e again. The other two ladies laughed, which made me angry,
and my ears were very warm. 'If that happens again,' said I, 'by
thunder, she will find I do not wait to be punished!' I laid down the
arms, and at once sprang after the lady, when--the folding-doors were
thrown open, and two gentlemen, in splendid gold-embroidered dresses,
entered. As they saw the little lady, they stood astonished, and made
the three prescribed bows. I smelt the rat, and put on my sword quickly,
and stood stiff as a puppet. The gentlemen said, that they must beg an
interview with her royal highness, to deliver the king's commands. The
princess went into an adjoining room. One of the court-ladies stopped
before me a moment, and said: 'If you ever dare to tell of this, you
shall be put in the fortress. Remember it, and keep silent.' I did so,
and kept it a secret until to-day."

"Did the princess ever punish you again?" asked Kretzchmar, with a bold,
spying look.

"No, never," answered the lackey Schultz. "The princess was ordered to
Stettin the next day, where she still lives as a prisoner for her gay
pranks. I remembered her punishment, and when a lady has kissed me, I
have bravely returned it."

The footmen had followed the king up the slowly ascending horse-path
to the terrace, and now they sprang quickly forward. Kretzschmar swung
himself from his saddle, threw Schultz the reins, and, as the king
drew up at the side-door of the palace of Sans-Souci, he stood ready
to assist him to dismount. The king had given strict orders that no
one should notice his going or coming, and to-day, as usual, he entered
without pomp or ceremony into his private room, followed by Kretzschmar
alone. He sank back into his armchair, the blue damask covering of which
was torn and bitten by the dogs, so that the horse-hair stood out from
the holes.

"Now relate to me, Kretzschmar, how your expedition succeeded. Did you
go to Berlin to see Mademoiselle Enke last night?"

"Yes, your majesty, I was there, and have brought you the writing."

"Was she alone?" asked the king, bending over to caress Alkmene, who lay
at his feet.

"Well," answered Kretzschmar, grinning, "I do not know whether she was
alone or not. I only know that, as I waited a little on the corner
of the street, I saw a gentleman go out, wrapped in a cloak, a tall,
broad-shouldered gentleman, whom I--"

"Whom you naturally did not recognize," said the king, interrupting him;
"it was a dark nig