he cup I showed you,
you sent to me?"

"I received it from the Governor of Magdeburg, the Landgrave of Hesse;
as I could do nothing with it, I ventured to send it to your royal
highness."

"And I thank you, general, for sending it in so discreet, so wise a
manner. We may, perhaps, succeed in keeping all this secret from my
brother, so that he cannot act against us. Hasten away, general, and
give the jeweller, or whatever else he may be, his instructions. Send
him to me early in the morning for his reward." [Footnote: The princess
succeeded in winning the influence of the fireman. How he succeeded with
the empress, can be seen in "Thiebault's Souvenirs de Vingt Ans," vol.
iv.]

CHAPTER VII. THE ROYAL HOUSE-SPY.

The next morning, a carriage drew up before the garden of Sans-Souci,
and a gentleman, in a glittering, embroidered court uniform, crept out
slowly and with much difficulty. Coughing and murmuring peevish words to
himself, he slipped into the allee leading to the terraces. His back was
bent, and from under the three-cornered hat, ornamented with rich gold
lace, came sparsely, here and there, a few silver hairs. Who could have
recognized, in this doubled-up, decrepit form, now with tottering
knees creeping up the terrace, the once gay, careless, unconcerned
grand-master of ceremonies, Baron von Pollnitz? Who could have supposed
that this old weatherbeaten visage, deformed with a thousand wrinkles,
once belonged to the dashing cavalier? And yet, it was even so. Pollnitz
had grown old, and his back was bowed down under the yoke which the
monster Time lays at last upon humanity; but his spirit remained
unchanged. He had preserved his vivacity, his malice, his egotism. He
had the same passion for gold--much gold; not, however, to hoard, but
to lavish. His life was ever divided between base covetousness and
thoughtless prodigality. When he had revelled and gormandized through
the first days of every month, he was forced, during the last weeks,
to suffer privation and hunger, or to borrow from those who were
good-natured and credulous enough to lend him. There was also one other
source of revenue which the adroit courtier knew how to use to his
advantage. He was a splendid ecarte player; and, as it was his duty,
as grand-master of ceremonies, to provide amusements for the court, to
choose places and partners for the card-tables, he always arranged it so
as to bring himself in contact with wealthy and eager