“I did not say that my heart had spoken,” she cried, sobbing and trembling; “I only said that we poor princesses were not allowed to have hearts.”

“No heart for one; but a great large heart, great enough for all!” cried Ulrica.  “You accuse me, Amelia, but you forget that I did not intrude upon your confidence.  You came to me voluntarily, and disclosed your abhorrence of this marriage; then only did I counsel you, as I would wish to be advised under the same circumstances.  In a word, I counselled you to obey your conscience, your own convictions of duty.”

“Your advice was wonderfully in unison with your own plans; your deceitful words were dictated by selfishness,” cried Amelia, bitterly.

“I would not have adopted the course which I advised you to pursue, because my character and my feeling are wholly different from yours.  My conscience is less tender, less trembling than yours.  To become a Lutheran does not appear to me a crime, not even a fault, more particularly as this change is not the result of fickleness or inconstancy, but for an important political object.”

“And your object was to become Queen of Sweden?”

“Why should I deny it?  I accept this crown which you cast from you with contempt.  I am ambitious.  You were too proud to offer up the smallest part of your religious faith in order to mount the throne of Sweden.  I do not fear to be banished from heaven, because, in order to become a queen, I changed the outward form of my religion; my inward faith is unchanged:  if you repent your conduct—­if you have modified your views—­”

“No, no!” said Amelia, hastily, “I do not repent.  My grief and my despair are not because of this pitiful crown, but because of my faithless and deceitful sister who gave me evil counsel to promote her own interests, and while she seemed to love, betrayed me.  Go, go! place a crown upon your proud head; you take up that which I despise and trample upon.  I do not repent.  I have no regrets.  But, hark! in becoming a queen, you cease to be my sister.  Never will I forget that through falsehood and treachery you won this crown.  Go! be Queen of Sweden.  Let the whole world bow the knee before you.  I despise you.  You have shrouded your pitiful heart in your royal robes.  Farewell!”

She sprang to the door with flashing eyes and throbbing breast, but Ulrica followed and laid her hand upon her shoulder.

“Let us not part in anger, my sister,” said she, softly—­“let us—­”

Amelia would not listen; with an angry movement she dashed the hand from her shoulder and fled from the room.  Alone in her boudoir, she paced the room in stormy rage, wild passion throbbed in every pulse.  With the insane fury of the Hohenzollerns, she almost cursed her sister, who had so bitterly deceived, so shamefully betrayed her.