bey, as is your duty; you are bound to obey no other voice
than that of your king who commands you," said he with a voice of
thunder.

General Saldern answered, calmly: "But, sire, I must obey the voice
of my honor! Your majesty can easily transfer this commission to
another."

The king turned from him with an involuntary frown, and, walking up
and down hastily, he stopped near Saldern, and laid his hand gently on
his shoulder. "Look ye, Saldern, obey--go to Hubertsburg."

"I cannot, sire!"

"You do not desire to enrich yourself?" said the king, as he turned
away. "Do you wish your discharge? I have no use for soldiers who do
not consider obedience their first duty."

"I herewith ask for my discharge, sire!"

"You have it--go!"[5]

Without saying a word, General von Saldern made a military obeisance,
and left the room.

"You go too!" said the king to Gotzkowsky, who had been a silent,
involuntary spectator of this scene--"go and tell my adjutant to send
Quintus Icilius to me."

In a few minutes Major Quintus Icilius entered. "Go to Hubertsburg
with a detachment of infantry and cavalry, and clear out the castle."

Major Quintus Icilius took good heed not to contradict the king. He
had already, in the antechamber, heard of General von Saldern's fate,
and he was not indisposed to execute the king's commission.

"Only a hundred thousand dollars you hand over to the Lazaretto, the
rest you can keep for yourself."

"As you command, sire! Shall I proceed at once?"

The king cast a look of disgust on him. "Are you in such a hurry to
be rich?" said he. "Go--I will appoint the time and the hour more
particularly."[6]

When the king was alone again, he paced up and down the room in deep
thought. At one time he stopped at the window, and his bright blue
eyes were turned mournfully toward heaven. "Poor fools that we are!"
said he, with a sigh. "We have only a moment to live, and we make
this moment as bitter as possible to each other. We take pleasure in
destroying the master-pieces of industry and art, at the same time
we are erecting an accursed monument to our own devastation and our
cruelty."[7]

[Footnote 1: "Lettres inedites, ou Correspondance de Frederic II.,"
&c., p. 120.]

[Footnote 2: The king's own words.]

[Footnote 3: "Correspondance entre Fred. et M. d'Argens," vi., p.
228.]

[Footnote 4: "Life of a Patriotic Merchant," pp. 85-254. "The king
paid the contribution in fact so quietly, one hard