derick William, stricken by this new and terrible humiliation
menacing him, looked anxiously around for assistance. He felt lonely,
deserted, and betrayed; he felt as though there was no comfort, no hope
for him. His soul turned with unutterable yearning toward the queen;
she was the pillar against which he desired to lean, that he might not
sink to the ground; she was his energy, his strength, his determination,
and when she was at his side, he felt strong enough to brave any
calamity. His love longed for her, and political considerations soon
required her presence.

"Beseech the queen to come hither," said Alexander to him; "she alone is
able now to do something for Prussia. Her beauty, her eloquence, her
amiability, and her understanding, will be more likely to obtain
concessions from Napoleon than any thing else. It will touch his
magnanimity that the noble queen, whom he has so often reviled,
condescends to come to him to implore his mercy. This high-minded
resolution will make a deep impression upon his generosity, and he will
grant twenty times more than I am able to obtain by my daily and most
urgent solicitations."

The king still hesitated. Owing to his sense of honor and his
conscientiousness, he shrank from doing what his heart so intensely
desired; and, before making up his mind, he wished to hear the views of
his friends, General von Koeckeritz and Field-Marshal Kalkreuth, who were
carrying on the peace negotiations with Talleyrand. Both of them shared
the opinion of the Emperor Alexander; both of them exclaimed: "The queen
is our last hope! She alone is able to make an impression upon the
inexorable conqueror, and Napoleon possibly may not refuse her what he
declined granting to your majesty and to us. It is necessary for the
welfare of Prussia that her majesty should come hither."

The king delayed no longer. He wrote to the queen, and requested her to
come to his headquarters at Puktupoehnen. He told her it was her sacred
duty to make a last effort for the preservation of Prussia--that every
thing would be lost if She failed to move Napoleon by her supplications
and remonstrances. A courier hastened immediately with the letter to
Memel. When Louisa read it, a pallor overspread her features. Uttering a
cry of excruciating anguish, she dropped the paper into her lap, and
buried her face in her hands.

Madame von Berg, who had heard the loud sobs of the queen in the
adjoining room, hastened to console