. "I have received my son^s letter, and espe- 
 cially the message that I would find the fugitives at this 
 spot." 
 
 " You have been deceived, most gracious lady," exclaimed 
 Prince Charles eagerly. " No one is here save we two." 
 
 " You two ? And what means your presence here, if I 
 may ask? " 
 
 " It means! " cried the Prince, retaining Louisa's hand 
 and advancing still nearer to the Princess Amelia, while he 
 gracefully bent one knee before her — " it means that we im- 
 plore your grace's forgiveness and blessing upon our love! " 
 
 Princess Louisa shuddered and a slight scream escaped 
 her lips. Horror-stricken she gazed sometimes at the Prince 
 of Wales, sometimes across at the door through which Elec- 
 tor Frederick William had just entered. She had recognized 
 him, in spite of the cloak which enveloped his form, in spite 
 of the broad slouched hat which he had drawn low over his 
 forehead so as to shroud his whole face from view. Yes, it 
 was no other than he, and he was to be a witness of this hu- 
 miliation, so terrible to the shrinking delicacy of her sensi- 
 tive nature. 
 
 " My blessing upon your love? " asked Princess Amelia. 
 " This is not the time or place to obtain it. Where are the 
 fugitives? You have hidden them somewhere, and think to 
 detain us here that they may have time to make good their 
 escape." 
 
 " No, your grace, none are hidden here," said the Prince 
 composedly. " We are here alone, and do not hide ourselves* 
 We came here in order to take a last farewell of one another, 
 and once more to exchange our vows of eternal love, ere, 
 driven by inexorable fate, I take my leave of The Hague. 
 I had meant to have kept my love, as the most precious treas- 
 
182 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ure of my life, silently locked in the depths of my heart, until 
 the clouds which now lower over our house should be dis- 
 sipated. Not the fugitive Charles Stuart, but the Prince of 
 Wales reinstated in his rights, should sue for the hand of the 
 Princess of Orange. A strange accident has willed it other- 
 wise. Some one, gracious lady — and I suspect who — has re- 
 vealed to you the secret of our rendezvous. You have come 
 and surprised this young lady and myself in the sweetest 
 solitude. Our love no longer submits to secrecy, and honor 
 requires that we confess it to you. I do so proudly and Joy- 
 fully, and entreat your grace to bestow upon us your motherly 
 benediction." 
 
 Motionless and rigid as in a trance Louisa had stood and 
 listened. She made not the slightest attempt to interrupt 
 him; her whole soul was in her eyes, and her eyes were ever 
 fixed there — there upon the muffled figure in the doorway. 
 
 Her mother's voice roused her from this state of stupe- 
 faction, this dreamlike reverie. 
 
 " Louisa," asked the Princess Amelia, " has your heart 
 then yielded at last? Do you love, do you voluntarily resolve 
 to marry? " 
 
 She made no reply. Her cheeks were pale as death, her 
 lips quivered, but not a sound issued from them. 
 
 " If you disown my explanation and betray our brother 
 and sister, you will have their deaths upon your skirts," 
 whispered the Prince of Wales, bending over her. 
 
 "Daughter," asked the Princess Amelia softly, "why do 
 you not answer me? Do you love the Prince of Wales? " 
 
 She shivered, her spirit recovered from its torpor, a rich 
 glow suffused her cheeks, and her whole frame trembled. 
 
 " No! " she cried emphatically, " I do not love him! " And 
 she impatiently tore her hand from his grasp and gave him 
 a proud and withering glance. 
 
 " But, Louisa," said the mother, " why will you persist in 
 denjdng your love, when the Prince confesses it, and makes 
 the only apology which can in any degree justify your im- 
 proper appearance here." 
 
 " He speaks falsely, it is a perfect tissue of falsehood and 
 4eceit! " she cried indignantly. " Oh, he knows that I did not 
 
THE CONFESSION. 183 
 
 come here to see him, or to receive his childish protestations 
 of love; he knows very well that I ventured not upon this 
 course through levity, but that it was for the fulfillment of 
 a sacred duty! Sir Prince of Wales, I adjure you to own the 
 truth! Will you say upon your word of honor that I came 
 here to meet you — to have an interview with you P " 
 
 " Ah, adored Louisa, you would seek to find excuses in 
 cunning words," said he, smiling. " I can not indeed affirm 
 upon my word of honor that we met first in this room, for we 
 met outside the Chinese garden, where I was waiting for you." 
 
 " Is that true, Louisa ? " asked her mother. 
 
 " Yes, it is true," cried she, " but " 
 
 " Enough! " interrupted Princess Amelia. " To what pur- 
 pose any further discussion, any further denial? You took 
 a most improper, reprehensible step, Louisa, in coming here 
 at this unseasonable hour to take leave of the Prince of Wales. 
 Unhappily we have become the witnesses of your rendezvous, 
 a singular concatenation of circumstances having led us 
 hither. There is only one course now open to you, viz., to 
 make the amende honorable by giving your hand to the Prince 
 of Wales, and that as speedily as possible." 
 
 " Thanks, most gracious mother, thanks! " shouted the 
 Prince of Wales, seizing the Princess Amelia^s hand and cover- 
 ing it with kisses. 
 
 But Princess Louisa rushed forward and repelled him 
 from her mother, with flashing eyes and manner expressive 
 of highest emotion. 
 
 " You shall not carry this hypocritical game any further! " 
 she said earnestly. " I shall put an end to this jugglery, I 
 will speak the truth! " 
 
 " And kill your brother? " asked he, bending over her. 
 
 " Oh, what is all that to me now? " she cried, in noble in- 
 dignation. " For my brother's sake I could die, but not bear 
 dishonor. And dishonored would I be if I had come here to 
 meet a lover. Dishonored would I be if I had secretly met 
 the Prince of Wales here without my mother's knowledge. 
 I would never have consented to such a thing, even if I had 
 loved the Prince of Wales. But I do not love him — ^no, I have 
 never, never loved him for a single moment! " 
 
184 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " And yet you have invited dishonor/' said Princess Amelia 
 harshly; " for we have surprised you in an interview with the 
 Prince of Wales, and you must either consent to become 
 his wife or explain to us how you chanced to be here without 
 any design of meeting him? '' 
 
 " That you can not explain/' said Charles softly; " give 
 it up, Louisa; attempt not to conceal what can not be con- 
 cealed. It wounds your sense of maidenly delicacy to be re- 
 proached with having committed an impropriety, but love 
 excuses all, and my wife will have no need to blush for her 
 love." 
 
 " You shall not delude me with your specious words! '^ 
 cried she angrily. " And you shall not think that I shrink 
 from speaking the truth! Once more I say for my brother's 
 sake I could die, but not bear dishonor! Mother, I can give 
 you proof that I am not guilty of the misdemeanor with which 
 you reproach me." 
 
 She drew from her pocket a little twisted paper and handed 
 it to her mother. 
 
 " Read, Princess! " she said proudly — " read! " 
 
 ^' For God's sake! " cried the Prince of Wales, who only 
 knew too well his sister Mary's note, and therefore sought 
 to stay her hand — " for God's sake what are you about to do ? " 
 
 " I would vindicate my honor," she said, and, disengaging 
 her hand, she looked upon him with profound contempt. 
 " Read, Princess Amelia! And you, too. Sir Elector, I shall 
 thank to read this note from my sister-in-law. I know not why 
 my mother brought you here, but since you are here, I should 
 like to be justified before you also." 
 
 " No! " cried the Elector, impulsively throwing aside hat 
 and cloak, and rushing up to Louisa — " no, I will read noth- 
 ing, know nothing! You need no other justification than 
 that seen in your sweet nature, your genuine indignation. 
 I need not to read that letter, which doubtless lays bare a 
 whole tissue of artifice and intrigue. At the first deprecatory 
 word uttered by your chaste lips, deep in my inmost soul sank 
 the conviction that you were guiltless of all fault. I shall not 
 derogate from this proof by listening to any other that might 
 be given me. Louisa! if you only knew how lovely you were 
 
. THE CONFESSION. 185 
 
 to behold, in your noble wrath! My whole soul bows down 
 before you in glad homage, joying to recognize in you the 
 embodiment of youth, beauty, and loveliness, and, what is 
 more than all these, of the perfect purity of maidenly inno- 
 cence and truth." 
 
 He dropped on one knee before her, and, as he lifted up 
 his clasped hands to her, his glances were expressive of the 
 most glowing admiration, and his noble, manly countenance 
 was irradiate with love, energy, and enthusiasm. 
 
 " Princess Louisa of Orange," he said, " will you gracious- 
 ly answer me one question in the presence of these wit- 
 nesses? I offer you my hand and heart, promising to love, 
 cherish, and honor you as the dearest boon vouchsafed me by 
 Heaven! Princess Louisa of Orange, will you accept the hand 
 which I offer you, will you be my wife? " 
 
 Ever he looked up at her with beaming eyes and radiant 
 countenance. He saw nothing but her, hardly knew that any 
 others were present, did not see that Princess Amelia had 
 long since ceased to read and was gazing intently upon the 
 handsome young couple. Neither did he see the Prince of 
 Wales, standing there pale and almost breathless, supporting 
 himself upon the marble table at his side. He saw nothing 
 but her, and with palpitating heart awaited an answer from 
 her lips. 
 
 And she? With deep emotion had she heard his words, 
 the light of joy shining in her eyes, her cheeks crimsoning 
 and paling with the rapid beat of her pulses. At his last 
 question she trembled and involuntarily bent over his kneel- 
 ing form, and, laying her right hand on his shoulder, looked 
 with a wondrous smile into his animated, excited countenance. 
 But gradually this smile, which had lighted up her features 
 as with rays of parting sunshine, died away, and a painful 
 melancholy clouded her face. 
 
 "Louisa!" cried the Elector anxiously — "Louisa, I be- 
 seech you to answer me. Will you accept my heart and love? 
 Will you be my wife? " 
 
 She slowly shook her head, and a deep sigh escaped her 
 bosom. " I thank you, Cousin Frederick," she said, drawing 
 a long breath. "You are very good to me, very magnani- 
 
186 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 mous. You would make for me the amende honoraUe which 
 my mother pronounced to he necessary. Oh, you are a good, 
 noble man, and so long as I live I shall cherish the memory 
 of your present kindness. But I can not, nevertheless, accept 
 your magnanimous offer." 
 
 " Louisa! " cried the Elector, " do you reject me, do you 
 refuse my hand and heart? " 
 
 She thoughtfully nodded her head. ^' You offer me your 
 hand," she said, " but not your heart. You have allowed 
 yourself to be carried away by your feelings of compassion; 
 seeing me in such extremity of distress, in your magnanimity 
 you thought to offer the timid dove a shelter, and to shield her 
 from harm on your strong heart. But know, sir, that I can 
 not and will not take advantage of your generosity. While 
 I thank you, then, cousin, for the honor you do me in thus 
 offering me your hand, I can not — see what a fooHsh girl I 
 am! — I can not profit by the rash offer which you make me, 
 tempted by pity." 
 
 "Oh, you suppose this is a rash offer?" exclaimed the 
 Elector, smiling. " You are too proud to accept a proposi- 
 tion which you take to be an impromptu of generosity? Most 
 gracious aunt, I must summon you to the rescue. I must 
 beg you to consider yourself released from your promise of 
 secrecy, and to tell this young lady the object of my visit to 
 The Hague." 
 
 " I will tell you, Louisa," said her mother, " and you know 
 that my lips have never been polluted by an untruth. The 
 Elector had asked your father^s and my consent to propose 
 for our daughter's hand, both by letter and verbally through 
 his chancellor. In case of our favorable reply, he preferred 
 the request that we should not inform you of his suit, but 
 allow him to come and try in person to win your heart. We 
 willingly accorded him his desire, and so our nephew has come 
 to make his proposals in person." 
 
 " To try to win your heart," added the Elector. " Now 
 that you know, Louisa, that I did not make my proposal 
 through the hasty impulse of the moment, but that it has been 
 a matter long considered, and that I was only waiting for a 
 favorable moment to open my heart to you, will you reject 
 
THE CONFESSION. 187 
 
 me? Once more I ask you. Princess Louisa of Orange, will 
 you accept my hand and heart? Will you with me venture 
 upon the difficult path of life? Will you become my wife in 
 the conviction that I shall love you unceasingly, confide in 
 you as my best friend, and cherish you as my most precious 
 possession. Will you accept my hand ? ^^ 
 
 " Yes! " she cried, in a tone of exultant joy. " Yes, I 
 will! " And her head bent so low that her fair curls almost 
 touched his brow. 
 
 The Elector sprang to his feet and encircled the Princess 
 in his arms. A suppressed shriek was heard, a shriek of min- 
 gled rage and grief, and, heeded by no one, detained by no 
 one, the Prince of Wales darted through the hall, tore open 
 the door, and rushed into the open air. 
 
 "You consent then?" asked Frederick William, releasing 
 the Princess from his arms to look upon her and meet her 
 smile. " You will try to love me a little and be content with 
 my love?" 
 
 She looked into his eyes, and a blissful smile illumined 
 her features. "I must make a confession to you and my 
 mother, and I care not if my dear uncle hears me, too. All 
 fear and timidity seem to have left me, and I feel as if the 
 whole world might be admitted to hear what I have to say. 
 Mother, do you remember the promise you made me when 
 I fell ill of distress at the prospect of being married to the 
 Elector of Hesse? You promised me never to force me to 
 marry against my will, do you recollect it, mother? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, well do I recollect it," smiled the Princess, 
 "and often enough have I repented of having made this 
 promise, in the foolish weakness of my mother's heart." 
 
 " But I will now tell you, mamma, why I besought you so 
 to do: not because I wished to find a person whom I could 
 love, but because ever since my childhood my heart, my affec- 
 tions, my dreams had centered upon one whom I knew that I 
 would love as long as I lived, and that no other love could 
 extinguish this sentiment of my soul. And this one, whom 
 I have always loved, whom I shall ever love, my first, my last, 
 my only love, is my dear cousin, Elector Frederick William. 
 Had he not chosen me, I should have remained single; but 
 13 
 
188 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 since I am his choice, I accept him with joy and gratitude, 
 only praying that God may give me strength to make him 
 as happy as he deserves to be. There, I give myself to you. 
 Elector, for I am yours already in heart and soul." 
 
 "I take you and give myself to you, sweetest Louisa. 
 Blessings upon you for the glorious words which your dear 
 lips have just uttered. Let me imprint a betrothal kiss upon 
 those lips, and accept therewith my vows of eternal constancy 
 and love, my own fair bride." 
 
 He clasped her in his arms and gave her a long and ardent 
 
 " And I seem entirely out of the question," said Princess 
 Amelia, approaching the happy couple. " You do not ask 
 whether I give my consent, and the whole world seems to be 
 banished from your minds." 
 
 " Your grace had already given me your consent, on con- 
 dition that I could gain this proud, cold heart! " cried the 
 Elector. 
 
 "And I do not retract it," returned the Princess, smil- 
 ing. " Only I must beg you both to descend a little from the 
 heavenly heights to which you have soared, and to revisit the 
 earth and occupy yourselves with sublunary affairs. We shall 
 have many days, I trust, wherein to rejoice over your happi- 
 ness and union. But now we must turn our thoughts upon 
 other matters. The letter which Louisa just gave me cer- 
 tainly justifies her appearance here, but explains nothing 
 else, and I must therefore beg of you, Louisa, to give me some 
 further explanations." 
 
 " Which, alas! I am unable to give, most gracious mamma. 
 I know nothing but what is in that letter. Mary therein sum- 
 moned me to come here and take a last farewell of her before 
 she left us with her husband forever. I came hither, because 
 I hoped to persuade the foolish young lovers to give up their 
 scheme, and, for our sick father's sake, to remain here quietly 
 and peaceably. On my way I met the Prince of Wales, and 
 learned from him that he had likewise received a note from 
 his sister directing him to come to the Chinese Pavilion. So 
 we proceeded in company, but waited in the parlor in vain, 
 for nobody came." 
 
THE CONFESSION. 189 
 
 ''And was the Prince of Wales equally ignorant of the 
 liight of the young couple? " asked the Elector, smiling. 
 
 "He seemed just as much astonished and to know just 
 as little about it as I myself." 
 
 " That is to say, he has a great talent for acting," said 
 J'rederick William, shrugging his shoulders. " Permit me 
 to throw a little light upon the matter, for I happen to know 
 that the Prince of Wales was the deus ex machina throughout. 
 I have proof of it. This afternoon, being in a restless and 
 melancholy mood, I wandered about the park aimlessly and 
 hopelessly, seeking the most unfrequented paths. Suddenly 
 I became conscious that I had struck into the road leading 
 to Bosch, and was now just opposite the castle. A carriage 
 ^tood near at hand, into which two persons mounted, whom I 
 could not distinguish in the gathering twilight, but a voice 
 <;alled out to the coachman, ' Gallop off, coachman, to Am- 
 sterdam! ' It was the voice of the Prince of Wales which 
 pronounced those words; the carriage rolled off and I turned 
 around to repair to the Chinese Pavilion. For what pur- 
 pose, Louisa, I shall tell you another time. But you see 
 that if the Prince of Wales pretended to be ignorant of the 
 flight of his sister and her husband, it was sheer dissimula- 
 tion." 
 
 " Yes, that is beyond doubt," exclaimed Princess Amelia. 
 ^' It was they. They have gone to Amsterdam, to appear there 
 in public as a, wedded pair, and thus force us to recognize 
 their union. It was a well-devised trick and we will most 
 probably be brought to terms. We must investigate all these 
 things more closely; now it is high time to return home, for 
 my husband may ask for us and be surprised at our nonappear- 
 ance. Come then, young people, but be discreet in your 
 manners, that our servants may not learn of your betrothal 
 until the father has given his consent and blessing. Sir Elec- 
 ior, give me your arm, and you, Louisa, follow us with your 
 good uncle." 
 
 They left the pavilion and stepped out into the garden. 
 The torchbearers still stood on both sides of the portal, and 
 the broad glare from their lights illuminated with daylight 
 splendor the countenances of both pairs. As they silently 
 
190 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 and rapidly moved forward a dark shadow glided forth from 
 the rear of the pavilion, hastened after them and approached 
 the Elector, who was engaged in most earnest low-toned con- 
 versation with Princess Amelia. 
 
 " Sir Elector, may I ask for one word with you? '^ 
 
 The Elector, bowing, requested the Princess's permission 
 to leave her for a moment, as some one wished to speak with 
 him. 
 
 " It is Charles Stuart," whispered the Princess. " Go to 
 him, and please be gentle with him. Kemember that he is 
 but a child, and unhappy. Go, we will proceed slowly." 
 
 The Elector bowed again and stood still until the three 
 had passed him. 
 
 " Here I am. Sir Prince of Wales," he said, after the others 
 had gone too far to be able to hear anything of their dis- 
 course. "You have something to say to me, and I am at 
 your service." 
 
 " Yes, I have something to say to you," murmured the 
 Prince, in a low, melancholy voice, seeming to speak with dif- 
 ficulty. " You have conquered. Sir Elector, you have crushed 
 all my hopes, and left me nothing to look forward to but a 
 joyless future. I have good reason to hate you, and perhaps 
 I do, but it will in no way alleviate my own misfortunes if 
 I should slay you to-morrow in mortal conflict. It would do 
 me no earthly good, for, instead of gaining me Louisa's love, 
 it would insure her hatred if I should imbrue my hand in her 
 lover's blood." 
 
 " And therefore," said the Elector softly — " and therefore 
 you would not lift your weapon against me? Prince Charles 
 of Wales, permit me now to speak a few words. It was I who 
 this morning challenged you. I now beg you to accept my 
 apology." 
 
 "Will you not esteem me a coward if I do?" asked the 
 Prince. " Ah, believe me, sir, at this moment life has but few 
 charms for me. I have not only this day made shipwreck 
 of all my hopes and wishes, but I feel that I have disgraced 
 myself. Ah, I feel that you were right in saying that I am 
 still but a child, for I admit that I acted like a child in play- 
 ing the part of a man and seeking to win a woman's love! Say 
 
THE CONFESSION. 19J 
 
 that you will not regard me as a coward if I give up this- 
 duel?" 
 
 " My Prince/' replied Frederick William gravely, " the 
 history of your house is known of all men, and no one has 
 ever attributed cowardliness to the character of the noble 
 Stuart. Especially but a slight acquaintance with yourself 
 is needed to impress one with the conviction that in your 
 breast beats a manly heart." 
 
 " You are magnanimous to a fallen foe/' said the Prince 
 bitterly. " To the child of to-day you grant a manly heart. 
 I thank you, sir, and hope to prove some day that a brave heart 
 does beat in my breast. Believe me, the future looks dark 
 before me, and far preferable to my feelings seems the sud- 
 den death inflicted by a thrust from your sword to the slow 
 death inflicted by the hundred little wounds and needle- 
 pricks of fate. But I may not die now. Life is for me a duty. 
 To this consciousness have the sad events of to-night roused 
 me. I must live for my family, for the honor of my house! 
 I must wander as a suppliant from court to court, entreat- 
 ing help and succor for my father and my kingdom! To- 
 morrow, early, I shall set out with my mother and sisters for 
 France, and who knows whether I shall ever return or ever 
 again behold my native land? The Stuarts are not a fortunate 
 race, and misfortune seems the only friend who has never 
 proved untrue to them. Farewell, Sir Elector, you have 
 
 conquered me! May she be happy and tell her Ah,. 
 
 I long once more to press her hand and bid her a last good- 
 by!" 
 
 "Do so, your highness," said the Elector. "Be pleased 
 to accompany me and join the ladies, who are now in the 
 avenue. We will soon overtake them, and, if you say so, I will 
 desire the Princess to receive your farewells while we go for-^ 
 ward in advance." 
 
 " You do not even honor me by being jealous, and would 
 yourself procure me an interview with the Princess," sighed 
 the Prince. " My heart, though, is so humbled that it must 
 silently submit to all. Come then. Sir Elector, let us follow 
 the ladies." 
 
 They moved swiftly forward, neither of them uttering: 
 
192 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 :3l word — the Elector was silent through delicacy, the Prince 
 of Wales through gnawing grief. 
 
 When they had caught up with the ladies the Elector 
 quickened his pace, and the Prince of Wales halted. The 
 red glare of the torches lighted his face, and as it was thus 
 •exposed to the view of the Princesses, who turned around, 
 it seemed to them as if he had suddenly grown many years 
 older, as if they looked upon the careworn countenance of a 
 full-grown man. 
 
 " I will go to him, I will take leave of him," whispered 
 Louisa. " All stay here and wait for me." 
 
 She turned quickly around and went to meet the Prince, 
 who slowly approached her. 
 
 " My dear cousin," she said kindly, " you have called me, 
 ^nd here I am. If you should ever hereafter need to call 
 upon me for a proof of friendship or cousinly love, be assured 
 I shall joyfully hasten to respond to your call. I hope you 
 know and will never forget that I love you sincerely, as only 
 -a sister can love a brother." 
 
 " Balsam for wounds," he murmured softly. " Thank 
 you, Louisa, for all your goodness and forbearance, thank 
 jou for all the exquisite delight you have given me, and also 
 for the pangs of this hour. They will steel me and ripen me 
 into manhood, and if I now courageously battle with adversity, 
 the thought of you will be the secret source whence I shall 
 draw inspiration and strength. I have much to atone for, but 
 I will do it. To that end, Louisa, give me your blessing. I 
 have sorely sinned against you; pardon the repentant wretch, 
 who now kneels with a broken, contrite heart and implores 
 jour forgiveness." 
 
 He fell upon his knees before the Princess, and seizing her 
 hand, pressed it to his lips and covered it with his kisses and 
 his tears. 
 
 "Prince Charles," whispered Louisa softly, "I can not 
 •say but that I have felt aggrieved by your conduct toward me, 
 but it becomes poor, erring mortals to be gentle and forbear- 
 ing toward one another. Freely, then, I forgive you all your 
 offenses against me, in consideration of your misfortunes. 
 Do not despond, dear cousin, but hope for better and happier 
 
THE CONFESSION. 19a 
 
 days. Be up, be strong, reflect that the eye of the world and 
 of posterity is upon you. Bear your 'cross bravely, and, believe- 
 me, it will be some day transformed into a crown." 
 
 " Maybe so, cousin," sighed the Prince of Wales, slowly 
 rising from his knees, "but God alone knows whether this- 
 crown will be of gold or thorns. Be it as it may, I must de- 
 vote my life to struggling for its attainment. You shall hear 
 of me, Louisa, and if they tell you that Charles Stuart has- 
 fallen in defense of his father and his throne, then know that 
 the last word whispered by his dying lips was your name." 
 
 " Oh, my dear cousin, you will not die; you are still sa 
 young and have so much to live for. Surely God in his mercy 
 will reseat your father upon his throne, and restore to him 
 the love of his people." 
 
 " May your words prove true, cousin. Let us part now,, 
 since part we must. Farewell, Louisa, bright star of my 
 youth, farewell! Be happy, and when so think kindly of poor 
 Charles Stuart, who, like the wandering Jew, will be travers- 
 ing the globe, seeking rest and finding none. Go, Louisa, go 
 where light and love await you, go and leave me behind to 
 night and darkness! " 
 
 " Farewell, Cousin Charles, and may God grant you peace 
 and joy! " 
 
 As she gently whispered these words, she turned and with- 
 drew; the red torchlight revealed her slender, graceful form, 
 and he felt bitterly that he had lost her forever. Long he gazed 
 after her, until the whole party had vanished from sight, then 
 with a deep sigh he quickly took the path leading to Bosch,, 
 where he knew his mother was expecting him. 
 
 Early next morning a little sailing vessel put to sea from 
 the coast of Scheveningen, steering for France. With all 
 sails hoisted, lightly and proudly she danced over the waters. 
 From the top mast side by side floated the Dutch and English 
 flags, for on board that ship were the Queen of England, her 
 family, and the Prince of Wales, who now with heart-sickness 
 was just setting forth on his pilgrimage in search of his lost 
 country and throne. 
 
194 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 IX. — The Wedding. 
 
 The same morning two traveling equipages drove off from 
 the Stadtholder's court at The Hague, taking the road for 
 Amsterdam; within sat Princess Amelia, her daughter, the 
 Elector Frederick William, and a few lords and ladies of the 
 -court. 
 
 Princess Louisa had begged of her mother as a wedding 
 present to be allowed to accompany that Princess and act as 
 mediator between her and the beloved fugitives, and the Elec- 
 tor had obtained permission from both ladies to act as their 
 escort. 
 
 They repaired, therefore, to Amsterdam, and in the palace 
 there took place the first meeting between Princess Amelia 
 and the young married pair. Prince William, his wife hang- 
 ing upon his arm, stepped up to his mother with humble mien, 
 and with the devotion of a son besought her forgiveness for 
 his disobedience, which naught but his love could excuse. 
 
 " And you, daughter? " asked Princess Amelia, fixing 
 her large imperious eyes upon the beautiful and peculiarly 
 feminine face of Mary, who ventured to meet her mother- 
 in-law's fierce looks with smiling tranquillity, " have you no 
 vrord of repentance to speak? " 
 
 " No, most gracious mother," boldly replied the Princess. 
 "I find no utterance for penitent speeches, because, to tell 
 your grace the truth, I do not repent of what we have done! 
 We had been married for four years, and the Bible says that 
 man and wife should leave father and mother to live together. 
 So we have only done what all married people are commanded 
 by Scripture to do." 
 
 Princess Amelia gave her a look of indignant astonish- 
 ment. It was the first time that any one had dared to oppose 
 her so boldly, and to defy her anger with quiet equanimity. 
 'She was already in the act of making a passionate reply, when 
 the Elector softly laid his hand upon her shoulder, and Louisa 
 approached with pleading looks. 
 
 " Gracious aunt," said Frederick William, " you see that 
 these young people are minded to lead pious, godly lives, regu- 
 
THE WEDDING. I95 
 
 lating themselves by the precepts of the Bible. Now, a leading 
 command of the sacred Scriptures says, ^ Honor thy father 
 and thy mother.' I am sure, therefore, that these dear fugi- 
 tives will make it their most hallowed task to live in obedience 
 to this law." 
 
 " Certainly, oh, certainly we will! " cried Prince William. 
 He drew his gently resisting young wife up to his mother, and, 
 kneeling before her, almost compelled Mary to assume the same 
 attitude before her proud mother-in-law, since he held her 
 hand firmly in his own. 
 
 " Forgiveness, gracious mother! " cried the Prince, in ten- 
 der tones. " Pardon our love, and be assured you will ever 
 find in us most reverential, obedient, and submissive chil- 
 dren." 
 
 " Be kind, my dear mother," whispered Princess Louisa, 
 pressing her mother's hands to her lips. "You have given 
 me a bridal gift in allowing me to accompany you here; but 
 one pearl is still lacking to make my gift perfect. Be pleased 
 now to grant me the pearl of forgiveness for my dear brother 
 and sister." 
 
 " Well, be it so," said Princess Amelia with a smile, which, 
 however, was a little forced. " I will forgive; I will believe 
 in your obedience and filial love. Arise, come to my arms, 
 and be heartily welcome, you bad runaways! " 
 
 She tenderly drew to her heart the young couple, who had 
 promptly arisen, and, as she imprinted a kiss on Princess 
 Mary's broad, open brow, she said smilingly, " Princess Wil- 
 liam of Orange, your apartments in the Stadtholder's court 
 at The Hague are ready for you, and if you choose you can 
 this evening upon our return take possession of them." * 
 
 * Princess Mary of England, however, did not long enjoy the hap- 
 piness of her youthful marriage. A few months after their union Prince 
 Frederick Henry died, and his son William was declared Stadtholder by 
 the States-General of Holland. Princess Mary was therefore the wife of 
 the reigning Prince, and was not at all ill disposed to rule a little her- 
 self and take her revenge upon her mother-in-law, who had hitherto 
 been undisputed mistress in her husband's court. But Princess Amelia 
 proved the stronger of the two, and soon contrived to wrest the scepter 
 from the weak hands of her daughter-in-law, and subject her to herself. 
 
196 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 Happy weeks of blissful companionship now followed for 
 the young betrothed, the Elector Frederick William and the 
 Princess Louisa Henrietta. The very next day after his 
 betrothal the Elector appeared at the session of the States- 
 General, in order to pay his respects to the puissant lords 
 there assembled, and to make to them in person the announce- 
 ment of his engagement to the Princess of Orange, also to pro- 
 pose to them to enter into a firm and abiding league with him- 
 self, and to aid him in repelling the Swedes in their unjust 
 and unwarrantable efforts to wrest from him his Pomeranian 
 possessions. 
 
 The States-General found a peculiar delight in contem- 
 plating the noble young Prince, who came into their midst 
 in such an open, high-spirited manner to lay before them his 
 plans and wishes; and at that very session two important 
 things were determined. In the first place, the States declared 
 their joyful acquiescence in the alliance of the Princess of 
 Orange with the Elector of Brandenburg, and unanimously 
 voted the Princess an annual pension of twenty thousand 
 guilders. 
 
 The marriage with the Princess Louisa Henrietta, which 
 in the beginning had been only a question of policy, had now 
 become to the Elector an affair of the heart, and old Burgs- 
 dorf saw with amazement, and not without a bitter feeling of 
 jealousy, the great alteration which this engagement with the 
 Princess of Orange had wrought in his master's nature. Fred- 
 erick William was cheerful and placid, his handsome face was; 
 radiant with animation, and in his eyes, when he fixed them 
 upon the Princess, shone such a beam of love and joy that 
 all must see how heartily he was devoted to his betrothed. 
 
 " If it goes on so," growled the high chamberlain to him- 
 self, ''the Elector, whom I hoped to see such a renowned 
 warrior, will be nothing but a hero of the slipper, and my 
 
 . Prince William died, after a short, happy marriage, in 1650, even before- 
 the birth of his first child, afterward William III. of Orange. Princess 
 Amelia managed to be appointed guardian to her grandson, casting aside 
 entirely her daughter-in-law's claim to the regency. Princess Mary led a 
 melancholy, dependent life under her mother-in-law's regency, and died 
 in the year 1660. 
 
THE WEDDING. igf 
 
 lady will be for chasing us all out of the palace with that, 
 slipper. But I will not suffer it! " he cried aloud; " no, the 
 fair lady shall not turn my Elector's heart from me, and it 
 shall never be said that old Conrad von Burgsdorf has been 
 unhorsed by a woman. I shall keep a sharp eye upon her,, 
 and if there is not a speedy end to this love-making after mar- 
 riage, old Burgsdorf will lay his countermines and try to blow" 
 up this fine card house of love! He is a sly old fellow, and my 
 lady will find him a match for her. Look out. Princess Louisa 
 of Orange; see that you do not cross my path, or you shair 
 learn what it is to have a contest with an old iron-eater like 
 myself! " 
 
 Princess Louisa suspected nothing of this jealous rage- 
 on the part of the high chamberlain. She had for him as- 
 for every one else a gracious nod, a winning smile. She saw~ 
 the whole world through a rose-colored medium of hope and 
 love, and it seemed to her as if she ought to ask pardon froms 
 every mourner, from every afflicted person, because she felt 
 so very happy, because, when her eyes now filled with tears,, 
 they were tears of delight and grateful sensibility. 
 
 The Elector, too, was happy and contented, and yet there' 
 was one thing which cast a shadow upon his cheerfulness. 
 He had no money, and only a few days after his engagement 
 Burgsdorf had come with melancholy mien to announce- 
 to him, that after all the expenses of their brilliant entree- 
 had been met, the traveling purse was entirely empty and' 
 urgently called for replenishing. 
 
 " Wisely spoken, old man," said Frederick William; " this^ 
 conclusion does honor to your head. Only be pleased to in- 
 form me in what manner this replenishing may be effected." 
 
 " I have already held a consultation on the subject with* 
 von Schwerin and von Seidel," returned Burgsdorf, sighing, 
 " for no time is to be lost." 
 
 " And the result of your deliberations? " 
 
 " Rather unsatisfactory, your highness. The treasury, as 
 you know, is empty, and such heavy taxes have been already 
 imposed upon the people that any increase would be impos- 
 sible. The last resource seems to be that your highness should' 
 once more turn to Prussia and apply to that duchy for money^ 
 
198 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 Herr von Schwerin has already drawn up a petition to the 
 Sovereign States for the grant of fifty thousand dollars. I 
 have the paper here, and, if your grace requires it, can lay it 
 before you for your signature.^' 
 
 " How prompt you all are when the question is about 
 money matters," said Frederick William smilingly, after he 
 had read the paper; " but when people ask for money they 
 should not speak so independently and peremptorily. It 
 would be better to adopt a little more finesse and softness 
 of style.'' 
 
 "But your grace is the master, and the counselors your 
 officials and servants." 
 
 "My officials, yes — my servants, no! If the servant has 
 the power to give or withhold money from his lord, does it 
 not prove him the master of his master? The unhappy state 
 of things in Prussia empowers the States to control their 
 monetary affairs, which is a sad drag upon me, for these lords 
 ;are conceited, stupid folk, who thrust their noses into every- 
 thing and fancy that no one is so wise as themselves. All 
 this must be altered in time. But now it behooves us to take 
 things as they are, and coax where we can not command. 
 Hand me the paper. I will sign it, and add a little nota bene" 
 
 The Elector took the pen, and, after signing his name 
 with dashing flourishes, appended this postscript: "You will 
 -confer a great favor by using your utmost diligence that the 
 money be promptly forthcoming, and be remitted in bills of 
 •exchange upon Amsterdam. Such attention will be most 
 graciously acknowledged." * 
 
 " God grant that the councillors may obey orders," sighed 
 the high chancellor. " We certainly have most pressing need 
 for money, for I am constrained to admit to your highness 
 ihat the mynheers here in Holland are very sly foxes, and 
 things are not going on so swimmingly as I had hoped. I 
 went yesterday to Amsterdam to purchase the lace, velvet, 
 and satin for your grace's wedding clothes, as well as the 
 needed pearls and precious stones. But — could you have 
 believed it possible? — these tradesmen all expressed them- 
 selves as joyfully ready to fill the orders, and swore that they 
 * See von Orlich, History of Prussia, vol. i, p. 534. 
 
THE WEDDING. 199 
 
 would furnish everything of the finest and best. But they 
 made one shameless condition: they would only deliver their 
 goods for cash! " 
 
 " Shameless the condition is! " cried the Elector, laugh- 
 ing, " but not silly, for it is very possible that we might have 
 asked for a long credit. Let us hope, then, that the States 
 of Prussia will this time listen to reason, and soon transmit 
 to us the longed-for bills of exchange." And this hope must 
 have been fulfilled, for in due time the jewelers, silk merchants, 
 and tailors delivered their wares, and on the 7th of December, 
 1646, were solemnized the nuptials of the young Electoral 
 pair. 
 
 A quiet wedding it was, for the sickness of Prince Fred- 
 'Crick Henry, the bride's father, had grown worse, and his 
 death was thought to be imminent — a quiet wedding, for 
 Louisa Henrietta loved not noisy parade, and her noble, 
 thoughtful spirit needed no outward splendor to throw sun- 
 light upon her love and happiness. She had sunlight within, 
 and her smiling lips and sweet silence spoke more eloquently 
 of inward bliss than the loudest merriment could have done. 
 But if it were only a quiet wedding yet it was stately and mag- 
 nificent enough, and the young Elector could not forego the 
 opportunity of displaying to the mynheers his princely dig- 
 nity in all its pomp. His coat was of white satin, but little 
 of the material was to be seen, so thickly was it set with pearls 
 and sparkling gems, so magnificently was it embroidered with 
 gold, all the seams even being trimmed with gold lace. The 
 knee breeches, too, were of white satin, richly embroidered 
 with gold, set off at the knee and side seams with diamonds 
 and lace. He wore white silk stockings, and on the red-heeled 
 shoes glittered two buckles set with sparkling diamonds. 
 
 Not less luxurious was the bride's toilet. Her dress was 
 of silver brocade quite covered with Brussels point lace of 
 the most delicate texture, ingeniously strewed with pearls 
 and diamonds. Behind her nestled a gold-embroidered satin 
 train eight yards long, borne by eight young countesses. On 
 her head she wore a crown, studded with pearls and dia- 
 monds. A veil of the finest gold tissue fell down from the 
 crown and enveloped her whole figure. They were a glorioxis 
 
200 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 couple. Love, youth, beauty, and health beamed from their 
 countenances, and all who looked on them rejoiced, but most 
 of all rejoiced the pair themselves. 
 
 When the Elector stood before the altar, hand in hand 
 with his bride, and when both had joyfully and distinctly 
 pronounced the binding "yes,'' then with beaming eye& 
 looked Frederick William upon his bride, and exclaimed to 
 himself: "Blessed be this hour, which gives to my heart a 
 wife, to my people a noble Sovereign! Oh, may she and I 
 succeed in making my people happy, my country great and 
 prosperous! '' 
 
BOOK III. 
 I. — The Eetubn from Peagite. 
 
 To-day all Berlin was in a state of joyful excitement and 
 uproar, everywhere the houses were gayly decorated, and the 
 streets, which had been scrupulously cleansed and swept, were 
 full of men, and these men streaming from all quarters in the 
 direction of the castle square and the pleasure garden. 
 
 Many, indeed, had merely allowed themselves to be 
 dragged along by the current, and followed the others without 
 knowing what was going on; and now, seeing that all made 
 a halt on the castle square, they gazed curiously up at the 
 castle, as if expecting thence an explanation of this unwonted 
 stir. But the castle frowned down in imperturbable silence, 
 and the masons and carpenters, who had been at work some 
 weeks adding wings to the old building, quietly pursued their 
 labors, not at all affected by the bustle around them, or per- 
 haps animated to increased efforts to put the finishing strokes 
 to a balcony upon which they were at work. 
 
 " And yet something is to pay," said shoemaker Wendt 
 to tailor Fiirberg, who stood beside him. " I stick to it that 
 something is to pay. Only see, the journejrmen masons are 
 dressed up just as fine as if it were Sunday, and the master 
 "builder Memmhart, who is just speaking with them, has ar- 
 rayed himself in such gorgeous attire that you would fancy 
 liim to be some nobleman — a baron or a count perhaps." 
 
 " As if that were anything strange," said the tailor, shrug- 
 ging his shoulders. "Bless you, there are plenty of barons 
 and counts that would be glad enough to change places with 
 .the master builder Memmhart; for, you see, he has work and 
 
 201 
 
202 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 an office that furnishes him an ample support, while the noble-, 
 men, impoverished by the long war, have no means of restor- 
 ing their ruined estates or rebuilding their burned mansions. 
 They therefore drag out a miserable existence, for they know 
 no way of helping themselves, and have no money to pay for 
 tke services of others." 
 
 " Wist you, master, that you are holding seditious dis- 
 course? " asked the shoemaker, shocked. " Did anybody ever 
 hear of such a thing? You speak of barons and counts as if 
 they were our equals, and not exalted lords standing upright, 
 while we must bow to the earth; whose it is to command, 
 while we have nothing to do but to obey." 
 
 "Must," cried the obstinate tailor, "we do so^ because 
 we are base, cowardly fellows, ignorant of our own conse- 
 quence. Nobody talks any more of 'must,' though. The 
 commons are just as good as the nobles, and the tradesman 
 has his rights as well as the prince. That comes from our 
 having a constitution, master; just laws, ratified by the Elec- 
 tor, which everybody must observe. Now, it is written in the 
 constitution in black and white that nothing can be done with- 
 out the consent of the cities and States. And, you see, the 
 States consist of the nobility, but the cities are we — we, shoe- 
 makers, tailors, locksmiths — in short, all the tradesmen and 
 burghers who compose a city, and our magistrates are noth- 
 ing more than our representatives, and, if you choose, our 
 mouths, by means of which we give our opinions and our votes. 
 And if our votes oppose the wishes of the States, they can not 
 be accomplished, and therefore I have reason to say that we 
 burghers and tradesmen are just as good as the noblemen 
 and squires." 
 
 " Say so, if you please, master," retorted the shoemaker, 
 shrugging his shoulders, "but nobody believes you. Mean- 
 while, all this has brought us no nearer learning what is on 
 
 hand here, and why the streets are all swept, and why 
 
 Just look, master, there come all the magistrates along the 
 high road. See, they are dressed in their black robes, and are 
 marching direct to the castle." 
 
 "Bless me, it is true! There they come!" cried the 
 tailor. " Hark ye, master, I will burst with curiosity if I do* 
 
THE RETURN FROM PRAGUE. 203i 
 
 not find out the meaning of all this. Good luck! suppose 
 the Electress has given us a son at last, and " 
 
 " Nonsense/' returned the other, smiling. " There has* 
 been no mention of anything of the kind in the prayers of the 
 Church or anywhere else. Since the little Electoral Prince 
 died, three years ago, when he was hardly six months old,, 
 there seems to have been no hope of the kind, and yet it would 
 
 be dreadful if the Elector should die without heirs, for 
 
 But see, master, there is old Claus, the beggar, let us find out 
 from him the cause of this gathering." 
 
 " Yes, indeed, master, that we will. Let's ask old Claus. 
 He hears the very grass grow, and must of course know what 
 is going on here." 
 
 The two citizens forced their way through the ever- 
 thickening throng, and approached the beggar, who had just 
 stationed himself, not far from the two men, near the portal 
 leading into the castle. 
 
 " Well, old Claus! " cried tailor Furberg, greeting with 
 a friendly nod a pale, haggard man in a long gray gown,, 
 " just tell me why you have come here, and why we are all 
 here." 
 
 "I came as I come every day," replied Claus quietly. 
 *'You know I have my stand here, and no beadle or rascal 
 has a right to force me away, nor consequently you either." 
 
 " What! " exclaimed the tailor, piqued. " Am I a rascal? "* 
 
 "Yes, and a pretty bad one," replied the beggar Claus. 
 "You carry wicked, seditious thoughts in your thick skull 
 and talk about matters that you know as little of as that ox 
 of the new balcony, which the masons there are building." 
 
 "You are right, old Claus! " cried the shoemaker, laugh- 
 ing;* " it is just as you say with Master Fiirberg." 
 
 " And you are all just so," said the beggar earnestly, while 
 his large hollow eyes swept over the multitude thai stood 
 there packed together, some jesting and cheering, others snarl- 
 ing and gruff. " You are all alike — curious but stupid, lazy 
 but captious." 
 
 " Hush, old Claus! " cried the tailor; " hold your slander- 
 ous tongue, or, I tell you, it will go hard with you, and you 
 shall at last be brought to account for your sorcery and deal- 
 14 
 
 / 
 
204 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ings with the devil, for we all know that you have to do with 
 witchcraft." 
 
 "Yes, yes, that is true," screamed a couple of voices in 
 ithe crowd, which closed around them. " Yes, Claus is a queer 
 ;Sort of a beggar. The devil is in it — he is a wizard." 
 
 " He is a star-gazer! " shouted Ewald, the cobbler. " Yes- 
 terday evening, as I was going across the castle square, there 
 stood Claus on a stone near the cathedral. He did not take any 
 notice of me, but kept his eyes fixed on the sky and the stars; 
 his arms were stretched out, and I heard him talk aloud, al- 
 though not a creature was by. I thought I would just find 
 out what he was about, and so crept up closer. Only think, 
 as I live, he was talking to the stars, and carrying on for all the 
 world just like the fellow in the puppet play, and holding 
 a most loverlike conversation with a woman with large black 
 eyes, yet withal invisible; and once he called upon her name 
 as tenderly as if he had been a turtle dove and it was " 
 
 " Hush or I will choke you! " shrieked the beggar, spring- 
 ing upon the narrator, and furiously grasping him round the 
 neck. " Dare not pronounce her name, you mean, contempti- 
 hle eavesdropper! " 
 
 "I will, though!" screamed the other, striving to free 
 iiimself from the beggar's clutch. " He told his sweetheart's 
 name, and it was the same as Father Isaac's wife, Rebec " 
 
 "It is your own fault!" cried the beggar, as with one 
 blow he sent the burgher reeling, causing the blood to gush 
 from nose and mouth. 
 
 One yell of fury from the mob, and the wildest hubbub 
 ensued. Everybody pressed to the front, everybody longed 
 to administer a cuff to the beggar who had dared to insult 
 a burgher. A hundred clinched fists were raised, ready to 
 inflict vengeance, to crush the miscreant. 
 
 But where was he? What had become of him and the 
 stricken burgher? 
 
 There, in the midst of this knot of men, on the steps of 
 the marble staircase leading up to the Electoral mansion, 
 stood the two. The poor beaten man sat half fainting on the 
 lowest step, with closed eyes, resting his head against one of 
 the stone pillars supporting the iron railings. His whole 
 
'pt/r**fArj^!?Tdtf M.A^^p^^oit- f^Corttpafu/ 
 
THE RETURN FROM PRAGUE. 205 
 
 iface was swollen, and the blood still poured from his nose. 
 Before him knelt the beggar, with countenance pale as death 
 and tears in his eyes. " Forgive me, master, please forgive 
 me," he pleaded, with folded hands. " The evil spirit came 
 upon me, once more the devil had power over me.'^ 
 
 " He is a wizard! a sorcerer! " 
 
 " Only see, men! " shouted one, forcing his way through 
 the crowd, " he has given Master Ewald such a cruel blow 
 that he will die of it! The old sorcerer has dealt him such 
 •a blow on the face that a blood vessel must surely have burst, 
 for, only see, the blood pours forth in streams! " 
 
 " Give me a cloth, somebody! " called out the beggar 
 piteously. " Good heavens! don't stand there staring, but 
 help me to stanch the blood! Give me a handkerchief! " 
 
 " It will do no good! " screeched old Kurt, the leech, who 
 had thrust himself into the group, and was intently examin- 
 ing the half -unconscious cobbler. " He is doomed to death, 
 and Glaus only wants the handkerchief to conjure with and 
 .'Sell poor Ewald's soul to the devil. He says himself that he is 
 in league with the devil, and so he must every now and then 
 •deliver up a soul to his master, to gain a longer respite for 
 his own. He picked out Ewald because he is a wizard, and 
 knows that Ewald is a bleeder, and therefore easier to kill 
 than anybody else." 
 
 " A bleeder! " cried tailor Fiirberg, quite astounded. 
 ■^^ Listen, men, the cobbler Ewald is a bleeder! " 
 
 "What is that?" shouted the populace. "What is a 
 bleeder? Tell us what that means? " 
 
 ^ Yes, Kurt, tell us what that means! " said the tailor 
 impatiently. " What is a bleeder? " 
 
 Kurt promptly mounted the steps and stationed himself 
 beside the swooning and still bleeding cobbler, about whom 
 nobody gave himself any further trouble save Glaus. 
 
 " What is a bleeder? " screamed the multitude. " Just 
 be quiet! " screamed others, " that we may hear what the 
 leech says! " 
 
 " Oh, the hard-hearted crew! " muttered Glaus to him- 
 self. " Nobody has charity enough even to hand me a hand- 
 kerchief! " 
 
206 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 He gazed anxiously upon the cobbler, and, seeing the blood 
 still flowed unceasingly, with an extreme effort of strength 
 tore a strip off his own long gray gown and pressed it to the 
 nose of the swooning man. 
 
 " A bleeder! " shouted Kurt, the leech — " a bleeder is a 
 man whose blood flows so freely, even from a pin scratch,, 
 that nothing in the world can save the poor creature from 
 bleeding to death. There are whole families in which this 
 disease is hereditary, just like consumption. Now, Ewald is^ 
 a bleeder, so he must needs die of the blow given him by beggar 
 Claus.'^ 
 
 " Ewald must die! " howled the mob. " Old Glaus is his 
 murderer! Ewald is a bleeder, and Glaus has given him such 
 a cruel blow that he must die! ^' 
 
 And with howls and yells the throng pressed closer,, 
 threatening the beggar with furious gestures, uplifted fists, 
 and opprobrious epithets. 
 
 But he did not heed these demonstrations. His whole 
 attention was absorbed by his poor prostrate foe, who lay 
 there with dim, half-open eyes, deadly pale, the stream of 
 blood ever gushing from his nose. 
 
 " He is right," murmured Glaus to himself; " my unlucky 
 blow must have burst a blood vessel, or he is a veritable 
 
 bleeder and will die, and I will be his murderer, and No, 
 
 no!" he broke forth, interrupting himself, "it shall not bet 
 I will not have a new weight of guilt upon my soul! He must 
 get well! Yes, he must get well! " 
 
 He continued, lifting up his eyes to heaven: " Oh, for- 
 give me, my saint. For thy sake I punished the mocker; thou 
 must save him! " 
 
 He quickly put his hand to his breast, under his gown,, 
 and when he withdrew this it held a little shining object. 
 
 "Just look at Glaus! " screamed Kurt, the leech, who by 
 a commanding movement of the hand sought to arrest the 
 progress of the pushing mob, and with various signs and 
 comical gestures gave the people to understand that they 
 must watch the beggar, and that something unheard of was 
 about to happen. 
 
 The mob actually allowed itself to be controlled by these 
 
THE KETURN FROM PRAGUE. 207 
 
 signs. The men ceased their outcries, and with outstretched 
 necks and staring eyes gazed across at the group on the 
 castle stairs, making mute signs to one another to keep still 
 and watch Glaus. The beggar heeded nought of all this, saw 
 not with what burning curiosity the crowd gazed upon the 
 little golden box, artistically wrought of Venetian filigree 
 work, which Glaus held in his hand, softly whispering a few 
 words to himself as he opened it and drew forth a tiny flask. 
 A few drops from this bottle he poured in the palm of his 
 hand and rubbed with them the patient's temples. Then he 
 tore another strip from his gown, iioistened it with the con- 
 tents of the little flask, and then applied it to the cobbler's 
 nose and mouth. 
 
 " Help him, my saint! " he ejaculated, hastily restoring 
 the bottle to its golden receptacle, and again concealing 
 it upon his breast. "Help him, and save me from this 
 crime! " 
 
 At this moment the cobbler opened his eyes, cast a be- 
 wildered look around, and made a movement as if to rise; but 
 Glaus forced him down again with both hands, and once 
 more pressed the moistened rag firmly upon his nose and 
 mouth. 
 
 The spectators saw with amazement that this rag was not 
 covered with blood like the first, and from the front ranks 
 a murmur ran through the whole multitude, one repeating 
 to the other: " Yes, Glaus is a wizard. He is in league with 
 the devil. The cobbler is a bleeder, and yet Glaus stopped 
 the flow of blood by means of his devilish arts. Yes, yes, he 
 has sold himself to the devil." 
 
 And the majority shrank back horror-stricken, while a 
 few, emboldened by curiosity, pressed forward, railing at 
 the sorcerer. Kurt, the leech, ever sought to intensify this 
 rage. "Did you ever hear, friends," he squeaked in his 
 cracked voice, " of a beggar living upon the charities of others 
 and carrying golden trinkets under his rags? And is it not 
 unheard of that such a sorry, ignorant beggar should spoil 
 my trade, and in my very presence dare first to open veins 
 and then to stop the flow of blood by his wicked art? I tell 
 you beware of the sorcerer. Let us arraign him before the 
 
208 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 priests and magistrates, for he is a wizard and will bring mis- 
 fortune upon our town." 
 
 " Yes, we will bring him to account! " shouted the mob. 
 ^^ We are already miserable and poor enough, and the sorcerer 
 shall not plunge us still deeper into misfortune! " 
 
 Glaus replied to these howls only by a shrug of the 
 shoulders and a glance of contempt, and then, with perfect 
 composure, turned to the cobbler. 
 
 '^ Go home, poor man,'^ he said, " drink a few draughts 
 of cool spring water, sleep a couple of hours, and all will be 
 right. But first I humbly beg your forgiveness for my mis- 
 deed. I certainly did not mean to injure you. I hardly knew 
 what I did, for you had violated my most sacred feelings, and, 
 without meaning it perhaps, scoffed at my grief. Forgive 
 me, Ewald, please forgive me." 
 
 But the cobbler rudely repulsed the hand which Glaus 
 imploringly stretched out to him. "I will remember you, 
 old wizard, for the blow you gave me to-day," he said, as he 
 allowed the leech to help him to rise. " The day may come 
 when I can pay it back with interest, and be assured that I 
 shall manage to be quits with you." 
 
 " Yes, for we must not stay in the devil's debt! " screeched 
 old Kurt, as the cobbler with difficulty made his way through 
 the throng, endeavoring to creep to his home. " Hark, dear 
 people, we must not stay in the devil's debt, and you all owe 
 him something! " 
 
 ^' What do we owe the devil. Master Kurt! " was shouted 
 from all sides. 
 
 " To cast him out of this place! " shrieked the leech, point- 
 ing to the beggar, who had resumed his accustomed seat, on 
 the stone step, with head sunk upon his breast. 
 
 "Yes," shouted and laughed the multitude — "yes, we 
 will cast the devil out. Away with you, old Glaus, away! 
 We will not suffer sorcerers and wizards among us! You 
 shall not practice your infernal arts among us! Away with 
 you, wizard! We will cast out the devil! " 
 
 With piercing yells and outcries the mass pressed forward 
 toward the beggar, who had retreated to the top step of the 
 flight leading to the castle portal. There he stood, erect, pale 
 
THE RETURN FROM PRAGUE. 209 
 
 as death, supporting his head against the gray wall, and look- 
 ing with the composure of a bystander upon the surging mass 
 which encircled him in wild confusion, upon the many 
 clinched fists lifted threateningly against him. 
 
 " Am I to be released at last? " he asked softly. " Is this 
 the hour of my deliverance? Will you call me to your side, 
 Kebecca? " 
 
 A blow struck his shoulder, causing him to fall forward 
 down the steps, into the heart of the throng that now pre- 
 sented the appearance of an impenetrable wall. 
 
 Now they had him, that raging mob, and with loud, mock- 
 ing laughter and wild shrieks they fell upon him and cried: 
 " Cast the devil out of him! Beat him until the devil leaves 
 him! Tear from him the charm he carries on his breast I 
 The devil is hid in that golden box! Out with it! Give it 
 here! " 
 
 "No!^' cried Glaus, with failing voice, "you shall not 
 have my treasure! Kill me, but while I live you shall " 
 
 " Make room! Glear the way there! " was suddenly cried 
 by loud, commanding voices, and above the heads of the 
 raging populace were seen the halberds of the Elector's guards- 
 men. 
 
 " Clear the way there! " they repeated, forcing their rear- 
 ing horses among the confused mob, which moved aside,, 
 curious to see what new object of interest was now to appear. 
 Only one person had not fled, but was left behind in the 
 midst of the open space which had been cleared be- 
 fore the castle portal — a poor bruised, bleeding creature, with 
 tattered garments and dishevelled hair. There he lay cower- 
 ing and moaning on the stone pavement, both hands still 
 tightly clasped over his breast, and still murmuring: " They 
 have not got my treasure yet. My life I would freely give 
 them, but not that — no, never, never! " 
 
 " Away there! " some one called out imperiously, close 
 beside him — "away with you, old Glaus! Be off with you? 
 Do you not see that the Elector is coming! Quick, move off 
 in short order! '^ 
 
 The beggar tried to rise and make room for the exalted 
 lord who was now approaching with his retinue. But his feet 
 
210 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 refused to render their service, and with a low wail he sank 
 back again. 
 
 Ever louder, ever more threatening became the cry: " Clear 
 the way! Away with the beggar Claus! " 
 
 " I can not," he lamented aloud. *^ Oh, my God, I can not! 
 Be compassionate! Drag me away! " 
 
 The people, who had again flocked close together, forming 
 a passage from the cathedral to the castle portal, only an- 
 swered by loud scoffs and jeers, gazing with malicious delight 
 upon the beggar's impotent efforts to move. Nobody pitied 
 him — nobody would touch the sorcerer, the outcast. 
 
 Suddenly a strong hand was laid upon his shoulder, and 
 Conrad von Burgsdorf cried out: " Away with you! Do you 
 not see that his highness is coming? " 
 
 ^^What is the matter here?" asked a soft, friendly voice. 
 ^^What is the meaning of this uproarious greeting? What 
 has happened?" 
 
 It was the Elector himself who asked these questions 
 — ^the Elector, who had just returned home from Prague, 
 where he had been to visit the Emperor. He had left his 
 carriage at the cathedral, where the priests and magistrates 
 had met him, and was pursuing his way to the castle on 
 foot. 
 
 " Most gracious sir," replied the high chamberlain, shrug- 
 ^ng his shoulders, "it seems there has been some dispute 
 among the gaping crowd ending in a brawl, from which it 
 seems that the beggar Claus has emerged so badly that he can 
 not stir from the spot! " 
 
 " I do believe it is Claus," exclaimed the Elector, stoop- 
 ing over the beggar, who had at last succeeded in raising him- 
 self on his knees, and looked up at the Elector with folded 
 hands and deprecating glances. "What has befallen you, 
 Claus? How comes your face to be so bruised and cut? " 
 
 " They beat me, sir," said Claus softly. " I believe one of 
 my legs is broken. I do not say this to complain of anybody, 
 but only to excuse myself for not getting up." 
 
 "Who did this?" asked the Elector. "Where are the 
 men who solemnize their Sovereign's arrival by beating a poor 
 leggar black and blue?" 
 
THE RETURN FROM PRAGUE. 211 
 
 As he spoke, Frederick William's eagle eye scanned the 
 Tnnltitude on both sides of his path. Kurt, the leech, Fiirberg, 
 the tailor, and Wendt, the shoemaker, had, thanks to their 
 robust frames and sinewy arms, attained to the happiness of 
 standing in the foremost ranks, and felt themselves called 
 upon to reply to the Elector's questions. 
 
 " Your Electoral Grace," whined the leech, " beggar Glaus 
 himself began the affray. "Without ground or reason he gave 
 cobbler Ewald such a dreadful blow that he fell down faint- 
 ing, and well-nigh bled to death." 
 
 "Is that true, Clans?" asked the Elector, looking down, 
 upon the beggar with amazement. 
 
 " Yes, your highness, it is true." 
 
 "He can not deny it, your Electoral Grace," cried Fur- 
 berg, the tailor. "But that is not all. He afterward had 
 the effrontery to practice some of his black magic before our 
 very eyes." 
 
 " He carries a golden box about him," chimed in shoe- 
 maker Wendt, "by means of which he summons the devil 
 to his aid. Ewald was as good as dead, when Glaus put the 
 golden charm under his nose, and in a little while the cobbler 
 awoke and was strong and lively enough to get up and walk 
 home." 
 
 " And then rage and horror seized us, gracious Elector! '^ 
 cried the leech. " We were determined to cast the devil out 
 of the beggar, to avert misfortune from our dear cities of 
 Berlin and Gologne, so we administered a few wholesome 
 cuffs and knocks to make the devil uncomfortable and force 
 him to leave his tenement. That is the whole story, your 
 Electoral Grace, and the beggar must admit its truth. For 
 the rest, we would not have beaten him if he had voluntarily 
 given us the box by means of which he conjures up the devil." 
 
 "Is that so, Glaus?" asked the Elector. "Is that the 
 true history of the affair? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness, almost true," replied Glaus. " Only, 
 you know that I am no sorcerer, but only a poor, unhappy 
 wretch, who has once again sinned grievously. In my crimi- 
 nal rage I struck Ewald, but it was only because he had over- 
 heard me talking to myself, and was about to profane a name 
 
212 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 1 never utter myself save to my God and my Elector, by speak^ 
 ing it in mockery before a scoffing multitude." 
 
 "But what about that golden box? How came you to 
 have such a costly trinket? " 
 
 " Stoop lower, sir, and I will tell you." 
 
 The Elector bent over the beggar, who by a mighty effort 
 succeeded in bringing his lips close to the Elector's ear. 
 
