“Well, tell your news quickly,” said the king.  “You see that I am torturing myself with the most wild and incredible suppositions.”

“Sire, the Barbarina reached Berlin last night.”

“Truly,” said the king, indifferently, “so we have at last ravished her from Venice, and Lord Stuart McKenzie.”

“Not exactly so, your highness.  Lord Stuart McKenzie arrived in Berlin this morning.”

Frederick frowned.  “This is also, as it appears, a case of true love, and may end in a silly marriage.  I am not pleased when men or women in my service entertain serious thoughts of love or marriage; it occupies their thoughts and interferes with the performance of their duty.”

“Your majesty judges severely,” murmured Fredersdorf, who knew full well that this remark was intended for his special benefit.

“Well, this is not only my opinion, but I act in consonance with it.  I allow myself no relaxation.  Have I ever had a love-affair?  Perhaps, Fredersdorf, you believe my blood to be frozen like ice in my veins; that I have a heart of stone; in short, that I ceased to be a man when I became a king.”

“Not so; but I believe your majesty is too great and too exalted to find any one worthy of your love.”

“Folly, folly, sheer folly, Fredersdorf!  When a man loves, he does not weigh himself in the scales and find out how many pounds of worth he has; he only loves, and forgets all other earthly things.  Now, for myself, I dare not forget that I am a king, and that my time and strength belong to my people.  My heart is too tender, and for this reason I fly from love.  So should you also flee, you also dare not forget that your life is consecrated to your king.  The Signora Barbarina shall not forget that she is in my service; dancing, and not loving, must now occupy her thoughts and actions.  I will allow her flirtations and amours, but a true love I absolutely forbid.  How can she go through with her ballets, her pirouettes, and entrechats gayly and gracefully if a passionate love sits enthroned within her heart?  I have promised the English ambassador, who is the cousin of this Lord Stuart McKenzie, that I will separate these lovers.  At this moment the friendship of England is of much importance to me, and I shall certainly keep my promise.  Write immediately to the director of police that I command him not only to banish Lord McKenzie from Berlin, but to send him under guard to Hamburg, and there place him upon an English ship bound for England.  In twelve hours he must leave Berlin. [Footnote:  This order was obeyed.  Lord McKenzie, the tender lover of the beautiful Barbarina, who had followed her from Venice to Berlin, was, immediately on his arrival, banished from Prussia by the special command of the king, and taken to Hamburg; from thence he addressed some passionate letters to his beautiful beloved, which she, of course, never received, and which are preserved in the royal archives at Berlin.  (See Schneider’s “History of Operas.")] Is that your only news, Fredersdorf?”