hted at so skilful a
flattery. The two sovereigns then walked hand in hand to the doors of
the pavilion.

"To-morrow, then," said Napoleon, with a gentle nod.

"To-morrow, I and the King of Prussia will be here," said Alexander,
with a smile.

Both emerged from the pavilion. The guards and the people received them
again with shouts in which the bands joined. Alexander turned to the
Grand-duke Constantine, his brother, and seizing his hand to introduce
him to Napoleon, he exclaimed enthusiastically, "What a man! what a
genius! Ah, my brother, had I but known him sooner, how many blunders he
might have spared me! What great things we might have accomplished
together!"

CHAPTER XXVIII.

QUEEN LOUISA.

While Frederick William repaired with Alexander to the headquarters of
the army, the queen and her faithful attendants remained at Memel. There
she received the news of the battle of Friedland, and bewailed the
misfortunes and disgrace of Prussia. The king was not with her, to
comfort her; he was still at the mill of Puktupoehnen, where, after the
disastrous battle, he and the Emperor Alexander had retired. Alexander
had left for Tilsit. The king had refused to accompany him, preferring
to remain at his humble lodgings, far from the proud conqueror. While
Alexander was the perpetual companion of Napoleon, a daily guest at his
table, without returning this hospitality, indulging with him in
fantastic dreams about the future political system of the world,
Frederick William pursued his lonely path gravely and silently, only
looking for means to relieve as much as possible the sufferings his
subjects were undergoing, and, by remonstrances and arguments, trying to
protect his monarchy from utter destruction.

Never did Frederick William stoop to flatter his enemy--never did he bow
to him in hypocritical submission. He could not help treating him as the
conqueror of his states, but he refused to degrade himself by base
servility. His first interview with Napoleon was short, and not very
pleasant. Frederick William tried to prove to his adversary that it was
he who had brought about the war by invading the territory of Anspach,
and thereby compelling Prussia to declare war. Napoleon listened to this
charge, shrugged his shoulders, and merely replied that the cabinet of
Berlin, often warned to beware of the intrigues of England, had
committed the fault of not listening to his friendly counsel, and that
to this cause