 They formed a singular group, the Elector, in his magnifi- 
 cent traveling suit of green velvet, set off by large gold but- 
 tons, his brown locks surmounted by a round cocked hat,, 
 trimmed with gold lace and long white ostrich plumes, and 
 the beggar on his knees before him, in his torn and tattered 
 gray gown, lifting up to his Sovereign his pale, distorted 
 countenance and eyes so touchingly sad. On both sides of this 
 group stood the densely packed crowd, gazing on with breath- 
 less attention, all eyes, all ear, all curiosity. Behind the 
 Elector were his glittering train of attendants, the magistrates,, 
 and clergy, all stretching their necks, eager to see what was 
 going on and what unforeseen occurrence thus retarded the- 
 Elector's progress. 
 
 " Sir," said the beggar, putting his lips so close to the 
 Elector's ear and speaking so low that, to the extreme vexa- 
 tion of the bystanders, no one but the Elector could hear a 
 word — " sir, that little golden box was a present from the 
 noblest, fairest, and best of women to her happy husband 
 on their wedding day. In that golden box was a vial of the 
 elixir of life, which the father of that wife, a learned adept 
 of Venice, had discovered and prepared, and of which he main- 
 tained that it could save a man from death, and restore to him 
 the vigor of life. That beloved wife believed in the virtue 
 of this elixir, and, placing a vial of the precious liquid in a 
 golden heirloom, the gift of her mother, presented it to the 
 man whom she had blessed with her love. She made him 
 solemnly swear, laying his hand on her heart, never to part 
 with this jewel, but to wear it on a ribbon around his neck 
 as long as he lived. That happy man kept his word all his 
 lifetime. Now, since he is dead, the treasure has fallen to 
 the poor, wretched beggar, who lies here prostrate in the 
 dust, and has nothing else to call his own but grief and bitter 
 
THE RETURN FROM PRAGUE. 215 
 
 memories. The beggar, though, will faithfully keep the oath 
 given in days of prosperity and joy, and would rather die of 
 hunger than give away that precious memento. But to-day,, 
 when in criminal rage he had struck a man, who, indeed, had 
 gorely tempted him, and saw him stretched out before him 
 apparently dying, he felt that he must atone for his misdeed,, 
 and, hard as the sacrifice was, open his precious, sacred pos- 
 session before the curious mob. This he did to save the life 
 of the man whom he had injured. The elixir of the Vene- 
 tian adept restored Ewald to life, and then the people said 
 that it was done by witchcraft, and wanted to tear my jewel 
 from me. I would not give it up, I was determined to defend 
 it with my life, and had not you come, sir, and your guards- 
 men driven back the furious mob, they would have con- 
 ferred upon me the greatest blessing possible, for they would 
 have killed me. I have finished my confession, sir; you know 
 all now.'' 
 
 " I know that these people have acted very cruelly and 
 very foolishly! " cried the Elector, lifting up his head and 
 letting his burning eyes sweep over the multitude with an 
 expression of indignation and grief. " Drive the devil out of 
 your own hearts! " he cried aloud, " and seek him nowhere 
 but in yourselves, for nowhere else is he to be found than 
 in the human heart! You beat and tortured this poor creature 
 because you wanted to cast a devil out of him, and only proved 
 thereby that the devil was in yourselves, for you came very 
 near murdering this poor man. But I charge you to molest 
 Claus no further, and if any one dares to insult him, or at- 
 tempt to rob him of his little box, he shall be dealt with ac- 
 cording to the utmost severity of the laws. In my country 
 there shall be right and justice for every one, beggar as well 
 as prince. Mark that, all of you. And now, go home, good 
 people, and be assured that I shall be a gracious Sovereign 
 to you, if you always perform your duties as good subjects 
 and faithful citizens! " 
 
 He nodded kindly to the people and moved on, after he 
 had ordered Burgsdorf to see that a shelter was found for 
 the beggar, and the Electoral surgeon called in his own name 
 to attend upon the sick man and dress his wounded limb. 
 
gl4 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 II. — The Confession. 
 
 " And now, my dear lord and husband, tell me how your 
 journey has prospered ? " asked the Electress, every feature 
 of her face sparkling with joy as she contemplated her hus- 
 band. 
 
 " Why do you look at me so long and so searchingly, my 
 dear! " asked Frederick William, smiling. 
 
 " I will tell you, Frederick! " she cried, throwing her arm 
 around his neck, where he sat near her on the sofa, having 
 just partaken at her side of refreshments for the first time 
 since his arrival — "I will tell you, Frederick, why I was 
 looking at you thus earnestly. I am so happy to see you 
 again. I can not describe to you the weariness of those 
 eight long days of separation. I felt as if the sun never 
 shone and as if the whole heavens were obscured by clouds. 
 And now that I am with you, I find all the missing sun- 
 beams in your presence; all is once more light and cheer- 
 ful around me. I was looking at you to find out whether 
 this sunshine emanated from your eyes or brow or lips, 
 and " 
 
 " And found," interrupted the Elector, " that it was only 
 a reflection from your own sweet nature, which is benignant 
 as the sun and lustrous as the silvery moon. Yes, dear Louisa, 
 you are an enchantress, for before you all other women lose 
 their charms, and I must admit to you that the fascinating 
 beauties of the imperial court at Prague made no impression 
 upon me. I felt perpetually as if I lacked something, not only 
 at my side, but in myself — as if I were but half a man, and 
 when I reflected upon my feelings I knew perfectly that it 
 was you whom I missed, and that I longed inexpressibly to 
 have you with me." 
 
 "Is that true? — is it really true?" cried the Electress 
 exultingly, pressing his hand to her lips. "You still love 
 me, then, Frederick? — still long for me? Oh, thank you, 
 my dear husband, thank you for these words! And, do you 
 k:now, it gives me courage to ask a question which lies heavy 
 at my heart, and which repeatedly occurred to my thoughts 
 
THE CONFESSION. 215 
 
 during those eight dreary days, when I was separated from, 
 you for the first time since our marriage." 
 
 " So, so, Louisa," said the Elector, smiling, " you have 
 been revolving painful thoughts, and torturing yourself, 
 groundlessly, I am confident. Tell me, dearest, what is your 
 question?" 
 
 " Promise me, Frederick, to answer it plainly and sin- 
 <;erely." 
 
 " Is it anything so serious, Louisa? Well, I promise to give 
 you a plain, candid answer, to the best of my ability." 
 
 She threw both her arms around his neck, and looked 
 tenderly into his eyes. " Frederick," she said softly, ^^ do not 
 scold me, and do not laugh at what I am about to ask you. 
 Indeed, I can not help it. This question has been perpetually 
 recurring to me all these five years of our marriage, and the 
 more affectionate you are, and the more I feel that you love 
 me, the more audibly it sounds in my heart. Out with it, then, 
 that my poor heart may find rest from it and learn its solution. 
 Tell me quickly and briefly, did you marry me for love or 
 reasons of state? Did you for my sake reject the alliance 
 with Queen Christina, or did you take me because you could 
 not get her?" 
 
 The Elector's countenance, hitherto so bright and ani- 
 mated, was now overshadowed by clouds, and with almost 
 mournful looks he contemplated his wife's excited and ex- 
 pectant face. " Thus it is with you women," he said softly, 
 shaking his head; " not satisfied with having love, you would 
 analyze and dissect it. You are not content with the roses 
 which God has caused to bloom in your pathway, to glad- 
 den you with their beauty and their fragrance. No, with 
 your busy little fingers you must ruthlessly tear open 
 the calyx of the rose, and pluck its leaves to pieces to find 
 out whether a single petal may not be shriveled, or of less 
 vivid coloring; true, you discover them all to be faultless, 
 I)ut in the process you have destroyed the whole rose, and 
 scattered your happiness to the winds. Would, Louisa, 
 "that you had not put this question; it grieves me, for your 
 sake." 
 
 " But you have not answered me," said the Electress, with 
 
216 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 animation. "And yet you gave me your word that you 
 would." 
 
 " If you insist upon it, I will," replied the Elector, shrug- 
 ging his shoulders, " and with your permission I shall answer 
 the last part of your question first. I did not take you because 
 I could not get Queen Christina, for, on the contrary, I could 
 have got her, and the Swedish lords would have been well 
 pleased to see me married to their Queen — that is to say, on 
 the conditions which they had proposed. These conditions, 
 however, were of such a nature that it did not comport with 
 my dignity to accept them, and therefore I broke off negotia- 
 tions, which had been with me a mere matter of policy. Then 
 my thoughts reverted to The Hague, and, as I was reflect- 
 ing that a closer alliance with the States-General and the 
 Prince of Orange would be a very profitable and pleasant thing 
 for the Electpr of Bjandenburg, your cousin Frederick Wil- 
 liam bethought him of his charming little relative at The 
 Hague, whose childish sports he had many a time shared as 
 Electoral Prince, and he wished from the bottom of his heart 
 that he might find in the Princess of Orange, whom reasons 
 of state determined him to choose, the same lovely, inno- 
 cent child that he had known and loved. So the Elector went 
 to Holland from motives of policy, but your cousin was over- 
 joyed to find that the maiden had more than fulfilled the prom- 
 ise of her childhood, and ripened into a graceful accomplished 
 woman. Your cousin genuinely fell in love with this Princess,, 
 whom the Elector wooed, and would have been really desperate 
 if you had preferred the Prince of Wales to himself. Happily 
 you did not, for which God bless you, and for which accept my 
 daily, hourly thanks, for if I do not act the part of the loving 
 swain, yet my love for you has constantly deepened, and to 
 me would seem to need no protestations to convince you of its 
 truth. Eest assured of this, Louisa, that I love you with my 
 whole heart and soul, even though in our daily intercourse 
 I may not wear the semblance of an ardent lover, and though 
 I did not go to The Hague led by enthusiasm without admix- 
 ture of political motives. The Princess of Orange could obtain 
 from her mother the privilege of only wedding the man of her 
 choice; the Elector of Brandenburg could have allowed him- 
 
THE CONFESSION. 217 
 
 self no such privilege, but must have made his heart succumb 
 to the duties of his princely calling; and therefore it was for 
 him a glorious gift of Providence that she whom he had been 
 led to select through motives of policy speedily became the 
 delight of his heart. Now, dearest, I have answered your ques- 
 tion fully and truthfully. May I hope that you are satisfied, 
 and do not not repent of having bestowed upon me your proud, 
 unsensitive heart? " 
 
 " That is the very thing,^' whispered the Electress, with 
 tears in her eyes. " I was not proud and unsensitive where you 
 were concerned. On the contrary, I was much too hasty that 
 evening at the pavilion in confessing my love, and betraying 
 to you my greatest secret, that I had always loved you, and 
 could never have married any one else, because my whole 
 heart was yours. I have, dear Frederick, many a time bitterly 
 repented of that confession, and reproached myself with hav- 
 ing been bold and unwomanly in so doing. I have often 
 wondered whether you did not despise me for such forward- 
 ness, and painfully pondered upon the subject, until these 
 reveries gave rise to the question which you have just an- 
 swered so beautifully yet so painfully. I now know that it 
 was I alone who loved, and that you would have married me 
 even if I had not pleased you.^' 
 
 " No, Louisa! " cried the Elector, almost angrily, " you 
 did not learn that from anything in my words, and are doing 
 both me and yourself a great injustice! If you had not pleased 
 me, I could not have so wholly subdued the man within as to 
 become the slave of policy. But leave now, I pray you, this 
 painful question. It grieves me, and it does not strike me 
 as wise, to tear aside the veil which is thrown over the sanc- 
 tuary of the affections to preserve it from rough contact with 
 the outer world. Love and happiness have their mysteries, 
 which should not be rashly penetrated. They resemble a 
 butterfly's wings, which are of too delicate a texture to be 
 rudely touched. I beseech you, dearest, spare the butterfly 
 wings of our love, and do not mar them by your questions, or 
 even by your thoughts. Only confide in my devoted love, 
 and know that I could not live without you, and feel a pain- 
 ful void whenever you are not at my side." 
 
218 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 And tenderly kissing her, he pressed her to his heart. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Frederick/' whispered Louisa, bravely 
 forcing back the tears which welled up from her heart. " I 
 did wrong in thus tormenting, not myself alone, but you also,, 
 and promise you never to forget this hour or the precious- 
 words which you have spoken. Never again shall I vex you 
 with such questions. I shall place a guard over my thoughts,, 
 too, and with fervent gratitude daily thank God that you 
 love me now, and that I am not merely the Elector's consort, 
 but the wife of his affections. And now, away with melan- 
 choly and vexatious thoughts! You shall always see me cheer- 
 ful and happy, as the chosen of your heart should be. Then 
 tell me, my dear lord, how it fared with you in Prague. Was 
 the Emperor's Majesty right gracious and friendly? " 
 
 "Yes, right gracious and friendly," replied the Elector,, 
 smiling. " The Emperor came to meet me a half mile with- 
 out the city, attended by a splendid retinue. He himself rode 
 in a coach of state drawn by eight horses, the little Prince 
 of Hungary seated at his side. Sixty coaches, drawn by four 
 horses, followed the imperial equipage, and the Emperor's- 
 life-guardsmen wore the handsomest uniforms." 
 
 " I think you could well compare with them in that re- 
 spect," said the Electress eagerly. "I assure you it was a 
 most imposing spectacle to look upon, when eight days ago 
 you left Berlin with your glittering train, and with pride I 
 beheld the magnificent procession. The coaches I did not 
 count, but " 
 
 " Well, well, do not grow warm on the subject," interposed 
 the Elector. "We certainly made quite a fine display, al- 
 though we were only attended by forty carriages, drawn by 
 four horses, and a retinue of two hundred persons. So, at 
 least, it semed to strike Count Seckendorf, whom the Emperor 
 sent forward to the Bohemian frontier, that he might welcome 
 me and arrange the order of ceremonies. Seckendorf ex- 
 claimed with astonishment at the sight of our escort, and, 
 shaking his head, presumed that his Majesty was not pre- 
 pared for such magnificence on the part of the Elector of 
 Brandenburg. I, in my turn, intimated to the officious count 
 that a sovereign German Prince felt at liberty to appear be- 
 
THE CONFESSION. 219 
 
 lore the Emperor in such state as he might himself deem fit, 
 and the greater his expenditure, the greater the reverence 
 manifested for the Emperor's Majesty. So Seckendorf was 
 obliged to forbear any further criticism upon my retinue, and, 
 after we had settled the order of ceremonies, we proceeded 
 on our journey to Prague." 
 
 "And how was the ceremonial arranged?" asked the 
 Electress eagerly. " Was it satisfactory to my proud and noble 
 lord, and had you no mortifications to undergo? " 
 
 "Why, at first," replied the Elector, shrugging his 
 shoulders, " there was quite a pompous display of Spanish 
 grandeeship, and a great array of claims and pretensions. I 
 soon, however, gave the master of ceremonies to understand 
 that times had altered a little, since the Peace of Westphalia 
 had guaranteed the rights of sovereignty to the several princes 
 of Germany, and that consequently the Elector of Branden- 
 burg no longer appeared before the Emperor as a submissive 
 vassal and humble servant, but rather as a Sovereign and in- 
 dependent ruler. At the same time he hoped never to be 
 found wanting in the reverence and devotion due to the 
 anointed head of the Holy German Empire." 
 
 " That was bravely and wisely answered," cried the Elec- 
 tress, with beaming eyes. " Oh, how I delight in your proud 
 and glorious nature! " 
 
 " Softly, softly, Louisa," said Frederick William, sighing. 
 " One thing I could not obtain exemption from, which wor- 
 ried me not a little, and was not particularly enjoyable to one 
 of the proud, glorious nature which you are pleased to at- 
 tribute to me. As soon as the Emperor's coach came in sight 
 I was obliged to leave my carriage, and go to meet him, 
 bareheaded and on foot, while the Emperor did not alight 
 from his coach until I was within ten steps of him, and met 
 me with covered head. Then, as we stood close together, 
 I slightly bent my knee, and reverentially took the hand 
 which the Emperor extended to me." 
 
 "And you had to kiss that hand?" asked Louisa, blush- 
 ing. 
 
 " I must at least seem to do so, and I accordingly touched 
 it with the tip of my nose," replied the Elector. " After all,, 
 15 
 
220 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 it was not so bad as fourteen years ago, when I was obliged 
 to kneel before the King of Poland, and swear allegiance to 
 him. I could but feel that I had made some progress in the 
 upward path since I first assumed the reins of government. 
 With this thought I consoled myself, and cheerfully submitted 
 to all further irksome restraints of etiquette, until gradually 
 the exalted lords descended a little from their dignity, and 
 I was even invited to sit at table with the Emperor, although 
 the master of ceremonies informed me that it was an unwonted 
 and peculiar condescension on the part of his Imperial Maj- 
 esty.'' 
 
 " You conquered the haughty Sovereign by your ami- 
 ability! " cried the Electress, looking at her husband with 
 radiant eyes. " He could not resist your noble, princely bear- 
 ing, and was forced to bow before your greatness.*' 
 
 " Oh, no," said the Elector, smiling, " he had no such fan- 
 tastic notions. It only happened because he thought that I 
 could subserve his interests at the approaching Diet, by giv- 
 ing my vote and influence to electing his son Roman King, 
 and consequently his successor in the imperial dignity. I 
 easily penetrated this motive for condescension, and deter- 
 mined to draw my advantage from it as well. I had accepted 
 the Emperor's invitation to Prague because I was weary of 
 perpetual correspondence, and knew that I could accomplish 
 more in a half hour's conversation than by weeks of writing, 
 and also because I hoped by means of the Emperor's decisive 
 sentence to rid myself and my country of the burdensome 
 guests who still force themselves upon us, and have well- 
 nigh ruined the Mark." 
 
 " The Swedes, you mean? " asked the Electress. 
 
 "Yes, the Swedes," replied the Elector, with warmth. 
 ^^ They imposed hard conditions upon me that time at Miin- 
 ister, and made shameless demands. I would never have con- 
 sented to them if I had not wished to do my part toward giv- 
 ing peace to Germany after her thirty years of war. There- 
 fore I yielded. The Peace of Westphalia * brought the 
 longed-for peace, and I may boast of having had a large share 
 in bringing it about and of having suffered for the common 
 
   1648. 
 
THE CONFESSION. 221 
 
 good. I agreed to resign to Sweden all of Upper Pomerania, 
 a part of Lower Pomerania, and the island of Riigen, al- 
 though it grieved me sorely to give away the fairest portion, 
 of my rightful and undoubted heritage." 
 
 " Thank God, though, that you were reimbursed in part," 
 consoled the Electress, "and in their stead obtained the 
 bishoprics of Halberstadt and Minden, the county of Hohen- 
 stein, and the archbishopric of Magdeburg." 
 
 " Only see how learned my charming Electress is! " cried 
 Fredei:ick William, with tender looks. " You name off our 
 possessions with such glibness that it is plain to see what a 
 fine housewife you are. Yet your calculations are not quite 
 correct, for they took from me more than they gave, and I 
 shall never cease to mourn over having been forced to relin- 
 quish Stettin and the mouths of the Oder, and never be satis- 
 fied until I have regained Pomerania and rescued from the 
 Swedes what is my own. Had I not inwardly promised this 
 to myself, I should never have summoned sufficient resolution 
 to sign the protocol to the peace at Osnabriick, and would 
 feel as if I had committed a crime. But trust me, Louisa; 
 I shall never rest until I can again number Pomerania in 
 the Hst of my possessions, for it shall not be told of me in his- 
 tory that I forsook what was my own, and did not demand 
 again with the sword what I had been forced to resign by the 
 pen." 
 
 " It is written in your eyes, Frederick William, that you 
 will make the demand! " cried the Electress, looking with 
 fond enthusiasm into her husband's excited face, " and history 
 will have something glorious and great to narrate of the Elec- 
 tor Frederick William of Brandenburg. I feel it as plainly 
 in the depths of my heart as if it were a revelation to me from 
 on high." 
 
 " And may you be a true prophetess of my fortune," said 
 Frederick William, laying his hand as if in blessing upon 
 his wife's head. " To you, beloved wife of my heart, I pour 
 out my whole soul, and when, as now, I sit beside you and 
 share with you my most secret thoughts and plans, my heart 
 leaps up in joy and I feel that I am a happy man; yet some- 
 thing is wanting to the Elector: he lacks the highest, fairest 
 
THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 gift that earth can offer man — he lacks fame. The immal"- 
 tality of the soul comes to all through the grace of God, but 
 an imperishable name upon earth, celebrity after death, which 
 is better than life itself, is the attainment of but few through 
 their own great deeds. I aspire to belong to those few, Louisa. 
 I would transform the little Elector of Brandenburg into a 
 great Elector, and out of these petty, dismembered provinces 
 consolidate a strong and mighty kingdom. Fame, fame! — 
 -that is the ideal for whose attainment I strive with spirit and 
 determination, cheerfulness and energy, but at the same time 
 with humility and submission to the will of God." 
 
 "And you will attain it, my Frederick! Already have 
 you victoriously taken the first steps upon the road to fame. 
 To your zeal, firmness, and self-sacrificing spirit is Germany 
 in great measure indebted for the Peace of Westphalia. You 
 it was who procured religious liberty for the Lutherans and 
 Calvinists, and, in opposition to Austria, Bavaria, and all the 
 Catholic princes, secured equality of rights to all religious 
 creeds. Truly, this was no trivial service, and for this, doubt- 
 less, every Protestant feels grateful to you, remembering you 
 in each prayer he now uplifts to God, oppressed by no fear, 
 visited by no persecution." 
 
 "Ah, my Louisa, you are mistaken there," sighed the 
 Elector. " There are many, alas! even among the evangelical 
 party, who, in no Christian or forgiving spirit, are enraged 
 that I have striven for religious freedom for all. That the 
 Catholic priests should denounce me as a heretic, I am not 
 surprised, but that the Lutheran preachers, too, in fanatical 
 zeal should lift up their voices against me, because I placed 
 the Reformists on the same footing with the Lutherans, does 
 indeed grieve me to the quick — not merely because I, like 
 you, belong to the Reform Church, but because thereby 
 discord and dissension are sowed by those whose especial duty 
 it is to inculcate peace and charity among men. I am deter- 
 mined to go seriously to work in this matter, and prove to 
 these Lutheran zealots that toleration is no empty word within 
 the limits of my domains but that every man shall worship 
 God according to the dictates of his own conscience. Woe 
 to those fanatics who would endeavor to prove that the Cal- 
 
THE CONFESSION. 223 
 
 yinists are not numbered among those attached to the Augs- 
 burg Confession of Faith, and therefore not worthy to enjoy 
 equal privileges with the Lutherans! I will not suffer such 
 arrogance, but punish them according to the letter of the 
 law. 
 
 "Forgive me, Louisa, for speaking with such warmth in 
 your presence," continued the Elector, after a short pause; 
 " it results from a fanatical priest's having dared, in the course 
 of my journey, to preach in my very presence against tolera- 
 tion of Calvinists. I had him summoned before me, and, after 
 lecturing him severely, threatened him with degradation if 
 he continued to speak of Lutherans and Calvinists as op- 
 ponents in creed instead of brothers in the faith. But enough 
 of such things, Louisa. I am once more at home, I am once 
 more with you — what more could I ask? My journey, too, 
 has been crowned with success, for the Emperor declared my 
 representations and complaints against Sweden justifiable, 
 and issued a proclamation refusing to acknowledge Queen 
 Christina mistress of Upper Pomerania, or to allow her a 
 seat or vote in the Diet until my portion of Pomerania had 
 been cleared of Swedish troops. That is all I ask as a prehmi- 
 nary, and Sweden will have to heed so stringent a warning; 
 my unhappy land will be freed from its worst plague. And 
 now, dearest, come and let us see what Memmhart has been 
 doing all this while in the castle, and how far the building 
 has progressed. I should also like to walk with you through 
 the garden and your hothouses.'^ 
 
 " That is to say," exclaimed the Electress joyfully — " that 
 is to say, you will give me an hour of happiness, and make up 
 to me for our long separation. Yes, come, dear Frederick, 
 let us inspect the building, and then go down into the garden.'* 
 
224 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 III. — Castle Building. 
 
 Arm in arm the Electoral pair left their cozy sitting room 
 and stepped into the antechamber, where the master builder 
 already awaited them, in obedience to a summons from his 
 lord. 
 
 " Well, Memmhart! '' cried the Elector as he greeted him, 
 "let me see what you have accomplished, and whether you 
 will indeed succeed in erecting for us a stately and imposing 
 residence! " 
 
 " Your highness," gravely responded the master builder, 
 " I fear, alas! that I shall not succeed." 
 
 " And why do you fear that? " quickly asked the Elector. 
 "And why so sad, Memmhart — ^you who always used to be 
 so cheerful and lively? Speak, man, and tell me what ails 
 you." 
 
 " Most gracious sir," said Memmhart gloomily, " nothing 
 ails me, save that the whole work is at a standstill, and dur- 
 ing the eight days of your highness's absence nothing at all 
 has been done. My trouble may be summed up in this, most 
 noble sir: we have no money." 
 
 " What! " exclaimed the Elector, in a tone of surprise, 
 " no money! Did I not, two years ago, bid the castellan lay 
 aside annually one thousand dollars for building, and hand 
 over that sum to you? " 
 
 " The castellan did so, your highness, but the sum proved 
 insufficient. The very first year there was a deficit, which we 
 covered by drawing upon the next year's capital. The second 
 year the arrears were so much greater that we could scarcely 
 cover them by advancing the whole allowance for the third 
 year. Since then there has been a perfect dearth of money; 
 we can no longer pay the artisans and mechanics; long they 
 dunned us, then grumbled, and at last grew desperate. I am 
 forced to tell your Electoral Grace all this, for hardly had 
 your highness set out eight days ago when the workmen made 
 a sort of strike. The painters, bricklayers, and all the other 
 mechanics unanimously declared that they would work no 
 more until the wages already due were paid them. In vain 
 
CASTLE BUILDING. 225 
 
 I tried to appease the people, and bring them to reason. To 
 all my remonstrances they gave answer, * Pay us first the 
 wages we have already earned, and then we will go on work- 
 ing.'" 
 
 " That was a condition difficult to comply with in the 
 circumstances, I fear," said the Elector. 
 
 " Yes, your highness, unless I had been endowed with the 
 powers of an alchemist I could not, for money there was none. 
 This I was obliged to confess, and forthwith painter Hirt, 
 who was at work upon the ceiling of the new chamber, laid 
 aside brush and pallet and left the Venus he was painting 
 with one cheek highly flushed, the other pale, and sitting 
 upon a one-legged chair. The other artisans followed, and 
 you can hardly imagine anything more wretched than the 
 actual state of affairs, with rain pouring through unfinished 
 ceilings and everything at a standstill." 
 
 "But, man!" cried the Elector, "as I came across the 
 castle square the hands were upon the scaffolding, and you 
 standing in their midst! " 
 
 "Yes, your highness, that was just to-day. I pleaded 
 with them so earnestly and made such good promises that 
 the men at last consented to come for a half day, in order not 
 to give your highness vexation on your arrival, but to present 
 at least the appearance of being at work." 
 
 "Thank you, Memmhart," said the Electress warmly, 
 offering her hand to the master builder. " That was hand- 
 somely done, and I thank you for having spared his highness 
 vexation, at least during his first moments at home." 
 
 "Ah, Electress! would that I could have done so longer! 
 : — But," he continued to the Elector, "the men would only 
 come after I had given them my word to lay the whole matter 
 before your highness so soon as I should be admitted to an 
 audience. I must premise, however, that I have lately been 
 wrought up to such a state of chagrin and despair that I am 
 actually weary of my life: on the one hand perpetually pur- 
 sued by the workmen for the payment of their dues, and on 
 the other compelled to listen to the castellan's assurances 
 that he has no money. With all submission, therefore, I would 
 humbly beseech your highness to appoint some one accountant 
 
226 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 in my place, that the masons, carpenters, painters, sculptors, 
 and all the rest may cease to torment me with their applica- 
 tions." 
 
 " This is indeed a bad case," said the Elector, thoughtfully 
 pacing the floor, and not remarking that the Electress had 
 left his side and returned to her own apartment. " Yes, this 
 is very bad. We can not leave our house in its present most 
 wretched condition. It is not fit that the Electoral mansion 
 should wear the semblance of an old owFs nest; that the 
 Electress should have no retreat from a driving shower; that 
 the old staircases should creak and groan under the lightest 
 footstep; and that we should not have a single decent draw- 
 ing room in which to entertain our guests. The building 
 must go on, yet — I must acknowledge I know not where the 
 funds are to be found. The obstinate States will not, I fear, 
 grant me a tax for the refitting of the castle. What shall we 
 do, Memmhart, and how contrive to get out of this diffi- 
 culty?" 
 
 "Alas! I know not, your highness! I only know that it 
 will require the utmost diligence to complete the new roofing 
 before winter sets in, and also to get the new guest chambers 
 ready. But the workmen will do nothing without money, 
 and unless your highness will open your purse and undertake 
 the payment " 
 
 " To open my purse is easy enough, but to find anything 
 within, there^s the rub. I really do not know " 
 
 "But I know what to do, my husband!" exclaimed the 
 Electress, who had returned to the antechamber, bearing in 
 both hands a large leather-covered box, whose edges and 
 corners were studded with gold-headed nails. " Master 
 builder Memmhart, have the goodness to name the sum you 
 owe the workmen in the Elector's name? " 
 
 "But, my dear, what would you do?" asked Frederick 
 William, gently detaining the hand with which the Electress 
 was on the point of lifting the lid of her box. " You will not 
 open your casket to satisfy these rude, clownish mechanics? " 
 
 " Certainly I will, my lord," replied Louisa. " Surely, 
 as a frugal housewife I may be allowed to contribute my mite 
 toward filling up the holes in the magnanimous Elector's 
 
CASTLE BUILDING. 227 
 
 purse made by the necessities of the country. Were all 
 princes as generous toward their subjects as you are they 
 would all have empty coffers, and be straitened in their 
 personal expenditures. You make me heartily ashamed that 
 my box is not empty, and I beg you to allow me to atone 
 for my fault and learn from your example to empty my 
 purse." 
 
 The Elector made no reply at first, but gazed long and 
 tenderly upon his wife's animatefi countenance, and his eyes, 
 usually so brilliant, were seen as through a veil of mist. 
 
 " Louisa," he whispered, " you are not merely good, you 
 are magnanimous. God bless you! " 
 
 He took her hand and pressed it to his lips, and when he 
 released it there sparkled on it something like a dewdrop or 
 a diamond. To Louisa it was both diamond and dewdrop— 
 a most precious token of her husband's love. 
 
 "Well, Herr Memmhart," she said cheerfully, "tell me 
 now how much you owe? " 
 
 " Most gracious highness, I know that to a cent," said 
 Memmhart, drawing some papers from his pocket. " All the 
 workmen rendered me their accounts, and I promised to lay 
 them before the Elector, that his highness might look over 
 them himself and see that the people had not been exorbitant 
 in their demands." 
 
 " Have you not examined these accounts yourself, Memm- 
 hart?" asked the Elector. 
 
 " Certainly I have, your highness; but it is my wish also 
 that your highness may be pleased to convince yourself that 
 there have been no unnecessary expenditures." 
 
 " Your word is altogether suificient for that," said the 
 Elector, with dignity. " Put up your accounts, and " 
 
 "Pardon me!" cried the Electress eagerly; "that was 
 spoken like a noble, high-spirited Prince, and as was due 
 Herr Memmhart. But for our own improvement, it is well 
 to know the value of things. With your gracious permis- 
 sion / will look over these accounts, in order to learn what 
 outlay is needful in erecting such a building." 
 
 " Do so, my precious little wife," said the Elector, nod-? 
 ding approvingly. " I know Memmhart will feel mUch com- 
 
228 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 plimented by your grace's condescending to interest your- 
 self in these affairs." 
 
 ^^ I am perfectly charmed at it, most gracious lady! " cried 
 the master builder joyfully. " We work with redoubled ardor 
 when we know that a sympathizing eye is watching us with 
 interest." 
 
 " Then let us hear how much money you need at pres- 
 ent/' said Louisa, setting down her box on the table of carved 
 oakwood which stood in the middle of the room, and open- 
 ing it. " Let us hear. Name the sum total now, and here- 
 after I will examine the accounts more closely in detail." 
 
 But the master builder did not answer, looking down in 
 seeming confusion at the papers in his hand. 
 
 "Well?" asked the Elector. "Did you not hear the 
 Electress's order, Memmhart? " 
 
 " I heard, your highness; but believe it would be better 
 if the Electress would be pleased to let me mention each item, 
 and pay in that way." 
 
 " Oh, I understand! " exclaimed the Elector, laughing. 
 "You think she would probably shut the lid of her box in 
 dismay, and retreat with it to her room? " 
 
 "Yes, your highness, about so!" 
 
 " You are mistaken, if you think it would make the whole 
 seem less to her grace by proceeding in this manner. The 
 Electress has a quick head and is a clever arithmetician. It is 
 better, Memmhart, to risk the whole upon one stake, and sum 
 up the entire register of your sins in a single amount." 
 
 " Gracious sir, I dare not," sighed Memmhart, " and it 
 must at least be allowed me to state the number of men among 
 whom this sum is to be divided. There is the master mason 
 with six apprentices, and the carpenter, whom your grace 
 sent for from Holland. Then there are the new locksmith 
 
 from France, painter Hirt with two assistants, and " 
 
 " Enough, enough! " interposed the Electress. " I can al- 
 ready see that the sum must be very great. I know something 
 about building, because I had a house erected on my farm at 
 The Hague. Since you hesitate to name the sum, master 
 builder, permit me to guess it. How long have you been in 
 debt to the men? " 
 
CASTLE BUILDING. 229 
 
 '- " Four months, gracious lady." 
 
 " Well," said the Electress, after short reflection, " that will 
 of course mount up to a considerahle sum, for labor is dear, 
 and, besides, there are the painters, artists, and sculptors! " 
 
 " Let us hear, Electress! " cried Frederick William gayly. 
 *^ I am really curious to learn how far your knowledge goes 
 in these matters. Give us your guess." 
 
 " I think," said the Electress thoughtfully, " it will prob- 
 ably amount to five thousand dollars." 
 
 "Heaven be praised, no!" cried the master builder, 
 breathing more freely, " the amount runs not so high." 
 
 " Well, four thousand then? " 
 
 " Still less, gracious lady," said Memmhart, whose counte- 
 nance began to brighten. 
 
 "For the last time, only three thousand?" asked Louisa, 
 smiling. 
 
 "No, gracious lady, only two thousand four hundred 
 dollars." 
 
 "Ah, your highness," said the Electress, turning to her 
 husband, "you may congratulate yourself on possessing the 
 services of a master builder, at once so economical and so 
 skillful as a director. He who in four months gives so many 
 workmen only two thousand four hundred dollars must cer- 
 tainly select his employees with judgment, and keep them 
 tmder good control. Here, Herr Memmhart, are the two 
 thousand four hundred dollars, to which I add six hundred in 
 advance. One can always purchase to greater advantage for 
 ready money, and workmen are more diligent when their 
 wages are punctually paid. Here, take these three rolls — each 
 of them contains a thousand dollars in gold." 
 
 Memmhart approached the Electress to take the money, 
 which she had laid upon the table, but before doing so, bent 
 his knee before her, deep emotion expressed in his face. 
 
 " Electress," he said feelingly, " I am nothing but a plain 
 man, knowing little of the forms of courtly etiquette. For- 
 give me, then, if I do not express myself with the polished 
 ease of a courtier. But I must tell you that your highness 
 has to-day appeared in the light of an angel, and poured heav- 
 enly balsam into my heart by your noble and precious words. 
 
•230 THE OREAT ELECTOR IN POWER, 
 
 Well do I know that out of divine compassion you namec! 
 such high sums, that your grace might appear to be aston- 
 ished at the smallness of an amount which was indeed con- 
 siderable. But in the depths of my soul I thank your grace 
 for this tenderness and goodness, and will now, with renewedl 
 spirit, prosecute my difficult task, for I know that the eye of 
 an angel will watch over me. Permit me, most gracious high- 
 ness, to press your hand to my lips, and with a reverential 
 kiss to swear that I dedicate my whole life to the service of mj; 
 beloved lord and Elector." 
 
 " I accept your vow, master, and rejoice in it," said thQ 
 Electress; " but before I give you my hand to kiss, rise from 
 your knees, for it befits not an artist to bend the knee before 
 a fellow-mortal. And now take my hand, and with it my; 
 thanks for your faithfulness and zeal." 
 
 " And accept my thanks too, Memmhart," said the Elec^ 
 tor, with a friendly nod. " You are a clever master builder, 
 and so far your alterations please me greatly. I oiily wish 
 that the old wing to the castle were pulled down, for in my 
 eyes it disfigures the whole house." 
 
 " Oh, your Electoral Grace," cheerfully exclaimed Memm- 
 hart, " everything shall be done now, and the building will 
 progress with such speed that I know your highness will be 
 pleased." 
 
 " Let it be a grand and glorious edifice," said the Elec- 
 tor warmly. ^' I would leave it as a memento of myself and 
 my times, and construct for my heirs a strong castle, in which 
 they may feel secure from all the storms of life, and occa- 
 sionally, too, think gratefully of the ancestor who toiled, 
 built, and battled for them. Memmhart, let us erect a firm, 
 enduring edifice — no card house, that will speedily be blown 
 away by the storms of time. A solid pile of masonry, rest- 
 ing on a sure foundation, let it rear its proud front before 
 the eyes of men. Yet in the sight of God it will be nought 
 but a hut, and its inhabitants of no more value than the 
 meanest beggar who walks the street." 
 
 The Electress, who had gone to restore her box to its 
 place, now re-entered the antechamber, and laid her hand on 
 her husband's arm. 
 
CASTLE BUILDING. 231 
 
 *' Permit me to remind you that you promised to take a 
 little walk with me through the garden. , I would like also to 
 show you two new plants which I received yesterday for my 
 vegetable garden from my mother at The Hague." 
 
 " Let us go, Electress. I have only one more question 
 to put to Memmhart. You just now spoke of having a French 
 locksmith in your employ. How is it that you do not en- 
 courage native workmen in that line?" 
 
 " Ah, gracious sir, our native locksmiths only understand 
 rough work. Common door latches, stone doors, and such 
 like they can make, but none of these smiths could possibly 
 have done such things as this Frenchman accomplished in a 
 short space of time." 
 
 " Tell me some of the wonderful things this Frenchman 
 has done." 
 
 " Gracious sir, what is very important and ingenious, he 
 has fitted the doors with good latches and handles, catching 
 so perfectly that the doors can not, as hitherto, flap to and 
 fro at the slightest puff of wind which passes. Besides this, 
 he has put locks on the main castle doors, which can be fas- 
 tened with keys, instead of the iron bolts, which answered 
 well enough when a person wished to secure his room on the 
 inside, but left him no means of closing his chamber from 
 the outside. So I have already got this French locksmith to 
 attach locks, with keys fitting, to six of the castle doors." * 
 
 " I like that," said the Elector, " and all the doors shall 
 be furnished with such locks and keys. We need not then 
 employ so many porters and doorkeepers, for if the doors are 
 locked, the sentinels will be sufficient to guard the castle. 
 Keys, keys, then, Memmhart! And now, Electress, favor me 
 with your arm. Let us go down into the pleasure garden.'* 
 
 He nodded in friendly manner to the master builder, and 
 with his wife repaired to the grand corridor, which they had 
 to traverse before reaching the principal staircase. 
   See King, Pictures of Berlin, vol. ii, p. 64. 
 
232 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 IV. — The Fiest Caulifloweb. 
 
 The Elector walked along silently, absorbed in thought^ 
 only occasionally pausing before the doors which opened upon 
 the corridor, and examining with searching looks their old 
 rusty latches and heavy bolts. 
 
 " These do look abominably," he said, at last. ** I never 
 thought of it before, but now it strikes me as strange that 
 we have hitherto had no way of locking our doors. Say,, 
 Louisa, how is it at the Stadtholder's court? — have they nO' 
 locks either? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, Frederick," said she, smiling. " They have a. 
 key to every doer; and my dear countrymen would be shocked 
 if they could not leave their handsome drawing rooms and' 
 rich furniture under lock and key in their absence." 
 
 " But yet you have been obliged here to put up with hav- 
 ing no keys to your apartments," remarked the Elector 
 gloomily. 
 
 " Oh, I — what use have I for keys? I have no secrets,, 
 and, moreover, belong no longer to Holland, but to Germany- 
 True, I am a poor German in point of speech, but thoroughly 
 German in thought and feeling, and more especially in heart 
 and soul a Brandenburger. On my first arrival here I was 
 touched and edified by finding no locks upon the doors, but 
 everything standing open without any one seeming to fear 
 theft or treason. I thought, how innocent and guileless life 
 must be in a country where the Prince does not find it neces- 
 sary to turn the key against the urgency of petitioners or the 
 rudeness of assailants! Such a state of nature would be im- 
 possible save among a simple, truthful, and uncorrupt people; 
 with cultivation and refinement of manners such innocence 
 and harmlessness vanish." 
 
 "You always find a bright side to everything," said 
 Frederick William, slowly shaking his head. " But you must 
 admit that we are wanting in that very refinement and culti- 
 vation of which you speak, and that our subjects axe in a sadly 
 primitive state of rudeness. The long bloody war swept away 
 all vestiges of high culture, and hunted all the arts and sci- 
 
THE FIRST CAULIFLOWER. 233 
 
 •ences from our much-to-be-pitied land. But I will not waste 
 time in vain laments, but reflect that my own mission is only 
 so much the more great and glorious. God has given me a 
 noble task, in which you, my beloved partner, must take your 
 share. Yes, Louisa, be it our task to civilize and enlighten 
 our subjects, and to make our country the chosen home of art 
 and science. This is our task, and one well worthy the exer- 
 tions of a lifetime. To this end may God grant us his bless- 
 ing and a long peace, which is the first condition of success. 
 If our plans prosper, as I hope, in ten years my Brandenburg 
 smiths will be able to put locks upon our doors, and we shall 
 have no occasion to import foreign workmen or foreign 
 goods." 
 
 '' You will make an exception in favor of my Dutch milk- 
 maids and farm servants, I know," said the Electress with a 
 sweet smile. "You may understand more of arts and sci- 
 ences in Germany, but of the dairy and farm work you just 
 know nothing at all. Your gardening, too, is a pitiful affair; 
 and I am glad that I came here as a Dutch woman rather 
 than as a Dutch bulb, for then I should certainly have met 
 with an untimely end. For they know nothing of tulips and 
 their nurture here, and have no idea of their rarity and value. 
 Only think, I received yesterday a present from my mother 
 of some fruits and flowers, which my gardener unpacked and 
 brought to me. I missed the twelve tulip bulbs, of which my 
 mother had written to me that they were specimens of the 
 newest and most splendid varieties, and that I must take great 
 care of them, for they were a little fortune in themselves. I 
 questioned the gardener about the bulbs, and he replied that 
 he had carried them to the kitchen and tried one himself. 
 But they had no peculiar flavor, and he thought our own onions 
 were much sharper and better." 
 
 The Elector laughed. " That was truly a glorious quid 
 pro quo, and I can imagine your consternation. What was the 
 end of it? — did you rescue any, or were all the bulbs con- 
 sumed?" 
 
 " I am thankful to say, no. In my dismay, I ran straight 
 to the kitchen, calHng out for my bulbs, and, lo! there in a 
 corner stood a scullion, who, just as I unexpectedly entered 
 
234 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 the door, was in the act of hiting a bulb to give relish to a 
 huge slice of buttered bread which he held in his hand. Un- 
 ceremoniously I snatched the precious root from the lad, and 
 to my great joy descried the other ten lying uninjured on the 
 table. I gathered them up in my dress and rushed out before 
 the cooks and scullions had recovered from their shock." 
 
 " That is best of all," cried the Elector, laughing, " and 
 I should like to have seen you alighting like a fairy in the 
 kitchen and enchanting all its occupants by your charming 
 apparition. But what is this? " he burst forth, as he stepped 
 from the staircase into the large vestibule, on the opposite 
 side of which was the grand door of entrance to the castle. 
 " What means this? Where is the porter? How comes it that 
 he is not at his post? " 
 
 But no one was there to answer the Elector's query, and 
 not until after he had several times raised his loud, ringing 
 voice did a lackey come rushing in to ask what were his high- 
 ness's commands. 
 
 " Where is the porter? " asked the Elector. " How come& 
 it that the door is left unguarded? " 
 
 " Your Electoral Grace," said the lackey timidly, " I be- 
 lieve the porter has been taken sick." 
 
 " Then there are people who can take his place. Why did 
 they not call one of the four doorkeepers? " 
 
 '* I do not know, your Electoral Grace," stammered forth 
 the lackey, with downcast eyes and an air of embarrassment. 
 " I do not know, but I rather think they are sick, too; and,'' 
 added he in an undertone, " the other porter is sick also." 
 
 " What? " cried the Elector. " Has an epidemic broken 
 
 out among my doorkeepers, and Ah! there comes our 
 
 castellan von Amim himself. Hark, Arnim! " he called out 
 to the officer, who came hurrying forward; '^explain why 
 there is no porter here. And what is this Fritz says about 
 all the doorkeepers having fallen sick? " 
 
 " Sick, your highness? " repeated Herr von Amim, while 
 pale and terror-stricken Fritz retreated into the most remote 
 comer of the vestibule. " Would that the fellows had been 
 taken sick, and that that was the cause of their absence! " 
 
 " There is some other cause, then, for their absence ? Speak 
 
THE FIRST CAULIFLOWER. 235 
 
 out boldly, Amim; do not look as melancholy as an owl, but 
 tell me plainly where my porters are? " 
 
 " Most gracious sir, if you command me to speak, then 
 I must say — that they have run away." 
 
 " Run away! For what? Have you been chastising them 
 with a high hand lately, and did they take to their heels for 
 fear of the rod?" 
 
 " your highness! they would not have run off for such 
 a thing as that. They are used to being beaten: it belongs to 
 the office." 
 
 " Well, what is it then, Amim? " 
 
 " If I must speak, your highness, the fellows ran off be- 
 cause I have not paid them any wages for half a year." * 
 
 For a minute the Elector looked at him in amazement,, 
 then suddenly broke out into a merry laugh, and turned gayly 
 to his wife. 
 
 " Come," he said quickly, " let us make haste into the gar- 
 den, else your cash box will be in great peril. It seems to me 
 as if the whole world had conspired to make an attack upon 
 it to-day because they know what a noble, generous heart you 
 have. Come, Electress, let us make our escape into the free- 
 dom of the open air." 
 
 He drew his wife's arm within his own, and smilingly led 
 her to the back of the vestibule, where was situated the little 
 side door, through which they reached the little retired garden 
 l)dng on the Spree side of the castle. But before he crossed 
 the threshold of this door the Elector once more turned to 
 the castellan, who had followed in reverential silence, while 
 the lackey had again summoned up sufficient courage to hasten 
 forward and open the door for his master and mistress. 
 
 " Arnim," said the Elector, " I can only advise* you to ad- 
 dress yourself to Memmhart. He will tell you of a way in 
 which doorkeepers can be procured to do their work well with- 
 out either demanding wages or having the ability to run away. 
 Apply to Memmhart." 
 
 He nodded pleasantly to the castellan and then followed 
 his wife, who had already descended the two granite steps 
 leading into the garden. The Elector dismissed the lackey, 
 
 * Historical. Vide King, History of Berlin, vol. ii, p. 66. 
 16 
 
236 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 who had stationed himself on the outside of the door, with a 
 wave of his hand, for which the Electress thanked him hy a 
 beaming smile. 
 
 " It is so delightful to be alone with you, Frederick! ^' she 
 said, " and, unobserved by human eyes, to enjoy innocent 
 communion with nature. And, oh, I am so glad and happy. 
 You are with me, and God is above me, around us stand the 
 trees in their autumn foliage, and the flowers look up at us 
 from the beds, as if they were angel eyes greeting us with 
 smiles, and bidding you a glad welcome." 
 
 " Thank you, dear flowers," said the Elector, cheerfully 
 iiodding on all sides to the flowers, which were prettily ar- 
 ranged on the borders. " Thank you. Your Queen has in- 
 terpreted your welcome to me. But now bow down, all of you, 
 and salute with reverence and admiration the lovely living 
 rose who has spoken for you." 
 
 And as if the flowers made haste to obey the Elector's 
 mandate, they all at once bowed upon their stalks, swayed by 
 a gust of wind which had just ruffled the waters of the Spree 
 and now swept over the garden. The Electress gave a silvery 
 laugh, in which Frederick William merrily joined. 
 
 " You see," exclaimed Louisa, " that the flowers have ears. 
 They understood your words and obeyed your orders, like well- 
 disciplined soldiers. And now look around you, Frederick, and 
 say if it is not delightful here, and far more agreeable than the 
 spacious, more showy pleasure garden at its side." 
 
 " Yes, it is indeed delightful here, and makes one feel light 
 and glad at heart," cried the Elector. ^' Let me inhale full 
 draughts of the fresh air, and shake from me all the dust of 
 the world. Ah! how foolish we men are to struggle and strive 
 after other things, instead of being content with the quiet 
 pleasures of domestic and rural life! Did I not say just now 
 that I was ambitious and longed for fame? That was foolish, 
 and is true no longer. Here in the garden, at my dear one's 
 side, I am no more conscious of the feelings and aspirations 
 of the ambitious Elector. Let him up in his gloomy castle 
 forge plans and devise schemes for becoming great and glori- 
 ous, but down here in the garden he is only a harmless man, 
 enjoying the sunshine and the flowers." 
 
THE FIRST CAULIFLOWER. 237 
 
 '^ And to this dear, harmless man will I show the novel- 
 ties I got yesterday from The Hague/' said Louisa. " Come, 
 my Frederick, I have had them all spread out on the table in 
 the little pavilion, and there you shall see all my treasures." 
 
 She slipped her hand through her husband's arm, and with 
 light step and cheerful countenances the handsome, happy 
 pair followed the path between the flower beds which led to 
 the greenhouses at the end of the Electress's garden. The 
 first compartment of this greenhouse, in which the flowers were 
 arranged upon scaffolds, they quickly traversed, and then en- 
 tered the pavilion, which was between the two greenhouse* 
 and united them together. Here, on a round table, lay vari- 
 ous kinds of seeds, bulbs, and plants, and with bright counte- 
 nance the Electress enumerated to her husband the high- 
 sounding names of the tulips and other new and rare plants. 
 
 "But what strange flower is this?" asked the Elector, 
 pointing to a plant that was nicely packed in paper, from 
 which peeped out only a few white umbels and greenish leaves. 
 
 " This, my dear," said the Electress, with important air — 
 "this is something quite peculiar, which my mother recom- 
 mends as a delicious vegetable. This plant was sent to her 
 from the colonies beyond the sea, and she has been cultivat- 
 ing it for a year at The Hague in her forcing beds and hot- 
 houses. It is a flower and vegetable at the same time, and my 
 mother therefore named it cauliflower, and has sent with the 
 plant a receipt for preparing it in a palatable manner. Be- 
 sides these three full-grown specimens, my mother sent me 
 quite a number of young plants, and she writes me that these 
 plants, after lying in water for twenty-four hours to freshen 
 them up, must be set out in a hotbed, when they will furnish us 
 the finest heads of cauliflower in six months, for this is a veg- 
 etable which will certainly thrive with us." 
 
 " And were the plants put in water? " asked the Elector, 
 with interest. 
 
 " Certainly; they were immediately cared for. See, there 
 they are in that great tub; and what a fine parcel of them 
 there is! " 
 
 " A fine parcel, indeed," said Frederick William, entering 
 the second greenhouse, where the hotbeds were. "And do 
 
238 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 you know, Louisa, since this is a new plant, which we would 
 naturalize among us, I think we must honor it by planting it 
 in our soil ourselves. We are the heads of the people, and 
 whatsoever new thing the land produces it must receive 
 through us." 
 
 " Ah, Frederick! that is a happy thought! Yes, my lord,, 
 it befits you to cherish your country, and the blessing of your 
 beloved hand will sink with the new plant into the soil. Yes,, 
 we must plant the cauliflower, we alone! The bed is already 
 prepared for their reception. Come now, let me hold the 
 plants, and you shall put them in the ground." 
 
 She bent down over the tub and drew out the tender little- 
 green plants, and, after letting the water drip from them, 
 carried them carefully to the hotbed, whose sash was already 
 raised and propped. 
 
 With smiling looks the Elector followed her, and Louisa 
 handed him a little plant. 
 
 ^' There," she said, " the solemn moment has come, when 
 the Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg plants the first 
 cauliflower in his dominions.* Bow down. Sir Elector, and 
 begin your work." 
 
 " Tell me how to begin and how to put the little thing in 
 the ground," said the Elector, kneeling down and holding up 
 the plant which his wife had given him. 
 
 " Now take the forefinger of your right hand," were Lou- 
 isa's instructions, "and bore a hole with it in the ground. Then 
 carefully insert in this the roots of the plant, press the soil 
 close around the stem just below the leaves, and all will be 
 done." 
 
 The Elector strictly followed her directions, and had the 
 satisfaction of seeing the first specimen of his own planting 
 lift up its fresh leaves, in pretty contrast with the rich black 
 earth around. 
 
 " May you live and thrive, little plant," he said, smiling — 
 " may you grow to be great and large. Then bear seed and 
 be the parent of long generations of your fellows, that the gen- 
 erations of mankind may be gladdened thereby. You are to» 
 nourish man, and a high destiny that is for such a small wee 
 * Historical. See Orlich, History of the Great Elector. 
 
THE FIRST CAULIFLOWER. 23^ 
 
 thing as you. Therefore, I put you in the ground and rejoice 
 over you, Httle one. Now give me another, Louisa, and tell 
 me where to plant it." 
 
 " Two handbreadths from the first, Frederick, and in a 
 straight line with it. Plants must stand in as regular rank 
 and file as the soldiers in your bodyguard." 
 
 The Elector made another hole in the ground and inserted 
 the plant. Then he planted a third and a fourth, and so dili- 
 gently did he work that he became perfectly silent, and his 
 forehead was covered with perspiration. Still he knelt, rest- 
 lessly continuing his task, while the Electress stood by watch- 
 ing its progress with beaming eyes and the greatest interest. 
 
 "Good heavens! what do I see?" suddenly exclaimed 
 some one behind them. " His grace the Elector on his knees, 
 and playing the gardener! " 
 
 " Yes, Lord Chamberlain von Burgsdorf," said the Elector, 
 who continued his work without even looking up at Burgs- 
 dorf, who stood within the pavilion door and was gazing in 
 astonishment upon the group before him. " Yes, the Elector 
 is on his knees, and playing the gardener. Have you any ob- 
 jection, old friend?" 
 
 " None at all, gracious sir," quickly responded Burgsdorf. 
 " Only, I humbly beg your highness to excuse me from taking 
 any share in your labors." 
 
 " That I would by no means permit," said the Electress 
 quickly. " The lord high chamberlain has nothing to do with 
 my plants, more especially in my own garden." 
 
 The high chamberlain's face darkened a little. "I beg 
 your grace's pardon for having dared to intrude here," he said. 
 *' But I have just learned that out on Hare Heath a whole 
 herd of deer have showed themselves. Moreover, the peasants 
 out there are in the greatest state of desperation, for every 
 night the hares from Hare Heath come into their fields and 
 destroy all their cabbage. The poor people can not help them- 
 selves, and therefore beseech us to organize a regular hare 
 chase. Now, the weather is splendid to-day, and there will 
 be the finest moonshine to-night, so that I thought I would' 
 propose to your grace to ride out upon Hare Heath to-day and 
 hunt a little while." 
 
240 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 "Yes, indeed, that will I!" cried the Elector, quickly 
 rising. " We must have a hunt. As we have planted our own 
 cabbage, Electress, we must now see to it that our hares do 
 not eat up that belonging to the poor peasants." 
 
 The sunshine of happiness on the Electress's countenance 
 had faded away, and a light cloud shaded her brow. 
 
 " You do not merit my thanks, lord chamberlain," said 
 she, " for coming into my garden to take away my husband, 
 who has just returned to me after a long absence, and needs 
 a little rest and refreshment after the fatigue he has under- 
 gone. I entreat you, my husband, just for this once to give 
 up the chase for my sake and stay at home. Is not one happy 
 day due me after eight of solitude? " 
 
 She looked at her husband with such soft, pleading eyes 
 that he had not the power to resist, and smilingly nodded 
 his consent. 
 
 " You shall have your wish, Electress," he said. " I shall 
 stay at home to-day, and commit the chase to Burgsdorf and his 
 companions. Besides, I have much business to attend to, and 
 must meet with the members of my cabinet council." 
 
 "Your highness refuses to join me, then?" said Burgs- 
 dorf, much crestfallen. " There will be no hunting to-day? " 
 
 " Hunt away as much as you like, only I shall not be of 
 the party." 
 
 " Oh," sighed Burgsdorf, " if your highness is not there 
 nothing will go on right, and there will be no pleasure for any- 
 body. Heigh-ho! I see the good old times have gone forever, 
 and our most gracious lord turns away from us! " 
 
 "In what do you note that, old growler?" asked the 
 Elector, who, with his wife on his arm, was slowly return- 
 ing through the pavilion and hothouse to the garden, while 
 Burgsdorf walked on his other side. 
 
 " I note it in everything," cried Burgsdorf with an outbreak 
 of ill humor. " All is changed, and, as our old gray castle 
 is assuming a new and elegant exterior, so we will all have 
 to step softly and delicately if we would find favor in the eyes 
 of our beloved Elector." 
 
 " Do you, too, belong to the malcontents, old soldier? " 
 asked the Elector. "Are you, too, grumbling over the ad- 
 
THE FIRST CAULIFLOWER. 241 
 
 vent of a new era and lamenting the glorious past? Yes, so 
 it is with you old people. You fancy that things only went 
 on right in your day. Can you imagine that those who come 
 after you will not renew and improve? But I tell you, old 
 friend, a great deal must be altered, and as out of my old, 
 tumble-down castle I mean to construct a stately palace, so 
 out of the old crumbling Electorate of Brandenburg shall 
 come forth a new, vigorous, and powerful state. To that end 
 we must introduce new forms and use increased activity, while 
 many an old thing must be thrown overboard.^' 
 
 "But the question is whether the new ones substituted 
 in their place are really better or more useful,^' cried Burgs- 
 dorf warmly. " Ah, most gracious sir! when I see them tear- 
 ing down the dear old castle, with its gray walls, its gable 
 ends, and turrets, I feel so melancholy. It seems as if they 
 were violently breaking down and casting away all my pleasant 
 memories. I look at all the little windows, their small panes 
 set in lead, and think of the many happy hours I have spent 
 with your blessed father in the rooms behind them, and how 
 brightly the sun seemed to shine in upon us through the tiny 
 panes of glass. We never missed the great glass doors, they 
 use now, for he who has eyes to see sees just as well through 
 our dear, old-fashioned windows. Many a time your hon- 
 ored father looked out and ^" 
 
 "And saw a swamp before him," interrupted the Elec- 
 tor — " a swamp where hogs and street boys led a merry life, 
 while respectable people waded through only at the risk of 
 their lives. And you called that a pleasure garden, and 
 deemed the prospect lovely when the pigstys were in front 
 of the houses and cattle wallowed in the mire of the street. 
 That I could not suffer, and out of the swamp have made veri- 
 table pleasure grounds and forbidden hogstys to be placed 
 before the doors. This innovation raised a new lament over 
 the good old times. Did not the citizens of Berlin and Co- 
 logne make a fearful outcry on being ordered to move their 
 stables and stalls to the rear of their dwellings, although I 
 furnished gratuitously materials for new ones in their yards? 
 And when I ordered all the dirt to be carted out of the streets, 
 that they might be thoroughly purified, and at my own ex- 
 
242 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 pense had hundreds of wagonloads of filth carried out of Ber- 
 lin to the pleasure grounds, was there not a hue and cry raised 
 that the manure was the property of the city, and should have 
 been thrown upon their fields rather than upon the Electoral 
 lands? I laughed at this, and commiserated the poor, stupid 
 people, who shrank from every novelty and preferred old filth 
 to new cleanliness. But when men from whom we expect 
 reason and reflection join in these howls and moans over the 
 good old times, it is not very encouraging, and you, old friend, 
 I should have suspected least of all of allying yourself with 
 the malcontents." 
 
 " I can not help it, your highness," replied Burgsdorf dog- 
 gedly. "I must grieve over the good old times, and it will 
 Just break my heart to see the old castle fall. Ah! in those 
 days we used to be so free and sociable, so lively and gay. 
 Ah! that was a merry life when we used to sit around the 
 Electoral table telling good stories, with the great bumpers of 
 wine before us, emitting such delightful fragrance. And did 
 not we understand drinking, and did not the Elector know 
 how to pledge us! I still think with pleasure of the day when 
 I was to give his grace a proof of my capacity in that line, and 
 before his eyes drank off eighteen quarts of wine without giv- 
 ing any sign of being intoxicated. The Elector laughed until 
 he cried, and as a mark of his satisfaction presented me with 
 a village the self -same day. Another time I must drink a 
 quart of wine before him, I did so at one draught, without 
 pausing to take breath, and then the Elector gave me Castle 
 .Damke for a reward." * 
 
 " So you owe your wealth to your drinking, my lord cham- 
 berlain!" cried the Electress indignantly. ^^Now I under- 
 stand your complaints: you regret the times when castles and 
 estates were awarded not to men of merit, but to immoderate 
 drinkers! " f 
 
 Conrad von Burgsdorf ventured no reply, but a momen- 
 tary pallor overspread his red bloated face, and mortal hatred' 
 flashed in the glance he cast upon the Electress's slender 
 form. 
 
