sband. We sent for the two Princes our sons, and the
Princess our daughter, dressed ourselves and the children in our best,
and waited near the hall-door till our lord and husband rose from
dinner and came out. Then we, together with our beloved children,
prostrated ourselves before his Princely Highness, hoping thereby to
mollify him. For if his Princely Highness would not recognize us as his
lawful wife, our dearly beloved children after his death might be
considered as bastards.

"Our children wept aloud, as did also the whole surrounding court, for
it would have melted a heart of stone. Our lord and husband let us thus
kneel, and stood in deep thought, not knowing at the moment what to
say. His Princely Highness's eyes were filled with tears. Meanwhile the
mistress von Degenfeld came from within, saw us thus kneeling, and
spoke audaciously to our lord and husband. '_Signore Elettore, servate
la parola di promessa._' At these words our lord and husband clasped
his hands over his head, and went away sighing. We however could no
longer look over such iniquity, but ran into our chamber and seized a
loaded pistol, determined to send a ball through the heart of this
wanton, godless disturber of conjugal rights, this von Degenfeld. But
when we came to her, and were on the point of discharging the pistol,
it was taken away from us by the noble Count and Lord Wolf Julius von
Hohenlohe, and discharged out of a window. But when our lord and
husband heard this shot, he ran hastily out of his apartment, and asked
who had fired. We said: 'Ah, dear treasure, I did it, with the
intention of revenging your Princely Highness's honour on this
monster.' But our lord and husband replied: 'Charlotta, Charlotta,
cease these doings, if you would not be sent away forthwith from
hence.' But we went off without making reply.

"Four days after a postilion came with a report that his Serene
Highness of Wurtemberg would arrive within two hours. Thereupon our
lord and husband sent to notify to us that his Princely Highness, with
Mistress von Degenfeld, would go to meet the said Lord Duke. But we
were to receive his Princely Highness at the castle. And thus it was.
Three days were spent in all kinds of pastimes, in honour of the said
Lord Duke, but we lived neglected, and were not once asked to dinner,
notwithstanding the urgent entreaties of our much-loved lord and
brother Duke Eberhard and his wife.

"At last we caused a repast to be prepared