."

"Sire," said Herzberg, raising his eyes knowingly, with a mild,
imploring expression to the king's face--"sire, I join a request with
this translation."

"What is it? I am very curious about a petition from you, it is so
seldom that you proffer one."

"Your majesty, my request concerns the translator of this very chapter
of Tacitus. He is Conrector Moritz, attached to the Gray Cloister in
Berlin--an unusually gifted young man, who has undoubtedly a brilliant
future before him. He has already written many eminent works. The
Director Gedicke recommended him to me as a most distinguished,
scholarly person, and I have learned to know and appreciate the young
man by this means."

"I see it," nodded the king. "You speak of him with great enthusiasm,
and as what you so warmly recommend is generally able and well
qualified, I begin to be interested in this Herr Moritz. When I return
to Berlin--and Heaven grant that it may be soon!--I will at once empower
you to present this luminary. Are you satisfied?"

"Sire, dare I ask still more? I would beg your majesty to grant this
young man an audience at once."

"How, at once! Is this phoenix here, who so interests my Minister
Herzberg? Where is he from, and what does he wish?"

"He is from Berlin; I met him making the journey on foot. He sat upon a
stone, by the wayside, eating a piece of bread, with a glowing face, and
so absorbed talking to himself in Latin that he heard not the creaking
of my carriage through the sand. I recognized him immediately, and
called him by name. He turned, perfectly unembarrassed and not at all
ashamed to have been discovered in such an humble and poor position."

"That is to say, he is a good comedian," said the king. "He knew that
you would drive past there, and placed himself expressly to call your
attention to him."

"I beg pardon, sire; Conrector Moritz could not have known that I
would take this journey. You will recollect that the courier arrived at
midnight with your majesty's commands, and two hours later I was on the
road, and have since travelled day and night. As I met the young man
only five miles from this place, he must have set out many days before I
thought of leaving Berlin."

"It is true," said the king, "it was a false suspicion. You invited him
into your carriage, did you not?"

"I did very naturally, sire, as he told me he was going to beg an
audience of your majesty. At first he refused decidedly, as he wished to