 * Historical. See King, Description of Berlin, vol. i, p. 237. 
 f The Elector's own words. 
 
THE FIRST CAULIFLOWER. 243 
 
 The Elector laughed. " Well," he said, laying his hand 
 iamiliarly upon Burgsdorf 's shoulder, " her grace gave you a 
 right sharp answer, not undeserved either, I trow. You did 
 contrive to wheedle my kind-hearted father too easily out of 
 high honors and rich gifts. It was right pleasant for you, no 
 doubt, to drink Electoral wine, and be rewarded into the bar- 
 gain with manors and lands. But while you were being en- 
 riched, we became poor, and it imposed upon my father's suc- 
 cessor the difficult duty of economy in place of a princely 
 generosity. I must therefore sometimes submit to the stigma 
 of meanness, being against my will oftentimes under the 
 necessity of seeming so." 
 
 " Your highness," cried Burgsdorf passionately, " yours 
 are bitter, cruel words, and my old heart writhes under them. 
 True it is that the Elector George William was a most gra- 
 cious and condescending lord, who treated his servants like 
 friends, and loved to make them presents. Eegarding his sub- 
 jects as his children, he did not make their duties heavy, and 
 imposed as few taxes upon them as possible, preferring to 
 draw upon his own means rather than to burden the people. 
 But I can not admit, as her grace the Blectress remarked, that 
 we, his faithful servants, deserved our manors and estates only 
 for feats in drinking. No, your grace, we had won them by 
 our trusty arms, often enough having imperiled our lives and 
 shed our blood for our master. Full well the Elector knew 
 that he could count upon our constancy and devotion in evil 
 as well as in good report." 
 
 " And I know that too, Burgsdorf," said the Elector, 
 smiling, '' and therefore you should not allow yourself to be- 
 come so heated. Both my wife and I fully appreciate your 
 services, and could not do without you. As to your regrets 
 over the gray old castle, cease to mourn, lord chamberlain; 
 your memories need not fall at the same time, for I hope they 
 are deeply rooted in your heart and will long be green. Lastly, 
 old grumbler, I must warn you against being so unmannerly 
 and sarcastic. One passage in your discourse was peculiarly 
 displeasing to me, when you said that my father loved his 
 subjects so much that he taxed them as little as possible. This 
 was a mode of speech which you should never have presumed 
 
244 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 to adopt, and to which I will only make this reply: He who 
 taxes and takes from the poor classes who have nothing, and 
 work for their daily bread, acts in a godless, cruel manner, 
 and feeds upon his own vitals. For the laboring classes are 
 the life blood of a sovereign, and he who overtasks them weak- 
 ens himself. But to tax the rich landowners and noblemen, 
 who in their luxurious mansions play the great lord and petty 
 tyrants, to make such men realize that there is some one above 
 them besides God, to bring them into subjection and make 
 them feel that they must share the burdens as well as the bene- 
 fits of government — to do this is wise, necessary, and reason- 
 able, and to this course I shall steadfastly adhere. The mut- 
 terings and complainings of the great lords and nobility shall 
 not cause me to swerve from my purpose. Lay this to heart, 
 old man, and shape your course accordingly. And now go 
 and shoot plenty of hares, and to-morrow give me an account 
 of your sport." 
 
 He nodded kindly to Burgsdorf, who had listened to him 
 with a moody, sullen air, and then turned to his wife. " Come, 
 Electress, permit me to escort you back to your apartments, 
 for I must repair to my cabinet and meet my councillors." 
 
 Louisa took his arm, and, without deigning to notice the 
 lord chamberlain, allowed herself to be led away by her hu&- 
 band. 
 
 V. — The Lady from a Foeeign Land. 
 
 BuRGSDOBF looked after them, while ever redder grew his 
 face and more wrathful his glance. Once he opened his lips, 
 for the utterance of a threat or imprecation, but quickly 
 closed them again, muttering, in low tones, "Not here, no, 
 not here! " Then, with unusual swiftness, he crossed the 
 pleasure grounds and castle square and entered his own house. 
 To the lackey who advanced to meet him he administered a 
 sound box on the ear, called him an ass, threw his gold-laced 
 hat at his head, and then strode upstairs. Going along the 
 passage, he had the inexpressible satisfaction of finding an- 
 
THE LADY FROM A FOREIGN LAND. 245 
 
 other lackey before his cabinet door, to whom he could like- 
 wise administer a box on the ear, because he had dared to come 
 in his way; then he entered his sitting room. Here he was 
 alone, here he could give vent to his spleen without fear of 
 being overheard by any one, for well he knew that the two 
 slaps just given would be the signal for the whole body of 
 domestics to congregate in the most remote apartments of 
 the house. He was therefore alone, and could curse and swear 
 to his heart's content. 
 
 " I knew and felt it from the beginning," he said, snarling 
 like a chained bloodhound. " This woman will ruin us all. 
 I knew she would cool his regard for me by her overweening 
 influence. I am nothing now, nothing at all! He will not 
 even follow the chase against her wishes, although it used to 
 be his highest delight and strongest passion. There is no 
 longer any drinking, and we are as tame and subdued at 
 table as if we were minstrels, whose only duty it was to strike 
 the lute and sound our mistress's praises. It is a tiresome life 
 this life of ours, and I shall not endure it longer. I should 
 not wonder at all if we were all summoned to Boetzow to 
 learn to milk and churn, the Elector at our head, for he will 
 be milking a cow next, as he has learned to plant cabbage 
 to-day. Yes, the time has indeed gone by for me to obtain 
 anything. She gets everything. There is Boetzow, on which 
 I had set my eye, handed over to her for the carrying out of 
 her milkmaid whims, while I must stand by and bite my fin- 
 gers." 
 
 Hotter and hotter waxed his fury, until he had vowed to 
 wreak his vengeance against her whom his soul hated in the 
 way most certain to destroy a loving woman's happiness. He 
 would work upon the Elector's jealousy, and thus taste the 
 sweet morsel of revenge. 
 
 Suddenly a loud knock at the door interrupted him in his 
 by no means amiable soliloquy, and his gray eyes turned in the 
 direction of the door. The knocking was repeated. " I will 
 beat the fellow that dares to knock into a jelly," muttered the 
 high chancellor, " and he shall remember it all the days of his 
 Hfe." 
 
 "Who is there?" he asked aloud. 
 
246 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " I, gracious sir! " squeaked a fine voice through the key- 
 hole. " I only want to tell your grace that somebody is here 
 who asks to speak with your excellency.^' 
 
 " The fellow disguises his voice," murmured the lord high 
 chancellor; " he knows what he has to expect, and therefore 
 would not have me recognize him. Come in! " he called, in 
 gentle, pleasant tones — " come in and deliver your message! " 
 
 But the lackey knew his master's habits too well to accept 
 the friendly invitation. " A strange lady is here! " he piped 
 through the keyhole. 
 
 " A lady! '' growled Burgsdorf. " I am just in the mood to 
 talk with a lady. What sort of a lady? Come in and tell me! '' 
 he cried aloud, while he stepped on tiptoe to the door. 
 
 " It is a lady who will not tell her name! " was sung 
 through the keyhole; " but she says she must see the lord high 
 chamberlain himself directly " 
 
 Burgsdorf had now gained the door, tore it open, and 
 stretched out his hand to seize the venturous lackey; but the 
 latter seemed to have been prepared for this as well, for, with 
 surprising leaps, he bounded through the antechamber and 
 rushed out into the passage. Despite his clumsiness, Burgs- 
 dorf followed in hot pursuit, resembling a bombshell on the 
 point of bursting. Like a hunted deer the lackey flew to the 
 staircase, and descended three steps at a time. After him 
 came the lord high chamberlain, cursing and threatening. 
 He had already reached the stairs, when suddenly, as if struck 
 by lightning, he paused in mid career, and gazed upon the tall 
 •erect form of a lady who appeared upon the landing. She 
 was enveloped in a black mantle with sweeping train, and a 
 little hat worn jauntily to one side of her head revealed a pro- 
 fusion of brown tresses. A black veil fell down over her face, 
 but through this sparkled her large lustrous eyes, like stars. 
 As soon as she caught sight of the high chamberlain she raised 
 lier little gloved hand, and with ineffable grace drew back her 
 veil. 
 
 The high chamberlain uttered a low " Ah! '' of admira- 
 tion at the sight of this dazzlingly beautiful face. The in- 
 voluntary flattery of this exclamation elicited a smile upon the 
 lady's pouting cherry lips. 
 
THE LADY FROM A FOREIGN LAND. 247 
 
 "Are you the High Chamberlain von Burgsdorf?" she 
 asked in fluent German, with only a slightly foreign accent. 
 
 " Yes," faltered forth Burgsdorf, still panting for breath 
 from the violence of his chase. 
 
 " Call your lackeys to unstrap my trunks," she said, in a 
 tone of command. " Be quick, my lord, be quick! " 
 
 The high chamberlain seemed actually enchanted by this 
 mysterious beauty, for he had not the courage to resist her 
 assumption of authority, but raised his voice and called the 
 servants. " Christian, Fritz, here, you rascals! Hurry! " 
 
 They came running forward, and as soon as the lady des- 
 cried them with outspread arms she flew up the steps and at 
 the high chamberlain. 
 
 " My dear, dear father! " she exclaimed, flinging her arms 
 around his neck. As she did so she whispered softly in his 
 ear: " Eeturn my embrace. Call me your daughter." 
 
 He was like an automaton, forced to do the enchantress's 
 will. He threw his arms around her neck and said, "Wel- 
 come, daughter, you are heartily welcome! " 
 
 " You bid me welcome, then! " she cried joyfully. " You 
 will permit your daughter, who has just returned from Paris, 
 to spend a few days with you? Say ^Yes,'" she whispered, 
 ^' for Heaven's sake say ' Yes.' Order your servants to carry my; 
 trunks to your guest chamber! " 
 
 "Yes," called out Burgsdorf. "I shall be overjoyed to 
 have you with me a few days, my daughter. — Ho, you fellows! 
 do not stand there gaping, but run down and bring up Madame 
 von Kanitz's trunks. Carry them to the best spare room, and 
 tell the housekeeper to put everything in nice order, for my 
 dear daughter, Madame von Kanitz, is to pass some days 
 with me." 
 
 The servants flew downstairs, and the high chamberlain 
 was left alone with his problematical daughter. 
 
 " Give me the assistance of your arm and lead me into your 
 drawing room," she said, in her proud, imperious voice. 
 
 Automatonlike he still obeyed, offered the lady his arm, 
 walked obediently down the passage to the drawing room, 
 threw open the door, and by a silent wave of the hand motioned 
 her to enter. 
 
248 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 Her wide silk skirts rustled as she swept past him and en- 
 tered the room, bidding the high chamberlain close the door, 
 and taking a rapid survey of the apartment with her large 
 flashing eyes. 
 
 "Are we alone? '^ she asked. "Could anybody overhear 
 us?" 
 
 She fixed her queenly glance upon the high chamberlain, 
 and suddenly broke forth into a loud, silvery laugh. 
 
 " Confess, my dear father, that you have not yet recovered 
 from the surprise of so sudden and unexpected a meeting with 
 your beloved daughter? " 
 
 " Yes, I am indeed a little astonished, and " 
 
 "You would Hke to know," interrupted the lady, "how 
 it happens that the fair young widow, Madame von Kanitz, 
 who just went to Paris a few weeks since, to be diverted a little 
 from her grief, should have returned so speedily? " 
 
 "No such thing," quickly returned Burgsdorf. "I do 
 not trouble myself in the least about my daughter; I have 
 nothing to do with her, and knew nothing of her going to 
 Paris as a gay widow." 
 
 Again the lady burst out into a merry laugh. 
 
 " You please me uncommonly," she cried, " and you are 
 exactly what your daughter pictured you to be. Oh, I am 
 certain we shall become good friends, and soon understand one 
 another." 
 
 " I desire nothing better," said Burgsdorf hastily. " I 
 beg, therefore, that you will tell me how that end may be ef- 
 fected." 
 
 "Patience, patience, my dear lord chamberlain," replied 
 the lady, with a smile, which displayed two rows of most ex- 
 quisite teeth. " Explanations come not so quickly, sir. First 
 help me to take off my hat and mantle, for it behooves a 
 daughter to make herself at home in her father's house." 
 
 Courteously he lent his aid in relieving her of her cloak, 
 and with a bow took the little hat from her hand. 
 
 " Now look at me," she said, with dignity. " Look at me 
 right closely, and then say whether you recognize me." 
 
 Burgsdorf obeyed and scanned her narrowly. His eyes 
 Beemed to find a peculiar satisfaction in their task, for they 
 
THE LADY FROM A FOREIGN LAND. 249 
 
 brightened and plainly expressed the joyful admiration which 
 filled him at the sight of that slender, graceful form, the rosy 
 countenance, with its burning black eyes, the smiling red lips, 
 and the high, white forehead, encircled by dark hair that 
 covered her head with a profusion of little ringlets. Only 
 one thing detracted from his enjoyment in the contem- 
 plation of these ravishing charms: that was the tightly 
 fitting robe of black silk she wore, with a stiff white ruff high 
 in the throat, which Burgsdorf remembered as the uniform of 
 nuns in French convents. The hair, which she had arranged 
 in such charming ringlets above her brow and on both sides 
 of the temples, was covered behind by a black cap, which 
 seemed much more suitable for a matron or nun than for the 
 head of this fascinating woman of the world. 
 
 " Well, you have examined me quite narrowly," said the 
 lady after a short pause; " now tell me whether or not you 
 know me." 
 
 " I am sorry that I must answer no," replied Burgsdorf, 
 with a bow. 
 
 " I am then greatly altered," sighed she, " I have grown 
 old. ^Tis true, many years have passed since you last saw 
 me." 
 
 " Did I ever see your grace? " asked Burgsdorf, astounded. 
 
 " Yes, my lord chamberlain, here at Berlin where we found 
 an asylum in our flight from Prague, and rested under our 
 uncle's roof, before we repaired to The Hague. Yes, you saw 
 me, and not merely as a child, either, for you dared to kiss my 
 hand and I will now permit you to do the same." 
 
 She drew off her glove and offered him her little hand, 
 sparkling with diamond rings. He pressed it to his lips, but as 
 he did so his cunning gray eyes were fixed upon the massive 
 signet ring which she wore upon the middle finger. The coat 
 of arms was engraved upon an immense ruby. He could not, 
 indeed, prolong the kiss so as to distinguish the armorial 
 bearings, but he had seen the prince's crown surmounting 
 them, and therefore was at least certain that he had to do 
 with a lady of exalted rank. 
 
 " And now, my lord chamberlain," said the lady, lightly 
 crossing the room and, with freedom from all restraint, en- 
 
260 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 sconcing herself in the only cushioned armchair in the room, 
 " our explanations will begin. Take a chair, for I allow you 
 to sit down." 
 
 She said this with such an air of sovereignty that Burgs- 
 dorf actually received as a favor her permission to sit in her 
 presence. 
 
 *^ My lord chamberlain," she said, " for the present it mat- 
 ters not who I am; you will learn that soon enough. It is 
 sufficient for you to know my wishes, and, that you may not 
 be a moment longer in doubt about me, I shall hand you a 
 note from the French ambassador to this court. Count de 
 Chanut, who at this time, as you well know, is not here but 
 in France." 
 
 She took from her pocket a sealed packet and handed 
 it to the high chamberlain, holding it with the tips of her 
 rosy fingers. 
 
 " Will your grace permit me to read it in your presence? " 
 asked Burgsdorf, breaking the seal. 
 
 " Do so, and, that we may both know what the dear count 
 has written, you may read the note aloud to me." 
 
 Burgsdorf bowed gratefully, as if the lady had actually 
 granted him a favor, and then began to read: 
 
 "My Lokd High Chambeelain von Bukgsdorf: 
 " I take the liberty of making a request of you. Interest 
 yourself warmly in the illustrious lady who will transmit these 
 lines to you. Be her knight, her devoted champion, and first of 
 all contrive to procure her an early interview with his High- 
 ness the Elector. I know that we can count upon you, and 
 number you among the friends of France. His Majesty King 
 Louis knows this also, and has it at heart to present you 
 with a testimony of his gratitude and contentment. If 
 through your mediation the illustrious lady shall succeed, 
 not only in obtaining one interview with the Elector but 
 many, that she may acquire influence over his decisions, then 
 his Majesty the King of France will pay a subsidy to you as 
 he does already to most of the German princes, and so long as 
 you remain a true friend to France you may expect to re- 
 ceive an annual income of ten thousand louis d'or. The il- 
 
THE LADY FROM A FOREIGN LAND. 251 
 
 lustrious lady will have the kindness to hand you the first 
 installment of your salary immediately after her first inter- 
 view with the Elector. 
 
 " Your devoted friend, 
 
 " Chanut." 
 
 "Well/^ asked the lady, when he had read to the end, 
 *^how do you like the letter? " 
 
 " Most gracious lady, I '' 
 
 ^^ Highness is my title," she interrupted. 
 
 " Most gracious highness, I am charmed with it, only '^ 
 
 " Only you would like to know what it is all about. Con- 
 sole yourself. I have not come to make a murderous attempt 
 upon your Elector. Oh, no; on the contrary, I would seek 
 to win him for myself— that is to say, for France. In these 
 words is explained the whole object of my mission here. It 
 is known at Paris that the Emperor of Germany is using every 
 exertion to persuade the Elector to forsake his neutrality, and 
 declare himself an imperial partisan, to take the field against 
 the Prince of Conde in conjunction with the Duke of Lor- 
 raine, who is battling on the Khine for his so-called patrimony. 
 The Elector^s journey to Prague has given rise to much anx- 
 iety, for it has been determined to try to bring the Elector 
 over to the interests of France." 
 
 " Alas! that will be attended with great difficulty," sighed 
 Burgsdorf . " The Electress's influence over her husband in- 
 creases daily, and as she is one of France's most decided op- 
 ponents, and a warm Imperialist, she will naturally succeed in 
 converting the Elector to her way of thinking. Now, if there 
 were any one who could counteract and undermine the influ- 
 ence of the Electress, the case would be different, and there 
 might be hope of gaining him for France." 
 
 "Ah! Chanut's report must be correct then," exclaimed 
 the lady joyfully. " The Elector is manageable. Hark! I 
 shall be candid with you, and expect you to be the same with 
 me. They wrote to Count Chanut from Paris for a description 
 of Elector Frederick William's character. Hear his answer. 
 Oh! I can repeat it word for word, because I learned it by 
 heart, that I might make use of it as a guide for my own con- 
 17 
 
252 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 duct. Listen then: ^I regard the Elector of Brandenburg 
 as a prince of great judgment and good sense. But he has 
 the failing of his family, being too easily subject to control, 
 and as he has not been fortunate enough always to find com- 
 petent men on whom to impose the burden of his great affairs, 
 they have fallen into entanglement. He is also subjected to 
 great embarrassment from pecuniary difficulties. Hitherto 
 the Lord High Chamberlain Burgsdorf exerted the greatest 
 influence over him; but he has recently been superseded by 
 Princess Amelia of Orange, and his young wife also begins to 
 make her influence felt.' * So says Chanut, and I would learn 
 of you whether his words embody truth." 
 
 "Yes, your highness, the pure, unadulterated truth. I 
 must admit that my star is on the wane, and the Electress, 
 thanks to her crafty mother's counsels, seems daily to be ac- 
 quiring more complete ascendency over her husband. If she 
 gains her point, the Elector will soon rank among the enemies 
 of France, and take the field with the Emperor of Germany 
 in behalf of Lorraine." 
 
 " But she shall not gain her point! " cried the lady em- 
 phatically. " For that very reason have I come. I shall break 
 the young Electress's power, and free the Elector from this 
 ruinous petticoat government. I shall put in play every ex- 
 pedient of art and persuasion to win him to the side of France, 
 and extricate him from the snares of the Emperor of Ger- 
 many." 
 
 " If you succeed, your highness, you will make me your 
 most humble and devoted slave! " cried Burgsdorf. " Oh, 
 I beseech you, who understand the arts of enchantment, so to 
 enchant my beloved master that he may return to me and 
 memories of old times. I love him so much that if the young 
 Electress's influence should deprive me of his confidence and 
 friendship, I would die of grief and rage." 
 
 " You shall not die," cried the lady, " for I am here, and 
 together we will conclude a league offensive and defensive. 
 Shall we not?" 
 
 " Most gracious highness," cried Burgsdorf, " I am ready 
 
   Chanut's own words. See Droysen, History of Prussia, vol. iii, part 
 3, p. 61. 
 
THE LADY FROM A FOREIGN LAND. 253 
 
 to become your servant, your slave. I swear to yield implicit 
 obedience to all your orders, and to support all your plans. 
 On my knees " 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, do not kneel," interrupted the lady, 
 detaining Burgsdorf, who was about to fall on his knees. 
 '^'^ Consider, dear old man, that you resemble Falstaff, and, 
 like Sir John, would have to cry out, ^ Have you any levers 
 to lift me up again, being down?' No, stand up. I be- 
 lieve your protestations, for one consideration gives se- 
 curity for your good faith; verily, an annuity of ten thou- 
 sand louis d'or is a consideration, and I am sure you will 
 use all diligence to assure yourself of its possession. It is 
 settled, then, we are friends and allies. We unite for 
 France against the Electress and the Emperor of Ger- 
 many." 
 
 " Yes, we unite upon that! " cried Burgsdorf enthusias- 
 tically, at the same time pressing the lady's proffered hand to 
 Ms lips. 
 
 "Will you procure me a secret interview with the Elec- 
 tor? " 
 
 "I shall procure it, your highness. I know not yet how 
 it will be possible, but it shall be made possible." 
 
 " And this interview must take place to-morrow. Hush! 
 no remonstrances. Remember, you shall then draw the first 
 quarter of your salary to-morrow." 
 
 " This interview will take place to-morrow," said Burgs- 
 dorf, bowing profoundly. 
 
 " Good! We can arrange all the rest at breakfast, and I 
 «hall then give you an explanation of all that concerns myself. 
 I allow you now to hand your daughter in to breakfast, and 
 liope you will be good enough always to address me as your 
 daughter before the members of your household, and not for 
 one instant to forget your part as father. At Mentz I dismissed 
 my French servants, and in Frankfort, as Madame von Kanitz, 
 hired a German valet and maid. You see that my secret is 
 well guarded, and that no one can fathom it. Your daughter 
 "herself told me that her person was unknown to your servants, 
 as she had never entered her father's house; and, as an addi- 
 tional safeguard, Madame von Kanitz wrote to her mother 
 
254: THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 that she was about to visit Berlin, because she longed to be 
 reconciled with her dear father." 
 
 " The old termagant will be delighted at this/' laughed 
 Burgsdorf ; " she will doubtless take to her bed on the occasion 
 and drink camomile tea." 
 
 The lady echoed his laughed. " Come, tres cJier pere/' said 
 she, " take me into the dining room, for I feel my human weak- 
 ness: I am hungry! " 
 
 VI. — The Skeleton-. 
 
 The day after the Elector's return an unusual stir and 
 bustle p]*evailed on the castle square, and more especially 
 around the castle itself; carpenters and masons, joiners and 
 bricklayers displayed unwonted activity. To and fro moved 
 the master builder Memmhart with contented face, sometimes 
 on that side of the castle where the masons were busied upon 
 the new building, sometimes on the other, where they were 
 about to tear down an old ruined wing of the castle, to make 
 way for a loftier and handsomer erection. This wing fronted 
 upon the cathedral square, and here was to be reared the long 
 magnificent facade of the new castle, already planned by the 
 master builder's inventive brain. 
 
 Many laborers were employed upon the building to-day, 
 and as they worked they laughed, jested, and sang merry songs, 
 and the passers-by paused to watch the masons clambering 
 up and down upon the roof, taking off stones and handing 
 them along. It was delightful to see the regularity with which 
 the work went on, and to follow the stones as they passed 
 from hand to hand, until from the top of the roof they finally 
 reached the ground, where they were carefully piled up. Grad- 
 ually the throng of lookers-on in the square multiplied, and 
 they told one another that as soon as the roof was removed, 
 and the carpenters had taken away the rafters, a company of 
 soldiers with battering rams would come to knock down the 
 old walls. As on the day before, shoemaker Wendt and tailor 
 
THE SKELETON. 255 
 
 Piirberg were among the gaping crowd, and soon a circle of 
 acquaintances collected around them, for these two mechanics 
 had the reputation, among their fellows, of being wise men, 
 who did not allow themselves to he imposed upon by Electoral 
 pomp and glory, but criticised their Elector's proceedings with 
 unsparing severity, and sat in judgment upon the Government. 
 
 " Have you heard. Master Fiirberg, that the Elector is on 
 the point of imposing a new tax?" asked one of his near 
 neighbors of the tailor, who had the credit of being a sharp 
 politician. 
 
 " Yes, indeed, I have heard it," replied the tailor, putting 
 on an air of importance and raising his eyebrows. " The 
 Elector wants to enlarge his military establishment. That 
 will, of course, require a great deal of money, and who is to 
 pay it? We, to be sure — we, the burghers, artisans, and peas- 
 ants. It seems that we are only put into the world to pay 
 imposts and taxes, that our Elector may maintain a large mili- 
 tary force. It is true, we have neither money nor work, for 
 if we had work we would not be standing here idle in the 
 street. Now, if we have no work, it follows that we can have 
 no money." 
 
 " Very true, very just," sounded from the ever-increasing 
 circle of listeners. " We have no work and no money; how 
 then are we to pay taxes? " 
 
 " Out of your poverty," hissed the tailor. " To be sure, 
 you can hire yourselves out by the day to work upon the castle. 
 Herr Memmhart would doubtless condescend to receive you 
 into the number of his hodcarriers, and pay you a few cents 
 daily, and then, if you are right economical and content your- 
 selves with dry bread and cold water, perhaps you may save 
 enough of your wages to pay the new tax." 
 
 " It is a sin and a shame! " exclaimed shoemaker Wendt. 
 "No work, no profits, and yet forever called upon to pay 
 taxes. What are we coming to? " 
 
 " Beggary and starvation! " shouted Ewald, the cobbler. 
 "If we were beggars, we would not be taxed. Glaus is the 
 wisest among us; he does not work nor disturb himself about 
 giving tribute, and yet he lives, and, as you saw yesterday, he is 
 a very distinguished man, especially favored by the Elector, 
 
^56 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 For you saw yourselves how long he talked with him, and how- 
 vexed he was at his having fallen for a little while into our 
 power. The Elector even sent his own physician to visit and 
 prescribe for the beggar Claus." 
 
 "But it was not at all necessary/' screeched Kurt, the 
 leech. " When the doctor got there, the devil had been be- 
 forehand with him." 
 
 " What? " interrupted another townsman. " Did the 
 •devil carry Glaus off? Friends, hear the news. Glaus is dead.'' 
 
 " Glaus is dead! The devil has carried off the beggar 
 Glaus! " sounded from mouth to mouth. 
 
 " No! " screamed the leech, " I said no such thing. I only 
 said that the devil had paid him a visit. If you will attend, 
 I will tell you the whole story, and prove to you that, just as 
 I have always said, Glaus is a conjurer and wizard. Will you 
 listen to me? " 
 
 " Hear! hear! " resounded from all directions. " Go on. 
 Master Kurt, go on! " 
 
 "Well, you saw the fellow's condition yesterday. He 
 -could not move at all, so that the High Ghamberlain Burgs- 
 dorf had to call four soldiers to carry him on a litter to his 
 ■den. You know where he lives, in that old dilapidated house 
 behind the orangery, where the Electoral gardener used to live. 
 He managed to find a room there whose walls were sound, and 
 where the roof did not leak, and the Elector himself gave him 
 leave to take up his quarters there. Thither the soldiers car- 
 ried Glaus, and I followed, for I thought the fellow might 
 have to be bled or leeched, and, as it was to be done at the 
 Elector's expense, I could afford to stand by the beggar in his 
 distress. I had some curiosity, too, to see his room. So they 
 set him down before his lodging place, but what do you think? 
 "The beggar Glaus has a lock upon his door." 
 
 " The beggar Glaus has a lock upon his door! " was echoed 
 in astonishment from all sides. 
 
 "Yes, only think," continued the leech, "he can fasten 
 his door so that nobody can get in! When we found that the 
 door was made fast, the soldiers and I were deliberating as 
 to what was to be done, when all at once Glaus, who had 
 litherto lain like a dead man, raised himself, looked around. 
 
THE SKELETON. 257 
 
 and asked where he was. When we asked him how we were: 
 to open the door, he sHd down from the litter, stationed him- 
 self before the door, and said: * I feel better already, and would 
 rather go into my own room alone. I thank you for bring- 
 ing me here, but go away now, and take no more trouble on 
 my account.' " 
 
 "And you did so?" asked many voices. "You went 
 away?'' 
 
 " Yes," cried the leech, with a cunning twinkle in his 
 eyes, " we did go away, but I — felt so sorry for the poor fel- 
 low that I had to turn back to see how he was getting on. 
 I cautiously crept up and peeped through the chinks in the 
 front door, opening upon the little entry, where we had left 
 Claus. What did I see? I saw Glaus with trembling hands^ 
 take out one of the red flagstones with which the entry is 
 paved, and draw forth a key. I saw him creep up to the door 
 with the key, unlock it, and then go in like a cat, on all fours. 
 Hardly had he gotten in and I recovered a little from my as- 
 tonishment, when I went up to the door and attempted to* 
 gain admittance. But, heaven and earth! he had bolted it 
 from the inside, and I was forced to withdraw disappointed. 
 But happily it occurred to me that the Elector had given 
 orders that a doctor should attend the sick man. Ah, thought 
 I, the doctor will soon come; I shall wait for him. I stayed 
 in the neighborhood, walking up and down, but the doctor 
 did not hurry himself, for it was almost night before he came, 
 accompanied by one of the soldiers who had helped to carry 
 Claus on the litter. I rushed up to the door, beating and 
 hammering upon it: ^ Open, Claus, open! it is I, Kurt, the 
 leech! ' But all was still. The doctor began to be impatient 
 at the delay, and, stepping up to the door himself, rapped 
 upon it with his gold-headed cane, and called out, ^ Open! in 
 the Elector's name, open! ' Hardly had he spoken before the 
 door was unbolted, and Claus appeared upon the threshold.'^ 
 
 " On all fours? " asked tailor Fiirberg, while the multi- 
 tude stared at the narrator in breathless silence, hanging upon 
 every word that fell from his lips. 
 
 " No," gravely replied the leech; " the beggar Claus now 
 stood upright, and looked quite well again, only a little paler 
 
258 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 than usual. The doctor said that his Highness the Elector had 
 heen pleased to send him to set a broken leg for the beggar 
 Claus, and he was surprised to find him apparently well and 
 without broken bones. Glaus replied that it was so; his ankle 
 had been merely dislocated, that he had set it himself, and was 
 in no need of medical attendance. The doctor growled out that 
 he need not have been troubled to leave his house for the sake 
 of such a fellow, turned on his heel, and walked off. But I 
 sprang forward, and telling Glaus that I only wanted to see 
 how he was getting along, tried to push through the door into 
 the room. But Glaus pushed me back with great force, and, 
 shaking his fist in my face, screamed out: ' You would again 
 drive the devil out of me? Gome on, then! Let us see whether 
 you are the fellow to do it! ' But as he shook his fist in my 
 face, I seemed to see blue sparks fljdng, and such a smell of 
 sulphur came from his room that it took my breath away and 
 made my eyes water. Then I cried aloud for horror, prayed 
 a paternoster, and ran off as fast as my legs would carry me." 
 
 " That is not true! " cried a loud, deep voice. " You said 
 no paternoster, but cursed and swore in most ungodly style.'' 
 
 ^^ The beggar Glaus! The wizard! The conjurer! '' 
 shrieked the crowd, drawing back and leaving a broad passage 
 free, in the midst of which the beggar Glaus found himself 
 quite alone. He stood leaning upon his staff, and his glance 
 swept over the multitude, who were looking at him with fear 
 and horror. 
 
 " Well, what is the matter? '' he asked, in a loud, steady 
 voice. " Why do you glare at me as if the devil were actually 
 here in bodily presence? You stupid people! the devil has no 
 need to appear visibly; he is within you all; you are dear 
 children of his now, and will hereafter become his imps in 
 hell." 
 
 "Just hear! Glaus actually dares to insult and vilify 
 honorable citizens like ourselves! " yelled Ewald, the cobbler. 
 " He calls us imps of hell! " 
 
 *^ He is one himself! A sorcerer! " cried shoemaker Wendt. 
 " Otherwise, how could he possibly be well to-day after such 
 a beating as we gave him yesterday? Any Christian man 
 would have been laid up for four weeks." 
 
THE SKELETON. 259 
 
 "Yes!^^ screamed another, "he is a wizard! He knowa 
 everything. I had lost my hammer, and could find it nowhere 
 after looking for it three whole days. I accidentally met Glaus, 
 who stopped before me and said: ' You are looking for your 
 hammer, master locksmith. Go to the Willow-bank Gate; 
 you will find it on the bridge.' I went, and, as sure as I am 
 living, there lay my hammer." 
 
 " Yes, yes, he is a wizard and knows everything," growled 
 another. " I lost some yarn that I had just bought at Kopnik 
 fair. Says my wife, ^ Go and ask the beggar Glaus where it 
 is, for he knows everything.' Sure enough, I found it in 
 the very spot he said, and took it home. But the marks 
 of the devil's fingers were upon it. The yarn was bewitched; 
 the threads broke so that no cloth could be spun out of 
 it." 
 
 " He bewitched it! " screamed the chorus of bystanders; 
 ^^he singed it with the touch of his fiery fingers! He gave 
 the yarn back to you because he wanted to gain your souL 
 You could never weave anything but a shroud out of it, for it 
 is unlucky yarn, and you ought not to have taken it! " 
 
 " No, no, never take anything from the devil, if you would 
 not belong to him. And Glaus is as good as the devil, for he 
 is a wizard and conjurer, and ^" 
 
 A fearful crash, a thundering noise was heard, an immense 
 cloud of dust settled over the entire square, enveloping every- 
 thing as it were in a dark mantle. The people answered this 
 unexpected and terrific roar with one shriek of dismay, then 
 from the midst of the gray mist a quivering female voice called 
 out, " Let us fall on our knees and pray! " and a hundred 
 voices responded, " Yes, let us pray! " All dropped upon their 
 knees, and no sound was heard on the square but the low 
 murmuring of prayers, mingled with the sobs and groans of 
 terrified women pleading with their God for mercy. Grad- 
 ually, however, the cloud dispersed, revealing the people still 
 upon their knees and the beggar, who alone had not bowed 
 in prayer, standing erect in the open space in their midst, 
 leaning upon his staff and casting derisive glances on all 
 around. The people looked at each other in amazement, and 
 from all sides came the question: " What was that? Did God 
 
260 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 speak to us in his thunder? Did he mean to tell us that we 
 should no longer suffer this conjurer among us? " 
 
 " See, you simpletons! " cried Glaus, raising his arm and 
 pointing to the castle with his staff. " The old castle wall ha& 
 tumbled down." 
 
 And without deigning to notice further the gaping, be- 
 wildered crowd, supported upon his staff, Claus hobbled across 
 the square to the heap of rubbish, which was now all that was- 
 left of the old wing of the castle. The inquisitive mob greeted 
 with laughter and jests this simple and natural explanation 
 of the terrific event, and, rushing after the beggar, ran past 
 him in its hurry to reach the ruins, about which Memmhart 
 and his workmen were employed. The old wall, which they 
 had intended to remove little by little, had suddenly fallen 
 as soon as its supports had been removed, laying bare a few 
 old apartments which had been long disused and prepared 
 for this catastrophe. The populace, which had never beheld 
 more of the Electoral castle than its exterior, eagerly gazed 
 in upon the tapestried chambers, which looked ghostly out 
 of the dilapidated and broken walls. 
 
 All at once a voice cried out: "Just look up there! Do 
 you see that white figure in the thick wall? " 
 
 " Yes, yes," replied many voices — " yes, yes, we see it. 
 There, where there is a projection in the wall. It looks out 
 from between the stones. Yes, it is a tall white shape! " 
 
 " The White Lady! It is the White Lady! " murmured 
 the multitude. " Only see how the specter stands there in the 
 gray wall! It is the White Lady! the White Lady! " 
 
 Seized with horror, the crowd gazed upward, and every 
 face grew pale. Meanwhile the master builder had also seen 
 this strange form ensconced among the stones, and, pointing: 
 it out to his workmen, consulted with them as to the possi- 
 bility of reaching the spot. They might have entered the 
 chamber from the other side through the castle, but the floor- 
 ing had given way in part, and only single rafters retained 
 their position, still held firm by the iron braces which were 
 flxed in the walls yet standing. The safest and least dangerous 
 course, then, would be to rest a long ladder against the outside 
 ^all and to ascend to the spot. But there was danger that 
 
THE SKELETON. 261 
 
 the tottering wall should hreak again under the weight of 
 the ladder and the man who climhed it. However, a keen 
 curiosity to know the meaning of this singular occurrence 
 emboldened one of the masons to volunteer his services for 
 the perilous undertaking. The ladder was procured and cau- 
 tiously propped against the crumbling wall, so that the upper 
 end just touched the niche Avhere the strange shape was seen. 
 
 " See, see, he is going up! " murmured voices among the 
 crowd, which kept pushing onward, ever closer, ever nearer 
 the ladder. All eyes were fixed upon the venturous man who* 
 was now clambering up the ladder as nimbly as a cat; all 
 other feelings, all hatred, all malice were momentarily hushed 
 in the breasts of those present. Little heeded they now that 
 the beggar Claus stood close before them — almost in contact 
 with them. All was forgot but the movements of the daring 
 artisan. Now he had reached the top of the ladder, and could 
 see whether this white figure was a reality or only an illusion. 
 
 Breathless silence reigned on the square. It was broken 
 by the stentorian voice of the mason, calling down: " It is a 
 skeleton! A human skeleton in white clothes! " * 
 
 A shudder thrilled the hearts of all present. 
 
 "A human skeleton in white clothes!" whispered their 
 trembling lips; " it is the White Lady! Woe to us all! It is 
 the White Lady! She foretells misery and death for us all! "" 
 
 Again was heard the voice of the man upon the ladder. 
 
 " I shall let down the rope ! '^ he cried. " Fasten a basket 
 to it, that I may pack the skeleton in it and send it down." 
 
 With dexterity he drew from his breast pocket a strong 
 rope, which he had doubtless carried up with that design, and, 
 fastening it to a round of the ladder, let it roll down. Below 
 a mason stood ready to seize the end, a third mason rushed for- 
 ward with a basket, which was attached to the rope. 
 
 " Eeady! " they shouted up to the mason at the top of the 
 ladder, and he quickly drew the basket up, all eyes following 
 it with intense interest. 
 
 "Take care!" screamed up the master builder. "Try 
 
 * The discovery of the skeleton upon the demolishing of the old castle 
 Walls is historical, and the people maintained that it was the skeleton of 
 the White Lady. See von Ledebur, Archives of Prussian History. 
 
262 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 not to injure the figure, but get it whole into the basket. Get 
 out of the way," he said, turning to the beggar, who had 
 stepped close up to the ladder. " Move back, Glaus, for if 
 anything were to fall from above, it would hit you." ; 
 
 But Glaus heard not the master builder's warning. He 
 had urged his way to the very foot of the ladder, and stood 
 there breathless, gazing upward as if spellbound. The mason 
 had pulled up the basket, and, holding it firmly with his left 
 hand, grasped the white figure with his right. It seemed to 
 be quite firmly imbedded in the wall, for he could not im- 
 mediately draw it forth. He had first to break away a few 
 stones, throwing them into the open chamber. So still were 
 the spectators in the square that the hollow noise made by 
 the rolling of the stones across the floor was distinctly heard. 
 Then he thrust his arm into the niche and triumphantly lifted 
 up a round white object. 
 
 " It is a skull! " whispered the men to one another. ^^ Only 
 see, he is putting it into the basket! Hush, hush! Do not 
 talk! Let us look! Look! " 
 
 Again the workman inserted his arm into the niche. It 
 came forth again with a long white object, which, caught by 
 a puff of wind, fluttered like a sail in the breeze. 
 
 " The shroud! the shroud! " screeched female voices here 
 and there. Then all was again silent. They saw the man 
 cautiously endeavoring to put into the basket the white gar- 
 ment, which evidently covered a part of the skeleton. Now 
 a shriek of horror sounded from all lips. They had plainly 
 seen a long white bone slip from the garment and fall. Terror- 
 stricken, all started back. 
 
 A second shriek resounded. It was the beggar Glaus who 
 uttered it. The lower part of the arm, to which the hand still 
 hung, had struck his forehead so severe a blow that the blood 
 gushed from the wound in streams. 
 
 " Glaus is wounded! " was shrieked and howled by the 
 mob. " The arm of the skeleton has fallen and struck him! 
 It is the vengeance of God! Even the dead rise up in judg- 
 ment against the wizard and sorcerer, and stamp his forehead 
 with the mark of Gain! " 
 
 Smitten with terror and dismay, all shrank from the beg- 
 
THE SKELETON. 263 
 
 gar, who with bleeding brow had sunk down beside the lad- 
 der. Occupied with this new event, the people had even 
 iorgotten to observe the further movements of the mechanic 
 above. He had meanwhile finished collecting the bones, 
 and cried down: " Look out! I am going to leave the 
 basket! " 
 
 This cry again diverted the attention of the spectators, 
 and all eyes once more turned upon the workman. They saw 
 him lift the basket off the ladder round and launch it into 
 the air. They saw how, carefully holding the rope with both 
 hands, he let it glide slowly through his fingers, and how the 
 basket gradually descended, laden with its ghastly contents. 
 
 At the foot of the ladder stood Herr Memmhart with two 
 workmen, ready to receive the basket, and to hold the ladder 
 during the man's descent. At the side of the ladder, a little 
 in the rear, and again entirely unobserved, cowered the beggar 
 on the ground. Nobody saw the expression of agony, the 
 breathless suspense written upon his pale features — nobody 
 heard his low whisper of " God, my God! have mercy upon 
 me, and let me not go mad before I know what this skeleton 
 signifies, whether " 
 
 Just at this moment the workmen caught hold of the now 
 rapidly descending basket, and the master builder looked in. 
 **A skeleton," he said — "a human skeleton, and that of a 
 woman, too, it seems. For just see, this garment has not the 
 cut of a shroud; it looks like a woman's dress, and not as if it 
 were meant for a corpse, but for a living person. And here 
 is the veil — only see this white veil! It is in quite good pres- 
 ervation, and what fine lace it is trimmed with! " 
 
 He cautiously pulled out a long strip of muslin, bordered 
 with that heavy Venetian lace known as guipure. 
 
 " Hold it up higher, Herr Memmhart! " begged the multi- 
 tude. " Let us see what you have in your hand! " 
 
 The master builder held the veil aloft with both hands, 
 and the wind, playing with its ends, carried it yet higher. As 
 they drooped again, one edge grazed the beggar's hand, and 
 was tinged with the blood which flowed from his wound. He 
 caught at the veil and stared at it, as if he saw inscribed upon 
 it mysterious, awful characters. Then, rushing toward the 
 
264 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 basket, he sank down beside it and strove to grasp its con- 
 tents with his hands. 
 
 Herr Memmhart thrust him back. "Let those things 
 alone, Clans. They are nothing to you, for the dead can give 
 no alms." 
 
 " He says that it is nothing to me,'^ murmured Glaus, who 
 still knelt beside the basket, devouring it with his eyes. " Could 
 I only see the dress, the dress! But they have covered the 
 basket with a cloth, and I can see nothing more, nothing 
 at all! " 
 
 Meanwhile the workman had descended the ladder. The 
 master builder stepped up and offered him his hand. 
 
 " Well, Louis, I congratulate you on coming down in safety. 
 If the wall had given way, you might have tumbled down and 
 broken your neck." 
 
 "I knew very well that the wall was not going to give 
 way," said the mason, laughing. " The skeleton would not 
 have suffered it, master. The skeleton held the wall firm, and 
 would not let it cave in, for it meant that its secret should 
 be told. It had its murderer to accuse! " 
 
 " You think, then, that this is the skeleton of a murdered 
 person, Louis?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, I think so. Why should anybody have immured 
 this woman in a wall, instead of giving her Christian burial. 
 Without doubt, there has been murder here, and you shall 
 see that it will come to light, and that the victim will demand 
 justice. I have two important things here. In the first place, 
 examine this gold ring. It was on the forefinger of the right 
 hand, which fortunately did not fall until I had gained pos- 
 session of the ring. And here is a little handkerchief which 
 was around the neck. It was tied so tightly that I was forced 
 to conclude that with it this person had been strangled. See, 
 here it is, sir. I left it just as I found it lying under the skull." 
 
 He handed to the master builder a white silk handkerchief, 
 looped and tied in a hard knot. 
 
 " This certainly seems to have been used for a collar, and 
 the neck which fitted it had evidently no room allowed for 
 breathing. But observe! here in this corner is some embroid- 
 ery! Here are letters prettily entwined together." 
 
THE SKELETON. 265 
 
 " It is a name, sir," said the mason. " I believe there is a 
 name in the ring, too." 
 
 Memmhart took the ring out of his vest pocket, and ex- 
 amined it inside. " Yes, indeed," he said, " here are char- 
 acters — here is a name. But it does not seem to be the same 
 as the one on the handkerchief. Ah! now I see it clearly; 
 the name is ' Gabriel.' " 
 
 " Gabriel! " shrieked beggar Glaus, jumping up — " Ga- 
 briel! She has called me — she has pronounced my name! " 
 
 Memmhart did not hear him, being wholly absorbed in his 
 endeavors to decipher the name on the handkerchief. '^ Now 
 I have it," he said joyfully. " This first ornamented letter is 
 an R, then, yes, then comes an E. The third letter is a B, it 
 seems, and then another E and " 
 
 " Rebecca! " screamed a voice behind him, and a quick, 
 strong hand snatched the handkerchief from him. " Rebecca! 
 my Rebecca! " repeated the voice. 
 
 " What is the matter with you, Glaus? " cried the master 
 builder angrily. "How dare you snatch that handkerchief 
 from me? Give it back to me this instant! " 
 
 "No!" shouted Glaus, as if in an ecstasy of joy — "no, 
 I will not give it up! It is mine, for it belonged to Rebecca. 
 I gave it to her; it was my first present. Give me my ring — 
 my own ring! I will have it again, for it comes from her. 
 She sends me her engagement ring as a token that my time 
 of probation has expired; she calls me to herself with the 
 hallowed pledge of our love. Give me my ring, sir. I must 
 have it! " 
 
 " What ring? " asked Memmhart. " Are you mad, Glaus? 
 What ails you?" 
 
 " It is my ring! my ring! " screamed the beggar, trem- 
 bling with excitement. With glowing cheeks and flash- 
 ing eyes he laid both hands on the master builder's shoul- 
 ders. 
 
 " Let me go, Glaus, or I shall call the police and beadle, 
 and have you put in jail." 
 
 " See, just see," cried the people. " The beggar is actually 
 laying hands on the master builder. He will murder him! 
 Gall the police! the police! " 
 
266 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 A few of the multitude ofi&ciously undertook the errand, 
 and hurried off. 
 
 " My ring! my ring! " shrieked Claus, and, perceiving 
 that the master builder clinched one hand as if to hide some- 
 thing, he seized it with superhuman strength, and forcibly 
 possessed himself of the ring. 
 
 " I have the ring once more! my engagement ring! " he 
 cried exultingly, slipping it on his finger. 
 
 He again sprang toward the basket, knelt down beside it^ 
 convulsively tore off the cover, and drew forth the white gar- 
 ment from amid the frightful confusion of bones with which 
 it was filled. 
 
 " It is her dress! '^ he shrieked. " She wore it on our 
 wedding day. I recognize it. It was her bridal dress, and 
 has also become her winding sheet! " 
 
 He bowed his head over the dress and pressed his lip» 
 to it, at the same time breaking forth in such a wail of woe 
 as moved to compassion even the cold hearts of the bystanders. 
 No one had the heart to tear the beggar away from that basket 
 with its mournful contents, no one thought of interrupting 
 the bitter lament which poured from his lips, but with sus- 
 pended breath and tearful eyes all listened to the beggar, who, 
 in his exaltation, seemed to have forgotten that he was not 
 alone, but surrounded by men, watching him inquisitively, and 
 listening to his speech with attentive ears. 
 
 " And so I have you again, my darling! " he said in soft, 
 low tones, embracing the basket with both arms. " You have 
 descended from your dreadful tomb to give me tidings of your 
 death, to tell me the awful secret of your murder. Oh, my 
 Eebecca! must this be the end of our love? Are these blanched 
 bones, these decaying vestments, this telltale handkerchief 
 all that I have left of you? Yes, they have killed you, my 
 Eebecca, and with your noble life you have paid the price of 
 your wretched husband's crime. I alone murdered you; I 
 alone am to blame for your death. But I have done penance, 
 Eebecca; I have endured fourteen years of pain and torture, 
 and have not sunk beneath the load. I could not die before 
 I had discovered your grave. Ah, my poor darling! They 
 gave you a narrow, dreadful tomb, and your corpse withered ta 
 
THE SKELETON. QQf 
 
 d skeleton iDefore I found it. You would not call me hence 
 until my soul had been purified by passing through an earthly 
 purgatory. But now the hour of grace has come, and you pity 
 me. Look down from your height, my Eebecca; behold a 
 poor, heart-broken creature groveling in the dust before you! 
 See what crime and penitence have made of me! All the vani- 
 ties, the pride, and the ambition of life have I cast from me. 
 I have done penance in sackcloth and ashes; have become a 
 beggar before God and man; have voluntarily called down 
 upon myself the scorn and contempt of the world. I have 
 trodden my heart under foot and bowed my head in humility. 
 Oh, say now that you have compassion, that you summon me 
 to meet you. Say that you will now pardon your mur- 
 derer " 
 
 A hand was laid heavily upon his shoulder, and a rough 
 voice exclaimed, " Claus, I arrest you in the name of the Elec- 
 tor and the law! '' 
 
 It was the beadle, who, in obedience to the people's call, 
 had drawn near to the beggar and heard the last part of his 
 lament. 
 
 The beggar started; the touch of this rough hand had 
 recalled him to the world, and his spirit, which had been soar- 
 ing above the clouds of this world, was rudely reminded of 
 earthly things. 
 
 "What would you have of me?" he asked, bewildered, 
 looking up dreamily at the man in scarlet coat who stood over 
 him and glowered down upon him. "Why do you lay your 
 hand upon me?" 
 
 " I lay my hand on you in the name of the law," said the 
 man harshly. " The people say that you are a sorcerer, in 
 league with the devil. You say yourself that you are a mur- 
 derer. I arrest you, therefore, as a sorcerer and murderer,, 
 in the name of God and man! " 
 
 " As a sorcerer and murderer! " repeated the mob with a 
 yell of rage and horror. 
 
 But these formidable words produced quite an opposite 
 
 effect upon the beggar. He arose from his knees and lifted 
 
 up his head; his coiantenance, hitherto pale as death, was 
 
 brightened as with a ray of morning sunshine, and his eyes,. 
 
 18 
 
268 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 hitherto dimmed by tears, sparkled with joy as he lifted them 
 to heaven with a glance full of reverent devotion. 
 
 " The ways of God are past finding out! " he cried, with 
 outstretched arms. " I recognize thy voice, Lord my Grod, 
 speaking to me through that of the law. Through penance 
 I shall attain eternal peace, through punishment the absolved 
 sinner shall mount up to the abodes of the blessed! Kebecca, 
 my Eebecca! you will receive me, you have stretched out your 
 hand to me, and marked my forehead with the seal of blood! 
 Yes, yes, my blood shall propitiate! I am ready, Rebecca, I 
 am ready! " 
 
 " Enough now of talk and clamor! " cried the beadle. 
 *^ Give here your hands that I may bind them, as is the custom 
 with grave offenders, until chains are procured.'^ 
 
 "Here they are!" cried Glaus, joyfully extending his 
 hands. " Bind them, chain them; I have deserved it all. For, 
 you are right, I am a sorcerer! I am a murderer! Do with me 
 as the law requires! " 
 
 " He confesses! " murmured the multitude. " He says 
 Mmself that he is a sorcerer and a murderer! " 
 
 " In the name of justice and the laws of the cities of Berlin 
 and Cologne, I arrest you! " exclaimed the beadle in a loud 
 Toice. 
 
 Thus saying, he bound the beggar's hands firmly behind 
 his back and then grasped him by one arm, while one of his 
 •officials took hold of the other. 
 
 "Let us go!" cried Gabriel joyfully. "To prison! To 
 death! To immortality! Come! come! " 
 
 Spiritedly he moved along between the beadle and his 
 men. His face was radiant, his step light and elastic, and his 
 <eye turned heavenward glowed with the fire of inspiration. 
 
 The throng followed him with loud yells and wild impre- 
 cations, and lingered for hours before the Ochsenkopf, the 
 prison without the gates, whither the criminal had been led. 
 
THE ELECTOR AND THE BURaOMASTER. 269 
 
 YII. — The Elector and the Burgomaster. 
 
 Thoughtfully and sadly the Elector paced his cabinet. 
 He had just received from Memmhart an exact and circum- 
 stantial account of the event which had transpired upon the 
 castle square a few hours before. When Memmhart had told 
 him that the beggar Claus had been arrested and thrown into 
 prison, the Elector had uttered an exclamation of surprise, 
 and bidden the master builder hurry and have the beggar 
 forthwith released in his name. 
 
 " To whom shall I deliver your highnesses order? " Memm- 
 hart had asked, and his question had seemed to set the Elector 
 to thinking. 
 
 '' Go to Burgomaster Wegelin, Memmhart," he had re- 
 plied after a pause. " Tell him all the particulars of the mat- 
 ter. Say to him that I have long known the beggar as a quiet, 
 harmless monomaniac, and I will go security for him myself. 
 They must therefore let the poor madman go, and let him sit 
 in his accustomed place near the castle. Or stay, better still: 
 go to Burgomaster Wegelin and tell him to come to me directly, 
 for I have something to say to him." 
 
 " And the skeleton? " Memmhart had asked. " What are 
 jour highness's commands with regard to the skeleton? " 
 
 The Elector had turned, and silently walked up and down. 
 Then he had retired into a window recess, and, with his back 
 to the master builder, had stood for a long while leaning his 
 forehead against the glass panes. 
 
 " The bones must be immediately deposited in a coffin," 
 lie had said after a long pause, " and at nightfall they must, 
 with all secrecy, be buried in a corner of the cathedral church- 
 yard." * 
 
 Memmhart had departed, and the Elector now awaited 
 with impatience the arrival of Burgomaster Wegelin. 
 
 " They are not to torment and abuse the poor man," he 
 «aid to himself. " He has suffered enough already. No, no, 
 
 * " They actually buried the skeleton found in the castle wall in the 
 cathedral graveyard, and the people supposed that the White Lady could 
 no longer walk in the castle." (Von Ledebur.) 
 
^fO MEi OREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 they shall not accuse him. Nothing but evil could come of 
 it. For if there was a trial, Gabriel Metzel would not keep 
 silence, but in the end make confession before the whole world, 
 including the crime into which he was beguiled by Schwarzen- 
 berg. A tedious lawsuit would ensue, which would finally in- 
 volve the son, Count Adolphus von Schwarzenberg. This 
 would give umbrage to the Emperor, for the count stands high 
 in favor at the imperial court, and his Majesty has just raised 
 the son of our former Stadtholder to the princely dignity. It 
 would create immense scandal if here at Berlin we should 
 accuse of murder the father of the new-made Prince. I can 
 not and will not suffer it. Gabriel Nietzel must be freed, 
 and " 
 
 " Your Electoral Grace," interrupted a valet, entering the 
 cabinet, " the Burgomaster of Cologne and Berlin, Herr Wege- 
 lin, is in the antechamber, and says that he was summoned by 
 your highness's direction." 
 
 "Let him come in without delay," ordered the Elector, 
 pointing impatiently to the door. 
 
 The valet hurried off, tore open the door, and on the 
 threshold appeared Burgomaster Wegelin in his official garb 
 -^that is to say, in a long black gown hanging in voluminous 
 folds, a broad white ruff, and a heavy gold chain wound about 
 the shoulders and breast. With deliberate movement and 
 with rigid gravity he raised his arm, took off the tall black 
 cap which covered his head, and bowed. 
 
 The Elector hastily advanced to meet him, greeting him 
 with a short nod. 
 
 " Thank you, "Wegelin, for so quickly obeying my call," 
 he said. " This is a singular affair. Memmhart reported it to 
 you, did he not?" 
 
 " He wished to do so, your highness," slowly answered the 
 burgomaster, "but I was already acquainted with the whole 
 matter. The evidence of the beadle and his assistants, as well 
 as that of several burghers who volunteered as witnesses, had 
 already been registered, when the master builder Memmhart 
 came. A case of high criminal jurisdiction lies before us, for 
 the justice of God has brought to light a most atrocious crimi- 
 nal. The accusation includes witchcraft and murder." 
 
THE ELECTOR AND THE BURGOMASTER. 271 
 
 "Ah, my dear Wegelin! " exclaimed Frederick William,, 
 shrugging his shoulders, " you are too intelligent to take the- 
 poor beggar Claus for a sorcerer. Surely a sorcerer would not 
 lie before the gates of our castle as a wretched beggar, yet. 
 Claus has done so for more than six years." 
 
 "I pronounce no judgment," said the burgomaster ear- 
 nestly. " The law will take its course and pass sentence." 
 
 " But this is folly and nonsense," cried the Elector, impa-^ 
 tiently. "It would be ridiculous to bring such an accusa- 
 tion against a poor, crazy beggar, and it seems to me that in 
 these troublous times we should avoid making ourselves ridicu- 
 lous as much as possible. Eelease beggar Claus, then. It is- 
 my will." 
 
 On hearing these proud, imperious words, the Burgomaster 
 of Berlin quickly threw back his head, which he had hitherto 
 reverentially lowered, and his eyes met the Elector's stern, 
 commanding look with a glance of defiance. 
 
 " The privileges of sanctuary are only accorded to the other 
 side of the castle, and, had the beggar Claus been arrested 
 there, he might have sought a pardon from our Elector, al- 
 though I can not believe his highness would have extended 
 it to him. But the beggar Claus was arrested in the cathedral 
 square, which pertains to the jurisdiction of the municipal 
 authorities — arrested, too, by the beadle of our city, and he 
 also became his own accuser. He is imprisoned in the Ochs- 
 enkopf, and the magistrates, senators, and consulting coun- 
 selors of the cities of Berlin and Cologne will to-morrow begin 
 the trial, present the charges, and then pronounce sentence 
 according to the law and their consciences." 
 
 "It seems. Burgomaster Wegelin! " cried the Elector, 
 with flaming eyes, " that you did not hear what I, your lord 
 and Elector, said. I will not have a poor, half-witted beggar 
 brought to trial upon such an absurd accusation, and run the 
 risk of being condemned for a murder which he could never 
 have committed. For how could he have immured a corpse 
 in our castle wall?" 
 
 " The skeleton is here," replied the burgomaster quietly. 
 " It has been found within the castle walls, and the knotted 
 handkerchief plainly shows the deceased to have been a 
 
272 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 woman, who had been murdered and then walled up in that 
 fiiche. Moreover, the man voluntarily avowed his guilt, and 
 with howls and shrieks fell down beside the remains with 
 every demonstration of remorse. He recognized the white 
 dress in which the skeleton was wrapped, and with great readi- 
 ness deciphered the name engraved on the handkerchief, claim- 
 ing, too, a ring found on the skeleton's finger as having been 
 a present from himself to this Rebecca before she was mur- 
 dered." 
 
 " But I tell you this man is a lunatic, burgomaster. I 
 have known him for years, when he was not the poor beggar 
 Claus, and I will vouch for it that he did not murder this per- 
 son. Let the poor simpleton go, and do not make mountains 
 of molehills." 
 
 " In this case I can accept no security whatever, not even 
 were it the Elector of Brandenburg himself " 
 
 " Your lord and master, you mean," suggested the Elector. 
 
 " I stand before your highness ag the Burgomaster of Ber- 
 lin, and as such own no lord or master save God and my con- 
 science! The cities of Berlin and Cologne have their rights, 
 laws, and constitution. True, they owe the Elector reverence 
 and submission; but they have their privileges, which may 
 not be infringed or trampled upon. The magistrate of Berlin 
 and Cologne is elected, not by the Elector, but by the citizens, 
 and at his installation the burgomaster solemnly swears to 
 defend the liberties and immunities of the cities against every 
 aggressor, should it be the Sovereign Elector himself." 
 
 " You are at least gracious enough to recognize me as your 
 Sovereign." 
 
 ^^ Our Sovereign, yes, but our mayor, no. In all things 
 just we are bound to submit humbly to your highness's wishes. 
 But in all municipal affairs we are free, and, as your highness 
 can not impose taxes upon us without our consent, so you 
 durst not without the assent of city and country diminish our 
 corporate privileges." 
 
 " Dare you threaten me, your Elector and master? " cried 
 the Elector, pale with excitement and indignation. 
 
 " Sir, I do not threaten, I merely speak what is truth and 
 justice, and what I have to defend with my life. But these 
 
THE ELECTOR AND THE BURGOMASTER. 273 
 
 grievous times have driven us to extremities, and there are 
 no longer any bounds to our despair. They have been robbing 
 and plundering us for long years. All has been taken from 
 us save the chartered liberties of our cities, and to these we 
 must hold fast, for they are the last of our blessings. Sir 
 Elector, I appeal to you out of a full heart, will you deprive 
 the poor wretched burghers of this town of their honor and 
 rights? Leave us at least the sad privilege of punishing crime 
 according to law, and permit us in some sorry sort to keep up 
 a feeble show of power and consideration." 
 
