the last;
and many years afterward, when a friend was severely reprobating his
brutality, she said, with a sigh of loving regret, "Ah! but you must
confess he was the handsomest man you ever saw."

The King frequently interposed to punish Mara for his harshness. On one
occasion he gave him a public caning and on another he sent him to a
field regiment, noted for the rigid severity of its discipline, to be
enrolled as a drummer for three months, accompanying the order with the
_mot_, "His propensity for beating shall have the fullest exercise
on the drum." A ludicrous sentence of the royal despot was that which
consigned him to the tender mercies of the body-guard, with strict
orders for his correction. No particular mode of punishment was
prescribed, so each soldier inflicted such chastisement as he considered
most fitting. They began by rigging him out in an old uniform and a
large pair of whiskers, loading him with the heaviest firelock they
could find, and forced him to go through the manual exercise for two
hours, accompanying their drill with the usual discipline of the cane.
They then made him dance and sing for two hours longer, and ended this
persecution by compelling the surgeon to take from him a large quantity
of blood. In a miserable condition they restored him to his disconsolate
wife, who had been essaying all her arts to persuade the officer of the
guard to mitigate the poor wretch's punishment.

The King's method of carrying on the opera was characteristic.
Performances were free, and commenced precisely at 6 p.m., when, prompt
to the minute, the King appeared and took his seat just behind the
conductor, where he could see the score, and notice every mistake,
either instrumental or vocal. A royal caning often repaid any unlucky
artist who made a blunder, much to the gratification of the audience.
Such a patron as this, however generous, could not be considered highly
desirable; and Mme. Mara, whose reputation had become world-wide, longed
more and more to accept some of the brilliant offers which came to
her from the great capitals of Europe. But Frederick would not let
his favorite prima donna go, and the royal passport was necessary for
getting beyond the limits of the kingdom. An example of Frederick's
method of dealing with his subjects and servants is found in the
following incident: The Grand Duke Paul of Russia was visiting Berlin,
and on a gala night a grand performance of opera was to be given