matrimonial intrigues.—letters from the king to his son.—letter from fritz to grumkow.—letter to wilhelmina.—the betrothal.—character of elizabeth.—her cruel reception by the prussian queen.—letter from fritz to wilhelmina.—disappointment and anguish of elizabeth.—studious habits of fritz.—continued alienation of his father.—the marriage.—life in the castle at reinsberg.
upon the return of the crown prince to cüstrin after the marriage of wilhelmina, several of the officers of the army sent in a petition to the king that he would restore to the prince his uniform and his military rank. the king consented, and made out his commission anew as colonel commandant of the goltz regiment at ruppin. this was a small town about seventy-five miles northeast of berlin. his commission was signed on the 29th of february, 1732, he being then twenty years of age. in this little hamlet, mainly engaged in the dull routine of garrison duties, the prince passed most of his time for the next eight years.
the crown prince was quite exasperated that the english court would not listen to his earnest plea for the marriage of wilhelmina to the prince of wales, and accept his vows of fidelity to the princess amelia. the stubborn adhesion of the king of england to the declaration of “both marriages or none” so annoyed him that he banished amelia from his thoughts. in his reckless way he affirmed that the romance of marriage was all over with him; that he cared not much what bride was forced upon him, provided only that she were rich, and that she were not too scrupulous in religious principle. the tongues of all the court gossips were busy upon this theme. innumerable were the candidates suggested to share the crown of the future prussian king. the archduchess maria theresa, subsequently the renowned empress of germany, was proposed by prince eugene. but the imperial court could not wed its catholic heiress to a protestant prince. still the emperor, though unwilling to give his daughter to the crown prince, was anxious137 for as close an alliance as possible with prussia, and recommended a niece of the empress, the young princess elizabeth christina, only daughter of ferdinand, duke of brunswick bevern. she was seventeen years of age, rather pretty, with a fine complexion, not rich, of religious tastes, and remarkably quiet and domestic in her character.
the crown prince did not fancy this connection at all. his first wish was to journey about, through the courts of europe, to select him a wife. but that measure his father would not think of. frederick professed a willingness to submit to marry anna, princess of mecklenburg, or the princess of eisenach. seckendorf, the embassador of the emperor, aided by grumkow, who had been bribed, urged the marriage with elizabeth. the king adopted their views. his decision was like a decree of fate. the following letter, written by the king to his son, dated potsdam, february 4, 1732, very clearly expresses his views:
“my dear son fritz,—i am glad you need no more medicine. but you must have a care of yourself some days yet, for the severe weather gives me and every body colds. so pray be on your guard.
“you know, my dear son, that when my children are obedient i love them much. so when you were at berlin, i from my heart forgave you every thing; and from that berlin time, since i saw you, have thought of nothing but of your well-being, and how to establish you; not in the army only, but also with a right step-daughter, and so see you married in my lifetime. you may be well persuaded i have had the princesses of germany taken survey of, so far as possible, and examined by trusty people what their conduct is, their education, and so on. and so a princess has been found, the eldest one of bevern, who is well brought up, modest and retiring as a woman ought to be.
“you will quickly write me your mind on this. i have purchased the von katsch house. the field marshal, as governor of berlin, will get that to live in. his government house i will have made new for you, and furnish it all, and give you enough to keep house yourself there.
“the princess is not ugly nor beautiful. you must mention it to no mortal. write indeed to mamma that i have written138 to you. and when you shall have a son, i will let you go on your travels; wedding, however, can not be before next winter. meanwhile i will try and contrive opportunity that you see one another a few times, in all honor, yet so that you get acquainted with her. she is a god-fearing creature, will suit herself to you, as she does to the parents-in-law.
“god give his blessing to it, and bless you and your posterity, and keep you as a good christian. and have god always before your eyes, and don’t believe that damnable predestination tenet; and be obedient and faithful. so shall it here in time, and there in eternity, go well with thee. and whosoever wishes that from the heart, let him say amen.
“your true father to the death,
“friedrich wilhelm.