 " You are right to say, in some sorry sort," said the Elector, 
 shrugging his shoulders, "for right pitiable is it that you 
 should need to plunge some one else in grief and tribulation 
 because you yourselves know the meaning of misfortunes 
 and sorrows." 
 
 " We do indeed know their meaning, your highness; but 
 our misfortunes are undeserved, and our sorrows cry out to 
 yourself and God for redress. But on that very account we 
 would not let the guilty criminal go unpunished. This man, 
 who charges himself with murder, and whom his fellow-citi- 
 zens accuse of sorcery and witchcraft — this man has fallen 
 under the interdict of our town laws, and no human power 
 can save him from the penalty incurred, unless, indeed, your 
 highness take from us our rights, and break the laws of our 
 constitution." 
 
 " On my accession to the government I swore to be just 
 and impartial to all my subjects, to preserve intact the im- 
 munities of the cities and the incorruptibility of the courts, 
 and far be it from me to attempt such a thing. Take, then, 
 this poor unhappy man, try him, sit in judgment upon him; 
 but try your own hearts as well, that they give no heed to 
 falsehood, and take care lest ye pronounce unrighteous judg- 
 ment, for, I tell you, your master the Elector watches over you 
 and your judicial sentences, and will' never suffer you to pro- 
 nounce an innocent man guilty, nor to execute him in the 
 hardness and obduracy of your hearts. You say you have the 
 right to try and punish the criminal if you find him guilty. 
 Very well; I, too, in common with all independent sovereigns, 
 can exercise my right of pardoning. I can mitigate the sever- 
 
^74 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ity of your judge's sentence, and, if the verdict is death, re- 
 fuse my sanction." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir," said the burgomaster quietly; 
 " the right of pardon is also restricted by laws. The Sover- 
 eign can only annul and revoke a verdict when there have been 
 the same number of voices for and against it. If there is a 
 majority for the sentence of condemnation, you must allow 
 it to be executed." 
 
 " Must I? " asked the Elector sternly. " Where is the law 
 which enjoins such a thing? " 
 
 " The law of usage, most gracious sir, to which all your 
 princely ancestors have submitted." 
 
 " But I tell you that I shall not do so! " cried the Elec- 
 tor with an outburst of anger. " I am not minded longer to 
 defer to the arrogance and usurpations of the cities. No, I 
 shall break your proud spirits, and make you feel that there is 
 .a higher law over you than the law of usage, and that is the 
 law of reason. This law shall be made known to you through 
 the mouth of your Prince, to him you shall bow in obedience, 
 and to him feel subject despite your privileges and immuni- 
 ties. You shall make no exception, but be taught that you 
 do not stand at your Sovereign's side, but behind him, and 
 that his will is the first law of the land! Go now, Burgomaster 
 "Wegelin, take the poor beggar and sentence him in the blood- 
 thirstiness of your justice; but be assured that I shall call 
 you to account for it, and that neither majority nor minority 
 shall prevent me from exercising the right of pardoning, that 
 highest prerogative of the ruler." 
 
 " May your highness exercise it if it is in accordance with 
 the dictates of your princely conscience," said Burgomaster 
 Wegelin solemnly. " Grace is naturally the most sacred func- 
 tion of princes, but so many years of pain have elapsed since 
 it has been extended to the miserable downtrodden people 
 that we have forgotten to appeal to it, or to hope for its dis- 
 play. But your highness would now pardon the beggar Glaus 
 in case we condemn him. There is one contingency which 
 •would render your clemency of no avail." 
 
 " What contingency, Burgomaster Wegelin? " 
 
 " Why, supposing that the criminal refuses to accept your 
 
THE ELECTOR AND THE BURGOMASTER. 275 
 
 pardon, and insists that his sentence be executed. The beggar 
 Claus has confessed his crime. I had him brought before 
 me, and out of his own mouth heard an acknowledgment of 
 his guilt. He seems glad to have relieved his soul of the bur- 
 den, and said passionately to me, ' I long for nothing upoa 
 earth but death, and that you must grant me, for I am a hein- 
 ous malefactor, having a murderous deed upon my conscience, 
 and you must punish me according to the strict letter of the 
 law.' '' 
 
 " Poor, unhappy man! " murmured the Elector, " he is 
 lost, for he seeks death! Go, burgomaster," he said aloud, 
 turning toward him; " act with the remembrance that you 
 will one day stand yourself before the judgment seat of God. 
 I shall do the same, and you must hereafter be forced to admit 
 that your Elector is master of the cities as well as of the States. 
 Go and sit in judgment upon the beggar Claus and guard the 
 immunities of your town. Mine be it to guard the strongholds 
 of reason and mercy! Go! " 
 
 He nodded lightly, turned his back upon the burgomaster, 
 and entered the window recess. Not until the shutting of the 
 door informed him that Wegelin had left the room did he 
 emerge from his place of retreat. 
 
 " Is it not a sin and a shame to be obliged to let them try 
 poor Gabriel Nietzel as a sorcerer and murderer, when I know 
 that he is innocent? And yet," continued the Elector, after 
 short reflection, "how wonderful are the ways of God, and 
 often how strangely linked is retribution to crime! He once 
 essayed to commit a murder for which his wife atoned. She 
 saved me, and for this was punished with the loss of her own 
 life by the instigator of the murder. And now, after the 
 lapse of long years, this poor, murdered woman comes forth 
 from her dark and secret tomb, and he for whom she died is 
 now accused as her murderer! And vengeance pursues me for 
 the crimes of silence and want of courage. At the time I 
 should have named and prosecuted the true murderer, but I 
 had not the needed courage, and therefore kept silent. And 
 now I would again be silent, and perchance the poor desper- 
 ate man may be condemned. Wegelin is right, alas! Mercy 
 itself is restricted by laws. How shall I save Gabriel Nietzel 
 
276 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 if he will not be saved? My God, my God! how small and 
 insignificant are we princes of earth, and how well it befits 
 us to remember in humility and contrition that we are but clay 
 in the hands of God! ^^ 
 
 And with an expression of deepest devotion, Frederick 
 William folded his hands and raised his eyes to heaven. 
 
 VIII.— The Temptek. 
 
 The Elector had seated himself at work before his writing 
 table. He again took up the legal document which he had 
 begun to read before Memmhart's entrance, but his thoughts 
 kept wandering, and a strange feeling of restlessness came 
 over him. 
 
 " I do not know how it is," he said, " but I feel as if I 
 were dreaming. There is something in the atmosphere which 
 reminds me of the past, of those long-vanished days, that I 
 am ever seeking to forget. What is it? Whence comes it? 
 It seems to me as if the air I breathe were filled with memories 
 of earlier days, and " 
 
 "What letter is this?" he interposed, with hasty move- 
 ment picking up a daintily folded letter which lay on the 
 table beside the deed. " Good heavens! " he murmured softly, 
 " I feel it. The recollections which haunt me arise from this 
 paper; this paper is scented with the same perfume which 
 she loved, which ever made known to me her proximity. Yes, 
 yes, that is it. This paper has the odor of mignonette, and 
 that was the perfume she always wore. Ludovicka, Ludo- 
 vicka! shall I then never forget you? Will memories of you 
 never be obliterated from my soul? Hush, hush! I will read 
 this letter! But from whom does it come, and who laid it here, 
 
 and " He uttered a low cry and sprang from his seat, his 
 
 eyes immovably fixed upon the letter, which he still held in 
 his hand. 
 
 He had only read the address, but these few words had 
 kindled glowing flames in his breast. He had recognized the 
 
THE TEMPTER. 277 
 
 handwriting, and his stormily beating heart told him from 
 whom the letter came. Slowly and with trembling hands he^ 
 now unfolded it and gazed upon it. The characters swam 
 before his eyes, a cold perspiration stood in great drops upon 
 his brow, and his heart beat so loudly that it oppressed 
 him. By force of will he at last roused himself from this- 
 stupor. " I will read," he said, " I will look the past courage- 
 ously in the face." He wiped the moisture from his brow 
 and his burning eyes, struggled for breath, sighed deeply, and 
 read: 
 
 "Fredekick William: I appeal to you by the memory 
 of days of the sweetest and most sacred emotion! You, whom 
 my soul has ever loved — ^you, who will live forever in my 
 heart! Frederick William, like a dying person taking fare- 
 well of the fairest and dearest mementos of her mortal life,, 
 before descending into the grave, so I come to you! Can youi 
 have the heart to reject me? Frederick William, by the vow& 
 of eternal love and constancy which you once made to me, 
 I adjure you come to me! I have journeyed hundreds of miles- 
 to see you; come you only a hundred paces to see me! Only 
 a hundred paces! This evening at twilight open your cabinet 
 door, and you will there find some one who will conduct you 
 to me. It is your most faithful servant, and you will be as- 
 sured that by him you can only be led in safe and pleasant 
 ways. Come, Frederick William, come to a last interview pre- 
 paratory to an eternal adieu." 
 
 How often he read this letter he knew not, nor how long 
 he held it before his eyes gazing upon the prettily formed 
 letters, fancy bringing up vividly before him the delicate little 
 hand which had traced them and the big flaming eyes which 
 had rested upon this paper. The fascination of her presence 
 seemed to be so recalled by each of her words that he no longer 
 knew whether they were actually on the page before him, or 
 were being whispered into his ear by a sweet, alluring voice. 
 Yes, he heard that voice, and it filled his heart with a sweet 
 trembling and fired his soul with its magical intonations. 
 
 She had called him " by the memory of days of the sweet- 
 
278 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 est and most sacred emotion/' and those days now reappeared 
 before him in all their glory. 
 
 Again he saw her as she had been then, so pretty, so fas- 
 cinating, and he said to himself that it was he who had for- 
 saken her and given her up. He thought of her tears, her 
 grief; he thought also of what he had suffered for her, and 
 how he had loved her in spite of having been forced to re- 
 nounce her. How often had he seen her in his dreams, how 
 often had he remembered her with painful longings! And 
 now he was to see her again, to behold once more her beautiful 
 face. "Ha! what is this?" he exclaimed suddenly, inter- 
 rupting the course of his own thoughts. " What means this 
 throbbing of the heart, this timidity? What mean you, Fred- 
 erick William, by sitting here dreaming, like the enamored 
 boy you were when you used to love the charming Princess? 
 Have you not become a man since then, Frederick William? 
 — have not the experiences and disenchantments forced upon 
 you most especially by Tier steeled your breast and panoplied 
 your heart? Have you not at your side a charming wife, who 
 loves you and whom you love; to whom, moreover, you have 
 pledged your troth? Why sit you here, Frederick William, 
 listening to the siren voice of memory? Away with her en- 
 chantments! I will not hear. I will not allow myself to be 
 deluded and become forgetful of my duties and my vows." 
 
 His countenance was fired by a glow of noble indignation, 
 and impatiently he shook his head. 
 
 "Up, Frederick William, and be a man!" he cried. 
 ^' Open your eyes and look! Away with those clouds of melan- 
 choly which would darken your intellect — away with those 
 images of the past which would enthrall your heart. I will 
 awake, I will see, I will be a strong, a brave, a conscientious 
 man! " 
 
 As he thus spoke loudly and joyfully, his countenance 
 brightened more and more, until it grew radiant with energy 
 and glad resolve. He drew a deep breath, as if a weight 
 had been rolled away from his soul, and a smile played about 
 his lips as he again took up the letter which had a little 
 while ago filled his heart with so strange a tumult of emo- 
 tions. 
 
THE TEMPTER. 279 
 
 '' She is a Circe," he said softly, " and she would allure 
 the Ulysses Frederick William. Ah! but she shall not suc- 
 ceed, and my pretty Penelope shall not be left to weep and 
 mourn. But what seeks the Circe here? Wherefore would 
 she entice me? To what end this tale of the dying friend who 
 comes to bid me farewell — this tale of eternal, inextinguish- 
 able love? She has a reason for it, without doubt, a cogent 
 reason: and I shall and must fathom it. Would she not per- 
 haps bind me to France with soft chains of roses, and make 
 me King Louis's vassal? Why should she not try that experi- 
 ment once more, when it might advantage the King of France 
 to have the Elector of Brandenburg for his ally, and the oppo- 
 nent of the Emperor and Lorraine? Yes, a right fine thing 
 would it be for the brave Cond^ to obtain auxiliaries from 
 me. Lorraine could then be attacked in front and rear, and 
 •overwhelmed. The King of France would thereby make the 
 comfortable acquisition of Lorraine and Alsatia, and I — ^well, 
 I would obtain many promises and praises, perhaps subsidies 
 
 also, as so many other German princes, and Moreover, I 
 
 would wear upon my forehead the brand of infamy and trea- 
 son. No, no, it shall not be. Never shall history record of 
 me that I was a traitor to Germany! I must penetrate the 
 motive which leads the fair enchantress hither. She comes 
 wearing a mask before her face, and time will show which of 
 us two will outwit the other! Ah! the fair Princess Ludo- 
 Ticka Hollandine came a hundred miles to see me — how could 
 I refuse to take a hundred steps to meet her? No, no, it would 
 be cruel — heartless! I can not, I may not be deaf to her ap- 
 peal! I must comply with her request! " 
 
 Twilight had come. The shadows of evening were fall- 
 ing. The Elector left his cabinet, passed quickly through 
 the lighted sitting room, and opened the antechamber door. 
 
 " Come in," he said to the muffled figure standing beside 
 the door. Silently the order was obeyed; the man entered 
 and locked the door behind him. 
 
 " I thought it was you, Burgsdorf ," said the Elector, greet- 
 ing him with a smile. 
 
 " Your highness, I crave your pardon for this boldness! " 
 cried Burgsdorf . 
 
280 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Hush! " interrupted the Elector, " do not speak so loud. 
 We might be overheard." 
 
 " Ah! " thought Burgsdorf, " he would not have our con- 
 versation overheard! The fish has caught at the bait, thenf 
 He has betrayed nothing to his wife. — Most gracious sir/' he 
 said in an undertone, " for God's sake, tell me whether I am 
 awake or asleep — whether this is all a dream or do I actually 
 live to see it? " 
 
 " Tell me, first of all, what you have lived to see." 
 
 " An adventure, your highness — a remarkable adventure. 
 Condescend to hear what has happened." 
 
 He gave the Elector a detailed and exact account of the 
 arrival of the stranger, who had quartered herself at his house 
 in the character of his daughter. He only omitted to tell the 
 principal thing — namely, the object of her coming. His 
 portraiture of the unknown, too, did not quite correspond 
 with the reality, for he very adroitly concealed her haughti- 
 ness and free-and-easy manners, making of her an Aspasia 
 or a Magdalen. 
 
 Frederick William had hearkened with close attention. 
 ^* And she did not tell you her name? " he asked, when Burgs^ 
 dorf had finished his well-spun narrative. 
 
 " No, your highness, she said no one in Berlin should 
 know her name save yourself. With all others she would 
 pass for Madame von Kanitz." 
 
 The Elector was so absorbed in thought that he did not 
 observe the quick, cunning look with which Burgsdorf scanned 
 his countenance, as if to read there what was passing within. 
 
 " If he says now that his wife must also know the name,'* 
 thought Burgsdorf, "then are we lost, and all has been in 
 vain." 
 
 But the Elector said no such thing. He stepped to the 
 window and looked out upon the cathedral square. 
 
 " It is already dark," he said. 
 
 " Yes, your highness," replied Burgsdorf in a low tone. 
 " It has been dark already some time, and the lady has been 
 expecting the Elector for at least an hour. 
 
 " Is she at your house? " 
 
 " Yes, gracious sir, I have the key to the garden gate with 
 
THE TEMPTER. 281 
 
 me, and your highness will meet no one at all on your way to 
 visit the strange lady. She bade me use every precaution to 
 prevent your highness from being observed. She says as far 
 as she is concerned it matters not, but she would not for any- 
 thing in the world have your highness compromised on her 
 account." 
 
 " She would appear kind and considerate,'^ thought the 
 Elector. " I am to believe that she would grieve to injure 
 another. Come, Burgsdorf," he said, " let us go." 
 
 " I have brought your highness a cloak," whispered Burgs- 
 dorf, " else somebody might recognize us." 
 
 He took the cloak, which he had deposited near the door, 
 and wrapped it around the Elector; then drew from his pocket 
 a simple cloth cap, and with it covered the brown locks of 
 his master. 
 
 " Now, if such are your highnesses orders, we can go," he 
 said. 
 
 " Let us go through the small passage which leads from 
 my dressing room to the private staircase. But before we go 
 I have one word to say to you, old friend. You are not to 
 think unworthily of your lord and Elector; therefore I tell 
 you that this lady whom we are now going to see has no claims 
 upon me of any kind, nor have I ever stood in any relation 
 to her which would not bear exposure to the light of the 
 world and the eye of my Maker." 
 
 "Your highness," said Burgsdorf, with deep seriousness, 
 '^ one need only once look upon this noble, royal lady to know 
 that it would be impossible to suspect her of aught improper, 
 and when one, moreover, has the good fortune to know your 
 highness and the spotless purity of your life, what room is 
 left for light and frivolous comment? I have taken good care 
 not to trouble my thick skull with suppositions as to what 
 this lady can have to say to your highness. What could I 
 gain by it? I never could understand such delicate matters, 
 and might just as well dismiss all care on the subject. I serve 
 my master like a faithful dog, following his steps, and per- 
 fectly content if he only gives me his orders by a wink of the 
 «ye." 
 
 The Elector laid his hand on Burgsdorfs shoulder, nod- 
 
282 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ding to him with a friendly smile. " I know that you love 
 me, old friend," he said; " you know, too, that I return your 
 aifeetion, for this is not the first time that I have addressed 
 you as Father Burgsdorf ." 
 
 " And God knows, your highness! " cried Burgsdorf, his 
 voice choked with tears — " God knows that in the silent 
 depths of my heart I call you my beloved, my revered son." 
 
 " Come then, let us softly descend the private stairway 
 — bright softly, so that no one may hear our steps. And hark I 
 one thing more. You are an old tattler, but little used to 
 keeping secrets. This time hold your tongue, that " 
 
 " Sir," interposed Burgsdorf indignantly, " I would tear 
 out my tongue before it should dare to betray one word of 
 this affair." 
 
 "Very good. I believe you. Forward now. To your 
 house! Come! " 
 
 IX. — Meeting Again. 
 
 With a trembling heart, pale from excitement and sus- 
 pense, Ludovicka Hollandine tarried in her chamber. A 
 long, tedious hour had elapsed since Burgsdorf had left her 
 to fetch the Elector. What if he had gone in vain? What 
 if the Elector should not come? What if the present should 
 have greater influence over him than the past? At this- 
 thought a pain darted through her heart, as if it had been 
 pierced by a dagger. "My God! my God!" she murmured 
 softly, "I am afraid that I love him still, and that the sport 
 will at last end in grave, solemn earnest. I — I hear steps," 
 she whispered, springing from her seat. "Yes, yes, they 
 come nearer and nearer. Be with me now, spirit of love, irradi- 
 ate my countenance, animate my heart! 
 
 " He is here. He comes to me! " exulted she aloud, as 
 the door opened and the Elector entered. She hastened to- 
 meet him with outstretched arms, then paused hesitatingly,, 
 cast one long, glowing glance into his pale and agitated face,. 
 and then with a low cry of pain clasped both hands before 
 
MEETING AGAIN. 285 
 
 her face, and tottered backward, trembling like a lily bend- 
 ing before the storm. 
 
 The Elector sprang forward and caught the sinking form 
 in his arms, pressing her to his heart, overpowered by his own 
 feelings, carried away by the sweet recollections which rushed 
 upon him. But this only lasted one short minute, for Fred- 
 erick William had a consciousness of the danger which hovered 
 over him, and his brave heart whispered: " Do not allow your- 
 self to be deceived — ^be strong, be a man! Kemember, she is 
 a Circe. Eesist her, but let not the mask fall from your own 
 face." 
 
 Silently and languidly she rested her head against his. 
 breast, and he bent forward and kissed her raven-black hair. 
 
 " Eest there, poor frightened dove," he said softly and 
 with quivering voice. '* The storms of life have parted us, and 
 now for one short moment have brought us together. Let 
 us enjoy the boon, and thank God for having granted it." 
 
 She only answered by a sob and floods of tears. 
 
 "Ludovicka," he said — ** sweet Ludovicka, weep not- 
 Welcome, thrice welcome, idol of my youth! " 
 
 " Blessed be the hour of reunion! " cried she, deeply 
 moved. She lifted her head from his breast and looked at him 
 with her large beaming eyes, and the fascinating smile played 
 as of old around her cherry lips. The magic of her influence 
 again made itself felt as in earlier days, and his whole heart 
 swelled with admiration and rapture. But again he con- 
 trolled himself by the force of his will. 
 
 " Be a man, Frederick William! Do not allow yourself 
 to be deceived and ensnared. Place a guard before the door 
 of your lips and your heart! " 
 
 " Look at me, Frederick," she whispered. " Behold the 
 ravages of these dreadful years! Read the story of their pains 
 and disappointments in the lines which they have drawn upon 
 my face." 
 
 " No," said he smiling, " they have not been so cnieL 
 They have not dared to touch that open brow, those rosy 
 cheeks. Not a shadow has dimmed their beauty." 
 
 " But the shadow lies on my soul and my heart! " cried 
 she bitterly. " No, do not look at me so kindly, Frederick, 
 19 
 
^84 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 for beneath those looks my strength and my steadfastness 
 waver, and the ice in which my heart is incrusted melts before 
 jour smile. I have come to bid you a last farewell." 
 
 "Farewell?" asked he. "And whither would you go, 
 Ludovicka Hollandine?" 
 
 " What said the gladiators as they entered the arena and 
 bowed before their masters? They said, ' Those who are about 
 to die greet thee.^ That was their farevv^ell, and nobody asked 
 them whither they were going, for everybody knew that for 
 them there was only one path, and that led but to the tomb. 
 Like those gladiators, Frederick William, I have fought with 
 lions and tigers, and have come forth from the conflict with 
 torn and bleeding heart and a soul weary unto death. My 
 ispirit is broken, and, renouncing all the vanities of earth, 
 I would flee to God, to serve him in a solitary cell as in an 
 open sepulcher." 
 
 A shadow passed over Frederick William's face, and he 
 remarked more coldly: 
 
 " True, they told me that the Princess Ludovicka Hol- 
 iandine had fled from her mother's house with a French noble- 
 man, never to return there. They told me, moreover, that 
 the Princess had proved false to the faith of her house, and 
 forsaken her religion, as she had done the paternal roof." 
 
 " And they told you the truth! " she cried in bitter tones. 
 '" Yes, I am a castaway, an apostate. I bow my head in hu- 
 mility and shame, acknowledging my guilt. I am come, Fred- 
 -erick William, to do penance before you, and to lay bare my 
 heart to you. You must receive my confession: ' She who is 
 about to die greets you.' Oh, turn not your head away from me, 
 Frederick; behold me at your feet, a penitent torn with 
 grief! " 
 
 " Good heavens. Princess, what are you doing? " he cried, 
 -•as she sank upon her knees before him, and imploringly lifted 
 up to him her folded hands. " Eise, Ludovicka, for it becomes 
 you not to kneel before me." 
 
 " I would confess on my knees," she said, " to God and to 
 you, my first, my only love. Indeed, Frederick, you were 
 my first, my only love, and when, despite my tears, my en- 
 treaties, you thrust me from you, I was lost! It seemed to 
 
MEETING AGAIN. 285 
 
 me as if nothing were true or sacred upon earth, when the only- 
 man I loved had the cruel determination to turn from me 
 and give me up! A wild despair took possession of me; I 
 could no longer ahide in the house where everything reminded 
 me of you and my ruined affections. I must away, away, out 
 into the world, to bury myself and my memories in the lone- 
 liness of a foreign land. I fled, and the only friend who re- 
 mained to me. Count d'Entragues, took pity upon me. He 
 conducted me to the house of his sister, the noble, virtuous 
 Princess J^pioles, and in a secluded castle among the Cevennes 
 I passed long, solitary years of mourning and penance. I 
 know the cruel, pitiless world interpreted my flight differ- 
 ently. Count d'Entragues was supposed to be my lover, and 
 it was said that out of love for him I had followed him to 
 Prance! But ask your own heart, Frederick; do you believe 
 that, with your kisses yet warm upon my cheek, your vows of 
 love still ringing in my ears, I could have loved another? 
 No, you can not think so badly of one whom you once loved. 
 You know that in the ectasy of my grief I fled from reflec- 
 tion, from my love of you — that love which you had so ruth- 
 lessly trampled in the dust. And yet I could not be angry 
 with you, and my love went with me into that land of strangers. 
 I tried to break loose from it; I longed to forget — oh, to 
 forget at any price! I sought to drown the voice which was 
 forever speaking to my heart of the past; I resolved to take 
 refuge in religion since you had deserted me. I would make 
 Christ the bridegroom of my soul, and give him the love that 
 you had despised! I became a Catholic. And now it seemed 
 as if peace were about to return to me, and as if my heart 
 found repose amid the tears and prayers of anguish which 
 I perpetually uplifted to my heavenly bridegroom. Alas! 
 if they had allowed me then to take the veil, perhaps my griev- 
 ous wound might have healed, and my heart become patient 
 and subdued. But my mother and my relatives would not 
 suffer it. My uncle, King Charles of England, had written 
 with his own hand to his Holiness at Rome and to the King 
 of France, beseeching them to forbid my admission into a 
 convent. Consequently, all monasteries shut their gates 
 against me, and once more I was thrust out into the cold, 
 
286 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 heartless world. Now came over me a spirit of wild despair 
 and raging resentment. I had sought forgetfulness in sacred 
 retirement, and that being denied me, I sought it in the bustle 
 of the world, in the tumult of life. Since I could not be a 
 pious, melancholy nun, I became a gay, haughty woman of the 
 world, laughed at my own grief, and mocked my own heart, 
 that still wept over its lost happiness. I would give the 
 death-stroke to love by kindling a new flame. In vain! All 
 in vain! I decked my head with roses, but only felt their 
 thorns; I put the golden goblet of joy to my lips, but the 
 sparkling wine tasted but of the drops of bitterness lurking 
 beneath the surface. I rushed into scenes of gayety and 
 amusement, and still experienced nought but an infinite 
 ennui, a sickening weariness, which forced tears to my eyes 
 while I seemed to smile, and filled my heart with woe while 
 my lips spoke words of merriment." 
 
 "Poor Ludovicka! " whispered the Elector. "Poor, 
 much-to-be-pitied woman! I weep over you as Jeremiah 
 wept over the ruins of Jerusalem! " And he drew his hand 
 across his eyes to repress the gushing tears. 
 
 " Ah! " cried she sadly, " you pity me, you weep over me I 
 Frederick, these tears comfort me for all the tortures I have 
 endured, indemnify me for all my sufferings. I thank you 
 for those tears; they shall be the diamonds whose brightness 
 will shine for me in my lonely cell, the only jewels of memory. 
 Por there is nothing now to prevent my entering a convent. 
 My uncle. King Charles, is no more, and Cardinal Mazarin 
 rules over France. From him I have obtained permission 
 to take the veil, and upon his intercession Queen Anne con- 
 sented to appoint me prioress of an abbey. Before cleaving 
 asunder all ties that bound me to the outer world, I longed to 
 see once more the beloved of my youth. To you alone of all the 
 world would I bid farewell. And so I have come to you, Fred- 
 erick, and kneeling at your feet have made confession of all 
 my past wanderings. And now extend to me your hand; 
 promise that you will think of me as a friend, that you will 
 sacredly cherish recollections of the past, and when God in 
 mercy shall call me from the trials of life, you will shed for me 
 one tear of pity and commiseration." 
 
MEETING AGAIN. 287 
 
 The Elector stooped over her, gently assisted her to rise, 
 and led her to a seat. " Be comforted, poor mourner," he said, 
 in low tones. ^^ Forget for one short hour what you have 
 undergone, and only remember that a faithful friend is at 
 your side, who never can forget you, and who by no means 
 ceased to love you when he was forced to leave you. Long 
 did you reign in his heart, and even when he had cause to 
 think you unworthy of his love, he could not drive your 
 sweet image from his soul. But now, Ludovicka, now I am 
 the husband of a woman whom I truly love, and who brightens 
 my life with gentle happiness. The glowing love which I once 
 felt has changed into tender friendship, a friendship which 
 would withdraw you from all the sorrows of earth, and rejoice 
 to offer you here an asylum from all the storms of life. I can 
 not be your lover, but, Ludovicka, will you accept me as your 
 friend, your brother? '^ 
 
 " Yes,'^ she cried, with a fond look, " yes, I will." 
 
 " Come then, dear friend, come to my house. Here, in 
 the haven of true friendship, find a retreat secure from all the 
 storms of the world. I would conduct you to my wife. Like 
 myself, she will give you a cordial welcome." 
 
 " No! " she cried earnestly, " that I can not do! The sight 
 of your happiness would kill me, or fill my soul with envy 
 and repining. You give me your friendship, and I thank 
 you for this crumb; but in me, Frederick, shines still the 
 sun of my y^outhful love, and never will it set. Let me be con- 
 sumed by its ardent rays; I shall never desire it to change 
 into the soft moonlight of friendship. I can not see your wife, 
 at least not yet! Grant me a few days of rest in which to 
 gain self-control. Perhaps I may succeed in conquering my 
 feelings, and attaining at least some degree of composure and 
 resignation. To this end 1 shall direct my efforts, and it 
 will be the last, greatest sacrifice I shall offer to the world 
 before forsaking it forever. Grant me just two days, Fred- 
 erick, and you will see that from you I have learned patience 
 and gentleness. But until then, let my presence here remain 
 a secret, to be revealed to no one, not even your wife. I have 
 come here to see you only secretly, and under a feigned name. 
 The trusty old Burgsdorf alone knows that I am other than 
 
288 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 I seem, and probably suspects who I am. Promise me, Fred- 
 erick, to keep my secret." 
 
 " Well, Ludovicka, my friend, I promise," he said, and 
 she saw not the light mocking smile which for a moment 
 played about his lips. " No one shall know that you are here. 
 I shall keep silence until you yourself take the seal from 
 my lips by saying that you feel able to meet your Cousin 
 Louisa." 
 
 " Thank you, Frederick, and may God grant me power 
 to restrain my feelings and see your wife. But, alas! I fear 
 it may not be. Just permit me a few days of rest, and, above 
 all, grant me the pleasure of your society during that space 
 of time. For fourteen years of grief and torture I only ask 
 four days of sunshine, to be dedicated to the past. Will you 
 grant them to me, Frederick William? " 
 
 " Not merely to you, but to myself, Ludovicka," said the 
 Elector warmly. " Four days consecrated to memory and 
 friendship, four days apart from the conventionalities of this 
 world and the engrossing cares of government. I shall give 
 myself up to enjoying them with you, and when they are past 
 their remembrance will gladden my heart. But where will 
 you stay these four days, sweet cousin? " 
 
 "Here, my adored Sovereign and friend — here, in the 
 house of good, trustworthy old Burgsdorf, on whom I forced 
 myself as his daughter, and who, in the goodness of his heart, 
 had not courage to say me nay. Ah! you have a devoted 
 servant in him, and long had I to plead with him before he 
 would consent to hand my note to his beloved Elector. I had 
 to give him my word of honor that I had no evil designs against 
 you. I shall never forget that it was he to whom I owe the 
 last joy of my life, and I shall ever include him in my prayers. 
 May God long preserve to you, Frederick William, this faith- 
 ful friend and counselor! But now, my lord and Elector, 
 you must go. The night is advancing, and I would not cause 
 uneasiness to another's heart. Go, Frederick, but promise 
 me, beloved friend, to see me again to-morrow." 
 
 " I promise you, or rather myself, to devote another hour 
 to-morrow to friendship's sweet communings. I shall come, 
 rest assured of that." 
 
MEETING AGAIN. 289 
 
 ^' And forget not to keep the secret of my being here from 
 every one." 
 
 "I shall not forget, Ludovicka, thou star of youthful 
 love. Farewell, farewell! " 
 
 He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. But she bent 
 forward and offered him her cheek. " I am not yet a nun," 
 she said, with an enchanting smile and a glowing flash of 
 light in her eyes. " I still belong to the world, and the last 
 earthly kiss these lips receive they would receive from you, 
 Frederick William." 
 
 She was so beautiful to behold, so fascinating, that it was 
 difficult to resist the magic of her charms. Frederick Wil- 
 liam's arms had well-nigh opened to press the ravishing form 
 to his heart as he stooped to take the proffered kiss. ''' But 
 no," he murmured — "no, it may not be!" And drawing 
 himself up, he hurried to the door. " Farewell, Princess, till 
 to-morrow, farewell! " 
 
 Princess Ludovicka followed him with a long, triumphant 
 look. " I shall not leave at the expiration of four days," she 
 said, smiling. " I shall manage to summon sufficient cour- 
 age, not merely to see her, but to stay with her. For I see 
 that it will not be so easy a thing to work upon the dear, vir- 
 tuous Elector, and it will require some time to get him com- 
 pletely in my toils." 
 
 And, as with quick steps he returned to the castle, the 
 Elector said to himself: " It seems clear to me that I am on 
 the right track, and that it is a political intrigue, in which 
 old Burgsdorf also has a part to play, for she praised him ex- 
 cessively as my most faithful counselor. Well, we shall see. 
 The first thing I shall do is to write to Princess Amelia at 
 The Hague, to ask her for more particular information con- 
 cerning the Princess Ludovicka! To-morrow morning early 
 a courier sets off with letters of condolence on the occasion 
 of Prince William's death. He shall also be the bearer of my 
 letter to Princess Amelia, and from her I shall probably obtain 
 gome reliable information." 
 
290 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 X.— The Teial. 
 
 Theee days after the imprisonment of beggar Glaus, his 
 case was for the first time investigated before the Joint tribunal 
 of Berlin and Cologne. It was a solemn occasion, looked 
 forward to with the greatest interest and curiosity by all Ber- 
 lin. Envied were those who had the good fortune to be sum- 
 moned to the great city hall, where the criminal court was 
 accustomed to hold its sessions. Fiirberg, the tailor, Wendt, 
 the shoemaker, Ewald, the cobbler, and Kurt, the leech, were 
 of course numbered among the witnesses cited by the high 
 magistrate, and the master builder Memmhart, with a few 
 of his apprentices and workmen, had also been called upon to 
 testify against the beggar who was to be tried for heinous 
 crimes. Dense was the multitude packed into the little square 
 in front of the senate house and in the streets adjoining, and, 
 although the session lasted many hours, not one would leave 
 his place anc^ go home to work until he had heard the issue 
 of the affair. Especially were they curious to learn whether 
 the criminal had confessed, or what defense he had made, and 
 whether they might hope that he would meet the punishment 
 due his crime. 
 
 " It is impossible that they can do anything else but con- 
 demn him," said one burgher to his neighbor. " The whole 
 city knows that it is proved that he is a sorcerer, and he has 
 himself acknowledged that he is a murderer; consequently, 
 it is impossible that he can escape." 
 
 " I hope he will he hanged," answered the neighbor. " It 
 would be particularly welcome just now. Trade is very dull, 
 and, although everybody knows my brandy and beer to be the 
 best in Berlin, money comes in too slowly for my use. Now, 
 my house is just in front of the place where the execution 
 is to be. If it should come off, wouldn't I coin money, for, 
 besides the liquor which the gay spectators will need, I shall 
 have the whole front of my house faced with scaffolding, and 
 get a crood price for the seats. An execution, you know, does 
 not take place every day." 
 
 It would be too revolting to polite ears to be called upon 
 
THE TRIAL. ^J 
 
 to hear more of the coarse conversation carried on amid a 
 mob upon an occasion like the present, fitted to arouse all the 
 more brutal instincts of a degraded populace. Many and 
 cruel were the jests bandied from mouth to mouth. All seemed 
 to look forward with detestable glee to the hour when they 
 might behold the punishment of a wretch whom they thought 
 it a virtue to abhor. Not even a woman^s voice was heard 
 to utter one accent of pity or sympathy: men, women, and chil- 
 dren all mingled their voices in one chorus of hatred and ma- 
 lignity. Nought would satisfy them but the blood of the 
 loathed being whom they stigmatized as a wizard and mur- 
 derer. 
 
 While the people were entertaining each other in such 
 manner without the senate house, the court had commenced 
 its session within. The Judges and counselors had seated 
 themselves upon their high-backed chairs behind the table 
 covered with black cloth, the witnesses summoned had taken 
 their places on the bench, and then Burgomaster Wegelin 
 had given the beadle a signal to bring the culprit in. 
 
 All eyes now turned toward the dark little sidedoor 
 through which he must enter, and, although everybody knew 
 the beggar Claus, yet all were curious to behold him in his new 
 character of wizard and murderer. The door opened, and 
 the beggar, chained hand and foot and clad in his gray gown, 
 followed the beadle into the long, dark hall. Deep, solemn 
 silence prevailed as he stepped slowly forward; no sound was 
 heard save the rattling and clanking of his chains. Close 
 to the long table of the judges the beadle led the accused, bid- 
 ding him take his place on the wooden block for criminals, 
 while he with his posse took his station behind him. 
 
 The clerk of the court arose and read the indictment, 
 charging beggar Claus with murder, witchcraft, and sorcery. 
 Every one fixed his glance upon the accused, and saw with 
 astonishment that this horrible accusation made no impres- 
 sion whatever upon him. His countenance was wonderfully 
 calm and serene, and his features betrayed nought of the an- 
 guish of a criminal arraigned before his judges. He had 
 folded his hands over his breast, his eyes were turned heaven- 
 ward, and about his lips hovered an almost cheerful smile. 
 
292 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 When the reading of the accusation was over, the presid- 
 ing judge arose. " Glaus/' he said, " you have heard the 
 charges against you. Do you acknowledge yourself guilty? " 
 
 He did not answer immediately. Slowly he took a survey 
 of all assembled, and long did his glance rest upon the four 
 burghers who appeared as his accusers in the matter of witch- 
 craft. Involuntarily they reddened beneath his gaze, and 
 cast down their eyes. Glaus smiled and then turned his glance 
 upon Memmhart, who was watching him with sympathizing 
 looks. 
 
 "Prisoner," repeated the judge, "answer. Do you ac- 
 knowledge yourself guilty of the crimes charged against you? " 
 
 " I can not answer, sir, unless you will permit me first to 
 ask Herr Memmhart a question," gently replied the beggar. 
 " If your lordships will grant me that favor, I shall afterward 
 give you a candid answer." 
 
 The judges put their heads together, advising with one 
 another in low tones. 
 
 " Glaus," said the presiding judge, " since you say that 
 your answer is dependent upon what you have to say to the 
 master builder Memmhart, we grant your request to avoid 
 undue delay. Speak, then! " 
 
 The beggar returned thanks with a gentle inclination of 
 his head, and once more turned his large, blue eyes upon the 
 master builder. 
 
 "Herr Memmhart," he asked with trembling voice, and 
 a flush tinged his pale cheeks with red, to be succeeded by a 
 deeper pallor — "Herr Memmhart, will you answer me just 
 this one thing: What have you done with the sacred remains 
 you discovered in the castle- wall? Where are they? I be- 
 seech you, sir, by all you hold sacred, to answer me truth- 
 fully." 
 
 " I will answer you truthfully, Glaus," replied the master 
 builder solemnly. " The bones found by us in yonder walls 
 were deposited in a coffin yesterday evening by our most 
 gracious Elector's orders, and buried in the cathedral church- 
 yard. His highness also bade me to have a stone cross pre- 
 pared, to place at the head of the grave, inscribed with the 
 name ' Kebecca.' " 
 
THE TRIAL. 293 
 
 The beggar listened to him with suspended breath, and 
 two tears slowly coursed down his sunken cheeks. 
 
 " I thank you, Lord my God! " he murmured to himself. 
 ^' Now I can die, for my vow is accomplished. I have noth- 
 ing more to live for since I have found Rebecca's grave. Sa^i 
 to the Elector," he cried, " that from the depths of my soul 
 I thank him for this grace, extended not merely to the dead, 
 but to a wretched man who durst not die, until he had found 
 her grave." 
 
 " Glaus," said the presiding officer of the court, " for the 
 third time I ask you, are you guilty or not guilty of the 
 crimes charged against you? " 
 
 " Guilty! " cried Glaus joyfully. " Yes, I confess my guilt. 
 Punish me according to the severity of the law! I am a mur- 
 derer! The woman whose skeleton you found in the castle 
 wall perished through my fault. That I swear by the Holy 
 Trinity, by God and all his holy angels. I and I alone am to 
 blame for her death. I am a sorcerer and master of magic, 
 and it is exactly as Ewald, the cobbler, lately said: I have a 
 spirit in a little vial which "^ells mc all that I would know. 
 Now sentence me, lead me out to die, for you know all — 
 you know that I deserve to die. Oh, give me death! From 
 the depths of my soul, I beg you for it. Let me die, that my 
 sins may be expiated! " 
 
 "We let nobody die," said the presiding judge sternly, 
 " unless the judge has sentenced him and the laws condemned 
 him. The law acts compassionately toward the criminal, re- 
 quiring judges to sift carefully all evidence deposed, and 
 providing an advocate to plead the cause of the accused, in 
 opposition to his accusers. The law offers its protection even 
 to such a vagabond and beggar as Glaus. We would now re- 
 ceive the depositions of the witnesses. Herr Memmhart, ad- 
 vance and give us your statement with regard to the discov- 
 ery of the skeleton, and all that passed afterward." 
 
 The master builder obeyed, speaking with a clear, distinct 
 voice. It was observable that he tried to spare the prisoner 
 as much as possible, and was very unwilling to injure him 
 by his evidence. He omitted to state that Glaus had caught 
 hold of him, and possessed himself of the ring by force, and 
 
^94 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 that he had in like violent manner appropriated the veil. 
 But the beggar himself reminded him of these things, and 
 supplied with circumstantial exactness particulars which 
 Memmhart had compassionately forborne to mention. 
 
 "Is it as Glaus says?" asked the president. "Has he 
 actually been guilty of street robbery besides, and taken a 
 ring and veil away from you by force? " 
 
 " Yes, it is so," replied Memmhart, sighing. " But I do 
 not believe he did it with the intent to rob, but merely, as it 
 :seemed, because those things were precious mementos of one 
 he had probably loved." 
 
 " No! " cried Glaus eagerly. " I did do it with the intent 
 to rob. The ring was of pure gold, and the veil trimmed with 
 costly lace. I wanted these things that I might sell them 
 again. I am not, therefore, merely a murderer and sorcerer, 
 but a highwayman also! " 
 
 " It will all be in vain," muttered Memmhart to himself; 
 '^^ he will not be saved." 
 
 " The corpus delicti, the ring, has also been found upon 
 the person of the prisoner," said the president. " The beadle 
 committed it to my keeping, and here it is. Herr Memm- 
 hart, do you identify this ring as the one taken from you by 
 €laus?" 
 
 The page for the court handed the trinket to the master 
 builder. " I do not know," he said, examining it narrowly. 
 " I can not swear that this is the very same ring, for I hardly 
 •saw it." 
 
 " Let me see the ring, sirs! " cried Glaus, stretching out 
 his hand. " I can tell you whether it is the identical ring." 
 
 Upon a sign of assent from the judge the page brought 
 the ring to the prisoner. He clutched at it with trembling 
 fingers and looked at it. " Yes, this is the ring! " he cried, 
 in a loud exulting voice. " This is my Eebecca's ring. It is 
 my ring, and nobody shall take it from me." 
 
 And before the page could suspect his purpose, Glaus thrust 
 the little gold ring into his mouth and swallowed it. 
 
 " Now take my ring, my treasure! " he cried triumphantly. 
 •^^My Rebecca's corpse lies buried in the churchyard, and I 
 myself will become the tomb of her ring; my body is now 
 
THE TRIAL. 295 
 
 the shdme of a holy relic. Sentence me — sentence me now, 
 for have I not committed another crime, another robbery? " 
 
 " You are a wild, unmanageable fellow," said the judge; 
 ^' and if you go on so we shall know how to tame you by 
 giving you a taste of the rack. Eemember that, and be 
 reverential and submissive. Now let the other witnesses be 
 heard." 
 
 The other witnesses were less reserved and moderate in 
 their mode of giving evidence. They charged beggar Glaus 
 with sorcery. They told that he had shown them where to 
 find things which had been lost without his having any natural 
 way of knowing anything about them. They also testified 
 that when in astonishment they had asked how he had ob- 
 tained such knowledge, beggar Glaus replied that he kept a 
 spirit in a vial, who was obliged to tell him whatever he wanted 
 to know.* 
 
 " Is that true? Did you really say that? " asked the presi- 
 dent of the court. 
 
 " Have you not the proofs of it in your own hands? " re- 
 plied Glaus, with a scornful laugh. " Did not the beadle hand 
 over to you all that he so rudely took from me when he searched 
 my person? If he did not hand over that golden box to you, 
 most worshipful judges, then he is a thief and robber, de- 
 serving to occupy a criminal's place with me." 
 
 ^'Silence, and make no railing accusation against an 
 honest, worthy man," ordered the president. " Gertainly, 
 the beadle committed the gold box to our care, and it lies 
 here on the table as an evidence against you." 
 
 " Then have the goodness to open it, worshipful sir, and 
 you will find within the vial, where abides the spirit who re- 
 veals all things to me." 
 
 " It does not become a good Ghristian to meddle with 
 such devilish things, or touch them with his finger, and it 
 is perfectly sufiicient to hear your testimony on the subject. 
 We will not allow ourselves to be further troubled with such 
 an abominable piece of witchcraft. Beadle, have you the ham- 
 mer ready as we bade you? " 
 
 * This was actually the main accusation against beggar Claus. Vide 
 Konig, Description of Berlin, part 2, p. 67. 
 
296 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 "Yes, high puissant sir, I have it ready,'' replied the 
 beadle, with a low reverence. 
 
 " Fetch it here, then; place this little gold box on the 
 wooden block beside the prisoner, and shatter it to pieces, 
 calling upon the Holy Trinity all the while! " 
 
 The beadle hurried to a corner of the hall, and brought 
 forth a huge hammer. With this he approached the wooden 
 block on which he had laid the gold box, and lifted his arm 
 for a first stroke. 
 
 But at this instant Claus grasped his arm and held him 
 fast. " For God's sake," he said, " if your life is dear to you,, 
 and if you would not have the devil appear among you with 
 thunder and lightning, pitch and sulphur, then desist from 
 your mad undertaking, and attempt not to shatter the little 
 box and its contents. For if you break the vial, you will free 
 the devil within, and he will be loose among you all. Wise 
 masters, I beseech you, for your own soul's sake, to command 
 your beadle. Master Kriiger, not to attempt aught so danger- 
 ous and presumptuous." 
 
 With an expression of horror and dismay the beadle had 
 shrunk back a little; the judges looked at one another with 
 pale faces, and then spoke together in lov: whispers. 
 
 " Beadle," commanded the president of the court, " lay 
 aside your hammer. For the present we will defer the break- 
 ing of the little box." 
 
 At this instant the door opened and the porter announced 
 with loud voice, " A messenger from his most serene Highness 
 the Elector! " 
 
 " He may present himself before us! " cried the president, 
 and Chamberlain Kiinkel entered the hall. 
 
 " I have a communication to lay before this high tribunal 
 from the most noble Elector, written with his own hand," 
 said he, bowing low; and stepping up to the black table, he 
 laid down upon it a large sealed packet. Then his eyes slowly 
 swept through the hall, and when they fell upon Claus he 
 gave him a slight nod of the head. A ray of joy flashed 
 across the beggar's face. " Sirs," he cried, " I will now prove 
 to you that I have spoken the truth in declaring myself to be 
 a sorcerer. Let me take that magical gold box in my hand. 
 
THE TRIAL. 297 
 
 and then I will tell you what is written in the Elector's let- 
 ter." 
 
 " Take the devilish thing, and give us a proof of your 
 diabolical art. Tell us what are the contents of our Sover- 
 eign Elector's communication." 
 
 Claus took the box up from the block and pressed it fer- 
 vently to his lips. " Well, hear ye, worshipful lords," he said. 
 "^^ His highness's writing reads as follows: ^ The Elector de- 
 mands of these august Judges that they restore to the beggar 
 Olaus a little golden box which he wears around his neck, and 
 which has been taken from him, since the Elector once prom- 
 ised him that nobody should deprive him of this piece of 
 property so long as he lived! ' Now, gentlemen, see if such 
 are not the contents of that document." 
 
 " It is indeed so," almost shrieked the president, turning 
 pale. " Yes, hear what the Elector says: 
 
 " * Sending our surgeon yesterday to examine the condi- 
 tion of health of your prisoner, beggar Claus, he returned to 
 me with a most urgent petition, which makes us feel compelled 
 to make known to you the following: Beggar Claus wears 
 on a ribbon around his neck a little golden box, which is his 
 own. I have given him my Electoral word that no one shall 
 deprive him of this so long as he lives. Therefore, I require 
 you instantly to return to him his own property and not to 
 pretend to deprive him of it. For justice and law should be 
 dispensed to all equally, the beggar as well as the noble. Beg- 
 ging your prompt attention to this matter, I remain, 
 
 "^YOUK GRACIOFS LORD AND ELECTOR.'" 
 
 After the presiding judge had read this communication 
 in a loud voice, he offered it to the one sitting at his side, 
 who, after looking at it, gave it to his neighbor, and as the 
 paper thus made the rounds all faces grew pale, and there 
 was a general murmur of: ^' He has produced the proof. He 
 spoke the truth." 
 
 With inexpressible awe and aversion, all eyes were fixed 
 upon the beggar, who alone preserved a cheerful, tranquil 
 expression. 
 
THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Gracious sirs/' he implored, " will you now eO'iidescend 
 to restore to me my property, and leave me in its undisturbed 
 possession? You know my summons to leave this vale of 
 misery can not long be deferred now." 
 
 " Take the little box and keep it/' said the presiding judge 
 solemnly. "You have proved before us all that you know 
 hidden things. You do not deny being the murderer of the 
 woman discovered in the castle wall, and, in accordance with 
 the testimony of these witnesses, you acknowledge having 
 engaged in the practice of witchcraft. You therefore stand 
 convicted of the most dreadful crimes. Beggar Claus is a 
 wizard, a conjurer, and a murderer. I accuse him of these 
 crimes, but before I pronounce sentence against him I sum- 
 mon to speak in his defense the advocate whom the benevolence 
 of the law provides to plead in behalf of the criminal." 
 
 " Gentlemen," cried Claus, with anxious mien, " I want 
 no defense, I decline the aid of the advocate accorded me by 
 the benevolence of the law." 
 
 "And if Claus were to make no such protest/' said the 
 advocate, rising from his seat beside the judges, "yet really 
 I should not know how to set about defending him. He has 
 pleaded guilty to all the charges brought against him, and 
 I can see no indication whatever of innocence." 
 
 " Oh, thank you, Mr. Defendant, thank you! " cried 
 Claus joyfully. " You are indeed my advocate, since you re- 
 fuse to undertake my defense." 
 
 Now the presiding judge arose, taking in his hand the 
 white wooden staff which lay on the table before him. 
 
 "Nothing remains to be done/' he said, "but to pro- 
 nounce sentence. In the name of the public safety, in the 
 name of the law, I lay the ban of the city upon this prisoner,, 
 and my verdict is death. In token whereof I break this staff. 
 Ye judges and dispensers of law, whoever is of my opinion 
 let him do the same. Let him who dissents from this judg- 
 ment refrain from breaking his staff. Such is right, act ac- 
 cordingly in the name of God and justice! " 
 
 The judges rose to their feet, each taking his white staff 
 in his hand. A pause ensued. All faces were grave and sol- 
 emn. Each one felt in his quivering heart the deep signifi- 
 
• THE TRIAL. 29^ 
 
 cance of this moment, which was about to decide the fate of 
 a human being. 
 
 Glaus had sunk upon his knees and buried his face in his* 
 hands, the master builder Memmhart and the rest of the wit- 
 nesses stood up, looking breathlessly toward the judges, and 
 Chamberlain Kunkel, who, smitten with horror, had retreated 
 to the door, could not prevail upon himself to leave the spot, 
 but stood there awaiting the decision with anxious looks. 
 
 In the midst of this awful silence was suddenly heard the 
 cracking and splitting of the staves, which the judges broke 
 in twain. 
 
 Then all was again still, and these twelve men in their long,. 
 black robes, with their pale, earnest faces, resumed their 
 places in the high-backed chairs. The president of the court 
 called out, " Page, collect the broken and sound staves and 
 bring them to me to count." 
 
 The page went to the table, gathered together all the 
 staves, and laid them before the judge. 
 
 "Mr. President," he said, "here are the staves. There 
 is not a sound one among them." 
 
 The president slowly counted the staves and laid them 
 side by side upon the table. 
 
 " All twelve staves are broken," he said. " The accused 
 is unanimously condemned to die." 
 
 "Rebecca, my Rebecca! " murmured Glaus, "you release 
 me, you call me to yourself! " 
 
 " Glaus," continued the president solemnly, " you are 
 judged worthy of death by us all, the verdict being given in ac- 
 cordance with law and right. You are to die by the hand of the 
 executioner in front of the city hall. Your head is to be 
 severed from the trunk by the axe, your body afterward 
 burned, and the ashes scattered to the four winds of heaven! " 
 
 Another pause ensued, and the looks now directed toward 
 Glaus spoke feelings of pity and sympathy. He slowly rose 
 from his knees and stood up firm and erect. 
 
 " I thank my judges for their sentence," he said quietly. 
 " I accept it, and am rea^dy to die." 
 
 " The law grants the condemned criminal eight days' re- 
 spite, that he may appeal to our Sovereign Elector, either for 
 20 
 
300 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 pardon or a commutation of the sentence to one of perpetual 
 imprisonment. Consider what you will do, Glaus, and profit 
 well by these eight days of grace." 
 
 "Mr. President!" cried Glaus anxiously, "I have no re- 
 quest to make but this one: Will my judges ^aciously forbear 
 prolonging my tortures? — ^will they grant my last, my only 
 petition, and give me without delay the death I so richly merit 
 and which in mercy you have adjudged to be my due? " 
 
 The president, however, answered him not. He signed 
 to the beadle and his attendants. " Conduct the prisoner 
 back to his cell now, and guard him well." 
 
 They seized him by both arms and led him away. Silently 
 each looked after him, and even the burghers and mechanics 
 who had testified with such bitterness against Glaus seemed, 
 now that sentence had been passed, to be more mildly disposed. 
 Perhaps they even felt something like remorse, for they did 
 not triumph, but walked slowly away with bowed heads. 
 
 Chamberlain Kiinkel, too, made haste to leave the senate 
 house, and would willingly have returned to the castle at a 
 quick pace, but he could only advance slowly through the 
 thronging multitude that filled the senate house and adjoin- 
 ing streets, as well as the long bridge and the cathedral square. 
 The people had just heard the verdict from the witnesses, 
 who had descended among them, and received the tidings 
 with a deafening shout of applause and rejoicing. Then, with 
 loud screams, they called upon Kurt, the leech, to tell them 
 the whole story, and Kurt posted himself upon a curbstone 
 and began his narrative. 
 
 The people pressed closer and closer, listening in breath- 
 less suspense to the leech's account of the trial. Only with 
 difficulty could the Electoral chamberlain force his way 
 through, and many a thrust had he to give and many a curse 
 sounded behind him before he finally gained the castle door. 
 He sprang quickly up the stairs, and hurried to the Electoral 
 apartments. 
 
 The Elector had already seen him enter the antechamber, 
 and opened his cabinet door. 
 
 "Come in, Kiinkel," he ordered, "and tell me quickly: 
 Have they condemned Glaus? " 
 
THE TRIAL. 301 
 
 "Yes, your highness, they have sentenced him to die 
 by the executioner's axe, and the sentence was unanimous. 
 However, they granted him a respite of eight days in case he 
 should wish to petition your highness for pardon. But he 
 begged for speedy death." 
 
 A dark flush suffused the Elector's face. With a wave 
 of his hand he signed to Kiinkel to withdraw, and then with 
 long strides angrily paced the apartment. 
 
 " Unanimously! " he cried, stopping suddenly in the 
 middle of the room, " they have unanimously condemned him 
 to death. Ah! they would defy me; they would show me 
 that they are free, independent Judges, and that my wishes 
 weigh nothing in the scale! But I shall prove to them that 
 I am their lord and master, whom the divine right of pardon 
 exalts above them all, and who can bring to naught what 
 their childish wisdom and foolish superstition have devised. 
 No, you proud blockheads! you superstitious fools! you shall 
 not execute poor, miserable Gabriel Nietzel as a murderer 
 and sorcerer. I will save the poor man in spite of you and 
 himself. Yes, yes, no innocent man shall be condemned, and 
 the irrationality of man shall not make a criminal out of a 
 poor penitent, who has already undergone fourteen years of 
 penance. I must and shall save Gabriel Nietzel! I will soften 
 his heart, so that he will accept the pardon which I offer him. 
 I shall send Kiinkel to Joachim's vale for Jacob Uhle. Ga- 
 briel shall see his son, and that son shall beg him to accept 
 life at my hands. Oh, I think that will touch his heart, and 
 he will want to live again when he sees his son. Yes, yes, tkat 
 will answer. But how sad and wretched is all this! " he con- 
 tinued, slowly shaking his head and lifting his eyes to heaven. 
 "Men only try to devour one another; they are cruel and 
 bloodthirsty, delighting in revenge. And yet, all are the chil- 
 dren of one God, and all stand so much in need of mercy! 
 God! pity our necessity! Be gracious to me, Lord! and 
 grant me the greatest happiness that a prince may know, the 
 happiness of dispensing pardon! " 
 
BOOK IV. 
 I. — Politics and Intkigites. 
 
 "This, then, is the day for the Princess Lndovicka's de- 
 cision/' said the Elector to himself, as he returned to his cahi- 
 net after holding his morning conference with ministers and 
 councilors. " Yes, to-day Ludovicka will be obliged either to 
 take leave of me and depart hence or to come to the castle to 
 be at last presented to her cousin. That is the alternative 
 which I yesterday placed before her, and I am really curious 
 to see what course she will pursue. If she goes, I shall have 
 done her injustice in supposing that she was conducting a 
 political intrigue, but if she stays, I shall think that I was 
 right, and that the fair Ludovicka Hollandine cared less to 
 see the beloved of her youth than the present Elector of Bran- 
 denburg, and that she seeks something else here than to re- 
 vive memories of her love. But what is it that she seeks, and 
 to what purpose is this masquerade? Can the Princess actually 
 have been sent here by France? Is it possible that it can be 
 aii object with any one to gain Brandenburg for an ally and 
 friend? '' 
 
 The Elector sighed and seated himself before the writing 
 table, which was loaded with documents of various kinds. " It 
 goes ill with us," he said, shaking his head. " Our feud with 
 the Count Palatine of Neuburg has turned greatly to our 
 disadvantage, and yet I was right, and the grasping old Elec- 
 tor had neither law nor justice on his side in his attempt to 
 wrest from me my countship of Berg. I would have been dis- 
 honored if I had voluntarily submitted to this robbery, and 
 I was compelled to take up my sword to defend my rights.* 
 
 • The petty war waged between the Elector of Brandenburg and the 
 
 302 
 
POLITICS ANB li^TKliiUES. 30S 
 
 But on this occasion I must admit that the Elector of Branden- 
 burg stands alone, a thorn in the eye of all. Yes, all the princes 
 were against me, and wrong became right to prejudice my in- 
 terests. So they put me under the moral necessity of con- 
 cluding the Cleves compromise, and I was forced to submit, 
 although I felt it strike like a dagger to my heart." 
 
 A loud knock at the door interrupted the Elector in his 
 train of thought. The door was opened, and Conrad von 
 Burgsdorf entered the room, with grave, businesslike air, carry- 
 ing under his arm a portfolio filled with papers. 
 
 " Ah! there comes my lord high chamberlain, privy coun- 
 cilor, and minister," said the Elector pleasantly. " You bring 
 us more work, it seems; so we did not settle everything at our 
 morning session? " 
 
 " Your highness," replied Burgsdorf, depositing his port- 
 folio on the table before the Elector, " I certainly bring more 
 work for your grace. You demanded of each of your privy 
 councilors an opinion upon your political situation. Your 
 highness addressed to them the following questions: How is 
 your highness to act in the present juncture of the times? 
 whom are you to trust — against whom to be on your guard? 
 and are you to court an alliance, and if so, with whom? " * 
 
 "Yes, such was the purport of my questions," said the 
 Elector, " and I am right curious to get the responses of my 
 sage privy councilors." 
 
 " Your highness, their answers are contained in this port- 
 folio. They all arrived during the course of the past day, and 
 I have the honor of handing them to your highness." 
 
 Count Palatine of Neuburg in the year 1651 alarmed not merely all Ger- 
 many, but France, England, Sweden, and Holland as well ; even Spain 
 concerned herself in this affair, and all parties put themselves in opposi- 
 tion to the Elector of Brandenburg. Frederick "William was therefore 
 forced, in obedience to the Emperor's desire, as well as at the urgent in- 
 stance of his own States, to submit to a compromise with the Palatinate 
 of Neuburg whereby the status quo was maintained. Not until the year 
 1666, after prolonged contentions, was it finally settled that the Elector 
 of Brandenburg should keep the duchy of Cleves and the countships of 
 Merk and Ravensberg, while the Elector of the Palatinate of Neuburg 
 retained the duchy of Julich and Berg. 
 * See Droysen, vol. iii, part 2, p. 66. 
 
