e ogre of the King's wrath forever
hanging over me; Prince George's intrigues, octopus-like, enmeshing me!

Ten years I have been Crown Princess of these realms. Three Princes and
a Princess I gave to Saxony. A fifth child is trembling in my womb, yet
every atom of happiness that falls to my lot is moulded into a strand of
the rope fastening 'round my neck.

I haven't a friend in the world. A most dangerous thing to be on good
terms with the heirs to the crown. Makes the temporary incumbent of the
bauble nervous, makes him jealous.

When I am Queen, I will have friends in plenty. But then I won't need
any. Immense wealth will be at my disposal. I will have offices to
distribute, titles, crosses and stars.

Instead of tolerating the serpents now coiling at my fireside ready to
spring at a word from their master, I will appoint to court offices
persons I love or esteem, at least.

Henry shall be my Chief Equerry; the Tisch will be dismissed in
disgrace--no pension.

But I am day-dreaming again. I started out to say that I had no friends.
Yet there's Bernhardt? Precisely--as long as I am his mistress.

Marie is dead, Melita expects to be divorced before the end of the year.
She will be a Russian Grand-Duchess, and the tedium of petty German
court life will know her no longer.

Aside from Lucretia, there isn't a man or woman at the Saxon court whom
I can trust, for our high functionaries are only lackeys having a
bathroom to themselves. In no other way do they differ from the servants
who are allowed one bathroom per twenty-four heads.

But the high aristocracy! Its men and women flatter us to get us into
leading strings, try to make us pawns on the political or social
chess-board. As a whole, they are a despicable lot.

No wonder kings of old married members of their own family exclusively,
even their sisters, _in re_ of which the learned Baron von Reitzenstein
told me many interesting details.

He copied especially from Egyptian records, but also from Armenian,
Babylonian and Persian, to wit:

Daranavausch married his niece, Phratunga.

His son and successor married his niece Artayanta.

Artaxerxes was also married to a niece of his.

Darius II and Parysatis married their sisters.

Kambyses married two of his sisters.

Artachschasa II married his two daughters; Kobad his daughter Sambyke.

Artaviraf, the founder of a great ancient religion, married no less than
seven of his sisters--because "there we