u loved me and
me alone of all the world?"

"And I swore truly, Ludovicka. I love you boundlessly!"

"And yet you will forsake me?"

"Yet I must do so, beloved! I must forsake you, but God alone, who has
witnessed my tortures this past night, knows what I suffer. My father is
solitary, my fatherland calls to me, and the first thing that I sacrifice
on its altar is my love for you. I can not marry you, Ludovicka, and God
forbid that I should accept your love without marriage!"

"Words, nothing but words!" cried she indignantly. "You would palliate
your unfaithfulness, represent your fickleness of mind as magnanimity! But
I hear only one thing in your words--you give me up, you renounce your
love?"

"Yes!" he cried with a loud scream of pain--"yes, I renounce my love!"

"Vengeance upon you for it!" cried she, in flaming wrath. "I, Ludovicka
Hollandine, cry vengeance upon you, for you break my heart!"

"And you will have no compassion? You will not see what I suffer?
Ludovicka, look! Look in my eyes, they wept out last night the pains of a
whole life--see what I suffer! Ludovicka, on my knees I beseech you, if
you really love me, then have pity upon me--for the sake of my agony
forgive me what you suffer!"

And beside himself with emotion, he fell upon his knees, lifting up to her
his clasped hands and his face that was bathed in tears.

But now it was she who shrank back. "No," said she harshly and severely,
"no, no compassion, no forgiveness! I do not love you, I have never loved
you, for you are a foolish boy, and know nothing of the glow of passion!
You are a child! Go away and act like a child, and be an obedient son!
Love rejects you! love turns from you!" And waving him off with both
hands, the Princess turned and walked to the door. Frederick William,
still upon his knees, heard her quickly retreating steps, but did not
rise. Ludovicka had already stretched out her hand to open the door; but
she turned round once more, and in tones of mingled love and grief cried,
"Frederick, will you let me go?"

He did not answer, his head sank lower, and a painful groan forced itself
from his breast. She opened the door--he heard it--he saw the streak of
light that crossed the room through the open door, it vanished--the door
had closed. Then was wrung from the Prince's breast a shriek of agony such
as only issues from the lips of man under the pressure of earth's sharpest
pangs.

The three gentlemen were yet as