aughter followed this hit, and all eyes turned
again in ridicule toward the poor officers, who were marching along,
mournfully and silently, with downcast yet noble bearing.

Filled with anger and shame, Prince Augustus pressed through the crowd.
He could not bear this disgraceful scene; he had to avert his head in
order not to see the unfortunate Prussian officers; he hurried away,
that he might hear no more the cruel taunts of the populace. The ranks
became less dense, and this terrible procession passed by--the street
was once more unobstructed. The prince rushed onward regardless of the
direction he was taking, crushed as he was by the disgrace and
wretchedness brought upon Prussia. He was again suddenly in front of a
large gathering. He looked about him wonderingly and in dismay. Without
knowing it, he had gone down to the large square in front of the
Brandenburg Gate, where was a dense crowd.

But the thousands here did not utter sneers or praises--they were sad
and silent; there was no malicious sparkle in their eyes as they rushed
in one direction to the Brandenburg Gate.

The prince beheld an inclined scaffold erected near the lofty Grecian
pillars of the gate, and reaching up to the cast-iron goddess of
victory, standing in her triumphal car, and holding the reins of her
horses. He saw the ropes, pulleys, and chains, attached to her form, and
it seemed to him as if they were around his own breast, and choking his
voice. He had to make an effort to utter a word, and, turning to a man
standing by, he asked in a low voice, "What is going on here? What are
they doing up there?"

The man looked at him long and mournfully. "The French are removing the
'Victoria' from the gate," he said, with suppressed anger. "They believe
the state no longer suitable to Berlin, and the emperor is sending it to
Paris, whither he has already forwarded the sword and clock of Frederick
the Great."

The prince uttered a groan of despair. At that moment a loud French
command was heard by the gate, and as if the "Victoria" were conscious,
and obedient to the orders of the emperor, a tremor seemed to seize the
goddess. She rose as the horses began to descend, and her figure bent
forward as if greeting Berlin for the last time. A loud noise resounded
above the heads of the crowd--the "Victoria" had glided safely to the
ground. The prince uttered a cry, and, as if paralyzed, closed his eyes.
When he opened them again the beautiful pilla