“when the duke of lorraine comes i will have thee come. i think the bride will be here then. adieu; god be with you.”
one week after the reception of this letter the crown prince wrote to baron grumkow in the following flippant and revolting strain. he probably little imagined that the letter was to be read by all europe and all america. but those whose paths through life lead over the eminences of rank and power can not conceal their words or deeds from the scrutiny of the world. grumkow, a very shrewd man, had contrived to secure influence over both the father and the son. the prince’s letter was dated cüstrin, february 11, 1732:
“my dear general and friend,—i was charmed to learn, by your letter, that my affairs are on so good a footing. you may depend on it i am prepared to follow your advice. i will lend myself to whatever is possible for me. and, provided i can secure the king’s favor by my obedience, i will do all that is within my power.
“nevertheless, in making my bargain with the duke of bevern, manage that my intended be brought up under her grandmother.20 i should rather have a wife who would dishonor me than to marry a blockhead who would drive me mad by her awkwardness, and whom i should be ashamed to produce.
139 “i beg you labor at this affair. when one hates romantic heroines as heartily as i do, one dreads those timid virtues; and i had rather marry the greatest profligate21 in berlin than a devotee with half a dozen bigots at her beck. if it were still possible to make her a calvinist! but i doubt that. i will insist, however, that her grandmother have the training of her. what you can do to help me in this, my dear friend, i am persuaded you will do.
“it afflicted me a little that the king still has doubts of me, while i am obeying in such a matter diametrically opposite to my own ideas. in what way shall i offer stronger proofs? i may give myself to the devil, it will be to no purpose. nothing but the old song over again, doubt on doubt. don’t imagine i am going to disoblige the duke, the duchess, or the daughter, i beseech you. i know too well what is due to them, and too much respect their merits, not to observe the strictest rules of what is proper, even if i hated their progeny and them like the pestilence.
“i hope to speak to you with open heart at berlin. you may think, too, how i shall be embarrassed in having to act the lover without being it, and to feign a passion for mute ugliness; for i have not much faith in count seckendorf’s taste in this article. monsieur, once more get this princess to learn by heart the ecole des maris and the ecole des femmes. that will do her much more good than true christianity by the late arndt. if, beside, she would learn steadiness of humor, learn music, become rather too free than too virtuous—ah! then, my dear general, then i should feel some liking for her; and a colin marrying a phillis, the couple would be in accordance. but if she is stupid, naturally i renounce the devil and her.
“it is said she has a sister who at least has common sense. why take the eldest, if so? to the king it must be all one. there is also a princess, christina marie, of eisenach, who would be quite my fit, and whom i should like to try for. in fine, i mean soon to come into your countries, and perhaps will say, like c?sar, veni, vidi, vici.”
in another letter to grumkow, he writes: “as to what you tell me of the princess of mecklenburg, could not i marry her?140 she would have a dowry of two or three million rubles.22 only fancy how i could live with that. i think that project might succeed. i find none of these advantages in the princess of bevern, who, as many people even of the duke’s court say, is not at all beautiful, speaks almost nothing, and is given to pouting. the good empress has so little money herself that the sums she could afford her niece would be very moderate.”
again, on the 19th of february, 1732, the crown prince wrote from cüstrin to baron grumkow. from his letter we make the following extracts:
“judge, my dear general, if i have been much charmed with the description you give of the abominable object of my desires. for the love of god disabuse the king in regard to her. let him remember that fools are commonly the most obstinate of creatures. let the king remember that it is not for himself that he is marrying me, but for myself. nay, he too will have a thousand chagrins to see two persons hating one another, and the most miserable marriage in the world; to hear their mutual complaints, which will be to him so many reproaches for having fashioned the instrument of our yoke. as a good christian, let him consider if it is well done to wish to force people, to cause divorces, and to be the occasion of all the sins that an ill-assorted marriage leads us to commit. i am determined to front every thing in the world sooner. since things are so, you may, in some good way, apprise the duke of bevern that, happen what may, i never will have her.