304 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 "I like that, old friend, and together we will examine 
 them. Sit at the table opposite me, open your portfolio, and 
 take out the papers. For the present, however, we shall only- 
 take a few of them under consideration. Look first for the 
 communication sent by the Stadtholder of Pomerania, Philip 
 von Horn." 
 
 " Here it is, gracious sir," replied Burgsdorf, selecting one 
 from among the six sealed dispatches and handing it to the 
 Elector. 
 
 " Open it yourself," was the Elector's order; " look over 
 it, and acquaint me briefly with its leading topics." 
 
 " Your highness, here is just such a . leading topic," said 
 Burgsdorf, who had unfolded the dispatch and glanced over it. 
 
 " Well, let us hear; how runs this leading topic ? " 
 
 " Your highness, so it runs: ' Your grace, alas! seems at 
 present to be completely isolated, and I know none, either 
 within or without the empire, in whom your Electoral High- 
 ness may safely repose confidence. Many have dared to speak 
 injuriously of your Electoral Highness, and to express them- 
 selves as highly aggrieved that during the past year you should 
 have ventured to break so dearly bought a peace, thus run- 
 ning the risk of rekindling the flames of a universal war. It 
 has now become quite a generally received maxim that the 
 less the power of him who is feared, the greater is the security 
 of the party threatened. On this ground all, the weak as 
 well as the strong, would only be too glad to see Brandenburg 
 humbled.' " 
 
 "You are right," said the Elector quietly; "that is in- 
 deed an important point, and gives us a morsel to chew that 
 is rather difficult to digest. Lay that dispatch upon the table, 
 and take up the one sent by Blumenthal, Stadtholder of 
 Halberstadt. Search there likewise for such a leading topic, 
 and I doubt not but that you will find it." 
 
 " Ah, your highness! " cried Burgsdorf, after a short pause, 
 during which he had rapidly glanced through the missive, 
 " one leading topic occupies the whole ground here." 
 
 " Grive us an outline of it, then." 
 
 "Here, for example: ^Your Electoral Highness should 
 seek peace above all things. WTierefore, your highness will 
 
POLITICS AND INTRIGUES. 305 
 
 do well to abstain from all differences with foreign potentates; 
 to keep within the bounds of a just neutrality; in disputes with 
 members of the body Germanic, to abide by the lawful and 
 impartial decision of his Imperial Majesty, and thus preserve 
 a good conscience. Permit me to recommend the most illus- 
 trious example of the Elector Joachim, who throughout the 
 empire gained for himself the reputation of being a communis 
 pacificator imperii. For going to war is like using a golden 
 hook to catch a sorry fish: it costs more than it comes to; 
 often, indeed, naught is gained but loss of reputation, or what 
 was ill-gotten must be kept by new wars, and to pay one's sup- 
 porters consumes more than all won, for ' " 
 
 "Enough!" interposed the Elector impatiently; "lay 
 that dispatch aside. I shall hereafter read it to an end. Now 
 take Conrad von Burgsdorf 's representation in hand, and read 
 to me the views unfolded by my faithful, deserving, and pru- 
 dent minister, privy councilor, and lord high chamberlain." 
 
 " Your highness! " cried Burgsdorf, laughing, " my views 
 have not been committed to paper, but are written in my head 
 and heart alone. You well know, my much-loved lord and 
 Elector, that writing is not my forte, and my weak old fingers 
 are so stiff and unskilled that a goose quill is crushed by them 
 in no time, because they fancy it is a sword, such as they have 
 been accustomed to handle. I therefore beg your gracious per- 
 mission to impart my advice unceremoniously by word of 
 mouth." 
 
 " Well, do so, you lazy old fellow," said the Elector, smil- 
 ing. " Give us your opinion; but of this, too, only the most 
 important; and if there are any hard bits, you are the man 
 to swallow them for the present, and furnish them ample 
 harbor in that broad, capacious chest of yours." 
 
 " With your leave, then, most gracious sir," said Burgsdorf, 
 clearing his throat, " my humble opinion is that it is of su- 
 preme importance to your highness to seek to ally yourself 
 with some influential power, whose interest it would be to pro- 
 mote the increasing strength of Brandenburg, not so much 
 out of tender inclination as for its own sake, hoping, per- 
 haps, to use the mighty Elector as a bulwark against other pow- 
 erful enemies. But who, I now ask myself — who can be such 
 
306 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 an ally, whose interests are identical with those of Branden- 
 burg? Most assuredly it is not the Emperor of Germany, 
 for the greater the aggrandizement of the Elector of Bran- 
 denburg, the more dangerous becomes he to the Emperor and 
 Austria. The house of Austria is old and the house of Bran- 
 denburg new. Now, the old always feel themselves threat- 
 ened by the young, and look askance at their growth and in- 
 crease. How, then, can the house of Austria look with other 
 than invidious eyes upon my glorious Elector, upon whose 
 face is stamped the impress of a bold spirit, that can only have 
 been created for noble deeds? Besides, the house of Austria 
 is the upholder of the Catholic party in Germany, and would 
 gladly contribute to the downfall of a prince to whose in- 
 fluence it is justly attributed that at the Peace of Westphalia 
 the Lutherans obtained equal rights with the Catholics. There- 
 fore, all the Catholic princes in Germany, in like manner as 
 his Majesty the Emperor, are opposed to you, and fully agreed 
 that a stop must be put to the further advancement of Bran- 
 denburg, if they would not see the cause of their religion preju- 
 diced. The States-General of Holland, too, seem to have little 
 more concern in preserving Brandenburg's friendship, al- 
 though this is indeed to be wondered at since our most gra- 
 cious Electress is a Princess of Orange. However, the States 
 of Holland care much less about the relatives of their Stad]t- 
 holder than about their own interests, and will therefore never 
 be faithful allies, but always adjust their sails to catch the 
 wind best fitted to propel their own ship forward. As to 
 Sweden, your highness well knows the inimical disposition 
 to Brandenburg prevailing there, and that she will profit by 
 every opportunity to fish in troubled waters and possess her- 
 self of that part of Pomerania now lost to her. From Poland 
 you can hope for no assistance in times of distress, for ^" 
 
 " Hark, Burgsdorf ! " interposed the Elector. " I need no 
 information as to who are my enemies and opponents. I also 
 know how desirable it is for me to escape from my isolated 
 situation, and to discover those who might help me, and to 
 whom my alliance would be acceptable. Name, therefore, 
 the prince or country where I might hope to obtain such aid? " 
 
 Burgsdorf saw not with what a peculiarly searching look 
 
POLITICS AND INTRIGUES. 307 
 
 the Elector's eyes were fixed upon him, as if they would read 
 the most secret recesses of his soul. No, Burgsdorf saw it not, 
 for he had bowed his head, and seemed to be deeply pondering 
 his reply to the Elector's question. Then, after a pause, he 
 slowly raised his head, and turned his face, which had as- 
 sumed a thoughtful expression, to the Elector. 
 
 " Your highness," he said, " in my opinion there is only 
 one single power with whom you could advantageously ally 
 yourself." 
 
 " Truly, I am rejoiced that among so many powers there 
 is at least one which would not scorn to join hands with the 
 Elector of Brandenburg. Name this power, then, Burgs- 
 dorf." 
 
 " France, your highness! Yes, in my estimation France is 
 the only power which is interested in your success. For, the 
 more powerful you become, the greater will be your ability 
 to lend aid to France, and the more circumscribed the power 
 of the German Emperor and the other inimically disposed 
 princes. On the other hand, France would be a very profitable 
 ally, for she could protect your possessions on the Rhine 
 against Holland, against the Elector of the Palatinate, and all 
 other enemies, while you might be forced to defend your 
 eastern provinces against Poland or Sweden. Already it is 
 bruited abroad that those two kingdoms are on the point of 
 uniting in an attempt to deprive you of your duchy of Prussia; 
 and against two such foes your highness could with difficulty 
 make head. All the German princes would, however, quietly 
 fold their hands, and with malicious pleasure see you despoiled 
 of a portion of your dominions. France, though, would not 
 suffer Poland or Sweden to receive such an accession of 
 strength; she would energetically support you, with troops 
 as well as subsidies, which in the exhausted condition of your 
 treasury could not be despised." 
 
 " And you actually believe that France would be inclined 
 to unite herself more closely with me? " asked the Elector. 
 
 " Your highness, I am convinced of it," asseverated Burgs- 
 dorf. " France is the sworn foe of the German Emperor, and 
 would not like to see anything better than your alienation 
 from him. I think, indeed, that your highness would be per- 
 
308 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 fectly justified in this, for Austria ever looks with an evil eye 
 upon your prosperity, and gladly avails herself of every oppor- 
 tunity of humbling you and stunting your growth. The Em- 
 peror, to be sure, behaved right handsomely when you visited 
 him in Prague, but that was only because he had an especial 
 object to attain thereby, and has at other times neglected no 
 opportunity of lording it over you. But if your highness 
 league yourself with France, your enemies will be held in 
 check, and rich France will pay you such immense subsidies 
 that your highness can enlist and maintain a much larger army 
 without having occasion to impose new taxes, and thereby op- 
 pressing and burdening your own subjects." 
 
 " There is sense and substance in your discourse," said the 
 Elector thoughtfully, " and maybe you are right. Especially 
 would the subsidies come in most fitly and well suit the pres- 
 ent state of my finances, which are at a low ebb, nor do I know 
 when the tide will flow in. Since it will not come naturally, 
 we must hasten its approach by artificial means. As to this 
 French alliance, I will take the matter into consideration, and 
 also confer again with you on the subject. The main point 
 now is to devise ways and means for relieving our financial dis- 
 tresses and as much as possible obviating them forever. Ta 
 this end we must open new channels of trade, and use every 
 exertion to promote manufacturing and industrial pursuits 
 in our midst. For as they increase, so will the ability of the 
 country to stand taxation, and we can then with full right 
 claim what is due for the support of our Government. Our 
 every aim, then, must be directed toward advancing the in- 
 terests of trade and facilitating commerce. It will therefore 
 be necessary to improve the routes of trade by land and water. 
 One great evil is that the goods shipped upon the Oder can 
 not be immediately transferred to the Spree, but must first 
 be unloaded and conveyed there by land. But this evil must 
 and shall be remedied, and once more I recur to the plan I 
 recently proposed to you, namely, a canal uniting the two 
 rivers, which will furnish an incalculable convenience for in- 
 ternal traffic." 
 
 " But for my part, most gracious sir," said Burgsdorf, 
 ehrugging his shoulders, " I can only reiterate the sentiments 
 
POLITICS AND INTRIGUES. 309 
 
 which I have previously had the honor of unfolding to your 
 highness. Such a canal would be of little use in a land where 
 trade and industry are so perfectly prostrate as with us, for 
 what good would it do to furnish a most expensive convenience 
 to people who can not use it because they have nothing to 
 ship? It would be just like making a poor man the present 
 of a handsome front door furnished with lock and bolt, and 
 saying to him: 'I give you this door that you may lock up 
 your house and secure your property. Now build yourself 
 a fine house, for see, the door is provided already.' But, most 
 gracious sir, you see the poor man can not build, for the very 
 reason that he is poor, and lacks the money indispensable for 
 buying building materials and paying the carpenters. Of what 
 use to him is the door, seeing that he has no house, and of 
 what use to your subjects would be the costly canal, seeing 
 that they have no money wherewith to supply themselves with 
 ships and boats — no money for loading them with goods? 
 At home, therefore, it would do no good, and abroad would 
 serve but to embroil your highness with your neighbors. For, 
 unfortunately, the Oder does not belong to yourself solely, 
 since Stettin pertains to Sweden, and you would surely give 
 umbrage to the Swedes by the digging of this water way." * 
 
 "Is this your honest and candid opinion?" asked the 
 Elector, fixing his eyes steadfastly upon Burgsdorf . 
 
 "My honest and candid opinion, your highness. I give 
 it according to my inmost convictions, nothing moving me 
 but regard for the interests of my beloved Electoral lord." 
 
 " This time, though, your own interests might influence 
 somewhat your opinion," said Frederick William, with a 
 slight shrug of the shoulders. " You might have calculated 
 that if I have such a canal built, uniting the Oder with the 
 Spree, it would cut through your estates, and force you to lose 
 some of them." 
 
 " Most gracious sir, I swear that I had not the most remote 
 thought of that! " cried Burgsdorf passionately; " and it is 
 a right bitter grief to my old heart that your highness should 
 suspect me of such a thing. But this does not emanate from 
 
 * Burgsdorf s own words. See Droysen, History of Prussian Poli- 
 tics. 
 
310 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 your own magnanimous heart; my enemies have been slan- 
 dering me, for well would it please them so to blacken my 
 character as to deprive me of the confidence and favor of my 
 t)eloved master. If I had regarded this plan in the light of 
 my own interests, I should have seen that this canal, passing 
 through my estates, would be of great benefit to me. Corn 
 is dearer and finds a better market at Stettin than here in the 
 interior, and it would furnish me means for transporting my 
 corn and selHng it at Stettin. But supposing that the canal 
 were detrimental to my estates, I think my whole life has 
 proved my devotion to the Electoral family, and I am sure 
 that in its service I have never spared blood nor fortune." 
 
 " Conrad, Conrad, praise not yourself too highly," said the 
 Elector, threatening him with his finger. " You have, indeed, 
 occasionally spilled a little of your blood in our service, for 
 you were always a brave soldier; but as to fortune, of that 
 there is no record. Rather can it not be denied that Conrad 
 von Burgsdorf entered my father's service as quite an incon- 
 siderable and needy nobleman, while now he is a rich and in- 
 fluential lord, much better off than his master. Hush! not a 
 word! let us leave the discussion of these matters, for they are 
 neither pleasant nor profitable to talk about. I am well 
 pleased for my servants to enrich themselves, provided that 
 they do it in a lawful and upright manner, remaining con- 
 stant in loyalty and of irreproachable life." 
 
 " Gracious sir," cried Burgsdorf, starting up, '^ is that 
 meant as a reproach for me ? Does your highness suppose " 
 
 " I suppose," interrupted the Elector, " that you are a very 
 sensitive old chap. It is as if you were suffering from an open 
 wound, and shrieked with pain from a mere finger touch. 
 Enjoy your wealth, my lord high chamberlain, and be as little 
 ashamed of it as I am of my poverty. Better days will come 
 yet." 
 
 " Your highness, I am convinced that they will come even 
 now, if you draw near to France. Surely, France would joy- 
 fully pay considerable subsidies to so desirable an ally, and 
 relieve you from all distress and embarrassment." 
 
 " At all events, I must be sure of that first," said the Elec- 
 tor thoughtfully, " and the first overtures must be made bjr 
 
POLITICS AND INTRIGUES. 311 
 
 France to me. It can not be expected of me that I should 
 approach in humble manner and solicit the friendship of 
 France." 
 
 " Your highness, I am certain that France desires noth- 
 ing of the sort, but would hasten to make the first advances.'^ 
 
 " You are certain of it? " repeated the Elector. " I should 
 like to know whence my high chamberlain and privy councilor 
 derives such exact information concerning the dispositions of 
 France?" 
 
 " From nobody — oh, certainly from nobody," Burgsdorf 
 made haste to say. " This is only my own humble opinio^/' 
 
 " Let us speak further about this hereafter," said the Elec- 
 tor, rising. " For to-day our consultation is at an end." 
 
 The lord high chamberlain arose. " Your highness," he 
 said, gathering together his papers and thrusting them into 
 the portfolio, "I am also commissioned to deliver a message 
 to your grace. Her royal Highness the Princess Hollandine 
 of the Palatinate left my house this morning before daybreak-" 
 
 " Has she left? " asked the Elector, with an air of lively 
 interest. 
 
 " She has left my house, your highness, and these were 
 her last words: ' Say to the Elector, my honored cousin, that 
 I must leave your house without bidding his highness fare- 
 well. Tell him I could bear everything better than taking 
 leave of him, and would count no sacrifice as so severe. Since 
 the term for my sojourn here has expired, I depart at once.' " 
 
 "Well, and what else?" asked the Elector, as Burgsdorf 
 now kept silence. 
 
 " She said nothing else, your highness, but entered her 
 heavily loaded carriage and drove off, quite alone and unat- 
 tended, for she had dispatched her servants the evening be- 
 fore with the great baggage wagon for Frankfort-on-the- 
 Main." 
 
 " And whither did the Princess journey herself? " 
 
 " That, most gracious sir, her royal highness did not tell 
 me. I only know that she went in the direction of Spandow." 
 
 " It is well," said the Elector. " The Princess certainly 
 made a judicious selection, and fixed upon her choice with 
 delicate tact. I thank you for having so hospitably enter- 
 
312 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 tained my dear cousin, and especially for having preserved 
 so inviolable a silence. For I believe no one had an idea of 
 the Princesses presence here, but all believed that it was really 
 Madame von Kanitz who had taken up her lodgings at her 
 father's house." 
 
 " Your highness, there was very little to talk about, for 
 during all the while I received no visitors, and gave my serv- 
 ants strict orders to hold their tongues and not to breathe a 
 word of my daughter's visit. And the fellows stand mightily 
 in awe of me, so that I feel confident of their silence. But I 
 must own to your highness that I feel very sad on account of 
 the fair Princess's departure, and my house looks as if it had 
 suddenly become empty and desolate. It was so refreshing 
 and delightful to look upon this beautiful, distinguished lady, 
 and when she turned her large black eyes upon me, I felt just 
 as if the sun had suddenly risen and made everything bright 
 around me. And what a comfort it was to hear her sweet 
 voice that rang like music, and her laugh that was so merry 
 and clear. But then, I only felt so much the sadder when 
 she wept and grieved so in her chamber last night." 
 
 "What? The Princess wept?" asked the Elector, with 
 interest. 
 
 "Yes, gracious sir, bitterly and despairingly the whole 
 night long. I could hear her plainly, for her sleeping room 
 was just over mine, and sounds are heard so distinctly in the 
 stillness of night. Besides, this morning it was plain to see 
 from her reddened eyes that she had been weeping. She 
 took evident pains to appear cheerful, and I did not, of course, 
 say that I had overheard her weeping. But she has gone, 
 and my house is once more lonely and dismal as ever." 
 
 " And assuredly it is best that she has left your house," 
 said the Elector, with a forced smile. " It is plain to see that 
 old Burgsdorf has fallen quite in love with the beautiful 
 Princess, and the old fool would doubtless have lost his reason 
 if the fairy Wonderful had longer bewitched him with her 
 looks." 
 
 " If she were the fairy Wonderful and knew how to charm, 
 your highness, methinks she would have practiced her arts 
 upon another than myself," said Burgsdorf, mournfully shak- 
 
POLITICS AND INTRIGUES. 313 
 
 ing his head. '^ But that is just what charms one in her; 
 she despises all art; and I well know why the Princess wept 
 and wailed, for " 
 
 " If you know," interrupted the Elector, in a severe tone, 
 " keep it to yourself, and let nobody in the world be the wiser 
 for it, not even me. I have a wife, and have nothing to do 
 with the secrets and tears of any other woman, and if the 
 Electress keeps no secret from me I am content." 
 
 " Your highness, there is no lady, even though she be such 
 an angel as the Electress, who has not her secrets, and does 
 not keep many a thing from her husband's knowledge! " cried 
 Burgsdorf, shrugging his shoulders. 
 
 " See, see! " said the Elector, smiling, " the old woman- 
 hater peeps out from behind the Princess's adorer! What 
 know you of the Electress's secrets? " 
 
 " I, your highness," protested Burgsdorf, " I know nothing 
 of them. I can not, alas! boast of possessing her highness's 
 favor. I am nothing but a plain, old fellow, without the fine 
 manners and exquisite polish of Lord Marshal Otto von 
 Schwerin, that perfect man of the world." 
 
 " There you are again with your enmity to our lord mar- 
 shal! " exclaimed the Elector. " Would you again try to 
 poison my mind against him? " 
 
 " I hate him, yes, I do hate him! " cried Burgsdorf, with 
 impatient violence. " I despise his mean, hypocritical nature, 
 his courtly manners, his fineness of speech and " 
 
 " And I forbid you any further abuse of this honorable 
 man," cried the Elector indignantly. " I do not want you to 
 be a courtier, but it is highly improper for you to speak against 
 anybody whom we honor with our favor, more especially one 
 so deserving of our confidence as the Marshal Otto von 
 Schwerin. ^N'ot a word more, Burgsdorf! Consider my words 
 well, and when you come to-morrow to the meeting of the 
 privy council let me once more find my honest, good-hearted 
 old Burgsdorf. Go now, and forget your melancholy at part- 
 ing with the vanished fairy. 
 
 " I did her injustice, then," said the Elector thoughtfully 
 to himself, as soon as he was again alone. " Ludovicka has 
 gone. She did not make the attempt to remain longer here in 
 
314 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 concealment, and, as it seems, could not summon up sufficient 
 resolution to meet her cousin again. Yet, I wish she could 
 have done so, I wish she could have stayed here longer. It was 
 so pleasant a diversion to chat with her. She has so sprightly 
 a mind and such a fiery soul. She has so intimate an acquaint- 
 ance with the arts and sciences, and her intellectual con- 
 versation is ever stimulating you to make the best use of your 
 own faculties, and to bring up from the depths of the spirit 
 your inmost thoughts and clothe them with words. Ah, 
 Ludovicka,Ludovicka! verily you are an enchantress and 
 
 " And it is well that you are gone," he concluded, in a loud 
 voice, at the same time springing up and walking to and fro 
 with hasty steps. " Yes, indeed, it is well that you have gone, 
 for in the end you might have enchanted me, and I might 
 yet have become the victim of your blandishments. I will 
 go to Louisa," he continued, after a short pause. "Yes, I 
 will go to my dear, good Louisa. Oh, when I look into her 
 thoughtful, innocent eyes, then all these little insects left by 
 the enchantress to buzz around my head disappear. For near 
 Louisa all is peace, cheerfulness, and repose." 
 
 And the Elector pressed his plumed cap on his brown curly 
 hair and hurriedly left the room. 
 
 II.— The Visit. 
 
 The Electress Louisa was busy settling accounts and 
 counting over her money when Frederick William entered un- 
 announced and quite unexpected. He had come softly, noise- 
 lessly opened the door, and, as his wife did not perceive him, 
 stood still near the door watching her. She had made her 
 toilet for the noonday meal. The light-blue satin dress 
 trimmed with black lace fitted closely to her full, fine figure,, 
 and fell in rich folds to her feet. Her luxuriant blonde hair, 
 parted over the forehead, fell down in long curls behind the 
 ears, and at the back of the head its arrangement was per- 
 fectly simple, being confined only by a blue ribbon He^ in a 
 
THE VISIT. 315 
 
 B5# with long ends. The neck and plump round shoulders 
 were veiled by a lace kerchief of delicate texture, which was 
 secured at the bosom by a small diamond pin. This was the 
 only ornament which the Electress wore to-day, and yet there 
 was something striking and commanding in her whole ap- 
 pearance, and nobody would have ventured to approach this 
 graceful, noble creature without reverence and respect. 
 
 The Elector continued to gaze upon her with tender, lov- 
 ing glances. It was as if he would have this pretty picture 
 sink deeply into his soul, that with its bright, pure colors it 
 might cover and efface another and a dazzling image. He 
 could not satisfy himself with looking upon the pleasing form 
 and sweet placid countenance, whose noble profile he could 
 just see. 
 
 The Electress sat before her writing table. Before her 
 lay rolls of bills; beside them in separate parcels little heaps 
 of gold and silver pieces. She seemed to have completed her 
 reckoning, for she laid down the pen, and raised her head 
 from the papers. 
 
 " Yes,^^ she said, aloud and joyfully, " it will answer. There 
 is again a right handsome surplus, which I can hand over to 
 dear Schwerin! He is my only confidant, and " 
 
 " Hey, hey, Electress! what is that I hear? ^' cried the 
 Elector, advancing farther into the room. 
 
 At his first words the Electress had started, but still her 
 face beamed with joyful surprise; she sprang from her seat 
 and hastened to meet her husband with a tender glance. 
 
 "Welcome, my lord and husband," she said, giving him 
 her two hands — " welcome, my friend and best beloved! How 
 does it happen that you come so soon to-day, you dear piece 
 of impatience,'^ she continued, throwing both arms about his 
 shoulders and looking into his face with eyes sparkling for 
 joy. " When I think that his Highness the Elector is sitting 
 in council with all gravity, I, to imitate his noble example, 
 seat myself at my table and work and calculate " 
 
 " And calculate that you have a handsome surplus," in- 
 terrupted the Elector, smiling — " a handsome surplus, which 
 you will give to dear Schwerin, your only confidant. Elec- 
 tress, I call you to account, I want to know the meaning of 
 21 
 
316 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 this, and how your grace can presume to have any other con- 
 fidant than your husband?" 
 
 "Ask not to know, Frederick, for I can not tell you," 
 replied the Electress coaxingly; and with her little white 
 hand tenderly stroking her husband^s manly sunburnt cheeks. 
 
 " You can not tell me, Louisa? " asked Frederick William, 
 and his smiling face became a little graver. " You actually 
 have a secret from me? " 
 
 " Yes," said she nodding, and looking at him affectionately 
 with her large blue eyes. "Yes, I have a secret from you, 
 Frederick." 
 
 " And Otto von Schwerin knows it? " 
 
 " He knows it, but is silent, and I can rely upon his dis- 
 cretion. Ask no more now, Frederick, for I can tell you noth- 
 ing more, a solemn promise binding me. But when the time 
 comes — and may God in his goodness and mercy speed the 
 day! — then, my darling, you shall learn all, and rejoice with 
 me." 
 
 " But meanwhile Otto von Schwerin remains your only 
 confidant," said the Elector, in tones somewhat harsh. 
 
 Louisa Henrietta looked up quite amazed. " How strange- 
 ly you said that, and why do you look so grave all at once? " 
 she asked. 
 
 " Well, Electress, I own that I do think it somewhat sin- 
 gular that there are secrets which I may not learn from you, 
 but which, nevertheless, you share with Otto von Schwerin. 
 You assume, then, that I am of a gentle, quiet temperament, 
 and not at all capable of being jealous? " 
 
 The Electress started, and a glowing blush suffused her 
 cheeks. 
 
 "Jealous?" she said, astonished — "could you be jeal- 
 ous?" 
 
 "And why not, pray?" asked the Elector, a little pro- 
 voked. " You keep secrets from me which another man 
 knows. You intrust Herr Otto von Schwerin with things 
 which you refuse to tell me. I ask you, Electress, why should 
 I not be jealous? " 
 
 " I will tell you why, Elector," replied the Electress with 
 gentle dignity, while she drew back a step and contemplated 
 
THE VISIT. 317 
 
 her husband with sorrowful looks — '^ I will tell you why you 
 should not be jealous: Because you thereby grieve and insult 
 jour wife — because you thereby impugn her virtue, her mod- 
 esty, and, what is worse, doubt her love. If you were Jealous, 
 it would prove that you regard her as a hypocrite, pretend- 
 ing to a love she does not feel, one light-minded enough to 
 forget her bounden duties and her plighted troth." 
 
 " But, Louisa, you take the thing too seriously," said 
 Frederick William, whose momentary irritation had already 
 vanished. " Good heavens! is it not very natural that a man 
 who loves his wife should be jealous of every mark of favor 
 which she bestows upon another? Is it not even very flat- 
 tering to a lady who has been already married six years that 
 her husband is still jealous of her? " 
 
 " No, it is not flattering, but painful," sorrowfully replied 
 the Electress. " Wedded love is like a holy gospel, which we 
 must not read with doubting or mocking thoughts, but with 
 pious confidence and a firm belief in its truth." 
 
 " And I do, Louisa, indeed I do," said the Elector cordially, 
 offering his hand to his wife. " I have a firm, unshaken con- 
 fidence in you. I say with an abiding, joyful conviction that 
 you are my better self, and that what you do is good, and what 
 you wish is right. For never, that I know, will your heart be- 
 tray its trust — ^never will Louisa Henrietta cease to love her 
 husband. Not that he is at all deserving of this love; on the 
 contrary, he is a right churlish and wicked fellow, in his un- 
 justifiable passionateness occasionally mistaking heaven itself 
 for hell and the angel at his side for an ordinary worldly 
 woman. But as soon as passion has flown away and his eye 
 again is clouded, he recognizes his error, humbly and peni- 
 tently suing for pardon. Louisa, will you be merciful in- 
 stead of just? Will you forgive your hasty, impetuous hus- 
 band? " 
 
 The Elector bent one knee before his wife, and looked 
 up at her with folded hands and pleading looks. The Elec- 
 tress made haste to hold out her hand and raise him with 
 gentle force. 
 
 " Come, my husband," she said, nodding kindly, " sit down 
 si my writing table^ and permit me to lay before you a few 
 
318 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 papers and documents. Yon shall now know the secret, and 
 I will impart something to you that " 
 
 " Louisa/' quickly interposed the Elector, " I demand as 
 a proof of your forgiveness that you do not ask me to look 
 at one of these papers or documents, or make me acquainted 
 with your secret. I do not want to know it, and you would 
 really mortify me by insisting upon telling me, for then I 
 should feel that you did not really forgive me, but were still 
 angry with me." 
 
 "I am no longer angry with you, Frederick," said the 
 Electress fondly, " and I thank you heartily for being con- 
 tent without knowing my secret, for there is one thing which 
 weighs upon my heart — a solemn promise made in a trying 
 hour, and " 
 
 " Hush, hush! " cried the Elector, " would you now grow 
 talkative and let your secret out? I will not hear a word about 
 it, my Louisa, and not a word more shall be said on the sub- 
 ject. But I would like to discuss one point with the Electress, 
 since her grace seems to consider jealousy not only as wrong- 
 but as injurious. I rather think that there can be no true 
 love without jealousy, and that only cold, indifferent hearts 
 or arrogant fools inflated with their own self-importance are 
 incapable of jealousy. I, my sweetest, suffered such severe 
 qualms of this baneful malady in the Chinese Pavilion a cer- 
 tain evening at The Hague that I verily believe a little of this 
 poison still lurks within my heart, and that you will proba- 
 bly never be able to eradicate it. And you, Louisa, now 
 make candid confession. Tell me, have you never been jeal- 
 ous? " 
 
 ^^ If you demand of me a candid answer," replied the Elec- 
 tress, with downcast eyes, " well, then, I must own that there 
 have been times when I have been right jealous, when jealousy 
 pierced my heart like a dagger and left me no repose night 
 or day. But, my grand inquisitor of a husband, that was be- 
 fore my marriage, long before, for when you told me that 
 evening at the Chinese Pavilion that you loved me, all at once 
 the dagger fell at my feet, and my heart was healed and full 
 of happiness and bliss." 
 
 '^ And has it remained so ever since, Louisa?" asked the 
 
THE VISIT. 319 
 
 Elector, with agitation. "Have you never been jealous 
 again?" 
 
 The Electress did not reply immediately, but with a little 
 embarrassment looked down upon the floor. Then she slowly 
 raised her head once more and with a soft smile met the Elec- 
 tor's eye, which was steadfastly fixed upon her. " I have been 
 jealous since then, too, but not of a woman." 
 
 "Not of a woman? Of whom else, then, my little sim« 
 pleton?" 
 
 "I will make confession to you, Frederick, for you re- 
 quested me to do so candidly and honestly. I have been and 
 still am jealous of '' 
 
 " Well, why do you hesitate, Louisa? Speak out. Name 
 your rival! " 
 
 " Frederick, it is your lord high chamberlain, Conrad von 
 Burgsdorf." 
 
 The Elector started and closely scrutinized the Electress's 
 face. Could her words have a hidden meaning? Did Louisa 
 in this way intend to give him to understand that she knew 
 who was the lady that had been staying at Burgsdorf's house? 
 But no; the Electress's countenance was artless and open; 
 no trace of bitterness or desperate earnestness was discernible 
 there; and with soft, timid voice she continued: "Yes, Fred- 
 erick, I owe to you that I am jealous of this man, and, how- 
 ever much I struggle against it, and however often I repeat 
 to myself that it is wrong, yea, even a crime, I can not over- 
 come my aversion to him, and I confess that it right often 
 makes me unhappy and always angry with myself." 
 
 " Poor child! " said the Elector, drawing near to his wife 
 and pressing her head against his breast, as if he would there 
 cradle her and shelter her from all griefs — " poor child! And 
 why do you dislike our old Burgsdorf so much, and what is it 
 that you so particularly object to in him? " 
 
 " I dislike his coarse nature, his uncouth manners! " cried 
 the Electress with unwonted vehemence. " He boasts of his 
 evil doings, and shamelessly glories in his excesses — his drink- 
 ing and his life of dissipation. At the same time that he prides 
 himself on these things he ridicules good manners and a more 
 refined deportment, seeking to bring derision upon those 
 
320 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 who are not like himself, who do not beat on the table with 
 their fists, curse, and bet. He is ever vaunting his mad feats 
 in drinking as most commendable proofs of his cleverness." 
 
 " True," said the Elector, smiling, " he has bad manners 
 and is no fine gentleman, but you must consider that he is a 
 man of an earlier period, when this court was not particularly- 
 refined. He neither saw nor heard of anything better in his 
 youthful days, and we must make allowances for him if in old 
 age he preserves the rude manners which he learned in his 
 youth." 
 
 " It is just that which provokes me so much in him! " cried 
 the Electress, with warmth. " That is not his case, it is not 
 from ignorance, but through design, that he exhibits so much 
 rudeness and want of polish. He thereby lays claim to pecul- 
 iar privileges, and, instead of being ashamed of his offenses 
 against good breeding, makes a boast of them, and exhorts 
 the young noblemen to imitate his example and adhere to the 
 old malpractices, which he terms the good old ways. And all 
 this," continued the Electress, waxing still warmer — " all this 
 I could pardon in him and overlook, if I could only regard 
 him as an honest man and a faithful servant to his master." 
 
 "What, Louisa?" asked the Elector. "You, who are 
 always so gentle and indulgent, ever seeking to palliate men's 
 faults, would you accuse and cast aspersions upon old Conrad 
 von Burgsdorf, who for more than twenty years has been the 
 faithful servant of our house and family? " 
 
 " God forgive my sin if I do him injustice," continued 
 the Electress, " but I can not persuade myself that he is really 
 a devoted servant of his Elector. On the other hand, I am 
 convinced that he has an eye only for his own interests, and 
 that all he does is only calculated to gratify his own ambition 
 and avarice." 
 
 " It is very true," said the Elector thoughtfully, " you have 
 exactly hit upon his weak points, and I admire your quick- 
 sightedness. Yes, it is not to be denied that Burgsdorf is both 
 an ambitious and an avaricious man, of which, alas! we have 
 had manifold experiences. Often has he testified chagrin and 
 pique if we elevated any other person to rank or dignity, and 
 has given us such uncomfortable evidence of his ill humor and 
 
THE VISIT. 321 
 
 discontent that, in order to coax him back to his wonted good 
 humor, we have felt constrained to propitiate him with rich 
 presents. How often, too, has he returned from missions to 
 foreign courts with immense sums of money, which it was 
 possible that he had obtained by way of reward or bribery.'' * 
 
 " And still, Frederick! " cried the Electress, eagerly, 
 " still, although you know all that, you confide in him, and at- 
 tach value to his counsels and judgment! '' 
 
 " I have hitherto done so because, in spite of all his faults 
 and weaknesses, I was convinced of his devotion and fidelity, 
 and because he belonged to the inventory which I had in- 
 herited from my father. Moreover, Burgsdorf is a clever 
 business man, a rapid worker, accomplishing more in a day 
 than the rest of the privy councilors in two. I can rely upon 
 an abstract or report made by him, and there is a large party 
 here in the Mark who follow wherever he leads and vote just 
 as Burgsdorf chooses. I must show indulgence to the Sover- 
 eign States and yield to their prejudices, for they are often 
 obstinate and untoward, and then I stand in need of such a 
 mediator as Burgsdorf." 
 
 " But who knows how often he complicates matters in- 
 stead of acting as mediator! " exclaimed the Electress quickly 
 — " how often, by his haughty, supercilious manners, he sows 
 discord merely to boast afterward that it was he who brought 
 about a reconcihation! Forgive me, Frederick, for censuring 
 your favorite so severely, for that he is your favorite I well 
 know. He has more influence over you than any one else, 
 more than my mother even, to say nothing of myself! " 
 
 "Why!" cried Frederick William, "it seems from your 
 discourse that very many have influence over me, and that 
 the Elector is dependent for his judgment and opinions upon 
 many different voices. And assuredly I have given you cause 
 to entertain such views. It belongs to my nature as well as 
 principles to mistrust my own judgment, and gladly harken 
 to what my councilors and other experienced persons say upon 
 subjects which engage my attention. I also often require my 
 privy councilors to give me their views upon knotty political 
 questions in writing. I find this a very useful means of find- 
 
 * Vide Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, vol. iii, part 3, p. 68. 
 
322 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ing out the individual sentiments of each, and making him 
 give a clear statement of his views. Besides, one may learn 
 of everybody, and I am a pupil eager to improve, that I may 
 hereafter become an adept in statesmanship, and rule my 
 country and people in accordance with my own principles 
 and understanding. But whoever thinks that I may be made 
 the creature of foreign domination is greatly mistaken, and 
 will hereafter find out that he has deceived himself with regard 
 to my character. It is true that hitherto Burgsdorf has occu- 
 pied a very influential and important position near my person. 
 He is my Prime Minister, and I am attached to him from 
 habit and for the sake of old memories. He carried me in 
 his arms when I was yet a child, fondling and playing with 
 me like a father; he became afterward my instructor in rid- 
 ing, fencing, and other knightly exercises, and always pro- 
 tected me against my father^s favorite, the wicked Count 
 Schwarzenberg. To him, Conrad von Burgsdorf, I owe it 
 that I was sent to Holland to prosecute my studies. He car- 
 ried the point with my father in opposition to Schwarzenberg, 
 who would have preferred bringing me up here in ignorance 
 and dependence, or would have found some other means of 
 thrusting me aside. As far back as my memory reaches Burgs- 
 dorf has always stood to me in the relation of a fatherly friend, 
 which would but make bitterer now the pain of discovering 
 him to be a traitor and unworthy of my confidence. But be- 
 lieve me that I have ever an open eye and an attentive ear, 
 and that, however careless I may at times appear, nothing 
 escapes me. And when I must, I shall not hesitate to remem- 
 ber that precept of holy writ, ' If thine eye offend thee, pluck 
 it out and cast it from thee.' Trust me, I should act accord- 
 ingly, although I can not conceal that it would be a trying 
 experience through which to pass, and like tearing up by the 
 roots a plant which I had nurtured and tended with loving 
 care. And now, my dearest Louisa, since I have revealed to 
 you right minutely and exactly my most secret thoughts and 
 feelings, be once more of glad heart and look forward cour- 
 ageously to whatever may come. But be assured of this, that 
 you have no cause to be jealous of Burgsdorf, and that he 
 would never dare to direct the venom of his tongue against 
 
THE VISIT. 323 
 
 my best beloved, for at that selfsame moment he were a lost 
 man, and he is much too prudent not to know that, and to act 
 accordingly. Give me your hand, Louisa, and let us be one in 
 heart, and feel mutually that no human being has power to 
 cloud the clear sky of our happiness or shake our confidence in 
 and love for one another by base whispers and insinuations." 
 
 " Here is my hand, Frederick," cried the Electress, with 
 radiant looks. " Joyfully and faithfully will I stand at your 
 side in evil as well as in good report. With your love there is 
 nothing that I could not bear; and," she continued, with agi- 
 tated voice and blanching cheek, " if you forgive me for bring- 
 ing to your house no heir, to your fatherly heart no son, I, too, 
 will acquiesce and leave it with God either to bless me and 
 grant my fervent wishes or to refuse and let me wither away 
 as a decaying tree, which bears neither blossom nor fruit." 
 
 " A bad and inapt comparison, Louisa! " cried the Elector, 
 smiling. " Lift up your head, my dearest, look me right stead- 
 ily in the eyes, and say what you see reflected in them." 
 
 " My own image, as clearly as in a mirror," said the Elec- 
 tress, smiling. 
 
 "Well, say does this image resemble a decaying tree? Is 
 it not rather a beautiful flower, that may bloom for many a 
 summer day without anxiety as to whether it will bring forth 
 fruit in autumn? " 
 
 "My hope is in God," said Louisa, piously folding her 
 hands together, " and Jesus is my trust." 
 
 At this instant the door opened and the Electress's cham- 
 berlain entered. 
 
 ." I beg pardon, your highness," he said, " for venturing to 
 disturb you. But a distinguished visitor has just arrived and 
 desires to be conducted to your highness without delay." 
 
 " Who is it? " asked the Electress eagerly. " Frederick! 
 it is possible that my mother has come at last, and means to 
 surprise us! Come, come, let us hasten to meet her! " 
 
 The Electress took her husband's arm and wished to go 
 quickly forward. But Frederick William detained her. " Let 
 US hear more first, Electress. Say, Krokow, who is the vis- 
 itor?" 
 
 " Most gracious sir, I do not know. It is a lady, tolerably 
 
324 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 young and very pretty, with fiery black eyes and black hair. 
 She drove up to the castle in a great traveling carriage, with 
 much baggage but few servants. The porter summoned me, 
 and when I took the liberty of asking the lady her name, she 
 replied that it did not at all concern me to know it. I must 
 only conduct her to her grace with all privacy. I did not know 
 what reply to make, and was quite at a loss what to do. But 
 the lady required me to give her my arm and help her to alight,, 
 and I could do nothing less than obey. Then she reiterated 
 her orders to be led forthwith to her highness, and when I 
 still stood hesitating, she crossed the vestibule and mounted 
 the great staircase before me, as if she were perfectly ac- 
 quainted with the place." 
 
 " And here I am! " said a clear, laughing voice behind! 
 them; and when the Electress turned round, she saw stand- 
 ing in the open door a lady of tall, commanding stature, clad 
 in a simple black traveling dress. She had thrown back her 
 veil, displaying a bright smiling countenance with glowing 
 black eyes. The Electress contemplated the fair stranger with 
 embarrassed mien, and in her confusion did not think of going- 
 to meet her. " Yes, here I am," repeated the lady, " and I 
 now request my dear cousin Louisa Henrietta either to bid 
 me welcome or dismiss me immediately, for my carriage still 
 stands in the yard below, and I shall depart without delay if 
 my visit is at all unpleasant to you." 
 
 " I am pleased, certainly," said the Electress, " but "" 
 
 " But you do not know, ma chere cousine, who I am. And 
 there stands my other dear cousin, looking as much bewildered 
 and perplexed as if he had never seen me in his life. Yes, 
 indeed, many years have elapsed since we saw each other for 
 the last time, Elector Frederick William. You were then a 
 little, enthusiastic Electoral Prince and I a foolish, passionate- 
 young girl. But, dear me, have I actually altered so dread^ 
 fully since then that neither of you recognizes me? Louisa, 
 have you forgotten my riding you in the little carriage drawn 
 by two goats with gilded horns in the grounds at Bosch? 
 and " 
 
 "It is Cousin Ludovicka," exclaimed the Electress, joy- 
 fully — " yes, to be sure, it is Cousin Ludovicka Hollandine! "^ 
 
THE VISIT. 325 
 
 " It is the lost child returning home to her family! " cried 
 the Princess. Extending both arms to the Electress, she asked 
 with gushing tears: " Will you receive the lost as one found 
 again, Louisa? Shall I no longer have to wander an exile in 
 a foreign land ? " 
 
 " No, that you shall not, Ludovicka. Welcome, heartily 
 welcome! ^' cried the Electress, who took the Princess in her 
 arms and imprinted a warm kiss upon her lips. 
 
 Disconcerted and irresolute, the Elector stood in the back- 
 ground, gazing upon the lovely group. His impulse was to 
 snatch his wife from the Princess's embrace, to say to herr 
 " She is an intriguer! She deceives you, Louisa! " And yet„ 
 had he a right to do so? Had he not given the Princess his 
 solemn promise not to betray to anybody in the world the 
 secret of her sojourn at Burgsdorf's? Had he not in return 
 stipulated that Ludovicka should either take her departure in 
 eight days or present herself openly before her cousin, the 
 Electress? And had not Ludovicka now complied with his 
 conditions? Had she not set oif at the expiration of the eight 
 days and now come voluntarily to fulfill her part of the en- 
 gagement? Must he not, therefore, also keep his word and 
 guard her secret? Would it not be a breach of faith to betray 
 her now, when she came with all humility to place herself 
 under her cousin's protection? Oh! he well knew what it had 
 cost that proud, stubborn heart to gain such a victory over 
 self, with what struggles she had wrung this sacrifice from 
 her pride. Old Burgsdorf had told him how she had wept the 
 livelong night, and how sad she had been when early this 
 morning she had bidden him farewell. , No, it was impossible. 
 He durst not betray her. He durst not be false to his oath. 
 She had fulfilled all requirements, and he had no right to 
 abuse her confidence. She was there, and he could not drive 
 her from his house after the Electress had bidden her welcome. 
 
 As soon as the Elector had come to this conclusion he 
 stepped forward and slowly approached the two cousins, who 
 stood hand in hand, conversing in an undertone. 
 
 "Let me go, Louisa," the Princess was just whispering. 
 " You see he will not speak to me; it is disagreeable for him 
 to see me here; let me go." 
 
^26 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 And Ludovicka made a movement as if to turn away. But 
 the Electress held her fast, and with pleading looks turned 
 to her husband. 
 
 " Frederick," she said, " Ludovicka wants to go away, be- 
 cause you do not bid her welcome. I have, however, begged 
 her to stay." 
 
 " And you were right to do so, my dear Louisa," cried the 
 Elector pleasantly, at the same time quickening his pace and 
 offering his hand to the Princess. " Welcome, Princess Ludo- 
 vicka Hollandine," he said, almost with solemnity. " May 
 your going out and coming in be blessed to this house! My 
 well-beloved wife has bidden you welcome. She has such a 
 true, pious disposition she can not be recreant to the religion 
 of past memories, but preserves it sacred and pure in the sanc- 
 tuary of her breast. Let us two, then, follow her fine example, 
 and dedicate ourselves with pious and earnest feelings to the 
 same faith, and keep it with truth and honesty so long as we 
 live." 
 
 " Yes, that we will! " cried Ludovicka, with an appearance 
 of deep emotion. " Permit me to tarry with you a few days, 
 and prepare myself for the great step which I have in view. 
 I count upon you for aid in this, Louisa. I hope that your 
 soft, tender heart will open to me, and give me a little love 
 and sympathy, for if so, then you can intercede for me with 
 my mother and brothers and sisters, that they may open their 
 arms to me and once more take me to their hearts." 
 
 "Would you return to The Hague? To our family?" 
 asked the Electress, with a somewhat embarrassed mien, for 
 she well knew how little sjrmpathy the Princess Ludovicka 
 would find at The Hague, how irksome her presence would 
 loe to Princess Amelia, how unseasonable even to her own 
 mother. 
 
 " Yes," replied the Princess, " I would go to my friends, 
 hut not to remain with them. I only wish to make my peace 
 with them and my own heart before saying farewell to the 
 world forever. This, Louisa, is my last experience of the 
 world, my last earthly business, and when it is accomplished, 
 when I have become reconciled to my family, received my 
 mother's blessing and the salutation of peace from all my dear 
 
THE VISIT. 327 
 
 ones, then will my pilgrimage be ended, and I shall return 
 to France to sever all worldly ties by going into a convent. 
 Sir Elector," continued the Princess, turning with a sad smile 
 to Frederick William, " I would like to make a confession to 
 my dear cousin, your wife, this very hour, the first of our 
 meeting. She shall learn from me what you apparently in 
 the chivalry of your noble nature have concealed from her. 
 For I know that you can never have been guilty of the crime 
 of betraying a lady^s secret. Am I not right, cousin? — you 
 have not done and would not do such a thing? " 
 
 The Elector well understood the hidden meaning of her 
 question, and met the Princess's inquiring glance with firm 
 and tranquil aspect. 
 
 " Your confidence is not misplaced," he said. 
 
 The Princess nodded her head slightly, as if in thanks. 
 
 ^^ Then you shall learn my secret from myself, Louisa," 
 she said, seizing the Electress's hand and drawing her tenderly 
 toward herself. " I will tell you all, cousin; I would confess 
 to you! There was a time, Louisa — ah! long since vanished! 
 — when I was a young, innocent, and beautiful girl, such as 
 you were when your husband married you. Then came to The 
 Hague the Electoral Prince of Brandenburg. You do not 
 know it, for you were then nothing but a child." 
 
 " Oh, but I do know," said the Electress, casting a smiling 
 glance at her husband. " I know it very well, for, child as I 
 was, I learned even then to love my cousin, and from that time 
 he became the ideal of my imagination." 
 
 "If you as a child loved him," continued the Princess, 
 •" you may imagine that I, the ardent imaginative girl of six- 
 teen — I loved him, and longed for nothing so much as to be- 
 long to him, to become his wife. Perhaps it was my love which 
 attracted him as the magnet does the steel; enough, we loved 
 one another, and were to have been married. But I was right 
 in saying that my love was the stronger, that it was like the 
 magnet which attracts the steel. At the decisive moment the 
 magnet suddenly lost its power and the steel dropped off. He 
 rejected me." 
 
 " Frederick! " cried the Electress, and in spite of herself 
 a ray as of sunshine flitted across her face — " Frederick, is that 
 
328 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER, 
 
 true? Did you have the dreadful courage to reject your beau- 
 tiful, fascinating cousin? " 
 
 " Yes," quickly resumed the Princess, without allowing the 
 Elector time to answer — " yes, he did have that dreadful cour- 
 age, and only look at him now, Louisa, I verily believe he is 
 glad of it to-day. Well, I can hardly blame him, for without 
 that courage he would not be now the husband of my sweet 
 cousin Louisa Henrietta. Yes, he scorned me; he did not 
 love me ardently, passionately, as I chose to be loved. It 
 came to an explanation, to a rupture, and we parted. I with 
 hatred and indignation rankling in my heart, he with coolness 
 and indifference." 
 
 " And I, my dear Ludovicka," said the Electress, with fer- 
 vor — " I beg your pardon for the Electoral Prince, pardon for 
 his cruelty and fickleness, for " 
 
 " Not so fast, Electress," interposed her husband, smiling. 
 " Beg not too much. The Princess has forgotten one thing, 
 and, since she is disposed to confess, let her tell all, that I may 
 not appear to you in the light of a frivolous, inconstant boy. 
 Princess Ludovicka, you told the Electress that I rejected 
 your hand, will you have the goodness to explain the circum- 
 stances which induced me to take such a step ? " 
 
 " Why, yes," replied the Princess; " I forgot that. We 
 could not obtain our parent's consent to our union. We would 
 have been therefore compelled to abscond and marry in secret. 
 Now, unexpected aid was proffered. The French ambassa- 
 dor offered us, in his Sovereign's name, an asylum upon French 
 soil; he declared himself ready to pay considerable subsidies 
 to the Electoral Prince provided that the latter would pledge 
 himself to remain the friend and ally of the King of France 
 when he should become Elector." 
 
 " Say, rather, to become the servant, the vassal of France! "^ 
 cried the Elector. " This I could not, durst not consent to. 
 My political conscience revolted against it and made silent 
 the feelings of my heart, and I must acknowledge that I da 
 not repent of it to-day, but would act just as I did then." 
 
 " You see, cousin," said Ludovicka, smiling, " he does not 
 repent; he is incorrigible. And, indeed, he has more cause 
 to be content with his course to-day than at that time, for 
 
THE VISIT. 329 
 
 he now sees you at my side. You are young and beautiful, 
 
 you are a lovely, fascinating creature, and I Cousin, you 
 
 may now give me your hand and with a dutiful kiss ask pardon 
 for your earlier offenses, without giving my fair cousin the 
 least ground for being jealous! " 
 
 " No! " cried the Electress, with a smiling glance at her 
 husband — " no, I am not jealous! Come, Frederick, accept 
 our dear cousin's overture toward a reconciliation, kiss her 
 hand, and beg her to stay with us as long as she may find it 
 agreeable so to do. Tell her that we feel glad of the oppor- 
 tunity of entertaining so beloved a guest." 
 
 " The Princess has just heard this from your lips, sound- 
 ing much sweeter and better than from mine," replied the 
 Elector. But he took the hand held out to him by the Prin- 
 <3ess, and pressed it to his lips. 
 
 " And now," said the Electress cheerfully — " now that all 
 has been explained and cleared up, permit me, my dear cousin, 
 to make a few household arrangements for your comfort and 
 to give my instructions to the steward in person. Undoubt- 
 edly he is already in the antechamber awaiting my orders. 
 Excuse me, therefore, for a few minutes." 
 
 She nodded smilingly at the Princess and hastened through 
 the apartment to the antechamber. The Elector was alone 
 with her. They stood regarding each other with grave, mel- 
 ancholy looks. 
 
 '^ You see, Frederick William," said Ludovicka, her voice 
 slightly quivering, " I have obeyed your injunction, and come 
 to present myself to your wife." 
 
 "Yes," replied he gloomily, "but you are responsible, 
 Ludovicka, for my having to-day for the first time concealed 
 the truth from my wife." 
 
 "What?" cried she bitterly. "Was not this sacrifice 
 great enough? Could you ask it of me that I should tell your 
 wife that I had come here only to see you, to take leave of 
 you? Frederick! you have indeed a cruel heart, and would 
 deepen my humiliation! " 
 
 " No," said he, slowly shaking his head, " I have not a 
 cruel heart. I am only cautious and conscientious! " 
 
 "And yet you desire this last humiliation?" said she 
 
330 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 softly. " I am to tell your wife that I have already spent some 
 days here in concealment; that at my request you have daily 
 visited me; and that good old Burgsdorf took me into his 
 house under an assumed name? Must I acknowledge all this 
 to her? ^' 
 
 " No/^ answered the Elector hastily — " no. Let the matter 
 rest as it stands. The Electress is to know nothing of these 
 things. It is better so, perhaps. And now, Ludovicka Hoi- 
 landine," he continued, offering her both hands — " now wel- 
 come to my house, to my home. You have made a great sacri- 
 fice for my sake, and I thank you for it. By so doing you will 
 make my life richer by a few bright and happy days, and shed 
 some sunshine in this gray, gloomy old castle.'^ 
 
 At this moment the Electress re-entered the room, and, 
 seeing the two standing thus hand in hand and looking kindly 
 at one another, she nodded to them with a cheerful smile. 
 
 " That is right— I like that! " she cried. " Peace be 
 among us all, peace and love! And now come, dear cousin, 
 give me your arm and allow me to conduct you myself to your 
 own apartments, that you may rest and refresh yourself. In 
 an hour's time permit the Elector to hand you down to dinner.''' 
 
 She offered the Princess her arm, while the Elector has- 
 tened to open the doors for them, and then took his leave. 
 
 "Well, here I am happily installed," said Ludovicka to 
 herself, surveying the vast chamber with dingy little win- 
 dows into which she had just been ushered. "It must be 
 admitted," she continued, slowly sinking into one of the high- 
 backed chairs, covered with velvet yellow with age — " it must 
 be admitted that it is not too splendid here, and I almost think 
 I was lodged more elegantly and pleasantly at my old Burgs- 
 dorf's than here in the Electoral mansion. How faded is the 
 velvet of this furniture, how old-fashioned its style, and how 
 wretchedly defaced is the papering with which the walls are 
 hung! But let us see how the dressing room is furnished." 
 
 She got up briskly from her armchair, crossed the boudoir, 
 and pushed open the low brown door which led into the ad- 
 joining apartment. 
 
 It was fitted up in a similar manner. The walls were hung 
 with the same simple papering, the velvet covers on the furni- 
 
THE VISIT» 331 
 
 ture was faded, the golden decorations tarnished and moldy,, 
 the windows dim with their little panes of glass framed in lead,, 
 through which, however, penetrated the scorching rays of the 
 sun. Beneath a canopy of faded velvet was a small, simple 
 bed, and between the windows a toilet table furnished meanly 
 and simply, without the least luxury. 
 
 The Princess's keen eyes took all this in at a rapid glance, 
 and then fastened upon one spot in the ceiling which excited 
 her particular attention. This ceiling, which was very gro- 
 tesquely painted and represented a cloudy sky, from which 
 looked out several smiling genii, was at this place inter- 
 rupted in a violent way. The sky was here nailed up with 
 boards, and the angels' heads near the boards were lost in an 
 indistinguishable medley of colors. 
 
 " I should like to know what this signifies/' whispered the 
 Princess, while her eyes fell from the ceiling to the floor, 
 which was covered with a thick woolen carpet. Here, too,, 
 the colors were obliterated, and had run into one another,, 
 the floor seeming to have been damaged by some accident. 
 And as the Princess surveyed all this with a mocking smile,, 
 and was puzzling herself to conjecture the cause of this dilapi- 
 dation, a small side door in the sleeping room opened, and the 
 Electoral steward made his appearance, followed by a lackey,, 
 bearing a large earthen bowl. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," said the steward, with a low bow. 
 '^ I am sorry to disturb you, but it is just beginning to rain,, 
 and we must therefore place a vessel under this leak. The 
 new chambers, alas! are not ready, and your highness will 
 therefore have to content yourself with the Duchess of Bruns- 
 wick's suite of apartments. But who would have thought 
 that such a storm would have blown up ? " 
 
 He helped the lackey to place the great earthen dish just 
 under that part of the ceiling which was boarded up, and then 
 retired with reverential obeisances. 
 
 Princess Ludovicka looked with comic seriousness upon 
 the brown earthen bowl, and as the rain, which was now beat- 
 ing furiously against the window panes, began also to pene- 
 trate the ceiling and trickle drop by drop in;to the bowl, she 
 laughed aloud. 
 22 
 
^32 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " I actually believe this grim old Electoral castle is weep- 
 ing because I have forced my way in/' she whispered. " The 
 steward may be right: a storm is blowing up. I am the tem- 
 pest; I am the lightning which is to put everything here in 
 flames; I am the fire which is to lay everything here in ashes. 
 Weep, weep, old rumbling Electoral castle! Yes, yes, the 
 tempest is brewing, and finely shall it thunder and lighten! 
 Weep on! I, too, wept when he thrust me from him; wring- 
 ing my hands I besought him, and he had the cruel courage 
 to turn from me. Now I shall take my revenge, my fiery, 
 fierce revenge! '^ 
 
 Just at this instant a streak of lightning flashed through 
 the apartment, followed by such a loud, majestic peal of thun- 
 der that the windows jarred and rattled. 
 
 Ludovicka lifted up both arms, and her countenance grew 
 more animated. "Hail to you, angry voice of Jove!" she 
 cried. " I greet you and rejoice in you! Send me one of thy 
 bolts, as thou didst once to Theseus, that I may take vengeance 
 upon these two, who are to blame for my ruin, who have on 
 their consciences the loss of my virtue, and my shame, my 
 transgressions and humiliations! He scorned me and drove 
 me to take refuge in that wild, licentious life. 8he has taken 
 the place which belongs to me, with which he solemnly swore 
 to endow me. I ought to be Electress of Brandenburg! I 
 should be the wife of this handsome, engaging Elector! Help 
 me, Jupiter! that I may revenge myself upon them both!* 
 "Speak to me with the voice of thy majestic thunderbolts. Say 
 that thou wilt grant my prayer! " 
 
 Still she stood with uplifted arms, her large, glowing eyes 
 gazing into the stormy sky. Now another vivid flash, envelop- 
 ing her as in a golden cloud; a loud and long-continued peal 
 of thunder followed. A smile passed lightly over her features, 
 she let her arms drop, and, proudly throwing back her head, 
 whispered: " I shall have my revenge. He shall love me! " 
 
THE EXECUTION. 333 
 
 III. — The Execution. 
 
 The eight days had passed, and Gabriel Nietzel had not 
 protested against the sentence which condemned him to death. 
 He had not even sought the Elector's pardon, although Fred- 
 iCrick William had several times sent his own physician to the 
 prison to urge him to present a written petition to that effect. 
 But Gabriel had only replied to this invitation by silently 
 shaking his head, and when, on his last mission, the doctor 
 had pressed it upon him with impatience, he had said almost 
 indignantly: " I have only one favor to ask of the Elector, 
 and that is that he will trouble himself no more about me, but 
 allow me undisturbed to go on my way to death. This is now 
 my sole wish. Say so to the Elector, and farewell! " 
 
 But this was the very favor which Frederick William was 
 unwilling to grant the wretched man; he would save him at 
 ^ny price. He felt as if a sacred bond linked him to the poor 
 T^eggar, as if it would be a grief to his own soul to burst asunder 
 this bond; his heart seemed to be drawn with wondrous sym- 
 pathy toward this pitiable man, and he had a feeling of rever- 
 ential admiration for the heroism with which the heavily 
 laden, repentant sinner had imposed upon himself such severe 
 penance for his crime and guilt. 
 
 " I will save him! " cried the Elector quite aloud, as he 
 once more, on this the eighth day after the pronouncing of 
 the sentence, read over the warrant of death which had been 
 issued against the "beggar Glaus," and to which he was to- 
 day to affix his signature. " I will save Glaus, and preserve 
 my soul from incurring the heavy guilt of having condemned 
 an innocent, repentant man. They say that it does not be- 
 come me to pardon in opposition to the will of the criminal 
 himself. They also maintain that, if the sentence has been 
 given unanimously, it may not and can not be reversed by 
 the simple mandate of the Elector, who must submit to the 
 supremacy of the law like any other citizen. But I will prove 
 io this haughty court, to these proud, assuming magistrates, 
 and these stubborn, obstinate States that I am not merely 
 Elector but Sovereign here — that I am above law, and that 
 
334 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 my will is the highest law in my dominions! Gabriel Nietzel. 
 shall not die! I will not have it.'^ 
 
 And the Elector strode through the apartment and opened 
 the door of the little antechamber. " Kiinkel," he said to the 
 chamberlain in attendance there, "have all my orders been 
 executed?" 
 
