The Merchant of Berlin

The Merchant of Berlin, by L
Mühlbach

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Title: The Merchant of Berlin An Historical Novel
Author: L Mühlbach
Release Date: April 14, 2004 [EBook #12016]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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MERCHANT OF BERLIN ***

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THE MERCHANT OF BERLIN
An Historical Novel

L. MÜHLBACH
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY AMORY COFFIN, M.D.
1910

CONTENTS
BOOK I.
CHAP. I.--The Festival
II.--The Workman's Holiday
III.--Brother and Sister
IV.--Feodor von Brenda
V.--Mr. Kretschmer, of the "Vossian Gazette"
VI.--The Cowards' Race
VII.--The Interrupted Festival
VIII.--The Leader of the People
IX.--The Russian is at the Gates
X.--Be Prudent
XI.--The Night of Horrors
XII.--Russians and Austrians
XIII.--A Maiden's Heart
XIV.--A Faithful Friend

XV.--An Unexpected Meeting
XVI.--The Fugitive
XVII.--The Eavesdropper
XVIII.--The Two Cannoneers
XIX.--Father Gotzkowsky
* * * * *
BOOK II.
CHAP. I.--The Two Editors
II.--The Chief Magistrate of Berlin
III.--The Russian, the Saxon, and the Austrian, in Berlin
IV.--The Cadets
V.--The Explosion
VI.--John Gotzkowsky
VII.--The Horrors of War
VIII.--By Chance
IX.--Mistress or Maid?
X.--An Unexpected Ally
XI.--The Jew Ephraim
XII.--The Russian General and the German Man
XIII.--The Execution

XIV.--Bride and Daughter
XV.--The Rivals
XVI.--The Punishment
XVII.--The Banquet of Gratitude
XVIII.--A Royal Letter
* * * * *
BOOK III.
CHAP. I.--Frederick the Great at Meissen
II.--The Winter-quarters in Leipsic
III.--The Friend in Need
IV.--Gratitude and Recompense
V.--Four Years' Labor
VI.--Days of Misfortune
VII.--Confessions
VIII.--The Russian Prince
IX.--Old Love--New Sorrow
X.--The Magistracy of Berlin
XI.--The Jews of the Mint
XII.--The Leipsic Merchant
XIII.--Ephraim the Tempter

XIV.--Elise
XV.--The Rescue
XVI.--Retribution
XVII.--Tardy Gratitude
XVIII.--The Auction

ILLUSTRATIONS
Feodor's Visit to the Garden The Merchant draws Feodor from his
Hiding-place The Rich Jews appeal to Gotzkowsky The Great
Frederick examining the Porcelain Cup

BOOK I.

CHAPTER I.
THE FESTIVAL.
The sufferings of the long war still continued; still stood Frederick the
Great with his army in the field; the tremendous struggle between
Prussia and Austria was yet undecided, and Silesia was still the apple
of discord for which Maria Theresa and Frederick II. had been striving
for years, and for which, in so many battles, the blood of German
brothers had been spilt.
Everywhere joy seemed extinguished; the light jest was hushed; each
one looked silently into the future, and none could tell in whose favor
this great contest would finally be decided, whether Austria or Prussia
would be victorious.

The year 1760, the fifth of the war, was particularly sad for Prussia; it
was marked in the history of Germany with tears and blood. Even
Berlin which, up to that time, had suffered but little from the unhappy
calamities of war, assumed now an earnest, mournful aspect, and it
seemed as if the bright humor and sarcastic wit which had always
characterized the inhabitants of this good city had now entirely deserted
them. Going through the wide and almost empty streets there were to
be met only sad countenances, women clothed in black who mourned
their husbands or sons fallen in one of the many battles of this war, or
mothers who were looking with anxiety into the future and thinking of
their distant sons who had gone to the army.
Here and there was seen some wounded soldier wearily dragging
himself along the street, but hearty, healthy men were seldom to be met,
and still more seldom was seen the fresh countenance of youth.
Berlin had been obliged to send not only her men and youths, but also
her boys of fourteen years to the army, which, according to the
confession of Frederick the Great, consisted, in the campaign of the
year 1760, only of renegades, marauders, and beardless boys.
For these reasons it seemed the more strange to hear at this time issuing
from one of the largest and handsomest houses on the Leipsic Street the
unwonted sounds of merry dance-music, cheerful singing and shouting,
which reached the street.
The passers-by stopped and looked with curiosity up to the windows, at
which could be seen occasionally a flushed joyous man's face or pretty
woman's head. But the men who were visible through the panes
evidently did not belong to the genteeler classes of society; their faces
were sunburnt, their hair hung down carelessly and unpowdered upon
the coarse and unfashionable cloth coat, and the attire of the maidens
had little in common with the elegance and fashion of the day.
"The rich Gotzkowsky gives a great feast to his workmen to-day,"