us to a more
quiet street. We intended to do homage to some one else--to pay our
respects to the king of literature. We desired to make a pilgrimage to
the place where the greatest poet of Germany was born, and visit the
dear lady his mother, Mde. Counsellor Goethe.

"Our heart was transported with gladness when the carriage halted in
front of the door, and a handsome face, with dark, brilliant eyes,
appeared at the window, and nodded to us very cordially. We were old
friends and acquaintances, and, therefore, did not beg leave to enter,
but hastened directly into the sitting-room. Madame Goethe met us with a
kind salutation, and made a sign to the servant-girl to remove the table
standing in the middle of the room. But we saw that the dish was still
filled, and that Madame Goethe, after returning from the coronation, was
about to take dinner.

"'Madame Goethe,' we exclaimed, 'if you do not have your dinner
immediately served up, we shall leave at once, and will never believe
again that you are our friend, and that we are your children, as you
always call us. If you will eat, and permit us to be present, we will
remain; but if you persist in receiving us ceremoniously as princesses,
and in having the dinner removed, we must go.' 'Good heavens,' exclaimed
the good lady, in surprise, 'I will comply with the wishes of the little
princesses, and eat if they insist on it. I am only ashamed of my dinner
to-day, for I have permitted the cook to go to the coronation, and she
has not yet returned. The chambermaid, therefore, prepared some food for
me; it is so plain, however, that I cannot invite you to partake of
it.'--'Oh, we do not want to eat, but only to sit with you,' exclaimed
Frederica and I; we then took the arms of the old lady and conducted her
to the table. She sighed, but yielded to our solicitations. We sat down
opposite her, and Madame Gelieux took a seat close to us in the
window-niche. Madame Goethe quickly ate her soup, and rang the bell for
the servant to bring the second course. When she appeared and placed
two dishes on the table, madame became greatly embarrassed. 'That is a
dinner,' she said, 'that ought to be ashamed of showing its mean face in
the presence of two little princesses so beautiful, and dressed in
brocade! Why, it is nothing but an omelet and a salad.' And she then cut
off a small piece of the omelet and put it among the green leaves of the
salad. We looked on, and the dish seemed by far mo