“i have been unhappy all my life, and i think it is my destiny to continue so. one must be patient, and take the time as it comes. perhaps a sudden tract of good fortune, on the back of all the chagrins i have encountered since i entered this world, would have made me too proud. i have suffered sufficiently, and i will not engage myself to extend my miseries into future times. i have still resources. a pistol-shot can deliver me from my sorrows and my life, and i think a merciful god would not damn me for that, but, taking pity on me, would, in exchange for a life of wretchedness, grant me salvation. this is whitherward despair can lead a young person whose blood is not so quiescent as if he were seventy.
141 “i have received a letter from the king, all agog about the princess. when his first fire of approbation is spent, you might, praising her all the while, lead him to notice her faults. mon dieu, has he not already seen what an ill-assorted marriage comes to—my sister of anspach and her husband, who hate one another like the fire? he has a thousand vexations from it every day.
“and what aim has the king? if it is to assure himself of me, that is not the way. madam of eisenach might do it, but a fool not. on the contrary, it is morally impossible to love the cause of our misery. the king is reasonable, and i am persuaded he will understand this himself.”
to his sister, fritz wrote, about the same time, in a more subdued strain, referring simply to his recent life in cüstrin: “thus far my lot has been a tolerably happy one. i have lived quietly in the garrison. my flute, my books, and a few affectionate friends have made my way of life there sufficiently agreeable. they now want to force me to abandon all this in order to marry me to the princess of bevern, whom i do not know. must one always be tyrannized over without any hope of a change? still, if my dear sister were only here, i should endure all with patience.”
queen sophie, who still clung pertinaciously to the idea of the english match, was, of course, bitterly hostile to the nuptial alliance with elizabeth. indeed, the queen still adhered to the idea of the double english marriage, and exhausted all the arts of diplomacy and intrigue in the endeavor to secure the princess amelia for the crown prince, and to unite the prince of wales to a younger sister of wilhelmina. very naturally she cherished feelings of strong antipathy toward elizabeth, who seemed to be the cause, though the innocent cause, of the frustration of her plans. she consequently spoke of the princess in the most contemptuous manner, and did every thing in her power to induce her son to regard her with repugnance. but nothing could change the inexorable will of the king. early in march the doomed princess elizabeth, a beautiful, artless child of seventeen years, who had seen but little of society, and was frightened in view of the scenes before her, was brought to berlin to be betrothed to the crown prince, whom she had never seen, of whom she could not have heard any very favorable reports, and from142 whom she had never received one word of tenderness. the wreck of happiness of this young princess, which was borne so meekly and uncomplainingly, is one of the saddest which history records. just before her arrival, fritz wrote to his sister as follows. the letter was dated berlin, march 6, 1732:
“my dearest sister,—next monday comes my betrothal, which will be done just as yours was. the person in question is neither beautiful nor ugly; not wanting in sense, but very ill brought up, timid, and totally behind in fashionable address. that is the candid portrait of the princess. you may judge by that, my dearest sister, if i find her to my taste or not.
“you never can believe, my adorable sister, how concerned i am about your happiness. all my wishes centre there, and every moment of my life i form such wishes. you may see by this that i preserve still that sincere friendship which has united our hearts from our tenderest years. recognize at least, my dear sister, that you did me a sensible wrong when you suspected me of fickleness toward you, and believed false reports of my listening to tale-bearers—me, who love only you, and whom neither absence nor lying rumors could change in respect of you. at least, don’t again believe such things on my score, and never mistrust me till you have had clear proof, or till god has forsaken me, or i have lost my wits.
“your most humble brother and servant,
“frederick.”
the betrothal took place in the berlin palace on monday evening, march 10, 1732. many distinguished guests from foreign courts were present. the palace was brilliantly illuminated. the duke and duchess of bevern, with their son, had accompanied their daughter elizabeth to berlin. the youthful pair, who were now to be betrothed only, not married, stood in the centre of the grand saloon, surrounded by the brilliant assemblage. with punctilious observance of court etiquette, they exchanged rings, and plighted their mutual faith. the old king embraced the bride tenderly. the queen-mother, hoping that the marriage would never take place, saluted her with repulsive coldness. and, worst of all, the prince himself scarcely treated143 her with civility. the sufferings of this lovely princess must have been terrible. the testimony to her beauty, her virtues, her amiable character, is uncontradicted. the following well-merited tribute to her worth is from the pen of lord dover:
the betrothal.
