“Poor child,” said Frederick William sadly, “you love him still, although you despise him!”

With folded arms he walked several times to and fro, while his sister dropped into a chair, covered her face with her hands, and quietly wept.  The Elector stopped in front of her and gently drew her hands from before her face.

“Sister,” he said tenderly, “I will dry your tears, for I may do so, and in this hour of most sacred confidence not the shadow of an untruth shall lie between us.  When you wrote that billet to the count three years ago he did not come to the rendezvous, did he?”

“No!” cried the Princess; “he dared to let me expect him in vain, to decline the interview which I had granted him.  O Frederick! when I think of this I could die for very shame, so much do I hate him who humiliated me so deeply, so much do I despise myself for having incurred and merited this humiliation.”

“Louise,” said the Elector softly, “if that is your only reason for hating him, then you can love him again, for this is probably the only fault of which he is innocent.  Lift up your head, sister, for I can relieve you from this humiliation.  It was Count Schwarzenberg’s wish to keep the appointment.  He stood for two hours before a locked door seeking admission.  I, however, stood on the other side of the door, guarding it, and did not depart until he had gone away in despair.”

“You, brother?” asked the Princess, whose cheeks grew suddenly crimson.  “You knew about it?  You prevented the interview?”

“I wanted to guard my sister against her own indiscretion; I wanted to preserve her from error.”

“You knew it and kept silence, magnanimously kept my secret from my mother?  Oh, and he is innocent?  He did not scorn and insult me?  I can think of him without anger, without—­No, no; forgive me, brother, I—­”

“Hear me, Louise,” said he softly.  “I will prove to you how much I have your happiness at heart, and how gladly I would promote it.  If in spite of all that you have learned to-day, in spite of his mode of wooing, you still love Count Schwarzenberg—­so love him that for his sake you can forever—­mark well my words, forever—­give up mother, brother and sister, home, country, yea, religion itself, sundering all the ties which bind you here—­if you so love him that he is family, home, everything to you, then tell me so, sister, and I will overcome my repugnance and have the count recalled, will accept his offer, and bestow you upon him in marriage.  Only you must choose between him and us.  In that hour, when I join your hands, we have seen each other for the last time, and never will your return home be possible.  But if you really love him, go, for well I know that love only finds its home in the heart of the beloved one.  Choose then, sister.  Will you follow him?  Speak, I shall not reproach you—­speak, and I will have him recalled!”