e. Have
compassion on me and it; and believe that I still keep to myself a great
many evil things, not wishing to afflict or disquiet anybody with them;
and that I would not counsel you to fly these unlucky Countries, if I
had any ray of hope. Adieu, MON CHER."

Four days after, AUGUST 25th, from this same Furstenwalde, the Russians
still continuing stagnant, Friedrich despatches to Schmettau, Commandant
of Dresden (by some industrious hand, for the roads are all blocked), a
Second Letter, "That Dresden is of the highest moment; that in case of
Siege there, relief [Wunsch, namely, and perhaps more that may follow]
is on the road; and that Schmettau must defend himself to the utmost."
Let us hope this Second Missive may counteract the too despondent
First, which we read above, should that have produced discouragement
in Schmettau! [Second Letter is given in _Schmettau's Leben,_ pp. 436,
437.]--D'Argens does run to Wolfenbuttel; stays there till September
9th. Nothing more from Friedrich till 4th September, when matters are
well cooled again.

6. WALDAU, 4th SEPTEMBER. "I think Berlin is now in safety; you may
return thither. The Barbarians [Russians] are in the Lausitz; I keep by
the side of them, between them and Berlin, so that there is nothing to
fear for the Capital. The imminency of danger is past; but there will
still be many bad moments to get through, before reaching the end of
the Campaign. These, however, only regard myself; never mind these. My
martyrdom will last two months yet; then the snows and the ices will end
it." [_OEuvres de Frederic,_ xix. 78, 82, 83, 85, 86.]

Thus at Furstenwalde, then at Waldau, keeping guard, forlorn but
resolute, against the intrusive Russian-Austrian deluges, Friedrich
stands painfully vigilant and expectant,--still for about a fortnight
more. With bad news coming to him latterly, as we shall hear. He is in
those old moorland Wusterhausen Countries, once so well known under far
other circumstances. Thirty years ago, in fine afternoons, we used
to gallop with poor Duhan de Jandun, after school-tasks done, towards
Mittenwalde, Furstenwalde and the furzy environs, far and wide; at home,
our Sister and Mother waiting with many troubles and many loves, and
Papa sleeping, Pan-like, under the shadow of his big tree:--Thirty years
ago, ah me, gone like a dream is all that; and there is solitude and
desolation and the Russian-Austrian death-deluges instead! These, I
suppose, were Fri