Frederick the Great and His Court | Page 6

a queen, I will make it a condition with my husband that I shall be
entirely free to choose my toilet, and I will never be forbidden to wear
diamonds! When I am a queen I will wear diamonds every day; they
belong to majesty, and our royal mother was never more a queen than
to-day!"
"Listen," said Amelia, "to this proud and all-conquering little princess,
who speaks of being a queen, as if it were all arranged, and not a doubt
remained; know you that the king, our father, intends you for a queen?
Perhaps he has already selected you for a little margrave, or some
unknown and salaried prince, such as our poor sister of Bairout has
wedded."
"I would not give my hand to such a one!" said the princess, hastily.

"You would be forced to yield, if your father commanded it," said the
queen.
"No," said Ulrica, "I would rather die!"
"DIE!" said Sophia; "man sighs often for Death, but he comes not; our
sighs have not the power to bring him, and our hands are too weak to
clasp him to our hearts! No, Ulrica, you must bow your will to your
father, as we have all done--as even the prince, your brother, was
forced to do."
"Poor brother," said Amelia, "bound to a wife whom he loves not--how
wretched he must be!"
Ulrica shrugged her shoulders. "Is not that the fate of all princes and
princesses; are we not all born to be handled like a piece of goods, and
knocked down to the highest bidder? I, for my part, will sell myself as
dearly as possible; and, as I cannot be a happy shepherdess, I will be a
powerful queen."
"And I," said Amelia, "would rather wed the poorest and most obscure
man, if I loved him, than the richest and greatest king's son, to whom I
was indifferent."
"Foolish children," said the queen, "it is well for you that your father
does not hear you; he would crush you in his rage, and even to-day he
would choose a king for you, Amelia; and for you, little Ulrica, he
would seek a small margrave! Hark, ladies! I hear the voice of the
major domo; he comes to announce that the guests are assembled. Put
on a cheerful countenance. The king commands us to be joyous and
merry! but remember that Frederick has his spies everywhere. When
you speak with Pollnitz, never forget that he repeats every word to your
father; be friendly with him; and above all things when he leads the
conversation to the prince royal, speak of him with the most
unembarrassed indifference; show as little interest and love for him as
possible, and rather ridicule his romantic life in Rheinsberg. That is the
way to the heart of the king; and now, my daughters, come."
At this moment the grand chamberlain, Pollnitz, threw open the doors
and announced that the company was assembled. The queen and
princesses followed the master of ceremonies through the room, giving
here and there a smile or a gracious word, which seemed a shower of
gold to the obsequious, admiring crowd of courtiers. Pride swelled the
heart of Sophia, as she stepped, to the sound of soft music, into the

throne saloon, and saw all those cavaliers, covered with stars and
orders--all those beautiful and richly-dressed women bowing humbly
before her. She knew that her will was more powerful than the will of
all assembled there; that her smiles were more dearly prized than those
of the most-beloved bride; that her glance gave warmth and gladness
like the sun. While all bowed before her, there was no one to whom she
must bend the knee. The king was not near to-night; she was not bound
by his presence and his rude violence. To-night she was no trembling,
subjected wife, but a proud queen; while Frederick was a poor, gouty,
trembling, teeth-gnashing man--nothing more.

CHAPTER II
.
FREDERICK WILLIAM I.
Mirth and gayety reigned in one wing of the palace, while in the other,
and that occupied by the king himself, all was silent and solitary; in one
might be heard joyous strains of music, in the other no sound reached
the air but a monotonous hammering, which seemed to come
immediately from the room of the king.
Frederick William, when in health, had accustomed himself to use his
crutch as a rod of correction; he would shower down his blows, careless
whether they fell on the backs of his lacqueys, his ministers of State, or
his wife. When ill, he was contented to vent his wrath upon more
senseless objects, and to flourish a hammer instead of his crutch. Under
the influence of the gout, this proud and haughty monarch became an
humble carpenter; when