part?"

"No, my son, you shall learn it. In the first place, the Elector requires
me to send unopened to him at Koenigsberg all letters arriving here
addressed to him, and not to open and answer them in his name as hitherto.
The Elector further desires me to conclude no act of government without
having previously called together the privy council. In the third place,
the Elector directs me forthwith to require of all the governors and
officers of the forts an oath of allegiance to himself. He lastly asks, if
I can make it convenient to come to Prussia, that we may confer together,
and that he may have the benefit of my aid and advice."

"And what answer will your grace return to these demands?"

"As regards the first requirement, I shall reply that the Elector's will
is law, and that all writings shall be henceforth forwarded to him
unopened. As to the second demand, I shall represent that it is now simply
impossible to gratify, since only a single member of the old privy council
is yet alive. As to binding the officers and commandants by oath to their
duty," continued the count slowly, "I shall but require a token of their
disposition to fulfill existing engagements. And lastly, as the Elector
wishes it, I can hardly refuse him my advice; so that I will go to him in
Prussia."

"No," cried Count Adolphus impatiently, "no, father, you shall not. You
shall not accept this artfully contrived invitation. You dare not go to
Prussia. My God, sir, are your usually keen and penetrating eyes so
blinded that they can not see what is so very palpable? Do you really not
perceive that the Elector only wants to entice you away, in order to get
you in his power, in order noiselessly and quietly to put you out of the
way? Ostensibly you are to go to Koenigsberg to advise the young,
inexperienced Elector. That is the pretext, the sand which they would
scatter in the eyes of yourself, your friends, the Emperor, yea, all
Germany, so that no one can see what is going on, or by any possibility
guess what will happen. You may set out for Koenigsberg, but you will never
get there; you will meet with an accident on the way--either your carriage
will be overset and you fatally injured, or robbers fall upon you in the
woods and murder you. However it may be, only as a dead man will you
arrive at Koenigsberg, and the Elector will have nothing further to do than
to decree your magnificent obsequies!"

"Ah, my son!" cried the Stadtholder, smil