The lady rose and sought the nurse, who, from fright, had withdrawn into the shrubbery, and stood staring at the king with wide-open eyes. "Go home, Louisa, and put the child to sleep," said she, quickly.
The nurse obeyed promptly, and when alone, the king demanded again, "Who are you? and to whom does the child belong?""Your majesty, I am the daughter of your chapel musician Enke, and the child is the son of Prince Frederick William of Prussia," she replied, in a firm and defiant manner.
The king's eyes flashed as he glanced at the bold speaker. "You say so, but who vouches for the truth of it? You permit yourself to use a high name, to give your child an honorable father! What temerity!
what presumption! What if I should not believe you, but send you to the house of correction, at Spandau, as a slanderer, as guilty of high-treason, as a sinner and an *****eress?""You could not do it, sire--you could not," cried Wilhelmine Enke, "for you would also send there the honor and the name of your successor to the throne.""What do you mean?" cried the king, furiously.
"I mean, your majesty, that the prince has holy duties toward me. Iam the mother of that child!"
"You acknowledge your shame, and you dare confess it to me, your king, that you are the favorite, the kept mistress of the Prince of Prussia, who has already a wife that has borne him children? You do not even seek to deny it, or to excuse yourself?""I would try to excuse myself, did I not feel that your majesty would not listen to me.""What excuse could you offer?--there is none.""Love is my excuse," cried Wilhelmine, eagerly. "Oh! my ruler and king, do not shake your noble head so unbelievingly; do not look at me so contemptuously. Oh, Father in heaven, I implore Thee to quicken my mind, that my thoughts may become words, and my lips utter that which is burning in my soul! In all these years of my poor, despised, obscure life, how often have I longed for this hour when I might stand before my king, when I might penitently clasp his knees and implore mercy for myself and my children--those poor, nameless beings, whose existence is my accusation, and yet who are the pride and joy of my life! Oh, sire, I will not accuse, to excuse myself; I will not cast the stone at others which they have cast at me. But it is scarcely charitable to judge and condemn a young girl fourteen years of age, who did but obey the command of her parents, and followed the man who was the first and only one that ever whispered the word of love in her ear.""I have heard that your parents sold their child to shame. Is it true?" cried the king.
"Sire, my father was poor; the scanty income of a chapel musician scarcely sufficed to educate and support four children. The prince promised my father to educate me.""Bah! The promises of a young man of twenty-five are made without reflection, and rarely ever fulfilled.""Sire, to the Prince of Prussia I owe all that I know, and all that I am; his promise to my dying father was fully redeemed.""Indeed, by whom were you taught, and what have you learned?""Your majesty, the prince wished, before all, that I should learn to speak French. Madame Girard was my French instructress, and taught me to play the guitar and spinet also.""Oh, I presume you have learned to jabber a little French and drum a little music," said the king, shrugging his shoulders.
"I beg pardon, sire; I have a tolerable knowledge of history and of geography. I am familiar with the ancient and modern poets. I have read a good French translation of Homer, Horace, and Virgil, with a master. I have studied the history of Brandenburg, of Germany, and of America. We have read the immortal works of Voltaire, of Jean Jacques Rousseau, and of Shakespeare, with many of our modern poets.
My instructor has read all these works aloud to me, and he was much pleased when I repeated parts of what he had read to me some days afterward.""You appear to have had a very learned instructor," remarked the king, sneeringly. "What is his name?""His name, sire, is Prince Frederick William of Prussia. Yes, it is he who has taught me--he who has made me an intelligent woman.
However young he was when he undertook the task, he has accomplished it with fidelity, firmness, and patience. He loved me, and would make me worthy of him, in heart and mind. I shall ever be grateful to him, and only death can extinguish the love and esteem with which he in spires me.""Suppose I command you to leave the prince? Suppose I will no longer endure the scandal of this sinful relation?""I shall never willingly separate myself from my dear prince and master--from the father of my two children. Your majesty will be obliged to force me from him," answered Wilhelmine, defiantly.
"Oh, that will not be necessary, mademoiselle," cried the king.
"There are ways enough. I will make known my wishes to the prince; Iwill command him to leave you, and have no further communication with you.""Sire," she answered, gently, "I know that the prince is an obedient and respectful subject and servant to his king in all things, but this command he would not obey.""He would not dare to brave my commands!""He would not brave them, sire. Oh, no; it would be simply impossible to obey them.""What would hinder him?"