“elizabeth christina, who became the wife of frederick the great, was a princess adorned with all the virtues which most dignify human nature; religious, benevolent, charitable, affectionate,144 of the strictest and most irreproachable conduct herself, yet indulgent and forgiving for the faults of others. her whole life was passed in fulfilling the circle of her duties, and, above all, in striving without ceasing to act in the way she thought would be most pleasing to her husband, whom she respected, admired, and even loved, in spite of his constant neglect of her.”
baron bielfeld, a member of the court, thus describes her personal appearance: “her royal highness is tall of stature, and her figure is perfect. never have i seen a more regular shape in all its proportions. her neck, her hands, and her feet might serve as models to the painter. her hair, which i have particularly admired, is of a most beautiful flaxen, but somewhat inclining to white, and shines, when not powdered, like rows of pearls. her complexion is remarkably fine; and in her large blue eyes vivacity and sweetness are so happily blended as to make them perfectly animated.
“the princess has an open countenance; her eyebrows are neat and regular; her nose is small and angular, but very elegantly defined; and her coral lips and well-turned neck are equally admirable. goodness is strongly marked in her countenance; and we may say, from her whole figure, that the graces have exerted themselves in forming a great princess. her highness talks but little, especially at table, but all she says is sterling sense. she appears to have an uncommon genius, which she ornaments by the continual study of the best french authors.”
the reception of the princess was so cruel, by queen sophie and her younger daughter charlotte, that the inexperienced maiden of but seventeen summers must have been perfectly wretched. but she could only bear her anguish in silence. there was nothing for her to say, and nothing for her to do. she was led, by resistless powers, a victim to the sacrifice.
about three weeks after this sad betrothal, fritz wrote to his sister wilhelmina, under date of berlin, march 24, 1732, as follows:
“god be praised, my dearest sister, that you are better. nobody can love you more tenderly than i do. as to the princess of bevern, the queen bids me answer that you need not style her ‘highness,’ but that you may write to her quite as to an indifferent145 princess. as to ‘kissing the hands,’ i assure you i have not kissed them nor will kiss them. they are not pretty enough to tempt me that way.
“believe, my charming sister, that never brother in the world loved with such tenderness a sister so charming as mine.”
the betrothed princess, bewildered, wounded, heart-broken, returned with her parents to her home, there to await the consummation of her sacrifice by being married to a man who had never addressed to her a loving word, and who, in his heart, had resolved never to receive her as his wife. the crown prince, unfeeling and reckless, returned to his dissolute life in garrison at ruppin. the queen continued an active correspondence with england, still hoping to break the engagement of her son with elizabeth, and to secure for him the princess amelia.
ruppin, where the crown prince continued to reside for several years, was a small, dull town of about two thousand inhabitants. the only life it exhibited was found in the music and drillings of the garrison. the only important event in its history was the removal of the crown prince there. of what is called society there was none. the hamlet was situated in the midst of a flat, marshy country, most of it quite uncultivated. the region abounded in peat bogs, and dark, still lakes, well stocked with fish.
a comfortable house, with garden and summer-house, was provided for the crown prince. he occasionally gave a dinner-party to his brother officers; and from the summer-house rockets were thrown into the sky, to the great gratification of the rustic peasantry.
both father and son had become by this time fully satisfied that their tastes and characters were so different that it was not best for them to live near each other. the prince spent much of his time with his flute. he also engaged in quite a wide range of reading to occupy the listless hours. works of the most elevated and instructive character especially interested him, such as history, biography, moral and intellectual philosophy, and polite literature in its higher branches of poetry and the drama. “what mankind have done and been in this world,” writes carlyle, “and what the wisest men, poetical or other, have thought about mankind and their world, this is what he evidently146 had the appetite for—appetite insatiable, which lasted him to the very end of his days.”
