“No, dearest father,” said the Princess timidly, casting down her large, dark eyes, “no, your grace has not indeed permitted us to do so, but we did not think of that in the joy of our hearts, and because from here is the best lookout upon the pleasure grounds, we—­”

“We thought,” interrupted the younger sister, who had hardly attained her fifteenth year—­“we thought our dear papa, his Electoral Grace, would forgive us and look out with us to catch a sight of our beloved brother.  And were we not right, dear papa, were we mistaken in thinking so, and will your grace not allow your little Sophie Hedwig to lead you to the great corner window, that with mamma you may have a view of dear Frederick William?”

The Princess had approached her father, and, tenderly and coaxingly stroking his cheeks with her little white hand, looked up at him with such a gentle, pleading glance in her blue eyes as George William had never hitherto been known to resist.  But this time the eyes of his favorite had no power over the Elector’s heart, and indignantly he repelled her encircling arms.

“Let me alone with your ‘dear Frederick William,’ you saucy piece!” cried he passionately.  “You should at all events have waited until I had given you leave to appear here.  If, in your childish giddiness, you knew no better, yet your sister Charlotte Louise, at the more mature age of twenty, ought to have arrived at years of discretion, and known what was proper.”

“No one knows better what is becoming than the fair young Princess Charlotte Louise, most gracious sir,” said Count Adam Schwarzenberg, issuing from the window recess and greeting the Princess with a reverential bow.  “In the whole country the Electoral Princess is honored as a brilliant model of fine manners and noble demeanor, and every one feels himself blessed and honored who is permitted to approach her.  And is not the young lady right even now, dear sir, in coming here with her young sister?  It is surely proper and well for the united Electoral family to be seen by the nation as they look upon the dear son and brother, whose return gladdens their hearts?”

“Well, for aught I care, she may be right,” muttered the Elector, “and I will grant my wife and daughters leave to look out of the corner window.  But, meanwhile, where is the Electress?”

“Her grace is standing there before the corner window and gazing down so earnestly upon the square that I have not yet been so fortunate as to be allowed to pay my respects to her highness.”

“For if the whole world had been assembled together she would have seen nothing but the Electoral Prince,” called out the Elector, shrugging his shoulders.  “Go to her, Adam, and present my compliments to her.  Tell her that I resign my cabinet to her and my daughters, and will withdraw into my sleeping apartment until this uproar has subsided.”

“Oh, do not do so, most honored father,” cried the younger Princess.  “Stay here, and look out of the window with us.”