 " Yes, your Electoral Highness.'' '* 
 
 "Is all ready?" 
 
 "All is ready, most gracious sir! He got here an hour 
 ago, and is now in my room taking some refreshment." 
 
 " Good! Bring him here into the antechamber, and when 
 I call let him come in. Did you convey my orders to the di- 
 rector of the prison? " 
 
 " Yes, your Electoral Highness, but the director thought 
 he could not comply with the order without the burgomaster's 
 consent — not without a written permit signed by him to the 
 effect that he could release the prisoner from his cell and have 
 him led to your highness." 
 
 The Elector turned away to conceal the flush of anger and 
 shame which mounted to his face. " They shall repent of it,"" 
 he said to himself. " I shall make them repent of daring to 
 oppose me thus at every opportunity. I will bend their 
 haughty necks and break their pride! " 
 
 As if this thought had cooled and refreshed him, the 
 Elector turned to his chamberlain with cheerful and com- 
 posed mien. " Did you go then to the burgomaster with my 
 order?" he asked. 
 
 " I did, your Electoral Grace, and the burgomaster made 
 haste to hand me the written order, tha. the director of the 
 prison should forthwith, in obedience to the Electoral com- 
 mand, send the criminal under a strong guard to the castle as 
 soon as it was dark, since the Elector wished to question him 
 once more." 
 
 "Indeed, I owe my thanks to the burgomaster for his" 
 condescending support of my orders! " cried the Elector, with 
 a derisive laugh. " I suppose, then, since it is already dark,, 
 that the criminal will soon be here? " 
 
 " The burgomaster thought it might be done about seven 
 o'clock. It is already a quarter past seven. But it seems to 
 
THE EXECUTION. 335 
 
 me I hear carriage wheels. Surely they must be bringing him 
 now." 
 
 " It is indeed so," said the Elector, listening. " Light a 
 few more candles in my cabinet, that it may be right bright, 
 and then, when he has come to me, let his guard await his re- 
 turn in the guardroom below. Place some wine and brandy 
 before the men, and encourage them to do honor to the drink- 
 ables. When you have well provided for the people below, 
 come up again, and wait with the boy until I call you in. Is 
 he good-looking?" 
 
 " Your highness, a youth of such extraordinary beauty I 
 have never before seen. He puts me in mind of the angel 
 Gabriel, so radiant, so innocent, yet manly and " 
 
 "Your Electoral Grace," announced a valet de chambrey 
 " the provosts and jailer of the prison are in the antechamber 
 without. They bring a man in irons, whom they say your 
 Electoral Grace has summoned." 
 
 " Let them come in," was the Elector's order, " and you, 
 Kiinkel, go to the young man and bring him here at the right 
 time." 
 
 " Your highness shall be obeyed," replied the confidential 
 chamberlain, noiselessly withdrawing. 
 
 There was a rattling and clanking before the door of the 
 great antechamber, heavy footsteps approached, the valet 
 threw open the door, and four bearded, sullen-looking men 
 strode in, leading in their midst a poor, pale human being, 
 about whose wasted, emaciated form clanked heavy irons, with 
 which they had chained him hand and foot. 
 
 The Elector only cast one fleeting glance upon him, then 
 beckoned to the provosts, who had halted in reverential atti- 
 tude, and with imperious voice ordered, " Take off his chains! " 
 
 They obeyed, and the heavy chains, weighing nearly sixty 
 pounds, fell with a crash to the floor. 
 
 " Now be off with you! " cried the Elector, indicating the 
 door by a quick movement of his hand. 
 
 " Your Electoral Grace," the first provost ventured to re- 
 mark, with humble voice — "your Electoral Grace, we are 
 forbidden " 
 
 " Not another word; carry out the chains! " cried the 
 
336 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 Elector in thundering tones, and with meek and crestfallen 
 air the provosts slunk away. 
 
 Again the Elector and beggar were alone. 
 
 With cold, impassive mien Gabriel Nietzel had witnessed 
 the scene just past. With downcast eyes had he entered, not 
 once had he raised them, and neither the Elector's voice nor 
 the taking off of the chains seemed to have made the slightest 
 impression upon him. Only when they loosened the hand- 
 cuffs and freed his hands was any movement visible in this 
 bowed and shrunken figure. He had folded his hands, and, 
 bowing his head yet deeper upon his breast, had moved his 
 lips as if in secret prayer. 
 
 " Gabriel Metzel," said the Elector. 
 
 Gabriel slowly raised his head, and fixed his blue eyes with 
 a singularly tender expression upon Frederick William's noble 
 countenance. 
 
 ^' My dear Elector," he responded softly. 
 
 This simple, homely phrase made so deep an impression 
 upon the Elector that tears started to his eyes. 
 
 " Do you love me, Gabriel ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes," replied Gabriel with clear, full voice, *^ with my 
 whole heart I love you. You have ever been magnanimous, 
 humane, and benevolent. You have mercifully forgiven me 
 for my shameful crime, and always pitied me. You have pro- 
 tected me against the hatred and envy of the people; you have 
 had compassion upon my pain and my sore affliction." 
 
 " And yet I have not been able to protect you against the 
 fearful catastrophe which is now impending! " cried the Elec- 
 tor earnestly, shaking his head. " They have accused you 
 as a murderer and sorcerer! " 
 
 " Oh, no, your highness; I accused myself. They only 
 did what they were forced to do: they called me to account 
 for my own accusation." 
 
 " And condemned you to death," added the Elector. " It 
 is a disgraceful, childish, and foolish sentence, and you per- 
 ceive, Gabriel, that I can not ratify it." 
 
 " It is a just and well-merited sentence, sir," said Gabriel, 
 *^ and for the sake of justice and an eternal reward you will 
 have to ratify it. It is written, ' For all they that take the 
 
THE EXECUTION. 337 
 
 sword shall perish with the sword/ and again, ' Whoso shed- 
 deth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.' " 
 
 " But you have shed no blood, Gabriel, neither have you 
 taken the sword! " cried the Elector eagerly. " In an evil 
 hour you allowed yourself to be led astray by a wicked tempter, 
 and were upon the point of committing a crime. But God 
 prevented it." 
 
 " Say, rather, Rebecca prevented it! " cried Gabriel, 
 straightening himself up — " say that Rebecca took upon her- 
 self the sinner's crime and went for him to death. He, there- 
 fore, has not merely one murder upon his conscience, but 
 is responsible for the cruel and terrible death of the noblest 
 and most high-souled of women. And you, sir, would have 
 his crime go unpunished! You can wish that he should fill 
 out the measure of his days like any other honest and virtu- 
 ous man, and enjoy the blessings of earth, sunshine, and 
 flowers! You would have the criminal go unpunished! " 
 
 "No, Gabriel. But a crime that is atoned for I would 
 have pardoned, and mercy extended to the sinner. Gabriel, 
 you have done penance and expiated your guilt." 
 
 " In what way, sir? " asked Gabriel quickly. " What have 
 I done to merit forgiveness? Like a broken and useless branch 
 have I hung upon the tree of life, consuming its vigor, and 
 imparting to it no new sap. In idle penance I squandered 
 my days, instead of spending them for others in restless labor, 
 in the sweat of my brow. I thought I had imposed a won- 
 derfully great penance upon myself when I renounced ambi- 
 tion, trod my manly dignity in the dust, and, giving up every 
 right, wandered about as a needy beggar living upon charity. 
 I did, indeed, scourge and torture myself, endured the con- 
 tempt of men, patiently submitted to their taunts, and, like 
 a dog, picked out of the mud the penny cast at me with mock- 
 ing jests, feeling withal as if my heart were being slowly 
 lacerated with pin pricks and as if daggers were penetrating 
 my brain. But still, that was not genuine penance, nor genu- 
 ine humility. True penance, sir, consists in work! If I had 
 labored from morning till night, if I had lived and toiled 
 for the poor, the unfortunate — that would have been the right 
 kind of penance! There are so many sick and suffering, who 
 
338 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 in their solitude and distress need attention and consolation. 
 These I should have sought out, these should I have tended. 
 Then I might still have done something, then I might perhaps 
 have again deserved to live, and even to obtain forgiveness 
 before the throne of God. For work is a sacrifice well pleas- 
 ing to God, and he looks more favorably upon hands that 
 labor than upon hands which are for hours together uplifted 
 in slothful prayer. See, sir," continued Gabriel, recovering 
 breath, " all this I saw clearly for the first time in my dear, 
 solitary dungeon. The black veil which covered my head has 
 been taken away since I found my Rebecca's remains, and my 
 «ye sees everything clearly and in its true light." 
 
 "Well then, Gabriel, you must perceive that you ought 
 not to die yet," said the Elector in a pressing manner — " that 
 you should do penance now in another sense. You say that 
 work is the only true penance and the only sacrifice well 
 pleasing to God. Go to work, then, Gabriel, and use your 
 hands! I will furnish you with the fitting opportunity. I 
 will send you to my province of Prussia. There at Konigs- 
 berg nobody knows you, nobody has heard of you. A great 
 asylum has been erected there for the accommodation of two 
 hundred patients. You shall be appointed one of the 
 nurses. There you can live in obscurity and poverty, 
 but as an active member of the community doing pen- 
 ance by your work. Accept my proposition, I beseech you, 
 <xabriel Nietzel. See, I have prepared everything beforehand, 
 made all arrangements for your flight, and taken all need- 
 ful precautions. Now prove to me that you really love your 
 '^ dear Elector,' and care to please me. Flee, Gabriel, flee! " 
 
 " Sir, it is impossible! " cried Gabriel, " I can not, I dare 
 not. Through purgatory is the road to paradise, and I must 
 he on my way, for Rebecca is waiting for me. Do you not 
 know that when I found her bones, with her hand she struck 
 my forehead, so that the blood gushed out? Do you not under- 
 stand that by this token she meant to demand my head and 
 my blood for an atonement? To bid me pass through the 
 purgatory of earthly punishment, to be absolved, and to meet 
 her in eternal peace, eternal love? No, sir, you can not be 
 xsruel enough to detain me longer from my Rebecca, or to pro- 
 
THE EXECUTION. 339 
 
 long my earthly tortures. I told you that I did not practice 
 the right sort of penance, and that therefore my crimes are 
 still unpunished and unatoned for. Then let me now expiate 
 them by my death, sir, let earthly justice run her course that 
 heavenly justice may stoop to pity me." 
 
 "But, man!" cried the Elector earnestly, "do you not 
 feel that it pains me to see you die so? Do you not compre- 
 hend that my soul revolts from participating in the guilt of 
 your death?" 
 
 " You participate in no guilt, sir," replied Gabriel, shak- 
 ing his head so that his long, gray locks fluttered about his 
 face. " No, sir; you will rather have acted as my benefactor 
 and redeemer, and I shall bless you with the last breath of my 
 miserable existence." 
 
 " Man, are you not to be moved? " cried the Elector bitter- 
 ly. " Can nothing soften your obduracy or break your mad 
 stubbornness? Yet every creature clings to life, and every- 
 body has something which he loves and from which he would 
 not part! " 
 
 "I, sir, have nothing. My love, my hope, my joy lie 
 huried in the grave, whence they will come forth with me at 
 the resurrection." 
 
 " And your son. Have you not thought of your son, 
 Gabriel Nietzel?" 
 
 A shriek sounded from Gabriel's pale and trembling lips. 
 He clasped both his hands before his face and groaned aloud. 
 
 "Sir, oh, sir, why did you do that?" he sighed, slowly 
 letting his hands drop from before his face. " Why did you 
 with cruel hand touch the only chord which still vibrates in 
 my heart? " 
 
 " That you may awake from your self -torturing delusion, 
 Gabriel Nietzel! " cried the Elector with strong voice — " that 
 you may feel that your heart is not loosened from earth; that 
 you may be convinced that there are links binding you to 
 earth which you may not sever. The last time you stood 
 before me in this chamber as you do to-day, Gabriel Nietzel, 
 I demanded of the cruel father, who would have sentenced his 
 child to share his penance and his life of beggary, to give 
 me his son that I might have him brought up to be an honest. 
 
340 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 virtuous man. And Gabriel Nietzel subdued his feelings^ 
 and gave away the last thing he prized on earth — he 
 gave me his son! To-day when for the last time, perhaps, 
 you wait in this room, I shall show the son to this cruel 
 father, that his heart may open to love! Come in! " cried 
 the Elector, with loud voice, and the door of the small 
 antechamber opened, and within it appeared a boy or rather a 
 youth. 
 
 Tall and slender was his stature, his hair, once so light and 
 golden had darkened to brown, and fell in heavy ringlets; 
 over his neck and shoulders. His face was of that fine, classie 
 oval, such as we see in the statues of the ancients and the 
 paintings of the Italian masters, and wore an expression of 
 innocence and youthful candor. His cheeks were slightly- 
 tinged with red, his full, parted lips revealed two rows of the 
 most exquisitely white teeth. The broad, high forehead tes~ 
 tified of energy and determination, and from his large, black 
 eyes beamed an exuberance of youthful spirits. These eyes 
 were now fixed with an expression at once reverential and 
 bewildered upon the Elecior, and, as the latter did not call' 
 him, the boy remained modestly standing at the door. Ga- 
 briel Nietzel had not yet seen him, standing with his back 
 to the door, his head sunk upon his breast. 
 
 " Gabriel Nietzel! " cried the Elector now, " look around; 
 it is Eebecca's son who stands beside you! " 
 
 A tremor shook the poor, bowed, and drooping form. A 
 deadly pallor, and then a glowing red, suffused his cheeks. 
 He was undergoing an inward conflict; he sought to con- 
 quer himself and force back the feelings which welled up from 
 his heart, his longings, and his love; but love was stronger 
 than his will. It vanquished him now, so that he turned 
 around; it made him forget everything, his penance, his des- 
 pair, his repentant tears, even the cruel oath by which he had 
 bound himself never again to salute his son. In spite of him- 
 self his arms opened, his lips parted, and with a cry of mingled 
 pain and rapture he rushed to his son, clasped him tightly in 
 his arms, and, leaning his head upon the boy's shoulder, broke 
 forth into loud weeping. 
 
 The Elector stood with folded hands,, and his eyes> usu- 
 
THE EXECUTION. 34;| 
 
 ally so bright and clear, grew dim. And as he now turned 
 them heavenward, two tears rolled slowly down his cheeks. 
 
 " He has a son," he said softly to himself, " a son whom. 
 he loves. Oh, my God, how wonderful are thy ways! Thou 
 givest to the beggar what thou deniest to the Prince, and 
 the Prince might envy the beggar! " 
 
 Meanwhile, by the energy of his will, Gabriel Nietzel had 
 suppressed his groans and weeping, and again lifted up his 
 head. With the back of his hand he wiped away the tears 
 from his eyes and looked at his son. His countenance actually 
 seemed glorified, and after long, long years for the first time- 
 a smile illumined his features. 
 
 " It is Rebecca! " he cried. " Those are her eyes! That 
 is her wonderful countenance, that is the sweet smile with, 
 which she was wont to cheer and comfort my heart! " 
 
 "Yes, it is Rebecca," said the Elector, approaching the 
 two. " My child," he continued, turning to the boy, who 
 with bewildered glances looked sometimes upon Gabriel and 
 sometimes upon the Elector, " speak to your father, tell him 
 that you will love him, and beg him to stay with you." 
 
 "Is that man my father?" asked the young man, almost 
 sorrowfully. 
 
 " No," cried Gabriel Metzel vehemently — " no, I am not 
 your father! You know your father was a gentleman, a re- 
 nowned artist. Your grandfather told you so, when you 
 were with him in Venice. Do you not remember, Raphael? " 
 
 "My God!" murmured the boy, as if awakening from a 
 dream. "Raphael! he calls me Raphael! Yes, indeed, they 
 used to call me so before I had found my father Jacob Uhle. 
 And you! " he cried all at once aloud and joyfully — " are 
 not you my good old foster-father? Are not you Glaus— 
 my dear, good Glaus? " 
 
 He laid both hands on Gabriel's shoulders, his large, flam- 
 ing eyes seeking in that pinched and wasted countenance 
 traces of childhood's memories. 
 
 "Yes, it is he," continued the lad. "You have come* 
 again at last, and I find you on exactly the same spot where 
 you left me. Oh, I remember all now, I know how much I 
 wept at first when you thrust me from you, Glaus, and whea 
 
342 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 I had to go to a strange place among strange people. At 
 night, when I was alone, I called to you and scolded you, weep- 
 ing bitterly for longing to see my old Claus. But in the morn- 
 ing I dried my eyes, and did not let any one see my sadness. 
 Tor Jacob Uhle and his wife were so very kind to me, calling 
 me their child and acting in every respect like tender parents. 
 And then there was so much to be learned, so much to be 
 done, that I soon forgot my sorrow. So years have passed away, 
 and only occasionally do I still think of my good old Claus. 
 But now you are here again, Claus, and I mean to hold fast to 
 you, and not let you run away from me again." 
 
 " Well spoken," said the Elector, smiling approvingly upon 
 the boy. " Hold him right fast, that he escape us not again. 
 Tell him that a father has no right to forsake his son, for 
 «ee, I will now tell you a secret; you " 
 
 "No!" screamed Gabriel, violently thrusting the young 
 man from him — " no, sir, you will not. As a last favor I be- 
 seech you to betray no secret to this youth. You would 
 not eternally trouble the serenity of his soul. He has 
 found a father and a family, let him enjoy them. Look at 
 that dear face. Upon it still rests the sunshine of youth. 
 Oh, sir, do not let me be the cause of casting a dark shadow 
 over it!" 
 
 "But I," cried the young man, anxiously approaching 
 the Elector, " I implore your highness to tell me the truth. 
 Do it, I beg of you, sir, that I may know who I am. I am 
 strong and sound, both in soul and body, and can bear any 
 secret. Tell me, I beseech you, sir, is this poor, unhappy 
 man my own veritable father? I well know that from child- 
 hood up he took care of me, denied himself to supply my 
 wants, cradled me in his arms, carried me when my feet were 
 sore, and begged for me when I hungered. But when I asked 
 him about my father he told me that he had long since been 
 dead and buried, and that I must never think or speak of him. 
 But if Claus is indeed my father, I will love him as a true son, 
 make up to him for what he has done for me, and nurse him 
 in his old age. Your highness, you do not know perhaps that 
 I have finished the course at Joachim's vale. I have passed my 
 ^examinations in the highest class, and now come to ask you. 
 
THE EXECUTION, 843 
 
 sir, to take me into the number of your soldiers, for Father 
 Uhle says you promised that you would." 
 
 "And he speaks the truth. You shall be a soldier, and 
 just as soon as you have learned the exercises and regulations 
 you shall belong to my bodyguard." 
 
 "I shall learn, and learn quickly, too! " cried the young 
 man joyfully, " and I shall get pay then, shall I not? " 
 
 " Yes indeed, that you shall." 
 
 " Then I can support old Claus just as he supported me, 
 and care for him and love him. That is to say," continued 
 he with a tender, imploring glance at Claus — " that is to say, 
 if he will accept it from me." 
 
 " Claus," asked the Elector, " can you resist any longer? 
 Does your heart make no response? " 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Claus, looking up determinedly, "it 
 responds in the name of his father, who has been long since 
 dead and buried, and this is its response. Hear it, Frederick 
 William Uhle, hear and ponder it well. The man who stands 
 here before you is not worthy of your love and sympathy, 
 and you are not to weep for him, but blot his remembrance 
 from your mind and scatter it to the four winds of heaven, 
 €ven as shall be soon done with his ashes! The Elector 
 has granted me the last favor of being privileged to see 
 you once more, Frederick William Uhle. I thank you, too, 
 tor coming and giving me a loving embrace on my way to 
 death." 
 
 " On your way to death? " asked the young man, turning 
 pale. " Good heavens, Claus! You are not the Claus whom 
 they were telling us about as we came along, the Claus— — " 
 
 " The Claus who is sentenced to death for murder and 
 witchcraft? Yes, I am that Claus! " cried Gabriel, draw- 
 ing himself up erect gravely and with dignity. "Frederick 
 Wilham Uhle, turn from me and think of me no more, for I 
 do not deserve it! " 
 
 " He slanders himself, he speaks what is false! " cried the 
 Elector passionately. "He wants to die, and therefore has 
 accused himself of evil deeds which he did not commit. 
 Short-sighted and foolish men credited his accusation, and 
 condemned him. But I tell you, Frederick William Uhle, 
 
344 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 that this man is not gnilty of the crimes for which he has 
 been condemned. And therefore pardon him I will^ and 
 therefore I had you summoned that you might beg him to 
 accept my pardon and live." 
 
 " Glaus! " cried the son, seizing him by the hand and look- 
 ing at him with pleading glances — " Glaus, please do not go 
 away from me. I beg you to endure life for my sake, what- 
 ever ills it may have brought you. Give me the happiness 
 of having you with me, that by my love I may make amends 
 for all the trouble I ever cost you. What matters it to you 
 that men prosecute and condemn you when the Elector pro- 
 nounces you innocent, and while I am here to love, venerate, 
 and cherish you, while I " 
 
 " merciful Father! " burst forth Gabriel, with a shriek 
 of despairing agony. "Will this poor, tortured heart then 
 never break? Must it be racked and tormented to the last 
 minute? Sir, sir, I am suffering, pity me! Sir, sir, the fires 
 of purgatory burn within my heart. Let thus much of grief 
 suffice — pity me! " 
 
 And wringing his hands, which were uplifted toward 
 heaven, Gabriel Nietzel threw himself on his knees and looked 
 up with countenance distorted by grief and gestures of en- 
 treaty, while his lips murmured detached words of supplica- 
 tion and fervent prayer. 
 
 Gradually these, too, were hushed, his features again grew 
 more composed, the restless hands dropped, and he bowed 
 his head upon his breast. Unbroken quiet prevailed now in 
 the Electoral cabinet. The beggar Glaus still knelt in silence,, 
 while his son stood behind him with folded hands and stream- 
 ing eyes. Opposite these two, leaning against his writing 
 table, stood the Elector, gazing upon the strange picture with 
 grave and deeply moved countenance. 
 
 Suddenly Gabriel Nietzel arose, and his whole manner 
 was tranquil and dignified. 
 
 " Sir,'' he said, turning to the Elector, " permit me to 
 speak once more to this young man here as if he were my son 
 and I his father. Will you tell him to do unquestioningly 
 what I shall ask of him? " 
 
 " It shall be done,'^ said the Elector, and, turning to the 
 
THE EXECUTION. 345 
 
 youth, he said, " Do what he bids you, and do it without ques- 
 tion." 
 
 " I will," murmured the youth, with quivering lips, 
 
 " My son," said Gabriel Nietzel solemnly, " do you re- 
 member that starry night when you slept in my arms with no 
 roof above us but the arching sky? " 
 
 "I remember it. Father Glaus," replied his son softly. 
 
 "I then told you what I shall now repeat: ^ Be happy, 
 my child, the blessing of your mother rest upon you, and make 
 of you a good and virtuous man! Think ever of your mother. 
 Honor her in every woman and maiden whom you approach. 
 Pray also for your unhappy father. He departed this life 
 under painful circumstances, pray for him that God may 
 have mercy upon him, and that he may enter into everlasting 
 peace.' Then my son," and something approaching a smile 
 flitted across his face, " then I kissed you and said: ' When 
 you are called to die, may some tender mouth bestow upon you 
 a parting kiss. May you expire beneath a kiss! ' For to-day, 
 Frederick William Uhle, this is also my farewell speech. 
 Think of your noble mother and pray for your wretched 
 father! And now, without uttering a word, without even 
 looking at me, turn around, go, and await without the Elec- 
 tor's further commands." 
 
 And as the son still lingered, his large eyes fixed in entreaty 
 upon his father, and latter with a proud, imperious move- 
 ment of the hand waved him toward the door. 
 
 " It is my last wish," he cried, " go! " 
 
 " Obey him," said the Elector earnestly. 
 
 The youth sighed deeply, once more directed his eyes to 
 the face of old Glaus, then turned slowly, opened the door, 
 and went out. A low, painful groan escaped Gabriel Nietzel's 
 l)reast; he pressed both hands upon his heart, as if he would 
 liold it together that it might not break beneath its weight of 
 woe. Then he stepped lightly across to the door through which 
 his son had disappeared, knelt down before it, stooped to the 
 floor, and kissed the threshold which his foot had touched. 
 
 " Blessings be upon you, my son," he said softly. '^ Your 
 father's spirit will be near you and his love will protect you. 
 Blessings be upon you! " 
 
346 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 He arose slowly and turned to the Elector. 
 
 " Sir/' he said in a toneless voice — " sir, I am weary, and 
 long for rest and solitude. Do me one last favor, summon 
 the men to lead me back to my prison.'' 
 
 "You remain immovable, then?" asked the Elector. 
 " You will not accept pardon from me? See, Gabriel, I have 
 prepared everything for your flight. A carriage is waiting to 
 drive you away from this place. In my chamberlain's room 
 are clothes for you. Kiinkel will drive you to Kopenick, 
 where we could keep you a few weeks in concealment until 
 the hue and cry raised over your disappearance shall be over. 
 Then, with a certificate from me, present yourself at the 
 Konigsberg hospital and take the place of nurse. But we will 
 tell the silly people that you certainly were a sorcerer, for you 
 vanished from the castle in a cloud of smoke and vapor. 
 Say even now that you accept my proposal, and will submit 
 to my wishes. Gabriel Nietzel, I should like so much to recon- 
 cile you with the world, to have the consciousness that I had 
 lightened your sufferings, that there was upon earth one 
 human heart that I had consoled, one sorrow-stricken soul 
 that I had relieved. Do you not see that my own soul is in 
 grief for you, and that you humble me by making me feel my 
 powerlessness? You call yourself a criminal because long 
 years ago you made an attempt upon my life. Well, then,, 
 atone for your crime now, while you accept life from me." 
 
 He had stepped up quite close to Gabriel, and his counte- 
 nance, usually so proud, wore now an expression of humble 
 entreaty. 
 
 " You mean well by me, sir," said Gabriel. " You would 
 alleviate my sufferings? " 
 
 " Yes, Gabriel, I would indeed! " 
 
 "Well, do so then, sir. Sign my death warrant, that I 
 may go away into everlasting life." 
 
 The Elector impatiently stamped his foot, and turned away 
 with indignation and bitterness of heart. 
 
 " Be not angry with me, my dear, high-souled Elector," 
 said Gabriel softly. " Indeed, I can not do otherwise, and if 
 you could see into my inner nature you would know that it 
 is impossible for me to live longer. Grant me yet another 
 
THE EXECUTION. 347 
 
 last request. Give orders that Frederick William Uhle re- 
 turn to Joachim's vale this very day, and let him remain 
 there until all is over here." 
 
 "It shall be done/' murmured the Elector with hollow 
 voice. 
 
 " And now, sir, he pitiful and let me go away. My soul 
 is weary, like my body." 
 
 " Well, he it so! " cried the Elector, straightening himself 
 up. " I will grant you the favor you ask. Stay here and see! '' 
 
 He strode quickly to the writing table, took a pen, and 
 with rapid strokes signed his name to the document, which 
 he then picked up and handed to Gabriel Nietzel. 
 • " See here," he said, " I have done what you asked of me 
 as a last favor. Do you know by this that I have good inten- 
 tions toward you, and consider that I prove my love to you,, 
 while in the eyes of the world I condemn you? " 
 
 " I know by this that you are a noble, magnanimous Prince. 
 Permit me, sir, to kiss your name; for this name upon that 
 paper is for me the word of deliverance, the announcement 
 of an end whose beginning is blessedness! " 
 
 He bowed his head over the paper and kissed the name 
 which ratified his sentence of death. 
 
 " Frederick William! " he said aloud, " Elector of Bran- 
 denburg, blessed be your life! Great works will you accom- 
 plish, and posterity will encircle with fame the name which 
 I have just kissed. With deadly intent the wretch Gabriel 
 Nietzel once stretched forth against you his criminal hand. 
 For this he now goes to death, and you live, live in happiness 
 and glory! We are quits! I have now expiated my guilt, 
 and after the space of two days, when you think of Gabriel 
 Nietzel, lift up your eyes to heaven and greet him with kindly 
 remembrance." 
 
 " I shall do so, Gabriel. It will sometimes be a comfort 
 to me to think of you in heaven, for I shall believe that your 
 blessed spirit also thinks of me and looks down lovingly upon 
 my toils and conflicts here below. Give me your hand, Gabriel 
 Nietzel. You stand at the portals of death, and there the 
 prince and the beggar are equals. My soul speaks now to 
 yours: Farewell until we meet again! " 
 
,348 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " Farewell until we meet again! " repeated Gabriel, lay- 
 ing his thin, wasted fingers within the Elector's strong, white 
 hand. 
 
 Then, after a short pause, Frederick William called his 
 chamberlain, who hurried in, convinced that the moment 
 had come when he was to set out with Claus for Kopenick. 
 
 " Klinkel," said the Elector, with averted face, " go down 
 now and fetch back the men, that they may again lead Claus 
 ,to prison. Hush! not a word! Go! " 
 
 Kiinkel sighed deeply and hastened to execute his errand. 
 
 " Sir," said Gabriel softly, " I beg that you will have the 
 goodness to forward the subscribed sentence to the authorities 
 concerned without delay; for I understand that the execu- 
 4;ion can not take place until twenty-four hours afterward." 
 
 " It shall be attended to, Gabriel Nietzel." 
 
 " Then, my dear sir, I should like to make one more re- 
 xjuest in behalf of my beloved son, or Frederick William 
 IJhle, I should have said. You have promised that he shall 
 be taken into your bodyguard; when all is over with me, will 
 your highness be pleased to have him brought here to Berlin? " 
 
 " Yes, I will. He shall become a member of my own regi- 
 ment and have his lodging in the castle.'' 
 
 " And, sir, please have his mother's grave pointed out to 
 Frederick William Uhle, that he may pray there." 
 
 "He shall learn to know it, Gabriel; depend upon me 
 ior that." 
 
 " I thank your highness. There come my guards! Once 
 imore, sir, farewell until we meet again! " 
 
 The provost and jailer entered. 
 
 " Chain your prisoner again and lead him away," was the 
 Elector's order. "But, hark ye, men, treat him humanely 
 ^nd be compassionate toward him." 
 
 He retired into the window niche and looked out into the 
 dark night. Behind him he heard the clashing of the heavy 
 chains with which they were again ironing the prisoner, the 
 creaking of men's hard footsteps, and the jarring of doors. 
 Then all was still. But the Elector did not turn around. He 
 opened the window and let the night wind cool his burning 
 brow. He looked up at the sky, whose profound darkness 
 
THE EXECUTION. 349 
 
 was here and there illumined by a shining star. All was silent, 
 save that every now and then a breeze caused a rustling among 
 the trees of the pleasure garden and wafted the perfume of 
 flowers into the Electoral apartment. Suddenly this stillness 
 was broken by the loud rolling of departing carriage wheels. 
 The Elector started and sighed heavily. 
 
 " He is gone/' he said in low tones. " I will see Gabriel 
 ISTietzel no more on earth. I had become so accustomed to see- 
 ing my Claus's good, sympathetic countenance on going in 
 and out of the castle that I felt as if something was wrong 
 the whole day if he was not in his place, and was uneasy until 
 I saw him again. I almost, yes, I really loved him. Why 
 should the Elector be ashamed to admit that he loved the 
 beggar, since no one hears him save God alone? Lord 
 my God! have mercy upon the old beggar; graciously take 
 to thy bosom his purified spirit. Have mercy upon me, too, 
 
 Lord! for I, too, am a poor beggar, praying for an alms 
 from thy bounty. Give it to me. Lord! enlighten the eyes 
 of my understanding and fill my heart with goodness, that 
 
 1 may become the wise, beneficent ruler of my people. 
 Amen! '' 
 
 He closed the window and returned to the cabinet. How 
 blank and desolate it seemed to him at this moment — ^how 
 strangely did that paper strike him, that death warrant lying 
 on his writing table! 
 
 " Has he gone, Kiinkel? " 
 
 " Yes, your Electoral Highness, he has gone." 
 
 " Did he say anything more? Did he speak again? " 
 
 " No, your highness, not a single word. Only as he crossed 
 "the threshold of the castle and stepped out into the inner 
 court, where the carriage stood, he said with loud voice, ^ God 
 bless this house and all who dwell therein! ' " 
 
 A pause ensued. Then Frederick William slowly passed 
 his hand over his eyes. " Kiinkel," he said in a low tone, " he 
 was a good man — was Glaus." 
 
 "Yes, sir, a good and a very unhappy man. God give 
 to his soul eternal peace! " 
 
 "And to us all, for we all need it," sighed the Elector. 
 Then, after a short silence, he continued: "I am thinking 
 
350 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 of setting ont early to-morrow morning on a little trip. I 
 shall go to Potsdam and stay there three days. Make your 
 arrangements accordingly, and now call in my private secre- 
 tary- 
 
 In a few minutes the person summoned entered the cabi- 
 net. The Elector was standing beside his writing table look- 
 ing at the fatal paper. " Take this/' he said " affix our seal, 
 direct and forward it at once to the city court. In one hour 
 it must be there." 
 
 Two days later, in the early morning hours, an unusual 
 crowd filled the streets of Berlin and Cologne. The whole 
 population seemed to know only one and the same aim, and 
 to have signaled each other to repair to-day to the council 
 house of Berlin. An endless throng of men pressed across 
 the long, wooden bridge leading to Berlin; rolling on in a 
 black stream it swept across the bridge to the corner of Span- 
 dow Street, where arose to view the council house with its 
 jutting balconies and small tower. 
 
 The master saddler Gebhardt, who had likewise under- 
 taken to keep a beershop in the house left him by his father, 
 had certainly no cause to complain to-day of the locality of 
 his stand, and had no longer any need to envy gossip Lehmann, 
 who dwelt immediately upon the castle bridge where the sack- 
 ing of the child murderess had taken place. To-day Geb- 
 hardt actually would not have exchanged with the glovemaker 
 Lehmann, for his "barrack" enabled him to turn a pretty 
 penny. He had carried out the plan devised by him on the 
 day of Claus's trial, and had put up a scaffolding, covered 
 it with boards, and prepared quite a number of comfortable 
 seats, which he let for two groschen a head to the more well 
 to do of the sight-loving multitude. Very soon all these 
 seats were disposed of, and the privileged owners crowded 
 upon the improvised benches, while the multitude in dense 
 masses took possession of the whole street. The city guards 
 were hardly able to keep clear the little square in front of the 
 council house. On this square arose the scaffold, draped in 
 black, with its low, white block on which lay the bare and 
 glittering axe. At the side stood two of the executioner's 
 servants in their red woolen clothes, the red cowl drawn so 
 
THE EXECUTION. 351 
 
 far over the head that the eyes were only seen through open- 
 ings inserted for the purpose. Not far from the scaffold they 
 had heaped up a huge pile of straw and dry brush, over which 
 a correctly shaped open quadrangle of split wood had been 
 built up into a sort of altar, on whose top was placed a grid- 
 iron. This was the funeral pile prepared to receive the crimi- 
 naFs corpse, and to change the human body into a little heap 
 of ashes. 
 
 Now was heard in the distance the hollow sound of the 
 beating of drums, and at the same time the bell in the little 
 council house tower let its low, monotonous wailing be 
 heard. 
 
 " They come! they come! ^' resounded from all sides, and 
 the burghers who had been refreshing themselves in Geb- 
 hardt's "barrack" with some of his fine Eathenower beer 
 set down their cans and hurried out into the street, while the 
 privileged ones on the tribune wrapped up again in greasy 
 paper the remains of the edibles which they had brought 
 with them, and hurriedly thrust them into their pockets. For 
 now the long-expected moment had come, and the show was 
 actually to begin. " The]- come! they come! " repeated the 
 crowd. Then followed a deep, breathless silence, for every- 
 body wanted to refresh his heart with the music of the drum, 
 which came nearer and nearer, and the sound of the little bell, 
 which tolled away slowly and regularly. The throng which 
 filled the street leading to the great prison separated, leaving 
 a passage for a cart drawn by one wretched-looking horse, 
 in which sat the dramatis personce of the great tragedy which 
 was about to be enacted. In the white shirt of condemned 
 criminals sat the culprit in the back part of the cart, his head 
 covered with a black cloth, such as became a sorcerer and wiz- 
 ard, that his evil eye might not bewitch and give over to the 
 devil those upon whom it rested on his way to death. On 
 the front seat was seen the prison priest in his black gown 
 with short white surplice, holding a crucifix in his hand, and 
 at his side the director of the prison in his long black robes. 
 At the side of the cart, his broad hand firmly clutching the 
 ladder which served for a side rail, walked the executioner 
 in his dress of fiery red, the red cowl thrown back from the 
 
352 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 head so as to disclose to view his fierce face and the long black 
 beard covering his chin and hanging down upon his breast. 
 
 But the spectators did not like it at all that they could not 
 see the principal actor in this play, the condemned man, and 
 read upon his face a little of the torture and anguish which 
 he must undoubtedly be undergoing. A discontented mur- 
 mur began to make itself heard among the mob. It in- 
 creased with every step made by the procession, and finally 
 swelled into a roar of fury. 
 
 " Pull the cloth off his head! We want to see him, we 
 want to see Glaus, the murderer and sorcerer! " 
 
 This sounded from all quarters, and the raging multitude 
 pressed up so close that the city guards who followed the pro- 
 cession, twenty in number, made haste to surround the cart 
 and protect it against the onslaught of the mob. 
 
 " We want to see him! We will see Glaus! " was screamed 
 from all sides. 
 
 The minister stooped toward the executioner, who had 
 just turned inquiringly to him. " Gratify the poor people," 
 he said. " Eemove the cloth, so that everybody can see him." 
 
 The executioner complied with this request and pulled 
 down the black cloth which covered Gabriel's head. A uni- 
 versal shout of joy rewarded him. Now they could see him — 
 the sorcerer, the murderer! 
 
 His face was no longer so pale and sunken as it had been 
 of late. It was as if glorified by a ray of evening sunshine. 
 His blue eyes, which used to look so dull, were now bright 
 and clear, and turned toward the spectators with an expres- 
 sion of infinite mildness and serenity, while they, on their 
 part, greeted him with derisive shouts and jeering epithets. 
 But gradually this clamor was hushed. Beneath those soft 
 glances scorn and malice melted and changed into a sort of 
 compassion. 
 
 " He does not look so wicked," said some. " N'obody would 
 believe that this was a sorcerer! " cried others. 
 
 " Poor beggar Glaus! " sighed a couple of women, whose 
 lost cows he had found a few weeks ago. At the trial these 
 very women had appeared as witnesses against him, and his 
 having known where to find the cows had been taken as a proof 
 
THE EXECUTION. 353 
 
 of his demoniacal art. Now, at the sight of him, they felt 
 something like remorse, and when the cart came nearer they 
 shrank back to avoid being seen by him. 
 
 But he had already seen them, and saluted them with a 
 slight nod of the head and a gentle smile of his thin lips. 
 
 Ewald, the cobbler, Wendt, the shoemaker, Fiirberg, the 
 tailor, and Kurt, the leech, were also among the spectators. 
 They had planted themselves close to the scaffold to obtain 
 a near view of the scene. When the cart drove up and halted 
 before the scaffold, they fixed their looks upon the condemned 
 man with an expression of wicked malice. But what was 
 that which suddenly effaced this expression from their counte- 
 nances? Why did their cheeks grow pale? — why did they 
 cast their eyes upon the ground? 
 
 Glaus had looked at them. His large, blue eyes had met 
 their glances, and they felt that they were recognized. 
 
 "I wish I were away from this place," said the tailor 
 Fiirberg amazed. " I do not know, but I do not believe I 
 could go to execution with such courage." 
 
 Ewald, the cobbler, however, yielding to an impulse of his 
 heart, pressed close to the scaffold, whose first step Gabriel 
 Nietzel had just mounted, walking at the preacher's side. 
 " Glaus! " he cried, with a voice of entreaty — " Glaus, just 
 hear one more word! I beg you to forgive me for the harm 
 I did you, and not to remember against me up there that I 
 laughed at you that time about the Eebecca of whom you 
 talked to yourself. Forgive me, poor Glaus, for I am truly 
 grieved about it now." 
 
 Glaus turned and looked kindly at him. " I have nothing 
 to forgive you for, Ewald," he said. " You acted according 
 to your light, as did the rest of you. I thank you for it. You 
 helped me to attain death, and I am glad to die." 
 
 Again he turned slowly around and mounted the steps. 
 A deathlike stillness reigned round about. The multitude 
 packed together as closely as it could stand, having taken pos- 
 session of all the streets opening upon the square. All the 
 houses, yes, and all the roofs, now gazed in breathless attention 
 upon that slender white figure, which had just gained the 
 platform of the scaffold, and drew itself up erect as if feeling 
 
354 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER 
 
 relieved of a burden and free from all the misery of this 
 world. 
 
 And so Gabriel Metzel did feel free and disincumbered. 
 Years of pain, remorse, and penance had fallen from him. 
 He had passed through the purgatory of earthly torture, and 
 now knew that he was at the end, and that beyond he should 
 be reunited to his Eebecca, who would again receive him, 
 purified of his sin, to her love and her blessed embrace. As 
 he now glanced upward it seemed to him as if the heavens 
 opened and the face of his beloved looked down upon him with 
 a heavenly smile, beckoning to him with beaming eyes. He 
 threw up both arms toward her and cried: " I come! I come! 
 Hail to thee, Eebecca! I go to eternal peace — to eternal 
 love! " 
 
 He fell upon his knees and laid his head upon the block. 
 The executioner raised the axe and brandished it aloft. The 
 spectators saw it gleam in the air and then drop. A dull 
 sound reverberated, blood spurted up, and the head of the 
 poor beggar Glaus feel from the block upon the scaffold. 
 
 The bell still continued to toll and the drum to beat a 
 hollow response. But the people no longer huzzaed; they 
 had grown still, and many a mouth murmured a prayer for 
 the departed. The executioner's attendants lifted up the 
 corpse and bore it with the head across to the pjrre, laid it on 
 the gridiron, and set fire to the straw and brushwood. The 
 flames ascended, and soon nothing was to be seen but a pillar 
 of fire rising up bright and high, from which monstrous black 
 clouds floated up to the sky. This pillar of fire was Gabriel 
 NietzeFs grave. And upon the clouds his beatified spirit 
 soared upward to heaven. 
 
THE DAY OF AUDIENCES. 355 
 
 IV. — The Day of Audiences. 
 
 The three days which the Elector had allowed himself 
 to spend in retirement and solitude at his little hunting seat 
 at Potsdam had expired, and he had returned to his city resi- 
 dence on the morning of the fourth day. His countenance 
 had again assumed its expression of open cheerfulness, his eye 
 was once more clear and bright; only for a moment was it 
 obscured, as his carriage drove up to the castle and his glance 
 was directed to the spot where Gabriel Metzel had been ac- 
 customed to stand and greet him on his return home to 
 Berlin. To-day this spot was empty, and the Elector knew 
 that the melancholy yet tender eyes of his dear beggar Glaus 
 would never again look up to and welcome him. But he 
 asked no question concerning him or his death, and when 
 Kiinkel ventured unbidden to speak of the recent execution, 
 the Elector signed to him with his hand to desist. 
 
 " Glaus is now before the throne of God on high," he said; 
 ^' he has done with suffering, and, because I know that and 
 rejoice in it, I would not distress my mind with thoughts 
 of what his poor body must have suffered. Be silent, there- 
 fore, on the subject. Besides, I have a great deal to do to-day, 
 and many audiences to grant. Are there many persons in the 
 hall? " 
 
 " Yes, your Electoral Grace, it has been long since I have 
 seen the grand antechamber so thronged." 
 
 " They come at my summons. Gall in my gentleman of 
 the bedchamber, von Maltzan, that he may report to me. 
 But you go without delay to the Electress, and say to her 
 Electoral Grace that I crave her forgiveness for not going 
 to her immediately in consideration of my having important 
 audiences to grant. But so soon as these are over I shall do 
 myself the honor of waiting upon her. Then go also to her 
 royal Highness the Princess of the Palatinate, present my 
 most humble compliments to that lady, and " 
 
 " Your Electoral Grace, excuse me for venturing to inter- 
 rupt you, but both ladies drove yesterday to Boetzow and are 
 not expected to return before noon." 
 
356 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 '^ Then call my gentleman of the bedchamber here! 
 
 " It seems, then, that the two cousins are on the best of 
 terms," said Frederick William to himself, as soon as he was 
 alone. ^' I should never have thought it, yet I am glad of it 
 because it proves to me that the Princess knows how to sub- 
 mit, and that she is in earnest in her efforts to win her cousin's 
 love. That will be pleasant, for it is true the Princess's com- 
 pany is very agreeable, and she is mistress of the art of wiling 
 away time and saying what is witty and interesting 
 
 "Well, Maltzan," he said to that gentleman, who now 
 entered, " tell me who are all those people in the antecham- 
 ber?" 
 
 "Your highness, there are the court preacher Bergius 
 and the pastor of the Mcolai Church, Pommarius." 
 
 "They have been summoned. Who else?" 
 
 "Then there is a deputation from the Brandenburg 
 States." 
 
 "Who else?" 
 
 " Two gentlemen who do not understand a word of Ger- 
 man, and speak very poor French. I could only make out 
 that they came from Dresden, and that your highness's am- 
 bassador there has given them a letter to your Electoral Grace, 
 written in his own hand." 
 
 " I know who they are, and am glad that they are here," 
 said the Elector, with a bright smile. " You have named all, 
 have you?" 
 
 " No, your highness. Burgomaster Wegelin is also in the 
 antechamber and begs for a gracious hearing. Then last of 
 all came a little bit of a man, who urgently entreats for an 
 audience as he has traveled forty miles on foot to seek a per- 
 sonal interview with your Electoral Highness. The poor man 
 looks dusty and poverty-stricken; he says that he did not 
 rest at all, but that, just as soon as he got to Berlin, only paus- 
 ing to go into a church, he straightway inquired the way to 
 the castle, that he mig^ht speak with the beloved Sovereign, 
 for whose sake he had passed eight days and eight nights on 
 the road." 
 
 " The man pleases me; he shall have his audience. But 
 he must first rest and refresh himself a little. Have the poor 
 
THE DAY OF AUDIENCES. 357 
 
 ^traveler carried into the kitchen, and there supplied with 
 food and drink. Then let one of the servants help him to 
 wash and dress, and in two hours' time he must again he found 
 in the anteroom. We shall then probably have gotten through 
 with the other audiences, and his turn is to come last. I 
 shall first receive the gentlemen from Dresden, then Burgo- 
 master Wegelin. The deputation from the States follows him, 
 and afterward the preachers Bergius and Pommarius. You 
 now know what the order is, take your measures accordingly, 
 and attend to the poor foot traveler for me. Let them come in 
 now." 
 
 The gentleman of the bedchamber hurried out, and im- 
 mediately afterward the two foreigners were ushered into the 
 Electoral cabinet. 
 
 " You eome from Dresden, gentlemen," said the Elector 
 in fluent French, " and, as I hear, are the bearers of a letter 
 for me from my agent there? " 
 
 The two gentlemen bowed, and one of them, reverentially 
 approaching the Elector, handed him a great sealed packet, 
 which, full of lively curiosity, he hastened to break open. It 
 was, in truth, a letter from Baron von Plotzen, who had been 
 sent by the Elector Frederick William as envoy extraordinary 
 to the Electoral court of Saxony to settle some disputes about 
 boundaries, in behalf of Magdeburg and Halberstadt. 
 
 The communication ran as follows: 
 
 " Your Electoral Highness did me the honor of commis- 
 sioning me while here to engage a few members of the Elec- 
 toral choir for my most gracious master's service. I have 
 succeeded in so doing, but will not conceal that it was at- 
 tended with some difficulties, and will cost your Electoral 
 Grace some sacrifices. They are flush of money here in the 
 Electorate of Saxony, and consequently the members of the 
 choir are better paid than elsewhere. I have succeeded in 
 persuading two very good musicians, the one a bass singer, 
 the other who sings with a higher voice — I believe they call 
 it a tenor — ^to enter the Electoral service. But I have an- 
 nexed some conditions which seemed to me unavoidable. For 
 instance, that I might engage these Italian musicians for 
 
358 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 jour highness, I was obliged to offer them some inducements^ 
 for Italians are mightily influenced by mercenary considera- 
 tions. They receive here a salary of six hundred dollars per 
 annum, in return for which they sing three times a week in 
 the Electoral apartments, and also intone sacred music in 
 church after the sermon. I have now insured to these people 
 .a yearly income of seven hundred and fifty dollars, on con- 
 dition, however, that their singing is satisfactory to your Elec- 
 toral Grace. But in case that they do not please, I have agreed 
 that your highness shall pay each of them fifty dollars by way 
 of indemnity, and allow them to remain three days in the 
 Electoral castle, to rest themselves before setting out on their 
 return here. That your Electoral Grace may not feel ham- 
 pered in making your decision, note, in conclusion, that no- 
 l3ody here knows aught of my agreement with these singers. 
 Up to this time they are engaged here at Dresden, and have 
 only asked an eight days' leave of absence for the purpose 
 of making a little trip. In case, therefore, that your Elec- 
 toral Grace prefers to send them back under the above-named 
 ^conditions, no objection can be made. I remain until death 
 " Your Electoral Grace's most humble servant, 
 
 Fkedekick von Plotzen." 
 
 The Elector thoughtfully folded up the letter, and with 
 •difficulty suppressed a heavy sigh. Then he fixed his glance 
 upon the two Italians, who with their great black eyes were 
 looking at him inquiringly and full of expectancy. 
 
 "Have you brought your notes with you, so as to sing 
 something for us? " asked the Elector. 
 
 " That was not necessary, gracious sir,'' said one of them. 
 "We carry all our music in our hearts and heads, and your 
 highness need only specify what master's operas we shall sing, 
 and we will obey." 
 
 Frederick William felt somewhat embarrassed. He loved 
 music passionately and was himself a performer upon the 
 •spinet and violin, and often had found entertainment in mak- 
 ing music with his wife, especially in playing duets, when 
 Louisa played upon the spinet and he upon the violin. These 
 •duets and other musical pieces had been composed and tran- 
 
THE DAY OF AUDIENCES. 359 
 
 scribed expressly for the purpose by the organist and musical 
 director of the Nicolai church, John Criiger, and Robert 
 Eobertin had also composed some fine things for the spinet 
 and other instruments. Moreover, the singers of the Electoral 
 choir, some of whom the Elector had had brought from The 
 Hague, used to sing many beautiful arias for him, but he had 
 forgotten to ask the names of their composers. Nor, too, had 
 he ever heard an opera; that was an Italian invention, which 
 had hardly penetrated yet to the north of Germany. And 
 now these singers expected him to name the Italian masters, 
 selections from whose works he would like them to sing. 
 
 He felt somewhat embarrassed. He knew none of those 
 composers' names, and neither did his wife. But there was 
 the Princess Ludovicka. She certainly had a more familiar 
 acquaintance with these things; she was herself a distin- 
 guished amateur, and just a few days ago had told with rap- 
 ture of the delightful theatrical entertainment 3 held in Paris 
 at King Louis's court. Princess Ludovicka could most assur- 
 edly suggest operatic pieces suitable for these singers to exe- 
 cute. And how pleasant it was to have such a witty and pol- 
 ished lady at his court! 
 
 So thought Frederick William, and at that moment he 
 thanked her for having stayed, and resolved to tell her how 
 highly gratified he now felt by her presence. He bade the two 
 singers for the present to report themselves to the major-domo, 
 who would assign them their rooms; in the afternoon he 
 would have them called, and test their powers of song. 
 
 '' Though if they were to sing like nightingales," said 
 the Elector, when they had gone out, ^' yet I could not keep 
 them, for where could I procure money enough to pay such 
 expensive birds? I am really a poor man, with obstinate States 
 and cities, who will vote me no money." 
 
 It was unfortunate for Herr Wegelin, Burgomaster of 
 Berlin, that his reception took place just now, for the Elec- 
 tor's brow was clouded and his mood severe. 
 
 "Well," he called out, "what brings you to me again? 
 As soon as I see the stern lords of Berlin coming, I know be- 
 forehand that they have some complaint to set up or griev- 
 ance to redress. Or maybe you have hunted up some other 
 
360 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 unfortunate, whom you can charge with witchcraft, and by 
 means of whose death you can prepare a congenial entertain- 
 ment for the bloodthirsty populace of Berlin/' 
 
 " Your Electoral Highness seems very unfavorably dis- 
 posed to the cities and magistrates of Berlin and Cologne/^ 
 said the burgomaster, with a painful sigh. 
 
 " It is true, I have no great love for the uproarious, pert,, 
 and obstinate people of Berlin and Cologne! " cried the Elec- 
 tor passionately. " Their mouths are always full of big words, 
 but of deeds nothing is ever heard. They think themselves 
 knowing and clever, yet are only knowing in vices and follies. 
 But the arts and sciences, manufactures and commerce lie 
 prostrate, and Berlin and Cologne must needs shrink back 
 in shame from comparison with other capital cities of Ger- 
 many. Their boastfulness, though, never ceases, and this 
 saucy Berlin has learned from its Burgomaster "Wegelin and 
 its proud aldermen. The burgomaster is always in the opposi- 
 tion, and esteems himself to be the lord and ruler here, who 
 alone has power to say what is law and right." 
 
 " Not alone, your highness," said the burgomaster, with 
 reverential mien but firm voice — " not alone, your highness; 
 but he has a word to say when the question concerns the 
 welfare of the city, whose burgomaster he has the honor of 
 being. But permit me, sir, to say a few words in defense of 
 the unhappy cities of Berlin and Cologne. Your highness 
 says that they are far behind the other princely residences 
 of Germany, and that the arts and sciences, commerce and 
 manufactures are in a miserable condition here. Since your 
 highness says so, it must be true. Meanwhile I beg your grace 
 to consider what a long series of misfortunes we have experi- 
 enced, how much affliction and distress we have endured 
 for more than fifty years, and how war has desolated and 
 laid waste the cities and whole country hereabout. The 
 citizens live in wretchedness and want; owners of property 
 have no money wherewith to rebuild their houses, half 
 burned or totally destroyed by the soldiery. And where 
 poverty and misery are at home, art and science can not 
 flourish." 
 
 " And where frivolity, love of pleasure, and disorderliness 
 
THE DAY OF AUDIENCES. 361 
 
 are at home/' cried the Elector, " still less can they flour- 
 ish! You say the citizens of Berlin and Cologne are poor and 
 wretched, and yet they pursue all sorts of trifling amusements. 
 The women dress with an extravagance that is really shame- 
 ful, while the men, instead of working and providing for their 
 families, frequent beerhouses and spend hours in watching 
 the tricks of jugglers and puppet men who practice their trade 
 upon the streets and squares, and often even station them- 
 selves at the church doors, so that, when the afternoon service 
 is over and men have slept themselves tired, they may enjoy 
 a puppet show. And all this the burgomasters of Berlin and 
 Cologne put up with! They even allow the scholars of the 
 g5r[nnasia here to act plays and appear in ridiculous farces. 
 And now tell me. Sir Burgomaster, what is the matter to-day, 
 and wherefore have you come ? " 
 
 "Your Electoral Highness," replied the burgomaster, 
 proudly lifting up his head, which hitherto had been bowed 
 in lowly reverence, " I have come, to my own sorrow and re- 
 gret> to make a most humble representation to your high- 
 ness, and to beseech you to make allowances for our poor city 
 and not to require too much." 
 
 " Where does the ' too much ' begin. Sir Burgomaster? " 
 "Your highness, where the law ends. The law declares 
 that the government of the cities of Berlin and Cologne de- 
 volves upon their burgomasters and aldermen. Since the 
 year 1649 both cities again agreed as to the mode in which 
 their government was to be administered, and your highness 
 gave your approval to this agreement. The city of Berlin 
 chooses two burgomasters and one half of the aldermen, the 
 city of Cologne one burgomaster and the other half of the 
 aldermen. As a matter of form, the names of those appointed 
 were laid before the Elector for ratification, and then every 
 year on St. Thomas's Day it has been the custom to intro- 
 duce the officers elected into the senate house. The task in- 
 trusted to the burgomasters and aldermen is to manage the 
 city property, to care for law and order, to regulate the police, 
 to punish criminals, to protect the well-disposed, to aid the 
 citizens in their distresses, and represent them before his Elec- 
 toral Grace." 
 
362 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " And you are here to-day in the character of their repre- 
 sentative, are you not ? " 
 
 " Yes, your Electoral Grace, I am. I must in the name 
 of hoth cities — for the Burgomaster of Cologne is sick and 
 has commissioned me to speak in his hehalf — I must, in the 
 name of both cities, most urgently beseech your grace to be 
 pleased to leave in our hands the administration of town 
 affairs, for the discharge of which duties we were elected 
 by the inhabitants, and for which we are paid. Of late, how- 
 ever, your highness has issued so many orders that we do not 
 know at all how we can execute them, and the burghers must 
 be utterly ruined if everything is to be stopped, as is the pur- 
 port of the orders. Now, I beg your grace to abstain from 
 carrying out these orders, which can not be conformable to 
 the views of the burgomasters and aldermen, to whom belongs 
 the management of the city, according to law and Justice." 
 
 " You mean to say by that! " cried the Elector, with boil- 
 ing indignation, " that I trouble myself about matters which 
 concern me not, and that it is for the burgomasters and alder- 
 men of Berlin alone to command here, to issue orders and 
 make regulations? " 
 
 " Your highness, the cities of Berlin and Cologne have, 
 of course, their own free constitution, and there stands on 
 Broad Street, not far from the cathedral, the stone which for 
 ages has marked the spot where the jurisdiction of the Elec- 
 toral officer ceases and the jurisdiction of the city commences.'^ 
 
 "I shall have that stone thrown down!" cried the Elec- 
 tor angrily. "I will prove to the cities, the burgomasters 
 and aldermen, that the old times of insubordination and dis- 
 obedience are over, and that you must all submit yourselves 
 to me, your Elector and Sovereign! I have done the cities 
 of Berlin and Cologne the honor of exalting them to be my 
 capitals. Here in Cologne I am having reared a new Electoral 
 palace, instead of the old tumble-down castle. And I choose 
 that my places of residence shall do honor to their Prince. 
 I tell you, man, in spite of you, I shall lift my cities out of 
 mire and wretchedness. And I care not if, in effecting my 
 object, I do restrict your liberties and infringe upon your 
 rights. But you would only maintain these rights in order 
 
THE DAY OF AUDIENCES. 36a 
 
 to retard the progress which I am bent upon making, and 
 your liberties must consist in nothing but following the old 
 beaten track, and living on in dirt. I have ordered the hog- 
 stys to be removed from the streets and transferred to the 
 yards; and so it stands! I have decreed that those citi- 
 zens who keep four hogs should have three of them slaugh- 
 tered, and instead procure a cow, and to such I have granted 
 free pasturage in the park, and offered to have them in- 
 structed in the management of the dairy, free of charge, by 
 the Dutch whom I have had brought here for the purpose. 
 So it stands! I have ordered all filth to be removed from 
 the streets, and that every peasant who comes to town with 
 a loud of corn or pease shall carry off a load of manure. 
 And so that stands! It is also fixed that the citizens shall 
 undertake the service of grading the town and exercise them- 
 selves in military movements. I once more commit to you 
 the appointing of a few watchmen, to cry the hours and to 
 go about the streets by night. Lamps, too, shall be lighted 
 when it is dark, that everybody may see which way he is 
 going, and whom he meets. But as to the tax which I have 
 assessed to Berlin, I shall demand it by force if you will not 
 give it in friendliness! I tell you, Wegelin, you had better 
 bow your head and be humble; for I alone am lord here, to 
 give laws, and it is your part to see that they are executed. 
 I expect yet to live to see the day when Berlin shall emerge 
 from her misery and mire, and become a large, wealthy, and 
 handsome city, where business shall thrive and the arts 
 flourish. And then shall I exclaim with pride: 'This is my 
 work! And what Berlin is, she became through her Elec- 
 tor and not through her burgomasters! ' There you have my 
 answer, Wegelin. Go and think it over. You are dismissed! '' 
 
 The burgomaster would nevertheless have dared to 
 reply, but the Elector cut him short at the first words by 
 striking the glass bell on the table with a little silver ham- 
 mer, thereby summoning Herr von Maltzan into the cabi- 
 net. 
 
 " Let the deputation from the States enter and conduct 
 the burgomaster out," commanded the Elector, and before 
 Wegelin had quite reached the door, toward which he moved 
 24 
 
364 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 silently and with bowed head, the four deputies of the States 
 were already within the room. 
 
 " Welcome, gentlemen! " called out the Elector, " wel- 
 come if you bring me good news! You have requested an 
 audience, and I have granted you one. Tell me what brings 
 you here." 
 
 " Your highness, the country's distress and the impos- 
 sibility of raising the new tax imposed," replied Baron von 
 Arnim, the spokesman of the deputation. 
 
 " The old song, the everlasting complaint. You think 
 that there can be no ruling without you, and yet, as soon as 
 you are called upon to take your share of the government 
 by designating the ways and means by which can be procured 
 the money needful for the support of the land and govern- 
 ment, you have no other answer to give than that it is impos- 
 sible to collect taxes. Just tell me, gentlemen, how one can 
 govern a country, care for its improvement, and maintain 
 law and order intact with no money and no sources of in- 
 
 come r 
 
 p" 
 
 "But, your highness, the poor inhabitants of the Mark 
 have no money or sources of income either," replied von 
 Arnim, sighing. " And if the possibility of making anything 
 is continually diminished, they will at last lose heart alto- 
 gether, and no longer be able to earn anything." 
 
