having finished,
handed him the paper. "Oh, I see you are a modest man, and blush like
a young girl. But tell me, now, what brings you here? What does the
city of Berlin wish?"

"Her rights, your majesty," said Gotzkowsky, seriously.

"And who is troubling her rights?"

"Your majesty."

The king frowned, and cast an angry glance on the bold jester.

Gotzkowsky continued, calmly: "Your majesty is depriving us of our
good rights, in so far as you wish to prevent us from being honest
people, and keeping our word sacred."

"Oh, now I understand you," said the king, laughing. "You are speaking
of the Russian war-tax. Berlin shall not pay it."

"Berlin will pay it, in order that your majesty may retain her in
your gracious favor; in order that the great Frederick may not have
to blush for his faithless and dishonest town, which would not then
deserve to be the residence of a king. How! would your majesty trust
the men who refused to redeem their openly-pledged word? who look upon
sworn contracts as a mouse-trap, to be escaped from as soon as the
opportunity offers, and when the dangerous cat is no longer sitting
at the door? Berlin will pay--that our sons may not have to blush
for their fathers; that posterity may not say that Berlin had stamped
herself with the brand of dishonor. We have pledged our word, and we
must keep it."

"You must not, for I do not wish you to do so," cried Frederick, with
anger-flashing eyes. "I will institute reprisals. The imperial court
has refused the payment of the Bamberg and Wurzburg bonds."

"And your majesty considers that proceeding highly dishonest and
unjust," interrupted Gotzkowsky; "and while you wish to punish the
empire for its breach of faith, you punish doubly the town of Berlin
by depriving her of the last thing that remained to her in her day
of need and misfortune--her honorable name. You cannot be in earnest,
sire? Punish, if you choose, the imperial judge, but do not make
Berlin the dishonored Jack Ketch to carry out your sentence."

"But are you so anxious to get rid of your money? What is the amount
that you still owe?"

"A million and a half, sire."

The king stepped back and looked at Gotzkowsky with astonishment. "And
the people of Berlin insist upon paying it?"

"Yes, because their word is pledged."

The king shook his head thoughtfully. "Hark ye," said he, "you seem to
me to be a dangerous agitator, who wishes to turn my peaceful citizens
of Berlin int