ou'd better tell my wife yourself, sirrah--so that she may obey
orders.

EVERSMANN.

So that she may obey orders.

QUEEN.

Miserable lackey! [_Goes out_.]

PRINCE (_aside_).

Will he go now?

KING (_outside_).

Eversmann!

EVERSMANN.

Your Majesty!

KING.

Now go to my daughter too, the Princess Wilhelmine--

[WILHELMINE _opens her door softly_.]

EVERSMANN.

To Her Royal Highness--

KING.

And tell her to have a care--this Laharpe--is a rascal.

WILHELMINE (_aside_).

Laharpe?

PRINCE (_aside_).

What's that?

KING.

Laharpe is a rascal, I say.

EVERSMANN.

A rascal.

KING.

And tell my daughter that I will teach a lesson to the Crown Prince for
sending these French vagabonds here, who pretend to be teachers of the
language and are merely ordinary, good-for-nothing wigmakers.

WILHELMINE.

How disgusting!

[_She goes out_.]

PRINCE (_aside_).

Wigmakers?

KING (_still outside_).

And now get back to the books!

EVERSMANN.

At once, Your Majesty.

KING.

Eversmann--one thing more, Eversmann!

EVERSMANN.

Your Majesty?

KING.

If you should see the Prince Hereditary of Baireuth--

PRINCE (_aside_).

It's my turn now.

KING.

That French windbag who's been hanging about Berlin since yesterday--

PRINCE (_aside_).

Pleasing description!

EVERSMANN.

I'll tell him Your Majesty will not receive him.

PRINCE (_aside_).

Rascal!

KING.

No, Eversmann, tell him I have something very important to say to
him--something very confidential.

PRINCE (_aside_).

Confidential? To me?

KING.

Concerning an important and pressing matter.

EVERSMANN.

Oh, yes, I know.

KING.

You know, sirrah? What do you know? You know nothing at all.

EVERSMANN.

I thought--one might guess--

KING.

Guess? What right have you to guess? You're not to guess at all.
Understand? Idiot! Shoulder arms, march! [_As he goes off a short roll
of drums is heard_.]

PRINCE (_crosses quickly to_ EVERSMANN).

What do you know? What do you think it is that the King has to say to
me?

EVERSMANN.

Oh, Your Highness is still here?

PRINCE.

The King wishes to speak to me. Do you know why? Tell me what you think.

EVERSMANN.

If Your Highness promises not to betray me--I think it concerns a
certain affair--between Prussia and Austria.

PRINCE.

Austria?

EVERSMANN.

Arch-Duke Leopold is willing, they say--that is if [_with a sly gesture
toward