tha's eyes were full of
pity for a prince who was so unhappy as to wish to run away.

"The king ordered his son to be put to death. But I suppose he was
angry at the time, for he changed his mind before the sentence was
carried out, and forgave him."

"I wonder how kings and emperors live," said Bertha, slowly. It
seemed as though everything must be different with them from what it
was with other people.

"I'll tell you about Frederick, if you wish to listen."

"Of course I do, Hans."

"In the first place, he didn't care anything about fine clothes, even
if he was a king and was born in the grand palace at Berlin. His
coat was often very shabby.

"In the next place, he slept only about four hours out of the whole
twenty-four for a good many years. He got up at three o'clock on
summer mornings, and in the winter-time he was always dressed by
five, at the very latest.

"While his hair-dresser was at work, he opened his most important
letters. After that, he attended to other business affairs of the
country. These things were done before eating or drinking. But when
they had been attended to, the king went into his writing-room and
drank a number of glasses of cold water. As he wrote, he sipped
coffee and ate a little fruit from time to time.

"He loved music very dearly, and sometimes rested from his work and
played on his flute.

"Dinner was the only regular meal of the day. It was served at
twelve o'clock, and lasted three or four hours. There was a bill of
fare, and the names of the cooks were given as well as the dishes
they prepared."

"Did the king ever let them know whether he was pleased or not with
their cooking?" asked Bertha.

"Yes. He marked the dishes he liked best with a cross. He enjoyed
his dinner, and generally had a number of friends to eat with him.
There was much joking, and there were many clever speeches.

"When the meal was over, the king played on his flute a short time,
and then attended to more business."

"Did he work till bedtime, Hans?"

"Oh, no. In the evening there was a concert or lecture, or something
like that. But, all the same, the king was a hard-working man, even
in times of peace."

"He loved his people dearly, father once told me," said Bertha. "He
said he understood his subjects and they understood him."

"Yes, and that reminds me of a story the schoolmaster told. King
Frederick was once riding through the street when he saw a crowd of
people