r Friedrich; combustible deluges flowing
towards him, as from the ends of Germany; so opaque, silent, yet of fire
wholly: will not that surprise him!' thinks Bruhl. These are the schemes
of the little man."

Bruhl, having constituted himself rival to Friedrich, and fallen into
pale or yellow rage by the course things took, this Plan is naturally
his chief joy, or crown of joys; a bubbling well of solace to him in
his parched condition. He should, obviously, have kept it secret;
thrice-secret, the little fool;--but a poor parched man is not always
master of his private bubbling wells in that kind! Wolfstierna is
Swedish Envoy at Dresden; Rudenskjold, Swedish Envoy at Berlin, has
run over to see him in the dim November days. Swedes, since Ulrique's
marriage, are friendly to Prussia. Bruhl has these two men to dinner;
talks with them, over his wine, about Friedrich's insulting usage
of him, among other topics. "Insulting; how, your Excellency?" asks
Rudenskjold, privately a friend of Friedrich. Bruhl explains, with voice
quivering, those cuts in the Friedrich manifesto of August last, and
other griefs suffered; the two Swedes soothing him with what oil they
have ready. "No matter!" hints Bruhl; and proceeds from hint to hint,
till the two Swedes are fully aware of the grand scheme: Grune, Prince
Karl; and how Destruction, with legs 500 miles long, is steadily
advancing to assuage one with just revenge. "Right, your
Excellency!"--only that Rudenskjold proceeds to Berlin; and there
straightway ("8th November") punctually makes Friedrich also aware.
[Stenzel, iv. 262; Ranke, iii. 317-323; Friedrich's own narrative of
it, _OEuvres,_ iii. 148.] Foolish Bruhl: a man that has a secret should
not only hide it, but hide that he has it to hide.

FRIEDRICH GOES OUT TO MEET HIS THREE-LEGGED MONSTER; CUTS ONE LEG OF IT
IN TWO (Fight of Hennersdorf, 23d November, 1745).

Friedrich, having heard the secret, gazes into it with horror and
astonishment: "What a time I have! This is not living; this is being
killed a thousand times a day!" [Ranke (iii. 321 n.): TO whom said, we
are not told.]--with horror and astonishment; but also with what most
luminous flash of eyesight is in him; compares it with Prince Karl's
enigmatic motions, Grune's open ones and the other phenomena;--perceives
that it is an indisputable fact, and a thrice-formidable; requiring to
be instantly dealt with by the party interested! Whereupon, after hearty
thank