gathered together. He said to his groom, 'Go and see what is
the matter.' The man came back and told the king that the people
were all looking at a caricature of Frederick himself. A caricature,
you know, is a comical portrait.

"Perhaps you think the king was angry when he heard this. Not at
all. He said, 'Go and hang the picture lower down, so they will not
have to stretch their necks to see it.'

"The crowd heard the words. 'Hurrah for the king!' they cried. At
the same time, they began to tear the picture into pieces."

"Frederick the Great could appreciate a joke," said Bertha. "I
should think the people must have loved him."

"He had some fine buildings put up in his lifetime," Hans went on.
"A new palace was built in Berlin, besides another one the king
called 'Sans Souci.' Those are French words meaning, 'Without a
Care.' He called the place by that name because he said he was
free-hearted and untroubled while he stayed there.

"I've told you these things because you are a girl. But I'll tell
you what I like to think of best of all. It's the stories of the
wars in which he fought and in which he showed such wonderful
courage. So, hurrah for Frederick the Great, King of Prussia!"

Hans made a salute as though he stood in the presence of the great
king. Then he started for the wood-pile, where he was soon sawing
logs with as much energy as if he were fighting against the enemies
of his country.

CHAPTER VII.

THE BRAVE PRINCESS

"Listen, children! That must be the song of a nightingale. How
sweet it is!"

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon. Every one in the family had been
to church in the morning, and come home to a good dinner of bean soup
and potato salad. Then the father had said:

"Let us take a long walk over the fields and through the woods. The
world is beautiful to-day. We can enjoy it best by leaving the house
behind us."

Some of the neighbours joined the merry party. The men smoked their
pipes, while the women chatted together and the children frolicked
about them and picked wild flowers.

How many sweet smells there were in the fields! How gaily the birds
sang! The air seemed full of peace and joy.

They all wandered on till they came to a cascade flowing down over
some high rocks. Trees grew close to the waterfall, and bent over it
as though to hide it from curious eyes.

It was a pretty spot.

"Let us sit down at the foot of this cascade," said Berth