n, such as suits there), is discovered in him: without wit
himself, but much the cause of wit. None oftener shook the Tabagie with
inextinguishable Hahas: daily, by stirring into him, you could wrinkle
the Tabagie into grim radiance of banter and silent grins.

He wore sublime clothes: Friedrich Wilhelm, whom we saw dress up
his regimental Scavenger-Executioners in French costume, for Count
Rothenburg's behoof, made haste to load Gundling with Rathships,
Kammerherrships, Titles such as fools covet;--gave him tolerable
pensions too, poor devil, and even functions, if they were of the
imaginary or big insignificant sort. Above all things, his Majesty
dressed him, as the pink of fortunate ambitious courtiers. Superfine
scarlet coat, gold buttonholes, black-velvet facings and embroideries
without end: "straw-colored breeches; red silk stockings," with probably
blue clocks to them, "and shoes with red heels:" on his learned head
sat an immense cloud-periwig of white goat's-hair (the man now growing
towards fifty); in the hat a red feather:--in this guise he walked the
streets, the gold Key of KAMMERHERR (Chamberlain) conspicuously hanging
at his coat-breast; and looked proudly down upon the world, when sober.
Alas, he was often not sober; and fiends in human shape were ready
enough to take advantage of his unguarded situation. No man suffered
ruder tarring-and-feathering;--and his only comfort was his bane withal,
that he had, under such conditions, the use of the royal cellars, and
could always command good liquor there.

His illustrious scarlet coat, by tumblings in the ditch, soon got dirty
to a degree; and exposed him to the biting censures of his Majesty,
anxious for the respectability of his Hofraths. One day, two wicked
Captains, finding him prostrate in some lone place, cut off his
Kammerherr KEY; and privately gave it to his Majesty. Majesty, in
Tabagie, notices Gundling's coat-breast: "Where is your Key, then, Herr
Kammerherr?" "Hm, hah--unfortunately lost it, Ihro Majestat!"--"Lost it,
say you?" and his Majesty looks dreadfully grave.--"Key lost?" thinks
Tabagie, grave Seckendorf included: "JARNI-BLEU, that is something
serious!" "As if a Soldier were to drink his musket!" thinks his
Majesty: "And what are the laws, if an ignorant fellow is shot, and a
learned wise one escapes?" Here is matter for a deliberative Tabagie;
and to poor Gundling a bad outlook, fatal or short of fatal. He had
better not even drink muc