ned here ill and alone, and the enemy was besieging
our capital, I was always thinking of none but you, and yearned to be
again with you. But when the shells struck our palace, I thanked Heaven
that you were not here, and had not to undergo the fear and anguish
which I was enduring. When this Bonaparte arrived, I was suffering of
the scarlet fever, but the terror brought on an attack of intermittent
fever. I shall never forgive him. But, thank God, these evil times are
over! Now we need not be afraid of being expelled again from the palace
of our ancestors by this bad man, and of seeing our dear Schoenbrunn
degraded by the presence of his marshals. Now we can live happily and
delightfully in undisturbed tranquillity."

"Yes, we can," said the Archduchess Leopoldine, smiling. "But do you not
think, sister, that our life is indescribably monotonous and tedious at
the present time? Our third mother, the Empress Ludovica, is certainly a
very amiable, virtuous, and pious lady, but she really believes us still
to be small children, who ought to remain in the nursery, and it does
not occur to her that amusements are sometimes necessary for young
princesses of our age. We have passed the whole winter in an intolerably
quiet and wearisome manner; we are already in the latter part of
February, and have not had a single ball at court. Ah, Louisa, it is,
after all, not so very pleasant to be a princess. Other girls of our age
are at liberty to indulge in a little pleasure, to attend balls,
concerts, and parties, where they see new faces and interesting persons.
We are forbidden all this. We must wait until diversion comes to us, and
unfortunately we are not thought of at all! We are never allowed to pay
visits or accept invitations. A formal court ball, where we may appear
for a few hours, and dance with the most aristocratic cavaliers, is our
only amusement, and at present we are deprived of that. We are guarded
in our apartments like prisoners."

"Yes, it is true," sighed Maria Louisa, "and we have a very rigorous
jailer in the Countess of Colloredo. Do you know, Leopoldine, that I
have had a violent scene with the mistress of ceremonies to-day?"

"Ah, I am glad of it," exclaimed Leopoldine, laughing. "What was the
matter?"

"I wanted to read, and requested the mistress of ceremonies to give me
new books. She deferred it until to-day and brought me then one of the
works I had asked for, 'the Maid of Orleans,' by Schiller, but