 "And by^ what means are their gains diminished and 
 their spirits broken?" 
 
 "Your highness, by the introduction into the land of 
 so many strangers and foreigners. For that reason we now 
 appear before your highness in the name of the States. Most 
 urgently do they beg and beseech your grace henceforward 
 to condescend to refrain from attracting so many foreigners 
 here." 
 
 An expression of painful astonishment flitted across the 
 Elector's face, and the luster of his eye was 'dimmed. 
 
 "This, then, is the return I get," he said, "for all the 
 painstaking and solicitude, which I have given myself for 
 the Mark! Everything is in a wretched state here — agri- 
 culture, tillage, cattle rearing, all languish. Not so much 
 because the inhabitants have had many hardships to endure, 
 
THE DAY OF AUDIENCES. 365 
 
 but rather because they understand nothing of all these 
 things, and know not how to turn to advantage what they 
 still possess. . To benefit my subjects, therefore, to excite 
 their emulation by showing them good examples, I offered 
 inducements to Dutch farmers and gardeners to settle here, 
 paid their traveling expenses, assigned land to them, and 
 hoped by their influence to effect a reform among my own 
 people. And now you gentlemen come and complain of the 
 very thing I was doing purely out of regard for you, as your 
 faithful Sovereign! Instead of thanking me for my interest, 
 you come to complain that I have done the country an in- 
 jury by what was meant solely for its advantage. Look 
 around you, sirs, behold how flourishing the country begins 
 to look once more; how much better and more profitable 
 is the mode of culture pursued; what returns the meadows 
 begin to make by furnishing fodder for cows; what splendid 
 gardens have been made out of fields once fallow, now 
 abounding in various kinds of vegetables, and resplendent 
 with rare and beautiful flowers! All this you owe to the 
 thrifty, untiring Dutch whom I have attracted to the country. 
 Verily, I quite prided myself upon this action, and it grieves 
 me to see in what a spirit you take it, and how little you seem 
 to comprehend that all my thoughts and deeds have been 
 directed to benefitting my subjects, and helping them to 
 conquer the difficulties of their situation and be again estab- 
 lished in easier and more comfortable circumstances." 
 
 "Your highness, the immigration of Dutch and other 
 foreigners is not the worst thing of which we have to com- 
 plain in the name of our constituents. Much worse yet is 
 it that men have been invited here from your highness's other 
 lands and provinces, and invested with Electoral appoint- 
 ments, thereby mortifying the Markers and thrusting them 
 into the background." 
 
 " Ah! you allude to my having lately invited here a few 
 officers from Cleves — and Prussia, too, I believe — and having 
 given them Government offices." 
 
 "Yes, your highness, that is what has filled the States, 
 and country too, with care and uneasiness. Years ago the 
 Ehenish provinces obtained from your highness the privilege 
 
366 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 of having their courts and colleges represented by no foreign 
 oflBcials, but that, on the other hand, all positions should 
 be filled by natives of the country. Your highness l^estowed 
 the like privilege upon the inhabitants of the duchy of Prus- 
 sia. Only the inhabitants of the Mark enjoy no such im- 
 munity, and must submit to seing foreigners brought among 
 them and suppHed with offices, while we have no lack of men 
 at home well fitted for filling such positions." 
 
 "As if you gentlemen were always the judges of that! '^ 
 cried the Elector, with a mocking smile, " and as if it became 
 you to obtrude upon me, your Sovereign Prince, your opinion 
 on the subject! " 
 
 " Your highness, we have only been commissioned to beg 
 and implore your highness, in the name of the States, to grant 
 us the same prerogatives which you have accorded to your 
 other provinces, that we may not be forced to believe that 
 the Mark Brandenburg ocupies a lower place in your affec- 
 tions than those other lands." 
 
 " For that very reason you should rather have supposed 
 that I preferred the Mark Brandenburg, because I was in- 
 fusing fresh vigor into her, and striving to engage in her 
 behalf the best and ablest minds." 
 
 " Your highness, God be thanked that here at home there 
 is no lack of able minds and prudent men prepared to dis- 
 charge with dignity the duties of any office which might 
 devolve upon them. Grant to the faithful deputies of the 
 Mark Brandenburg a token of your favor by agreeing that 
 no foreigner shall be invested with any public office among 
 them, though he should come from the closely contiguous 
 bishopric of Magdeburg. Let none but natives hold office 
 among us. If your Electoral Highness will bestow upon us 
 this token of regard, we, for our part, agree to set ourselves 
 zealously to work to gratify the Electoral desires, and put 
 every means in motion to make it possible for the Mark 
 Brandenburg to pay to your grace in three years the required 
 sum of forty-five thousand dollars for the maintenance of 
 your soldiers." * 
 
 " "Well, then ! " cried the Elector, shrugging his shoulders, 
 * See King, description of Berlin, part 2. 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 367 
 
 *' at this price I must yield to your narrow and short-sighted 
 Yiews, although I tell you that by such narrow-mindedness 
 you injure far more than you benefit the Mark, and shut 
 the door upon enlightenment. But, alas! I must have money 
 for clothing and feeding my soldiers, that I may establish 
 military affairs upon a firm and solid basis. Therefore I must 
 accept the bargain you ofi'er me, and shall announce to you 
 at the next session of the Diet that you are at liberty to adhere 
 to your own limited point of view, and that you can draw 
 the narrowest boundariee around your fatherland, not even 
 recognizing as countrymen the inhabitants of my other 
 provinces. Go with this my answer to those who sent you. 
 Only, see to it that the sums required for the support of the 
 military be forthcoming without more ado. Go then, and 
 convey my friendly salutations to the loyal States! '^ 
 
 V. — Preacher and Tailor. 
 
 " Well, I shall get the pay for my soldiers now," said the 
 Elector, after the withdrawal of the deputation, "but it 
 grieves me that they annexed to the grant such a stupid and 
 illiberal condition. Simple men they are, fancying them- 
 selves wise in their folly and strong in their weakness. They 
 see nothing beyond the present day and hour, and are dis- 
 turbed by no cares for the morrow. And they make it mat- 
 ter for reproach that I look farther, and have higher aims 
 in view. They misunderstand my efforts to do them good, 
 and reward me with ingratitude. However little a man may 
 have been influenced in his action by the expectation of 
 being thanked, still, ingratitude must always be painful. I 
 feel weary and utterly dispirited by all these things, and 
 would therefore willingly be excused from an interview with 
 those two wrangling preachers, at least for to-day." 
 
 He struck the bell and ordered Herr von Maltzan to ask 
 the two preachers to call again the next day, as well as any 
 other persons who might be waiting in the antechamber to 
 
368 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 obtain an audience. The gentleman of the bedchamber bowed 
 silently and was in the act of retiring when the Elector called 
 him back. 
 
 " I had well-nigh forgotten the poor traveler, and I should 
 have been sorry for that afterward. He took an eight days' 
 journey to reach me, and therefore I shall not keep the poor 
 man waiting any longer. Bring him in, Maltzan." 
 
 " I thank your grace for this condescending permission," 
 said Maltzen, bowing. " It would have really grieved me if 
 the poor little man had been obliged to go off without having 
 effected his object. He would not consent to take either 
 food or drink, because he said that he had made a vow neither 
 to eat nor drink in Berlin before speaking with your high- 
 ness. Besides, immediately on his arrival he had strength- 
 ened himself by prayer, and would need no further restora- 
 tive, even should he have to wait four-and-twenty hours be- 
 fore gaining admittance to your highness's presence." 
 
 " Maltzan, let him come in directly. It pleases me to see, 
 that you have such a kind and sympathizing heart." 
 
 A few moments after Herr von Maltzan had withdrawn 
 the cabinet door was softly opened, and a lean, little man 
 entered and timidly paused near the door. It was a strange 
 apparition, and the Elector involuntarily smiled as he caught 
 sight of it. About his somewhat crooked, bandy legs hung 
 loosely wide, gray linen pantaloons. His feet were covered 
 with great buckled shoes, out of which peeped forth coquet- 
 tishly blue clock stockings. A long waistcoat, trimmed oddly 
 with lace and tassels, covered the upper part of his body, and 
 over this hung negligently and loosely a threadbare overcoat 
 of black cloth, trimmed with brass buttons as large as dollars. 
 The long, withered neck was held erect by a broad, white 
 cravat, made into a gigantic bow whose two wings mounted 
 majestically up to the ill-shaven, bristly chin. Gray hair 
 encircled like a crown the bald brow and upper part of the 
 head, falling in light, scattered curls over the high and some- 
 what unequal shoulders. But most striking of all seemed 
 the face of this man; it was ugly and shriveled, and yet there 
 was something interesting about it. The lines were furrowed 
 and the brow wrinkled, and yet such living, youthful fire 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 369 
 
 sparkled in those dark-brown eyes, that they, together with 
 the sharply cut eagle nose, gave a bold, daring expression 
 to the face, which contrasted strangely with the good-hu- 
 mored, soft smile that played about the thin lips. 
 
 " Who are you? " asked the Elector very kindly. " Where 
 do you come from, and what would you have of me? " 
 
 "Alas! your highness," replied the man, sighing, "in 
 those few words your grace asked three questions. But, with 
 all due deference to your Electoral Highness, I must con- 
 fess that my three answers will prove somewhat longer, and 
 that they will form a discourse divided into three sections, 
 provided that you extend me the needful permission and 
 lend an open ear." 
 
 " You are a queer fellow," smiled the Elector. 
 
 "Your Electoral Grace has already had the goodness to 
 intone the first proposition or question, and to anticipate 
 my answer. Your first question was. Who are you? and your 
 highness has condescended to answer, A queer fellow! And 
 a queer fellow I am, in truth, for I am at one and the same 
 time tailor and pastor, penitent and father confessor, layman 
 and priest. As a tailor I make the peasant's clothes, and after- 
 ward as pastor do them equal service spiritually by expos- 
 ing to them their sins and errors. In the pulpit, on Sunday, 
 I spin a tolerably long yarn, and on Monday thread my needle 
 to mend my peasant's church-going suits, that they may pre- 
 sent a decent, respectable appearance at preaching the next 
 Sunday. Yes, indeed, I am a queer fellow, as your high- 
 ness was pleased to remark." 
 
 "And as you have proved to me by your discourse," 
 laughed the Elector, sinking into his armchair, and with 
 his bright eyes complacently regarding the strange blending 
 of tailor and preacher in the odd specimen of humanity be- 
 fore him. " Having now finished with article one, let us pass 
 to the second part of the answer." 
 
 " The second part is easy and hard to answer, your high- 
 ness," replied the man shrugging his shoulders. " It depends 
 upon whether your highness requires a metaphysical or a 
 political answer. If the latter is the case, then to your ques- 
 tion. Where do you come from? I have to answer, I come 
 
370 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 from the village Dobelheim of Halberstadt. But if your 
 highness expects a metaphysical answer, then would it have 
 to be decided whether I ought to say that I come from God 
 or confess that I am in part derived from the devil; and 
 first of all must be settled the grand question, whether man 
 is good by nature or whether he is spoilt in the world through 
 the influence of the devil, who, as the learned ministers say, 
 goes about in bodily shape, without being interfered with 
 by the Almighty. I am no scholar, but a simple pastor, dar- 
 ing to doubt the reality of a devil incarnate, hence deeming 
 the exorcism and expulsion of the devil at the baptism of 
 children not merely a superfluous, but a blasphemous act, 
 since it would seem to imply that God is not as powerful as 
 the devil, for where would be the omnipotence and omni- 
 presence of the Deity if the devil had already possession of 
 the bodies of infants? '^ 
 
 "You are a rash, extravagant talker," cried the Elector 
 cheerfully, "and it seems to me that your tongue at least 
 has suffered no fatigue from your long journey, and still runs 
 with extraordinary boldness and activity. We will not press 
 further the metaphysical part of the answer, and I must for 
 the present declare myself satisfied with the political answer. 
 You are from the village of Dobelheim of Halberstadt, then; 
 and what is your name? " 
 
 " My name is Jacob Samuel Fear-God Live-Right Conrad 
 Martin Eberhard Trust-God Gottlieb Charles John Frederick 
 Richter.'^ 
 
 "What? You venture to assert that you bear twelve 
 names?" 
 
 "No, your highness, I possess twelve Christian names, 
 but I bear only one at a time. In January my wife calls me 
 Jacob, in February Samuel, in March Fear-God, etc. Every 
 month she calls me by a different name, as my parents and 
 brothers and sisters used to do. But this comes from a vow- 
 made by my blessed father when he carried me to the baptismal 
 font. My father was a poor tailor here in Berlin, and, as times 
 went very hard with him during the war, in his difficulties he 
 bethought himself of giving a great christening, and inviting 
 twelve rich and influential godfathers to officiate on the occa- 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 371 
 
 fiion, to each of whom he said that he held him in such espe- 
 cial love and honor that he cherished no more ardent desire 
 than to bestow his Christian name upon his first-born son. 
 Now, your highness knows that good, obtuse men are more 
 accessible to flattery than anything else, and that great advan- 
 tage may be taken of their weakness. The godfathers whom 
 my father loved so much accordingly all duly repaired to the 
 church at the appointed hour, and each was in turn astonished 
 to find eleven other sponsors besides himself, all affirming that 
 my father wished to name his first-born son in especial com- 
 pliment to them. My father now confessed with tears in his 
 eyes that he was in great poverty, and had invited twelve 
 sponsors because he hoped that each of the rich, generous 
 gentlemen would bestow a dollar upon the child, and thus 
 save his wife and child from suffering the pangs of hunger for 
 a few weeks, until he could earn some more money. And he 
 had selected these twelve godfathers because they were the 
 richest, most magnanimous, and most generous citizens of all 
 Berlin, and because therefore he felt that their names would 
 entail a blessing upon his son. My father actually succeeded, 
 by such moving and flattering appeals, in propitiating his 
 twelve godfathers, and each gave him two dollars on condi- 
 tion that the child should once in the year be called by his 
 name. This my father solemnly promised for himself and 
 his son, and both have adhered scrupulously to the engage- 
 ment; for, although my good father has been long since 
 dead, up to the present day I change my Christian name 
 with every month, according to the succession of my god- 
 fathers." 
 
 " And what is your name this month? " 
 
 "My name is Gottlieb this month, your Electoral High- 
 ness." 
 
 "Let us proceed now to solve my third query, Gottlieb 
 Eichter. If I mistake not it was. What would you have of 
 
 mer 
 
 9" 
 
 " Yes, that was it; and I make answer. Justice and a 
 favorable sentence! " 
 
 " Ay! Gottlieb Eichter, in one breath you have given utter- 
 ance to a contradiction. If you demand justice, you have no 
 
372 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 need of asking a favorable sentence, since justice asks not for 
 favor but stands of herself." 
 
 " That is very true, gracious sir; but in our distressful 
 times the greatest favor to which one can aspire is to obtain 
 justice, and not have it wrested from him by the interposition 
 of some strong and mighty hand." 
 
 " Have you cause to dread such a strong and mighty hand, 
 and do you know to whom it belongs? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness, I do entertain such a dread, and the 
 hand belongs to the counselor of the consistory and court 
 preacher Stoschius." 
 
 " What! " cried the Elector amazed. " You venture to 
 accuse my court preacher Stoschius, and to maintain that he 
 would pervert justice ? " 
 
 ''Yes, your highness, the justice of our degenerate days, 
 if blind, yet seems to have a keen perception of the approach 
 of the high and honored. Herr Stoschius, you see, is a promi- 
 nent and distinguished court preacher, while I am only a 
 village pastor, poor and unknown, possessing nothing in the 
 world but a good conscience, ten children, and the love of my 
 poor flock, which, by the way, is a rich boon of Providence.'* 
 
 " A boon which many a rich and famous man might envy 
 you, Gottlieb Eichter. But now tell me what you have to do 
 with my court preacher and counselor of the consistory? " 
 
 "Ah! most gracious sir, the counselor of the consistory, 
 in pursuance of an Electoral order, made a tour through the 
 districts assigned to your highness at the conclusion of the 
 Peace of Westphalia, and so came also to Halberstadt and even 
 to our little hamlet of Dobelheim. It is a wretched little vil- 
 lage, far remote from the highways of traffic, and nobody 
 troubles himself much about us, but least of all the Bishop 
 of Halberstadt, to whom we are nevertheless subject. Our 
 little village consists of Protestant peasants and colonists, and 
 was poorly enough esteemed, until the gracious, pious, and 
 blessed Elector Frederick William took pity upon the Luth- 
 erans and Calvinists and gained for them equal rights and 
 equal respect for their creeds. We had our own little parish 
 church, and the peasants durst choose their own pastor, but 
 at the same time paid his salary wholly unaided, and worked 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 373; 
 
 his fields for him. Well, the support was scanty enough, and 
 the pastor was not much better off than any peasant of his 
 congregation. But he was content, for he had lived long in 
 the community, and desired nothing better than to abide there. 
 Dobelheim is such a quiet, peaceful, shady little spot, and it 
 struck me as so homelike when I came there in my wanderings 
 that I forthwith determined to stay and settle there." 
 
 " Gottlieb Kichter,'^ said the Elector, smilingly threaten- 
 ing him with his finger, " truly, you spin as long a yam as 
 if you were preparing to darn a huge rent in some peasant's 
 smock frock, instead of instituting a complaint against our 
 counselor of the consistory and court preacher Stoschius, as 
 you proposed to do. Tell me, first of all, then, what brought 
 you here, and why do you demand of me Justice and even 
 favor against my court preacher? " 
 
 "Ah! your Electoral Highness, because with his great,, 
 haughty eyes he would see in me only the tailor and not the 
 pastor. You sent him abroad through the land to inspect 
 the churches and congregations, but he did not return like 
 the dove with the olive branch in her beak, but like the vul- 
 ture, who pounces upon the doves and destroys their nest. 
 For ten years, ever since our old minister's death, I had occu- 
 pied his place, and discharged all the duties of the pastoral 
 office to the satisfaction of my dear little flock, when lo! here 
 came the counselor of the consistory, and fell into a rage when 
 he learned that I was a preacher merely on Sundays, and when 
 business allows, but in the week nothing but a poor little tailor,, 
 and " 
 
 " Hold on! " interposed the Elector. " I will not merely 
 hearken to your accusation, but at the same time hear my 
 court preacher's defense, and what you have to say against 
 him you must say in his presence! " 
 
 His large blue eyes were fixed upon Gottlieb Eichter's face 
 with a sharp, searching expression. But the man's haggard, 
 shrewd countenance remained perfectly calm, and seemed 
 even to look on approvingly, while the Elector, summoning 
 Chamberlain Kunkel, bade him go forthwith to the court 
 preacher Stoschius and command his immediate attendance 
 upon the Elector. 
 
374 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 " I thank your highness/' said Gottlieb Eichter, quickly 
 nodding his head. " You are indeed a wise and just judge, 
 who hears both sides of a question, and condemns none be- 
 fore he is proved guilty. God only grant that the court 
 preacher may consent to accede to your invitation, and come 
 without delay." 
 
 " He will be ready enough," said the Elector, smiling, " and 
 if I invite him will surely come. You are perfectly willing, 
 then, that he should hear what you have to allege against 
 him? " 
 
 "I am glad, if respect for your Electoral Highness can 
 induce his worship to listen to me, for in Dobelheim, when 
 I tried to speak, he bade me hold my tongue, and, like a mile- 
 stone, merely showed me the way to the door." 
 
 " It must indeed have surprised him a little to find a tailor 
 as pastor of a Christian community." 
 
 " But, your highness, nobody was ever born a preacher, 
 and the apostle Peter himself was nothing but a poor fisher- 
 man." 
 
 " You know how to give an answer," said Frederick Wil- 
 liam, smiling. 
 
 " I hope, too, your highness, that I need not be speech- 
 less when on the day of judgment our Lord shall ask me if 
 I have led an honest, useful life, and have been a faithful 
 guardian of the souls which he has intrusted to my care." 
 
 " You believe, then, that our Lord himself set you apart 
 as the pastor of your congregation? " 
 
 " Yes, your Electoral Highness! " cried Gottlieb Eichter 
 joyfully, laying his right hand upon his breast as if in con- 
 firmation of his words — " yes, I have a firm, unshaken confi- 
 dence in the genuineness of my calling. God so ordered it, 
 that in the course of my wanderings as a poor journeyman 
 tailor I should come to Dobelheim and settle there. God so 
 ordered it, that one day, when I carried back to the good old 
 minister his gown, which I had spent eight days in repairing, 
 the old gentleman should enter into discourse with me, and 
 his good, kind heart be so drawn out to me that I afterward 
 ventured to come to him daily, when my day's work was done, 
 to read pious and edifying books, whose contents we discussed 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 375 
 
 together. God willed that the good old pastor should instruct 
 me, strengthen my faith, and explain and elucidate what I 
 did not understand in the Holy Scriptures. So by and by 
 I became quite versed in theology, and when the pastor at last 
 became weak and sickly, he could with a good conscience 
 allow me to take his place in the pulpit and elsewhere, for he 
 knew that I would speak and act in accordance with his own 
 views and feelings, and, moreover, every Sunday evening he 
 read the Gospels with me, and I wrote down heads of subjects 
 upon which I had to preach. Thus I was for ten years my 
 dear pastor's adjunct, he himself giving me that title, and the 
 villagers as well. When now the pastor — God rest his soul! — 
 finally died of old age, and I was weeping over him, as became 
 a grateful son, for he had indeed been a father and friend 
 to me, the leaders of the congregation came to me, and roused 
 me out of my melancholy by saying, ^ Trust-God Eichter ' — 
 my name was Trust-God that very month — ^ Trust-God 
 Eichter, you must not sit any longer weeping and lamenting 
 over the old man, for you have no time, since you well know 
 that to-morrow is Sunday, and you have the duties of your 
 office to discharge.' ' What ofiice? ' asked I in astonishment. 
 ^ Why, your office as our preacher,' said they, and when I made 
 opposition and declared that it was impossible, they made an- 
 swer: ^ Why should not things go on to-morrow as they have 
 gone on for the past ten years? You have been acting as our 
 good minister's substitute for ten years, and proved accepta- 
 ble to us. Why should it be any the worse, merely because 
 the old pastor no longer occupies the parsonage, but lies asleep 
 in the churchyard? ' " 
 
 '^ That was indeed fitly and wisely spoken by the people," 
 cried the Elector involuntarily, "and methinks they were 
 right." 
 
 " I thank your highness for your gracious approval," said 
 Gottlieb Eichter joyfully. " I, too, felt in my heart that the 
 good people were right; and when they told me that the con- 
 gregation had met that very day and unanimously chosen 
 me for their pastor, and that therefore, as the oldest of the 
 community, they had come to announce to me that from that 
 hour I was the minister of their choice, my heart felt fearful. 
 
376 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 and at the same time right glad, and I thanked God for the 
 confidence and love which the congregation testified toward 
 me, although I was quite crushed by the high honor bestowed 
 upon me, the poor tailor. I replied to the elders of the con- 
 gregation that I could not give an answer immediately, for I 
 must first consult with God, my own conscience, and the de- 
 parted spirit of my good old pastor. I told them that if they 
 would only all assemble in church as usual, I would give them 
 an answer: if I did not appear in the pulpit, they might then 
 know that I could not accept their offer and conscientiously 
 assume the duties of the pastorate. They were content with 
 this and left me with that understanding. And now I was 
 alone with God, my conscience, and the departed spirit of my 
 dear old pastor." 
 
 For a moment Gottlieb Eichter was silent and reverentially 
 looked up to heaven, as if he there saw the departed spirit of 
 his revered friend and greeted it with devotion. 
 
 The Elector indulged him, being unwilling to disturb his 
 silent prayer, and when the door of the antechamber, to which 
 Gottlieb's back was turned, softly opened, and the court 
 preacher Stoschius entered in full canonicals, with all the 
 gravity pertaining to his office, the Elector motioned to him 
 by a sign to remain quietly standing where he was, and to 
 listen. Then turning again to Gottlieb, he inquired in soft, 
 benign tones: "And what followed, Gottlieb Eichter? Did 
 you commune with your three friends as to whether you should 
 accept the living of Dobelheim? " 
 
 As he thus questioned, he cast a rapid glance across at the 
 court preacher Stoschius, whose features had now assumed 
 still greater gravity and whose brow was clouded. 
 
 "Yes," replied Gottlieb, awakening from his reverie as 
 from a dream — "yes, I communed with my three friends. 
 I went out to my dear friend's grave, and there, kneeling 
 down, examined my conscience, whether it were pure and sin- 
 cere, and not influenced by sinful presumption and worldly 
 vanity in accepting the offer made me by the congregation. 
 Then I prayed right fervently to our Heavenly Father, that 
 he would enlighten my mind and tell me what I must do, and 
 that he would give me a token of his will. And when I had 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 377 
 
 thus prayed I opened my beloved pastor's old Bible, which 
 I had taken with me to his grave, and, without looking, laid 
 my finger on a passage of the open page, and then stooped 
 down to read it." 
 
 " Well," asked the Elector, listening eagerly, " what did 
 you read? What was in the passage to which your finger 
 pointed? " 
 
 " Your highness, it was written there, ' Thou shalt sing and 
 give praises unto the name of the Lord, and publish it to all 
 people.' And as I read that I seemed to hear the voice of my 
 dear old preacher speaking to me in these words, * Go your 
 ways and praise the Lord, doing as I have taught you! ' Quite 
 cheerfully and devoutly I returned home, and watched and 
 prayed all night, with true devotion of heart preparing myself 
 for the coming Sabbath. As the bells rang for church, my 
 heart beat quite loud and my breath seemed to fail me, as, with 
 Bible in hand, I took my way through the shady walk leading 
 from the parsonage to the church. Nobody could see me 
 in this walk, and the vestry room likewise was secluded and 
 dark. I was there alone and heard the congregation singing 
 a choral. With devout heart I knelt and besought God to 
 pity my weakness, and, although I was nothing but a tailor, 
 to forbid that my congregation should one day say of me, 
 * We have made a goat our gardener, he has laid waste our 
 land; woe be unto us! ' Now the congregation was silent, 
 and I slowly ascended the pulpit stairs. I had done the same 
 every Sunday for ten years, and it had never occurred to me 
 that I had no right to do so. But to-day my heart was op- 
 pressed with anxious timidity, and as I crossed the chancel 
 and advanced toward the pulpit I felt that I grew deadly pale. 
 The whole congregation was present of course, and as soon 
 as the good people caught sight of me they arose from their 
 seats, lifted up to me their friendly faces, and exclaimed aloud 
 and unanimously: ' God bless our dear pastor. May God long 
 preserve to us our dear preacher, Trust-God Eichter! ' ' Peace 
 and joy be with us all! ' cried I, and then for awhile we wept 
 together, then dried our eyes, and I began my sermon and 
 brougfht it happily to an end. In this way, most gracious Elec- 
 tor, I became pastor in Dobelheim, and have discharged the 
 
378 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 duties of this office nine years to the satisfaction of my con- 
 gregation. We love each other cordially, and are like one 
 great family, that in us may he fulfilled the words of the 
 apostle John, ' Children, love one another.' And now, your 
 Electoral Highness, the court preacher Stoschiu^ would count 
 it against me as a crime that I hold the place of pastor in the 
 village of Dohelheim. He called me a blasphemer and sacri- 
 legious person, and in the Elector's name forbade me once 
 and forever to set my foot in the pulpit, unless I wished to be 
 arrested and cast into prison." 
 
 " Is that true, Stoschius ? " asked the Elector, turning to 
 the court preacher, who with flushed and angry countenance 
 had listened to Gottlieb Eichter's narration, and now drew 
 near with solemn steps. 
 
 " Yes, Sir Elector," he cried pathetically — " yes, it is true. 
 I did forbid this tailor to enter the sacred pulpit. I did not 
 wish the house of God to be desecrated and a mere patcher to 
 play preacher." 
 
 "Most gracious sir," cried Gottlieb, "a genuine pastor 
 should be also a genuine patcher. His tongue should be the 
 needle with which he mends the rents torn by his spiritual 
 children in their virtue and integrity." 
 
 " Cease your biting metaphors," said the Elector, with a 
 slight smile. " I have something more to say to Stoschius. — 
 Reverend sir, you say that Gottlieb Richter has desecrated the 
 pulpit: in what way has he done so?" 
 
 " By entering it in an unwarrantable manner! '^ passion- 
 ately exclaimed the stem counselor of the consistory, "by 
 daring to play the part of a consecrated servant of the Lord, 
 and exercising functions only befitting a priest. But he is 
 no priest, no consecrated servant of the Lord. He is noth- 
 ing but a tailor, and in that capacity serves the community, 
 whose pastor he presumes to call himself; and, since I wished 
 to find out with my own eyes whether they had told me the 
 truth, I so managed it as to arrive at the village of Dohelheim 
 one Saturday afternoon. I left my carriage, and on foot in- 
 quired my way to the parsonage and entered unannounced. 
 Lo! in a wretched little apartment sat this man, three coarse 
 smock frocks lying before him, and busily engaged patching a 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 379 
 
 ragged sleeve. * What are you making there/ said I, * and 
 why do yon sew away so industriously? ' He did not even look 
 up, and, instead of rising to welcome the court preacher of 
 his Electoral Grace, as respect and courtesy required, quietly 
 sewed away and said composedly, ' I am mending the torn 
 Sunday coats of the peasants, and sew so industriously be- 
 cause to-morrow is Sunday and the minister is much vexed 
 if his peasants do not appear neat and tidy at church.^ Then 
 said I, ^What is your pastor's name? Where is he?' and, 
 perfectly unabashed, the fellow answered me quietly, ' This 
 month his name is Fear-God Richter, and he sits here on the 
 bench mending coats.' " 
 
 The Elector quickly drew his hand across his face to con- 
 ceal from the court preacher a smile, which he felt to be irre- 
 pressible. But in his eagerness Herr Stoschius was not con- 
 scious of this, and indignantly proceeded: " Yes, gracious sir, 
 those were his words, and when I asked what they meant he 
 added, ^ They mean that in the week I am a tailor, but on 
 Sunday a preacher.' A shudder passed over me, and as I 
 looked at the man it struck me that it might be the devil 
 mocking me in human shape, for you know he goes through 
 the world tempting the good and laying snares for the souls 
 of the just. I could not and would not believe that such a 
 crime was actually committed by a man, and proposed to my- 
 self quietly and patiently to wait until Sunday morning. I 
 rode to a gentleman's country seat in the neighborhood, passed 
 the night there, and returned the next morning to Dobel- 
 heim. The worship of God had already begun, and upon 
 entering the church what a sight I beheld! There stood the 
 tailor of yesterday in a black gown, and in front of him two 
 women with little children in their arms and sponsors around 
 them. He had just opened the sacred volume and was about 
 to begin the ceremony. But I rushed up to him, snatched 
 the book out of his hand, thrust him back and called out: 
 ' How dare you commit such a crime! You are an impostor, 
 and instead of expelling the devil from the bodies of these 
 children, you will drive the devil into them by your blas- 
 phemous act! ' " 
 
 "Yes, thus you spoke!" exclaimed Gottlieb Richter, 
 25 
 
^80 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 ^^ and it was a right edifying example of Christian toleration 
 and pitying love that you gave to my terrified congregation. 
 But they did not acknowledge it as such '^ 
 
 " How dare you interrupt me?^' asked the court preacher 
 haughtily. " Did you not hear his most worshipful highness 
 bid you cease your impertinence? " 
 
 " It is true, GottHeb, that I bade you be silent, although 
 not in such harsh terms as the court preacher uses. Speak 
 now, your reverence. How did the congregation deport it- 
 .self?" 
 
 "Your highness, it was plain to see that the fellow had 
 bewitched the whole set and given them over to the devil. 
 Por they cursed and swore, darted at me with their fists, and 
 would surely have beaten me if this man had not placed him- 
 .self in front of me and rebuked them until they became quiet 
 again." 
 
 "Did he do that?" asked the Elector. "Did he pro- 
 tect the court preacher Stoschius, who had accused him of 
 such a dreadful crime? I admire that in him, and it seems to 
 me that with such a spirit he could not have been given over 
 entirely to the devil. And what else happened, your rever- 
 vence? " 
 
 "I then mounted the pulpit, and, after the raging and 
 screaming pack of peasants had been quieted, announced to 
 -the congregation that the tailor Eichter, who presumed to act 
 the parson, to assume the priestly vestments, and exercise cleri- 
 cal functions, had thereby incurred heavy guilt, for he had 
 profaned God's sanctuary and misused the name of the Lord. 
 Therefore he must be termed a blasphemer and sacrilegious 
 person. I informed the congregation that in the shortest pos- 
 ;sible space of time I would supply them with an ordained and 
 educated minister and install him in that living. With sol- 
 emn words, by virtue of my office, I prohibited the tailor 
 from ever again entering the pulpit or undertaking ecclesi- 
 astical duties, threatening him with being put under arrest 
 vand thrown into prison so soon as he should transgress my 
 orders. I acted thus by virtue of my ofiice and the holy ob- 
 ligations which it imposed upon me." 
 
 "Now, Gottlieb Richter," said the Elector, after a short 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 381 
 
 silence, " if you have anytliing more to say in your own de- 
 fense, do so." 
 
 " Your Electoral Highness, I have only this to say: The 
 congregation chose me for their paster of their own free will, 
 4ind I for my part discharged the duties of the office of my 
 own free will, to our mutual satisfaction." 
 
 " But no one may hold an ofi&ce for which he is not quali- 
 fied," cried the court preacher haughtily, " and for which 
 he has not prepared himself hy previous study." 
 
 " True," said Gottlieb composedly. " For example, if you 
 were to undertake the office of head tailor in our village, that 
 would of course be to commit a great injustice, for you would 
 not be able to perform its duties, not having gone through 
 the needful course of preparation. But for being village 
 pastor no other studies were required than those which I was 
 privileged to receive from my dear old pastor during the course 
 of ten years. He did not, indeed, instruct me in mere theology, 
 but in the fear of God; he drummed into me no obscure, 
 latinized modes of speech, but taught me to address my con- 
 gregation in simple, direct words, coming from the heart 
 and therefore reaching hearts. Besides, I inherited from the 
 good pastor three hundred fully written and beautiful ser- 
 mons, which it was expressly stipulated in his will that I 
 should sometimes read to his people." 
 
 "But you know as well as anybody," cried the court 
 preacher, " that only an educated man ought to undertake the 
 office of preacher, and can possibly produce a regular and 
 well-arranged sermon." 
 
 " I have been educated. Sir Counselor of the Consistory 
 and court preacher. Only, instead of the University of Wit- 
 temberg, I have attended the University of Dobelheim, and 
 for ten long years listened to most instructive lectures from 
 my pastor. I am, therefore, an educated man; and as to 
 sermons, they please my congregation, and if the people 
 do not sleep so soundly as when a learned doctor holds 
 forth in a pompous harangue of which they understand 
 nothing, their hearts are the more awake and their souls 
 watchful." 
 
 " Stoschius," said the Elector, smiling, " I verily believe 
 
3S2 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 this man does know how to talk, and can edify his congrega- 
 tion." 
 
 " That may well be, your highness/' replied Stoschius 
 stiffly, " hut that only makes the matter worse, and proves that 
 his congregation is already stupefied, and can no longer dis- 
 tinguish a common tailor from an educated divine and bishop 
 of souls. I grant that by making use of the papers left by the 
 deceased minister- he may be able to read off a correct dis- 
 course; but it is impossible that a tailor should with dignity 
 and propriety conduct the administration of the sacraments. 
 For instance, how would he perform the holy rite of baptism, 
 he, tailor Richter? How would he practice the same?" 
 
 "I perform the service in the manner customary in our 
 Church," quietly returned Gottlieb. 
 
 " Show us, then, how you would baptize a child. Will 
 your highness permit me to put this man to the test, and lead 
 him ad ahsurdum in your presence, thus proving to you that 
 he understands nothing whatever about sacred things? " 
 
 "Put him to the test, reverend sir," replied Frederick 
 William. " You see, I grant you full indulgence, and listen 
 respectfully to your colloquy without meddling in it at all 
 myself." 
 
 "I thank your highness, and will proceed forthwith to 
 demonstrate the tailor's utter unfitness for playing the part 
 of pastor. Just tell me how you would baptize a child. Make 
 the experiment." 
 
 " To do so, your reverence, I must first of all have a. 
 child." 
 
 In his theological zeal Herr Stoschius fetched the little 
 child from his head, as Jupiter produced Minerva. That i& 
 to say, he took from his right reverend cranium his little black 
 velvet cap, and laid it on the table before the tailor. 
 
 " We will fancy," he said, " that this is a child; baptize 
 it now." 
 
 " If I am to go through the ceremony of baptism I must 
 have water, too." 
 
 ''You are right," said the Elector. "Water belongs to 
 baptism as wine to the Lord's Supper. There stands a large 
 glass of fresh water, take that." 
 
PREACHER AND TAILOR. 383 
 
 Gottlieb took the glass and placed it on the table beside 
 Herr Stoschius's little cap; then he bowed lowly and rever- 
 entially before the Elector, and somewhat less profoundly 
 before the court preacher. 
 
 " If the august and revered witnesses of this solemn act of 
 baptism are ready," he said in a loud voice, " then may pro- 
 ceed the sacred rite asked for by the court preacher Stoschius, 
 as the father of this little cap.'' 
 
 " We are ready, reverend sir," said the Elector, with a 
 friendly nod. 
 
 With slow, solemn movement Gottlieb now picked up the 
 little cap, and holding it with his left hand over the impro- 
 vised baptismal font, sprinkled it with water with the right, 
 saying: 
 
 " In accordance with the requirement of my gracious 
 Sovereign and Elector, and inasmuch as Herr Stoschius will 
 have it so, I baptize thee, little cap. Thou shalt be called 
 Little Cap now, and so long as there is a thread of thee left. 
 If such is your wish, tender father of this cap, then answer 
 with a loud and solemn Yes! " * 
 
 The Elector could no longer preserve his gravity, but 
 broke forth into a loud, merry laugh. Then he rose, with- 
 drew into a window recess, and beckoned to the court preacher. 
 
 " Listen, reverend sir," he said, inclining toward the stem 
 theologian and speaking softly, so that he might not be under- 
 stood by Gottlieb, who continued to sprinkle his little cap with 
 water — " listen, reverend sir; let the man go on undisturbed 
 in the regular discharge of the duties of his office, for he is 
 wiser than you." f 
 
 The exalted counselor of the consistory and court preacher 
 looked with stupid astonishment into the Elector's smiling 
 face. But the latter was not at all disconcerted by this, and 
 continued: "Probably he is better fitted to be the preacher 
 of a plain, simple village community than a scholar would be, 
 and you would assuredly have done better if you had not 
 allowed your theological zeal to get the better of you, instead 
 
 * The tailor's own words. See King's Historical Description of Ber* 
 lin, vol. ii, p. 54. 
 
 f The Elector's own words. See the same authority. 
 
584 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 of being governed by a little Christian charity and forbear- 
 ance. There is enough of dissension in our churches without 
 this. You preachers find peculiar delight in attacking and 
 making war upon one another, although you know that I 
 abominate this perpetual wrangling, and you yourselves must 
 admit to your own consciences that the ministers of all con- 
 fessions are not called to sow the wind that they may reap 
 the whirlwind, but to bring peace, whose fruit is universal 
 love toward man. Now, let that poor man alone, and disturb 
 him no longer in his course of action, for I tell you he is one 
 of the righteous, and a faithful servant to his God and earthly 
 Sovereign. But that you may not be humbled and put to 
 shame before him, I shall permit you to say that you have 
 convinced yourself of his fitness for his position, and that you 
 have therefore begged me to give my consent to his holding 
 the office of pastor." 
 
 " Your Electoral Grace," murmured the concistorial coun- 
 selor, highly shocked, "I should have to retract, I should 
 have to bow my head before " 
 
 " Before reason and myself, yes, that you shall," inter- 
 posed the Elector. "In your blind zeal you have done in- 
 justice; now make restitution, and that without delay! " 
 
 He left the window recess and stationed himself not far 
 from the poor village tailor and pastor. The consistorial coun- 
 selor now approached the latter, and endeavored to force a 
 smile to his quivering lips. 
 
 " You have certainly shown me one thing," he said with 
 difficulty, struggling for breath, " you have proved to me that 
 you do understand the holy sacraments very well and have a 
 -close acquaintance with their forms. Since, moreover, you 
 have for your use the written sermons of your predecessor, 
 and seem to possess a good Christian disposition and to be 
 honored by your village congregation, we shall in this case 
 make an exception to the common rule, and wink at this ir- 
 regularity, offering no further hindrance to your continued 
 •discharge of the duties of your office. Provided, of course, 
 that your Electoral Grace has no further objection to make 
 to it," added Herr Stoschius, turning to the Elector with a 
 reverential bow. 
 
MUSIC AND ART. 385 
 
 *' No, my worthy court preacher,'^ smilingly replied Fred- 
 erick William, " I have no objection at all, and entirely agree 
 with you. "We shall leave Gottlieb Richter in his place, and 
 not esteem it as any reproach to him that he is not a learned 
 scholar who has completed his studies at Wittemberg. For,, 
 to speak plainly, I am not particularly well pleased with this 
 university, and have already made up my mind to issue an 
 edict prohibiting all my subjects from going to Wittemberg-, 
 there to prosecute their theological and philosophical studies.* 
 For this Wittemberg is a very nest of discord, perpetually pro- 
 moting disputes between the Lutherans and Reformers. Re- 
 turn to your congregation with a cheerful heart, Gottlieb 
 Richter, live among them in unity and concord, and, as you 
 say, work upon their consciences on Sundays and in the week 
 upon their coats. Continue in innocence of heart, in the love 
 of God and man. But to you. Sir Consistorial Counselor, to* 
 you I repeat the words I once before spoke to you: be mild 
 and conciliatory toward the preachers of both confessions. 
 When the preachers pray, let them not have cause to sigh and 
 moan. Let them not be oppressed in their persons or prop- 
 erty; for we have never been willing to assume supremacy over 
 conscience, but would leave each one to worship God according 
 to the dictates of his own heart.f Be ever mindful of this^ 
 Sir Court Preacher, and consistorial counselor Stoschius! " 
 
 VI. — Music and Aet. 
 
 The rehearsal of the two Italian musicians was to take 
 place on the afternoon of the same day, in the Electress's 
 apartments. Signors Altiera and Grimani had been ordered 
 to hold themselves in readiness for the Electoral summons to- 
 descend to the princely apartments. The Elector now re- 
 paired thither, his wife and the Princess Ludovicka Hoi- 
 landine having gone there immediately after dinner. 
 
 * See Orlich, History of the Great Elector, vol. ii, p. 469. 
 f The Great Elector's own words. See ibid., p. 464. 
 
386 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 "Now, ladies/' said the Elector cheerfully, "if such is 
 your pleasure, we can send for the Italian musicians, and the 
 concert may begin. We have invited our organist Kriiger 
 to attend, as well as a few other members of our choir, and old 
 Conrad von Burgsdorf besides." 
 
 " Of course," exclaimed Princess Ludovicka, smiling. 
 '' Burgsdorf, the Elector's favorite, may never be absent! " 
 
 " And I, my husband," said the Electress, " have taken 
 the liberty of inviting my Lord Marshal von Schwerin to this 
 little concert." 
 
 " Of course," laughed the Princess, " Schwerin, the Elec- 
 tress's favorite, may never be absent! " 
 
 A light shadow flitted across the Elector's brow, but he 
 forced himself to smile. "And what favorite have you in- 
 vited, Princess, because he may never be absent? " 
 
 " I have no favorite. My heart is dumb; it has crept into 
 a corner of my soul, and there sits and weeps. Yet speak not 
 of me. Let us talk of the concert. What airs and duets are 
 these signors to sing for us? " 
 
 " Ah! that is the very thing about which I wished to ask 
 the ladies. These gentlemen would leave to us the selec- 
 tion of music, affirming that they can sing all the operas by 
 heart. But to my shame I must confess that I am so ignorant 
 as not even to know the names of the Italian operas which 
 are now represented at some of the European courts. I there- 
 fore leave to the ladies the choice of the music." 
 
 "I must beg to be excused, my dear," replied Louisa 
 softly; "I am in the same position as yourself, Frederick. 
 I, too, know nothing whatever about the new Italian opera, 
 not even rightly understanding what is meant by it. I know 
 nothing but sacred music, fine choruses, hymns, and songs. 
 These form the joy and solace of my soul, but I have never 
 heard any operatic music." 
 
 "Oh, you happy, simple, and innocent creature!" cried 
 Ludovicka, tenderly embracing the Electress, "how I envy 
 you. that innocence! I, alas! possess not a trace of it, and 
 my restless spirit is ever longing for new stimulants, new in- 
 spiration. I must know everything, occupy myself with all 
 that is new in the field of art, and so soon as I hear of such 
 
MUSIC AND ART. 38T 
 
 things, no rest remains to me until I have made nearer ac- 
 quaintance with them. That is because I lack the satisfac- 
 tion and quiet restraints of the household circle, for which 
 we poor women are destined." 
 
 " No, cousin, you accuse yourself most unjustifiably,'' 
 <3ried the Elector, with animation. " You blame yourself 
 where you merit praise and commendation. It is, indeed, 
 praiseworthy to preserve such a lively interest in the arts and 
 sciences as you do, and to this we have been indebted for hours 
 of the brightest enjoyment during your few weeks' sojourn 
 among us. What a pleasure it was to us to-day, for instance, 
 when you told us of your favorite poet, Shakespeare, and 
 how our souls were refreshed by that wonderful monologue 
 which you repeated to us from his tragedy of Julia and 
 her lover. It is marvelous that you can retain all that in 
 your memory, and reproduce it as if you were yourself an 
 actress." 
 
 " Say, rather, it would be a shame if I were not acquainted 
 with the glorious poetry of my adored William Shakespeare, 
 and could not retain a few of his lines in my memory! I have 
 grown up with them; noble Shakespeare has always been my 
 teacher, counselor, and comforter, although he has been dead 
 fifty years already. But he still lives immortal in his works, 
 and speaks to us with the flaming tongue of the seraph and 
 the tender voice of man. How could I help knowing Shakes- 
 peare, since my mother is an Englishwoman, and in her father- 
 land he is idolized by the whole nation! " 
 
 " I wish," said the Elector thoughtfully—" I wish that 
 I had sufficient acquaintance with the English language to 
 enable me to read those beautiful plays of your great poet, 
 for what you have told me of them has made me curious to 
 hear more." 
 
 " I will read Shakespeare with you, cousin! " cried the 
 Princess joyfully, "and what you do not understand I can. 
 translate for you and write off the translation; then we might 
 •study a few scenes from the plays and act them, as we used 
 to do in Paris with the comedies of Moli^re. cousin, dear 
 cousin! what glorious, delightful hours those will be, and 
 how very happy we shall be — that is to say," with a sweet smile 
 
S88 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 to the Electress — " that is to say, if our beloved Louisa ap- 
 proves, and will take part in our readings." 
 
 " I will take part in everything that gives my dear husband, 
 pleasure/' returned Louisa cordially, " and, although I may 
 keep silence myself, because I am too little versed in thesfr. 
 matters, yet I take pleasure in listening to you, and sympa- 
 thize with you at least in spirit." 
 
 "Ah, Louisa! what an angel you are! " cried Ludovicka;, 
 ** what admirable modesty united with so much solid informa- 
 tion, such an active, energetic spirit! " 
 
 "Indeed, my knowledge is very limited," said the Elec- 
 tress. "My information concerns only the farm and dairy^, 
 and my whole art consists in loving my husband above every- 
 thing and concentrating my thoughts upon making him; 
 happy." 
 
 "And that, dearest Louisa, is an art which you under- 
 stand to perfection," exclaimed the Elector, pressing his^ 
 wife's hand to his lips. 
 
 " Ah! what a tender matrimonial scene," remarked the' 
 Princess, with a slight touch of sarcasm in her tone. " But 
 we have entirely forgotten our Italian singers and their con- 
 cert." 
 
 ^^ And the operas from which they are to sing," added the 
 Elector. "You know these operas. Princess Ludovicka, do- 
 you not?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, we have often sung extracts from them at the 
 court of the Queen mother, Anne of Austria. Her Italian 
 director of the choir was also my singing master, as Mignard^ 
 the court painter, was my instructor in painting." 
 
 " Verily, cousin, I must repeat that you are a miracle of 
 learning and acquirements! " cried the Elector. 
 
 " And I," whispered the Electress softly to herself — " I am- 
 a poor, pitiable woman, for I know nothing at all of all these- 
 things, and Frederick will be weary of me and despise me 
 when he compares me with Ludovicka, for she, alas! knows; 
 everything, understands everything, and is so witty, so beau- 
 tiful, and so entertaining! And I — alas! " 
 
 She suppressed the sigh which struggled for utterance, 
 and forced herself to listen with a smile of friendly attentionn 
 
MUSIC AND ART. 389^ 
 
 to the Princess's explanation of the nature of the opera that 
 just a short time previously had come from Italy, the home 
 of music and art, to the courts of Versailles, Dresden, and 
 Vienna. The two ladies were ahout to repair to the musie 
 room, escorted hy the Elector, who had already offered each 
 of them an arm, when he suddenly stood still and with a some- 
 what embarrassed air turned to the Princess. 
 
 " By the way," he said, " in pleasant conversation with 
 you I had well-nigh forgotten a principal thing. We are 
 now to have the pleasure of hearing these Italian singers, and 
 we may do so with full right, for we reward them quite re- 
 spectably for their trouble. But I beg of you, Electress and 
 you, too. Princess, not to lavish too great praise upon them 
 when the performance is over. Even though they have sung 
 with exquisite taste and skill, say not much about it. I have 
 my reasons for this, and, although I would not discuss them 
 further, they are sufl&ciently important to make me urge yom 
 not to forget my request." 
 
 With lively words the Princess gave assurance that she 
 would certainly keep this in mind. The Electress said noth- 
 ing, but her eyes met those of the Elector with a smile full of 
 meaning and intelligence. They now repaired to the musie 
 room, where were already assembled Burgsdorf, SchweriUy 
 and the choristers, and the two Italian singers were now sum- 
 moned. 
 
 In the name of the Electoral pair the Princess called upon 
 them to sing from the Darius of Beverini and the Berenice 
 of Freschi, and the eyes of the two singers beamed with pleas- 
 ure. For these two operas were at that time all the rage 
 throughout Italy, and offered the singers the best opportunity 
 of displaying their extraordinary accomplishments and going 
 off into artistic flourishes, trills, and runs. The little lead- 
 incased panes of glass in the Electoral apartment rattled in 
 response to the loudly echoing song, anji the old gray wall& 
 themselves seemed to shake as if agitated by these melodies,, 
 the like of which had never been heard in the sedate Elec- 
 toral castle of Berlin. What shouts of joy and grief, what 
 glowing love and painful longing, what bursts of passion and 
 what trembling sighs! The impressions made upon the sev- 
 
390 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 eral auditors were wholly different. The distinguished organ- 
 ist and celebrated composer Kruger grew purple from horror 
 and amazement. His eyes were wide open, and about his 
 thick lips played a smile of inexpressible contempt. He could 
 not help it, he must give vent to his spleen in a few words at 
 least. He therefore turned to the members of the choir, who 
 stood behind him speechless and awe-struck. 
 
 " Why, the fellows sing as if they were trained nightin- 
 gales," he growled. " Nobody can see that it costs them any 
 effort or exertion. That is no art, but merely poor, plain na- 
 ture.'^ 
 
 Conrad von Burgsdorf had withdrawn to the most remote 
 corner of the apartment, and there ensconced himself in a 
 leather-covered chair. The cushion was not quite as hard as 
 a board, and the back was comfortable. The sweet melody 
 had probably reminded him of the cradle songs of his youth, 
 and he could not resist his inclination to close his eyes a little 
 and profit by the opportunity of enjoying a sweet afternoon 
 nap. 
 
 The Lord Marshal Schwerin, too, seemed little edified by 
 this overwhelming display of Italian art. His soft and hand- 
 some countenance twitched painfully at times, but when his 
 •eyes rested upon the Electress, behind whose chair he stood, 
 he composed his features and assumed an air of gravity. 
 
 But the Princess's face was radiant with pleasure. And 
 when the voices of the two singers now blended harmoniously 
 in a scientific duet, and went off into shrill, long-winded trills, 
 she turned with a deep sigh to the Elector, who sat between 
 her and his wife, and whispered: 
 
 " I have never heard finer or better-cultivated voices. 
 They are singers of the first rank, and it is a pleasure to listen 
 to them." 
 
 " A pleasure, indeed," murmured the Elector, sighing in- 
 voluntarily, for he thought that he could not often enjoy the 
 pleasure of hearing these distinguished singers. Fifteen hun- 
 dred dollars salary for both would be too great an ex- 
 travagance for a prince with empty coffers. Sixteen hun- 
 dred dollars would clothe a whole company of soldiers, and 
 two singers would cost double that amount. The Elector of 
 
MUSIC AND ART. 391 
 
 Brandenburg, alas! had no funds at his own disposal, but 
 must ever await the unwilling grant of money by his States. 
 The poor, dependent Elector durst not expend such sums upon 
 two foreign musicians! 
 
 " But all this must be altered," he said to himself, while 
 the singers continued their marvelous trills and flourishes. 
 *^ The Elector of Brandenburg must not always be restricted 
 in his expenditures by the whims of the States; there must 
 be fixed taxes, a regular excise, the sources of income must 
 be determined, and by the Elector alone must be determined 
 ihe disbursement of the income. Sovereign he will be within 
 his own dominions — free, unlimited Sovereign! He will 
 break the haughty spirit of the States, grind to dust and ashes 
 the worn-out rights and privileges of the cities and States! 
 They cleave to tradition and the past, would arrest the prog- 
 ress of the world, and so manage to retain the mastery, their 
 "Sovereign Prince being dependent upon their will, and the 
 burgher and peasant kept in poverty and want. The States 
 must be humbled, that the burghers may be exalted; old privi- 
 leges must vanish, that the new era, the era of progress, may 
 step into their place! " 
 
 Sing on, artists, trill and quaver away! The Elector does 
 not hear; he thinks of the future, of all that destiny has or- 
 dained him to accomplish, and he ponders upon the means of 
 accomplishing it! 
 
 But now the song is hushed, the grand duet from Berenice 
 is finished. The silence rouses the Elector from his reverie 
 •and Conrad von Burgsdorf from his sweet slumbers. The 
 latter starts and exclaims with animation: " Heavenly! Won- 
 derfully fine! '^ The composer Kriiger growls out a few un- 
 intelligible words, and the singers look with their large, spark- 
 ling black eyes at the Electoral pair, awaiting their acknowl- 
 edgments and plaudits. 
 
 But the Elector sits there silent and gloomy; the Princess 
 Ludovicka, too, is silent, for, however much she may have 
 been charmed by the music, she remembers his request that 
 the singers be not complimented. She is silent, therefore, 
 -and with a shrug of her shoulders turns to the Elector, 
 whispering a few words in his ear. Then all at once this 
 
392 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 painful silence is broken by the sweet, gentle voice of the 
 Electress. 
 
 " What glorious music! " she says, with a charming smile, 
 at the same time turning to her Lord Marshal von Schwerin. 
 *'What glorious music! how skillfully and tastefully these 
 gentlemen have sung! " 
 
 The eyes of the two Italians flash with joy, for, as is her 
 wont, the Electress has spoken in French, and they have 
 understood. 
 
 "I beg, lord marshal," continued the Electress, "that 
 you will present the two singers to me, that I may thank them 
 in person." 
 
 The lord marshal hastens to conduct the singers to her. 
 But the Princess Ludovicka leans over toward the Elector^ 
 who is looking at his wife in amazement and ill humor. 
 
 " Good heavens, dear cousin! " she whispers, " how is it 
 possible that Louisa can so utterly have forgotten your wishes? 
 How thoughtless to praise these people so loudly, when you 
 bade us avoid any commendation of them whatever! " 
 
 "True, it proves little regard for my wishes. I thank 
 you, cousin, for so graciously heeding my request." 
 
 Did the Electress hear these words of her husband? For 
 a moment her clear blue eye rested upon him with singular 
 seriousness, then were turned again to the singers, who stood 
 before her and had just made her their profound obeisance. 
 With distinct voice she praised their singing, and invited 
 Otto von Schwerin to join her, which he did with alac- 
 rity. 
 
 " It is unheard of, it is abominable! " murmured the Prin- 
 cess, loud enough to be heard by the Elector, and he felt that 
 Ludovicka was right, and in his heart was angry with his wife,, 
 who did not respect his wishes. 
 
 Suddenly, in the midst of her conversation with the sing- 
 ers, Louisa turned to her husband. " Your highness," she 
 said joyfully, "I have just heard that these gentlemen 
 have no engagement elsewhere, and would be inclined to^ 
 stay with us and often gladden us with their delightful 
 music." 
 
 "Indeed, that is a right pleasant prospect," murmured 
 
MUSIC AND ART. 393 
 
 the Elector, rising from his seat and with a forced smile 
 approaching his wife. " The singers could stay with us, then, 
 and dedicate to us their time and talents." 
 
 " Most gracious highness," asseverated the two artists, 
 " we should esteem ourselves happy if your highness would 
 condescend to take us into your service. Baron von Plotzen 
 opened before us this lofty prospect in case we should meet 
 the approval of your Electoral Highnesses." 
 
 " I know," said the Elector shortly. " I shall make known 
 my decision presently, and meanwhile thank you for your 
 music. Electress, accept my arm, and let me lead you back to 
 your room." 
 
 He reverentially greeted Princess Ludovicka, gave a pass- 
 ing nod to the gentlemen, and with his wife left the music 
 hall. 
 
 Princess Ludovicka, however, stepped across to the bow 
 window where Burgsdorf stood. " My friend," she said, " we 
 are ever nearing our goal, and unconsciously the Electress has 
 become our ally. She provoked the Elector to-day by her 
 want of tact, and I suspect that a precious matrimonial scene 
 is going on in her apartments now. The Electress is very use- 
 ful to us and promotes our plans." 
 
 "Your highness believes, then, that you will succeed in 
 freeing the Elector from his wife's chains? " said Burgsdorf, 
 in low tones. " Well, I should have to believe in magic if it 
 were not so, for if one sees side by side a full crimson rose and 
 a buttercup, and may take his choice, surely he will choose 
 the rose and leave the buttercup to the cows." 
 
 " Burgsdorf, you are witty and ingenious, it seems," smiled 
 the Princess. 
 
 " Most gracious Princess, it is only a reflection from your 
 sunshine. But I must tell your royal highness that in other 
 respects I am quite desperate." 
 
 " I, too, old man, for our plan advances but slowly, and 
 I am being continually pressed and urged from Paris to bring 
 matters to a point. For the rest, I am expecting a courier 
 -every day to give me the exact conditions which France wishes 
 to impose. Come to me on the day after to-morrow; I will 
 probably have received the dispatches then, and we can agree 
 
394 THE GREAT ELECTOR IK POWER. 
 
 better upon everything. But hush! there comes the lord mar- 
 Bhal.'^ 
 
 Meanwhile the Elector had silently led his wife back to 
 her cabinet. When the door closed behind them, he turned 
 to her with frowning brow. 
 
 " Electress," he asked, " had you entirely forgotten my de^ 
 sire that the singers should not be praised? " 
 
 " No/' she replied, looking smilingly at him — " no, I had 
 not forgotten it! " 
 
 " What! '' cried the Elector, astonished, " you thought of 
 it, and yet " 
 
 " Yet I praised them, Frederick, and it seems to me they 
 well deserved that praise. They are distinguished artists, and 
 whatever your lips may say, in youx heart you agree with 
 me." 
 
 " That is not the point to be considered, Electress, but the 
 question is whether '' 
 
 " I will tell you, Frederick, what the question is," inter- 
 rupted the Electress kindly, laying her hand on Frederick's; 
 shoulder. " The case is simply this: The Elector would 
 gladly have these singers in his choir, but finds them too* 
 dear, and would therefore pretend not to like them." 
 
 " Good heavens, Louisa! how do you know that, and what 
 betrayed to you my inmost thoughts? " 
 
 " Your countenance — your dear, truthful countenance! "* 
 cried she, tenderly stroking his cheek with her small, white 
 hand. "Just now, when you expressed your wish that I 
 should not commend the singers, however much they might 
 please me, I looked at you, and read in your features the rea- 
 son of your wish. For see, Frederick, I am not learned nor 
 witty; I am only a poor, simple woman, possessing but one 
 faculty, which no one shares with me. I can read your coun- 
 tenance, and know how to decipher the thoughts stamped 
 upon your forehead. By the light of love my heart has studied 
 your whole nature, dived into its intricacies, and learned the 
 interpretation of every light shadow. So I knew directly 
 that my lord's treasury was again empty through the 
 contumacy of the States, and that therefore my husband 
 wished to dismiss the singers, who nevertheless had: come 
 
MUSIC AND ART. 395 
 
 "by his own desire. They demand too high a salary, do they 
 not?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed, you have guessed, my 'cute little Louisa,'^ 
 said the Elector, whose face began to brighten. 
 
 " It was not such a very difficult thing to do for a woman 
 who loves you," said she softly. " But since, fortunately, I 
 have no States to refuse me money, and my finances are in a 
 very flourishing condition, so that I can afford to make an 
 extra expenditure, I have determined to indulge myself by 
 engaging the singers whom your highness was about to scorn." 
 