it is unquestionable that the mental discipline acquired by this elevated course, to which he consecrated so diligently his hours, prepared him for the wonderful career upon which he soon entered, and enabled him to act with efficiency which filled europe with his renown.
it appears, moreover, that fritz devoted himself very assiduously to his military duties, earnestly studying the art of war, and making himself familiar with the achievements of the most renowned commanders. his frugal father allowed him but a very meagre income for a prince—not above four thousand five hundred dollars a year. with this sum it was scarcely possible to keep up even the appearance of such an establishment as belonged to his rank. such glimpses as we get of his moral and social developments during this period are not favorable. he paid no respect to the claims of religion, and was prone to revile christianity and its advocates. he was particularly annoyed if the chaplain uttered, in his sermons, any sentiments which the prince thought had a bearing against the sensual indulgences and the wild amusements of himself and his companions. on one occasion the chaplain said in his sermon, “there was herod, who had herodias to dance before him, and he gave her john the baptist’s head for her pains.”
the prince assumed to make a personal application of this. herod meant the crown prince; herodias, his boon companions; and john the baptist was the chaplain. to punish the offender, the prince, with several brother officers, went at night, smashed the windows of the chaplain, and threw in a shower of fire-crackers upon him and his wife, who was in delicate health, driving them in dismay out into the stable-yard. the stern old king was very indignant at this conduct. grumkow affirms, we hope falsely, that the prince threw the whole charge upon his associate officers, and that they were punished for the deed, while he escaped.
thus the summer of 1732 passed away. in november wilhelmina returned from baireuth to berlin on a visit. she remained at home for ten months, leaving her babe, frederica, at baireuth. there must have been some urgent reason to have147 induced her to make this long visit, for her reception, by both father and mother, was far from cordial. neither of them had been really in favor of the match with the young prospective margraf of baireuth, but had yielded to it from the force of circumstances. the journey to berlin was long and cold. her mother greeted her child with the words, “what do you want here? what is a mendicant like you come hither for?” the next day her father, who had been upon a journey, came home. his daughter had been absent for two years. and yet this strange father addressed her in the following cruel and sarcastic words:
“ah! here you are. i am glad to see you.” then, taking a light, he carefully examined her from head to foot. after a moment’s silence, he added, “how changed you are! i am sorry for you, on my word. you have not bread to eat, and but for me you might go a-begging. i am a poor man myself; not able to give you much; will do what i can. i will give you now and then twenty or thirty shillings, as my affairs permit. it will always be something to assuage your want. and you, madam,” turning to the queen, “will sometimes give her an old dress, for the poor child hasn’t a shift to her back.”
this merciless banter from her parents cut the unhappy princess to the heart. with the utmost difficulty she refrained from bursting into convulsive crying. her husband seems to have been a kind man, inspired with true and tender affection for his wife. but much of the time he was necessarily absent on regimental duty. the old marquis of baireuth, her husband’s father, was penurious, irascible, and an inebriate. wilhelmina often suffered for the necessaries of life. there seemed to be no refuge for her. the home of her step-parents was unendurable, and the home of her childhood was still more so. few and far between must have been the joys which visited her crushed heart.
a few days after her arrival at berlin, fritz, on short leave of absence, ran over from ruppin, and had a brief interview with his sister, whom he had not seen since her marriage. the royal family supped together, with the exception of the king, who was absent. at the table the conversation turned upon the future princess royal, elizabeth. the queen said, addressing wilhelmina, and fixing her eyes on fritz,
148 “your brother is in despair at the idea of marrying her. and he is not wrong. she is an actual fool. she can only answer whatever is said to her by yes or no, accompanied by a silly laugh, which is painful to hear.”
