" cried the king, with increased animation. "I
will impose a tax upon those things which are now exempt, and establish
a capable administration for the purpose. Bread, flour, meat, and beer,
the sustenance of the poor, shall remain as they are, for I will not
that they shall pay more. But tobacco, coffee, and tea, are superfluous
things, which the prosperous and rich consume. Whoever will smoke, and
drink tea or coffee, can and shall pay for being a gourmand!"

"I beg pardon, but it is just these taxes which will create the greatest
discontent," answered Herzberg. "Your majesty will remember that the
duty on coffee was complained of and criticised by every one, and
the poor people grumbled more than all. In spite of the resistance of
government, coffee has become, more and more, a means of nourishment and
refreshment for the lower class."

"I will teach them to renounce it," cried the king, striking the table
violently with his staff "I will not suffer so much money to go out of
the country for this abominable beverage! My people shall re-learn to
drink their beer, instead of this infamous stuff, as I had to do when
a young man. What was good enough for the crown prince of Prussia, will
to-day suffice for his subjects. I tell you, Herzberg, I will teach them
to drink their beer, or pay dearly for this bad, foreign stuff. Then we
will see which will conquer, Prussian beer or foreign coffee."

"It is possible that the former will be victorious on account of
their poverty and the high duties; but in any case the people will be
discontented, and grumble against your majesty."

"Do you suppose that I care for that?" asked the king, with a quick,
fiery glance at the calm, earnest face of his confidant. "Do you think
that I care for the applause of the people, or trouble myself about
their complaints? I regard their shouting or their grumbling about as
much as the humming or buzzing of a fly upon the wall. If it dares to
light upon my nose, I brush it off; and if I can, I catch it. Beyond
that, it is its nature to hum and buzz. Herzberg, you understand that if
a ruler should listen to the praises or discontent of his subjects, he
would soon be a lost man, and would not know his own mind. The people
are changeable as the weather; to-morrow they crush under their feet
what to-day they bore aloft, and praise one day what they stone the
next. Do not talk to me about the people! I know this childish, foolish
mass, and he is lost