him, and protected him with his proud and respect-inspiring
person.

"General Bachmann," cried he, warmly, "I remind you of your oath.
You vowed to me to protect the suffering. Well, then, this man is
a sufferer, a sick man. I demand, from the noble friend of General
Sievers, that he have compassion on the sick man, and allow him to be
escorted safely and unmolested to his house."

"Can you give me your word that this man did not act thus out of
arrogance?" asked the general, in a milder tone; "are you convinced
that he is sick?"

"I swear to you, please your excellency, that the chief magistrate of
Berlin has never been a healthy man; that, for many years, he has been
subject to fits of convulsive laughter."

General Bachmann smiled. "This is an unfortunate disease for the chief
magistrate of a city," said he, "and it seems to me as if the citizens
of Berlin did wrong in choosing for their burgomaster a man who
laughs and cries indifferently, and to whom the misfortunes of his
fellow-citizens apparently serves only for a joke. But you reminded me
of my promise, and you shall see that I will keep it."

He beckoned to his soldiers, and ordered them to fetch a litter on
which to carry the sick burgomaster home. He then turned, with a
smile, to Gotzkowsky, and said: "Sir, the Council of Berlin have cause
to be grateful to you; you have saved their chief from death."

Herr von Kircheisen did not laugh now. His features jerked and
distorted themselves still, but a stream of tears gushed from his
eyes.

With an unspeakable expression he seized Gotzkowsky's hand, and
pressed it to his lips, then sank unconscious in the arms of his
deliverer.

* * * * *

CHAPTER III.

THE RUSSIAN, THE SAXON, AND THE AUSTRIAN, IN BERLIN.

Berlin was now given up to the enemy, and through the once cheerful
and pleasant streets could be heard nothing but screams and shrieks
of terror, mingled with the wild curses and boisterous laughter of the
conqueror, who, not satisfied with attacking the trembling inhabitants
to rob them of their possessions and property, ill treated them out of
sheer cruelty, and took delight in hearing their screams and looking
at the contortions caused by pain.

And who was this enemy, who, in scorn of all humanity and
civilization, tortured the unfortunate and hunted them down?

They were not Russians, nor wild hordes of Cossacks. They were
Austrians and Saxons, who,