s saying I begged an
audience, as really being of no use to her Highness I wished for leave of
absence, but must crave a moment's conversation with her before I left.'

'Are you going to leave?' said Wilhelmine anxiously.

'Jamais de la vie, ma chere! but I wanted to see the Duchess, and this
was the only way. Well, she consented to see me, so I went to her
yesterday evening, found her with la Stafforth sewing shirts for the
poor--very estimable! She was far from amiable to me; asked me if I meant
to cease being Maitresse du Palais, and become Dame de Deshonneur to
Fraeulein von Graevenitz. Upon my word, I had not credited her with wit
enough for so cutting a saying; then I told her I should be obliged to
resign, and had written to Serenissimus saying her Highness's refusals to
see me made my position ridiculous. She replied that I could do as I
wished, and just as I was preparing to take leave of her Highness,
Osiander was announced. It amused me to hear, so I drew back into the
shadow--you know the Duchess's rooms have always much shadow. Well,
Osiander declared he had given his best attention to her Highness's
demand, but regretted to be unable to accede to her request. The Duchess
seemed much annoyed, and said that in this case she would invite the
Pietist to preach to her in the castle itself. Osiander told her that
this, of course, was as her Highness willed, but that Pietists being
members of a sect not recognised by the State, he could not permit a
sermon to be preached in the Duke's chapel or in the Stiftskirche by a
travelling Pietist preacher. The Duchess bowed to him in dismissal, and
remarked that this Mueller was a saint she had heard, and inspired by
God----'

'Mueller?' cried Wilhelmine--'Mueller? a preacher? Where does he come
from?'

'My dear, that is just the strange thing. Of course, directly Osiander
departed, I made my courtesy to her Highness--she didn't try to keep me,
you may be sure!--and I hurried after the Prelate. I found him on the
stairs in great distress, poor man, for it appears her Highness has tried
to have some of these Pietists to preach in church before. She is filled
with curiosity, which she calls sympathy with the simple, stern religion;
and this Mueller, who goes about preaching, is now at Tuebingen. La
Stafforth heard about him from some servant, and has filled her
Highness's head with foolish notions, amongst others, that he is sent by
God to console her!

'It appears, m