“You are right,” said Pollnitz, laughing aloud; “you are as innocent as a girl of sixteen! you have this moment fallen headlong in love, and begin at once to think of the possibility of marriage, as if love had no other refuge than marriage, and yet I think I have read that the god of Love and the god of Hymen are rarely seen together, though brothers; in point of fact, they despise and flee from each other.  But after all, young man, if your love is virtuous and requires the priest’s blessing, I think that is possible.  Only a few years since the widowed margravine, the aunt of the king, married the Count Hoditz.  What the king’s aunt accomplished, might be possible to the king’s sister.”

“Silence, silence!” murmured Frederick von Trenck; “your wild words cloud my understanding like the breath of opium; they make me mad, drunk.  You stand near me like the tempter, showing to my bewildered eyes more than all the treasures of this world, and saying, ’All these things will I give thee’; but alas!  I am not the Messiah.  I have not the courage to cast down and trample under foot your devilish temptations.  My whole soul springs out to meet them, and shouts for joy.  Oh, sir, what have you done?  You have aroused my youth, my ambition, my passion; you have filled my veins with fire, and I am drunk with the sweet but deadly poison you have poured into my ears.”

“I have assured you that I will be your father.  I will lead you, and at the right moment I will point out the obstacles against which your inexperienced feet might stumble,” said Pollnitz.

The stony-hearted and egotistical old courtier felt not the least pity for this poor young man into whose ear, as Trenck had well said, he was pouring this fatal poison.  Frederick von Trenck, the favorite of the king, was nothing more to him than a ladder by which he hoped to mount.  He took the arm of the young officer and endeavored to soothe him with cool and moderate words, exhorting him to be quiet and reasonable.  They turned their steps toward the castle, in order to pay their respects to the queen-mother.  The hour of audience was over, and the two gentlemen lounged arm in arm down the street.

“Let us go toward the palace,” said Pollnitz.  “I think we will behold a rare spectacle, a crowd of old wigs who have disguised themselves as savans.  To-day, the first sitting of the Academy of Arts and Sciences takes place, and the celebrated President Maupertius will open the meeting in the name of the king.  This is exactly the time for the renowned worthies to leave the castle.  Let us go and witness this comical show.”

The two gentlemen found it impossible to carry out their plans.  A mighty crowd of men advanced upon them at this moment, and compelled them to stand still.  Every face in the vast assemblage was expectant.  Certainly some rare exhibition was to be seen in the circle which the crowd had left open in their midst.  There were merry laughing and jesting and questioning amongst each other, as to what all this could mean, and what proclamation that could be which the drummer had just read in the palace garden.