the loud
voice of her husband, entered the room.

"Wife!" he cried, rising, "come forward; fall on your knees and plead
for forgiveness."

"What have I done?" she asked, wonderingly.

"You compelled this gentleman to take off his shoes at the door."

"Well, and what of that?"

"Well," said Mr. Witte, solemnly, as he laid his arm upon his wife's
shoulder and tried to force her to her knees, "this is his majesty the
King of Prussia!"

But the all-important words had not the expected effect. Madame Witte
remained quietly standing, and looked first upon her own bare feet and
then curiously at the king.

"Beg the king's pardon for your most unseemly conduct," said Witte.

"Why was it unseemly?" asked his better-half. "Do I not take off my
shoes every time I enter this room? The room is mine, and does not
belong to the King of Prussia."

Witte raised his hands above his head in despair. The king laughed
loudly and heartily.

"You see I was right, sir," he said. "Only obedience could spare the
King of Prussia a humiliation. [Footnote: The king's own words. See
Nicolai's "anecdotes of Frederick the Great, "collection V., P.31] But
let us go to your business room and arrange our moneyed affairs. There,
madame, I suppose you will allow me to put on my shoes."

Without a word, Mr. Witte rushed from the room for the king's shoes, and
hastened to put them, not before the king, but before the door that led
into his counting room.

With a gay smile, the king stepped along the border of the carpet to his
shoes, and let Balby put them on for him.

"Madame," he said, "I see that you are really mistress in your own
house, and that you are obeyed, not from force, but from instinct. God
preserve you your strong will and your good husband!"

"Now," said the king, after they had received the money and returned
to the hotel, "we must make all our arrangements to return to-morrow
morning early--our incognito is over! Mr. Witte promised not to betray
us, but his wife is not to be trusted; therefore, by to-morrow morning,
the world will know that the King of Prussia is in Amsterdam. Happily,
Mr. Witte does not know where I am stopping. I hope to be undisturbed
to-day, but by to-morrow this will be impossible."

The king prophesied aright: Madame Witte was zealously engaged in
telling her friends the important news that the King of Prussia had
visited her husband, and was now in Amsterdam.

The news rolled like an avalanche f