 " Louisa! " cried the Elector, " I begin to. comprehend 
 now, and your goodness makes me feel heartily ashamed of 
 myself." 
 
 ^* How ashamed ? And what are you saying about my good- 
 ness? Ah, I understand! My husband imagines that I would 
 offer him my casket, that he might take out enough money 
 to pay the wages of these singers! But you are mistaken. Sir 
 Elector; I have had no such rash idea, and it has never entered 
 my head to lend you this money. For I know you, and know 
 what would be the end of it. Instead of appropriating the 
 borrowed sum to its destined object you would have equipped 
 new soldiers and still discharged the singers." 
 
 " Ah, Louisa, dear Louisa, how well you know me! " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, I know you well, sir, and therefore will 
 take good care not to open my casket to you. My money would 
 be gone, and still no music, for the singers would have been 
 dismissed before the doors had closed behind me. But I am 
 charmed with this Italian singing. It is so different from 
 anything I have ever heard before, going so deep into the 
 heart, so sweet, so graceful. In short, I must hear these sing- 
 ers often, and therefore beg your permission, my dear hus- 
 band, to engage both for our choir, provided that you think 
 •they would be content with a salary of eight hundred dollars 
 apiece." 
 
 " They have never aspired to so much as that," cried the 
 Elector quickly; " they only ask for seven hundred and fifty 
 dollars each." 
 
 "Ah! my husband, how exact your knowledge is, as if 
 you had actually designed to engage themf But I do not 
 26 
 
^96 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 mean that these artists shall be torn from me again. I insist 
 nipon having my wish. It shall not be believed of the Electress 
 of Brandenburg that she has a taste for no higher music than 
 the tinkling of cowbells and the lowing of cattle, or that a 
 sacred choral goes to her heart more than the airs and duets 
 of these great Italian artists. Oh, no; I, too, know what is 
 fine and exalted, and in proof thereof I now engage these two 
 «ignors. I crave your permission, most gracious Elector. 
 Allow me to commission my Lord Marshal von Schwerin to 
 treat with these artists and to conclude the engagement with 
 ;them." 
 
 "No further transactions will be needed, Electress, for 
 they have already made their stipulations, and Baron von 
 Plbtzen made the contract with them in Dresden, provided 
 ithat they could gain our approbation." 
 
 " That they could gain your approbation, you mean, Fred- 
 erick. But if I were to accept those conditions now. Elector, 
 everybody would believe and say that your highness had en- 
 gaged these two singers for the chapel, and there would be 
 great grumbling and talking among the States. They would 
 say, ' If the Elector has money enough to engage these Italian 
 nightingales, it is by no means necessary to open new sources 
 of income to him, and we shall take good care not to grant 
 him the tax which he asks of us because he maintains that he 
 'has no money wherewith to clothe his militia. You see, sir, 
 it will not do for the transactions to be carried on in your 
 mame; on the contrary, they must be conducted in my name, 
 by my lord marshal, for at present I alone can allow myself 
 such an indulgence. Thank God, we do not hold here to 
 community of goods, so that it may well happen that my 
 husband has no money while I am wallowing in wealth. 
 1 draw a splendid annuity from Holland, the Electorate 
 of Brandenburg has also assigned me a handsome grant, 
 and then I have besides the revenues from my estate of Boet- 
 zow. You know, twice every week I send the produce of 
 my farm to Berlin, and sell in the market butter, milk, 
 and cheese, and that of course brings in quite considerable 
 sums." 
 
 " Not that it covers in the hundredth part the expenditures 
 
MUSIC AND ART. 397 
 
 which your highness has incurred at Boetzow," smilingly re- 
 marked the Elector. 
 
 " Maybe so/' continued the Electress; " but I am happily 
 not called to render an account of this to the States, and none 
 of them have the shamelessness to question me as to the way 
 in which I spend my means. I may therefore dare to do what 
 you may not, sir. And then reflect that, as you told me your- 
 self, the talk at a recent sitting of your privy council fell upon 
 the choir, and that the privy councilors thought that it would 
 be necessary for your highness to economize in that direc- 
 tion, and retrench in your expenditures. A goodly sum might 
 be saved if your highness would dispense with a choir. You. 
 also promised so to do. What would be the impression, then, 
 if you were now to engage two costly singers? No, no; I alone 
 can enjoy this luxury; everybody shall know that it is I who 
 does it, and for that reason I so shocked the organist Kriiger 
 to-day, and, to the just indignation of my dear cousin, praised 
 the two artists so extravagantly, laying myself out to do them 
 honor. I would have everybody know that I engaged the 
 singers, and that they are to be paid out of my treasury. 
 Schwerin shall therefore close the contract with them this 
 very day, provided that you grant me the permission I now 
 humbly sue for." 
 
 " Louisa," said the Elector, laying both hands upon his 
 wife's shoulders and looking at her with fervent glances, " do 
 you really believe that I am deceived by all these words, and 
 hy your raptures over these Italian singers? Do you suppose 
 that I understand you no better, and do not appreciate the 
 tender, magnanimous soul which would veil itself under words 
 and yet can not? Thank you, my gentle, faithful wife, thank 
 you! You would give me pleasure while pretending to be 
 thinking only of yourself, and depreciating your act as if 
 it were of no value. Louisa! contrasted with you, I feel 
 humbled and right ashamed, hardly daring to lift my sin- 
 ful eyes to your purity and loveliness. I repent, beloved, and 
 confess my fault! I was ill humored and angry with you, 
 not understanding immediately why you acted as you did. 
 I fancied myself justified in finding fault with you, and my 
 spirit was stirred against you. Ah! how little does man. 
 
398 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 know the depth and tenderness of a woman's heart, and how 
 much more trustful, noble, and magnanimous are you women 
 when you love! Forgive me, Louisa, please forgive me." 
 
 " I have nothing to forgive in you," said she, smiling, her 
 voice trembling slightly. ^ " But if you think so, I will tell 
 you how you can make prompt and ample amends." 
 
 "How, Louisa?" 
 
 "In firm, decided words give me leave to engage these 
 wonderful Italian singers, permit the affair to be transacted 
 by my lord marshal in my name, and allow their appointment 
 as members of your choir to be made by myself." 
 
 " Well, my extravagant wife, I grant your wish — on cer- 
 tain conditions, however." 
 
 " Name your conditions, Frederick! " 
 
 " In the first place, you must give me a kiss in token of 
 your forgiveness. Say, do you accept my first condition? " 
 
 " ISTot until you have named the others." 
 
 " I have only one more, and here it is: I give my consent 
 to your request, and you can take the Italians into our service 
 in your name. But you must first, openly and candidly, an» 
 swer this question: Do you actually find such exalted delight 
 in listening to these artists? Do opera music and singing 
 please you?" 
 
 " What a question! " replied the ElectreSs, with a pretty 
 pout. " Do you take me for a barbarian who can not be pleased 
 with what must throw everybody into ecstasies and exalt one 
 to the seventh heaven? Do you esteem me so utterly unpol- 
 ished and devoid of taste as not to comprehend the wonder- 
 ful powers displayed by these musicians, the purity of their 
 tones, and the flexibility of their organs? And then, that 
 music, that passionate, glowing, melting music, which affects 
 the mind so strangely; how wholly different is the effect pro- 
 duced by listening to a hymn or sacred song, by which the 
 heart feels touched, and the eyes grow moist with emotion I 
 By this music we are not, indeed, made to weep, and the feel- 
 ings are not touched, but we are excited; it is as when one: 
 has drunk a glass of heavy wine, which mounts to the head 
 and causes a slight dizziness." 
 
 "And afterward follows a slight intoxication, eh? Hark> 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE. 399 
 
 Louisa! you have not given me a candid answer, and fulfilled 
 one of my conditions. I will now tell you that I actually 
 wonder at these singers, and it will give me genuine pleasure 
 to hear this new opera music right often, and to be a little in- 
 toxicated by it. But now, answer me honestly, how do you 
 like this style of song and music? " 
 
 The Electress laughingly flung her arm around him. 
 " Abominable! " she whispered, " perfectly abominable! " 
 The Elector laughed, too, and, while he ardently pressed 
 Louisa to his heart, he took from her lips the fulfillment of 
 his first condition. And now, both conditions being fulfilled,, 
 the Signors Grimani and Altiera, by command of the Electress, 
 were engaged for her choir, and were the first Italian singers 
 who electrified Berlin by their birdlike voices, and excited the 
 rapture of the public. 
 
 YII. — Jesijs my Confidence. 
 
 "It must be, yes, it must be! " cried the Princess Ludo- 
 Ticka Hollandine. " This affair must at last be decided! " 
 
 " Most heartily I second the wish," sighed Burgsdorf . " If 
 we do not now, through your highness, once more gain the 
 Elector and hold him fast, he will be entirely lost to us, and 
 the dear old customs of his country, and every vestige of an- 
 cient law and order, will be irretrievably destroyed. But the 
 Electress alone is to blame for all these things. She intro- 
 duced these new ideas into the land, and everything here will 
 be transformed through her influence. The good, honest, 
 merry Markers are to be changed into slow, dull, busy Dutch- 
 men, knowing nothing but how to pray and work. Our sandy 
 soil is to be suddenly converted into a Dutch garden, and all 
 is to be brought about with as much nicety and delicacy as if 
 men were no longer men and women no longer women. Most 
 gracious highness, aid me, I beseech you — save my Elector 
 for me, preserve to me his friendship, for otherwise I am lost. 
 He used always to call me his old friend, often his father, but 
 
400 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 for weeks it has been no longer so, and my heart is well-nigh 
 bursting; I am becoming desperate." 
 
 " To what end that comic acting, my dear old man? '* 
 asked the Princess, smiling. " Why would you persuade me 
 that nought but concern for the Elector's lost friendship makes 
 you desperate? Eather speak out honestly, and say that you 
 dread losing your influence over the Elector and being sup- 
 planted by the Electress. Everybody struggles for life, and 
 he who has been accustomed to dwell in sunshine and in the 
 full splendor of daylight can not all at once vegetate in night 
 and darkness. And you shall not either. You are and shall 
 remain the all-powerful friend and minister of the Elector, 
 and to that end I will sustain you, as in return you must stand 
 by me, that we may compass all that France desires. You know 
 what are the conditions upon which France promises you an 
 annuity for life of twenty thousand livres, secured to you by 
 bond?" 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, your highness," murmured Burgs- 
 dorf, casting an anxious glance through the whole apartment, 
 " speak lower! These old, crumbling walls might have holes 
 in them, and other ears than mine might hear your words! " 
 
 " Dear me, they are much too honorable and too artless 
 for such things here! " cried the Princess, shrugging her 
 shoulders. " There is no ear of Dionysius here, and you may 
 shout out the deepest secrets of your heart in this old barrack 
 without being heard by anybody. The Elector and Electress 
 live in the other wing, and on a different story, and I have 
 the honor of being the sole occupant of this side of the castle. 
 Besides, I purposely came with you into my dressing room, 
 because this chamber has no mode of egress save through my 
 sitting room and the little arras door there leading into my 
 maid's chamber. Nobody could hear us but my servant, and 
 I gave her leave of absence to-day, and she has gone to Boet- 
 zow. The Electress also went there early this morning, ac- 
 companied only by her lord marshal, who is quite a factotum 
 with her, being at the same time architect of the new palace 
 -at Boetzow and inspector of her grounds. The Elector stayed 
 here to read Shakespeare with me, and afterward the Italian 
 singers are to come and we shall make music together." 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE. 401 
 
 " That is to say, your highness has conquered, and Einaldo^ 
 wears the chains of the fairest Armida." 
 
 " The Elector is indeed affectionate to me, and I now 
 hope that success is about to crown our united efforts. I shall 
 do to-day what I have done never before. I shall introduce a 
 little politics into our conversation, and for the first time hint 
 at an alliance with France. To-morrow morning, at the sit- 
 ting of the privy council, you will advocate this alliance, and 
 so conduct matters that the Elector shall commission you to 
 go to Paris and treat with the Bang's ministers. You have 
 your instructions and know what to demand and what to con- 
 cede. In some sort France recognizes you as her minister at 
 the Brandenburg court, and pays you a pension for life. The 
 document securing this to you must be here very soon, to- 
 gether with a few other important papers, which Cardinal 
 Mazarin will send me. I expected the courier to-day, and am 
 astonished at his non-arrival." 
 
 " The roads are bad, and the recent rains have made them 
 much worse, so that the courier may well have been detained." 
 
 " True, and yet he always comes at the right time. There- 
 fore, you know what you have to do. We must now hasten 
 the crisis, and I trust that the Elector is ripe for our plans. 
 So the watchword is: Union with France, opposition to the 
 Emperor of Germany, to Sweden, and to Poland. The Elector 
 pledges himself not to give his vote at the election at Frank- 
 fort to the son of the Emperor of Germany, but to exert him- 
 self to secure the election of the son of the Saxon electoral 
 house as King of the Eomans, and to give Mm his vote. If 
 it comes to a declaration of war between Austria and France,, 
 the Elector is to side with the latter, furnishing auxiliary 
 troops and supporting the French troops in all their under- 
 takings. In return, France guarantees to the Elector his pos- 
 sessions on the Ehine, as well as the dukedom of Prussia, and 
 pays him annually a million livres. You know all now. Go,, 
 then, and 
 
 "What was that?" exclaimed the Princess, starting and 
 lifting her eyes to the ceiling of her room. " Did you hear 
 nothing?" 
 
 " Your highness," muttered Burgsdorf, " the rafter seemedi 
 
402 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 to me to creak, and only see how dust and lime are sifting 
 through the boards nailed across the ceiling." 
 
 " Good heavens! what if anybody should be up there? " 
 whispered the Princess. " Suppose that we have been over- 
 heard?" 
 
 "Will your highness condescend to dismiss me?" mur- 
 mured Burgsdorf . " I will go and see whether anybody is up 
 there, and if I catch him " 
 
 "Hush, hush!" whispered the Princess; "just listen. 
 There is that creaking again, and a whole cloud of dust comes 
 pouring down through the boards. Dear me, how anxious I 
 
 feel, and if I thought that the Elector Oh, no, no, that is 
 
 utterly impossible! How could it have occurred to him to 
 climb up there, and why should he wish to play the spy upon 
 us? No, no, it must have been a rat running about there." 
 
 " A rat could not make the rafters creak, nor raise a cloud 
 of dust," sighed Burgsdorf. "I am afraid, your highness, 
 really and truly, I am afraid, and I feel as if the door might 
 open and the devil enter in bodily shape! Dismiss me, your 
 highness, dismiss me! " 
 
 " Go, Burgsdorf! And to-morrow be clever with your 
 tongue, think of your French minister's salary, and remember 
 that I shall soon present you the promised document signed 
 by Mazarin! " 
 
 She nodded a condescending farewell to Burgsdorf, who 
 was struck perfectly dumb, and, as soon as he had disappeared, 
 went into her reception room. On the threshold she paused, 
 once more looking back at the half -obliterated angels and the 
 boards on the ceiling above. 
 
 " It can not have been anything," she said, drawing a 
 breath of relief. " Old Burgsdorf is a coward, and I myself 
 am a timid little fool. Courage, Ludovicka, courage! Your 
 past is to be avenged, the tears of your youth are to be dried, 
 while the tears of another shall be made to flow. Yes, she 
 shall weep as I have wept, and I shall drive her from the place 
 which belongs to me! 
 
 "Will you succeed, Ludovicka?" she asked of herself, as 
 she stepped to the mirror and gazed at herself with searching 
 glances. " Are you still young, beautiful, and lovely enough 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE. 403 
 
 to supplant this pretty young woman? It is true that she is 
 more beautiful, yet it is only the tame beauty of virtuous, 
 women. But in these black eyes, which I see reflected in the 
 glass, gleams something of the fires of hell, and the heart of 
 him who looks into them must be consumed. Did not Car- 
 dinal Mazarin often call me a demon, and, when I recently 
 took leave of him, did he not say: ^ You are a diavolezza, and 
 a little imp dances upon the tip of every one of your fingers. 
 Go now and enchant the Elector! ' Yes, yes, I will enchant 
 him, and have done so already. Drop by drop I have infused 
 into him the poison, the bitter poison of jealousy, and also 
 poured in drop by drop the sweet balsam of love. He is jealous 
 of her and he loves me. Eejoice then, Ludovicka, rejoice, the 
 great work will succeed, and ere a year has expired you will be 
 Electress of Brandenburg." 
 
 A knock was heard at the door, and the Elector's voice 
 asked, " May I come in? " 
 
 Forthwith the Princess's countenance assumed an expres- 
 sion of radiant joy. She flew to the door, tore it open, and 
 bade him welcome with tender words. He kissed her hand, 
 and took his seat on the sofa at her side. 
 
 " How snug and quiet it is here! " he said, " and what a 
 comfort it is amid the vexatious cares of government to look 
 forward to being consoled by your conversation and amiable 
 presence! " 
 
 " My presence must soon be changed into absence. The 
 dream is drawing to a close, Frederick, and a bitter, painful 
 awakening will follow." 
 
 " No, no, Ludovicka, you must not leave me. It is such a 
 happiness to be near you, you must not deprive me of it yet. 
 Think of the beautiful fable of ^geria and Numa Pompilius; 
 "be my ^geria, charming Princess." 
 
 " ^geria was the counselor of N"uma Pompilius, and he^ 
 consulted with her concerning affairs of state. You see, Fred- 
 erick, your comparison does not hold good, for when would 
 you do me the honor of asking my advice about such serious 
 matters? " 
 
 " I shall do sc directly, my JEgerm., and this very day you 
 must give me your advice. Fov only see, like Hercules, I 
 
404 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 stand at a cross way, with two beautiful, enticing women 
 beckoning to me. The name of one is France, the name of 
 the other Austria. Just to-day I have received dispatches 
 containing important tidings from my ambassadors at Vienna 
 and Paris. The Emperor of Germany informs me that France 
 has devised a scheme for my ruin, and would league herself 
 with Sweden and Poland against me. France has allotted my 
 dukedom of Prussia to Poland, which in return will cede 
 Liesland to the crown of Sweden. I am to be quieted and 
 appeased by a subsidy.* And this, the Emperor informs me,, 
 is the plan which the French ambassador. Count Chanut, 
 has proposed at Stockholm, and which he recommends as a 
 means for holding in check the house of Austria and the 
 German princes." f 
 
 "I do not believe it!" cried Ludovicka, with animation. 
 '^ I know Count Chanut; he is much too clever a diplomatist,. 
 much too wise a statesman, to make such wild, hazardous 
 proposals. Besides, I know that the count esteems and re- 
 veres you, declares you to be the noblest, most gifted Prince 
 in Europe, and prophesies for you a brilliant future. No, 
 my dear friend, trust not to these Austrian innuendoes. Aus- 
 tria meditates your ruin, and will never contribute to mak- 
 ing Brandenburg great and powerful." 
 
 "That is true," said the Elector thoughtfully. "Aus- 
 tria is very jealous of her power. She would gladly re-estab- 
 lish her old supremacy, and act as if Emperor and empire 
 were on the same footing as before the Peace of Westphalia." 
 
 " And did you not say, my friend Numa Pompilius, that 
 you had also dispatches from your ambassador at Paris?" 
 
 " Yes, my ^geria. Herr von Jena writes me of a very 
 important conference which he has had with Cardinal Maza- 
 rin. His eminence informs me, through my ambassador, 
 that Austria is intriguing against me, and has suggested to 
 Spain to prolong the contest in the Netherlands in order 
 to possess herself of my Ehenish provinces. Lorraine is to 
 furnish Spain the support of his troops in this undertaking, 
 and if I march there and offer battle, then the Emperor of 
 
 * Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, vol. iii, part 3, p. 61. 
 f Droysen, the same. 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE. 405 
 
 Germany will empower his son-in-law, the King of Poland,, 
 to take possession again of my dukedom of Prussia and in- 
 vest it with his troops. In the name of the King, the cardinal 
 now offers me his assistance in opposing such traitorous 
 schemes. He invites me to enter into a league with the King 
 of France, but at the same time a league against the Emperor 
 of Germany. He offers me money, troops, possession of lands, 
 and asks nothing in return but that I shall become a faithful 
 ally to France and assist the King in all his wars. Now say, 
 ^geria, whom am I to follow, which alliance shall I accept? '^ 
 
 " The alliance with the King of France! ^' cried Ludo- 
 vicka enthusiastically. " The alliance of the noblest, great- 
 est, mightiest state in Europe! Beware of Austria, for she is^ 
 your rival. Trust France, for she is your friend. She prom- 
 ises you soldiers, money, and possession of lands — that is to- 
 say, she promises you a great and glorious future. Accept 
 it, Frederick William, reject not the laurels which France 
 offers you." 
 
 " Thank you, ^geria," said the Elector, smiling. " You 
 are indeed a fiery counselor and a zealous statesman. But 
 a truce to politics now; they do not quite become the lips^ 
 of my sweet cousin. It is much sweeter and more attrac- 
 tive to hear them speak of poetry and love." 
 
 "Of love, Frederick?" said the Princess. Her glowing 
 glances sunk deep into the Elector's eyes. "Would that I 
 could read to the bottom of your heart, my friend. I should 
 like to know if recollections of the past are inscribed there, 
 whether they have revived within you. Frederick! I 
 should like to know if your old love has grown young again." 
 She softly laid her head against his shoulder. 
 
 " Hush, hush! " said he gently; " lift not the veil from my 
 heart. There are secrets which may be confided to none, 
 hardly to one's self; and to what purpose should I do so,, 
 Ludovicka? Am I not married? " 
 
 She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him 
 with a fascinating smile. " Are your soul and heart wedded 
 or only your hand, Frederick? " 
 
 He avoided her glance and turned his head aside. 
 
 *^ Only my hand, Ludovicka." 
 
406 'l^HE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 She uttered a low cry, and with a passionate movement 
 flung both her arms around his neck. 
 
 " Then you are not married," she whispered; " then you 
 will break this bond, in which your soul and heart have no 
 part! " 
 
 " I shall separate from her," murmured the Elector, 
 irembling. 
 
 " Are you not already separated from her, since she loves 
 you no longer? Have you not a right to separate from her, 
 .since she is childless? " 
 
 " But she loves me, Ludovicka." 
 
 " No; she loves Herr Otto von Schwerin. Good heavens, 
 T^rederick, are you blind? — is that a secret to you which all 
 the world knows? Have you not remarked the glowing love 
 existing between the chaste and modest Electress and her 
 noble, virtuous lord marshal? " 
 
 The Elector started. " Serpent, serpent! " he cried, in 
 unutterable wrath. Then, shuddering, he clasped both hands 
 before his face and sighed aloud. 
 
 The face of the Princess was radiant, and her glowing 
 •eyes were fixed upon the Elector with an expression of de- 
 moniacal glee. 
 
 Mazarin was indeed right; she was a diavolezza, and 
 upon the tip of each of her fingers danced a little imp. 
 
 " No, she does not love you, Frederick William," she 
 whispered. " She deceives you and laughs in her sleeve at 
 her unsuspecting husband. At this very hour, while you are 
 here with me, she is with him again at Boetzow — in tender 
 solitude, in sweet retirement with her lover! " 
 
 The Elector jumped up and let his hands fall from before 
 his face, which she saw was pale and colorless. But his eyes 
 flashed and sparkled with excitement and indignation. " I 
 will go! " he said with hollow voice. " I will surprise them! 
 Hush, not a word, Ludovicka; do not detain me. An end 
 must be put to this, a sudden end. Farewell, Ludovicka, fare- 
 well!" 
 
 And with rapid strides he left the room. 
 
 Princess Ludovicka looked after him with triumphant 
 'glances. "I have conquered," she exulted, and springing 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE. 407 
 
 to the mirror, she bowed to the reflection of her own image, 
 whispering, "I congratulate you, Electress of Brandenburg. 
 I congratulate you! " 
 
 Outside the door of her apartment stood the Elector. 
 With flashing eyes, lifting his clinched fists to heaven, he 
 whispered fiercely: " Serpent, serpent! I will have my 
 revenge, yes, I will have my revenge! I must away — away 
 to Boetzow! '^ 
 
 He hastened down the corridor, entered his own apart- 
 ments, and bade the chamberlain order the carriage with- 
 out delay. A quarter of an hour later it rolled out of the 
 castle gate. The Elector had left for Boetzow. 
 
 The Electress Louisa Henrietta had just completed her 
 inspection of the cowhouses and dairy rooms. She had re- 
 garded with peculiar pleasure the fine brown cows sent to her 
 from The Hague recently by her mother, and had Just entered 
 the little room next the dairy. In the window stood the 
 writing desk, which she had kept in her counting room at 
 The Hague, and everything was arranged exactly as it had 
 been there. Three years ago, when the Elector had presented 
 Boetzow to her, he had prepared for her the sweet surprise 
 of finding all the farming arrangements exactly modeled 
 after her own, little establishment near the Buitenhof, and 
 even the dairymaids and stewardesses whom she had left there 
 she had found again when the Elector for the first time had 
 taken her to Boetzow. 
 
 To-day was Saturday, when the weekly accounts were 
 rendered. Louisa Henrietta, therefore, drew forth the ac- 
 count books from her desk, and with grave demeanor ex- 
 amined the papers lying before her. In the midst of this 
 employment she was interrupted by the entrance of a bloom- 
 ing, contented-looking peasant girl, clad in the Dutch cos- 
 tume. 
 
 " Most gracious lady! " she said, in the good, broad dia- 
 lect of her native land, " Dappled Brown has just calved and 
 given birth to two calves at once." 
 
 " I am pleased to hear it, Trude," said the Electress, nod- 
 ding kindly upon her. " Tend the little creatures carefully. 
 
408 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 that they may thrive well, for you know Dappled Brown is 
 our best cow." 
 
 "I shall do so, most gracious lady, for I love Dappled 
 Brown very much. Do you know why? " 
 
 " No, Trude, I do not indeed." 
 
 " It is," said Trude, casting down her eyes and in con- 
 fusion pulling at her white apron, " it is because Dappled 
 Brown reminds me of old times. Do you remember, gracious 
 lady, that time, six years ago, when we were at home? I just 
 sat before Big Betty, Dappled Brown's mother, and the calf 
 which is now such a fine cow had just been taken away from 
 her mother three days before, and the coV gave such quanti- 
 ties of milk. I just sat and milked her when my Princess 
 came by, and looked at me with her beautiful eyes until I 
 felt my cheeks tingle with shame, and she said to me with her 
 soft voice, which went like a dagger to my heart, ^ Trude, 
 I am surprised that Big Betty gave less milk yesterday than 
 the days before.' Do you remember it still, Electress? " 
 
 " I remember it," replied Louisa Henrietta softly. " The 
 bad stewardess had led you astray, she had tempted you to 
 do evil." 
 
 " But you, my most gracious Princess — you were the angel 
 who saved me! " cried Trude, with streaming eyes, taking 
 the Electress's robe in her hands and pressing it to her lips. 
 " You saved me from the evil eye and the wicked sorceress. 
 ^ Only pray right piously and be good and true,' you said, 
 * and no evil eye will have any further power over you and 
 your cows.' " 
 
 "And you have prayed piously, and again become good 
 and true," said the Electress kindly. "You are my best 
 stewardess, and all that you touch prospers. See, Trude, 
 this is the blessing that follows purity of heart and upright- 
 ness of conduct. I have just looked over your accounts, and 
 am delighted with your order and punctuality. In return 
 I will make you a present. Dappled Brown is Big Betty's 
 daughter, and you have loved her for the sake of your recol- 
 lections. I now give you her two calves. You are to bring 
 them up for yourself and your future household; for well 
 I know that Michael and you love one another and would 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE 409 
 
 like to marry. One year hence, Trude, the wedding shall 
 take place, and the grandchildren of Big Betty shall occupy 
 the first stalls in your stable." 
 
 Trude cried and laughed for joy, and blushed until she 
 was as red as a cherry, and looked toward the door as if she 
 would like to go out, but dared not before having been dis- 
 missed by the Electress. 
 
 " Go now, Trude," said Louisa, smiling. " Your heart 
 T\dll burst if you can not speedily unburden it to Michael. 
 Send Bailiff Sturm in to me." 
 
 Trude hurried off, and immediately afterward the bailiff 
 entered. 
 
 " Listen," said the Electress in her broken German; " I 
 am not perfectly satisfied with you. You must keep my books 
 more strictly and systematically. Last week they again sent 
 money to me in Berlin without particularizing whether it 
 was for butter, milk, or cheese. This I must know, that I 
 may make the entry in my own book, where I mark down 
 exactly all my receipts and expenditures." * 
 
 "Most gracious Electress," reverentially answered the 
 bailiff, "I beg pardon. Hereafter I will note everything 
 down with exactness." 
 
 "And see," continued the Electress, "that the masons 
 and carpenters are more diligent. Everything is going on so 
 slowly. The courtyard is only half paved, although it should 
 have been finished last week. The carp ponds, too, are not 
 in order; but first of all must be made the kitchen well, that 
 the water for washing the butter may not have to be fetched 
 so far, but be right cold. Attend to all this, and when I 
 come again next Saturday, let me at least find the well done. 
 Where is the gardener? " 
 
 " He has gone with the lord marshal to the new garden." 
 
 "Then I shall go there, too," said the Electress, rising 
 from her seat. " If any one asks for me, and wishes to speak 
 to me on pressing affairs pertaining to the farm, you will 
 know where to find me." 
 
 She nodded kindly to the bailiff, hung her little key 
 basket on her arm, and left the farm buildings to go into the 
 * The Electress's own words. See Orlich, book ii. 
 
410 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 garden. But she did not seem so cheerful to-day as was her 
 wont; her beautiful blue eyes did not look around with the 
 lively interest they were accustomed to manifest when she 
 was in her dear garden at Boetzow. Her cheeks, too, were 
 paler than usual, and no mild and gentle smile beamed to-day 
 upon her countenance. Nor was her step so lithe and elastic 
 as it usually was, and her head, that used to sit so proudly 
 and gracefully upon the slender throat was to-day cast down. 
 She saw not the flowers which bloomed at her side, she 
 heard not the twittering of birds in the shrubbery. Her 
 eye was turned inward, and she only heeded the low, sad 
 whisperings within her breast. 
 
 "All has become so different," she said mournfully to 
 herself. " He no longer troubles himself about me; he has. 
 only sympathy and attention for her. Oh, my God! what 
 have I not suffered during these last horrible weeks! I see 
 now how she encircled him with her nets, how she brought 
 into play every art of her bewitching nature in order to at- 
 tract him. Ah! and it is so natural that she succeeds, for 
 she is witty, wise, and beautiful, while I am so insignificant,, 
 so uninteresting compared with her! Yet I love him so much 
 I would give my life to insure his happiness, and I have al- 
 ways believed that true, heavenly love, having divine energy 
 within itself, had power to retain the heart to which it had 
 devoted itself. But it is not so, alas! it is not so! I have- 
 not the power of keeping constant to myself the precious; 
 affections of his heart. It is my fault, I know it, and I have 
 nobody to reproach for it but myself. And yet, it is such: 
 grief, such bitter grief! " 
 
 Thus she walked along, absorbed in melancholy thought, 
 and heeding not the outer world. She heard not the rolling 
 of carriage wheels, saw not that her Lord Marshal Otto von^ 
 Schwerin was coming up the long avenue to meet her, and' 
 only his words of salutation roused her from her sad reveries.. 
 
 "Ah! there you are, Schwerin," she said, kindly offer- 
 ing him her hand. " They told me that you had gone with 
 the gardener to where they are laying off the new grounds^, 
 and I meant to join you there." 
 
 " Your highness has passed by without observing them,"" 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE. 411 
 
 replied Otto von Schwerin, whose soft intelligent eyes rested 
 most regretfully upon his mistress's pale countenance. 
 
 " Did I, indeed? Did I pass by? I believe I was a little 
 absorbed by my thoughts." 
 
 " I trust that those thoughts were not of a sorrowful 
 nature." 
 
 " Not exactly. I was not utterly gloomy or out of tune. 
 There is comfort for everything, and all things must turn 
 out for the best to those who love God. No, I have no time 
 for repinings; I have so much to think about as regards my 
 housekeeping and the many improvements and buildings 
 I am projecting here. Come, Schwerin, let us look at the 
 carp ponds, and then show me the new bower of roses which 
 the gardener has erected after a drawing of mine. I hope 
 he copied it right closely, for I attach great importance to it. 
 You must know, the original of this bower, of which mine 
 is to be a copy, is in the park at The Hague, and there I was 
 sitting when I first saw the Elector again after many years. 
 Come, Schwerin, let us go to the bower." 
 
 With light, graceful step she walked cheerfully along 
 a^ her marshal's side. 
 
 She had not heard the rolling of the carriage which 
 stopped before the little palace of Boetzow. The Elector 
 alighted, and when he heard from the lackeys who hurried 
 out to greet him that the Electress was in the garden, he 
 forthwith repaired there himself. 
 
 " Let no one announce my coming to the Electress," was 
 his order to the lackeys. " I want to surprise her highness. 
 All of you then stay where you are." 
 
 He proceeded to the garden and walked rapidly down 
 the avenue. But Bailiff Sturm had caught sight of him, and 
 hastened to the Elector. 
 
 "Your Electoral Highness," he said, "the Electress 
 bade me say that she had gone to the new part of the gar- 
 den." 
 
 "Alone?" 
 
 " ISTo, the lord marshal is also there." 
 
 " Good! Stay here, I will look for the Electress myself.'* 
 
 He entered the walk, which led to the new plantations. 
 27 
 
412 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN. POWER. 
 
 But he was little acquainted with the way, and knew not 
 whither to turn. 
 
 "Well, it is not the enchanted garden of Armida," he 
 said, shrugging his shoulders, "and I can not fail to come 
 out right at last." 
 
 Thus he advanced straight into the little forest of noble 
 young trees and beautiful shrubbery. All at once it seemed 
 to him as if he heard not far from him a low voice singing. 
 He stood still and listened. Yes, he was not mistaken; it 
 was singing, in a low, half-suppressed voice, and he knew 
 the voice. It was that of the Blectress. 
 
 He followed the direction of this voice, and made a path 
 for himself through the thicket, but cautiously, without mak- 
 ing a noise. He reached a little clearing in the woods, and 
 found himself in the rear of a lofty arbor, built of wire work, 
 in the Chinese style. The rosebushes had not yet grown tall 
 -and thick enough to obstruct the view of the interior, and he 
 saw his wife sitting in the arbor upon a pretty rustic bench. 
 Her hands were folded over her knee, and with a gentle smile 
 she was looking up at Otto von Schwerin, who stood before 
 her, with a book in his hand. She sang a beautiful, sacred 
 melody in a low, subdued voice, and Schwerin looked in his 
 Ijook and nodded from time to time as if approvingly. 
 
 The Elector crept nearer, and now stood not far from the 
 back of the arbor. 
 
 " Do you not think the melody suits the words? " asked 
 the Electress, who had ceased to sing. 
 
 "Yes, it suits perfectly, your highness; there is some- 
 thing deeply solemn and touching about it." 
 
 " It is not of my own composition," said Louisa, " so that 
 I can not appropriate your praise to myself. I heard it sung 
 at Cleves, years ago, by passing pilgrims. The beautiful, 
 solemn strain made a deep impression upon my heart, and 
 immediately the wish stirred within me to have beautiful 
 words to suit the beautiful melody. Therefore I sang the air 
 for you, and asked you to compose a poem to suit it." 
 
 "That is to say, your highness, you suggested the sub- 
 stance of the poem; you gave me the whole train of thought, 
 designated the contents of each verse, and I have done noth- 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE. 413 
 
 ing more than translate into German and rhyme the pious, 
 noble words which yon repeated to me in French. You, 
 Electress, are properly the composer of both melody and 
 song." 
 
 " No, no, indeed, you do me too much honor, and I can 
 not accept it. But please read me your pretty song once 
 more." 
 
 " Your highness, it is your own song. And what title will 
 your grace give it? " 
 
 " Let the first line constitute its title," said the Electress, 
 after a short reflection. "I asked you to begin with those 
 words, because I uttered them a few weeks ago, at a moment 
 full of significance to me. * Jesus is my confidence,' so our 
 song commences, and so shall it be called. Now let me hear 
 it." 
 
 The Elector had approached still nearer, and if Louisa 
 had turned only a little aside she would have seen through 
 the wire work his noble countenance and his beautiful eyes 
 resting upon her with an expression of infinite love. But 
 she looked only at the friend who stood before her, and only 
 listened to the song which he now began to read: 
 
 " Jesus is my confidence, 
 My life, my Sariour now. 
 Knowing this, should not my heart 
 In sweet contentment bowl 
 What though death's long night draws near, 
 Still my heart shall know no fear. 
 
 " Jesus, He, my Saviour lives, 
 I, too, shall then see life — 
 Be where my Redeemer is 
 When past this mortal strife. 
 Leaves our Head one feeble limb 
 Which is drawn not after Him f 
 
 " By the bond of hope and love 
 Close linked to Him am I ; 
 When the last dread summons comes, 
 By faith I'll know him nigh. 
 Lifted up on victory's wing, 
 Death I oh, where will be thy sting f 
 
414 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 '^The poem is only finished so far," said Otto von 
 Schwerin, "but your highness can see plainly that I have 
 exactly followed your words and ideas, really doing nothing 
 more than transposing them into rhyme. The following 
 stanza I have done scarcely anything to, for your grace's 
 words naturally shaped themselves into verse, only needing 
 a little alteration for the sake of the rhyme. Be pleased to 
 listen, your highness: 
 
 " Glory soon shall crown the saint 
 Who here but weeps and sighs, 
 Earthly we must sink into the graye. 
 But heavenly shall we rise. 
 Here my body must decay 
 There immortal bloom alway." 
 
 " That is very pretty, and to me a deep wellspring of com- 
 fort and refreshment seems to lie hid in those words. Let 
 us now try to unite the text with the music, and then we shall 
 add it to the collection of songs which I requested you to 
 arrange for me. I think that we have enough songs now, 
 and that they will form a pretty little hook. You must get 
 them printed for me, Schwerin, and this collection will be a 
 memorial which, perhaps, when the childless Electress Louisa 
 shall be no more, may serve to remind my dear lord and 
 Elector of me in dark, gloomy days, and probably console 
 him with the very words which have consoled me. Have 
 three copies printed for me, then, Schwerin, right handsome- 
 ly and durably on thick parchment. One copy for my dear 
 lord, one for my own comfort and edification, and the third 
 for you, dear friend, to serve as a memento of me when I am 
 no more." 
 
 " most gracious Electress! " said Schwerin, with a voice 
 choked by emotion, " you make me sorry and glad at the same 
 time. You gladden me by the glorious present which you 
 bequeath me, and sadden me by speaking of your death. God 
 forbid that so heavy a calamity should overtake us all ^" 
 
 " Hush, my friend, hush, it shall be as God chooses. For, 
 as my song says, so it is. Dust I am and unto dust must some 
 day return. Be not angry with me on account of my melan- 
 
JESUS MY CONFIDENCE. 415 
 
 choly. I have actually no ground or motive for it. It is most 
 likely nothing but physical weakness, for I must acknowledge 
 that I have not felt entirely well for some time. I suffer I 
 But it will pass away, and all will be well again. But now, 
 dear friend, let us once more sing that beautiful song, and 
 try whether it is well adapted to the air. You know the 
 words by heart, so give me the writing, that I may read from 
 the paper." 
 
 Schwerin handed her the manuscript, and with full, sonor- 
 ous voice, carried away by inward enthusiasm, the Electress 
 sang to her beautiful melody: 
 
 " Jesus is my confidence, 
 My life, my Saviour now. 
 Knowing this, should not my heart 
 In sweet contentment bow f 
 What though death's long night draws near, 
 Still my heart shall know no fear." 
 
 " Still my heart shall know no fear! '^ repeated a loud, 
 joyful voice behind her, and her heart quivered with rapture, 
 for she had recognized that beloved voice. She saw his tall, 
 splendid figure, saw him enter the arbor, approach her with 
 radiant countenance, and extend his arms toward her. 
 
 Gently she arose from her seat and tottered toward him, 
 his arm encircled her waist, and she leaned her head against 
 his true, warm heart, full of reverence and joy unutterable. 
 
 Schwerin had tried to sing on, not wishing to disturb 
 their meeting, and hoping that the harmony of the pious 
 song might fall upon their ears like a benediction from on 
 high. But the heart of the friend was weaker than his will, 
 and in the midst of a strain commenced the lord marshal 
 broke off, and with a blissful smile surveyed the princely pair, 
 and yet saw nothing, for tears dimmed his eyes. 
 
 Not a word was spoken. What could words have said 
 at that hallowed moment? The Elector held his beloved 
 wife in his arms, and she leaned on him in the bHssful con- 
 sciousness that on his breast was her true, her inalienable 
 home. 
 
416 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER, 
 
 VIII. — Retribution. 
 
 It was early on the following day. The Elector had re- 
 turned the evening before with his wife from Orangeburg 
 to Berlin, but Princess Ludovicka had in vain waited for a 
 message from him. The Elector had retired to his own apart- 
 ments, and was pacing his cabinet, revolving grave and seri- 
 ous thoughts. ^'^An end must be made of this thing," he 
 said to himself. " Louisa is grieved and distressed. She 
 deems it possible that this intriguer, this heartless coquette, 
 may at last ensnare my heart. And why pursue further this 
 miserable game? I know everything now, yes, the whole 
 abominable tissue of avarice, cunning, and villainy, and this 
 day, yes, this very day, I shall break with both of them! I 
 shall unmask their nefarious schemes, and make up to the 
 Electress for all that she has suffered." 
 
 A low knock at the door interrupted him, and Chamber- 
 lain Kiinkel entered. "Most gracious highness," he said, 
 '^ the secretary of the Dutch ambassador, Count von Brand- 
 trup, implores an audience. He has dispatches to deliver 
 to your highness from The Hague! " 
 
 "Ah! at last! at last!" exclaimed the Elector joyfully. 
 '^ Admit the gentleman without delay." 
 
 Kunkel opened the door, and the Elector eagerly beck- 
 oned this representative of the Dutch legation to approach. 
 
 " Do you bring me dispatches from Holland? " he asked 
 — " a letter from the Princess Amelia? " 
 
 " Yes, most gracious sir! I have herewith the honor of 
 delivering it to you. But at the same time I beg leave to pre- 
 sent a most urgent petition in the name of the ambassador, 
 Count von Brandtrup." 
 
 " Speak, sir; what is it? " asked the Elector, at the same 
 time breaking the seal of the letter and unfolding the paper. 
 
 "The count was ordered by the Princess Regent to ask 
 your highness if, the same day that the Princess's letter 
 reaches you, you will allow him the honor of waiting upon 
 your Electoral Highnesses, for the purpose of communicat- 
 ing to you some tidings concerning family affairs. Accord- 
 
RETRIBUTION. 417 
 
 ingly the count asks if he may be allowed the high privilege 
 of being received in an hour from this time, without any 
 ceremony? The Princess Amelia also desires that the Prin- 
 cess Ludovicka Hollandine of the Palatinate be present at 
 this reception, but no one else." 
 
 " Eh! That is quite a strange and mysterious message," 
 said the Elector. " Meanwhile the Princess's wish shall be 
 a law to me, and all shall be done as her grace directs. I 
 shall expect the count in an hour, and notify the Elec- 
 tress and Princess Ludovicka in time. We shall receive the 
 count's visit in the Electress's cabinet, and the ambassador 
 may be introduced without further ceremony by our chamber- 
 Iain, who will await him in the antechamber. Bear this mes- 
 sage to the count, and present my compliments to him." 
 
 " And now," said the Elector, after the secretary had 
 withdrawn — " now for my prudent mother-in-law's letter." 
 
 The Princess Amelia had written a long, significant letter 
 to the Elector, in which politics occupied an important place. 
 But this time family affairs interested Frederick William 
 still more, and he read several times the portion of the letter 
 devoted to them: 
 
 ''Now, as regards the Princess Ludovicka Hollandine, I 
 had already heard from Paris, through reliable sources, that 
 this intriguing individual had insinuated herself into Maza- 
 rin's good graces, and become a political emissary of the car- 
 dinal. I had also been informed that she had been sent to 
 your court to induce you by her wiles and arts to form an 
 alliance with France and forsake your present policy. She 
 is a person of many gifts, well skilled in the arts of seduction, 
 and before I received your letter I had planned to expose 
 her to you, and once and forever to procure my dear Louisa 
 rest from her evil machinations. I can imagine how she 
 revived the story of your youthful love, pretending to have 
 always lived upon and been consumed by that pure and in- 
 nocent passion. But I determined to unmask her, that she 
 might flee from your house as the devil flees at sight of the 
 holy Cross. So I devised my plan and have happily executed 
 it. I shall tell you nothing more about it, however, lest, 
 through excess of tenderness and delicacy toward your old 
 
418 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 flame, you might shrink from carrying out my scheme. 
 For, however good and true men may be — however good and' 
 true you are to my Louisa — they always preserve a little weak- 
 ness for their earlier loves, and sometimes think of them with 
 secret satisfaction, and would be sorry to give them pain. 
 But I am a woman, and women are vindictive toward the 
 false of their own sex, especially when the happiness of a 
 beloved and virtuous daughter may be threatened by the 
 wiles of one of them. I would therefore revenge Louisa on 
 Ludovicka Hollandine. But fear nothing, my son; it will 
 be no bloody revenge; at most it could only cause the blood 
 to mount to Ludovicka's cheeks, if she were still capable of 
 shame, which, alas! I doubt. Make no further inquiries, 
 but simply receive the ambassador's visit, and permit him 
 to communicate to you his information. But I urge that this 
 be done as speedily as possible after the arrival of my letter, 
 for Ludovicka has her spies everywhere, even in the house 
 of my minister in Berlin, and if she gets wind of this affair, 
 she will not await developments, but abscond beforehand. 
 Therefore be silent, even with Louisa, and delay not to grant 
 the ambassador the desired interview without ceremony and 
 without witnesses." 
 
 "I really can not understand what it signifies," said the 
 Elector, laughing, when he had read over Princess Amelia's 
 letter for the third time. " However, I can trust to her pru- 
 dence and discernment, so that things may take their course. 
 I will send Kiinkel to the Princess Ludovicka forthwith, and 
 request her to breakfast with us in Louisa's apartments, where 
 I shall join her in a half hour myself, as I have some impor- 
 tant communications to make to her. She will certainly come, 
 for she will think that her vile, contemptible plan is about 
 to succeed, and that I have actually been ensnared in her 
 devilish toils! Yes, the hour of reckoning is now come, and 
 to-day I shall also balance accounts with Burgsdorf. To- 
 day for the last time will he enter my cabinet." 
 
 An hour later the Princess Ludovicka Hollandine entered 
 the cabinet, where she found the Electress at her husband's 
 side. She came with radiant countenance and beaming eyes, 
 and a triumphant smile hovered about her lips, for she did 
 
RETRIBUTION. 419 
 
 not doubt but that the Elector had requested her to come 
 here because he would prepare her a triumph over her hu- 
 miliated rival, and because her plan had proved success- 
 ful. 
 
 The Electress suspected nothing of all these things; her 
 husband, conformably to Princess Amelia's wishes, had al- 
 lowed nothing of her mother's plans of vengeance to trans- 
 pire, and only told her that Count Brandtrup was coming 
 to impart to them both and the Princess important tidings 
 relating to family affairs. 
 
 Louisa Henrietta advanced, therefore, to meet the Prin- 
 cess in a perfectly simple, unembarrassed manner, and 
 greeted her with a friendly smile. Frederick William, on 
 the other hand, had not a word of response for her cordial 
 greeting, and met her smile with firm, defiant mien. 
 
 " Tell me, Ludovicka," asked the Electress, " are you not 
 very curious with regard to the news Count Brandtrup brings 
 us?" 
 
 "What news?" cried the Princess. "I know nothing 
 ^bout it. Is Count Brandtrup coming here? " 
 
 "Yes, indeed," replied the Elector. "My mother-in- 
 law's envoy will appear here immediately. He has impor- 
 tant family tidings to communicate to us, in the name of 
 the Regent, who expressly desired that your highness might 
 be present at this audience." 
 
 " Strange," murmured the Princess. *^ Louisa, your 
 mother was never particularly partial to me, and it is a won- 
 der to me that she has all at once thought of me." 
 
 " Is that really a source of wonder to your grace? " asked 
 the Elector. " After long years of roving about the world, 
 did you not think of us, and receive us again into your affec- 
 tion — and that to such a degree that you would have us be- 
 lieve you could content yourself here in our wretched old 
 castle, and could find pleasure in the monotonous and virtu- 
 ous life we lead here, though it is assuredly not in the least 
 io your taste." 
 
 The Princess had turned pale, and the smile had faded 
 from her lips. She was in the act of making a sharp and 
 angry retort, when the door opened, and the gentleman of 
 
4:20 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 the bedchamber von Maltzan announced Count von Brand- 
 trup. 
 
 " Let him come in," said the Elector, " and take care, Malt- 
 zan, that nobody else be admitted while the count is here." 
 
 " But, your Electoral Highness, the count does not come 
 alone. He brings a whole company with him. Shall I not 
 admit those persons? " 
 
 " The count himself is to decide that," replied the Elec- 
 tor. *^ Let him enter." 
 
 "I am indeed curious to know what all this signifies," 
 murmured Ludovicka, sinking into the armchair placed be- 
 side the Electress's sofa. 
 
 The door was now opened, and the Dutch ambassador 
 entered. With stately steps he approached the Electress and 
 bowed reverentially before her, then turned to the Elector 
 and saluted him with just as low a bow. For Princess Ludo- 
 vicka Hollandine, however, he had no eyes, no salutation. 
 
 " Know, count," said the Elector, " that we are very curi- 
 ous to learn the tidings of which you are the bearer! First 
 of all, relieve our minds, and tell us that they are not of a 
 melancholy nature." 
 
 ''Not in the least melancholy, your highness. They 
 only concern an act of justice, a well-merited punishment, 
 inflicted in accordance with the spirit of holy writ, which 
 says, ' If an eye offend thee, pluck it out; if one of thy mem- 
 bers offend thee, cast it from thee.' " 
 
 "And to whom are those words of holy writ to be ap- 
 plied? " asked the Elector. 
 
 ''Your highness, to a member of the house of Orange, 
 who has brought much care and sorrow upon that illustrious 
 family, and would bring yet more if it were not lopped off 
 the vigorously shooting tree as a withered branch. I stand 
 here in the name of Princess Amelia, Eegent of the Nether- 
 lands, and in obedience to her commands I read the follow- 
 ing:" 
 
 He drew forth a paper, unfolded it, and read: 
 
 "We, Princess Amelia of Orange, Eegent of the States 
 and head of the house of Orange, and as such intrusted with 
 the defense of virtue and good morals, and charged with 
 
RETRIBUTION. 421 
 
 maintaining in its purity the religion of our house and not 
 suffering it to be corrupted, accordingly notify you, the sons 
 and daughters, the relations and connections of our house> 
 to this effect, that we now and forever renounce the Princess 
 Ludovicka Hollandine of the Palatinate; we " 
 
 The Princess started from her seat with a loud cry of in- 
 dignation. 
 
 " Sit down," cried the Elector, " in the name of the Prin- 
 cess Eegent, I charge you sit down and listen! " 
 
 She sank back into the armchair as if annihilated, and 
 only a single angry flash of her eyes fell upon the Elector's 
 face. With imperturbable tranquillity Count Brandtrup 
 read on: 
 
 ^^We forbid her to consider herself a member of our 
 family, and forever withdraw our protection from her. She 
 has forsaken and abjured the religion of her fathers, she 
 has secretly absconded from her mother's house, forsaken also 
 her second home and family. She shall therefore now be 
 forsaken and given up by her family and " 
 
 " Stop, oh, stop! " cried the Electress, with tears in her 
 eyes. " Do not be cruel, read no more! " 
 
 " On the contrary, Electress," said Ludovicka, " let him 
 read on, and have the goodness to play no longer this farce 
 of emotion, for it is you yourself who have called into life this 
 highly dramatic scene, and prompted your mother to this 
 act of Christian piety." 
 
 "I?" asked the Electress, painfully shocked. "Do you 
 believe that I ^" 
 
 "Electress," interrupted Frederick William, "have the 
 goodness to hear what more the count has to read." 
 
 Count Brandtrup composedly continued his sentence 
 where he had left off: 
 
 " And shall be regarded as a stranger by us all. We for- 
 bid her to set foot within the boundaries of our dominions ; 
 she is banished for life from the States; and nothing belong- 
 ing to the Princess Ludovicka shall remain within the limits 
 of our land. We therefore send her " 
 
 " Stop! " cried the Princess, trembling, " hold, read no 
 more! " 
 
422 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 But Count Brandtrup continued with elevated yoice: 
 ^^We therefore send the Princess the only treasures which. 
 she still possesses in Holland, and which she deposited here 
 since her sojourn in France; we send them beyond our 
 boundaries to the tender Princess, that she may provide for 
 them elsewhere. We command our minister at Berlin, Count 
 Brandtrup, to commit these treasures to the Princess of the 
 Palatinate in the presence of the Elector and Electress of 
 Brandenburg/^ 
 
 " But I — I forbid you to do so! " cried the Princess, her 
 eyes flashing fury. " I forbid you to carry any further this 
 insult, this malignity! " 
 
 " Madam," said the count coldly, " it is for no one to com- 
 mand or forbid me to do anything, save God and the Prin- 
 cess Eegent. What she prescribes, that I do." 
 
 So speaking, he strode across to the door and opened it. 
 ^^ Enter, little ladies, enter," he said. 
 
 There appeared in the doorway two charming little girls, 
 aged two and three years. Beautiful were they to behold 
 with their blonde, curly heads, their dark, expressive eyes. 
 
 " Mesdemoiselles Virginie and Lucie de Villars," said the 
 count, "go to your mother, the Princess Ludovicka, and 
 kiss her." 
 
 The little children stepped timidly forward, and there 
 appeared in the door two other little girls, a few years older. 
 
 "Mesdemoiselles Laura and Aim^e de Brantome," con- 
 tinued the count, "go and kiss your mother, the Princess 
 Ludovicka." 
 
 And as they stepped forward, two sprightly boys, of seven 
 and eight years, entered the door. 
 
 "Vicomte Turenne and Monsieur Champion,^* said the 
 count, " go to your mother and kiss her hand." 
 
 They had not taken more than one step forward, when 
 two larger boys appeared upon the threshold of the door. 
 
 " My young Yicomtes d'Entragues " said the count, 
 
 with perfect gravity, but the Elector interrupted him with a 
 peal of loud, hearty laughter, to which the Princess replied 
 with a shriek of rage. She thrust back the two little girls, 
 who were about to take her hand, so violently that they fell 
 
RETRIBUTION. 423 
 
 backward to tlie ground, then with a vehement movement 
 of her hand she waved off the rest of the children, and with 
 proud, quick step swept through the apartment, tore open the 
 door, and disappeared behind it.* 
 
 " It serves her right," said the Elector to himself. " She 
 would scatter the seeds of evil, and they have sprung up to 
 prove her own ruin! " 
 
 The Electress had hardly seen that the Princess had with- 
 drawn. She had sprung from her seat and hastened to the 
 little girls whom their mother had thrown down. She had 
 picked up the lovely little creatures, and, kneeling between 
 them, had drawn them to her side, and sought to comfort 
 them with gentle soothing words. 
 
 Count Brandtrup approached her. "If your highness 
 will permit me," he said, " I will take the children away with 
 me again." 
 
 "And whither would you take them, count?" asked the 
 Electress, tenderly embracing the children again. 
 
 " They go with their governesses and tutors to the Palati- 
 nate, where their grandmother, the Electress, will provide 
 for them." 
 
 An hour later a carriage drawn by four horses rolled out 
 of the castle gate. The windows were closed, the curtains 
 lowered. Within sat the Princess Ludovicka HoUandine. 
 White with passion, with tears of rage in her large, sparkling 
 ^yes, she drove off. No one had taken leave of her, no one 
 had bidden her an affectionate farewell, as she stepped into 
 the carriage. Only a few lackeys had stood beside the coach 
 door and helped her in. Solitary and alone she drove away, 
 never again to return to her family and relations. Queen 
 Anne of Austria and Mazarin rewarded her zeal in behalf 
 of French policy by making her Abbess of Meaubuisson, and 
 for a long time still she pursued her scandalous course of 
 life in that abbey. 
 
 Hardly had the Princess left the castle, when Burgsdorf 
 
 * The Princess Ludovicka HoUandine was, without being married, 
 the mother of fourteen children, and, as the Duchess of Orleans relates in 
 iier letters, boasted without reserve of this fact. 
 
4:24: THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 entered the Electoral cabinet with his portfolio under hi& 
 arm. He came with his wonted gay and jovial bearing, with 
 the haughty confidence of a favorite who knows his own power 
 and consequence, and has no doubt of their duration. The 
 Elector sat before his writing table, and his eyes rested sadly 
 and gloomily upon the entering minister. 
 
 "What would you have here?" he asked, with thunder- 
 ing voice. 
 
 Burgsdorf started and looked bewildered. "Your high- 
 ness, I come as I do every day, to the meeting of the privy 
 council." 
 
 "You come in vain," said the Elector, rising. "You 
 shall never more attend a meeting of the privy council." 
 
 "Why not, your highness?" asked Burgsdorf, who en- 
 deavored to preserve his bold, free-and-easy manner. 
 
 With threatening mien the Elector stepped close up to 
 him. " Why not? " he asked, with glances of burning indig- 
 nation. " Have you still spirit enough to ask why I dismiss 
 you? Well, I will tell you. Because there is a Dionysius's 
 ear in this castle, and because, when rafters creak and dust 
 sifts through boards in the ceiling, you may know that it 
 is not caused by rats." 
 
 "Your highness! oh! my dear, gracious Elector!" 
 shrieked Burgsdorf, dropping the portfolio, his knees knock- 
 ing together so violently that he sank to the floor. " Have 
 pity, have mercy, I entreat you! " 
 
 "You entreat in vain," said the Elector gravely, almost 
 sadly. " All is over between us. I had determined to punish 
 you more severely, and to accuse you in full council as a 
 traitor, as the paid spy of a foreign power, but I thought of 
 the long years gone by, of the love borne you by my father 
 and myself. I thought of your gray hairs and your old age, 
 and in my heart, I have already forgiven you the grief you 
 have caused me." 
 
 " You have forgiven me, your highness? " cried Burgsdorf 
 joyfully. " You will again be a kind and gracious Sovereign 
 to me? " 
 
 " Yes, a kind and gracious Sovereign, for, instead of pub- 
 licly accusing you, I shall dismiss you with all secrecy. But 
 
RETRIBUTION. 425 
 
 to-day, in the course of one hour, you are to leave Berlin 
 and to retire to your estates. From there you will address 
 me a petition, desiring me to dismiss you from all your offices." 
 
 " Sir, you banish me, you drive me from your presence! " 
 lamented Burgsdorf. ^^You are not in earnest, surely you 
 will relent!" 
 
 " No," said the Elector, " I shall not relent.. You have 
 banished yourself from my regards, driven yourself from my 
 presence. Go and live happily, if you can. I shall have no 
 :suit instituted against you, for I would not be unmindful 
 of the services rendered by you to my house in earlier days. 
 The papers in the archives, too, which might compromise 
 jou, shall be given up to you,* and I shall preserve silence 
 with regard to your tricks and treasons. I well know that 
 you will take advantage of this, and say that I dismissed you 
 because you opposed me in the recent Diet, and had set your- 
 self against the tax which I am thinking of introducing. I 
 will allow you this satisfaction for the sake of all the pleasant 
 hours which I have passed with you. Only, keep a guard 
 upon your false tongue, that it never dare to speak against 
 the Electress, for then you shall learn to know me as an in- 
 exorable and severe master. Go now, and remember that 
 in one hour you must have left Berlin. Go! " 
 
 " Sir, my beloved Elector, at least permit me to kiss your 
 hand. You have often called me your father, and " 
 
 "Hush!" interrupted the Elector imperiously. "Speak 
 not of things which are dead and buried. Be silent, and go 
 without uttering another word. Conrad von Burgsdorf, you 
 are dismissed." 
 
 Burgsdorf groaned aloud, let his head sink upon his 
 breast, and reeled out of the room.f 
 
 The Elector still sat motionless, sadly looking after him. 
 Then he slowly drew his hand across his eyes. "I loved 
 
 * Conrad von Burgsdorf died in the next year (1653) on his estate of 
 Gusow. After his downfall he had become a raging opponent of the 
 Elector ; " but he," says Droysen, " took no notice of the abuse and vitu- 
 peration with which the ingrate requited him. His death put an end to 
 further vexations." (Droysen, vol. iii, part 3, p. 69.) 
 
 f HistoricaL Vide Droysen, ibid. 
 
426 THE GREAT ELECTOR IN POWER. 
 
 him," he said, " and it is a bitter thing to he ohliged to lose 
 a friend before death has called him hence. Ah! life makes 
 us poorer every day in joys and hopes, and the ideals of our 
 youth go not with us to the tomb. But this one, God I 
 this one let me hold fast to the end! This one ideal, that 
 I may lift my country, which Thou hast intrusted to me, 
 out of poverty and degradation, and make it great and strong;, 
 that I may make my people happy, free, and independent,, 
 winning for them a place among the civilized nations of the- 
 earth. To that end, bestow upon me thy blessing, Lord 
 my God! and help me, so that from the little Electorate of 
 Brandenburg may spring up a mighty and united kingdoml 
 Amen! " 
 
 (it)< 
 
 THE END. 
 
YB 53045 
 
 M 1584 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY