o
Nosti's Friend, 'I see he is glancing at Reichenbach; but he won't
make much of that (cynically speaking, _ne fera que de l'eau claire).'_
Hotham is by no means a man of brilliant mind, and his manners are
rough: but Ginkel," the Dutchman, "is cleverer (PLUS SOUPLE), and much
better liked by Nosti's Master."

ANTISTROPHE soon follows; London Raven is himself again;--Nosti
LOQUITUR:--

LONDON, 25th APRIL. "... King has written to me, I AM to report to him
any talk there may be in the Court here about his Majesty! My Amiable
and his Seckendorf, need they ask if Nosti will, and in a way to give
them pleasure?"...

STROPHE (allegro by the Berlin Raven or Rook, who has not yet heard the
above);--Grumkow LOQUITUR:--

BERLIN, 29th APRIL. "... Wrong not to write entertaining news of the
English Court as heretofore. King likes it.

"What you say of the Prince-Royal of Prussia's writing to the Queen of
England, is very curious; and you did well to say nothing of it to the
Father; the thing being of extreme delicacy, and the proof difficult.
But it seems likely. And I insinuated something of it to his Majesty,
the day before yesterday [27th April, 1730, therefore? One momentary
glance of Hansard into the Tobacco-Parliament], as of a thing I had
learned from a spy" (such my pretence, O Nosti)--spy "who is the
intimate friend of Knyphausen and plays traitor: you may fancy that it
struck terribly. "Yes!" And his Majesty has looked sour upon Hotham ever
since; and passed above an hour in colloquy with Seckendorf and me, in
sight both of English Hotham and Dutch Ginkel without speaking to them.

"It was true enough what Nosti heard of the Queen's fair speeches, and
Hotham's, to the Friend of Nosti. But it is all ended: the Queen's,
weeks ago, being in vain: Hotham too, after some civilities, seems now
indifferent. 'ENFIN ['Afin' he always writes it, copying the indistinct
gurgle of his own horse-dialect]--AFIN FILOUTERIE TOUT PURE' (whole of
it thimblerig, on their part).

"Admirable story, that of Prince Fred's amourette [sent to the cesspool
by us, herald of Reichenbach thither]: let his Majesty know it, by
all means. What the Duchess of Kendal [lean tall female in expensive
brocades, with gilt prayer-books, visible in the body to Nosti at that
time], what the Duchess of Kendal says to you is perfectly just; and as
the Princess Wilhelmina is very ill-looking [LAIDE,--how dare you say
so, dog?], I believe she will have a ba