charlotte added, in terms still more bitter and unpardonable, “your majesty is not yet aware of all her merit. i was one morning at her toilet. i remarked that she is deformed. her gown is stuffed on one side, and she has one hip higher than the other.” the cruel girl even went so far as to accuse the princess of suffering from loathsome ulcers. this discourse was uttered in a loud voice, in presence of the domestics. fritz was evidently greatly annoyed, and blushed deeply, but said nothing. immediately after supper he retired. wilhelmina soon followed him, and they met again privately in wilhelmina’s room. the princess asked her brother how he was now getting along with his father. he replied,
“my situation changes every moment. sometimes i am in favor, sometimes in disgrace. my chief happiness consists in my being absent from him. i lead a quiet and tranquil life with my regiment at ruppin. study and music are my principal occupations. i have built me a house there, and laid out a garden where i can read and walk about.”
“then,” writes wilhelmina, “as to his bride, i begged him to tell me candidly if the portrait the queen and my sister had been making of her were the true one.”
“we are alone,” fritz replied, “and i will conceal nothing from you. the queen, by her miserable intrigues, has been the source of our misfortunes. scarcely were you gone when she began again with england. she wished to substitute our sister charlotte for you, and to contrive her marriage with the prince of wales.
“you may easily imagine that she used every endeavor for the success of her plan, and also to marry me to the english princess amelia. the king was informed of this design from its commencement. he was much nettled at these fresh intrigues, which have caused many quarrels between the queen and him. seckendorf finally took part in the affair, and counseled the king to make an end of all these plans by concluding my marriage with the princess of bevern.
149 “the queen can not console herself for this reverse. she vents her despair in the abuse of that poor princess. she wanted me to refuse the marriage decidedly, and told me that she should not mind my quarreling again with the king provided i would only show firmness, in which case she would be well able to support me. i would not follow her advice, and declared to her plainly that i did not choose to incur the displeasure of my father, which had already caused me so much suffering.
“with regard to the princess herself, i do not dislike her as much as i pretend. i affect not to be able to bear her, in order to make the more merit of my obedience to the king. she is pretty—a complexion of lily and rose. her features are delicate, and her whole face is that of a beautiful person. she has no breeding, and dresses ill. but i flatter myself that when she comes here you will have the goodness to assist in forming her. i recommend her to you, my dear sister; and i hope you will take her under your protection.”
on monday, the 8th of june, 1733, the crown prince left ruppin, and, joining his father and mother, set out, with a suitable retinue, for the ducal palace of salzdahlum, in brunswick, where the marriage ceremony was to be solemnized. fritz was twenty-one years of age. elizabeth was not quite eighteen. the wedding took place at noon of friday, the 12th, in the beautiful chapel of the palace, with the usual display of splendor and rejoicing. the mansion, situated a few miles from wolfenbüttel, was renowned for its gardens and picture-galleries, and was considered one of the finest in europe.
the ceremony was performed by the reverend johann lorenz mosheim, favorably known throughout christendom for his treatise upon ecclesiastical history. immediately after the nuptial benediction had been pronounced, fritz wrote as follows to wilhelmina:
“salzdahlum, noon, june 12, 1733.
“my dear sister,—a minute since the whole ceremony was finished. god be praised, it is over. i hope you will take it as a mark of my friendship that i give you the first news of it. i hope that i shall have the honor to see you again soon, and to assure you, my dear sister, that i am wholly yours. i write in great haste, and add nothing that is merely formal. adieu.
“frederick.”
150 the queen behaved very unamiably, “plunged in black melancholy,” and treating her new daughter-in-law with great contempt. there have been many sad weddings, but this was surely one of the saddest. frederick had often declared that he never would receive the princess as his wife. in the evening, just after the newly-married couple had retired to their room, through the arrangement of the prince, a false alarm of fire was raised by some of his friends. this furnished him with the opportunity to rush from the apartment. he did not return. ever after he saw the princess but unfrequently, treating her with cold politeness when they met, though on public occasions giving her, with all external forms of civility, the position of honor to which, as his wedded wife, she was entitled.
it was apparently easy for the crown prince to relinquish amelia. but the english princess, being very unhappy at home, had fixed her affections upon frederick with the most romantic tenderness. in beauty of person, in chivalric reputation, in exalted rank, he was every thing an imaginative maiden could have desired. she regarded him probably as, in heart, true to her. he had often sent his protestations to the english court that he would never marry any one but amelia. though the marriage ceremony had been performed with elizabeth, he recognized only its legal tie. poor amelia was heart-crushed. earth had no longer any joys for her. she never married, but wore the miniature of the prince upon her breast for the rest of her days. we have no record of the weary years during which grief was consuming her life. her eyelids became permanently swollen with weeping. and when, at the age of sixty, she died, the miniature of the crown prince was still found resting upon her true and faithful heart. amelia and elizabeth—how sad their fate! through no fault of their own, earth was to them both truly a vale of tears. the only relief from the contemplation of the terrible tragedies of earth is found in the hope that the sufferers may find compensation in a heavenly home.
on tuesday, the 16th, the king and queen of prussia left salzdahlum to return to potsdam. at the close of the week the crown prince and his bride, escorted by a brilliant retinue of brunswick notabilities, set out on their return. in most of the intervening towns they were received with great pomp. on151 the 27th, the last day of the next week, the bridal pair had a grand entrance into berlin. the troops were all out upon parade. the clang of bells, the roar of cannon, and peals of martial music filled the air. all the inhabitants of berlin and the surrounding region were in the streets, which were spanned by triumphal arches, and garlanded with flowers. gladly would the princess have exchanged all this for one loving word from her husband. but that word was not uttered. two days before the grand reception at berlin the princess arrived at potsdam. here wilhelmina, for the first time, met her cruelly-wronged and heart-crushed sister-in-law. in the following terms she describes the interview:
“the king led the princess into the queen’s apartment. then seeing, after she had saluted us all, that she was much heated and her hair deranged, he bade my brother take her to her own room. i followed them thither. my brother said to her, introducing me,
“‘this is a sister i adore, and to whom i am obliged beyond measure. she has the goodness to promise me that she will take care of you and help you with her good counsel. i wish you to respect her beyond even the king and queen, and not to take the least step without her advice. do you understand?’
“i embraced the princess royal,” wilhelmina continues, “and gave her every assurance of my attachment. but she remained like a statue, not answering a word. her people not being come, i arranged her hair and readjusted her dress a little, without the least sign of thanks or any answer to all my caressings. my brother got impatient at last, and said aloud,
“‘devil’s in the blockhead! thank my sister, then?’
“she made me a courtesy on the model of that of agnes in the ecole des femmes. i took her back to the queen’s apartment, little edified by such a display of talent.”
it is probable that the princess, in the strangeness of her position, very young and inexperienced, and insulted by cruel neglect, in the freshness of her great grief dared not attempt to utter a syllable, lest her voice should break in uncontrollable sobbings. the crown prince returned to ruppin, leaving the princess at berlin. charles, the heir-apparent to the ducal crown of brunswick, and brother of the princess elizabeth, about a152 week after the arrival of the princess in berlin, was married to fritz’s sister charlotte—that same wicked charlotte who had flirted with wilhelmina’s intended, and who had so shamelessly slandered the betrothed of her brother. several fêtes followed these marriages, with the usual concomitants of enjoyment and disappointment. wilhelmina thus describes one of them:
“the next day there was a great promenade. we were all in phaetons, dressed out in our best. all the nobility followed in carriages, of which there were eighty-five. the king, in a berline, led the procession. he had beforehand ordered the round we were to take, and very soon fell asleep. there came on a tremendous storm of wind and rain, in spite of which we continued our procession at a foot’s pace. it may easily be imagined what state we were in. we were as wet as if we had been in the river. our hair hung about our ears, and our gowns and head-dresses were destroyed. we got out at last, after three hours’ rain, at monbijou, where there was to be a great illumination and ball. i never saw any thing so comical as all these ladies, looking like so many xantippes, with their dresses sticking to their persons. we could not even dry ourselves, and were obliged to remain all the evening in our wet clothes.”
